SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - Chronic pain, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and anxiety are just some of the conditions veterans carry with them long after serving our country.
Now many are finding relief at a free acupuncture clinic offered at the Pacific College of Oriental Medicine (PCOM).
"I had patients who would come to me and say, no you don't understand, I got off all my pain medication," said Christine Cronin, a full-time faculty member at PCOM.
A Marine Corps veteran herself, Cronin started the Veterans Clinic in 2013.
"I focused my doctoral research on the treatment of combat stress-induced insomnia, and I had a lot of research that supported that we were going to have a lot of service members who were going to have a series of comorbid conditions, they were going to have a lot of different things that they were going to be working through. And they were all things acupuncture was good at," said Cronin.
Students who've received over 2,000 hours of training help treat veterans at the clinic.
Acupuncture helps regulates the body, promoting a natural self-healing process.
"Really listen to your patient and really figure out what is at stake for them, and what is going to help them lead the kind of life they want to lead," said Cronin.
The clinic is open to past and present service members, as well as their family members.
Veterans Clinic:
- Wednesday nights, 5:30 - 9:30 (veterans asked to arrive before 8 p.m.)
- 7445 Mission Valley Rd, San Diego, CA 92108
- Bring military ID or proof of service affiliation
