October is National Chiropractic Health Month, and the theme set for 2015 by the American Chiropractic Association is addressing the epidemic of painkiller addiction and overuse.

One group that is especially vulnerable to overuse of painkillers is veterans. According to Veterans Administration officials, more than 600,000 veterans use opioid painkillers. Experts say this often contributes to job loss, family strife, homelessness and suicide, as well as weight gain, diabetes and heart disease.

Dr. Timothy Novelli (DC ’85) with NUHS President Joseph Stiefel

To help veterans seek natural alternatives to prescription painkillers, as well as providing care for other health conditions they may have, National University of Health Sciences is proud to officially support The Patriot Project, founded by 1985 NUHS alumnus, Timothy Novelli, DC. It also encourages alumni to join with other NUHS colleagues who already participate in this exemplary service that provides chiropractic support to active military, their families and wounded warriors.

NUHS currently welcomes active military and veterans at the NUHS Whole Health Center – Lombard. NUHS operates a dedicated Veterans Clinic on Tuesdays in Lombard, which provides free acupuncture therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder. In support of The Patriot Project, the university will now broaden available acupuncture therapies in its Veterans Clinic to include complimentary full body acupuncture, moxibustion and tui na therapies, with a generous discount offered on all other services. These therapies are shown to reduce pain symptoms resulting from disease and injury.

“We’re proud to join Dr. Novelli and The Patriot Project in delivering care to active military, veterans and their families through the Veterans Clinic on our Illinois campus,” says President Stiefel.

Whether you are a veteran, or someone else suffering from chronic pain, October is a great time to explore the wide variety of natural treatments offered by the chiropractic physicians at NUHS Whole Health Centers.