Other Alternative Therapies

For years, IAVA members have sounded off in support of researching medical cannabis for use in treating the wounds of war. As well, during this time a variety of alternative therapies have been developed for the same purposes.

Veterans have consistently and passionately communicated that they’ve found that other alternative therapies, such as equine therapy and agri therapy, offer effective help in tackling some of the most pressing injuries faced when returning from war. Frequently, alternative therapies take the place of addictive prescription drugs. Yet, many of these alternative modalities are not currently being incorporated into VA care.

IAVA insists that, where there are proven alternative therapies available to their civilian counterparts, veterans should have access to the same standard of care through the VA.

A service dog is a dog trained to help people with disabilities, such as visual impairments, mental illnesses, seizure disorders, diabetes, etc. while a therapy dog is trained to provide comfort and affection to people in hospice, disaster areas, retirement homes, hospitals, nursing homes, schools, and more.

Service dogs and service animals in general are working animals, not pets. They have been specifically trained to perform tasks related to the disabled person’s specific disabilities. For example, a service animal for someone with epilepsy can be trained to alert them when a seizure is imminent so that appropriate measures may be taken to either avert the seizure or reduce the risk of injury.

Therapy dogs are used in facilities to comfort people and give affection. Spending time with a therapy dog has been shown to lower blood pressure and heart rate, reduce anxiety, and increase endorphins and oxytocin. Therapy dogs do not have to be trained to perform specific tasks like service dogs.

Also in this category are emotional support animals (ESA) which provide their owners with therapeutic benefits through companionship.

Equine-assisted psychotherapy incorporates horses into the therapeutic process. Those participating in this type of therapy may engage in activities such as grooming, feeding, and leading a horse while being supervised by a mental health professional. Depending on the therapeutic need, participants could develop skills such as emotional regulation, self-confidence, or responsibility. Equine-assisted therapy is growing in popularity due to mounting evidence of its effectiveness.

A variety of terms may be used to describe or reference equine-assisted psychotherapy, including:

The last term, equine-assisted therapy, can also often refer to other forms of therapy where horses are used, such as with occupational therapy.

Agri Therapy for veterans is participation in agriculture programs designed to encourage therapeutic relief of service-related disabilities such as PTSD, TBI, and much more. These programs may be in the form of farming, ranching, gardening, beekeeping or any other agricultural pursuit coupled with oversight by a mental health professional.

IAVA is fighting hard to enact the bipartisan VA Medicinal Cannabis Research Act (S. 326/ H.R. 1003) that states that the VA can conduct research into the efficacy of medical cannabis as a treatment for veterans with chronic pain, PTSD, and other conditions.

The policies that exclude this therapy are outdated, research is lacking, and stigma persists. IAVA has set out to change that and launch a national conversation underscoring the need for bipartisan, data-based solutions that can bring relief to millions.

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