Veterans Walking for Science

Long story short- 3xIraq and 1xAfghanistan Veteran. Severe TBI after a fall/explosions and ? PTSD. My TBI  was so severe I was going to be medically retired from the Army. I started long distance hiking and my cognitive abilities greatly improved and they stopped my retirement paperwork and I deployed to Iraq one last time. Now I am a Neuroscientist (WSU, 2017) and I want to help others with similar issues by understanding how long distance hiking helps alleviate the symptoms of PTSD and TBI. I take Veterans on long distant hikes and monitor how hormones change throughout the hike. The tests are $300 each (one for each Veterans and one for each hormone monitored). Additionally it costs about $2000 to perform the analysis. There is still a lot science and medical personnel do not know about these debilitating disorders and yet people that served their country honorably are given medications that were created for people with schizophrenia, attention deficit disorder, and severe depression to mask the symptoms. Often times, this makes the disorder worse and mentally unhinges the person to the point of suicide or institutionalization. This study is geared to understanding how the body regulates itself by being back in nature and exercising for an extended period of time. Hormone regulation is essential to moods, brain function, and protein synthesis; by showing that these levels change as symptoms are alleviated, new therapies may be developed to treat PTSD and TBI specifically. Thank you so much for any amount you are willing to give.