Over the past five years, I've learned how to use Tricare to pay for holistic care, including functional medicine testing and treatment and alternative therapies. Why, you might ask?

I started getting severely ill while stationed at Fort Drum, NY in 2018. I sought care from Army doctors hoping they could figure out what was going on and how to make me better. Sadly they only offered me drugs, with many side effects to manage or mask the symptoms. I resigned my commission in 2019 to seek healthcare on the outside, hoping to come back to active duty shortly. Unfortunately, Tricare Prime physicians offered similar outcomes—leading to a year of misdiagnoses, crisis hospital stays, and further damage. Integrative medicine provided answers, but at a prohibitive cost of over $100k. Eventually I had to do the best I could with what I had, Tricare.

So I embarked on the very long journey of learning the system, filled with hundreds of hours of research, calls to Tricare, and trial and error. It has been challenging, but worth it as I’ve been able to get functional medicine tests, treatments, and alternative therapies all covered and made huge steps to recovering my health. I hope sharing this information can help my fellow military spouses get the care they need for them and their families without all of the research and trial and error.

My goal is to clarify Tricare's holistic care options, educating you on what’s possible and empowering you to access the care you need. I've realized that good health provides freedom—to be a better wife, mom, friend, and allows my service member to focus on his duties.

I'm here to help you optimize your health so you can enjoy your life fully, paid for by Tricare.