Jomon Wellness

With the help of my best friend, husband, and the most awesome Administrator ever, along with my very diligent Receptionist/Doing a bit of everything (cousin ❤️), we're making great things happen and helping those who served our country get the benefits they deserve. To God be the glory!
Nick Boller Malinda Butcher

Sharing this with permission. We are humbled, for sure. When God calls you to step into your purpose, you answer the calling regardless of how nervous it makes you, or how overwhelming it can sometimes be.

🎉 FROM 0% TO 100% PERMANENT & TOTAL! 🇺🇸

Today, we received incredible news about a Veteran who came to us after fighting for VA disability benefits for 16 years.

He had previously been denied for every condition he claimed, remained rated at 0%, and the VA had even lost documentation of his deployment.

After carefully reviewing his history, evaluating multiple conditions, and preparing comprehensive DBQs and evidence-based nexus letters, he was officially awarded 100% Permanent and Total VA disability today!

We could not be more proud of the work we do for Veterans. We take every evaluation seriously, thoroughly document functional impairment, and provide quality medical research and rationale to support each claim.

Most importantly, we celebrate alongside our Veterans when their conditions are finally recognized and they receive the benefits they have earned through their service.

Congratulations to this Veteran and his family! This victory was a long time coming, and we are honored to have played a part in it. 🇺🇸

Every Veteran’s claim is unique, and individual results may vary.

Send a message to learn more

🇺🇸 Another Veteran Success Story! 🇺🇸
We're incredibly proud to share that one of our veterans went from 40% VA disability to 100%, with the fully developed claims we evaluated and supported through comprehensive DBQs and evidence-based nexus letters being approved in just 16 days!

While every VA claim is unique and no outcome can ever be guaranteed, we're committed to providing thorough, high-quality, evidence-based evaluations that give veterans the strongest support possible.

At Jomon Wellness, we understand how overwhelming and frustrating the VA claims process can be. If you've been denied, aren't sure where to start, or feel like you've been fighting the system alone, don't give up.

You served our country. Now let us help you navigate the process with compassion, experience, and attention to detail.

📞 859-287-2949 Reach out to learn how we may be able to help. You don't have to face the VA claims process alone.

You can also visit our veteran page https://jomonwellness.com/veteran-exams
Click the button "Get established" near the bottom of our site and we will get you connected with our Veteran coordinator.

Thank you to all who have served. It is an honor to serve those who have served us. 🇺🇸

Such a blessing to receive this type of message:

This is from a veteran who had been at 10% for some time and had been denied claims for conditions that resulted from his military service.

I can't put into words how it feels to share this great news!

It is more often than not, that I find myself overflowing with gratitude for the amazing people that I cross paths with, and am blessed enough to help.

🛡️ VETERANS: Your Mental Health Condition May Be Connected to Sleep Apnea — Here's What the Research Says
If you're a veteran living with PTSD, depression, or anxiety, there's something important you may not know: these conditions are strongly linked to obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) — and the connection goes both ways.
Let's break down what the science says. 👇

📊 HOW COMMON IS SLEEP APNEA IN VETERANS WITH PTSD?
Very common. A meta-analysis found that approximately 75% of people with PTSD have some degree of sleep apnea on a sleep study, and nearly half have moderate-to-severe OSA. That's far higher than the general population.
A large study of over 17,500 combat-deployed service members followed for a median of 8+ years found that PTSD, depression, anxiety, and insomnia were all independently associated with developing sleep apnea — even after accounting for weight and other risk factors. In fact, the link between combat injury and sleep apnea was entirely explained by the mental health conditions that followed the injury.

🧠 WHY DOES THIS HAPPEN? THE SCIENCE IN PLAIN LANGUAGE
Mental health conditions and sleep apnea feed off each other in a vicious cycle:
PTSD causes hyperarousal — your brain stays on "high alert" even during sleep. This lowers your arousal threshold, meaning your airway is more likely to collapse and cause breathing pauses during the night.
PTSD disrupts REM sleep — the deep sleep stage where your brain processes emotions and memories. Sleep apnea makes this worse by further fragmenting your sleep.
A landmark 2024 study in JAMA Network Open studied veteran twins — brothers where one had PTSD and the other didn't. The twin with PTSD had significantly more breathing pauses during sleep (about 10.5 more events per hour). The effect of PTSD on sleep apnea severity was comparable to the effect of obesity — one of the most well-known risk factors for OSA.
Psychiatric medications matter too. Many medications prescribed for PTSD and other mental health conditions — especially atypical antipsychotics like quetiapine, olanzapine, and risperidone — can cause significant weight gain AND independently reduce upper airway muscle tone during sleep, both of which worsen sleep apnea.


💤 WHY DOES THIS MATTER FOR YOUR HEALTH?
Untreated sleep apnea doesn't just make you tired. It:
Worsens PTSD symptoms, nightmares, and flashbacks
Increases risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes
Impairs memory, concentration, and emotional regulation
Makes it harder to recover from mental health conditions

The good news? Treating sleep apnea with CPAP or oral appliances has been shown to significantly reduce PTSD symptoms, including nightmares and daytime distress.

⚖️ WHAT THIS MEANS FOR YOUR VA DISABILITY CLAIM
The medical evidence supporting a connection between mental health conditions (especially PTSD) and sleep apnea is strong and growing. Veterans have successfully been granted VA service connection for OSA as secondary to service-connected PTSD and other mental health conditions. The key elements typically needed include:
✅ A current diagnosis of OSA (confirmed by a sleep study)
✅ A service-connected mental health condition (e.g., PTSD, depression, anxiety)
✅ A medical nexus opinion — a doctor's letter explaining how your mental health condition caused or aggravated your sleep apnea
The studies cited in this post are exactly the type of evidence that supports a strong nexus opinion.

If you believe your sleep apnea is connected to your service-connected mental health condition, reach out, we are experienced and here to help.

📚 REFERENCES (Recent, Peer-Reviewed Studies):
Shah AJ et al. "Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Obstructive Sleep Apnea in Twins." JAMA Network Open, 2024. — Twin study showing PTSD is independently associated with significantly worse OSA, with effect sizes comparable to obesity.
Haynes ZA et al. "Obstructive Sleep Apnea Among Survivors of Combat-Related Traumatic Injury." Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, 2022. — Study of 17,500+ service members showing PTSD, depression, anxiety, and insomnia independently predict OSA development.
McCall CA & Watson NF. "A Narrative Review of the Association Between PTSD and OSA." Journal of Clinical Medicine, 2022. — Comprehensive review of the bidirectional relationship between PTSD and OSA.
Benca RM et al. "Recognition and Management of OSA in Psychiatric Practice." Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 2023. — Review showing OSA is common in psychiatric populations and may be an independent risk factor for psychiatric conditions.
Sartor Z et al. "PTSD: Evaluation and Treatment." American Academy of Family Physicians Clinical Guideline, 2023. — Clinical guideline noting 75% OSA prevalence in PTSD and recommending screening and treatment.


🔔 Bottom line: If you have a service-connected mental health condition and you snore, wake up gasping, feel exhausted during the day, or have worsening nightmares — ask your doctor about a sleep study. You deserve answers and treatment.

📩 Questions? Reach out to Jomon Wellness. We're here to help veterans navigate their health and benefits.

This Memorial Day weekend, we pause to honor the brave men and women who have served our nation. At Jomon Wellness, we're deeply committed to supporting lifelong wellness with compassion and respect. As you gather with loved ones, remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice. Your health and well-being matter

Honor those who served with compassionate care. Our veteran disability exams provide thorough, respectful evaluations to support service members in receiving the benefits they've earned. We understand the sacrifices made and are committed to making this process as seamless and dignified as possible. Let us stand beside you with the care and attention your service deserves.

Today was a BIG day at Jomon Wellness. 🇺🇸🔔

We found out that a veteran we recently helped was awarded an increase from 20% service connection to 100% permanent and total disability as of TODAY.

What makes this even more incredible? His exams and claims were only submitted on 4/22/26.

This veteran had been fighting to keep his claim alive after previous denials. The difference was simple: taking the time to truly listen, thoroughly review the records, document the condition appropriately, and provide the level of detail and medical rationale the veteran deserved from the beginning.

This award will result in over $30,000 in back pay for this veteran and his family. That is life-changing.

At Jomon Wellness, we celebrate WITH our veterans. We feel the excitement, relief, and validation right alongside them because these are benefits they earned through service and sacrifice protecting our country.

Moments like this are exactly why we do what we do.

RING THE BELL!!! 🔔🇺🇸

Today I got one of the best phone calls a provider can receive.

A Veteran we've been working with was just approved for 100% disability. He was at 10% when he came to us.

This didn’t happen on the first try. It didn’t happen easily. There were multiple attempts, persistence, documentation, clarification, and advocacy. But he stayed the course — and today it paid off. Since working with us, the process has taken approximately 4-5 months.

When we do these exams and write these opinions, it’s not paperwork to us. It’s personal.

These are real people who served, real families affected, and real financial security on the line.
We don’t celebrate “wins” because of business.
We celebrate because a Veteran finally received what he earned.

And yes — when they win, it feels like a win for us too.

If you’re a Veteran who has been denied, underrated, or told “no” before… sometimes it’s not the end of the road. Sometimes it just means the case needs to be presented correctly, clearly, and thoroughly.

Today we celebrate one more Veteran being recognized.

And that never gets old. 🇺🇸

“A patient walked into the doc for a visit…”

The patient says, “So I read something and wanted to ask if this could help me.”
The provider replies, “Nope. That’s not a thing.”
Keyboard clicks. Door opens. Visit ends.

Patient walks out thinking: Am I crazy? Was that a dumb question? Why did I even bother asking?

🙃 Sound familiar?

It’s happened to me — as a patient — more than once. And it stuck with me. Because curiosity shouldn’t be punished, and questions shouldn’t be dismissed just because they don’t fit neatly into a 10-minute, checkbox-driven visit.

As a provider, I’ve made a promise to myself: I will always keep an open mind. That doesn’t mean every idea is the right fit — but it does mean it deserves a conversation. Education. Context. An explanation of why something may or may not be appropriate for you.

I welcome patients who come in informed. I welcome discussions. I welcome the chance to say, “Let’s look at that together.” I take the time because I can — and because I believe your care shouldn’t be dictated by rushed visits, insurance constraints, or corporate oversight.

There are many conversations to be had when it comes to our health. Your provider should be the first person you feel safe having them with.

I thrive on partnering with patients — not dictating, dismissing, or shutting them down.

Equal partners. Shared decisions. Better outcomes.

Let’s do this together