February 05, 2025

Lifestyle medicine ‘critical to my recovery and overall health’

By Air Force Capt. Matthew Diotte
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Lifestyle medicine ‘critical to my recovery and overall health’

Matthew Diotte shares how he recovered from a severe traumatic brain injury with the help of following lifestyle medicine’s six pillars.

Editor's note: Lifestyle medicine is a medical specialty that applies six pillars — a whole-food, plant-predominant eating pattern, physical activity, restorative sleep, stress management, avoidance of risky substances and positive social connections. Many individuals who adapt lifestyle medicine experience a transformation in their health and wellness, in addition to treatment of existing ailments such as cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and obesity. 

In partnership with the American College of Lifestyle Medicine and the US Air Force Lifestyle and Performance Medicine Working Group, The American Legion is sharing success stories of four military members who have embraced lifestyle medicine. Each of the next four weeks, the Legion will share one of those stories on legion.org. Also, read a Q&A about lifestyle medicine with Dr. Mary Anne Kiel, a retired Air Force physician and a board-certified pediatrician and lifestyle medicine physician.

A healthy and active lifestyle has always been a significant part of my life. Growing up playing a multitude of sports gave me a strong foundation for functional nourishment and movement. During high school, I narrowed my sport focus to swimming and became one of the top sprinters in the State of Washington, qualified for the Olympic Trials, and received a full scholarship to the University of Denver. The dedication it took to become part of the 1% of college swimmers to make it to the Olympic Trials emphasized a focused optimization of health metrics, supplementation, consistent training ethic, and a positive mindset.

After finishing college and joining the Air Force, I made a commitment to continue pursuing a healthy lifestyle. My interests in health and longevity led me to the Interservice Physician Assistant Program (IPAP), where I continued to deepen my understanding of the mechanisms for a healthy mind and body. This health care education highlighted the importance of biometrics and pathophysiology to become aware of the chronic disease epidemic in this country.

In 2020, I was introduced to lifestyle medicine through my Family Health Department Chair, retired Col. Dr. Leslie Knight, who was a certificated physician with the American Board of Lifestyle Medicine. I discovered that the foundational concepts of lifestyle medicine practiced by Dr. Knight resonated with my own approach to life and the quality of patient care. I then began pursuing a membership with the American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM). In 2021, I completed the ACLM’s Core Competencies and successfully passed the ACLM certification exam and became a diplomat for ACLM. The nutrition pillar of a plant-focused diet and the transformative power of physical activity were significant takeaways from the program. I shifted to a primarily plant-based diet, worked to improve my sleep and recovery, and continued to maintain peak physical health. It was this culmination of health-focused living and integration of the lifestyle medicine pillars that transformed my life in profound ways, and can be attributed to saving my life a few years later. 

On Jan. 16, 2022, my girlfriend, Kim, and I were ambushed by three assailants during a robbery and attempted carjacking in San Antonio, Texas. Despite surrendering, one member fired his weapon at my head, and I’m told I collapsed to the ground, barely alive. I was transferred to Brooke Army Medical Center in critical care having suffered an exsanguinating hemorrhage, blindness, deafness and disorientation, and rushed into a 12-hour neuro-ophthalmic surgery. After waking from a three-day surgically-induced coma, I began the long road to recovery with new disabilities and constant severe pain. Despite the inability to control the food options in the neurotrauma intensive care unit (ICU), the one thing within my control was physical activity. I was weakened, nearly 18 pounds lighter from the overwhelming systemic trauma, yet despite the pain and unsteadiness, I knew that moving my body would accelerate healing.

At first, the ICU staff was hesitant since most patients take several weeks to be well enough to begin movement again, however I was persistent. I started with small walks around the room with Kim’s help. Once the staff witnessed my determination, they allowed me to walk around the ICU halls with my IV fluid bag on a rolling stand. The first trip down the hall was a major victory and indication that, although I had a long way to go, the path to healing required small steps of courage. The daily walks kept me focused and kept the negative and defeating thoughts at bay. After only two weeks in the ICU, I was strong enough to function on my own and was allowed to be discharged. However, the following three months would prove to be an even greater challenge.

Throughout the healing journey and reorienting to my new baseline, constant fatigue, somnolence and pain would persist. Yet the medicinal and healing power of movement and a continued focus on the lifestyle medicine essentials allowed my body and brain to adapt and result in a remarkable recovery.

Over the following months, I had weekly visits with a multitude of specialists to access and minimize the high probability of cognitive and physical disabilities. The road towards full rehabilitation included physical therapy, occupational therapy, neuropsychology, speech therapy, visual spatial therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, and driving lessons. Although each day I saw increments of improvement, I was still in disbelief about what had happened and struggled with adapting to my new disabilities. The traumatic brain injury (TBI) left me with many secondary conditions, such as left eye blindness, Syndrome of Inappropriate Antidiuretic Hormone, autonomic dysfunction, insomnia, anxiety, tinnitus and hearing loss. Yet I refused to let tragedy define me and prevent me from returning to my highly active and outdoor focused lifestyle. My incredible strength and resilience was forged by my sole focus on lifestyle basics, including sleep, nourishment, mindset and gratitude, and daily movement. As each week passed, my neurosurgeons, plastics surgeons, otolaryngologists, oral maxillofacial surgeons and neurologists were both impressed and baffled by how well I was recovering from such a severe TBI.

After eight months of intensive rehabilitation and medical absence from my occupation, I had to prove to my leadership and medical staff that I could still perform my job duties, treat patients, and perform medical decision making just as well as I could before. One of the primary requirements to return to duty consisted of passing an eight-hour neuropsychiatric exam. Leading up to the exam, I ramped up my physical activity to improve coordination, practiced brain games to improve cognition, ate neurologically nourishing meals, and ensured I was getting plenty of sleep for physical and mental recovery. With the proper amount of essential micronutrients, fiber, carbohydrates and protein, the body and brain can be supported in recovering from extreme trauma. The exam was intensive and exhaustive, but I felt I did well, yet was worried it might not be good enough for my commanders. However, a few days later, I got my results.

Incredibly, I successfully passed the exam with no indication of cognitive dysfunction, which was atypical for someone who recently experienced a TBI, much less a severe and penetrating brain injury. However, due to the damage to my frontal lobe, the neuropsychologist emphasized a continued focus on improving executive functioning, multitasking, planning, memory formation, empathy and attention. The success of my recovery would ultimately be dependent on continued adherence to the six pillars of lifestyle medicine. 

Leading up to the traumatic gunshot wound to the head, I was in excellent health. I exercised a minimum of five days a week, totaling 150-250 minutes, with a combination of progressive strength and cardiovascular focused aerobic training. Following my trauma, I lost a significant amount of strength and motor skills and needed to gradually increase my exercise volume and intensity. For two years, I was unable to perform high intensity exercise or hike to high elevations due to exercise induced seizures and panic attacks. Despite these challenges, exercise continued to be an essential routine since it results in an increase in the production of brain derived neurotrophic factor, a key player in neuroplasticity and essential for a recovering brain following a TBI. Exercise complemented by an anti-inflammatory plant-based diet were significant factors in my recovery. On my return to work, I continued months of rehabilitation and needed to work under a precepting physician. Eventually I was approved to return to patient care with limitations, including being non-deployable or being stationed at an overseas assignment. I was still confronted with questions of my competency and needed to prove to the medical board that I was still capable of duty. 

Over the course of my healing journey, I had some unexpected positive changes that resulted from my adherence to the diet and physical activity of the six pillars of lifestyle medicine. I began to notice improvements to my gut health with a focus on keeping inflammation as low as possible. I regained control of my anxiety, insomnia and emotional regulation through practicing breathwork, meditation and optimism. Currently, I continue towards maintaining muscle mass and strength, improving aerobic VO2 max, and making meditation a daily habit. Physical activity is a great example of hormesis, microdoses of low stress which can have beneficial effects on the mind and body. In 2024, two years after my traumatic incident, there were many significant markers of how powerful my recovery has been. I have been able to summit Pike’s Peak (14,000 feet), convince my supervisors to lift the medical restrictions that prevented me from attending Squadron Officer School, return to a full panel of patients following a near perfect fitness test score, return to swimming and running regularly, and marry Kim, who has been my most avid supporter.

Currently, I am a patient-focused physician assistant in the Family Health Clinic and provide trusted health care to active-duty military and Department of Defense beneficiaries. At first, it was not easy for me to talk about my healing journey with my colleagues and patients, but the power of storytelling lies in its potential to inspire. I started sharing my story with patients, encouraging them in lifestyle modifications for the first time and reassuring them that results do not happen overnight but when small changes become habitual over time. I use my story to share a message about perseverance, appreciation, and how positive lifestyle changes were critical to my recovery and overall health. I am a strong believer in human resiliency and our incredible ability to adapt. In many ways, my rehabilitation is never ending. I continue to adapt to my disabilities, since penetrating brain injuries take many years to become stable and a lifetime to heal. I attribute daily exercise and plant forward nutrition to my healing success. I hope my story serves as a reminder that negative occurrences in life are ultimately opportunities for growth and development, and that it’s not what has happened to you but rather what you decide to do that makes a difference. I am grateful for my military family, my wife Kim, and this opportunity to share my passion for healthy living. 




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