An Overview of the BioModulator Program at Tripler Army Medical Center, Hawaii
The BioModulator Program was ignited in 2011 by General Hank Stackpole and John
Henry Felix at Tripler Army Medical Center (TAMC) within the Inter-disciplinary Pain
Management (IDPM) Department.
It was created in alliance with Abilities Unlimited (AU) 501c3. It is an electroacupuncture, non-pharmacological approach to help alleviate chronic pain issues.
The BioModulator is an FDA accepted device for the management of chronic,
intractable, post-surgical and traumatic pain.
General Stackpole had been in severe chronic pain for 37 years after sustaining
devastating injuries on the battlefields of Vietnam. His pain was resolved in four
months with the BioModulator technology. That experience encouraged him to bring
this protocol to TAMC to help other Veterans and Servicemen and women who are
coping with chronic intractable pain.
The IDPM Department was started in 2010 under the direction of Department Head
William Humphrey.MD. The first BioModulator training program was conducted at
TAMC in 2011.
It was attended by Department medical personnel and Department MDs. The training
was moderated by General Hank Stackpole. The training and presentations were
conducted by Dr. Malcolm Ing, MD and Marc Hansen, Acupuncturist and BioModulator
technician.
Terry Shintani MD served as a consultant. Dr. Shintani is an official ‘Living Treasure of
Hawaii’ for his many contributions to the medical community.
Dr. Ing was a graduate of Yale Medical School and had been using the BioModulator
technology previously for many years in his Honolulu medical practice.
Mark Hansen was a 20 year veteran of acupuncture and electro-acupuncture. He leads
trainings on Acupuncture Biomechanics and Bioenergetics across the Mainland. He
has been lead trainer and consultant at the TAMC BioModulator Clinic since 2011.
Terry Shintani MD, JD, MPH, has been a BioModulator Medical consultant to Tripler
Hospital’s BioModulator Program at the IDPM Department from 2011 to the present.
Dr. Shintani was a Professor and Associate Chair of the Department of
Complementary and Alternative Medicine, University of Hawaii School of Medicine.
He has been in private practice in Honolulu.
These gentlemen have taken advanced courses in the BioModulator technology and
use the protocols extensively in their clinical practices.
Although we treat only for chronic pain, many of our pain patients are coping with
secondary symptoms of PTSD, anxiety, depression, and insomnia. Our practitioners
have reported that these symptoms were diminished in many cases with the
BioModulator treatments.
The Head of IDPM Department from 2011 thru 2012 was William Humphrey MD. Brian
McLean led the department from 2014 to 2020. Both have written letters of support for
the program based on the many successful outcomes they have witnessed.Dr. Brian
Mclean requisitioned an additional $87,000 worth of equipment to accommodate and
treat more patients.
In the wake of the opioid epidemic, The Joint Commission has recommended that nonpharmacological modalities and treatments for pain relief be explored as an alternative to an only pharmaceutical approach to pain management.
The BioModulator is a microcurrent voltage device that unlike TENS technology
encourages cellular regeneration. It produces pulsed, biphasic, sinusoidal complex
waveforms. The output waveform changes corresponding to the changes in the tissue
response. After being trained, the BioModulator program helps patients achieve their
health goals through daily self care protocols at home.
We counsel patients on eating a proper anti-inflammatory diet, hydrating correctly,
getting sufficient sleep, and healthy appropriate movement/exercise. Our patients
become proactive in their health care to achieve improved pain level outcomes.
Research data and outcomes will be sent under a separate email.
At the Annual Behavioral Health Summit at TAMC, General Stackpole was recognized
in 2017 and John Henry Felix in 2018 for their contributions and service to the Hawaii
military community.
They have had a collective mission to help our Servicemen and women, and Veterans
to overcome chronic pain and continue their journey towards greater wellness.