Gulf War syndrome now considered to be real

Roughly 25% of the 700,000 soldiers who have served in the Gulf War suffer from a myriad of symptoms termed “gulf war syndrome.”  I’ve personally seen a handful of veterans who suffer from this syndrome in my practice and they all present with similar symptoms of fatigue, joint pains, digestive disturbances, skin rashes and really bad headaches.  The government typically takes the stance that the symptoms these veterans are having are not linked to toxic exposure in the gulf war.  But recently a congressional research committee has published a report saying that “gulf war syndrome” is definitely linked to toxic chemical exposure while serving in the war. (See the report)

Ask any veteran suffering from the syndrome and they’ll say “duh?”

Here’s an excerpt from the article:

According to the report, Gulf War illness is a “complex of multiple concurrent symptoms” that “typically includes persistent memory and concentration problems, chronic headaches, widespread pain, gastrointestinal problems, and other chronic abnormalities.”

The illness may also be potentially tied to higher rates of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) — more commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease — among Gulf War veterans than veterans of other conflicts.

The illness is identified as the consequence of multiple “biological alterations” affecting the brain and nervous system.  (Source: http://tinyurl.com/67gh4p)

The article notes that there isn’t an effective treatment for this syndrome.  I partly agree with that statement.  Treatment will depend upon the severity of toxic exposure and overall damage done to bodily tissues and organ systems.

Here’s what we do in our clinic to help decrease toxic load upon your body:

Repair your digestive tract with supplements such as L-glutamine and deglycyrrhizinated licorice.

Mobilize, bind and excrete toxins. I find that using micro-current modalities such as the Energy Balance Pro and far infrared saunas are excellent to mobilize toxins.  I also like to use the Erchonia low level laser to stimulate the tissues to release stored toxins and to help excrete them.  I use N-acetyl cysteine, alpha lipoic acid, buffered vitamin C and silymarin to help with binding and excretion of toxins.

Minimize and avoid subsequent toxin exposure. Listen to my guest appearance on “The Craving’s Coach” podcast about toxins (part 2 here) for more tips on this.

Replace depleted vitamins, minerals, enzymes, proteins, fats and carbohydrates. I recommend at minimum everyone who has past toxic exposure (which is essentially everyone to some degree) be on a high grade multi-vitamin / multi-mineral supplement, enzymes, and high grade fish oil supplements.

If you have any specific questions about any of my recommendations, feel free to email me

Aloha!