Comment of the Week: Treatments Needed Now for Gulf War Illness

The following highly articulate comment was made here on 91outcomes, calling for treatments for Gulf War Illness, says what so many Gulf War veterans are feeling.

Well said, Peter Greene.

-A.H.

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Peter Greene has left a new comment on your post "NBC NEWS: Imaging study may show brain changes in...": 

Brain scans such as the fMRI are consistently showing brain damage and decreased blood flow in the brain of ill Gulf War Veteran's (GWV's). I think the question of what caused this type of damage will never be definitively answered given the large amount of variables any researcher has to consider. Add 22 years into the equation and the task becomes almost impossible. Even with generalized agreement that the likely culprits in deployed GWV's was exposure to a variety of toxic agents that acted in a synergistic manner, we still have no proven treatment regimens.

While I, for one, would like to see a hard, undeniable verdict as to the cause of Gulf War Illness (GWI), I think it is far more important at this stage to start seeking treatments now that we can see the damage to the brain. That is assuming that the damage to the nervous system and brain can be treated. However, like other neurological diseases such as MS and ALS, I do not think current medicine can reverse and possibly not even stop the ongoing neurological deterioration without groundbreaking research. My personal experience is that simply trying to treat the symptoms of GWI with standard medical practices is wholly inadequate and in some cases has done more harm than good.

Frankly, I don't care anymore if anyone else believes my complaints outside of my doctors and fellow veterans. There are 250,000 of us who have to deal with this and if the rest of the population doesn't understand it, so be it. Our greatest hope now lies in the dedication of the research scientists that are working tirelessly on our behalf. 

Perhaps a breakthrough treatment is just around the corner. I hope so anyway. 



Posted by Peter Greene to 91outcomes.com at May 17, 2013 at 7:53 PM