http://www.reutershealth.com/cgi-bin/frame2?top=/tops/eline.html&left=/elinel.html&right=/archive/2000/12/21/eline/links/20001221elin027.html
Panel finds stress a main cause of Gulf War syndrome
By Suzanne Rostler
NEW YORK, Dec 21 (Reuters Health) - A panel ordered by President Bill Clinton to oversee the Pentagon’s investigation into Gulf War syndrome has found that stress may be a primary cause of the headaches, memory loss, nervous system disorders, chronic fatigue and other unexplained symptoms described by thousands of veterans of the war.
But in a three-page dissent, Dr. Vinh Cam, one of the board’s seven members, called the conclusion “a blatant misrepresentation.” And a veterans group called the conclusion “the biggest cover-up of the century,” likening the finding to “criminal and medical negligence” as well as “treason.”
The government spent 300 million dollars and several years investigating something of great concern to many soldiers. I believe it is of great concern to the government: even if you believe that the government does not care about its soldiers, it does not want to spend money for treating something mysterious condition now and, possibly, in the future. It does not have to cover up its own actions: AFAIK, nobody accuses the government of poisoning our troops. It has no interest to protect Saddam. Actually, I think it would blow up any evidence of Saddams’s transgressions. I’m sure that the government’s experts looked hard to come up with something and then blaim it on Saddam. I do not know why they say “stress”: merely for lack of any other cause or because the campaign was different from other wars or because other armies experienced similar syndromes or… “Stress” is intangible, you cannot find it as you can find evidence of chemical weapons.
So, why veteran groups and others say “treason”, etc. Is it pure greed? That is, if they accept the findings, no money from the government (us)? What gives?
I have no cites, but from what I know, some people are of the opinion that Gulf War Syndrom is caused by US actions: servicemen going to the gulf were given numerous vaccines designed to protect them from possible biological warfare (or maybe it was chemical warfare antidotes, I can’t recall). Some assert that the injections (or a combination of injections) are causing long term health affects. Others point to the use of depleted uranium shells in many of our larger guns, saying GWS is casued by exposure to these shells.
Whether or not these are valid assertions, I have no clue… but that may be why some people believe the US would be covering up the ‘true’ casue of Gulf War Syndrome.
The fact that everyone and their dog has a completely different theory on what Gulf War Syndrome is, is caused by, or results in, is pretty strong evidence that there’s no such thing. If it was a real afflication, you would think someone could come to some agreement on what the symptoms are or who should be afflicted with it.
OTOH, the US government, even after spending all that money, may very well suppress data that would embarrass itself. Imagine, if the US Army released data implicating the actions of the US government in the role of GWS, the consequences of recruitment. Would you join? I wouldn’t.
RickJay, a syndrome is by definition a collection of symptoms. That different people have different symptoms and there is no agreement on what those symptoms should be or who should have them reflects the nature of the Armed Forces. A battalion in one part of the country may have been exposed to a different set of environmental factors than a battalion in another part of the country. Even though all troops may have gotten the same vaccinations, there may be different triggers causing different symptoms.
Robin, check your definition of “syndrome”. It is much more than “collection of symptoms”.
In the case of “GWS” we deal just with that, “a collection of symptoms”. The only common thing is the participation in the GW.
I wonder, whether contacts with lawyers were investigated, i.e. what is the proportion of sufferers which consulted a lawyer? How many people vaccinated with alleged vaccines who did not go to the GW, suffer from the GWS? How frequent the GWS is in other armies, e.g., British or Australian, which underwent similar vaccinations?
Chemical weapons were ruled out because there was no evidence of their use by Saddam and because the symptoms did not fit any of the well-known pictures, associated with the use of weapons. After all, Saddam did not have unknown “chemical weapons”. He had well known and studied (Soviet) weapons, e.g., zarin, etc. The presented symptoms do not constitute a single known poison syndrome. Nor do they constitute any known vaccination reaction. As a matter of fact, the symptoms are so bizarre and unrelated, that they even do not fit any known hysterical or hypochondriac pattern. So far they fit only lawyer-concocted pattern. The science (if you consider medicine such) does not operate on the basis of “perhaps”. In other words, a number of symptoms cannot be lumped into a syndrome, because of “perhaps, something caused it”. Either clearly show what caused it, or try to explain them on a rational basis, like: “This vaccine causes CNS damage. That is why we observe symptoms X, Y and Z.” But so far nothing came out of it in the case of GWS.
I acknowledge that the government might have had interest in hiding the truth in some cases (if it used uranium-depleted equipment). But again, radiation sickness is well known, and the GWS does not fit it. You cannot say: “We do not know because nobody studied effects of green paint on old equipment”. This is true. But we do not have to study the possible effects of green paint. We know that paint has nothing to do with radiation. Illiterate lawyers do not, so they fish. Do not be one.
That is the medical definition. Since I assumed that we were discussing a medical problem, that is the definition I chose to use.
The point that I was trying to make is that it is entirely possible that there is more than one syndrome, based on something that could be as simple as geographic location during the Conflict, or that a single disease could take on more than one appearance.
I have met people who have gotten sick in the Gulf. It is not a pretty sight. Calling this hellish disease “hysteria” cheapens the misery these people suffer in the name of serving our country.
Robin, just to clear the field.
I understand that there might be something. I understand that some of your friends became sick after they went to GW. “After” does not mean “because”. And I did not call it “hysteria”, I expressed my doubts and suspicions. But I repeat: vague “geography” and such will not make it for me (not that you care). I’d like to see something tangible. For instance, I do not believe that Chronic Fatigue Syndrome exists. I do not say that it does not exist because during the war (the Great War) people worked overtime or fought for month on end and nobody complained. It was even worse in Europe. I am saying: " Let’s keep looking. Perhaps, there is a virus, or something. It looks like it might be a desease". But in the case of the GWS, I do not have this impresiion. It looks like … what I said. Perhaps, we have to clean the field a bit, and look again. But right now it looks like lawyers crap.
Actually, attitudes like that are the real problem.
Psychological illnesses are real illnesses. When people like you act as if they aren’t, you are only making the situation worse. Why? Because people don’t want to believe that “it’s all in their head.” But that is a legitimate problem suffered by many people. Nobody should be denigrated because they have a pschological problem instead of a physiological problem.
If the evidence points to a psychological problem, then the people who are suffering from it should be given the proper treatment. Continuing to insist that it must be something else helps absolutely nobody.
The radiation from it is quite low, that’s why it’s depleted. A worst-case dose (being near a tank with dU armor being hit by a dU round - friendly fire) results in no more radiation than “typical exposure to background radiation from living in the United States for 4 years”. (no, I don’t remember the source on that) The casings for such ammunition blocks out that radiation during handling, loading and firing, the reason it’s used is because it’s dense, hard, incendiary, readily available and dirt cheap, not because it’s radioactive.
The other threat is that of heavy metal poisoning. Uranium is a heavy metal, and thus is toxic in that regard. Being around something getting hit by it involves breathing in uranium particles, and that’s the real hazard…much in the same vein as lead or mercury poisoning. This is the real unknown factor of dU, as noone is yet very sure just what effects it might produce, or what quantity is needed to have an effect…although it’s not exactly new. Uranium is a naturally occurring element, and can even be found in the drinking water in certain regions of the US.
However, in both regards, it’s only a hazard to being on the wrong end of dU ammunition, and the people that were have been carefully treated and monitored to deal with the effects of it. While there were more instances of friendly fire in Desert Storm than would be preferred, it was by no means as common as Gulf War Syndrome has been reported. So, dU is a highly unlikely suspect, despite how evil and forboding its name may sound.
To echo what David B said, the very best evidence we have, and not merely from this particular report either, is that GWS is primarily a mental disorder, and it needs to be treated as such until and unless some other cause is determined. Certainly if I got headaches, chronic fatigue, and nausea, I would be reluctant to believe my symptoms were psychosomatically induced, yet I know it happens. FTR, I am a Gulf War vet, and I sympathise with any folks out there suffereing from an illness they don’t want and that nobody can agree even exists let alone treat. But to chalk it all up to conspiracies and coverups is a bit paranoid considering the number of people and studies that have been done in the last ten years. Everything points, right now anyway, to stress-induced psychosomatic illness. To insist that it canot be so is to deny sufferers the very best we can do for them.
My husband is a gulf war vet and he says that there is nothing wrong with him.
Stupid men and their egos!
If he is not at work he is sleeping. Which is all the time now that he is off for the winter.
The man can set his glasses or his keys down and forget where he put them two minutes ago. We are always fighting over things that were or weren’t said because he doesn’t remember.
And yeah, right, there is nothing to worry about. When I was pregnant with our youngest children I was sent to hospital for all kinds of tests and ultra-sounds after they found out that the father was a vet.
Had nothing to do with me. I had already had two wonderfully healthy children before we met and never went through any of the test. And no, it had nothing to do with my age because I was young and healthy. And no major family problems genetically speaking.
I was a test animal because he was a vet.
You know I don’t care whether it is our governments fault or Saudis’ fault. All I know is there is something wrong and they need to quit trying to place blame and find out what they can do to fix it.
I heartily agree. However, whilst palliative therapy for GWS will be very much the same no matter what the root cause, that root cause is likely to mean a great difference in seek a treatment resulting in a permanent cure.
Even worse, since GWS includes a wide variety of symptoms, it is conceivable that there us not a syndrome, but several syndromes! To pick a few of the potential causes bruited about, suppose that there are in fact three syndromes, one caused by uranium poisoning, one by squalene reaction, and one by stress. To (mis)treat one of these syndromes under the illusion that it is, in fact, one of the others would be useless at best.
In the last two months or so I have received a number of mailings from the DOD/VA concerning Gulf War Syndrome. The first time I was told that my unit was probably exposed to low levels of chemical weapons that were detonated at an Iraqi ammo dump by US troops. A month later I was told that my unit certainly wasn’t exposed because of air circulation patterns. A third said again that perhaps we were exposed, but the levels were so low as to be negligable.
So,it seems there is no definitive answer concerning that.
On another note, we were given many vaccines during the course of the war. We were told these ranged from Malaria vaccines to Anthrax vaccines. On one occasion we were given a shot. Immediately before we had to sign a confidentiality staement saying we would discuss what or when it happened, or any of the side effects spawned by it. If you refused to take this shot, trouble rained down before you. Nothing official, mind you (no official repremands), but you would be doing a lot of shit work. They couldn’t MAKE you take it. I did.
Since returning from that engagement I’ve noticed a couple of things:
I will get “flash fevers”. These are totally random, sometimes occuring twice a month, sometimes only once a year. They strike without warning. Within a half-hour I will go from feeling fine to having a fever of 104. Nothing can break this fever (in terms of medication). I become nearly delusional and even hallucinate at times. Along with these fevers comes extrodinary muscle and joint pain, especially in my lower back…the kind of pain that makes you vomit. They pass in 12 hours or so. I feel perfectly fine, if wrung out, aferwards. This never occured before the Gulf War. That is not to say they are related, but it seems like a strong possibility.
I have also noticed a slightly higher level of general fatigue. Only slightly.
Could these symptoms be stemming from a mental disorder? Sure. It was a very stressful time and place to be. However, at least in my case, there were numerous other conditions that could be involved outside of my mental well being.
I have been to the VA Hospital concerning this and was given one of two options. The first was do nothing. Well, that’s not exactly true. I could engage in counsiling. I’m not in any way opposed to that in general, but will not do it with the VA. Secondly, I was told they were trying out a new experimental therapy that I could enroll in. I was told nothing else unless I choose to enroll. I didn’t.
I’m not trying to paint anyone in an unfavorable light. I’m just trying to express exactly what happened to one person while over there. I don’t think the government had some secret adgenda. I think they don’t know how to handle this situation.
My concern stems more from the long term (and unknown)effects. I can deal with the fevers…but what will be happening 20 years from now?
Blastfurnace. I do not want to make any judgement about your illness. I just commend your sober attitude. What is the Latin? “After” does not mean “because”. Whatever it is, it is very strange. Reminds me of a weird viral infection… Not that I am saying that it is.
Your story reminds me of what happened to a friend of mine a year or so ago. He began to have episodes (almost like yours, brief, but periodic) of arthritic pain, mostly in the hands, with fever. He went to many physicians (he is a wealthy man), they found nothing wrong with him. During the episodes, he could not work, several days in a row. About half year ago he told me that everything was gone. Completely. He said: “Like I never had it”.
I realize, it sounds like an anecdote. But strange things happen. You are not alone (if it’s any consolation).
Sounded familiar, so I checked the above statement with my wife. She confirmed that the above description fitted me to a tee. But I’ve never been in the services or to the Gulf. Does he snore too? Does he spend too much time at the computer when he isn’t sleeping?
The man can set his glasses or his keys down and forget where he put them two minutes ago
That is called ‘forgetfulness’. It is unrelated to the GW. If one forgets how to use the keys, it’s usually Alzheimer’s. Unrelated to the GW either.
I just found the name of my affliction in Mjolnir’s ref: SDMP syndrome, but this belongs to a different thread. Welcome to the Pit!