Prevention of the Iraq War-associated sickness : a prediction and a challenge to the Department of Defense

Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients, Feb-March, 2005 by Majid Ali

4. Miscellaneous nutrients: coenzyme Q10, phosphatidylserine, phosphatidylcholine;

5. Parenteral nutrient support: see Tables 2-4 for examples of two intramuscular and one intravenous protocol.

Exercise

Physical exercise is essential for health preservation and recovery from chronic energy and immune deficit disorders. However, in energy deficit states associated with respiratory-to-fermentative shift, commonly used routines for exercise cause a rapid buildup of organic acids within cells and increase fatigue. In Ghoraa and Limbic Exercise, (15) I provide specific information for noncompetitive exercise with mini breaks to prevent cellular acidosis.

Restoration of Enzymes of Cellular Energetic and Detoxification Pathways

The following therapies are valuable in addressing the problem of respiratory-to-fermentative shift in ATP production characteristically seen in Gulf War syndrome-like states.

1. Direct oxystatic therapies: (a) oxygen by mask; (b) hydrogen peroxide foot soaks; and (c) hydrogen peroxide or ozone infusions;

2. Indirect oxystatic therapies addressing the bowel issues: (a) probiotic formula composed of approximately one billion spores of Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus bulgaricus, and Bifidobacterium in a suitable base of complex vegetable fiber; and (b) herbal formulas in weekly rotation (author's preferences include echinacea, astragalus, burdock root, goldenseal, artemisia, pau d'arco, and beet root fiber);

3. Indirect oxystatic therapies addressing the hepatic detoxification issues: (a) lecithin; (b) castor oil liver packs; (c) liver flushes (with lemon juice, olive oil, and cayenne); and (d) hepatoprotective herbs (author's preferences include milk thistle, turmeric, Jerusalem artichoke, ginger, garlic, and spirolina).

God

In my experience, mere cliches do not suffice for coping with heavy burdens imposed on oxygen homeostasis by terror turning into toxicity, and toxicity into terror. The way out of unrelenting suffering cannot be found without redefining the link that binds us to the gentle, sustaining energy of the Presence that permeates each of us at all times--finding one's own divinity, so to speak. What is required is a wellspring of hope arising from deep within. I present some of my clinical observations in Healing, Miracles and the Bite of the Gray Dog. (16)

You

When dealing with chronically ill patients who do not respond to ordinary drug regimens, we physicians, in general, are deeply troubled by subjects of self-regulation, states of consciousness, and spirituality. That is ironic because the sick nearly always welcome opportunities to explore those areas. I do not speak here of esoteric brands of mysticism. Gurus are not necessary. Good teachers will do. But none of that can be done without the patient being an equal partner in the journey of healing. I present a personal perspective on this subject in What Do Lions Know About Stress? (17)

Closing Comments

During the early 1990s, many in the Department of Defense had hoped that the thorny issue of the Gulf War syndrome would simply go away with passing years. It did not. As cited earlier, on June 25, 2002, the Secretary for Veterans' Affairs recommended that Congress commit $450 million over three years to the study of neurologic damage to the veterans of the 1991 Persian Gulf conflict. Now I see another looming national tragedy--the Iraq-War-Associated Illness (I-WAS)--and another long period of denial of the cellular energetic and toxicity issues that confront the present generation of veterans. Will they continue to be neglected as were the chronically ill veterans of the Gulf War before them? Will their suffering be also chalked up to stress? Will the medical care they receive be confined to prescriptions of sleeping pills, anxiolytics, and antidepressants, as was the case with persons suffering from the Gulf War syndrome? Will more salt be poured on their cellular wounds--their leaky cell membranes, uncoupled mitochondria, and blocked Krebs cycles, by offering them talk therapy?