Posted on 12/22/2005 6:09:01 AM PST by Racehorse
A recent funding increase has resulted in the establishment of research treatment centers and a pilot program that partners VA with a prominent Texas medical center in studying such illnesses.
The funding increase for Gulf War illness research, the new research treatment centers and the creation of the pilot program at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas were measures incorporated into the 2006 VA budget by Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas). The budget was recently approved by Congress and signed by President Bush.
"VA is committed to further investigating the unique health care needs of Gulf War veterans, and the establishment of research treatment centers, including this pilot program, will help the department answer the questions that remain on this important issue," said R. James Nicholson, the VA secretary.
Nicholson specifically noted Hutchison's efforts in establishing the pilot program at the medical center, which is already conducting leading research on various illnesses affecting veterans of the Gulf War.
"I applaud the efforts of Congress and Senator Hutchison, in particular, for her continued commitment to this and other important veterans' issues," Nicholson added.
Under the terms of the VA budget for 2006, $15 million per year for five years has been earmarked for specific research on Gulf War veterans' illnesses.
Ailments ranging from fatigue, weakness and respiratory problems to sleep disturbances, skin rashes and persistent headaches are among the illnesses reported by some veterans who took part in Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm. Some studies have shown that these health care problems and other illnesses have been reported by Gulf War veterans at rates that significantly exceed those reported by veterans who served in other eras.
The funding earmarked in VA's budget for research on Gulf War veterans' illnesses allows the department to expand upon 12 research projects it announced earlier this year. Those projects - which are scheduled to begin in 2006 and will focus on enhancing understanding and treatment of illness affecting Gulf War veterans - also pursue the ultimate goal of better addressing any potential long-term health effects that might be connected with Gulf War-related exposures.
I'm praying for ya, man. seriously praying.
Thank you sincerely. There is no greater power on earth than the Power of Prayer!
The very good news about this story is that Dr. Haley at UT Southwestern has very active in the study of GWS and can be a big help, because the VA and UT have agreements to work togeather. Dr. Haley is one fine man and believes that something must be going on for the wild symptoms that afflicted men in the gulf war. Pray for this to help these men who helped our country.
Also pray that it won't take over 30 years to get around to acknowledging that GWS is treatable and compensable or syndrome or disease like it was with us VN vets and the poisonous dioxins in Agent Orange that poisioned many of us.
Seems that the govt likes to drag their feet as long as it can in hopes that the disease kills off a significant portion of those afflicted to reduce its responsibility and thus their pay out$ to the vets it owes just-due. Disgusting and shameful bureaucrats.
I served in the U.S. Navy in the Persian Gulf on the USS Nimitz during the Gulf War. I spent months breathing the fumes of burning oil wells and burning jet exhaust.
I was called to active duty for Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom and spent months overseas in combat zones, as recently as March 2005.
My joints are stiff, my back hurts often, and I'm not as limber as I was when I was 20 years old. The big question in my mind: Do I suffer from GWS or am I just feeling the normal effects of age? I tend to think that I am normal and that it's just an age related issue, so I suppress the desire to feel like a victim. Maybe that's the conservative in me?
One of the problems the VA has with diagnosing exposure related illnesses is that toxic agents don't attack the body randomly; they have target organs or systems. In turn, there are normally specific symptoms associated with these exposures.
With many GWS patients, there is no specific exposure, inconsistent, hard to define symptoms, and lack of evidence of dose-response relationships.
That doesn't mean that people are not suffering maladies because they are. Unfortunately stress is one common factor that directly causes or strongly contributes to physical illness. But few want to accept that explanation.
I would strongly suggest you go to the nearest VA Vet Clinic and start talking with a counselor. All of us fool ourselves that we are made of armor grade steel but the truth of the matter is we are still flesh and blood. There is no cost, just bring a DD-214 and you are set. You could very well be entitled to disability because of it. Between my hearing loss (which is extensive), destoyed back and PTSD I could wind up with as high as 80%
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