Health and the Gulf War Veteran

 

             Health and the Gulf War Veteran.

 

In August 1990 I was deployed to the Persian Gulf with Bravo Company 1st Battalion 7th Marines as a blocking force after Iraq invaded Kuwait.  This started as Operation Desert Shield and would soon turn to Desert Storm.

 

After the liberation of Kuwait and upon returning to the United States, I began to notice changes. I was no longer feeling good I was constantly fatigued, my joints ached continuously, I would have headaches daily most bad enough that it was all I could do to function. I continued to have chest infections (bronchitis) red blotches on my face and bouts of depression because, I was to plainly put it “sick and tired of being sick and tired”.

 

Military doctors as well as civilian doctors after my discharge in 1992 could not tell me what was wrong. I heard everything from it’s a bug, to it will go away here take these pills; to my favorite “It’s all in your head!” Well folks it’s not in my head nor is it all in the heads of the thousands of us with Gulf War Syndrome.

 

The scary thing with GWS is that the doctor’s civilian and military don’t know how to help us and the government and the VA want to deny us. That leads us to doing what we well trained troops do best we take care of our own. We lace up, ruck up and we march on. Taking “NO” or “I don’t know” for an answer is not an option. But to stay strong to continue the fight, we have to be healthy and that’s where it is up to us to put the proper nutrition into our bodies.

 

By placing the proper nutrition in your body, you allow your body to grow stronger and by your body growing stronger it can begin to heal itself. With a stronger body comes the motivation to move around and be more active. A stronger body and immune system also allows the body to win the smaller battles going on inside quicker, so the body can focus on the bigger things going on with your health. By supplying the body with the proper nutrition you give your white blood cells (the good soldiers) which fight illness the extra fire power they need to keep you healthy and the needed assistance to fight off illness.

 

 

Eating Healthy Wont Cure Your CFS, But Eating Poorly Will Make It Worse. — by Catherine Morgan

There is no cure for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS and FM), but many doctors believe that it is helpful to eat healthy. I believe this is true for several reasons; one – many people with CFS and FM are sensitive to chemicals and additives that are found in processed foods, two – refined sugars such as fructose are not good for anyone (except maybe a diabetic in insulin shock), three – good nutrition is found to benefit everyone, sick or not, it’s just better for you.

So with that said, why aren’t we all eating healthy? Well, that is simple to answer. It’s harder, it’s more work, it’s more expensive, and most of us are addicted to sweets. So what should we do then? Well, we try are best to start eating healthy, one day at a time, one healthy food at a time.

Here are a few places you can start.

1. Eliminate or limit your intake of refined sugars, (ie: cookies, cakes, candy, soda, etc.), nature sugar from fruits are o.k.

2. If you don’t eat vegetables, start eating one serving a day, if you already eat one serving a day, try to start eating two….(you see where I am going with this, right?). Not all vegetables are created equal, for instance; spinach, broccoli, green beans, are really good for you, corn, potatoes, iceberg lettuce, just so so…..but better than nothing.

3. Increase your “lean” protein intake, (ie: chicken, fish, pork, lean beef). Wild Salmon once a week is a great idea, and you can now get it in frozen, single portioned packages. I find this helpful because buying “fresh” goes bad fast. And most “fresh” is actually Atlantic Salmon (code name for farm raised with chemicals).

4. Replace all (or most) soda intake with water. There is nothing about soda, diet or regular, that is good for you. If you are drinking it for the caffeine, coffee is better for this purpose than soda.

5. Eliminate or cut back your use of processed foods, (ie: frozen dinners, anything with a powder packet, anything with “sulfite”, etc.)

6. Increase your intake of fiber, oatmeal in the morning is good for this. I admit, I do cheat and use the “instant” variety of oatmeal, it’s just easier.

These are just a few ideas. Obviously there is much more to good nutrition, but we need to start somewhere, taking baby steps is better than not taking any steps. Don’t do it all at once, make small changes, and gradually work your way into eating a healthier diet. You will begin to see that you feel better when you eat healthier than you do when you are eating junk, this will then become your motivation to keep it up.

With so many diagnosed and undiagnosed illnesses attributed to the Gulf War and the failure to provide answers, cures or relief from the daily battles we face as disabled Gulf War veterans. The need to take care of ourselves while awaiting our government to take responsibility for putting us in harms way falls on we the forgotten.

 

Proper diet and the highest nutrition followed by exercise and a never die attitude will be the difference in many of our lives. Personally for me my quality of life changed dramatically thanks to a close friend and his wife showing me how to live healthier and how to introduce the proper nutrition into my body, and for this I will be forever thankful. My days are being more productive and less painful. Things I could no longer do, I now do with ease and confidence, and the key to this has been the introduction of the highest quality of nutrition into my body.

 

 

Maintaining

Good nutrition

With ALS

 

 

In this below article on Amyotrophic Lateral Syndrome taken from www.alsa.org, proper nutrition is talked about to help keep the body healthy and strong.

 

Many people ask questions about vitamins and nutritional supplements.

At this time, there is not clear medical evidence that vitamins or supplements

can help ALS. However, it is prudent for all people to take a generic (store

brand) multivitamin daily. There is growing thought that one or two

vitamin E capsules daily may be beneficial. Some vitamins are available in

liquid form. Most supplements can be take safely for the purpose of enhancing

general good health if taken in the recommended amounts. There is

active clinical interest in this issue but no clear recommendation yet. Refer

to your physician, dietitian or nurse for specific recommendations for your

individual needs.

 

Good nutrition will give you more energy and a better sense of well being. It

will strengthen your immune system, helping to prevent infection. A well -

balanced diet is essential for maintaining body muscle and fat. If you do not

eat enough food, our body will break down its own muscle and fat, causing

you to lose weight and strength.

Everyone needs a well-balanced diet with enough calories, protein, vitamins

and minerals to meet nutritional requirements

 

Although proper nutrition is not a cure all, it is of the upmost importance to maintain an active productive life. Look at your car if you refuse to take care of it, to change the oil every three thousand miles, proper tune ups and inspections then what happens to it. Your car begins to have problems and does not run properly. And someday will leave you stranded along side of the road. Same is true with your body. Without the proper nutrition, that is nutrition of the highest levels your body like your car will start to show wear and tear and slowly begin to leave you stranded.

 

For those of us diagnosed with GWS it is even more of the greater importance for proper diet and nutrition to maintain our health and mental capacity to continue the fight not just for our rights, and our health but for our sanity as well.