The National Academy of Sciences announced yesterday the results of a study by Dr. Lynn Goldman of Johns Hopkins University stating that there is no such thing as the Gulf War Syndrome. Many veterans have been claiming to have this mysterious disease since they participated in the Gulf War several years ago when Iraq invaded Kuwait and we drove them back home. It has been suggested that smoke from the burning oil wells, toxins, pesticides and the nerve gas sarin may all be responsible for this weird collection of symptoms found in the so called “Gulf War Syndrome.”
The symptoms are highly variable and include everything such as fatigue, headache, muscle pain, anxiety, memory loss, sleep disturbance, diarrhea, constipation and menstrual disorders. There is a lack of physical findings on examination and all of their lab and X-Rays are normal.
When I was in Family Practice half the patients I saw had these symptoms and had never been near the Middle East.
The problem certainly couldn’t be from nerve gas or other weapons of mass destruction because Saddam didn’t have any. The symptoms are all very nonspecific and I personally have many of them every day along with most everyone else. Could it be that it might be beneficial to have this mysterious syndrome, which defies all medical detection, if the person might get a nice disability check for the remainder of their life? Surely that wouldn’t have anything to do with it. I am about to retire and I am not feeling too well myself. Maybe my six years in the Army might be used to help supplement my Medicare check.
The one thing I do know is that if the Syndrome is real then it has to be George Bushes fault along with Hurricane Katrina and global warming
The symptoms are highly variable and include everything such as fatigue, headache, muscle pain, anxiety, memory loss, sleep disturbance, diarrhea, constipation and menstrual disorders. There is a lack of physical findings on examination and all of their lab and X-Rays are normal.
When I was in Family Practice half the patients I saw had these symptoms and had never been near the Middle East.
The problem certainly couldn’t be from nerve gas or other weapons of mass destruction because Saddam didn’t have any. The symptoms are all very nonspecific and I personally have many of them every day along with most everyone else. Could it be that it might be beneficial to have this mysterious syndrome, which defies all medical detection, if the person might get a nice disability check for the remainder of their life? Surely that wouldn’t have anything to do with it. I am about to retire and I am not feeling too well myself. Maybe my six years in the Army might be used to help supplement my Medicare check.
The one thing I do know is that if the Syndrome is real then it has to be George Bushes fault along with Hurricane Katrina and global warming
posted by Dad at 1:46 PM
1 Comments:
There is a good chance that Dr. Goldman will end up sleeping beside Jimmy Hoffa someday given the number of folks in the U.S. who are "disabled". I, too, suffer from all of the symptoms that you list (with the exception of menstrual disorders)but don't get your hopes up for any help. In my years of tax practice I have come to the conclusion that the best way to be labled "disabled" is to be obese, alcoholic or a drug addict. Being an immigrant (legal or illegal) from anywhere on the planet and being a citizen or almost citizen of color usually seals the deal but not always. I had a caucasian client under 40 who was collecting full disability while teaching water skiing lessons at Lake Belton. Unfortunately we had to part ways...it is a shame that Mr. Bush causes so many problems. I am sure that he had something to do with Ann Richards sudden demise.
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