Greetings to all Veterans,
My name is Patricia Gallagher. I have been an advocate for veterans seeking medical treatment who are experiencing difficulty applying for services. My advocacy has included Veterans of WW1, Vietnam, Desert Storm and the Iraq wars. As an advocate my task is to assist veterans with PTSD access services and assist in communication about symptoms and service-related traumas. Medical practitioners unfamiliar with trauma informed care often unconsciously trigger PTSD outbursts that retraumatize veterans. When this occurs, the veteran can often become reluctant to continue applying for services. It is also common in these situations that the veteran’s mental health becomes the focus and physical issues can be overlooked or misdiagnosed.
In my current advocacy I am representing an Army veteran with 20+ years in service who was deployed to South America and Iraq. In our work to address her escalating multi-symptom illnesses I encountered several new challenges in the way care is compartmentalized. Each specialist she sees addresses one aspect of her health, and the larger issue of multiple disorders is not adequately addressed.
I began investigating scientific research studies regarding Desert Storm Syndrome and multiple-syndrome illnesses. These studies are available online and are written for medical professionals working with Veterans. These studies resulted in the creation of the PACT Act. The PACT Act begins the process of looking at the whole health of the veteran rather than addressing issues separately by specialist. It also provides toxic exposure screenings. These practices are long overdue. I continue to hold concern with the absence of actual tests and treatment strategies.
The research studies record exposure to contaminants encountered from Burn Pit exposure, multiple vaccines, and exposure to the contaminates in exploded ordinance. The concerns expressed by my current client were based on the likelihood that these clusters of symptoms would progress and become cancers. This concern is supported by the research which showed that a majority of veterans who experienced similar exposure did indeed develop cancer and a variety of other life limiting diseases. Her request was to address these concerns and receive treatment before they become cancer or one of the other debilitating diseases connected to exposure.
Our first requests for testing to measure the toxic contamination and viral load left in her system were met with the response that these tests were not available. What I found after researching many hours was surprising. These studies have been in place for 20 to 30 years and none of them had developed tests or treatment protocols for mitigating the effects of toxic exposures. We were not satisfied with the response.
Natural Healing modalities have offered detox protocols for this kind of exposure for many years and have been widely available to the public for at least 20 years. Several laboratories in the United States offer testing of blood, urine, and hair samples that can measure toxicity present in the body. Why have these services escaped the notice of VA Health organizations?
Testing for the presence of toxic chemical load and viral loads and the development of treatment strategies could significantly affect the progression of these disorders, slowing or even halting the progression of disease. Harm reduction practices can improve the overall health and wellbeing of Veterans struggling with multiple conditions in many ways. If the toxic and viral load can be reduced, the stress on vital body functions may be minimized. Possible results could include improvement in cognition, healthier immune response and most importantly, quality of life. These practices, if successful, could also greatly reduce the cost of treatment when multiple conditions are present.
To improve and adequately provide for the care of our veterans we must change our focus from validation of symptoms and exposures to running the tests and creating treatments that improve their health and have the potential to halt the progression of disease.
At this time when detox treatments are not available from the VA, veterans should be supported in outsourcing to clinics where these services can be accessed. If you are a veteran experiencing multisymptomatic illness, gulf war syndrome, or any disease connected to toxic exposure, I recommend you look into the benefits of natural therapies for detoxification. I further suggest that you contact the VA and Veterans organizations to request information and action regarding detox treatment and the development of treatment focus that seeks to implement the best practices available in addressing your ongoing health concerns.
In support of your health and wellbeing,
Patricia Gallagher
