Photo credit: “Operation Desert Storm” taken by Technical Sergeant
Fernando Serna, U.S. Air Force photograph, file 071009-F-2911S-013.JPG
Last updated 8
Dec 2009
Gulf War
Illness: A Treatment That’s Working!
Gulf War Illness Treatment
Plan
The following physician supervised, Doxycycline
based, treatment plan took me from a couch ridden invalid to a reasonably
active parent of two school age kids able to maintain a part-time job in 5
months time. I have improved
dramatically, recovered an active life, and continued to improve steadily for
the ten years I have been on this program. Overall, I would say that I am about
98% recovered-- dramatically improved!
With medical insurance that pays 90%, 100
Doxycycline tablets cost me $6.00 (more or less a month's supply).
(Note: I am not a medical professional.
This is simply a factual report of what has worked for me. Any program of
medical treatment must be supervised by a qualified physician and tailored to
your specific needs. However, if you can’t get this
plan from your doctor, find another doctor.)
Here are the basics of the treatment
program that has worked for me:
1. Consulted a doctor and presented him
with copies of all the free medical research information available from the Professor Garth Nicolson and Dr. Nancy Nicolson’s Institute
for Molecular Medicine at http://www.immed.org.
2. Took Doxycycline 100 mg tablets 3 times a day (two in the
morning, one in the evening). Capsules didn't work for me. I didn't notice
visible improvement for a few weeks, but somehow I knew at a deeper level that
I was being healed right away. The first couple weeks I actually felt worse.
This is the Herxheimer reaction caused by the toxin released by the germs as
they die - it is normal and to be expected. Remember, you are fighting for your
life here, as well as those of your family. Don't draw any hasty conclusions
during the first few weeks. NOTE: Most of the GWI patients I have read about
use Nicolsons’ standard protocol. This involves 6-week periods of antibiotic
treatment alternating with periods where the medicine is not taken. The cycle
is repeated when symptoms return. Most of those patients have done very well.
My personal experience over the first ten years of treatment, however, is that
I must take the antibiotic (doxycycline) continuously without break. I suspect
that is because in my case the illness had a full 7-year headstart before I
discovered the truth and began treatment. Perhaps in such cases the germ
population is harder to reduce to a level that permits substantial symptom-free
periods in the absence of the suppressive effect of the doxycycline. Most of
the patients I have read about began treatment within the first 2 years after
the presumed initial exposure to the illness during the Gulf War. It is also
possible that other factors are involved that could vary from patient to
patient, such as genetic or immune system differences, some of which may have
been due to specific damage done by the germ before treatment placed it in check.
You will have to work this out with your doctor but don’t hesitate to tell
him/her that you feel you need longer cycles of treatment.
3. Eliminated
every stressful aspect of my daily routine
possible (some will remain of course)
4. Mild exercise
only for the first 6 months of treatment, 3 times a week, starting at 15
minutes daily. Increase frequency and intensity only gradually as stamina
builds. Intense exercise makes symptoms worse in the early months. There
appears to be a ceiling of activity that increases as your recovery progresses.
If you go beyond that ceiling at any given point in time symptoms will be
aggravated even to the point of a major relapse. Be patient and your strength
and stamina will come back incrementally and consistently until you are fully
well again.
To avoid any misunderstandings, I want to
make clear that my exercise routine remained very mild for the first two to
three years of treatment. At the seven-year point of treatment however I could
do practically a full workout at the gym. I just have to ease back into it
every time I fall off my medicine routine or slip into sugar consumption,
either of which produces a short-lived relapse. During the minor relapses I cut
down to less exercise, or none. Contrary to everything we have been taught and
even experienced about the beneficial effects of exercise, with GWI too much of
it can hurt you as can too little. The trick is to get just enough exercise to
increase your circulation, muscle tone and general health without exhausting
yourself. After a year or two of treatment you will develop the ability to read
the illness. Then you can tailor the ratio of exercise and rest to the way you
feel.
5.
Took a lot of extra C, E & B vitamins, as well as
extra basic vitamin/mineral combos. The joint formulas help a lot with GWI,
GNC's Triflex or any of the formulas featuring glucosamine and chondroitin.
Believe it or not, kids chewable vitamins are assimilated the best, and I have
found that Flintstones (don't laugh) chewable children's
vitamins with immunity support make a noticeable difference in the way I
feel. No I do not also eat Kellogs Sugar Frosted Flakes, only because of the
problem sugar causes with GWI (but, yes, I do love them).
6.
I noticed that I felt better when I ate a lot of good protein source
food, mainly eggs, so I added eggs to my diet 4 times a week. (Note: I have since reduced my egg consumption
somewhat out of concern for long-term cholesterol management (2 or 3 times a
week). However, during the acute phase
prior to seeing any real improvement, I felt strongly that the eggs did in fact
boost my strength to the point that I could accomplish more of my essential
daily routine as a parent. Good quality meat, cheese
and lots of fresh vegetables are now the mainstay of my diet and I
strongly feel they are needed in large amounts to maintain strength with this
illness.
The following foods & supplements have
also helped a lot: Ginseng tea & Echinacea tea (both in the same cup, 2 cups a day),
fresh garlic and onion, grape seed extract, and
even plain old aspirin is beneficial
(antifungal).
The lemon and olive drink recommended by
Dr. Nicolson also helped during the first 3 weeks of Doxycycline treatment, and
is great for an occasional boost. I
also recommend ProLabs Lean Mass Matrix sports drink supplement (low sugar),
Champion Nutrition's MET II sports drink supplement, or Glucerna from Ensure. Glucerna stabilizes blood sugar and sugar
is major problem in GWI. Glucerna helps me dramatically. It is not a medicine
but merely a low sugar nutritional supplement with a precise mineral mix that
balances blood sugar. Judging from the way I feel the vitamin-mineral mix in
Glucerna appears to match the GWI deficits very closely. There is a problem,
however, in the chocolate content. Chocolate is both a blessing and a curse
for GWI. GWI patients need the special types of collagen building
cholesterol in chocolate to rebuild the linings of the nerves and other crucial
components of bodily systems. On the other hand too much chocolate seems to
aggravate GWI substantially. Therefore one has to pay attention and tailor the
amount of chocolate in the diet depending upon how far along one is in
treatment with doxycycline. There are other flavors of Glucerna, but chocolate is
the best. A good basic rule is no chocolate for the first two years of
treatment. This is the safest course. Then adjust the chocolate intake
gradually until a problem occurs and back off of it again.
All of the nutritional supplement products
are enormous strength and energy enhancers for GWI patients who need the extra
vitamins and protein because of cell damage. Taking these products once a week,
even at half the usual serving or less, will keep you strong all week. GWI
patients do not need anything near the recommended dose of these products,
which are designed for high-performance athletes. One capsule twice a week of
Twinlabs Creatine Fuel, for example, will add a great deal of strength and
daily productivity all thorough the week although this is only a small fraction
of the recommended dosage for athletes. More is not better however as GWI is sensitive
to too much activity or stimulation of the system. Creatine can also irritate
the stomach/bowels in larger doses.
During the Herxheimer period (the first
three weeks of antibiotic treatment) sipping the lemon olive drink as needed
helps reduce the bacterial toxin induced fatigue. To prepare the lemon and olive
drink, put a couple cups of cranberry juice (or a juice of your choice) in a
blender with some crunched ice. Slice a lemon (leave the pealing on it) and put
the slices in the blender. Put in a tablespoon or two of olive oil, then chop
and blend it with the blender. Use a strainer to filter the lemon peal from the
mixture and sip the rest slowly: it helps.
7.
Rest when you are tired, don't push it.
Let the body tell you when your stamina is sufficient for further
activity.
8.
Drink a lot of extra fluids (No caffeine for the first 2 years,
period - makes symptoms worse. Unfortunately so does sugar and chocolate.)
Avoid these things like the plague. NO SUGAR, NO CAFFEINE, NO ALCOHOL IS THE
RULE, but no one will be perfect at keeping it. Just keep the rule in mind; it
could save your life. Each inch of ground you fight for is worth it because in
advanced stages GWI tends to produce serious illnesses like ALS and rare
cancers. Along with stress, worry and too much physical activity, these dietary
indiscretions are the things that will cause a serious relapse and negate the
positive effects of the rest of your treatment plan. Seek out positive
interaction with friends and family (not intense physical sports - maybe
later). Laugh and have fun as much as you can - this actually changes your body
chemistry. Laughter is still the best medicine. Don't worry be happy is good
advice for GWI. And trust God; he won't fail you.
9. A good quality prescription
antihistamine helps tremendously. I have had good results from Claritin. My allergy season lasts from May through
October, but I take the Claritin all year round when I can because it
seems to moderate some of the symptoms of GWI, probably the autoimmune side of
it. In allergy season I get a systemic type of sick fatigue in addition to the
more blatant and well-known allergy symptoms. Claritin counteracts these
problems quite well. I think it is a reciprocal dynamic with allergies and GWI.
Anytime your allergies act up and invoke your immune system the Gulf War
Illness is aggravated, and GWI makes the allergic response more intense and
somewhat anomalous. Consequently you may be surprised at just how much better
you feel when taking one of the good quality antihistamines regularly. Claritin
is the only one I know that doesn't have some drowsy side effect. Allegra is
probably second best in that regard. Since the brain chemistry of GWI patients
is often abnormal, one shouldn't use medicines that alter it further.
10.
Pray! I believe prayer can have great benefits to your health and impact
the course of world events. Pray for relief and note what changes.
Note: If you start the doxycycline or one
of the other antibiotics Dr. Nicolson recommends, eat a serving of yogurt with
each meal to replenish the gut flora that the antibiotic kills. Acidophilus
tablets can be used in the absence of yogurt and works just as well. They are
available in the vitamin section of stores or in health food stores. The
refrigerated chewable tablets are the best, but the others work OK.
---------------------
Knowledge is power.
My response to the Doxycycline tablets
(and the fact that other medicines did not work) have led me to conclude that I
am suffering from an infection from some kind of "germ" which is extremely
hard to clear from the body 100%. My symptoms were precisely what Professor
Garth Nicolson describes for Mycoplasma fermentans incognitas (MFI), and
the recovery phase tracks exactly as he describes it.
I understand that many Persian Gulf War
veterans may have other serious health problems derived from exposure to a
variety of toxic substances in the Gulf. Given my own experience though, I
would recommend seeing a private physician to discuss a trial period of
doxycycline (at least a year) to see if it helps. It seems plausible to me that
some veterans may have both a toxic exposure problem
and an infectious disease, in which case effective treatment of the
disease may aid in sorting out exactly which symptoms derive from the toxic
exposure(s). The remaining symptoms can
then be targeted more precisely with appropriate therapies (once again under
guidance of a qualified physician). I wish I could recommend the VA, but after
the last totally misguided study, I regret to say that the
Veteran's Administration shows no indications of ever gaining any real
competency about GWI.
Be careful not to fall prey to the
disinformation overload on the Net. A
good site to stick with is Joyce Riley's American Gulf War Veterans
Association, http://www.gulfwarvets.com. Joyce was a
USAFR Nurse (Captain) during the Gulf War, contracted the illness herself (as did Professor Garth Nicolson
and his wife Dr. Nancy Nicolson) found Nicolson's treatment information, began antibiotic treatment and was
restored to health. She then initiated an aggressive campaign to get the truth out, going on speaking tours around the nation--another of the primary heroes of the Gulf War Illness tragedy.
What is this disease and
where did it come from?
My own situation suggests that it is
indeed an infectious disease, not a toxic chemical exposure. I say this because
I did not deploy to the Gulf. My team
was diverted to Europe after receiving the shots for deployment to a hostile
fire area in Saudi just after the air war began. It is possible to pass germs via contaminated vaccines. I was involved with processing personnel for
deployment, both in the U.S. and Europe.
I came into contact with personnel and equipment returning from the
Gulf. I was also issued a gas mask that had recently returned from the Gulf
(after the air war started). I had no exposure to chemical attacks, pesticides,
PB pills, oil well fires, fallout from our bombing of Iraqi munitions dumps
etc. -- or to excessive stress for that matter. We worked exceptionally long
hours, but did not serve in a hostile fire zone. Veterans could have contracted
the germ from either the battlefield or from contaminated vaccines, as this
particular germ has been the subject of scientific research and the U.S. Army
holds a patent on it.
PS: Why this treatment plan
works.
This is essentially Professor Garth
Nicolson's treatment plan (Institute for Molecular Medicine, Huntington Beach,
California). He is the hero of the battle to find the truth about Gulf War
Illness, one of the few scientists and doctors to recognize the illness as
real from the beginning. Nicolson has conducted and published peer-reviewed scientific research
that explains the germ involved and identifies the antibiotics that are
effective against it. His studies, reports to Congress and published scientific
papers can be found at http://www.immed.org/illness/gulfwar_illness_research.html. Nicolson's
research indicates that approximately 40-45% of the Gulf War Veterans who became ill suffer from an infection of what is apparently a "new" biowarfare agent, a germ called
Mycoplasma fermentans incognitus (MFI). This disease can eventually affect any and all systems of the body and is frequently misdiagnosed as something else, or not diagnosed at all.
The symptoms of MFI infection are listed at http://www.immed.org/signsympt.htm. Everyone should get familiar with this list. MFI infections are
not restricted to veterans; it is a disease of the public domain now, but little known outside the circle of Gulf War Illness activists, journalists and researchers.
At the time of the Gulf War Dr. Nicolson
was one of the top ten microbiologists in the world, and was nominated for a
Nobel Prize. Dr. Nicolson and his wife Nancy (also Dr. Nicolson) have written a
novel, Project Day Lily about their experiences and the discovery
of the treatment for the MFI form of Gulf War Illness. It exposes the criminal
elements involved in perpetrating the crime of covering up the reality of GWI,
which caused many veterans to miss proper diagnosis and treatment. Tens of
thousands of families were destroyed by the death or failed health of their
breadwinner and many family members contracted the illness themselves.
Project Day Lily is a print on demand book. You will
probably not find it on the shelves. Go to the customer service counter of your
bookstore to order it. This works at Barnes & Nobles bookstores at least.
It is a large book, but a fascinating and very personable read, worth its weight in gold in truth. If you, a family member, or friend have suffered from GWI, it will
be the most important book you will ever read short of the Holy Bible. Project
Day Lily may also be ordered directly from Xlibris Corporation by phone,
1-888-795-4274, or from their Web site at http://www.Xlibris.com.
If you wish to confirm the expertise of
Professor Nicolson, his scientific credentials are awesome. They can be seen at
http://www.immed.org/reachus.htm#faculty.
Scroll down to "Complete Curriculum Vitae" and click on the link to
see 40 pages of impressive scientific achievements. Nicolson's achievements
distinguish him as one of the very top scientists in the world. Dr. Nancy L.
Nicolson's credentials are linked from the same page and clearly place her into
the who's who of science as well. This is the quality of research that
underlies the treatment protocol described here, the same quality of research
that absolutely impugns the immoral and illegal cover-up of Gulf War Illness
perpetrated by (possibly criminal) elements within biowarfare research,
military medicine, the VA and Department of Defense.
The germ involved, Mycoplasma
fermentans incognitas (MFI), has no cell wall and therefore the immune
system cannot identify it. Normal germs have a protein coat on the cell wall
that has a unique signature for each germ, something like Braille writing.
The primary component of the treatment
plan, doxycycline, stops the germ population from reproducing. Continued use of
doxycycline (or ciprofloxacin) generates a continuous improvement in health up
to a point where the patient feels and acts normally. Although these
antibiotics are capable of reaching into the cells where the MFI hides for some reason
it is almost impossible to eradicate all
of these germs from the body. The course of treatment, therefore, depending on how soon treatment is begun
after the onset of symptoms, may be for life. On
the other hand doxycyline treatment does restore our health and productivity; it gives us our lives back and makes us noncontagious.
My version of Nicolson's treatment plan
builds off one of his dietary guidelines, and I feel it can make a very
significant additional improvement in the health of the GWI patient. The
guideline in question is low sugar intake. Sugary foods seriously aggravate
GWI, and closely restricting sugar intake in a very consistent and disciplined
fashion can make an amazing difference in how a GWI patient feels. I don't know
if Dr. Nicolson has fully explained why this is so, but after ten years of
treatment and careful tests, I know that it is so in my own situation.
In any case, it is important to avoid
sweets and eat solid high protein food, meets, eggs, and cheeses with lots of
quality salads. I suggest going a little further to get even more results by
choosing one day a month to fast: no food at all for the first six to twelve hours,
followed by a light sugar free meal in the evening. This should generate
further improvement in how you feel.
This phenomenon may or may not be unique
to a (large) subset of GWI patients. GWI seems to affect different people differently,
so be alert to your body's signals and tailor your treatment program to what
you learn. If your body seems to be responding negatively to something, cut it
out of your routine for a few months, notice how you feel, then put it back and
check again. Ultimately you will find some things that make a big difference,
and will be able to customize your regimen for optimal results. Don't make any
assumptions with this illness, we are not normal. If you need to eat more meat
and eggs to feel well, eat more meat and eggs. “Cholesterol is our friend” with
GWI because it is needed to repair damaged cells. Do what works and never look
back. Please note the additional treatment considerations given at http://www.gulfwarvets.com/treatment.htm, such as the hydrogen peroxide/Epsom salt bath, dry sauna, etc.
Remember, doxycycline is the cornerstone of this
plan, and prayer. May God bless and keep you.
MSgt Rick Harrison (USAF, Ret.)
About the Author
Rick Harrison is a retired MSgt, United States Air Force. He is newly converted to the Catholic faith, having been raised a Methodist. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy, cum laude, with research honors, from Illinois Wesleyan University. Air Force assignments included Chief, Officer Appointments, Air Reserve Personnel Center; Chief Personnel Readiness, Air Force Flight Test Center; Chief, Manning Control Edwards Air Force Base, Asst. Quality Assurance Evaluator MAGNUM Munitions Storage Area, Kwang-Ju AB Korea; and Missile Maintenance Crew Chief, George Air Force Base. His two proudest achievements are pictured above. Rick is a Catholic author and has just released a new Cathlic novel of the end times with theological commentary, entitled Jacob Shall Be a Fire, available from Barnes & Noble, Xlibris, and Amazon on the Interent. Appendix 3 to Jacob contains the contents of this Web page as a service to ill veterans and their families. For more info on Jacob Shall Be a Fire go to http://www.jacobshallbeafire.com/.
The author may be contacted by email by those having honest questions concerning Gulf War Illness. The first part of the email address is rdharrison75. Follow that with the usual "AT" sign, and then add netscape.com.
NOTE: Corrupt defense contractors, biowarfare agents (foreign or domestic), Mafia, rogue intel and other disinformation specialists/guilty parties seeking to cover their ass need not apply. Don't waste my time. Both your time and mine will be much better spent at Church confessing our sins. Praised be the Lord Jesus Christ.
