Gulf War Syndrome and Post-Radiotherapy Syndrome in Cancer Patients
The Gulf War 20 years ago caused soldiers from the United States, Britain, France and other countries to suffer from mental depression, fatigue, headaches, insomnia, diarrhea, memory loss, distraction, muscle and joint pain, breathing problems and other physical symptoms. According to statistics, about 160,000 of the 700,000 U.S. troops who participated in Operation Desert Storm reported suffering from this disease. It is called “Gulf War Syndrome” by the medical community. Symptoms include immune system disorders and fertility defects. Yang Feng, Department of Integrative Medicine, Henan Cancer Hospital Since the end of the Gulf War, the U.S. government has spent $213 million on research into “Gulf War Syndrome. Although scientists from various countries have conducted more than 350 studies on the cause of the disease, they are still unable to explain the pathology of this strange symptom. It is generally believed that “Gulf War Syndrome” is a psychological disorder that occurs as a result of force and psychological shock under the pressure of high-tech warfare. But many studies have also suggested some other causes, broadly speaking, the following: 1, the use of depleted uranium ammunition A joint team of U.S. and Canadian scientists led by former U.S. Army Colonel Dr. Asaf Dulakovic found that nine years after the end of the Gulf War, the Gulf War soldiers still have enough depleted uranium in their bodies to endanger their lives. Depleted uranium is a byproduct of processing nuclear reactors and is also known as weapons-grade uranium. Considered the superweapon of the 1990s by the U.S. military, depleted uranium ammunition is known as the “silver bullet” and was used extensively in the Gulf War and last year’s Kosovo War. It is estimated that the U.S. and British forces fired 700,000 to 1 million depleted uranium rounds in the Gulf War alone, destroying more than 1,400 Iraqi tanks. A 120 mm caliber anti-tank depleted uranium round contains 4 kg of solid depleted uranium and is quite lethal. It can effortlessly penetrate strong armor and burn after the explosion, producing much toxic and radioactive shrapnel and dust with a half-life of 4.2 billion years of radiation. Once depleted uranium enters the human body, it can lead to cancer, irreversible kidney damage, immune system disorders, affect reproductive function, and there are even researchers say that depleted uranium will genetically alter cells, the consequences can be imagined. 2, toxic gas leak said It was caused by the U.S. military destroyed Iraq’s ammunition depot and make toxic gas leak, military personnel inhaled toxic gas. The multinational force bombed one of Iraq’s largest chemical plants; it also bombed a large weapons depot in southeastern Iraq stockpiled with chemical weapons, leading to gas leaks or due to chemical weapons carried by Iraqi scud missiles. 3, psychological factors said “Gulf War Syndrome” is caused by the soldiers in the battlefield too nervous, anxiety. . Not long ago, a presidential advisory committee of experts even stressed that the tension of the war was the main cause of “Gulf War Syndrome”. 4, the problem of injections and drugs The research team of the University of Tulane believes that the threat of vaccination against anthrax, botulism, plague and other bacteria and viruses is related. With much evidence, the U.S. Department of Defense officially admitted for the first time on December 10, 2001, that veterans of the Gulf War were indeed suffering from “Gulf War Syndrome”. To this day, these veterans suffering from “Gulf War Syndrome” are still suffering from this disease and are demanding compensation from the government. It is no coincidence that careful oncology clinicians have found that tumor patients who survive radiotherapy for a longer period of time also experience a combination of symptoms such as mental depression, fatigue, headache, insomnia, diarrhea, memory loss, distraction, muscle and joint pain, and breathing problems. The authors named it “post-radiotherapy syndrome in cancer patients”. When comparing the two, there are great similarities in terms of symptoms and causes. Psychologically, cancer patients are no different from those who participated in a brutal war with their lives on the line, and they are no less psychologically devastated than those who fought in the war. The treatment they receive (surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy) is heavier than the radiation damage and gas damage that veterans of the war may have suffered. It is safe to say that almost all of the causes of Gulf War Syndrome are now being studied. This syndrome will become more pronounced as the survival time of oncology patients increases. Prevention and treatment of this post-radiotherapy syndrome will be an important aspect of cancer treatment to improve the quality of life for longer term survivors. There is no effective treatment for “Gulf War Syndrome” so far, but only symptomatic treatment. For post-radiotherapy syndrome, we have a better combination of Chinese and Western medicine treatment. Chinese medicine and radiotherapy together can reduce the toxicity of radiotherapy and prevent the occurrence of post-radiotherapy syndrome. After the occurrence of post-radiotherapy syndrome, it can be effectively treated. Henan Tumor Treatment Center of Integrative Chinese and Western Medicine has conducted some research on this syndrome, and my “60 cases of Integrative Chinese and Western Medicine treatment of post-chemotherapy syndrome” received the attention of experts at the 3rd International Conference on TCM and Integrative Chinese and Western Medicine Tumor Academic Exchange.