Gulf War Illness and the Immune System: Observations From My Practice

I began working with veterans of the Gulf War and soon felt as if I had opened Pandora’s box. The health and psychological issues these brave men and women were experiencing were overwhelming.

I originally intended to work only with veterans, but after hearing that wives and children were also experiencing health concerns, I expanded my work to include some of their family members.

One veteran told me of three of his platoon members committing suicide within a 30-day period. A female veteran related that while serving in the Gulf War, she witnessed camels and dogs dying for no apparent reason and dead birds dropping from the sky at her feet. When she expressed concern for her health to her commanding officer, she said she was told there was nothing to worry about. By the time I learned her story, she was totally disabled.

Another veteran with severe depression told me he had received more than 30 different bottles of medication from a VA hospital. According to the veteran, his mental health worsened during this period while he was taking multiple medications.

I also worked with a veteran who reported becoming very ill following an anthrax vaccination and receiving additional vaccinations before being deployed to the Gulf. That same veteran later reported being exposed to a toxic chemical when he and his platoon entered an abandoned building. He told me that he and other members of his platoon subsequently experienced significant health problems.

These were some of the stories veterans shared with me, and they had a lasting impact on my work.

Today, the VA recognizes Gulf War illness—also called chronic multisymptom illness—as a condition affecting some veterans who served in the Gulf region. Symptoms can include fatigue, muscle and joint pain, memory and concentration difficulties, skin conditions, gastrointestinal problems, respiratory symptoms, and other concerns.

Environmental Exposures and Gulf War Veterans

As I worked with these veterans, I became increasingly interested in the environmental exposures they may have experienced during their military service.

The VA recognizes that Gulf War veterans may have encountered a variety of potential exposures, including oil-well fires, pesticides, depleted uranium, chemical agents, vaccinations, and other environmental hazards. Research continues into the possible relationship between these exposures and Gulf War illness, and the existence of an exposure does not necessarily establish that it caused an individual veteran’s illness.

Many of the veterans who came to me were still experiencing complex symptoms despite having previously sought medical care.

I was also surprised by the number of wives and children who reported unexplained health issues, including rashes, fatigue, allergies, and gastrointestinal concerns.

One veteran I worked with had skin rashes, vomiting, and fatigue and reported significant petrochemical exposure while serving in the Gulf. His wife also became ill after his return and experienced some similar symptoms. Their children developed rashes and fatigue as well.

These experiences made me interested not only in the veteran’s health but also in the health of the family as a whole.

However, observing similar symptoms among family members does not establish that a veteran’s military exposures caused those symptoms in a spouse or child. Research into the health of Gulf War veterans and their families has continued over the years, and questions regarding potential generational health effects have also been formally studied.

My Work With Gulf War Veterans

As I continued working with Gulf War veterans, my approach included nutritional support and my autoimmune protocol, while also considering gut health and the veteran’s individual history and potential environmental exposures.

Some of the first veterans I worked with reported improvements in areas such as rashes, sleep patterns, gastrointestinal symptoms, mood, and overall well-being.

It was gratifying to see these changes.

At the same time, these were observations from my practice. They should not be interpreted as evidence that my autoimmune protocol—or any individual component of the approach—has been proven to treat Gulf War illness.

Every veteran’s circumstances were different, and many factors could have contributed to the changes they experienced.

A Soldier’s Story

I first saw Donald P. approximately one year before I originally wrote about his case.

When I met Donald, he was experiencing severe depression, angry outbursts, insomnia, brain fog, unexplained rashes, and gastrointestinal issues. These symptoms had developed after his military service in the Middle East.

Donald had already sought treatment through the VA but reported that his symptoms had not improved with his previous treatment and that he felt some had worsened.

Because of the complexity of his condition, I looked closely at his health history and the potential environmental and occupational exposures he may have encountered during his military service.

I worked with Donald using nutritional support, supplements, my autoimmune protocol diet, and other complementary approaches that were part of my practice at that time.

The first week was tough.

Donald also used an infrared sauna as part of his routine. By the second week, he reported that he was feeling better and was finally able to sleep. He told me that he was not feeling as depressed or as angry.

At the end of eight weeks, Donald told me that he felt like he had his life back.

I was thrilled for him and his family.

While working with Donald, I also learned that his wife and children were experiencing unexplained rashes and other health concerns. I worked with them using a modified nutritional and wellness program as well.

Donald later called me to thank me and told me that he and his family were doing very well.

His story has always stayed with me.

It is important, however, to view Donald’s experience for what it was: an individual patient case from my practice. His improvement cannot establish that my protocol treated Gulf War illness, depression, PTSD, or any other medical or psychiatric condition.

What Families Shared With Me

Over the years, I also heard from spouses and family members who described significant changes they observed after the veterans in their families began working with me.

Families reported improvements in areas such as sleep, energy, digestive symptoms, rashes, mood, and overall well-being.

For some families, those changes felt life-changing after years of struggling with complex health concerns.

I remain grateful that these veterans and their families trusted me enough to share their experiences and allowed me to be part of their health journeys.

Their experiences varied by individual, however, and should not be interpreted as evidence that a nutritional protocol, detoxification program, camel milk, infrared sauna, supplements, or other complementary approaches treat Gulf War illness, PTSD, depression, suicidality, or other psychiatric or medical conditions.

What These Experiences Taught Me

Working with Gulf War veterans reinforced something I have seen throughout my years in practice: complex health concerns often require us to look beyond a single symptom.

I believe it is important to consider the whole person—their history, nutrition, environment, gut health, immune health, medications, and the exposures they may have encountered along the way.

My experiences with these veterans also strengthened my interest in the relationship between environmental exposures, nutrition, the immune system, and chronic health concerns.

There is still much we do not fully understand about Gulf War illness. Research continues into its causes and the potential role of deployment-related exposures. The VA currently recognizes a broad range of chronic, medically unexplained symptoms associated with Gulf War service, while the precise cause of Gulf War illness remains unclear.

For me, the veterans I worked with are an important part of the history of my practice and of the questions that have shaped the way I look at health today.

Medical Note: This article describes historical observations and individual patient experiences from my practice. These experiences do not establish that any nutritional protocol, supplement, detoxification program, diet, sauna, camel milk, or other complementary intervention treats or cures Gulf War illness or any psychiatric or medical condition. Veterans experiencing physical or mental health concerns should seek evaluation and treatment from appropriately qualified healthcare professionals.