Following control of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in July, 2010, I received a call from Marylee Orr, executive director of the Louisiana Environmental Action Network, asking me to draw blood on several patients who she suspected were ill because of their exposure to the chemicals released in the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
A few days later I saw patients from Florida, Mississippi and Louisiana who presented with a vast array of symptoms that were quite unusual and in several cases, quite severe.
In the ensuing months and years, I saw a large number of patients from the entire Gulf Coast (Florida, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana) who presented with amazingly similar symptoms. Their complaints were unlike ANYTHING I had seen in over 40 years of being a physician. The complexity and uniqueness of their symptoms, together with the fact that none of these people knew each other or had otherwise communicated, suggested that they were suffering from illnesses that were caused by a common entity.
I was later to learn that over 175,000 American soldiers returning from the 1991 Gulf War had complaints that were identical to those of my patients. This association is discussed at the bottom of the first (INDEX) page of this web site.
Since the returning troop's symptom complex was referred to as "Gulf War Syndrome," it is only fitting that we refer to the illnesses being suffered by the victims of the BP oil spill as "BP Syndrome!"
Prior to beginning our "Detox" program for treating my patients with "BP Syndrome," I contacted a physician from California named David Root. Dr. Root is a retired Air Force Colonel who works as a Toxicologist and who "Mentored" me in the Detox program we began in Raceland.
Following the 1991 Gulf War, Dr. Root began to notice that the patients he was treating with toxic poisoning had symptoms that were almost identical to those those experienced by the veterans returning home from the Gulf War. He brought two veterans in for treatment and had remarkable results.
In 2008, Dr. Root testified at a Congressional Hearing (PRESIDENTIAL SPECIAL OVERSIGHT BOARD FOR DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE INVESTIGATIONS OF GULF WAR CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL INCIDENTS) regarding his experiences in treating these Gulf War Veterans.
http://www.gulflink.osd.mil/oversight/frid.htm#p116
Parts of Dr. Root's comments are as follows:
"Over the years since the Gulf War, I have followed the articles in the medical literature and the lay press regarding what has been called the Gulf War syndrome. I have also read many of the Government-sponsored reports regarding the Gulf War illnesses and noted a striking similarity between the symptoms voiced by the veterans and the symptoms of patients exposed to toxic chemicals whom I've treated.
These symptoms include marked fatigue, difficulty with concentration, short-term memory problems, emotional liability, skin rashes, vague muscle aches and pains, GI symptoms, and sensitivity to chemicals at very low concentrations.
Since the symptoms so closely resemble those that I had treated successfully in thousands of cases, I decided to accept two Gulf War veterans into my detoxification program.
Case number one was a 49-year-old Marine lieutenant colonel who served in the Gulf War theater from August 1990 to March '91 as a Marine offload coordinator for the Marine expeditionary force. He was in excellent health when he deployed to Saudi. He did use pyridostigmine bromide. He also used clothing and used Deet and permetherine, as well as being given the anthrax vaccine.
He complained of many of the same symptoms noted above: multiple aches and pains, shoulders, joints, feet, headaches, fatigue, memory problems, irritability, lack of energy, sleep problems.
He underwent the detoxification program in my office in June 1996, completing it in 16 days. Upon completion he felt that the above symptoms were at least, in his word, 95 percent improved.
Case Number 2 was a 20-year-old Marine Reserve lance corporal from Connecticut stationed near Kafji, Saudi Arabia and in Kuwait City, and was therefore in the middle of the oil fire area in Kuwait.
He also took the pyridostigmine bromide tablets twice a day, clothing impregnated with deet, permetherine, as well as being exposed to some Lindane for delousing prisoners.
He also had very similar symptoms, underwent the detoxification program in my office in March and April of '96, and did very well, completing in 27 days on the program. And his self-assessment was that he was at least 80 to 90 percent improved."
"While millions have been spent to study the problems that soldiers who served in the Gulf War are experiencing, little has been done to provide relief.
Based on nearly two decades of clinical experience, I believe that this detoxification program may be a means to provide some such relief.
I realize I've treated only a handful of cases, but the results have been extremely encouraging. Therefore, I would be willing to work with any appropriate agency to establish a pilot project which would evaluate and treat a larger group.
I have already received encouragement for such a pilot project from professionals in medicine and toxicology who would be willing to serve as advisors. I think this is a concrete and practical idea, and I would encourage the board to strongly consider it."
A few months ago I wrote to Dr. Root and asked him if anyone had contacted him with regard to his offer to set up a trial treatment program. He replied that they had not!!
Why do you think that none of our public officials were willing to begin specific treatment of our nation's finest patriots as was described by Dr. Root?
Why do you think that BP, the Plaintiff Steering Committee, all of our public officials and even the press have ignoried our cries for help and our pleas for understanding with regard to the illnesses being suffered by the victims of this tragic event?
I believe I know the answer….Do You??