Honoring the Health Sacrifices of Our Veterans

“On Veterans Day, America pauses to honor every service member who has ever worn one of our Nation’s uniforms. Each time our country has come under attack, they have risen in her defense. Each time our freedoms have come under assault, they have responded with resolve. Through the generations, their courage and sacrifice have allowed our Republic to flourish. And today, a Nation acknowledges its profound debt of gratitude to the patriots who have kept it whole.

As we pay tribute to our veterans, we are mindful that no ceremony or parade can fully repay that debt. We remember that our obligations endure long after the battle ends, and we make it our mission to give them the respect and care they have earned. “

These two paragraphs are taken directly from the 2013 Veterans Day Presidential Proclamation.

But getting Veterans the care they deserve is not always easy.  The wounds of war can go far beyond what meets the eye. From mental health issues to pain and illness that persist long after they’ve left the battlefield, veterans face a multitude of health troubles either unique to their service or more frequent among them than the general population.

“Folks returning from combat have a constellation of health concerns, including physical issues, psychological issues and psychosocial issues concerning things like work and family,” said Dr. Stephen Hunt, national director of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Post Deployment Integrative Care Initiative.

Some of the most common physical complaints of returning soldiers cannot be classified into a single disorder. They include nonspecific symptoms such as fatigue, pain and cognitive disturbances such as memory and concentration problems.

Here are seven of the most commonly seen health conditions confronting veterans:

Musculoskeletal injuries and pain

Just over half of all veterans’ post-deployment health visits address lingering pain in their backs, necks, knees or shoulders.  According to a study in the Journal of Pain, about 100,000 veterans of the Gulf War nearly 20 years ago have reported chronic muscle pain.

Mental health issues

While post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among soldiers has been well publicized, other mental woes can also result from the trauma of war. A study in the journal Archives of General Psychiatry [now JAMA Psychiatry] found that one in 10 Iraq war vets develop serious mental problems, including violent behavior, depression and alcohol abuse. The study found that PTSD or depression seriously impaired daily functioning in 8.5 – 14% of these vets.  Disabling on its own, PTSD is also linked to the development of physical illnesses for veterans as years pass. Researchers from Walter Reed Army Medical Center reported that 54% of veterans with PTSD also had sleep apnea, compared with 20%of PTSD patients in the general population. PTSD in vets is also associated with a greater risk of developing dementia.

Chemical exposure

Research by the American Heart Association found that exposure to nerve agents such as sarin – which can trigger convulsions and death on the battlefield – may cause long-term heart damage in Gulf War veterans. The damage can include an enlarged left ventricle, heart rhythm abnormalities or a reduction in the pumping strength of the heart.

Infectious diseases

Although all military personnel are given routine vaccinations before deployment, veterans suffer disproportionately from certain infections that civilians almost never experience.  They include bacterial infections such as brucellosis, which may persist for years; campylobacter jejuni, which causes abdominal pain, fever and diarrhea; and Coxiella burnetii, which in chronic cases can inflame the heart.

Leishmaniasis, a parasitic disease caused by the bite of a sand fly native to the Middle East, is a particularly brutal condition veterans experience. Those infected suffer weight loss, fevers, headaches, muscle pain and weakness, anemia, and enlargement of the spleen and liver. It can be fatal if untreated, according to the VA..

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

TBI, often brought on by a blow or jolt to the head, disrupts brain function and has been called the signature wound of the fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to the National Academy of Sciences. Blast exposures and other combat-related activities put service members at greater risk for sustaining a TBI compared to their civilian counterparts, according to the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center.

Common effects of TBIs include cognitive issues such as shorter attention span, language disabilities, and an inability to process information. Vets can also suffer from lack of motivation, irritability, anxiety and depression, headaches, memory loss and PTSD.

However, you choose to mark Veteran’s Day 2013, please remember the sacrifices made by all of our vets and be mindful of the long-term health problems they face. Ladies and Gentleman of the military, we thank you for your service.

Honoring All Who Served

Although yesterday, Sunday November 11, was Veterans Day in the US, many federal employees will be observing today in the honor.

SRxA’s Word on Health would like to join that group and pay tribute to those who have risked their lives to preserve the liberty of our nation. Whether veterans of World War I or II, or the current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, we proudly honor those who have served for their patriotism, love of country, and willingness to protect our freedoms.

The tradition of honoring America’s Veterans officially began in November 1919, when President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed November 11 as the first Armistice Day. Honoring our nation’s Veterans is just as important and relevant today as it was 93 years ago.

Join us, as we honor Veterans Day. We invite you to share with us, and the nation your personal stories of service and sacrifice as well as efforts to honor and assist these men and women who have served.

Honoring Our Military

Today, Veterans Day, our nation honors the men and women who have served our country. Cities host parades, department stores have sales, schools and the Federal Government close. Most of us are thankful for a day off. But how many of us will stop and think about the tremendous sacrifices made by those in the military community – the risks they take and the burdens they carry? And how many of us will take the time to reflect on how families and lives are forever changed as a result of war?

Since September 11, 2001, over 2 million men and women have deployed to fight the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan – many of these have deployed multiple times.  During this time, countless family members have suffered through multiple separations. And let’s not forget the 5,798 American men and women who have died during these wars or the 40,000 who have come home with significant physical injuries. In addition, many of our troops come home with invisible injuries of war including post traumatic stress, traumatic brain injury, depression and anxiety.

Sadly, a large number of those who suffer these invisible injuries fail to seek the care that they so need and deserve. The stigma associated with seeking mental health care and our cultural reluctance to admit mental health concerns prevents many of the brave men and women in our armed forces from obtaining proper treatment.

Families are suffering. A recent study in the journal, Pediatrics, found that young children in military families are about 10% more likely to see a doctor for a mental health difficulty when a parent is deployed than when the parent is home. Social scientists have long known that the cycle of deployment and reintegration puts a significant strain on the families of those who serve, particularly spouses. Given that the conflict in Iraq has been underway for over seven long years, tens of thousands of military children have only known the experience of war.

While most civilians are familiar with the terms “post traumatic stress” and “traumatic brain injury” it is striking how little the average person knows about these very understandable, yet potentially devastating, consequences of war.  Movies and television programs often portray veterans suffering with post traumatic stress as out-of-control and hyper-aggressive. While difficulties with impulse control and rage are indeed possible manifestations there is a range of other symptoms and reactions that are less well known. Some withdraw and become disengaged from those around.  Others have difficulty finding meaning in life, while others may experience anxiety, flashbacks and severe sleep disturbance. Sometimes the painful mental health symptoms that result from the experience of war lead to self-medication and substance abuse and suicide. Then there is the dramatic increase in the number of suicides reported by active duty personnel as well as those who have separated from the military.

Some members of our military community come home to families that cannot possibly understand what they have seen or done. Unable to bridge the gap between who they were when they deployed and who they are upon return, our service members find themselves in relationships that falter and marriages that fail.

But there is reason to hope. Many within government and Veterans Affairs, the academic community, the nonprofit sector, the entertainment industry, and caring individuals in communities across the country are stepping up to assist those who serve our country and their families.

The rest of us can help by recognizing and accepting psychological injuries of war and encouraging our veterans to receive proper care and treatment in a timely manner.  Together, we can stem the tide of suicides and save hundreds of thousands of service members who have come home from war with injuries that they alone cannot heal. In order to be successful in this mission, however, we must harness the goodwill, the knowledge, the resources and the commitment of a thankful nation that recognizes the sacrifices made by so few for so many.

SRxA’s Word on Health would like to honor and thank all of our Veterans.

Veterans Day: Saluting those who have served and those who are helping them

In observance of Veterans Day, SRxA’s Word on Health is honored to spotlight a charity that provides wounded veterans with custom-engineered prosthetics and life-changing specialty equipment.

Working with students at California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly) the nonprofit organization Quality of Life Plus (QL+) fosters and generates innovations to aid and improve the quality of life for those injured in the line of duty.

QL+ encourages military veterans and other public servants who have sustained life-changing injuries to submit “Challenges” through their website.  “Challenges” arising from the physical limitations faced by the injured Vets are then transformed into “projects”.  Once a challenge is identified and accepted the QL+ team and the Cal Poly students develop innovative solutions that help our nation’s heroes to live, to work and to play.

These achievements have been recognized far and wide.  According to Mark Sopp,  CFO and EVP of the Fortune 500 company Science Applications International Corporation ,“The organization and the students have made remarkable technological advancements that truly improve the quality of life for our wounded servicemen and servicewomen.”

The projects currently in development are fascinating.  One student team is working on a pressure-sensitive glove capable of simulating the sense of human touch.  The realistic-looking silicone skin will incorporate tactile sensors to reproduce the lost sense of touch for amputees.  Another project aims to research and develop a radar-type system to provide a wider scope and more detailed level of feedback for a visually impaired person.

“It’s amazing to have a direct, immediate impact for the good on the lives of those in need, like our nation’s war veterans.” says Nickolas Butler a 5^th year biomedical engineering student at Cal Poly, who is part of a team working on a new prosthetic hand that will give amputees greater functionality and yet will be more affordable than other prosthetic hands currently available.

And it’s not only the injured who are benefitting from this collaboration.  Butler says that the real-world design experience he has gained through the QL+ Laboratory has opened many doors to post-graduation opportunities. After graduating from Cal Poly, he plans to continue working on prosthetics and helping amputees live independent lives.

This Veterans day SRxA proudly salutes not only all of our service men and women but also those working for and with QL+.