In USAToday, the following is posted online currently, titled 'Researchers tie Gulf War illness to brain damage'.
The point that may parallel Lyme is that these vets have been diagnosed with chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia, when it turns out there seem to be identifiable, objective causes for their symptoms.
These specific Gulf War Syndrome symptoms have nothing to do with Lyme, but this brings home the point that docs are sometimes inclined to imply the patient is faking or is a head case when there is no obvious or accepted cause. Interesting that they are using brain blood flow analysis as a diagnostic tool, just as Lyme docs use SPECT scans.
The money quote is in the last paragraph and is definitely worth reading. It may sound familiar to some of us. fwiw.
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"Researchers say they have found physical proof that Gulf War illness is caused by damage to the brain — and that proof may ultimately help civilians who suffer from chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia.
"Using fMRI machines, the Georgetown University researchers were able to see anomalies in the bundle of nerve fibers that interpret pain signals in the brain in 31 Gulf War veterans. The research will be published Wednesday in PLOS ONE journal.
"The findings are 'huge,' because an fMRI allows doctors to diagnose a person with Gulf War illness quickly, said James Baraniuk, senior author and professor of medicine at Georgetown University Medical Center. The research, he said, also shows that Gulf War illness is not psychological.
"An fMRI, or 'functional' MRI, is a scan that measures activity by detecting how blood flows through the brain.
"Many veterans have had difficulties getting benefits and treatment for a service-connected condition because doctors assumed they were either faking it or suffering from post-traumatic stress. 'That's a problem with all physicians — VA, military or civilian,' Baraniuk said. 'If it doesn't fall within their small world of known diseases, then the patient is nuts.' "