Agent Orange and Neuropathy (nerve damage), Autoimmune and Other Problems

side effects agent orange

What are the Side effects of Agent Orange?

Almost 20 million gallons of herbicides were dumped on Vietnam between 1962 and 1971 to kill jungle foliage with the aim of exposing enemy targets. It was used to prevent the communist forces from using the jungle for cover, to destroy their food supply and to clear areas of the jungle for U.S. occupation.

The U.S. Army heavily sprayed areas of inland forest in the demarcation zone, along the borders of Cambodia, Laos and South Vietnam and areas north and northwest of Saigon. There was also heavy spraying in the mangrove forests on the southernmost peninsula of Vietnam and along the major shipping channels southeast of Saigon.

Shortly following their military service in Vietnam, some veterans reported a variety of health problems and concerns which some of them attributed to exposure to Agent Orange or other herbicides.

Agent Orange contains dioxin, which has known biological and physical effects.

Both Vietnamese citizens and war veterans have experienced health problems as a result of Agent Orange exposure. Health problems include birth defects, skin diseases and peripheral neuropathy. Agent Orange may also be responsible for some instances of Parkinson’s and heart diseases.

Physical and Neurological Effects of Agent Orange

According to the World Health Organization, short-term exposure to high levels of dioxins causes skin damage and altered liver function. Long-term exposure causes immune system impairment and damage to the nervous, endocrine and reproductive systems in developing fetuses. Dioxin is also a known carcinogen.

According to the VA, there are several diseases associated specifically with Agent Orange exposure, including Hodgkin’s disease, chronic lymphocytic leukemia and type 2 diabetes. Agent Orange also causes a neurological disorder known as acute and subacute peripheral neuropathy. Agent Orange has recently been linked to an elevated risk for Parkinson’s, another neurological disorder. Symptoms and effects of Agent Orange exposure may take months or even years to appear.

Autoimmune problems – Studies on Veterans-Agent Orange Immune System Disorders

Acute and Subacute Peripheral Neuropathy

Peripheral neuropathy is damage to the peripheral nervous system, which consists of the nerves that transmit information from the central nervous system to the rest of the body. The peripheral nervous system carries sensory messages and motor impulses. When this system is damaged, it can cause numbness and weakness in the limbs and nerve pain. The peripheral nervous system also controls the heartbeat, and damage to this system could result in heart rate irregularities.

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If you do have Neuropathy from Agent Orange.

What can you do about neuropathy or nerve damage?

Treatment for Neuropathy

There are many medications, and other remedies that can bring you relief, you can read about them in this article Neuropathy treatments

What can you do?

Take a Quiz: Am I doing everything I can to daily help my neuropathy?

Find out what lifestyle changes will help, take the quiz and get our suggestions and get our assistance on what you can do.

Take Our Quiz

Lasting Relief

None of the various neuropathy treatments will build healthy nerves. You can cover up the symptoms and you can increase circulation and you can make a person feel less pain, etc., but if you build healthy nerves, there will not be any symptoms (healthy nerves don’t hurt, tingle, burn, are not numb, etc.) and the relief will be lasting.

Building Healthy Nerves*

Healthy sensory nerves mean that they are not painful. Healthy nerves means that they communicate and don’t send wrong signals such as burning, hot and cold, tingling when there is no reason for it. Healthy motor nerves mean that they relay messages from the brain to the muscle so that they move correctly. Nerves need to be healthy to function properly.

The body needs specific nutrients (vitamins) to be able to restore nerve health..

It may not give immediate relief (although many do feel changes in the first week) as the vitamins are working at a cellular level, but it does address the actual problem, builds healthy nerves and brings lasting relief.

(For temporary relief while building healthy nerves, go to Pain Relief Formula)

What can be done for lasting relief?

Find out how to Build Healthy Nerves

*Studies & Research on Nerve Health

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Is it Agent Orange or is it a Fungal Infection?

The information on this comes from a Viet Nam vet who was very sick when he got back. He was exposed to Agent Orange but didn’t have any adverse reaction to it. He started researching and found that fungus was the cause of his problem. He was exposed to fungus in Viet Nam.

Here is his website and the Science of Fungus

There are many Agent Orange Support Groups. There is a Facebook site Agent Orange Education Campaign There are lists there of other groups as well.

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