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“For those who fight for it, life has a flavor the protected never know.”
– Inscription on the back of a flak jacket worn by a Marine machine-gunner on the demilitarized zone (DMZ), Republic of Vietnam, 1968.
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 Posted: April 25, 2018
 Dear Sir or Madam:
Please see below for information on the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) public meeting of its Camp Lejeune Community Assistance Panel (CAP).
Community Assistance Panel Meeting: April 28, 2018 9:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Double Tree by Hilton Hotel Pittsburgh - Green Tree
Were you stationed at Camp Lejeune, N.C. for at least 30 days between August 1, 1953 and December 31, 1987? Listen to the former Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Dr. David Shulkin describe possible disability compensation and healthcare benefits available for veterans. Family members may be covered for out of pocket costs for certain conditions. Please visit, https://www.benefits.va.gov/COMPENSATION/claims-postservice-exposures-camp-lejeune-water.asp.
For more information, or to update your contact information, please visit http://www.marines.mil/clwater/, call (877) 261-9782, or e-mail clwater@usmc.mil. Please share this information with anyone that may have been at Camp Lejeune in 1987 or prior years and encourage them to register with us.
Sincerely,
The Camp Lejeune Historic Drinking Water Program
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 Posted: July 18, 2017
Produced by the National Center, each RQ contains a review article written by experts on specific topics related to PTSD.
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Editorial Director
Matthew Friedman, MD, PhD
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Bibliographic Editor
Misty Carrillo, MLIS
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Managing Editor
Heather Smith, BA Ed
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National Center for PTSD
US Department of Veterans Affairs
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PTSD Research Quarterly
VOLUME 28/NO. 3, JULY 2017
The latest issue of the PTSD Research Quarterly (PDF) is now available:
by Shannon Kehle-Forbes, PhD and Rachel Kimerling, PhD
The best treatments in the world are not useful if you can't sustain sufficient participation to ensure that patients receive an effective therapeutic dose. Indeed, this is a major challenge in PTSD treatment.
This issue of the PTSD Research Quarterly reviews the important emerging research on factors affecting patient engagement and interventions designed to improve retention of patients who begin PTSD treatment.
Tell a friend so they can subscribe to the PTSD Research Quarterly Online (RQ).
Sign up for the PTSD Monthly Update or other publications from the National Center for PTSD.
The PTSD Research Quarterly (RQ) is an electronic newsletter produced by the National Center for PTSD, Department of Veterans Affairs. Each RQ contains a review article written by guest experts on a specific topic related to PTSD. The article has a selective bibliography with abstracts and a supplementary list of annotated citations. Please send any feedback to ncptsd@va.gov.
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PTSD Research Quarterly (RQ)
VOLUME 28/NO. 3, JULY 2017
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 Posted: January 8, 2017
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With a new Congress underway, and a new President and potentially a new VA Secretary about to take office, DAV is continuing its campaign to "set the record straight" on veterans health care by educating policymakers, veterans and the public about the best way to strengthen and reform the VA system.
Yesterday we released a new video entitled "Putting Choice In Context," which looks at the role of "choice" in VA health care, and we encourage you to view it.
This video was posted on the DAV Twitter and Facebook accounts and is available on the DAV website. There you will also find other educational and advocacy materials on veterans health care reform that we have developed to ensure that our voices are heard as Congress and the new Administration begin to make critical decisions about the future of VA health care.
We know that some veterans have difficulty accessing VA medical care, so providing other "choices" has to be part of the solution. But any "choice" program has to fit into the big picture of ensuring the best health care outcomes for injured and ill veterans, particularly those who choose and rely on VA. That's why DAV and other VSOs proposed creating local networks that integrate VA and appropriate community partners, with VA remaining the coordinator and primary provider of care. This new model of health care delivery has already been endorsed by VA, some leaders in Congress and the independent Commission on Care.
Please use the prepared electronic letter to urge your Representative and Senators view the video and support our efforts to strengthen and reform the VA health care system.
In the coming days, weeks and months ahead, we need to continue educating Congress about how best to strengthen, reform and sustain the VA health care system, and your participation will be critical in this fight. Thanks for all you do and best wishes for a Happy New Year.
Click the link below to log in and send your message:
https://www.votervoice.net/BroadcastLinks/J3-B7iAfLxYFd-pe-gtvdA
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 Posted: December 9, 2016
Inside Veterans Health
Suicide Prevention responder Melissa Schwab (at keyboard) relies on health technicians to provide support while engaging a distressed Veteran. Suicide Prevention Hotline: 1-800-273-TALK.
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Michael Williams’ personal scorecard was goal oriented, a plan he put together while living on the streets. Homeless for three years, he conquered alcoholism and regained the trust of his family.
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Researchers at the Department of Veterans Affairs find both herbicide exposure and military service are associated with high blood pressure (hypertension) among Army Chemical Corps Vietnam era Veterans.
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Army Veteran Major Jeffrey Weinstock is very thankful this week for VA Telehealth. It saves him a 300-mile round-trip from Key West to Miami for a comprehensive hearing exam and new hearing aids
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Veterans in Wisconsin spend a weekend at a special camp designed to help them learn about and deal with their diabetes. Veteran Steve Biever lost 56 pounds and thanks a VA nurse for saving his life.
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All this week, we will be posting articles and blogs by Veterans talking about “What Veterans Day Means to Me.” Kicking off the week with a salute from a former Navy SEAL very proud of his service.
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VA has a six-week online interactive workshop that offers training in how to provide better care. It also helps caregivers learn how to manage their own emotions, stress and physical health.
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Are you ready to make your choices? Advance Care Planning: Your preferences for future health care. Advance Directive: Tell others your preferences and who you have chosen to be your Health Care Agent.
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Introducing Heather Frank, one of VA's and Iowa's, Top Nurses, whose extra effort has helped Vietnam Veterans in her Iowa Veteran Affairs hospital, receive awards for their service.
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Vietnam Vet, given grave cancer prognosis, says his top priority is family and his 11-month-old spirited grandson. “When my dad lies down next to him, Jayden just falls asleep.”
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There is an alternative to a nursing home for eligible Veterans. VA's Medical Foster Home Program is for Veterans no longer able to safely live independently. Here are two couples who participate.
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 Posted: September 2, 2016
Women's Health Services Depression Campaign
VA’s Office of Women’s Health Services (WHS) is partnering with the Office of Women's Mental Health to increase awareness about depression as it relates to women Veterans. Today’s woman Veterans could be our sisters, aunts, mothers, grandmothers or great-grandmothers, with several generations of women veterans in a single family unit. The generational, geographic and culturally diverse cohorts of women Veterans may have unique mental health needs when it comes to seeking help, services and treatment for depression.
VA seeks to increase awareness about depression and help inform women Veterans of information and services available to help them understand, identify and seek treatment for depression. Depression is the most common diagnosis among women Veterans. It goes largely unrecognized. The good news is that it is treatable.
MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES FOR WOMEN VETERANS
VA offers a full range of mental health services for women Veterans, including outpatient, residential and inpatient services. Women Veterans can call the Women’s Call Center at 855-829-6636, or download and read VA’s Mental Health Guide (see page 17) to learn more about the available services, which include assessment and evaluation, medication management, and individual and group psychotherapy. Specialty services are available to target diagnoses such as PTSD, substance abuse, depression, conditions related to military sexual trauma (MST), and homelessness.
There is always hope and VA can help.
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 Posted:March 13, 2016
IMPORTANT - PLEASE READ ENTIRE MESSAGE !!!
This is to inform you of the upcoming Prostate Cancer Support Group presentation by representatives of OPKO at the Pahrump Nugget on Saturday, April 23rd, at 2:00 PM.
We are excited that the representatives from OPKO will return to Pahrump to explain this new "Revolutionary" Blood Test for better detection of Prostate Cancer. That is the 4Kscore Test that also informs your doctor if your cancer is aggressive or slow growing. This will aid you and your doctor on the best course of action in your particular case. Questions that I'm sure they will answer for us are: Will this blood test replace the PSA? How? Will it eliminate the need for a biopsy? How? What are the benefits? What is the cost? Where will it be administered? Will all labs have access to this test? Etc. You can find more at their webpage <http://clinical.opko.com/4kscore-test-brochure>
This will be the FIRST presentation for the entire Town of Pahrump. Our group got to preview the preliminary information in February and now want to share it, and the updated information, with our entire community. I want to personally thank Jim Gregory for doing the research in finding this organization. Now, it's up to all of us to come out, hear what they have to say, and spread the word to everyone we know. I'm also asking that everyone bring at least ONE person with you to the presentation. Men and women who want to learn more about detecting and surviving Prostate Cancer should plan now to attend this presentation.
If this updated presentation is as good as I believe it will be, it will benefit every man over the age of 35 and everyone who know a man over the age of 35. If you fall into this category you definitely need to place this event on your calendar and plan to attend the presentation on April 23rd at the Pahrump Nugget.
Stay informed and inform your family, friends, or neighbors who might want to receive this information.
Tom Waters - Chairman
Pahrump Prostate Cancer Support Group
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 Posted:February 11, 2016
I hope everyone can read and send this on, as it is really important for everyone to know!
1. Let's say it's 7:25pm and you're going home (alone of course) after an unusually hard day on the job.
2. You're really tired, upset and frustrated.
3. Suddenly you start experiencing severe pain in your chest that starts to drag out into your arm and up in to your jaw.
You are only about five km from the hospital nearest your home.
4. Unfortunately you don't know if you'll be able to make it that far.
5. You have been trained in CPR, but the guy that taught the course did not tell you how to perform it on yourself.
6. HOW TO SURVIVE A HEART ATTACK WHEN ALONE?
Since many people are alone when they suffer a heart attack without help, the person whose heart is beating improperly and who begins to feel faint, has only about 10 seconds left before losing consciousness.
7. However, these victims can help themselves by coughing repeatedly and very vigorously.
A deep breath should be taken before each cough, and the cough must be deep and prolonged, as when producing sputum from deep inside the chest.
A breath and a cough must be repeated about every two seconds without let-up until help arrives, or until the heart is felt to be beating normally again.
8. Deep breaths get oxygen into the lungs and coughing movements squeeze the heart and keep the blood circulating. The squeezing pressure on the heart also helps it to regain a normal rhythm.
In this way, heart attack victims can get help or to a hospital.
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 Posted: Friday, January 24, 2014
The Definitive Answer To 20 Of Your Biggest Health Questions
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Does olive oil prevent heart disease?
Short answer: Yes
But to get these healthy compounds, consumers should buy good-quality, fresh "extra-virgin" olive oil, which has the highest polyphenol content. Most commercially available olive oils have low levels of polyphenols associated with poor harvesting methods, improper storage, and heavy processing.
Do cough syrups work?
Short answer: No
In 2006, the nation's chest physicians agreed that the majority of over-the-counter cough medicines don't actually work. These colorful syrups typically contain doses of codeine and dextromethorphan that are too small to be effective.
Only cough suppressants that contain older antihistamines seem to relieve coughs. That includes brompheniramine, an active ingredient in Dimetapp.
Does sugar cause hyperactivity?
Short answer: No
Following a review of 23 studies, a 1996 report published in the Journal of the American Medical Association concluded that sugar "does not affect the behavior or cognitive performance of children."
The age-old myth that kids misbehave when they eat large amounts of candy, cookies, and other junk food, could be related to the type of events where these foods are typically served. For example, kids are more wound-up at birthday parties and during Halloween when sweet treats tend to flow freely.
Do sugary soft drinks lead to diabetes?
Short answer: Yes
The majority of health research is stacked against sugar-sweetened soda. A large 2004 study in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that women who drank one or more sugary drinks per day increased their risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 83% compared to those who consumed less than one of these beverages per month.
Do I need sunscreen with more than 30 SPF?
Short answer: No
Sunscreens with an SPF (sun protection factor) of 30 block about 97% of ultraviolet rays, while sunscreens with an SPF of higher than 30 block 97%-98%.
It's more important that you choose "broad-spectrum" sunscreen, meaning it protects against both UVB and UVA rays. Sunbathers also need to apply a generous amount of sunscreen in order to get the full benefit of the SPF.
Is the MSG in Chinese likely to give you a headache?
Short answer: No
A review of 40 years of clinical trials, published in the journal of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners in 2006, found that all previous research "failed to identify a consistent relationship between the consumption of MSG and the constellation of symptoms that comprise the syndrome," including headaches and asthma attacks.
The misconception spawned from several poorly-done small studies in the 1960s that seemed to connect MSG with a variety of maladies that people experienced after eating at Chinese restaurants.
Do nuts make you fat?
Short answer: No
As much as 75% of a nut is fat. But eating fat doesn't necessarily make you fat. The bigger factor leading to weight gain is portion-size. Luckily, nuts are loaded with healthy fats that keep you full. They're also a good source of protein and fiber.
Is walking as effective as running?
Short answer: Yes
Studies have shown that how long you exercise — and thus how many calories you burn — is more important than how hard you exercise. Running is a more efficient form of exercise, but not necessarily better for you.
A six-year study published in the journal Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology in April found that walking at a moderate pace and running produced similar health benefits, so long as the same amount of energy was expended.
Is drinking fruit juice as good for you as eating fruit?
Short answer: No
Calorie for calorie, whole fruit provides more nutritional benefits than drinking the pure juice of that fruit. That's because when you liquefy fruit, stripping away the peel and dumping the pulp, many ingredients like fiber, calcium, vitamin C, and other antioxidants are lost.
For comparison, a five-ounce glass of orange juice that contains 69 calories has .3 grams of dietary fiber and 16 milligrams of calcium, whereas an orange with the same number of calories packs 3.1 grams of fiber and 60 milligrams of calcium.
Are all wheat breads better for you than white bread?
Short answer: No
Not all wheat breads are created equal. Wheat breads that contain all parts of the grain kernel, including the nutrient-rich germ and fiber-dense bran, must be labeled "whole grain" or "whole wheat."
Some wheat breads are just white bread with a little bit of caramel coloring to make the bread appear healthier, according to Reader's Digest.
Can a hot tub make me sick?
Short answer: Yes
Hot tubs — especially ones in spas, hotels, and gyms — are perfect breeding grounds for germs.
The water is not hot enough to kill bacteria, but is just the right temperature to make microbes grow even faster. Even though hot tubs are treated with chlorine, the heat causes the disinfectant to break down faster than it would in regular pools.
The most common hot tub infection is pseudomonas folliculitis, which causes red, itchy bumps. A more dangerous side-effect of soaking in a dirty Jacuzzi is a form of pneumonia known as Legionnaire's disease. This is what reportedly sickened more than 100 people at the Playboy Mansion back in 2011.
Does coffee cause cancer?
Short answer: No
More recently, health studies have swung in favor of the caffeinated beverage. Coffee has been linked to a lower risk of type 2 diabetes, Parkinson's disease, liver cancer, and even suicide.
Do eggs raise cholesterol levels?
Short answer: No
Although egg yolks are a major source of cholesterol — a waxy substance that resembles fat — researchers have learned that saturated fat has more of an impact on cholesterol in your blood than eating foods that contain cholesterol.
"Healthy individuals with normal blood cholesterol levels should now feel free to enjoy foods like eggs in their diet every day," the lead researcher from a 25-year University of Arizona study on cholesterol concluded.
Can you drink too much water?
Short answer: Yes
It is very rare for someone to die from drinking too much water, but it can happen.
Overhydrating is most common among elite athletes. Drinking an excess of water, called water intoxication, dilutes the concentration of sodium in the blood leading to a condition known as hyponatremia. The symptoms of hyponatremia can range from nausea and confusion to seizures and even death in severe cases.
To avoid this, drink fluids with electrolytes during extreme exercise events.
Can yogurt ease digestive problems?
Short answer: Yes
Our digestive tract is filled with microorganisms — some good and some bad. Yogurt contains beneficial bacteria, generically called probiotics, that helps maintain a healthy balance. Probiotics can relieve several gastrointestinal problems, including constipation and diarrhea.
Certain brands of yogurts, like Activa by Dannon, are marketed exclusively to treat tummy issues.
Do whitening toothpastes whiten teeth more than regular toothpastes?
Short answer: No
Whitening toothpastes usually contain peroxides and other strong abrasives that might make your teeth appear whiter by removing stains. Unlike at-home whitening strips and gels that contain bleach, these toothpastes do not actually change the color of your teeth.
Is it safe to microwave food in plastic containers?
Short answer: Yes
But the plastic container should display the words "microwave safe." This means that the Food and Drug Administration has tested the container to make sure no chemicals used to make the plastic leech into foods during microwaving. If chemicals do seep out into food, the amounts are tiny and not dangerous to our health.
As a general guideline, plastic grocery bags as well as most plastic tubs that hold margarine, yogurt, cream cheese, and condiments are not microwave safe.
Can watching TV ruin your eyesight?
Short answer: No
Watching TV will not destroy your rods and cones as the outdated myth suggests. Before the 1950s, TVs emitted radiation that could increase an individual's risk of eye problems after excessive TV viewing. Modern TVs have special shielding that blocks these harmful emissions.
Is red wine better for you than white wine?
Short answer: Yes
Is bottled water better for you than tap water?
Short answer: No
Bottled water is no safer or purer than tap water, although it is substantially more expensive.
Bottled water and tap water typically come from the same sources — natural springs, lakes, and aquifers. While public water supplies are tested for contaminants every day, makers of bottled water are only required to test for specific contaminants every week, month, or year.
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