Complementary/integrative healthcare utilization in US Gulf-War era veterans: Descriptive analyses based on deployment history, combat exposure, and Gulf War Illness.
Katherine Kelton, Jonathan R Young, Mariah K Evans and 7 others
PMID 35947938WHAT IT FOUND
58.5% of Gulf War era veterans used at least one complementary service, especially supplements, massage, chiropractic, and relaxation.
Veterans with Gulf War Illness used more specific services. Most who used them for symptoms said they helped.
Key findings
0158.5% of Gulf War era veterans used at least one of 13 complementary or integrative health modalities in the past six months.
02Veterans with Gulf War Illness used more chiropractic care, acupuncture, massage, meditation or mindfulness, animal assisted therapy, biofeedback, and special diet than veterans without Gulf War Illness, but there was no difference in any complementary use overall.
03Among veterans who used complementary services to treat Gulf War Illness symptoms, 82.7% rated the treatment as helpful.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
All participants received care through the VA, so the findings may not apply to Gulf War era veterans who receive care outside the VA. The survey did not record which complementary modalities were offered at each site, which may have affected use. Veterans were asked about treating Gulf War Illness symptoms, not treating Gulf War Illness as a diagnosis, so the findings do not show whether complementary services were used for the whole condition. The study used self-reported survey data and did not test whether complementary services improve Gulf War Illness symptoms. Multivariate analyses were based on 516 participants after incomplete data were removed, not the full 1,153 survey respondents.
Declared interests
Funded by VA Health Services Research and Development grant 1I01HX001682. The supplied text does not report author conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the 82.7% helpfulness rating as proof that complementary services treat Gulf War Illness. The study only asked veterans who chose these services whether they helped.