Ep 306 – Agent Orange: “I Have a Client Who . . .” Pathology Conversations with Ruth Werner

A client’s parent is a Vietnam vet, and she is left with the aftermath of the genetic damage caused by one of the deadliest toxins known: TCDD dioxin. She has spina bifida, a well-recognized consequence of parental AO exposure, but also a slew of other physical and emotional challenges.

What is Agent Orange, and how did this happen?

And… is there any way our work can help?

Sponsors: 

Books of Discovery: www.booksofdiscovery.com  

Host Bio:        

Ruth Werner is a former massage therapist, a writer, and an NCBTMB-approved continuing education provider. She wrote A Massage Therapist’s Guide to Pathology, now in its seventh edition, which is used in massage schools worldwide. Werner is also a long-time Massage & Bodywork columnist, most notably of the Pathology Perspectives column. Werner is also ABMP’s partner on Pocket Pathology, a web-based app and quick reference program that puts key information for nearly 200 common pathologies at your fingertips. Werner’s books are available at www.booksofdiscovery.com. And more information about her is available at www.ruthwerner.com.   

 Recent Articles by Ruth:      

“Working with Invisible Pain,” Massage & Bodywork magazine, November/December 2022, page 36, http://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/1481961-november-december-2022/38 

“Unpacking the Long Haul,” Massage & Bodywork magazine, January/February 2022, page 35, www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/1439667-january-february-2022/36.

“Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy and Massage Therapy,” Massage & Bodywork magazine, September/October 2021, page 33, http://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/1402696-september-october-2021/34. 

“Pharmacology Basics for Massage Therapists,” Massage & Bodywork magazine, July/August 2021, page 32, www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/1384577-july-august-2021/34.    

Resources: 

Pocket Pathology: https://www.abmp.com/abmp-pocket-pathology-app

Current list of “presumptive conditions” recognized by the VA as the consequences of direct Agent Orange exposure:

• AL Amyloidosis
• Bladder cancer
• Chronic B-cell Leukemias
• Chloracne
• Diabetes Mellitus Type 2
• Hodgkin’s Disease
• Hypothyroidism
• Ischemic Heart Disease
• Multiple Myeloma
• Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma
• Parkinsonism
• Parkinson’s Disease
• Peripheral Neuropathy, Early- Onset
• Porphyria Cutanea Tarda
• Prostate Cancer
• Respiratory Cancers
• Soft Tissue Sarcomas

Administration, U.D. of V.A., Veterans Health (no date a) VA.gov | Veterans Affairs. Available at: https://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/agentorange/birth-defects/index.asp (Accessed: 29 November 2022).

Administration, U.D. of V.A., Veterans Health (no date c) VA.gov | Veterans Affairs. Available at: https://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/publications/agent-orange/agent-orange-2021/presumptions.asp (Accessed: 29 November 2022).

‘Agent Orange’ (2022) Wikipedia. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Agent_Orange&oldid=1115064660 (Accessed: 29 November 2022).

Birth defects linked to Agent Orange (2022) Veterans Affairs. Available at: https://www.va.gov/disability/eligibility/special-claims/birth-defects/ (Accessed: 29 November 2022).

Dioxins and their effects on human health (no date). Available at: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/dioxins-and-their-effects-on-human-health (Accessed: 29 November 2022).

Editors, H. com (no date) Agent Orange, HISTORY. Available at: https://www.history.com/topics/vietnam-war/agent-orange-1 (Accessed: 29 November 2022).

Fresques, C.O., Hannah (no date) The Children of Agent Orange, ProPublica. Available at: https://www.propublica.org/article/the-children-of-agent-orange (Accessed: 29 November 2022).

Ornstein, C. (no date) Agent Orange Act Was Supposed to Help Vietnam Veterans — But Many Still Don’t Qualify, ProPublica. Available at: https://www.propublica.org/article/agent-orange-act-was-supposed-to-help-vietnam-veterans-but-many-still-dont- (Accessed: 29 November 2022).

Schmidt, C. (no date) Is Agent Orange Still Causing Birth Defects?, Scientific American. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1038/scientificamerican0616-70.

Veterans Exposed to Agent Orange: Legislative History, Litigation, and Current Issues (no date). Available at: https://www.everycrsreport.com/reports/R43790.html (Accessed: 29 November 2022).

What is Agent Orange? (no date) The Aspen Institute. Available at: https://www.aspeninstitute.org/programs/agent-orange-in-vietnam-program/what-is-agent-orange/ (Accessed: 29 November 2022).

Woods, N. (2020) Are Children or Grandchildren Eligible for Agent Orange Disability Benefits?, Woods and Woods, LLC, Veterans Disability Lawyer. Available at: https://www.woodslawyers.com/agent-orange-birth-defects-grandkids/ (Accessed: 29 November 2022).