[ RadSafe ] Fwd: Which do people think is the 2nd placeexplanationfor Gulf War illness? (UNCLASSIFIED)

Wed May 28 10:37:42 CDT 2008

Classification:  UNCLASSIFIED 
Caveats: NONE

Does anyone want to speculate on what role stress and fear and anxiety
plays, for both combatants as well as civilians?  I would thing it would
be enormous, and yet I have not seen it mentioned much.   

Mike Borisky

-----Original Message-----
From: radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl [mailto:radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl] On
Behalf Of James Salsman
Sent: Wednesday, May 28, 2008 10:19 AM
To: Rainer.Facius at dlr.de; radsafelist
Subject: Re: [ RadSafe ] Fwd: Which do people think is the 2nd
placeexplanationfor Gulf War illness?

Dear Rainer,

Thank you very much for your reply.

I was hoping that someone would mention acetylcholinesterase inhibitors,
which include such chemicals as the pesticides behing used in the
February, 1991 combat deployment.  I am very familiar with Dr.
Golumb's work as the Chief Scientist of the Research Advisory Committee
on Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses, for which the U.S. taxpayer has paid
hundreds of millions of dollars so far.

Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors are not teratogens, and therefore do not
explain any of the well-documented increase in birth defects.
They do, however, explain the vast majority of symptoms attributed to
GWI, including headaches, motor control problems, and similar issues
issues.  The reverse is just as true: only by considering
acetylcholinesterase inhibitors and depleted uranium can the full
spectrum of symptoms and complaints actually observed be explained.

Dr. Golumb's work is also available for free from the RACGWVI web
site:  http://www1.va.gov/RAC-GWVI/page.cfm?pg=13 and
http://www1.va.gov/RAC-GWVI/page.cfm?pg=45 .
I applaud Rainer for being the first person on Radsafe to remember Dr.
Golumb's work, which hit the news this past year.  It is the best reply
so far.  But again, it's a complementary and orthogonal cause, and while
it explains many observed symptoms that uranyl exposure cant, it can not
explain the observed effects which are likely caused by DU exposure.

James Salsman

On Wed, May 28, 2008 at 2:56 AM,  <Rainer.Facius at dlr.de> wrote:
> "What is the most viable explanation of the increase of health
abnormalities seen among troops and in Basra and Kuwait after the
February, 1991 Gulf War?"
>
> James,
>
> your above formulation of what you perceive as the problem
demonstrates conclusively that you have major difficulties to grasp the
essence of the scientific process. My job as a (research) scientist is
not to conjecture an explanation for some empirical observation and then
strive to keep it alive but to do my very BEST to kill it. Only after I
and the rest of the scientific community have failed to achieve this, I
may consider - for the time being - my conjecture as a (i.e. ONE of -
usually - many other) possibility.
>
> In short: The business of science is to REFUTE speculations (alias
hypotheses). This, in a nutshell, is what according to Popper'
falsification principle science can achieve - at most.
>
> Regarding your preferred speculation (DU) 'explaining' Gulf War
"health abnormalities", a recent high ranking publication has firmly
laid your "explanation" to rest. See below and:
>
> (i) radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl im Auftrag von Rainer.Facius at dlr.de; Do 
> 13.03.2008 10:56;
> RE: [ RadSafe ] Etiology of the Gulf War syndrome
>
> and
>
> (ii) radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl im Auftrag von neildm at id.doe.gov; Do 
> 13.03.2008 16:49
> RE: [ RadSafe ] Do these symptoms sound familiar?
>
> Since due to elementary laws of (Aristotelian) logic, refutation is
conclusive and definite, your favourite speculation can only be
resurrected if NEW(!) empirical data should arise. Until then - please
let it rest in peace.
>
> Those interested in a copy of the paper are invited to ask for it.
>
> Best regards, Rainer
>
> Dr. Rainer Facius
> German Aerospace Center
> Institute of Aerospace Medicine
> Linder Hoehe
> 51147 Koeln
> GERMANY
> Voice: +49 2203 601 3147 or 3150
> FAX:   +49 2203 61970
>
>
> Beatrice Alexandra Golomb
>
> Department of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, CA, 
> 2093-0995 Communicated by Stephen F. Heinemann, Salk Institute for 
> Biological Studies, San Diego, CA, January 15, 2008 (received for 
> review December 5, 2006)
>
> Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors and Gulf War illnesses
>
> Published online on March 10, 2008
> Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 10.1073/pnas.0711986105
>
>
>
> ________________________________
>
> Von: radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl im Auftrag von James Salsman
> Gesendet: Di 27.05.2008 16:41
> An: radsafelist
> Betreff: [ RadSafe ] Fwd: Which do people think is the 2nd place
explanationfor Gulf War illness?
>
> What is the most viable explanation of the increase of health 
> abnormalities seen among troops and in Basra and Kuwait after the 
> February, 1991 Gulf War?
>
> <...>
>
> James Salsman
>
>
>
_______________________________________________
You are currently subscribed to the RadSafe mailing list

Before posting a message to RadSafe be sure to have read and understood
the RadSafe rules. These can be found at:
http://radlab.nl/radsafe/radsaferules.html

For information on how to subscribe or unsubscribe and other settings
visit: http://radlab.nl/radsafe/
Classification:  UNCLASSIFIED 
Caveats: NONE