This was something. Thanks to Wejolyn.
INCREDIBLE. Nicolson's daughter served in the Persian Gulf War and came back very ill along with most of her platoon. Subsequently, both Drs. Garth and Nancy Nicolson became ill and their cat died from this mysterious illness. Only an antibiotic regimen helped his daughter, his wife, and himself. In an effort to spread the word to all veterans, Dr. Nicolson testified in front of the Presidential Advisory Committee on Gulf War Illness and even agreed to an article in The National Enquirer. A highly respected scientist, Dr. Nicolson found the staff of the MD Cancer Institute in Texas being threatened by his work. Not wanting his colleagues to lose their government funding, he moved to California and set up the Institute of Molecular Medicine in Huntington Beach.
575,000 soldiers deployed to the Gulf War, February 23-29, 1991. 250,000 Americans troops deployed.
148 US soldiers KIA. As of 2016, approx. 28,000 or more dead, a number that is not out in the press. He obtained this number from the Assistant Undersecretary of Defense.
>7,000 delayed deaths to 1994. This number is what the VA admitted to.
>150,000 Gulf War Illness Patients as of 2016.
UKNOWN: Transmission. A subset of these patients can pass their illness on to their family members: transmission.
GULF WAR TOXIC EXPOSURES
CHEMICAL: PB, DEET, Permethrin, Other OPs, Paint, CW.
RADIOLOGICAL: DU [Depleted Uranium] 235/238U, 90Sr, 60Co
ENVIRONMENTAL: Fine sand, Smoke, Oil fumes.
BIOLOGICAL: Parasites, Bacteria, Viruses, Fungi, Toxins, BW. He focused on the biological because the illness was transmitted to family members 6-8 months after they returned. Only biological agents can be transferred to a family member after that period of time.
The Signs/Symptoms of GWI closely parallel FMS, CFS [Chronic Fatigue], ME [Myalgic encephalomyelitis in the UK]. In GWI immediate family members closely resemble GWI.
77% of GW veteran spouses showed same signs/symptoms of
65% of their children were showing the same signs.
Some co-workers. For me, I did not experience any transmission from co-workers.
Some healthcare workers.
GWI was officially denied that it could be transmitted. They denied that it could be transmitted, so those working in VA referral services and VA hospitals, they have no options to care because the official position was that it can't be transmitted. Children were developing Autism & ADHD. Autistic Spectrum Disorders [20:11]. Devastating. Heavy metals have been implicated in autism. Not the only problem: remember in these chronic illnesses, there are often multiple diseases/infections, and multiple toxic stimuli that cause these infective syndromes. Also, a genetic component that determines the course of the disease.
5:10 mark in this presentation.
Neurodegenerative
Neurobehavioral Disorders.
Fatiguing Illnesses
Autoimmune Diseases.
Respiratory Diseases
Rheumatic Diseases
Gastrointestinal Diseases.
Genitourinary Diseases.
Immunosuppressive Diseases.