Product Description
The United States and its allies in the Persian Gulf War (PGW) knew that Iraq had used nerve agents and chemical weapons in its previous conflicts and so took steps to protect their troops. Pyridostigmine bromide (PB) was distributed as a pretreatment that would enhance the effectiveness of postexposure treatments in the event that the nerve agent soman was used. This report examines the role that PB played in the ongoing chronic health problems documented in PGW veterans. After careful examination of the known effects of PB on the central and peripheral nervous systems, the author finds the evidence consistent with a possible role for PB as a contributor to the health complaints of some PGW veterans and calls for immediate attention in the form of additional investigation to clarify the role of PB. ... Read more

Product Description
Many Gulf War veterans have reported an array of physical and mental health complaints since the war and the question on everyone's mind is "Can we identify a cause or is this a coincidence?" To complement efforts by the Defense Department and other federal agencies in their attempt to understand the full range of health implications of service in that conflict, RAND undertook a major study to summarize the scientific literature on the known health effects of given exposures to such risk factors as oil well fires, chemical and biological warfare agents, depleted uranium pesticides, pyridostigmine bromide, immunizations, infectious diseases, and stress. In this landmark book series the authors report on their literature review summarize what is known about the range of actual exposures in the Gulf, and assess the plausibility of the risk factor at hand as a cause of illness. The authors caution that more research on health effects and exposures remains to be completed before definitive statements can be made and make recommendations for additional research. ... Read more

Product Description
Because of the metal's density and metallurgical properties, depleted uranium(DU) saw widespread use during the Persian Gulf War in improved armor and antiarmorrounds of increased penetrating power. This report examines the scientific literatureregarding possible health effects on U.S. troops of exposure to DU. While very littleliterature directly addresses DU, a wide body of literature deals with the health effects ofnatural uranium and enriched uranium. DU is toxicologically identical to natural uranium andradiologically more benign because it is less radioactive. No increase in overall deaths hasbeen observed as a result of exposure to natural uranium in several epidemiologicalstudies. The literature review paid close attention to the ongoing study of a group of GulfWar Veterans who received the highest exposure to DU. Those with embedded fragmentshave elevated urine uranium levels, but researchers report neither adverse renal effectsattributable to DU nor any adverse health effects related to DU radiation. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

THE FIRST AUTHOR IS NAOMI HARLEY, NOT B. GOLOMB
click on the thumbnail to view the book cover - see? ... Read more

Product Description
Learn how a patient’s behavior can factor into the prognosis of medically unexplainable illness!

The Psychopathology of Functional Somatic Syndromes examines the link between mental illness and physical syndromes that lack organic disease explanations, including chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, premenstrual dysphoria, irritable bowel, and Gulf War illness.

The author has evaluated the best research work of the past 20 years to determine the association between psychopathology and functional illness, the biological gradient between somatic and psychological symptoms, and the manifestations of dysfunctional coping.

The Psychopathology of Functional Somatic Syndromes challenges recent conceptualizations of functional somatic syndromes as brain disorders connected to affective spectrum disorder, serotonin deficiency, cerebral hypoperfusion or abnormal hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal function and highlights the importance of abnormal illness behavior, sexual victimization, and maladaptive coping for the production and maintenance of these disorders.

The Psychopathology of Functional Somatic Syndromes explores observations on the neurobiology and the personality abnormalities of patients made from structured data collected over a period of several years. It describes modern perceptions of functional somatic syndromes and how they have evolved into a tightly knit family of self-standing syndromes with a common core. The book examines the correlation between the burden of psychopathology and the physical features of these illnesses; reviews advances made in the appraisal of the neuroanatomy, neuropsychology, and neurochemistry of functional syndromes; and focuses on the connection between measurable dimensions of personality, coping, and illness behavior and the prognosis of medically unexplainable illnesses.

The Psychopathology of Functional Somatic Syndromes examines:

psychiatric morbidity brain perfusion

post-traumatic stress in Gulf War illness the spectrum of mood disorders the hypothalamatic-pituitary-adrenal axis the sexual victimization of patients and much more!

The Psychopathology of Functional Somatic Syndromes is an essential resource for psychiatrists and psychologists working in outpatient practice. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Entertaining Fiction
But not as good as his other book: The Earth is Flat: Recent Scientific Advances Disproving the Hysterical Round World Theory.

Good Read
This book provides and excellent explanation of illnesses that are difficult to define as well as classify. A must read for anyone interested in psychosomatics

Dusty history. Achooo.
Dusty history. Achooo.

Nothing new here, just the recitation of the centuries-old mantra that any illness that medical doctors don't know everything about is automatically a psychiatric disorder.

Older theories of "bad" air and "evil spirits" as causative agents of disease have given way to more modern theories of "mass hysteria" spread by the media and Internet.

Parkinson's, diabetes, MS, ulcers and polio have all been declared mental disorders at some point. Children with polio were once beaten for their "behavioral" refusal to move.

As a woman, I found reading Dr. Manu's book akin to reading a first-hand account of childbirth written by a man who has never given birth in his life. Observations: yes. Speculative conclusions: oh yes. Irrelevant "facts": yes.

As a fairytale icon to "can you believe they used to think that," Manu's book is a gem worthy of a smile or two.

Readers expecting current biological research will be disappointed.

Like many people who do not wish to have their theories disproven, Dr. Manu completely ignores the decades-old World Health Organization listing of chronic fatigue syndrome under neurological disorders (ICD 10 G93.3) and fibromyalgia under rheumatological soft tissue disorders - M79.0. Good grief, even health insurance giant Blue Cross/Blue Shield lists them as organic disorders.

As has been the case throughout medical history, the advancement of imperfect knowledge lies in exacting scientific study not the repetition of myth. Doctors don't know what causes cancer, multiple sclerosis, or migraines, but the lack of knowledge doesn't mean "imaginary." The rationale that nothing further can be learned about organic illness is laughable in the current age of scientific advancements. Medical doctors can and should do better than trying to talk patients out of organic illness.

Recommended: Living Well with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia byMary J. Shomon or Ric Carlson's recent release We're Not in Kansas Anymore: Chronic Fatigue Syndrome & the Politics of Disease. ... Read more

Product Description
When the Iraqi army withdrew from Kuwait during the Gulf war, it left the Kuwait oil fields in flames. Burning crude oil produces a wide range of pollutants. This report examines the peer-reviewed scientific literature regarding possible health effects on U.S. troops of exposure to the oil well fires. The author reports that measurements taken in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, where most troops were assigned, showed concentrations of pollutants to be orders of magnitude lower than recommended occupational standards in the United States and comparable to ambient levels. The literature review revealed no health effects associated with the pollutants at the levels measured during the oil fires. Particulate matter concentrations were high, but were largely attributable to sand granules of a size that can affect the respiratory systems of sensitive population subgroups such as smokers or asthmatics. ... Read more

Product Description
Numerous Gulf War veterans have reported a range of illnesses and symptoms after serving in the Persian Gulf. Some of the reported symptoms are similar to those caused by diseases known to be prevalent in that region. This report discusses these infectious diseases and considers them as potential causes of the symptoms reported by the veterans. The authors present a short summary of etiology, diagnosis, and treatment for several infectious diseases and infectious organisms, including bacterial, viral, andparasitic infections. Two biological agents, anthrax and botulinum toxin, are also discussed. ... Read more

Product Description
Research in the neurosciences has demonstrated that the boundary between the external world (its events, pressures, concerns and stress) and the brain and body has been broken. The concept of anything being "all in the mind" is scientifically and intellectually dead. While some data remain ambiguous and direct causal effect cannot be given to"stress" per se, the overall patterns of research findings demonstrate that stress is a contributing factor to many illnesses, including somatic and psychological symptoms.Therefore, very real onsequences attend those who experience prolonged subacute chronic stress, which characterized in the Gulf deployment, combat, and return home. It is feasible that the effects of these stresses made some soldiers more vulnerable to environmental pathogens, both in the theater and at home, than they would otherwise have been. Thesymptoms of such insults, nested in sociocultural beliefs about illness and the Gulf, might well have amplified deleterious somatic consequences. Like many illnesses, those pertaining to service in the Gulf have been culturally shaped. An illness narrative describes the causes of the illness as perceived by the patient and is most often constructed out ofthe assertions, metaphors, folklore, causal attributions, and adduced causes common in the patient's culture. Other agents of a presumed authorities, the Internet , and support and self-help groups. Such illness narratives can become an important factor in shaping both the nature and interpretation of symptoms by the patient. A cogent, widespread, andwidely shared illness narrative is certainly a characteristic development of Gulf War illness.The threads of combat and deployment stress and the side spectrum of possible responses, as demonstrated throughout history, weaves into the matrix of possible illness causation. It is also possible that a subset of the population is (in some ways, not yet understood) vulnerable and predisposed to injurious responses to the multiple stressors experienced indeployment and combat. This book argues that, to be most helpful to veterans, we must deal with this issue of complexity and not simply focus on a hypothecated or "hoped for" singular cause of Gulf War illlness. ... Read more

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Examines the history of the Interim rule, that authorizes the Commissioner of Food and Drugs to waive informed consent for the use of investigational drugs and vaccines for certain military uses. ... Read more

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This report summarizes the scientific literature on 12 of the 35 pesticides that are likely to have been used during the Persian Gulf War. Where possible, it focuses on known pesticide exposures or doses and related health outcomes that may be relevant to symptoms reported by some Gulf War veterans. Particular attention is paid to long-term, chronic effects of reported exposures to organophosphate and carbamate pesticides.Evidence from epidemiological studies, studies of genetic and biological differences between ill and healthy subjects, and studies of the physiological mechanisms of organophosphate and carbamate pesticides is suggestive, but not conclusive, that these pesticides could be among the potential contributing agents to some of the undiagnosed illnesses seen in Gulf War veterans. However, no prospective studies have been conductedthat positively identify pesticides as causative agents. More research is needed to confirm or refute a causal link between pesticides and other agents and the symptoms associated with Gulf War illnesses. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

THE FIRST AUTHOR IS GARY CECCHINE, NOT B. GOLOMB
Click on the thumbnail to see a larger picture of the book - see what I mean?

Well balanced, insightful review. ... Read more

Product Description
This report reproduces (1) advance materials sent to 2,005 Gulf War veterans as part of a survey investigating the use of pesticides during Operation Desert Storm/Desert Shield and (2) the survey used by the telephone interviewers. Respondents statistically represented the U.S. military population in the Kuwaiti Theater of Operations betweenAugust 1990 and July 1991. Survey results, reported in MR-1018/12-OSD, Pesticide Use During the Gulf War: A Survey of Gulf War Veterans, characterized pesticide use by U.S. service members, including personal and field use of pesticides, as well as observed pesticide use by others. Information was obtained for living, working, and eating areas for arandomly chosen month of deployment. Results show that the majority of personnel were exposed to some pesticides, and there were differences in use by service: small differences by season and by rank and larger differences by living arrangements. Possible cases of misuse of some pesticides were identified. However, with the exception of the use of fleacollars, these cases could also be attributed to incorrect pesticide identification. The researchers found no evidence of widespread misuse of field pesticides. ... Read more

Product Description
That Iraq had already used chemical warfare agents led coalition forces to take protective action. Yet many Gulf War veterans have reported a host of symptoms that could be construed as coming from exposure to chemical or biological weapons. The scientific literature on the effects of exposure to such agents suggests the following: Militarily effective doses of any of the agents reviewed would have produced severe health effectsthat would have required clinical treatment or resulted in death. However, since low-level exposures could have produced mild clinical signs that could have been overlooked or misinterpreted, it is not possible to rule out low-dose exposures to one or several classes of agents or the possibility of some resultant contribution to some of the symptoms Gulf War veterans have experienced. Still, it is difficult to believe that exposures affecting largenumbers of persons would escape clinical recognition. Further, no references in the literature report clinical symptoms developing years after exposure, as was the case in about 50 percent of the health problems Gulf War veterans have reported. ... Read more

Product Description
Reports that stress can produce myriad health effects, and these effects can manifest themselves as symptoms and conditions similar to those that veterans report. ... Read more

Product Description
This report documents the results of a telephone survey of 2,005 Gulf Warveterans investigating the use of pesticides during Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm. Respondents statistically represented the U.S. military population in the Kuwaiti Theater of Operations between August 1990 and July 1991. Survey results characterized pesticide use by U.S. service members, including personal and field use of pesticides, as well as observed pesticide use by others. Information was obtained for living, working, and eating areas for a randomly chosen month of deployment. Results show that the majority of personnel were exposed to some pesticides, and there were differences in use by service; small differencesby season and by rank, and larger differences by living arrangements. Possible cases of misuse of some pesticides were identified. However, with the exception of the use of flea collars, these cases could also be attributed to incorrect pesticide identification. The authors found no evidence of widespread misuse of field pesticides. ... Read more

Product Description
This up-to-date and informative CD-ROM provides a unique and complete collection of newly declassified documents, intelligence reports, histories and reports from the Office of the Secretary of Defense and Joint Staff about the first Persian Gulf War. This treasure-trove covers many vital topics; there are over 25 unique documents reproduced in this collection. Some of the titles include:Persian Gulf War * A Report to Congress on Security Arrangements in the Persian Gulf * Concise History of the Middle East from 1910 * Conduct of the Persian Gulf Conflict, An Interim Report to Congress * Conduct of the Persian Gulf War Final Report to Congress * Clinical Information on Leishmania, Desert Storm Illness and Persian Gulf Illnesses Comprehensive Clinical Evaluations plus * brochures on Health Consequences * Health Effects of Kuwait Oil Fire Smoke * Media Role in Gulf War * Persian Gulf Realities by Caspar Weinberger * US Costs in the Persian Gulf Conflict and Foreign Contributions to Offset Such Costs, as required by Section 401 PL 102-25 * Iraqi Air Campaign Instant Thunder * DoD Comprehensive Clinical Evaluation Program for Gulf War Veterans, Report on 10,020 Participants * Health Consequences of Service During Persian Gulf War * Environmental Exposure Report: Depleted Uranium in the Gulf * Causes of Gulf War Illness * Gulf War Illness * Defense Science Board Task Force on Persian War Health Effects Plus a News Briefing * Military Probes Friendly Fire Incidents * Operation Desert Shield Ground Rules * Package in Response to FOIA Requests re Desert Storm and Desert Shield * Operations Desert Shield/Storm Casualties * USCENTAF Public Affairs Lessons Learned - Operations Desert Shield/Storm August 1990 to February 1991 * Supplement - USCENTAF Public Affairs Lessons Learned - Operations Desert Shield/Storm August 1990 to February 1991 * DOD Security Classification Guidance for Post Operation Desert Storm Information * Recording of Vaccinations Received in Operation Desert Shield or Storm in the Medical Immunization Record (SF601) * OASD(C3I); Operation Desert Shield& Storm Intel Dissemination Study * Message Declassified, Execute Order Operation Desert Storm * Potential Impacts of Iraqi Use of Oil as a Defensive Weapon - SANDIA Report ... Read more

Product Description
This digital document is an article from Policy Studies Journal, published by Policy Studies Organization on June 22, 2001. The length of the article is 6558 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Organizational Impediments to Effective Policy on Gulf War Illness.
Author: Stanley M. Caress
Publication: Policy Studies Journal (Refereed)
Date: June 22, 2001
Publisher: Policy Studies Organization
Volume: 29Issue: 2Page: 250

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more

Product Description
This digital document is an article from General Accounting Office Reports & Testimony, published by Stonehenge International on August 1, 2004. The length of the article is 567 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Department of Veterans Affairs: Federal Gulf War Illnesses Research Strategy Needs Reassessment.
Publication: General Accounting Office Reports & Testimony (Newsletter)
Date: August 1, 2004
Publisher: Stonehenge International
Volume: 2004Issue: 8Page: NA

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Product Description
This digital document is an article from Family Practice News, published by International Medical News Group on December 1, 2008. The length of the article is 844 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Federal report recognizes Gulf War illness, causes.(News)
Author: Mary Ellen Schneider
Publication: Family Practice News (Magazine/Journal)
Date: December 1, 2008
Publisher: International Medical News Group
Volume: 38Issue: 23Page: 1(2)

Distributed by Gale, a part of Cengage Learning ... Read more