Hello Folks,

 Most of the folks with GWI complaints recognize that some of their symptoms fall into the CFS and MCS domain, so it might be good to review the past a little and get to the bottom of the toxic connections.

 It was way back in the early 80's that CFS first came on the illness scene in an area called Lake Tahoe, Ca., as discovered by doctors like Dr. Cheney. Nature often tells us things, when we are wise enough to pay attention.

Lake Tahoe and the surrounding region are volcanic in origin, which means lots of fluorides and toxic metals like lead. Volcanoes and old volcanic soils and water supplies from them create some effects like from ODS toxic emissions.

See the local water report
http://tahoe.ceres.ca.gov/stpud/wqreport.html
 
 Fluoride mg/L 2.01 ND - 0.3 0.1 Erosion of natural deposits

Correlation of Lake Tahoe drinking water with medium high fluorides and other pollutants suggests that this toxic effect is involved in the original CFS cluster found there in the long term residents.

Fluorides tend to make insoluble calcium fluorides in the lymph system from the actions of macrophage based oxygen cell reduction. Macrophages are pathogen destruction cells that eat cell material and digest it with peroxide chemicals. Similarly, metals in the lymph system processed by oxygen reduction result in insoluble metal oxides. Both these types of insoluble products accumulate in the lymph system macrophage cells and damage their mitochondria in the long term. The accumulation of toxic materials impairs the lymph system and leads to virals and other pathogens getting out of control. Prime examples of the virals out of regulation are HHV-6, CMV, and EBV that so often are the markers for CFS illnesses, many others are possible depending on exposures.

 This cumulative toxic effect impairs the pathogen reduction mechanism and also sets off cytokine secretory generation from the macrophage toxic cell damage. Macrophages are type one secretory cells of cytokines and produce TNFa in the lymph system. Just this one effect is well connected to fatigue, flu symptoms, foggy thinking, rashes, etc., which are common to both CFS and GWI.

In a similar light, one can say there is a geographical correlation for GWS to the Gulf War zone and the toxics of the GW, that include many halogen chemicals and metals that can set up these same lymph system toxic conditions that set off the original discoveries of CFS. All the toxics that damage cells and trigger the immune system pull the toxic materials into the lymph system macrophages and if there are insoluble conversion products, then the long term effects of CFS can appear.