Post by ck4829 on Feb 16, 2022 17:54:34 GMT
Havana Syndrome – the mysterious affliction affecting US diplomats and intelligence officers since 2016 – continues to stir up controversy in America. Some Canadian diplomats were also affected. In the latest report on the syndrome, released in January 2022, a panel of CIA advisors says that a few of the more than 1000 cases may have been caused by a microwave weapon.
The problem is, while news outlets continue to claim the diplomats in Cuba suffered brain damage, the studies used to make the claim have serious flaws.
Brain changes reported in the Havana patients are consistent with findings one would expect to see in people exposed to prolonged stress. The study in question is a 2019 paper in the Journal of the American Medical Association which found brain anomalies. However, brain anomalies are not the same as brain damage. There is a big difference between the two. Brain anomalies are common in small cohorts such as those studied in Cuba – and the study itself admitted that the anomalies were so minor as to have been potentially caused by individual variation. What’s more, 12 of those affected had pre-existing histories of concussion, compared to none in the healthy controls. That alone could explain the differences in the groups.
Despite five decades of research on microwaves, the American military has yet to produce a usable weapon.” Why? Because there is something called the laws of physics.
As for the other symptoms of ‘Havana Syndrome,’ they are so vague as to be experienced by just about every human who has ever lived, in any given week of their life. They include headache, nausea, dizziness and difficulty concentrating, forgetfulness, insomnia, ear pair and pressure, tinnitus, balance problems and disorientation, among others.
Pesticides and sonic weapons
The first explanation given for the symptoms was that of a sonic attack involving sound waves. The problem with this explanation is that targeting the victims inside a large building would defy the laws of physics given the energy in sound waves would quickly dissipate and could not selectively damage the brain. While loud noise could damage hearing, none of the victims developed hearing loss, contrary to media reports.
Then came the pesticide explanation. However, there is no neurotoxin in the world that only affects US and Canadian diplomats in Havana and their families. It also cannot explain why non-diplomats working in the embassies were unaffected. Lastly, the symptoms were not consistent with acute insecticide poisoning.
www.newsroom.co.nz/ideasroom/time-to-close-the-book-on-havana-syndrome
The problem is, while news outlets continue to claim the diplomats in Cuba suffered brain damage, the studies used to make the claim have serious flaws.
Brain changes reported in the Havana patients are consistent with findings one would expect to see in people exposed to prolonged stress. The study in question is a 2019 paper in the Journal of the American Medical Association which found brain anomalies. However, brain anomalies are not the same as brain damage. There is a big difference between the two. Brain anomalies are common in small cohorts such as those studied in Cuba – and the study itself admitted that the anomalies were so minor as to have been potentially caused by individual variation. What’s more, 12 of those affected had pre-existing histories of concussion, compared to none in the healthy controls. That alone could explain the differences in the groups.
Despite five decades of research on microwaves, the American military has yet to produce a usable weapon.” Why? Because there is something called the laws of physics.
As for the other symptoms of ‘Havana Syndrome,’ they are so vague as to be experienced by just about every human who has ever lived, in any given week of their life. They include headache, nausea, dizziness and difficulty concentrating, forgetfulness, insomnia, ear pair and pressure, tinnitus, balance problems and disorientation, among others.
Pesticides and sonic weapons
The first explanation given for the symptoms was that of a sonic attack involving sound waves. The problem with this explanation is that targeting the victims inside a large building would defy the laws of physics given the energy in sound waves would quickly dissipate and could not selectively damage the brain. While loud noise could damage hearing, none of the victims developed hearing loss, contrary to media reports.
Then came the pesticide explanation. However, there is no neurotoxin in the world that only affects US and Canadian diplomats in Havana and their families. It also cannot explain why non-diplomats working in the embassies were unaffected. Lastly, the symptoms were not consistent with acute insecticide poisoning.
www.newsroom.co.nz/ideasroom/time-to-close-the-book-on-havana-syndrome