Yushchenko's Poisoning

So we know from the AP story that Yushchenko was poisoned with dioxin. His face is pockmarked and ashen. His eyes swollen. Yushchcenko also suffered back pain, acute pancreatitis and nerve paralysis on the left side of his face. Yushchenko's blood and tissue registered concentrations of dioxin that were 1,000 times above normal levels. It was also said that no functional damage would remain and Yushchenko was "fully capable of working." Dr. Nikolai Korpan said "no functional damage will remain."

Bull.

But what is dioxin and what does it do?

Think Agent Orange and PCB's. What you see on his face is chloracne, which is like adult acne but much worse. It starts as pimples and blackheads and evolves into pus filled boils. It hurts.

When dioxin gets into your system, it heads for the liver and binds itself to fatty tissue. Gamma glutamyl transferase (GGT) is a liver enzyme that can spill over into the blood when the liver is damaged. Its presence is often used in standard clinical biochemistry screens as a biomarker of dioxin exposure, particularly at high doses. Extensive liver damage generally results.

It affects every cell in the body. It does this by interfering with the expression (the turning on and off) of genes, which are responsible for making specific proteins. It interferes with the process of "knowing" when to turn genes off and on. This comprimises the immune system and if the immune system is suppressed, it leaves the victim more susceptible to infectious diseases and to cancer. An over-active immune system can led to allergies, inflammation, and autoimmune diseases. In allergy, the immune system correctly recognizes something as foreign, such as ragweed pollen, but incorrectly reacts against it as if it could grow to be harmful. In inflammation, sometimes the immune system over-reacts and damages normal tissues inadvertently, such as in septic or toxic shock. In autoimmune diseases such as lupus and scleroderma, the immune system mistakes the body's own normal cells and molecules as foreign and attacks them. It shrinks the thymus gland which controls the body's ability recognize 'invader' cells. It attacks the thyroid and can cease it's functioning. It can drastically reduce testosterone, estrogen glucocorticoids, thyroid hormones, insulin and gastrin. It damages adrenal glands. It changes broncio tissue causing an almost permanent bronchitis. It damages arterial and valve tissue in the heart. Decreases the bodies ability to store vitamin A. It causes stroke and anemia. It can cause diabetes. It affects the nervous system causing the following symptoms: headache, sleepiness, insomnia, irritability, fatigue, weakness, pain near the heart, reduced memory and reduced potency. There can be acute and subacute periperphal neuropathy that can be transient or last up to twenty years.

I could go on and already have. My point? Dr. Korpan is not a good spin doctor. And this makes the U.S. elections look tame.