Psychological and Physical Torture: Bush Administration, Gitmo, Stress, Sleep Deprivation, Liquid Diet, Acidic Blood pH, Macromineral Deficiencies, and Physical Pain
CNN Article and Bush Administration Torture
"To violate the statute, an individual must have the specific intent to inflict severe pain or suffering,"
"Because specific intent is an element of the offense, the absence of specific intent negates the charge of torture. ... We have further found that if a defendant acts with the good faith belief that his actions will not cause such suffering, he has not acted with specific intent,"
The intent is to use force and harm, torture, and claim that there is no specific intent to escape prosecution.
Another intent is to use people’s ignorance that psychological torture is not harmful or does not inflict suffering.
“Other memos allowed the use of such tactics as keeping a detainee naked and in some cases in a diaper, and putting detainees on a liquid diet…"Detainees subject to sleep deprivation who are also subject to nudity as a separate interrogation technique will at times be nude and wearing a diaper,"”
High levels of stress, sleep deprivation, and liquid diets all reduce macrominerals like potassium in the body which leads to acid-base disorders.
Degrading themes and humiliation were also used.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/04/16/us.torture.documents/index.html
Macrominerls and Potassium
Macrominerals are very important as electrolytes and the body uses electrolytes to maintain acid-base balance, fluid balance (homeostasis), and for normal neurological, myocardial, nerve, and muscle function. Potassium is very important and involved in electrolyte balance and acid-base balance.
High levels of stress, sleep deprivation, and a liquid diet and diarrhea leads to acid-base imbalance and acidic blood pH. The body uses a buffering system and macrominerals like calcium from bone to regulate the imbalance and this leads to macromineral deficiencies.
Macromineral deficiencies such as potassium, magnesium, and calcium can cause serious disorders such as physical symptoms muscle pain, muscle cramps, muscle spasms, tremors, and complications of the heart and abnormal rhythms (arrhythmias), cardiac arrest or heart failure, and cancer.
Stress, Adrenaline, Aldosterone
The adrenaline produced from stress, provocation, fear, and torture can reduce the amount of potassium in the body.
An over active adrenal gland caused by high levels of stress can release a hormone called aldosterone into the blood stream causing large quantities of potassium to be excreted into the urine. Aldosterone also causes the excretion of magnesium into the urine.
Sleep Deprivation
Sleep deprivation leads to acid-base imbalance or acidic blood pH.
Body acidity increases when the level of acidic compounds in the body rises due to the increased intake, production, or decreased elimination of acid compounds or when the level of basic (alkaline) compounds in the body falls due to decreased intake, production, or increased elimination of alkaline compounds.
Liquid Diets and Diarrhea
Liquid diets and diarrhea are known for reducing potassium in a person's system.
Potassium levels become low when too much is lost from the digestive tract or excreted in urine. other causes include adrenal disorders (induced by stress such as Cushing's syndrome). hypomagnesemia (low magnesium), vomiting, diarrhea.
Cancer
Sleep deprivation results in a lack of body and DNA repair, which can lead to cancer.
Macromineral and mineral deficiencies also weaken the body's immune system by reducing its ability to eliminate toxins from the body, which can lead to cancer.
Vitamin D deficiency is also linked to a weakened immune system, the killer t-cells, which can lead to cancer.
Potassium
Potassium is necessary for the normal functioning of cells, neurons (brain), nerves, and muscles. A potassium level that is too high or too low can have serious consequences such as an abnormal heart rhythm and can even stop the heart (cardiac arrest).
Hypokalemia is when the level of potassium in blood is too low.
Potassium levels become low when too much is lost from the digestive tract or excreted in urine. other causes include adrenal disorders (induced by stress such as Cushing's syndrome). hypomagnesemia (low magnesium), vomiting, diarrhea, aldosteronism due to a tumor in the adrenal glands, Gitelman's syndrome, Liddle syndrome, Bartter syndrome, Fanconi syndrome, the use of diuretics, an overactive thyroid gland (hyperthyroidism), and Insulin.
Symptoms: A decrease in potassium can cause fatigue, muscle weakness, muscle cramps, muscle aches and pains, twitches (tetany), secures, complications of the heart and abnormal rhythms (arrhythmias).
Calcium
“the body moves calcium out of bones into blood as needed to maintain a steady level of calcium in the blood. If people do not consume enough calcium, too much calcium is mobilized from the bones, weakening them. Osteoporosis can result.”
Hypocalcemia is when the calcium level in blood is too low.
Hypocalcemia most commonly results when too much calcium is lost in urine. (corticosteroids)
A low calcium level may result from malnutrition, kidney disorders, parathyroid glands, certain drugs,hypomagnesemia (low magnesium) which reduces the activity of parathyroid hormone, vitamin D deficiency, disorders that decrease calcium absorption, and corticosteroids (synthetically prepared to have the same action as cortisol (cortisone)).
Symptoms: Hypocalcemia and Hypercalcemia can affect the brain and may cause neurologic and psychological symptoms, such as confusion, memory loss, emotional disturbances, depression, delirium, hallucinations, constipation, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, loss of appetite, seizures, coma, kidney stones, muscle weakness, muscles aches and pain, muscle spasms (tetany), heart complications and abnormal rhythms, and possibly result in death.
Magnesium
Hypomagnesemia is when the level of magnesium in blood is too low.
Hypomagnesemia may result from malnutrition, kidneys or intestine excrete too much magnesium, consuming large amounts of alcohol, diarrhea, high levels of aldosterone (stress and adrenal gland disorders), antidiuretic or thyroid hormones, diuretics, and breastfeeding (some women experience depression after birth).
Symptoms: Hypomagnesemia can affect the brain and may cause neurologic and psychological symptoms, such as confusion, sleepiness, memory loss, emotional disturbances, depression, delirium, hallucinations, seizures (especially in children), nausea, vomiting, muscle weakness, muscles aches and pain, muscle spasms and tremors (tetany), abnormal heart rhythms, and possibly result in death.
Acid-Base Balance (acid-base imbalance and acidic blood pH)
A pH of 7.0 is neutral. Blood is normally slightly basic with a pH range of 7.35 to 7.45. Below < 7.35 the blood is considered acidic. Above > 7.45 the blood is considered alkaline.
An important property of blood is its degree of acidity or alkalinity. The body's balance between acidity and alkalinity is referred to as acid-base balance. An imbalanced pH can cause low energy levels, cause weight gain, premature aging, cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, and many other health problems. "If pH becomes too acid or too alkaline, cells become poisoned by their own toxic waste and die". Body acidity increases when the level of acidic compounds in the body rises due to the increased intake, production, or decreased elimination of acid compounds or when the level of basic (alkaline) compounds in the body falls due to decreased intake, production, or increased elimination of alkaline compounds. Body alkalinity increases with the opposite processes. Even a minor deviation from the normal range of acid-base balance can severely affect many organs.
The body’s pH buffer systems are combinations of the body's own naturally occurring weak acids and weak bases. The pH buffer systems work chemically to minimize changes in the pH of the body and to adjusting the proportion of acid and base.
The body regulates the acidity of the blood by four buffering mechanisms:
Bicarbonate buffering system.
Intracellar buffering by absorption of hydrogen atoms by various molecules such as proteins, phosphates, and carbonate in bone.
Respiratory compensation
Renal compensation
There are two abnormalities of acid-base balance.
Acidosis, the blood has too much acid or too little base resulting in a decrease in blood pH.
Alkalosis, the blood has too much base or too little acid resulting in an increase in blood pH.
Acidosis and alkalosis are not diseases but rather are the result of a wide variety of disorders.
Macrominerals
Six macrominerals are required in large quantities for the body. Four (sodium (Na), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), and magnesium (Mg)) are cations; two (chlorine (Cl) and phosphorus (P)) are accompanying anions. Brain, muscle, heart, and bone function depend on these minerals and are vital for the body’s cells. Consuming too little or too much of certain minerals can cause serious disorders.
Macrominerals are very important as electrolytes and the body uses electrolytes to maintain acid-base balance, fluid balance (homeostasis), and for normal neurological, myocardial, nerve, and muscle function. Neurons and muscle are activated by electrolyte activity occurring between the extracellular (or interstitial fluid) and intracellular fluid. During periods of stress and exercise electrolytes such as potassium are lost. Fluid balance is maintained by the concentration of electrolytes in cells, the space outside cells, and in the blood. If the concentration is low, fluid moves out, if the concentration is high, fluid moves in. The body can move electrolytes in and out of cells and the right concentration, electrolyte balance, is important for maintaining fluid balance. The kidneys help regulate the concentrations of electrolytes in the blood by excreting excess into the urine. If the balance of electrolytes is disturbed, such as a deficiency, serious disorders can result.
Potassium is very important and involved in electrolyte balance. A low potassium level has many causes but one common cause is adrenal gland disorder (eg, Cushing's syndrome). An over active adrenal gland caused by high levels of stress can release a hormone called aldosterone into the blood stream causing large quantities of potassium to be excreted into the urine. Aldosterone also causes the excretion of magnesium into the urine. High levels of thyroid hormones also increases excretion of magnesium by the kidneys into the urine. Alcohol also increases the excretion of magnesium.