The article was provocative, if light on the clinical details, but that's OK, not a medical journal after all. It does convincingly portray that having a rare condition, and lightning survivors are rare, is a special curse.
Good doctors take an interest in unusual cases--it's an opportunity to learn. FWIW I've not encountered anyone with a lightning-caused condition, but the article arouses my curiosity, I am kind of a geek about the questions brought out by such phenomena.
As I read the brief descriptions of people had been sruck by lightning, I surmised some suffered PTSD-like symptoms, as was mentioned near the end of the article. Among the many patients I've seen diagnosed with autoimmune disorders, similar hard-to-characterize symptoms are often present. Perhaps lightning-induced damage to tissues sets off a cascade of immune system responses leading to symptoms, but I really have no idea what connections exist among these phenomena.
Just a few of the things I look forward to learning about.
Eric Dollard discussing lightning, he also goes into the skin effect afterwards, which is also relevant to this article. Interesting stuff... this guy.
Good doctors take an interest in unusual cases--it's an opportunity to learn. FWIW I've not encountered anyone with a lightning-caused condition, but the article arouses my curiosity, I am kind of a geek about the questions brought out by such phenomena.
BTW for anyone interested in lightning rather than physiological effects of it, this site may be worthwhile: http://www.blitzortung.org/Webpages/index.php?lang=en
As I read the brief descriptions of people had been sruck by lightning, I surmised some suffered PTSD-like symptoms, as was mentioned near the end of the article. Among the many patients I've seen diagnosed with autoimmune disorders, similar hard-to-characterize symptoms are often present. Perhaps lightning-induced damage to tissues sets off a cascade of immune system responses leading to symptoms, but I really have no idea what connections exist among these phenomena.
Just a few of the things I look forward to learning about.