This is fascinating on so many levels.
About The Author
BooMan
Martin Longman a contributing editor at the Washington Monthly. He is also the founder of Booman Tribune and Progress Pond. He has a degree in philosophy from Western Michigan University.
10 Comments
Recent Posts
- Day 14: Louisiana Senator Approvingly Compares Trump to Stalin
- Day 13: Elon Musk Flexes His Muscles
- Day 12: While Elon Musk Takes Over, We Podcast With Driftglass and Blue Gal
- Day 11: Harm of Fascist Regime’s Foreign Aid Freeze Comes Into View
- Day 10: The Fascist Regime Blames a Plane Crash on Nonwhite People
I never cease to be amazed at the human animal. Its quirks and foibles, its ability to understand the complexities of seemingly random occurrences, not to mention its innate ability to be so fundamentally stupid and shortsighted about those same sorts of things
Yes, indeed, we are a strange loop.
You kinda sorta live in the woods, right Booman?
Be careful out there, you and your family.
This planet appears to be somewhat…peeved…at us humans these days.
So are its creatures.
Bet on it.
AG
P.S. My son just got his doctorate in Environmental Biology (specializing in ticks and tick-borne diseases) from an important Ivy League university that is in the vanguard of that particular research. He’s not ready to give up…he’s fighting the good fight, kinda like his old man…but he is amazed at the proliferation of both tick-borne diseases and the disease-carrying ticks themselves. It is scientifically unprecedented.
Interesting to hear about your son’s observations, as someone who is studying the tick-borne disease situation these days. Thanks.
It seemed that way to me, too, but clearly as I’m not a doctor or scientist – nor have I done anything remotely like research or study of it – I was going mainly on my gut-feelings + observations of more and more people that I know getting these diseases.
Used to not happen so much as often.
Pollution combined with global warming, I suspect, is largely to blame for this. But of course, we all know that global warming and pollution don’t exist; it’s just Libtards hoaxing everyone.
And so on…
. . . on the radio a few years ago. Maybe Radio Lab. About parasites. Indeed fascinating, including from the co-evolution perspective.
From memory, so not swearing to the details, but the gist is accurate enough:
Guy had asthma and allergies severe enough to be life-threatening. Started doing some research, from which he learned that these afflictions are essentially non-existent in some parts of the world, e.g. (I think?), Guinea, West Africa.
Coincidentally, a parasitic worm is endemic in the human population there (“guinea worms”? maybe!). The infestation is acquired from human feces through bare feet. And transmitted further in the same way.
I don’t recall now whether he just put two and two together and took the leap to perform his own independent experiment, or whether further research confirmed with evidence or expert knowledge that, indeed, infestation by the parasitic worm confers immunity to respiratory allergies/asthma.
Whichever, he bought a ticket, found some village(s) in the infested area, found the latrines in those villages, stripped off shoes and socks, and went wading.
Et voilà! Asthma cured. (As I recall, the parasitic worms produce some unpleasant symptoms of their own, but this guy considered them a minor tradeoff to be relieved of his asthma, it was that severe.)
here
.
. . . to be the same case.
And thanks for compensating for my laziness.
Really interesting. I’m happy to say that I only struggle a little with hay fever.
I know someone, though, with debilitating hay fever, asthma and other allergies. This person has been on heavy duty drugs for decades (including prednisone, which the man in the story had been on), and it’s resulted in her spine crumbling (well, there’s probably a more scientific way to explain it) due to adverse reactions to the drugs. but she can’t go off the drugs because then she can’t breath. She’s nearly died several times. In fact, I’m not even sure how she’s doing right now.
As kids, my siblings and I all got hook worm. I don’t know how or why. I don’t recall walking around in feces, but something happened. It’s possible that exposure has made my immune system stronger. Who knew?
I think kids are raised today in such extremely sterile environments that it has led to a lot of medical problems.
Interesting story. Too bad the guy has to be on the run.
`On the Run’ from what, I wonder. A civil suit?
Seems strange to be on the run from that. Of course, parasitic worms curing asthma and allergies is a strange story all by itself.
They should make a movie.
.
I caught Lyme from a tick bite on Nantucket, of all places, back in 1980. The sickest I’ve ever been in my life. Finally dragged myself off to Mass. General (I was living in Boston’s North End at the time), and made a couple of doctors really, really happy.
That’s because Lyme was just emerging as a recognized disease at that time, and mine was among the first trickle of cases to show up at MGH. The physician who did my intake from the emergency room checked me out, saw the bullseye rash I feebly pointed out, left me in my dull miasma of misery to corral a colleague to see me, then the two of them retreated outside the exam room, closed the door, and proceeded to have what sounded like a vigorously excited and triumphant conference — couldn’t make out the words, but the tone came through clearly. They told me what I had when they came back in, and reassured me that, yes, I was going to live. It seemed doubtful to me at that point, but I guess they were right.
I recall on a followup visit the entire infectious disease department, from its august head to the scrubbiest intern, trooped in to See The Lyme Patient! That’s what a big deal showing up with Lyme was back then.
I was fortunate not to have any sequelae such as cardiac problems or arthritis develop, and can to this day indulge my carnivorous appetites, thank goodness.
Janicket…
You were lucky.
Good on ya.
AG