I hadn’t seen that about depression before, but that many chronic diseases are caused by yet undiscovered infectious agents has been around for a while.
You’ve completely reversed the idea of the article: this is an infectious agent that cures a chronic disease (depression), rather than causing one. And it’s an interesting explanation for why “getting out in nature” might help people be less depressed, besides a change of pace and some sunshine.
Maybe, but “may be in part an inflammatory disorder” suggests that it may be caused by bacterial agents. Ewald made the same point about arterial plaques may be caused by bacteria and that aspirin’s effect at reducing heart attacks may be from its anti-inflammatory effects.
That peptic ulcers are most commonly caused by bacteria triggers an absolute denial macro in some people, I’ve noticed. I was fascinated when I learned that helicobacter pylor was found to be the primary cause of stomach ulcers, but it really seems to put some people off. I’ve had a conversation like this more than once:
“I’m so stressed at work I’m going to get an ulcer.”
“Did you know that most stomach ulcers are actually caused by bacterial infection?”
“Stress causes ulcers.”
“No, really; not too long ago a certain bacteria was shown to cause the majority of peptic
ulcers.”
“Well stress makes you more susceptible to the infection then.”
“That could be, but I don’t know how much evidence there is for that...”
“My grandfather had ulcers; they were caused by stress.”
“I’m just saying the majority of stomach ulcers aren’t...”
“But some are caused by stress.”
“I think they’re correlated, but maybe the people who have ulcers are more under more stress
because their stomach is bleeding?”
I hadn’t seen that about depression before, but that many chronic diseases are caused by yet undiscovered infectious agents has been around for a while. There is a good, very readable survey of the idea “Plague Time” by Paul Ewald written in 2000 and 2002 (http://www.amazon.com/Plague-Time-Germ-Theory-Disease/dp/0385721846/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1247684918&sr=8-1). The idea has been around for decades, but received a new boost when peptic ulcers were shown to be bacterial.
You’ve completely reversed the idea of the article: this is an infectious agent that cures a chronic disease (depression), rather than causing one. And it’s an interesting explanation for why “getting out in nature” might help people be less depressed, besides a change of pace and some sunshine.
Maybe, but “may be in part an inflammatory disorder” suggests that it may be caused by bacterial agents. Ewald made the same point about arterial plaques may be caused by bacteria and that aspirin’s effect at reducing heart attacks may be from its anti-inflammatory effects.
That peptic ulcers are most commonly caused by bacteria triggers an absolute denial macro in some people, I’ve noticed. I was fascinated when I learned that helicobacter pylor was found to be the primary cause of stomach ulcers, but it really seems to put some people off. I’ve had a conversation like this more than once:
Huh. So apparently some people actually still believe that—I had always taken “so stressed I’m going to get an ulcer” to be just a figure of speech.
I haven’t read the book, but the Atlantic had a series with Ewald & Greg Cochran on “New Germ Theory”.