How to cure your asthma or hayfever using hookworm - a practical guide || kuro5hin.org

Good Lord!!! Kids, don't try this at home!!!

It is truly an unusual day when I can get two entries into the blog, but I couldn't pass this one up. Read this carefully-
How to cure your asthma or hayfever using hookworm - a practical guide kuro5hin.org. I've heard of people doing such things on purpose before, though how much is real vs. urban myth is subject to debate. The article is well documented and written, which leads me to believe it is probably not a spoof, outrageous as it seems. If you've had a good anatomy, microbiology or immunology course, you know how the body responds and develops immunity to foreign antigens. You may also have heard mention of the "hygiene hypothesis," that states many autoimmune and hyperimmune disorders may be the result of the reduction in exposure of the human body to outside antigens, i.e. the "too clean syndrome." While this rather drastic measure might well do the things the author claims (I won't dismiss this one right away), I do not believe that one can resort to such drastic measures without suffering the consequences for doing so. Granted, we all have a certain parasite load, but adding more to the mix might tip the scale more to the negative. Not to mention that the infected individual will shed parasites that could, either directly or indirectly, be spread to others.

Ancient die-off blamed on climate, not humans - LiveScience - MSNBC.com

Anthropocentric Influence on the Decline of Species

According to this article, Ancient die-off blamed on climate, not humans - LiveScience - MSNBC.com, we humans probably didn't have much to do with the extinction of megafauna such as mammoths and mastodons. Conventional dogma relates major extinctions such as this to the migration of humans and their subsequent hunger for meat that was readily available. If new studies such as this one prove correct, perhaps we aren't the viral monsters we have been portrayed as being. I've often thought it makes no sense that one species, even a successful invasive one such as ourselves could drive others to the brink of extinction and beyond unless there were other environmental and biological factors contributing to the decline. I have no doubt that we humans are a factor in this phenomenon, but I do have reservations about this underlying assumption that we are the absolute cause of all ills.

The great thing about science is that as we learn more we come to realize that, in fact, we know very little. It is far too easy to accept ideology as absolute truth when actually there are very few absolutes. The really great thinkers (author not included) out there are those who not only understand this, but are willing to grow and adapt their world view- those who are flexible enough not to fall into the ideological nooks and crannies. Theories and hypotheses are just theories and hypotheses until rigorously and repeatedly tested with the same outcomes consistently shown to occur. While some lines of thought are patently absurd (think intelligent design), they are still lines of thought and should be treated as such since they stimulate us to seek more answers, not less.

Kitchen Germs - Diet & Nutrition - MSN Health & Fitness

It's Sweeps Week!
I just love a good advice column. Especially when it is good advice. This particular article Kitchen Germs - Diet & Nutrition - MSN Health & Fitness is kind of a mixed bag, however. Right of the bat, it gives you some bad advice when the author states "Common soaps only help wash the germs off your skin. Better to wash with good antibacterial soaps, which clean your hands and kill germs. Don’t be concerned if you’ve read about building up resistance or creating 'supergerms.' You will not be attacked by mutant bacteria."

That is true, washing with soap and water is probably the easiest way for one to remove transient bacteria, some of which are potential pathogens, but keep in mind that most so-called "antibacterial soaps" contain agents such as trichlosan, the overuse of which could lead to more resistant strains of bacteria, really don't significantly reduce transients any more than mild soap and water and cost more simply because they claim to be "antibacterial." The rest of the article looks OK and has some good advice. Microbes are a part of our lives. The more we understand them, the less likely they are to cause great difficulties and the less paranoid we behave.