7 Shocking Medical Theories

By Jo Ann LeQuang

Medical science advances when scientists, physicians, and other smart people develop ideas about disease. These theories then become the subject of research and, sometimes, they change the way we understand disease. Not so very long ago, the idea that germs called illness was the “germ theory” and not even legendary nurse Florence Nightingale believed that. It turned out to be true. Of course, many theories turn out to not just untrue but downright ridiculous. For example, the miasma theory taught that people got sick from bad smells. So what are the prevailing medical theories going around right now? They may be absolutely shocking to you. Remember—these are just theories.

Obesity is Caused by a Virus

The concept behind this theory is that the sudden, widespread change in human girth occurred not because we eat too much processed food or too much fat. Instead, investigators theorize there is a virus which might cause us to overeat, never feel full, and/or slow our metabolism so that we pack on weight. This could explain why obesity affects even little kids and exists in some pretty odd places, such as India and China. This isn’t as far out as you think. The theory has been nicknamed “infectobesity” and here is what we do know:

· There have been correlations between certain types of viruses and obesity.

· The AD-36 adenovirus or “fat virus” increases body fat in animals.

· Other body chemicals associated with obesity are called “obesogens.”

Alzheimer’s Disease is a Form of Diabetes

The idea that Alzheimer’s Disease should be called Type 3 diabetes has been around since 2005 but continues to pick up steam. We all know about Type 1 diabetes (your body does not produce any insulin) and Type 2 diabetes (your body produces too much insulin). In type 2 diabetes, which can be brought on by lifestyle issues, the body’s cells become insulin resistant. Insulin is a hormone that works to stimulate the cells to take up the sugar you eat. Eat too much sugar, and your cells get tired of hearing insulin tell them to keep taking on sugar, so they start to “resist” insulin. The theory is that Alzheimer’s Disease occurs when the brain becomes insulin resistant. What we do know:

· Alzheimer’s is associated with low levels of insulin the brain.

· People with diabetes are more likely to get Alzheimer’s than non-diabetics.

· Both conditions (diabetes and Alzheimer’s) are getting more and more common.

Migraine Headaches are Caused by a Heart Defect

There are over 100 different types of headache and even multiple types of migraine, but there is a theory that some people with migraines (the kind with aura) suffer from a heart defect called patent foramen ovale (PFO). Before a baby is born, the heart’s upper chambers (right and left atria) are connected by a little hole called the PFO, which usually closes on its own when the baby is born. However, about a quarter of us have a PFO that never quite closes, allowing some blood flow back and forth from right to left atrium. Clinical trials are underway to see if repairing an open PFO can reduce migraines. The theory is that “dirty blood” from the right side might slosh over to the left and circumvent its cleansing process, taking impurities to the brain.

Here are the facts so far:

· PFO occurs in about 25% of the general population but in up to 60% of people who have migraine with aura.

· People with known PFO are at five times the risk for migraine as people without PFO.

· Some early studies found that closing the PFO (a surgical procedure) eliminated migraines in many (but not all) patients.

Diabetes is in Your Gut

Patients who undergo gastric bypass—the invasive surgery that makes the stomach smaller and “bypasses” large sections of the intestine—often emerge from surgery to find their diabetes is gone. This observation has led investigators to wonder if part of diabetes involves the intestines—up to now, the focus has always been on the pancreas. To be sure, not every gastric surgery patient finds his or her diabetes cured—but most do. In some cases, diabetes returns, but there are many cases of permanent cure.

Here is what we know:

· In a clinical trial, about 2/3 of gastric bypass patients found that their diabetes was gone after surgery.

· In some of those patients, diabetes never returns, but others have diabetic symptoms again after around eight years.

Insomnia and Schizophrenia are Closely Related

You have to understand medicalese to interpret that statement—it does not mean that insomnia causes schizophrenia or vice versa. It just means insomnia and schizophrenia are interrelated. This theory holds that schizophrenia causes reduced melatonin levels and since melatonin is the body’s natural chemical regulating sleep, schizophrenics often develop insomnia. Insomnia, in turn, worsens the symptoms of schizophrenia. Here is what we know:

· Schizophrenics have lower levels of melatonin than non-schizophrenics.

· Schizophrenics often suffer from insomnia.

· In a clinical trial, melanonin helped schizophrenic patients sleep better.

Tooth Decay and Periodontal Disease Can Cause Cancer

This is kind of a complicated theory, but it maintains that there are bacteria produced by tooth decay and/or periodontal disease which occur abundantly in intestinal tumors (but otherwise do not occur much in the gut). The idea that germs and cancers are linked is nothing new. This theory came from England, and across the pond, American scientists have found a link between periodontal or gum disease and pancreatic cancer. In this case, C-reactive proteins or markers of inflammation from gum disease have been linked to pancreatic cancer.

Here is what we know:

· People with periodontal disease are much more likely to develop pancreatic cancer than people without periodontal disease.

· A bacterium that occurs in tooth decay is present in unusually high numbers in colon tumors.

· The idea that pathogens cause cancer is well accepted.

Multiple Sclerosis is Caused by Lack of Sunlight

Multiple sclerosis or MS is a degenerative disease that provokes unpredictable attacks on the body’s nerves. As the nerves are damaged, muscle function, coordination, and vision deteriorate. Evidence suggests that changes in diet and lifestyle can help people with MS manage symptoms. A new theory going around holds that it is a lack of sunlight that may cause the disease. Investigators of this theory are not sure why sunlight matters in preventing MS: it may be the Vitamin D in sunshine or it may be exposure to other forms of light, such as ultraviolet radiation.

Here is what we know:

· MS is a “disease of latitudes” and is least common in tropical regions and most common in Northern regions with long, dark winters.

· Sunlight may matter while the baby is still in the womb; people born in April and May (after a winter pregnancy) are more likely to develop MS as adults that people born in October or November (after a summer pregnancy).

· People with sun damage to their skin are much less likely to develop MS than people with no sun damage.

These are just theories—but all of our medical knowledge started out as a theory. And for the sake of brevity, the theories presented here have been vastly simplified. But Google any of them and you’ll find scientists are talking about them!