I have no proof (or way to test this), but I’ve thought for a while that some pathogen has infected a good number of people, and damaged their brains. I find it hard to understand many people’s transition into madness any other way.<p>I am not talking about “I believe bubble up economics you believe trickle down so you’re crazy” kind of disagreements, I mean stuff like “lizard people from planet nibiru are eating the children of flat earth which is why the shadow government is injecting you with 5g to make you magnetic” kind of stuff.<p>I have watched several seemingly normal people go more and more crazy, and a pathogen (or maybe long Covid?) seems like a possible reason.<p>At least that’s what I tell myself.
This is highly speculative stuff, but... that's the point. I think people sometimes forget that the was a time when nothing was scientifically proven.<p>I'm surprised Lyme disease wasn't mentioned, as I think it also falls into the bucket of latent diseases that can cause unquantified effects much later down the line.
my doctor and I had a recent discussion about exactly this. Just incredibly bizarre behavior from people with no explanation. I asked if it could be caused by parasites. She brought up a study in LA where they tested the homeless for Babesia, and many people tested positive. Sorry I did not get the link for this study, but it is plausible. I'm not even sure how we can as a society even address this. One of the treatments is now so politically polarized during the pandemic, even mentioning it out loud is a conversation killer.
The article left me wondering, how many of these endemic pathogens are treatable? If they aren’t treatable, it makes sense for doctors not to routinely test for them. (Basic research to find new treatments is another matter.)
Many methodologies have unintentionally introduced bias, like the article mentions. Another example, ear infections are generally assumed to be caused by bacteria instead of viruses leading to prescription of antibiotics which may cause dysbiosis or antibiotic resistance leading to chronic ear infections and/or digestive issues. Why don’t clinicians test for viruses or parasites first to see if maybe that is weakening the immune system and leading to a bacterial overgrowth?