A Medical Mystery of the Best Kind: Major Diseases Are in Decline

#1

Post by suprgeek » Sun, Jul 10, 2016, 5:48 PM UTC

A Medical Mystery of the Best Kind: Major Diseases Are in Decline
nytimes.com

Re: A Medical Mystery of the Best Kind: Major Diseases Are in Decline

#2

Post by raverbashing » Sun, Jul 10, 2016, 7:28 PM UTC

The question I guess is not what diseases are in decline, but which ones are going up

Re: A Medical Mystery of the Best Kind: Major Diseases Are in Decline

#3

Post by Gibbon1 » Sun, Jul 10, 2016, 7:30 PM UTC

raverbashing wrote: post #2

The question I guess is not what diseases are in decline, but which ones are going up

Ans: Diabetes

Re: A Medical Mystery of the Best Kind: Major Diseases Are in Decline

#4

Post by [deleted] » Sun, Jul 10, 2016, 7:34 PM UTC

[deleted]

Re: A Medical Mystery of the Best Kind: Major Diseases Are in Decline

#5

Post by ktRolster » Sun, Jul 10, 2016, 7:34 PM UTC

This is weird:

  >Until the late 1930s, stomach cancer was 
  >the No. 1 cause of cancer deaths in the 
  >United States.

Re: A Medical Mystery of the Best Kind: Major Diseases Are in Decline

#6

Post by westoncb » Sun, Jul 10, 2016, 7:35 PM UTC

Gibbon1 wrote: post #3

raverbashing wrote: post #2

The question I guess is not what diseases are in decline, but which ones are going up

Ans: Diabetes

Any idea if that includes Type I, or only Type II?

Re: A Medical Mystery of the Best Kind: Major Diseases Are in Decline

#7

Post by sgt101 » Sun, Jul 10, 2016, 7:35 PM UTC

wow - I have no clue (obviously) but possible reasons :

- better home heating (less open fires, more heated bedrooms)

- increased time from atmospheric nuclear bomb testing (and the various dispersals of plutonium in the 60's and 70's)

- better nutrition in general

- higher genetic diversity in breeding populations; not many peoples grandparents all come from the same village in the developed world now

- less pollution in the west; import of finished goods rather than local manufacturing

Re: A Medical Mystery of the Best Kind: Major Diseases Are in Decline

#8

Post by mc32 » Sun, Jul 10, 2016, 7:37 PM UTC

ktRolster wrote: post #5

This is weird: >Until the late 1930s, stomach cancer was >the No. 1 cause of cancer deaths in the >United States.

Does that take into account refrigeration? Maybe it's totally unrelated --but prior to refrigeration a lot of meats were cured.

Re: A Medical Mystery of the Best Kind: Major Diseases Are in Decline

#9

Post by gedy » Sun, Jul 10, 2016, 7:38 PM UTC

raverbashing wrote: post #2

The question I guess is not what diseases are in decline, but which ones are going up

"Going up" usually just means in percentage, as more serious diseases decline below that percentage.

Re: A Medical Mystery of the Best Kind: Major Diseases Are in Decline

#10

Post by _mhr_ » Sun, Jul 10, 2016, 7:40 PM UTC

ktRolster wrote: post #5

This is weird: >Until the late 1930s, stomach cancer was >the No. 1 cause of cancer deaths in the >United States.

I found a chart showing the prevalence of multiple forms of cancer over time: http://i52.tinypic.com/r9euci.jpg.