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Comment by Syzygies | Hacker News Reader

It certainly affects gut biome, personal observation and what I've read. Michael Douglas also believes this caused his cancer.

It's a cliche that the kids from the rich side of town, who didn't put dirt in their mouths growing up, are the ones who get mono in college. Farm kids are healthiest; our immune systems need regular work they can manage.

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It's a cliche that the kids from the rich side of town, who didn't put dirt in their mouths growing up, are the ones who get mono in college.

This is true but not necessarily for the reasons you think. Epstein-Barr is largely harmless in younger children, showing up largely as a common cold. It's not that the "farm kids" didn't get infected; it's just that they were infected long before they got to college.

(And to preempt a common question: No, we shouldn't proactively expose kids to Epstein-Barr when they're young. While they wouldn't get mono, Epstein-Barr has other long term effects; for example, it has been implicated as a trigger for autoimmune disorders.)

Michael Douglas had hpv+ SCC throat cancer. Hpv is a virus, has nothing to do with the gut microbiome as it is commonly discussed and is the cause of cancers of the cervix and head and neck. The oncogenic varieties are sexually transmitted. So he’s right.

Michael Douglas’ cancer was caused by HPV - a Virus not a bacteria. HPV is a well known oncogenic Virus

Yeah but he jokes about it being from cunnilingus

More than likely that is how he caught it - but it is not a bacteria

Jamie Dimon had throat cancer and the first thing I thought of was him eating some ladies out

I paid for my HPV vaccine out of pocket while the money was good, with the risk of it being completely ineffective at my ripe old age of 26

Does he smoke cigars? Throat (and mouth) cancer is common in cigar smokers.

Perhaps. HPV was also linked to throat cancer. It requires contact with HPV, and is one of the only ways HPV directly affects men, because they put an HPV infected part of the body in their mouth.

Not here to debate probabilities, but it is interesting how the possibility is controversial to some

> Farm kids are healthiest

Why can't we just buy some farm dirt in pill form?

Because it's easier and more effect for one to just go outside.

My sister works as a physician at Phoenix Children’s Hospital and they are literally studying whether giving “dirt pills” to children helps prevent asthma. Wish I could find the link for more info.

Coronado Biosciences tried to treat Crohn's disease using hookworm eggs. Basically give the patient a bunch of eggs, the hook worms hatch, cause an immune response, then die (as they can’t live in humans).

Clinical trial showed no impact at all on the disease.

I think you mean to say they can't, but… they can https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/hookworm/gen_info/faqs.html

I did mean “can’t”.

Coronado used porcine (pig) hookworm eggs that’s can’t complete a reproductive cycle in humans.

A great idea for a startup.

Cancerlingus?

Preposterous.

HPV can cause mouth and throat cancer[1].

[1]https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/sexual-health/can-oral-sex-give...

So that would be HPV causing cancer. Not cunnilingus. If you are insinuating that the transmission of HPV is through cunnilingus then fine. But stating a direct causation is careless.

So that would be the impact causing injury. Not stepping in front of a car. If you are insinuating that the impact was caused by stepping in front of a car then fine. But stating a direct causation is careless.

everyone here is insinuating that the transmission of HPV is through cunnilingus in this context

Ask yourself, why are you missing this context or being intentionally obtuse? you aren’t smarter or deemed as smarter for pointing out the obvious that other transmission methods are possible, everyone already knows that and is still enjoying these euphemisms because of their relatable conscious decision to give head. Curious what the thought process was here

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