Show 906: The New Germ Theory of Disease

Inflammation is a primary cause of many chronic conditions, from Alzheimer’s disease and arthritis to asthma and inflammatory bowel disease. But what causes the inflammation? Could infectious agents be the root of most of our chronic disease–including cancer?

Find out about infections and mental illness. Is it possible that there is a link between schizophrenia and a common pathogen?

Other hard-to-treat conditions such as multiple sclerosis, fibromyalgia and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) might all be triggered by infection. Could a vaccine help prevent these devastating conditions and even cancer?

This Week’s Guest:

Paul Ewald, PhD, is professor of biology and director of the program on disease evolution at the University of Louisville. His books include Controlling Cancer: A Powerful Plan for Taking On the World’s Most Daunting Disease, co-authored with Holly Swain Ewald, and Plague Time:The New Germ Theory of Disease.