When teeth are at the root of the problem
edical diagnoses go in and out of fashion. Thus, back in the Thirties, it was not unusual to attribute poorly defined abdominal symptoms to a “floating kidney”, which, under the influence of gravity, had shifted its position downwards. The cure, by common consent, was to “fix” the kidney in place by putting a stitch through it and hitching it to some nearby muscle. Improbable, certainly.
Then, a decade ago, US urologist Donald Urban resurrected the floating kidney as a cause of pain, due to obstruction of the flow of urine into the bladder. The keyhole version of the original operation is apparently highly effective.
Similarly, the currently unfashionable diagnosis of local sepsis has also been rehabilitated. In the early 20th century, many illnesses (rheumatism, gastritis, pernicious anaemia) were attributed to localised infection, usually of the teeth. Here, the solution of total dental extraction seemed obvious enough. This did nothing to control the progress of these conditions, though certainly added to the distress they caused. Then, one by one, their true cause was identified – for example, pernicious anaemia was found to be caused by vitamin B12 deficiency – and so local sepsis disappeared from textbooks. Rightly so, one might think. But hidden dental infection can undoubtedly be responsible for otherwise unexplained symptoms. “At one time, my wife became very lethargic and depressed,” writes a gentleman from Torquay. “All the usual tests revealed nothing of note, until an acquaintance remarked how his very similar problem was eventually traced to a septic tooth. Sure enough, my wife’s dentist discovered an abscess under an upper molar. This was duly treated and her lethargy resolved.”
Diabetes revelation
The vexatious issue, highlighted in this column, of the potential harm of the prevailing official dietary advice for those with diabetes, which favours a generous intake of bread, rice, pasta and other carbohydrates, has prompted much interest. The experience of a reader who, for 20 years, has required twice-daily insulin injections, is particularly instructive.
Eighteen months ago, he had the additional misfortune of developing chronic bowel symptoms (flatulence, discomfort, diarrhoea, etc) that proved to be due to irritable bowel syndrome, which required him to exclude the usual gas-inducing culprits – wheat, lentils and legumes. This left oats, brown rice and spelt as his only source of carbohydrates and, given his family’s aversion to such foods, he opted to give them up as well and stick instead to a predominantly high-fat intake of meat and dairy.
Since then, he has lost two stone, is “bounding with health”, and his diabetes is so vastly improved that he no longer requires his insulin injections. When he told his doctor he was more than a bit surprised that “breaking every shibboleth” of the current diabetic mantra should have had such a favourable outcome, “she muttered there had been some new research” that challenged the current dietary advice.
Meanwhile, he is optimistic that his mother, who also has diabetes, may benefit from his fortuitous (if felicitous) discovery of the merits of a high-fat diet.
Risk? What risk?
Finally, the experience of a woman, recently featured in this column, who was rudely (and wrongly) informed by letter following a check-up that she was obese and needed to lose weight, is echoed by other readers. “I never sit still,” writes an 11-stone, 69-year-old lady with an acre of garden that keeps her occupied in all weathers. This did not prevent her being labelled obese, inactive and “at risk” of heart problems, warranting treatment with statins. She was then asked whether, in the past year, she had had more than six drinks in one day, to which she replied “no”, as she rarely consumes that amount in a week. “It then occurred to me that on Christmas Day, by the time I had enjoyed a glass of champagne and wine with dinner, I probably had drunk that amount,” she writes. This admission of her once-yearly indulgence merited her being categorised as a binge drinker.
Many illnesses were attributed to local infection of the teeth, leading to total extraction