Morgellons disease



Morgellons disease, or more properly "the Morgellons", is a self-diagnosed condition in which sufferers describe various symptoms related to their skin. It started as a neologism adapted from a very old medical reference and used by Mary Leitao, of McMurray, Pennsylvania, to describe her child's rash, which doctors described as common eczema. It's since spread like an actual disease through the help of the internet, "advocates", sufferers, and alternative medicine practitioners who prey upon them.

History
The first recorded occurrence in English of a similar condition was from the Languedoc region of France by Sir Thomas Browne who said in a Letter to a Friend:

The letter dates from the mid 1600s. Medical interest in the condition continued until the 1800s.

Proponents of the disease describe it as a series of sores on the skin, out of which grow small colored (usually red, blue or black) fibers. Some conspiracy theorists have even linked Morgellons to chemtrails, claiming that fibres, nanobots, or "synthetic model organisms" are being sprayed into the upper atmosphere.

Some claims for the cause of the condition are opportunistic infections in an individual with a lowered immune system, mercury poisoning (from felt hatbands), and dental sealants (neurocutaneous syndrome). The description of symptoms historically make it difficult to tell if the same disease is actually occurring.

The condition has attracted some alternative treatments such as colloidal silver to "purge" the toxic materials.

The primary scientist involved in the syndrome is Dr. Randy Wymore, an assistant professor of pharmacology and physiology at Oklahoma State University. Wymore has claimed to have extracted fibres and shown that they not only grow under the skin, but also do not match any known artificial fibre.

Causes
Morgellons is not an actual skin disease, but is in fact delusional parasitosis. With this sort of condition, sufferers will be convinced that they are infected and compulsively itch and scratch their own skin to irritate and exacerbate perceived infections — and, of course, see exactly what they want to see if they remove anything.

Despite the lack of evidence that Morgellons is anything more than delusional parasitosis, "sufferers" in the US managed to successfully lobby the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to investigate cases thoroughly; the results were finally published in January 2012. The CDC study was one of the most rigorous studies it had ever conducted; yet no infection, agent, or evidence of the disease was found. The CDC deems the disease an "unexplained skin condition" or "unexplained dermopathy." Sufferers say this is typical of a government agent trying to hide something.

Sufferers have claimed to have dug up mites from under sores. One potential hypothesis for this is that sufferers claw so deeply into their skin that they are removing peripheral nerve endings, which are then claimed to be parasites. One quack website claims that they are caused by "morgons", which are defined as "mutated (engineered) arthropods such as insects and mites" and "engineered nematodes (e-nematodes), engineered molds (e-molds) and strange fibers which we will call e-fibers"; the site just so happens to sell morgon-removal products manufactured by Precision Herbs.