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Bicycle face -

This term was coined by British physician Arthur Shadwell in the 19th century. Symptoms were the likes of a flushed or pale face and a tired expression, which included dark shadows and bulging eyes.

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Bicycle face -

It turns out this condition was a misogynistic move. It was made up to discourage women from riding bicycles. After all, women pedaling into freedom and independence was a serious threat! Not.

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Adrenal fatigue -

The term was coined in 1998 by a chiropractor named James Wilson. It’s used to describe an alleged condition in which the adrenal glands are unable to produce hormones, usually due to chronic stress. There isn't, however, any scientific evidence to back this up.

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Syndrome K -

Syndrome K was made up by an Italian doctor named Adriano Ossicini to trick the Nazis. The deadly “condition” was supposedly highly infectious, and many families had to be quarantined at the Fatebenefratelli Hospital because of it. No Nazi soldier would want to go near these patients, right? It definitely worked!

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Overactive bladder -

An urge to pee was turned into a condition by urologists Alan Wein and Paul Abrams, who presented it at medical conferences sponsored by the pharma companies that offered the “cure.”

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Overactive bladder -

Of course, there are real conditions that manifest through similar symptoms, but the all-encompassing term was created with marketing in mind, as it appeals to a wider population.

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Electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS) -

A man named Tim Hallam became known for raising awareness about this hypersensitivity to electromagnetic frequencies, which, according to him, can cause a wide range of symptoms, including insomnia, headaches, and muscle pain, among others.

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Electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS) -

According to the World Health Organization, “The symptoms are certainly real and can vary widely in their severity. Whatever its cause, EHS can be a disabling problem for the affected individual." But, and this is important, "EHS has no clear diagnostic criteria and there is no scientific basis to link EHS symptoms to EMF exposure. Further, EHS is not a medical diagnosis, nor is it clear that it represents a single medical problem.”

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Wind turbine syndrome -

The syndrome was first presented by Nina Pierpont, who is an anti-wind power activist. Exposure to the low-frequency sounds (aka infrasounds) trigger symptoms such as blurred vision, nausea, headaches, and insomnia.

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Wind turbine syndrome -

The syndrome can allegedly even lead to serious conditions such as cancer. But there is no scientific evidence that all these symptoms are indeed caused by wind turbines.

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Halitosis -

This one is still used to this day, and many people do believe it to be a real condition. Except, it’s not. This was nothing less than a genius marketing stunt by Listerine.

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Halitosis -

Listerine basically gave bad breath a medical-sounding name and offered the solution to the problem: their mouthwash.

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Candida hypersensitivity -

Candida is a fungus the vast majority of people carry. Sure, it can cause things such as thrush, but it’s pretty harmless in general, though Dr. William Crook believed some people were hypersensitive to it.

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Candida hypersensitivity -

According to Dr. Crook, people who suffered from candida hypersensitivity had all sorts of symptoms, including anxiety, constipation, fatigue, asthma, and infertility, among many others. It goes without saying that there is no scientific evidence to back up Dr. Crook’s theory.

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Absinthism -

Absinthe got a bad rep in the 1800s, but it turns out the drink didn’t cause brain-damaging seizures and hallucinations. Perhaps, back then, the drink contained higher levels of the chemical thujone and made people go mad as a result, though it’s more likely that the symptoms described were those of alcoholism and withdrawal.

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Female hysteria -

Female hysteria dates back to ancient Egypt, and had different reincarnations over the years. It was used to explain a wide range of symptoms in women, including any display of irritability, anxiety, insomnia, anger, or sexual desire.

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Female hysteria -

Treatments varied over the years, from herbs, to exorcisms, and…"personal massagers." Some women have been considered witches, crazy, and everything in between. Luckily, this misogynistic made-up medical condition is a thing of the past in most places around the world.

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Railway spine -

This made-up medical term was used in the 19th century to diagnose post-traumatic symptoms of patients who have been involved in train crashes.

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Railway spine -

Symptoms included pain and chronic exhaustion, thought to be caused by nerve damage. While this might have not been the case, the symptoms might have been real and caused by being subjected to such a traumatic experience.

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Autistic enterocolitis -

British anti-vaccine activist Andrew Wakefield published a paper (that was retracted) claiming there was a link between a bowel condition and autistic children, which he called autistic enterocolitis. This theory was later discredited by the scientific community.

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Neurasthenia -

This is probably the 19th-century equivalent of today’s “burnout,” except it was based on the premise that our nervous system had a limit, which was being reached by being exposed to too much stimulus.

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Neurasthenia -

This happened due to the new fast-paced industrialized life of Americans, which was dubbed “Americanitis.” Symptoms included anxiety, fatigue, depression, and headaches. The idea slowly dissipated in the 1920s.

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Drapetomania -

This “condition” has deeply racist roots. Physician Samuel A. Cartwright from the University of Louisiana pointed to drapetomania as the reason why slaves fled captivity.

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Drapetomania -

This “disease of the mind," as Cartwright called it, was the reason why slaves ran away. The cure? To treat slaves kindly until they returned to a more submissive state.

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Dysaesthesia aethiopica -

The infamous Dr. Cartwright also came up with yet another made-up condition: dysaethesia aethiopica. This one affected both mind and body, and was used to explain why slaves would cause trouble for their owners.

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Lunacy -

This Victorian-era diagnosis was popular among people who showed any symptoms of mental illness. Signs of mania, depression, dementia, or epilepsy, among others, were enough to get a person labeled as a lunatic. Patients diagnosed with lunacy would often end up in asylums.

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Nostalgia -

The term dates back to 1688, and it was such a big deal that there are even records of Swiss soldiers who were sent home because they suffered from it.

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Nostalgia -

But we’re not talking just about feeling a bit blue. Nostalgia often came with physical symptoms too, and these could be as mild as fever, or as serious as brain inflammation or cardiac arrest. Nostalgia, as such, is not a real medical condition though.

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Wilson's syndrome -

Not to be confused with Wilson's disease (which is a real condition), Wilson's syndrome was basically made up by a man called E. Denis Wilson in 1990, who suffered from a number of symptoms that could be easily explained by other conditions, including common thyroid problems.

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Intestinal autointoxication -

This is a gross one that dates back to ancient Egypt. This is when basically old poop is trapped in the intestine and rots. The idea of stool putrefaction inside one’s body was not demystified until the 1920s.

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Status lymphaticus -

Sudden death has always been hard to explain. Physician Felix Plater came up with the term "status lymphaticus" when investigating an infant’s death in 1614, who was found to have an enlarged thymus (a gland in the lymphatic system).

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Status lymphaticus -

Up until the 1950s, status lymphaticus was used to explain unknown sudden deaths. Luckily, medical knowledge has advanced, and now we do have scientific explanations for such deaths.

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Spontaneous combustion -

Much has been said about people who allegedly spontaneously combust. Though despite the many theories about it, it hasn’t been proven to be a real medical condition.

Sources: (Grunge) (RealClearScience) (World Health Organization)(Science-Based Medicine)

See also: The burning truth about spontaneous human combustion

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