Archive for July, 2019

The Worst Thing About Lyme Disease Is What It Does To Your Mind

https://folks.pillpack.com/the-worst-thing-about-lyme-disease-is-what-it-does-to-your-mind/

The Worst Thing About Lyme Disease Is What It Does To Your Mind

Lyme disease doesn’t just affect your body. It can also cause paranoia, anxiety, depression, and sudden flashes of inexplicable rage.
 — July 12

My friend and I are walking to dinner when it hits. My jaw clenches, my hands curl into fists, and it feels like my head will explode. My mind fills with overwhelming rage over absolutely nothing and everything remotely annoying that’s ever happened to me. I try to distract myself by listening to my friend, but I can’t hear her over the cacophony of my racing thoughts. Intrusive violent fantasies take over. I resist the urge to stomp my feet and scream. There’s not much that I can do at this point. I just tell myself it’ll pass… and a few minutes later, it does.

Rage is one of many mental health issues people with Lyme Disease face. A study in Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment found that 68 percent of Lyme patients experienced explosive anger, homicidal thoughts, and/or suicidal thoughts. Other studieshave found that 54 percent of Lyme patients suffer from irritability or mood swings, 23 percent have anxiety, 21 percent experience depression, and 13 percent meet the criteria for obsessive compulsive disorder.

I’m one of those people. And I am far from alone.

Christina Giaquinto experienced extensive anxiety after being diagnosed with Lyme disease. Credit: Christina Giaquinto

The Mental Cracks Of Lyme Disease

Kerri Lynn Neugebauer, a 47-year-old marketing and talent director in Pittsburgh, experienced intense paranoia while she was suffering from Lyme. “I thought I was being followed when I was out,” she remembers. “I would wake up in the middle of the night clawing at the walls because I thought I was trapped. And every time we came home from being out, I thought someone was in the house.”

For Kirsten Stein, a 49-year-old Bay Area Lyme Foundation board member in California, the primary mental health symptom was anxiety. “I have been flying in planes since I was 12 years old, yet while experiencing symptoms immediately prior to being diagnosed, I had a panic attack on airplane out of the blue,” she says.

“I would wake up in the middle of the night clawing at the walls because I thought I was trapped. “

“As someone who has experienced anxiety in the past, I can always tell the difference when it is ‘Lyme anxiety,’” says Christina Giaquinto, a 28-year-old life coach in New Jersey. “When someone experiences [non-Lyme] anxiety, it is because they are thinking of something that causes a physical reaction. With Lyme, it is the complete opposite. It attacks without cause. You feel very trapped because there is nothing you can do to fix it since there is no cause.”

Giaquinto also experienced depression and derealization from Lyme.

“I constantly felt like I was in a video game watching everyone else live,” she says. “It took away my sense of self.”

Why Lyme Causes Mental Health Problems

Understanding of the mechanisms by which Lyme causes these problems is still in its infancy, but what do know that the bacteria that cause Lyme can get into the central nervous system, and inflammation in the brain and throughout the body can lead to mental health symptoms, says psychiatric physician Rupali Chadha, MD.

Because Lyme infects the white blood cells of the immune system, it can also throw off your gut and brain microbiome, which can in turn lead to imbalances of neurotransmitters and hormones, says Bill Rawls, MD, an integrative health expert on Lyme and other chronic illnesses. “While we don’t have definitive data on a cause or prevalence, we do see patients with Lyme disease in psychiatrists offices,” says Chadha.

“Feeling like your brain is on fire is bad enough, but not being understood by the medical profession or by the people around you makes everything 10 times worse,” says Rawls.

Mental illness associated with Lyme can come not just from the Lyme itself but also from certain treatments, as well as from knowing you have a chronic and difficult-to-treat illness. Mike Robinson, a 53-year-old cannabis researcher in Santa Barbara, developed depression and anxiety as a result of receiving a Lyme diagnosis and says it worsened after antibiotic treatment. He also chalks his mental health struggles up to “the way it makes your body feel, the neuropathic pain it causes, and the stigma about it.”

People with neurological Lyme disease often test negative for Lyme, says Wendy Adams, Research Grant Director at the Bay Area Lyme Foundation. This means that instead of receiving Lyme treatment, they’re frequently given labels such as OCD or schizophrenia without receiving help for the underlying issue.

Mike Robinson, a 53-year-old cannabis researcher in Santa Barbara, developed depression and anxiety as a result of receiving a Lyme diagnosis.

What To Do When Lyme Affects Your Mental Health

If you’re struggling with mental health symptoms that may be due to Lyme, Chadha recommends seeing a physician rather than just a therapist about it, since treatment will require you to get to the physical root of the issue. “Therapy may be very useful and may be recommended and added,” she says. “But if someone has Lyme disease and develops psychiatric symptoms, they need to see if physician to see if they require biological treatment i.e. medication.”

Rawls usually recommends antimicrobial herbs to patients dealing with mental illness and other neurological symptoms of Lyme, since antibiotics aren’t always able to kill Lyme in the central nervous system and herbs can also help restore immune function. The herbs he uses to heal the nervous system include berberine, andrographis, cat’s claw, Japanese knotweed, garlic, and sarsaparilla. “Healthful diet, clean environment, low stress, and an active lifestyle are all essential for overcoming chronic Lyme disease,” he says.

Even if Lyme sometimes takes over my mind, it doesn’t have to take over my life.

In the meantime, be as patient with yourself as you can. Due to the myth that mental illness is within your control, it can be tempting to blame yourself, especially with symptoms like rage that people have trouble sympathizing with. If Lyme causes you to engage in behavior you wouldn’t otherwise, Rawls suggests forgiving yourself, as you’re dealing with an illness, and focusing on doing better next time. Reducing your stress and gaining as much control over your life as you can will help, he says.

Though my journey with Lyme isn’t over yet, my rage has gotten easier to deal with because I’ve learned a new approach to it. Instead of just getting more mad about the fact that I’m mad, I validate how I’m feeling and try to do something nice for myself, like getting something to eat or drink or lying down and resting. I remind myself that it’ll pass, and if it comes again, it will pass again after that. Even if Lyme sometimes takes over my mind, it doesn’t have to take over my life.

__________________

**Comment**

Please keep in mind that although Dr. Rawls is a doctor, he’s now in the business of selling herbs.

Category:

Lyme, Psychological Aspects, Treatment

Regaining Control Of Your Day, Life – Why Agency is Important For Lyme Warriors

https://globallymealliance.org/regaining-control-day-life-agency-important-lyme-warriors/

Copy-of-MyLymeLife_2-4-1

by Jennifer Crystal

Agency—or, having a voice, having the power to make free choices about issues related to you or your body—has been a big buzzword in the news lately. I’ve been thinking about the word in the context of my own life.

For nine months, I was in a serious relationship with a man who seemingly understood and supported my needs as a chronic Lyme patient. And then, suddenly and without warning, I wasn’t. He decided he was done and simply informed me of his choice; I had no say in the matter.

Had the breakup happened mutually, or at least over time—with the discussion and effort we’d promised each other—it still would have been difficult, but at least I would have had some agency. And for a patient of chronic illness, that’s not a small thing.

Having the bottom drop out on my personal and emotional life was a sad reminder of the ways it had dropped out on me physically, many times. The chronically ill, and people who suddenly become sick or injured, are stripped of agency. It happens when we get sick without warning, when we can’t control how or if we’ll get better, when we’re dismissed by medical professionals. As a result, it’s that much more frustrating when we can have a say about something, but aren’t granted it.

Everyone deserves a voice. I learned this years ago as a summer camp counselor. During counselor meetings we would discuss issues campers were having due to behavioral challenges. A wise colleague taught us that every child needs four things: love, safety, fun, and power. When one of those basic needs is threatened, kids act out. I readily understood why children need love, safety, and fun. But I realized they need power, too, because they are often told what they can and cannot do; they don’t feel like they have a say over their lives. Giving them agency makes them feel more in control. Campers were less likely to break cabin rules if they helped create them.

When a Lyme Literate Medical Doctor (LLMD) finally put the pieces of my medical puzzle together and made an accurate diagnosis of Lyme disease—in addition to the co-infections babesia and ehrlichia—I at last felt I was heard and validated. Treatment was long and arduous and I had little control over how I felt day to day, but as I regained strength, I also regained agency. Over time, I could rely on my body more. I eventually knew when I would have good energy and when I wouldn’t, and learned habits to promote the good energy. I learned to speak up for my needs. Tick-borne illnesses were no longer completely running my life.

Then the bottom dropped out again: I relapsed. I fell into a pit of despair, not only because I was physically back at ground zero, but because I’d had no say in getting there. Sure, I’d taken on a lot and gotten overly stressed, factors that I now know can play a role in relapse. But the relapse itself was not my doing. That was up to the spirochetesthat ran rampant in my body. I hated that I was once again at the whim of my illnesses, not of my own free will. I couldn’t work, live independently, exercise or do anything I wanted to do, and I railed against that loss of freedom.

Cognitive behavioral therapy helped me to take control over little things, even though so much was out of my hands. I had no say as to whether the antibiotics would work, how long it would take for me to get well, or if I even would. But I could control choices that would help my chances of my achieving remission. I could parse out my energy. I could limit screen time that riled up my neurological symptoms. I could eat healthy foods. I could say no to going somewhere or doing something when I didn’t feel well enough to do so.

And I could say no even if I did feel well enough to do something. One night during my recovery, my parents invited me out to dinner. It was a sweet and generous offer. They were surprised when I declined, because I seemed to have good energy that night. Why wouldn’t I go out if I could? But I didn’t want to go out to dinner. I wanted to stay home and have a little time to myself, maybe call a friend. Making decisions about what I wanted to do, instead of feeling like I had to do something just because I could, was an important way of maintaining agency.

We can’t always guard against the bottom dropping out in life. But sick or healthy, it’s important that we allow ourselves agency over those small things we can control. And it’s especially important for us to respect others enough to give them a say over matters that pertain to them or their bodies. We all want to take part in our own lives, not have life just happen to us. Everyone deserves that power!

Opinions expressed by contributors are their own.

Jennifer Crystal is a writer and educator in Boston. She has written a memoir, One Tick Stopped the Clock, for which she is seeking representation. Contact her at: lymewarriorjennifercrystal@gmail.com. 

 

 

 

Category:

Activism, Lyme, Psychological Aspects

Biofilms: What Are They? How Do They Impact Chronic Infections?

https://www.galaxydx.com/biofilms-bartonella-borrelia-chronic-infections/

written on

By Galaxy Labs

Biofilms: What are they? How do they impact chronic infections?

Chronic infections can persist for various reasons. A weakened host immune system may provide a suitable environment for bacteria to thrive long-term. Likewise, re-infections could take place due to shared habitats between host and vector. The ability for tick-borne pathogens, like Bartonella and Borrelia, to form biofilms is another possibility that clinicians and researchers are actively exploring.

What is a “biofilm”?

A biofilm is composed of microbes that colonize and aggregate on a moist surface. The colony can be composed of a single bacterial species, or a heterogenous mixture of species that include microorganisms such as fungi and/or protozoa. The plaque that builds up on teeth and leads to painful cavities is one example of a biofilm. Bacteria can also collect on surfaces of the body that are not so easily monitored, such as the vascular system.

Biofilm formation typically begins when cells encounter stressors that trigger production of specialized attachment proteins and structures. The structures, called pili, allow for initial attachment to a moist surface while the proteins, or adhesins, make the cells “sticky”.

Once adhered to a suitable surface the cell begins secreting a slimy material, called extracellular polymeric substance, which causes an accumulation of cells over time. As the colony develops an outer layer composed of sugars and minerals is created which allows for the cells inside to interact.

The resulting colony begins to behave a bit like a multicellular organism. Despite the outer layer offering a protective barrier, it is difficult for internal cells to access nutrients that are necessary for cellular division. Cells must communicate via signaling pathways called quorum sensing to overcome this challenge.

Some cells will adopt specialized functions to keep the entire unit alive. An example is the creation of channels that can facilitate transport of water and nutrients Over time, biofilms cause damage to the attached surface and individual cells can leave the colony to create colonies elsewhere.

The main reasons for biofilm formation are survival strategies during stressful events like:

  • Reduced needs when resources are limited– Nutrient deprivation can lead to aggregation of cells because less energy is needed as a group.
  • Protection from antibiotics– The outer layer protects the group from antibiotics penetrating cells that are located inside. Some cells in the colony may also absorb additional antibiotics in a self-sacrifice role that protects the colony. Research shows that antibiotics can be up to 80% less effective against biofilms.
  • Protection from immune system– Like antibiotics, host immune cells cannot easily invade the biofilm because normal surface proteins on the bacteria are concealed by the outer layer.
  • Combined resources with other species– In one research example, Borrelia lymphocytoma samples contained DNA from Chlamydia species in the biofilm. Researchers hypothesized that the bacteria formed a symbiotic relationship in order to survive long-term.

Clinical Relevance

Biofilm formation is a well-known issue for medical equipment in hospital settings. Bacteria, such as Pseudomonas species, colonize moist tracheal tubes and then cause human infections when used again. Despite the hospital using proper cleaning protocols between procedures, bacteria remain because antimicrobials are not effective. Furthermore, the infections that result are often antibiotic resistant.

Bartonella and Borrelia species have both been shown to form biofilms in both laboratory settings as well as human clinical samples. A large amount of research is delving into how biofilm formation occurs in humans and whether chronic infections can be attributed to it.

B. henselae and B. quintana form biofilms on heart valves in cases of Bartonella endocarditis. Studies show that these cases may be linked to patients that already had heart valve disease, so the bacteria are able to easily colonize the damaged tissue. However, research has shown these species can produce large amounts of adhesins that promote biofilm formation. Therefore, when Bartonella species are present, they can “stick” to the fibrous heart valve tissue and slowly aggregate.

When bacteria form biofilms, they become more than the sum of their parts. This impacts human health from sanitation to infection treatment. As one more piece of the puzzle that suggests medicine is moving beyond the “one pathogen, one disease model,” researchers are now looking at how biofilms and their combined host protein and multi-species bacterial makeup affect treatment options.

References

Kumar, A. et al. (2017). Biofilms: Survival and defense strategy for pathogens. International Journal of Microbiology, 307(8), 481-489. doi:10.1016/j.ijmm.2017.09.016 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/319965153_Biofilms_Survival_and_defense_strategy_for_pathogens

Okaro, U. et al. (2017). Bartonella species, an emerging cause of blood-culture-negative endocarditis. Clinical Microbiology Reviews, 30(3), 709-746. doi:10.1128/CMR.00013-17 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28490579

Sapi, E. et al. (2019). Borrelia and Chlamydia can form mixed biofilms in infected human skin tissues. European Journal of Microbiology and Immunology, 9(2), 46-55. doi:10.1556/1886.2019.00003 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31223496

Timmaraju, V. A. et al. (2015). Biofilm formation by Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato. FEMS Microbiology Letters, 362(15), fnv120. doi:10.1093/femsle/fnv120 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26208529

Di Domenico, E. G. et al. (2018). The emerging role of microbial biofilm in Lyme neuroborreliosis. Frontiers in Neurology, 9, 1048. doi:10.3389/fneur.2018.01048 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30559713

Okaro, U. et al. (2019). The trimeric autotransporter adhesin BadA is required for in vitro biofilm formation by Bartonella henselae. NPJ Biofilms and Microbiomes, 5, 10. doi:10.1038/s41522-019-0083-8 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30886729

Snoussi, M. et al. (2018). Heterogeneous absorption of antimicrobial peptide LL37 in Escherichia coli cells enhances population survivability. eLife.2018,7:e38174. doi:10.7554/eLife.38174 https://elifesciences.org/articles/38174

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For more:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/09/29/microscopy-of-spirochaete-biofilm/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/05/29/mixed-borrelia-burgdorferi-helicobacter-pylori-biofilms-in-morgellons-disease-dermatological-specimens/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/04/19/first-study-showing-borrelia-chlamydia-mixed-biofilms-in-infected-human-skin-tissues/

Great article on Biofilm: https://www.bayarealyme.org/blog/straight-talk-biofilms-new-answer-treating-lyme-disease/

Another one on possible treatments: https://www.tiredoflyme.com/biofilm.html

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2016/02/13/lyme-disease-treatment/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2016/01/03/bartonella-treatment/

 

Category:

Uncategorized

A Man Went to the Optometrist With Something Stuck in His Eye. The Doctor Pulled Out a Tick

https://www.cnn.com/2019/07/16/us/kentucky-man-tick-in-eyeball-trnd/index.html

A man went to the optometrist with something stuck in his eye. The doctor pulled out a tick.

(CNN) Kentucky electrical worker Chris Prater douses himself in insect repellent every day to beat the bugs he encounters on the job.
But all his spraying couldn’t spare him from a pernicious tick that found in the one spot he couldn’t swat — his eyeball.
“You can’t spray your eyes,” he told CNN affiliate WYMT.
The teeny parasite fought its way into Prater’s eye some time during a July tree-cutting job in Johnson County, he explained.
Prater didn’t originally think anything of the irritation before the diagnosis. It must’ve been the sawdust that got caught in his eyeball, he thought, and he could easily flush it out later.
Flush he did, but the discomfort persisted. Prater begrudgingly saw an optometrist who broke the news — a deer tick had taken up residence in his cornea.
Before Prater could wrap his head around it, the doctor numbed his eye and plucked the pest out with tweezers.
The tick made a “little popping sound” as it was pulled out, he said.
The doctor sent him off with antibiotics and a prescription for steroid eye drops. And Prater left with one less living thing sharing his body.

Forget why ticks are terrible? Let’s review

When it comes to finding new ways to freak people out, the bloodsucking disease-spreading parasite just won’t quit.
Prater’s tick-in-the-eye isn’t even the first reported: an eye doctor recounted yanking a live tick out of a man’s eye in a 2011 report from the American Academy of Ophthalmology.
And they’re not partial to eyeballs, either. A 9-year-old boy in Connecticut returned from a romp at the playground to find a tick embedded in his ear, feeding on the blood from his eardrum tissue. If it hadn’t been removed, doctors said the tick’s tissue-munching might’ve impaired his hearing.
Oh, and researchers recently discovered that a species that has learned to clone itself and is predicted to “soon occupy a large swath of eastern North America.”
In short: thank you, ticks, for absolutely nothing.
___________________
For more:
So, here’s the question to entomologists who claim ticks don’t drop from trees…..how did this man get a tick in his eye while cutting a tree?
https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2017/07/13/tv-anchor-speaks-out-about-lyme-disease/  I met Mike in person and he stands by his story that he was bit by a nymphal tick that dropped from a tree onto him when he was at a garden party on a deck.
Again, I’ve personally had ticks on my basement screens after a local farmer cut grass and blew them toward my house. Some even made it inside onto my basement walls, where they were promptly crucified.

Category:

Lyme, Ticks

Seronegative Chronic Relapsing Neuroborreliosis

https://www.change.org/p/the-us-senate-calling-for-a-congressional-investigation-of-the-cdc-idsa-and-aldf/u/24834661?

Seronegative Chronic Relapsing Neuroborreliosis

JUL 17, 2019 — 

The letter below was forwarded to the Tick-Borne Disease Working Group as a follow-up to the first letter sent to Auwaerter which can be viewed here: https://www.change.org/p/the-us-senate-calling-for-a-congressional-investigation-of-the-cdc-idsa-and-aldf/u/24825076

Lyme Bumper Stickers (Public Service Announcement)
https://www.ebay.com/itm/123659578861

WAKE UP AMERICA!

 

———- Original Message ———-
From: CARL TUTTLE <runagain@comcast.net>
To: tickbornedisease@hhs.gov, chris.smith@mail.house.gov
Cc: (98 Undisclosed recipients)
Date: July 17, 2019 at 11:49 AM
Subject: Re: Lyme disease often misdiagnosed, resulting in unnecessary antibiotics

To the Tick-Borne Disease Working Group,

Please see my second letter below (and attachment) to Dr. Auwaerter referencing Seronegative Chronic Relapsing Neuroborreliosis. 

-Carl Tuttle

2nd Letter to Auwaerter:

——- Original Message ———-
From: CARL TUTTLE <runagain@comcast.net>
To: Paul Auwaerter <pauwaert@jhmi.edu>
Cc: psax@bwh.harvard.edu, jli@bwh.harvard.edu, cbusky@idsociety.org, tkobaya5@jhmi.edu, jmstiglich@healio.com, infectiousdisease@healio.com
Date: July 17, 2019 at 11:41 AM
Subject: Re: Lyme disease often misdiagnosed, resulting in unnecessary antibiotics

Lyme disease often misdiagnosed, resulting in unnecessary antibiotics
Kobayashi T, et. Open Forum Infect Dis. 2019;doi:10.1093/ofid/ofz299.

July 17, 2019

The IDSA Foundation
1300 Wilson Boulevard Suite 300
Arlington, VA 22209
Attn:  Paul Auwaerter, vice chair of the IDSA Foundation

Dear Dr. Auwaerter,

While you contemplate your response to my inquiry requesting grant money for the purpose of proficiency testing of direct detection methods for Borrelia (DNA Sequencing). I would like to point out the following 1995 case study from Stony Brook Lyme Clinic.

I understand the patient received thirteen spinal taps, multiple courses of IV and oral meds, and relapsed after each one, proven by CSF antigens and/or PCR. The only way this patient (said to be a physician) remained in remission was to keep her on open ended clarithromycin- was on it for 22 months by the time of publication.

Seronegative Chronic Relapsing Neuroborreliosis.  
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7796837

Lawrence C.a · Lipton R.B.b · Lowy F.D.c · Coyle P.K.d

aDepartment of Medicine, bDepartment of Neurology, and cDivision of Infectious Diseases, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and dDepartment of Neurology, State University of New York at Stony Brook, New York, NY., USA

Eur Neurol 1995; 35:113–117  (DOI:10.1159/000117104)

Abstract

We report an unusual patient with evidence of Borrelia burgdorferi infection who experienced repeated neurologic relapses despite aggressive antibiotic therapy. Each course of therapy was associated with a Jarisch-Herxheimer-like reaction. Although the patient never had detectable free antibodies to B. burgdorferi in serum or spinal fluid, the CSF was positive on multiple occasions for complexed anti-B. burgdorferi antibodies, B. burgdorferi nucleic acids and free antigen.

________________________

This is not the only case where a negative antibody response was identified. In fact I have attached the following document referencing:

Seronegativity in Lyme borreliosis and Other Spirochetal Infections

https://www.dropbox.com/s/3d6m45jzlhhwalu/Seronegativity.pdf?dl=0

“If false results are to be feared, it is the false negative result which holds the greatest peril for the patient.”

Your publication in Open Forum Infectious Diseases and the Healio article is suggesting that a patient couldn’t possibly have Lyme if they don’t test positive on the outdated two-tier testing algorithm. This is misleading to the reader and the medical community.

Please see the following article regarding the difficulty in diagnosing Lyme disease:

The Staggering Cost of Lyme Disease and Other Tick-Borne Illnesses

PR Newswire July 10, 2019

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/staggering-cost-lyme-disease-other-123600606.html

According to the survey:

-45% of patients needed more than three years to obtain the proper diagnosis

-65% of patients were forced to quit a job or cut back on their hours due to their symptoms

-24% of patients saw more than ten doctors before receiving a proper diagnosis

-86% of patients suffer from long-term side effects from not having been diagnosed sooner

Researchers hope that the survey will help educate the public on the risks associated with delaying testing or relying on old testing techniques. “In our view, many patients are missed because much of the testing recommended by general practitioners is based on technology from 25 years ago,” says Dr. Shah. “Science has progressed, and we can now give patients a much more accurate diagnosis than was available years ago.”

_________________________________

Dr. Auwaerter, how many Lyme patients were turned away from your clinic and left untreated because they did not test positive through unreliable serology?

It is time to move forward and find a better approach. Please stop this nonsense.

Sincerely,

Carl Tuttle

Lyme Endemic Hudson, NH

____________________

**Comment**

One of the best quotes on abysmal serology testing:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2017/07/09/idsa-founder-used-potent-iv-antibiotics-for-chronic-lyme/

“Setting arbitrary level of antibodies to diagnose a disease that has not been amenable to Koch’s postulates seems open to question.  By the same token, ignoring antibody results unless they meet arbitrary levels seems suspect. The vast majority of patients in this series showed some WB antibody exposure, but many did not meet the arbitrary limits set….in our present state of knowledge, the diagnosis of chronic Lyme disease is a clinical one.  Many of the patients in this series have suffered serious ‘hurts’ when they have been told that they could not have LD because their WB did not meet arbitrary limits.”  – Dr. Waisbren (RIP)

 

Category:

Activism, Lyme, Testing