Archive for November, 2020

Confused Woman With Anaplasmosis & Babesia Podcast

https://danielcameronmd.com/anaplasmosis-and-babesia-infection-cause-cognitive-impairment/  Go Here for Podcast

LYME PODCAST: A CONFUSED WOMAN WITH ANAPLASMOSIS AND BABESIA INFECTION

confused woman with Anaplasmosis and Babesia infection

Welcome to an Inside Lyme case study. I find that the best way to get to know Lyme disease is through reviewing actual cases.  I will be discussing a 78-year-old confused woman with an Anaplasmosis and Babesia infection.

By
 

A 78-year-old woman was evaluated in an emergency room with fever, chills, lethargy, fatigue, and confusion. Her maximum temperature was 100.6° F.

Her blood tests were quite abnormal. She had severe anemia, low white blood count, and low platelet count.

• Anemia (dropped from 10.5 g/dL to a low of 8 g/dL)
• Leukopenia (dropped from 5.0 × 10 9 /L to 2.6 × 10 9 /L)
• Thrombocytopenia (dropped to 39 × 10 9 /L)

The doctor initially considered sepsis. Sepsis is a potentially life-threatening illness triggered by an infection. The body’s immune response can be so strong that the body can attack itself and can lead to organ damage and death.

ANAPLASMOSIS AND BABESIA INFECTION

She also had multiple tick bites.

The doctors were able to identify the parasite that causes a Babesia infection in the woman’s red blood cells under the microscope. Babesia is a disease transmitted by the same tick that carries Lyme disease.

The doctors prescribed a combination of atovaquone and azithromycin for her Babesia infection. These medications are marketed under the names Mepron and Zithromax in the US.

The doctors were also concerned that the woman might suffer from another tick-borne illness called Anaplasmosis because of her low white blood count and low platelet count. Anaplasmosis had previously been called Ehrlichia.

The combination of atovaquone and azithromycin is not effective for Anaplasmosis. The doctors added doxycycline to the woman’s treatment.

The laboratory test confirmed that she had, in fact, an anaplasmosis and babesia infection. The IgM tests were positive for both conditions consistent with early infection.

The woman’s cognitive function improved dramatically following two weeks of treatment, according to the authors.

What can we learn from these cases?

  1. Tick-borne diseases can lead to confusion in the elderly.
  2. An individual with a tick-borne infection can be confused with sepsis.

What questions do these cases raise?

  1. How many elderly with tick-borne illnesses are confused?
  2. What if the parasites associated with the Babesia infection had not been seen in the red blood cells under the microscope? Would the woman have been diagnosed in a timely manner for Babesia?
  3. What would have happened to the woman if the doctors had not considered Anaplasmosis?
  4. What would have happened to the woman if the doctors had stopped treatment if the tests were negative?
  5. What is the long-term outcome for the elderly with tick-borne infections? Could the woman’s short term confusion described in this case lead to long term confusion?

TREATING TICK-BORNE DISEASE IN MY PRACTICE

In my practice, each individual requires a careful assessment. That is why I order a broad range of blood tests for other illnesses in addition to tick-borne infections. I also arrange consultations with specialists as needed.

Many patients are complex, as highlighted in this Inside Lyme Podcast series.

We need more doctors with skills diagnosing and treating Lyme disease in the elderly. We hope that a professional evaluating the elderly can use this case to remind them to look for Lyme disease and co-infections and treat accordingly.

Inside Lyme Podcast Series

This Inside Lyme case series will be discussed on my Facebook and made available on podcast and YouTube.  As always, it is your likes, comments, and shares that help spread the word about this series and our work. If you can, please leave a review on iTunes or wherever else you get your podcasts.

Sign up for our newsletter to keep up with our cases.

References:
  1. Paparone P, Paparone PW. Variable clinical presentations of babesiosis. Nurse Pract. 2018;43(10):48-54.

______________________

**Comment**

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2016/03/08/anaplasmosis/

Treatment recommendation:

The optimal dose and duration of antibiotic treatment for anaplasmosis has not been definitively established, but it is clear that A. phagocytophilum is highly sensitive to tetracyclines. Thus, oral doxycycline is the recommended treatment, at the same dose used for Ehrlichia infections: 200 mg/day in two divided doses. The usual treatment duration is 5-10 days, which is extended if there is suspected coinfection with B. burgdorferi, the agent of Lyme disease. In any case, treatment should continue for at least three days after the patient’s fever resolves. Response to treatment is usually rapid; if the patient remains febrile more than two or three days after initiation of doxycycline therapy, the diagnosis should be revisited.  As with Ehrlichia infections, rifampin is used in cases where doxycycline is contraindicated, such as pregnancy or allergy.

The CDC recommends a lower dosage. Lyme literate doctors know that some people need higher dosages. This is an important issue that has kept some from getting better. Consider and discuss with your practitioner.

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2016/01/16/babesia-treatment/

Please see article for various treatments.  Dr. Horowitz states that Babesia is one of the most tenacious coinfections he deals with.  He recommends treatment of 9-12 months.  Studies have also shown that mono therapies like the singular use of Mepron to be ineffective as the pathogens develop resistance to it.  Lyme literate doctors typically utilize an overlapping treatment with numerous modalities to prevent this from happening.  I’ve heard many professionals state that once you start treating Babesia you need to see it through to completion.  So don’t start until you mean business and then stick it out.  Treatment is typically 3 weeks on, one week off.  In this article I state the treatment that worked for both my husband and I.  

FYI: Two weeks of treatment is hardly ever sufficient.

Category:

Anaplasmosis, Babesia, research, Ticks

Jack’s Lyme Story

https://globallymealliance.org/jacks-story/

Jack’s Story

This blog post is part of our People to Highlight Series during our 2020 Year-end appeal.  Each week we’ll be spotlighting a GLA community member who has helped to advance our mission.  To support GLA: DONATE HERE

by Jack Terry

Lyme disease has impacted my life incredibly, both in the present and in retrospect. I experienced a variety of symptoms, including but not limited to overwhelming fatigue, bone and joint pain, frequent headaches, trouble focusing, and neuropathy. After a few years of depression symptoms that never seemed to greatly improve, it was time for a change. We tried a holistic approach, testing my physical health too; at long last, we got an answer when my Lyme test came back positive.

For years I wasn’t sure if what I was experiencing was real. I wasn’t seeing any improvement with my mental health, and over time more and more physical symptoms came up

Being diagnosed with Lyme disease has given me many answers for a variety of health episodes in the past, such as kidney failure. My diagnois has been debilitating because Lyme disease is challenging, yet productive because I feel more connected to my body and what I need to be doing for it to feel its best. For years I wasn’t sure if what I was experiencing was real. I wasn’t seeing any improvement with my mental health, and over time more and more physical symptoms came up.

One simple blood test has given me my life back, and I’d encourage anyone looking for a potential answer to consider looking into Lyme disease if they are dealing with unexplained symptoms.

Since being diagnosed and having treatment, my situation has improved immensely, but I am far from fully recovered. The numerous antibiotics, supplements, and IV treatments can only help so much.
FINDING AN ALLIANCE
Jack Terry & Parents
Jack (on right) with his Mom and Dad.

My mom was the one who found Global Lyme Alliance. She is an avid researcher, and she searched endlessly for ways to help myself and people like me. That’s how she came across GLA. Global Lyme Alliance has given me hope. Knowing that there’s a community dedicated to helping those who suffer from this debilitating disease helps because I know that it’s not in my head. They make me feel heard, unlike some doctors I’ve seen in the past.

It’s so difficult to give back to an organization that already gives so much, but I decided to use the GLA platform to start a fundraiser for Lyme disease. I created the fundraiser for two reasons: to help fund important research for improving diagnostic tests and to spread awareness of how debilitating this disease is for those not treated soon enough. It frustrates me that countless people are undiagnosed and suffering from this illness without knowing the root cause; nobody should have to experience the pain endured from chronic Lyme.

I was overwhelmed with the number of people who showed their support to me and others like me. I raised over $8,300 for GLA. With this fundraiser, I felt like I was able to support a group that cares so much about this cause. If we all joined together, imagine the progress we could make!

As you may know, GLA is solely funded by donor support. Due to COVID-19, we have been unable to hold our usual fundraising events. Please donate below if you’d like to support GLA, our programs, and our mission.

Category:

Activism, Lyme

Dr. Murakami, Lyme and the Hero’s Journey

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/dr-murakami-lyme-heros-journey-lori-dennis-ma-rp/ Used with permission

DR. MURAKAMI, LYME AND THE HERO’S JOURNEY

Photo Credit:  http://murakamicentreforlyme.org/About%20Dr%20Murakami.htm

By Lori Dennis, MA,RP
Registered Psychotherapist
 

In 1997, Apple created an award-winning ad campaign called “Think Different.” The creative text written by Rob Siltanen went like this:

Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.

This copy was a huge hit. Why? Because we love the underdog, the hero, the so-called “crazy ones” who break the rules in the name of justice. We love this copy because we relate to it. We love it because it hits a nerve. We love it because we know, without question, that it’s the so-called crazy ones, the ones who go against the grain, the ones who have the courage to stand up to the powers that be, that push for change, who we root for and admire.

Think of David and Goliath, Nelson Mandela, Erin Brockovich, Norma Rae. Everyone loves an underdog. We can relate to this unlikely quintessential hero who has to work hard for his or her heroism. Fight hard for his or her cause. We long to support this archetypal character in movies, plays, literature, fables—and in real life.

The underdog allows us to root for the seemingly less powerful one, revel in a success story, feel something deeply, have our hearts and our minds captured by someone worthy of our attention and admiration. While so many doctors are reluctant, even terrified, to speak out about chronic Lyme disease, there are some true heroes in the Canadian Lyme story.

Dr. Ernie Murakami of Hope, British Columbia, is one of these Canadian heroes. A rebel with just cause. This passionate and highly compassionate eighty-four-year-old former MD and chronic Lyme activist is a voice of reason in the Canadian Lyme War. Murakami has been dedicated to understanding and healing chronic Lyme disease for much of his career.

Dr. Murakami is beloved because he is one of those round pegs in a square hole. Unlike the majority of doctors in this country, he is determined to help Lyme sufferers and to make sacrifices to do so. We admire him because he “gets it,” because he is generous with time and knowledge, and because he cares.

This man has a big heart.

Throughout his medical career, having a degree in bacteriology and immunology, he directly treated more than 3,000 people with chronic Lyme disease, and another 6,000 indirectly. In 2008, after years of being investigated, bullied, and harassed by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia, he relinquished his medical license.

He suffered at the hands of the College and it affected his health and well-being. Upon the insistence of his wife—who was worried about his health—he eventually decided to give up his license and find other ways to keep serving the Lyme community. But not without a good college try.

Today he stays in the Lyme world by teaching naturopaths in British Columbia how to treat chronic Lyme, by providing free information to medical doctors, and by focusing on his breakthrough research on cannabidiol (CBD)—a derivative of the hemp plant, which is an effective treatment for symptomatic control for Lyme and other chronic illnesses. He also makes himself accessible to support and direct Lyme sufferers by phone or by text when approached.

When I was in the throes of writing Lyme Madness in 2015, I had the pleasure of speaking with Dr. Murakami. Here is what he had to say:

“The medical profession has been misdiagnosing Lyme disease for decades. In Canada, we have the highest M.S. cases in the world according to the MS International Society and we have the lowest Borrelia Burgdorferi cases in the world according to WHO (World Health Organization).

Germany has reported nearly one million cases of Lyme disease in one year recently as evidenced by the cases of Chronic Erythematous Migrans rash clinical diagnosis and laboratory tests. The temperature and environment is the same in Canada as in Germany but we barely come close to the reported number of cases. Canada reports that it has the lowest numbers of Lyme disease in the world by WHO and the highest number of Multiple Sclerosis cases in the world 240-340/100,000 population. No other country comes close to this figure.

Germany’s land size is 349,2233 square kilometers and Canada has 9,982,679 square kilometers or twenty eight times the land size and the rapid warming effect of the world is identical up to the Arctic circle in Canada and the European continent. It is long overdue that we demand an explanation and in my personal feeling a very obvious MISDIAGNOSIS by our medical profession.

The test results and interpretations of them that patients get from infectious disease doctors are seriously wrong because these doctors are uninformed, misinformed and closed-minded about chronic Lyme. In medical school, we are not taught about the Lyme spirochete and the survival forms which require specific prolonged therapy. Instead, the IDSA teaches members that thirty days is all that is needed to cure this disease at any stage.

The ELISA and Western Blot antibody tests are the same around the world. Our results in Canada indicate that there are very low numbers testing positive in Canada. This is not true.

And without question, the long-term use of antibiotics to treat chronic Lyme has more benefits than risks. I’ve seen what this disease can do to people when it’s not treated long term. It can disable people for life.

Because there is not one doctor in Canada who can or will treat Lyme sufferers with antibiotics for more than the 28-day IDSA sanctioned protocol, we are being forced to tap into ‘out of country’ for Lyme treatment—primarily in the US. We are forcing patients to spend upwards of $50,000 for treatment.

Canadian doctors, like myself, who are vocal about treating chronic Lyme have been shut down. It’s never stated directly. But they will harass you and bully you until you’ve had enough. They make you seem incompetent. That’s what happened to me.”

Murakami says doctors regularly phone him for advice about how to treat patients but don’t want anyone to know that they’re consulting with him for fear they will be investigated by their Colleges or peers. He continues,

“My colleagues are all afraid that what happened to me will happen to them.

“The only colleague of mine who stood by my side was Dr. Pat McGeer, Neurological Disease Researcher at UBC and because of his support, he no longer has a license. We have both suffered the same fate because we chose to help Lyme patients.

In my case, the College made me seem incompetent. I couldn’t keep attending their mandated professional development lectures. In my career, I’ve gotten lots of letters of support and commendations. Yet they hired two doctors and sent them to my office—after 40 years of practice—to oversee my work. I ended up with hypertension, ulcers, mild strokes, bleeding bowels. My wife begged me to quit so I resigned, gave up my license. I was condemned for making people better.

The medical world is petrified to diagnose or treat this disease because they will be investigated. It’s tragic. When it comes to chronic Lyme, there is pathological denial. I don’t understand the resistance but I was a victim of it like all of the sufferers out there.”

Murakami’s passion is his research into the use of cannabidiol for the treatment of Lyme disease, as well as cancer, epilepsy, and other chronic illnesses. Says Murakami,

“In the past 20 years, since my first case of this disease when the patients were telling me that when all the standard medications were not helping the severe symptoms of pain, arthritis, fatigue, depression (with suicidal ideation), mental fog with multi-organ failure, they resorted to smoking marijuana.

I was deathly against the use of pot and smoking but I was becoming more interested in the benefits mentally and physically and I directed them to use the cannabidiol oil or paste since there were no psychoactive effects.“

When Murakami learned that he, himself, had an asymptomatic brain tumor—discovered after hitting his head on a beam while playing hockey with his grandson—it led him to investigate the treatment of a brain malignancy. It was then that he came across the use of cannabidiol in dissolving a glioma tumor. Says Murakami,

“I thought this was an impossibility until I saw the MRI reports showing the absolute gradual resolution of the tumor in four months. Other anecdotal cases of cannabidiol treating chronic infections resistant to standard antibiotics convinced me that there was an antibiotic effect with cannabidiol. Patients who had used CBD for up to three years and were unable to continue due to the cost found their symptoms of Lyme disease did not return. CBD appears to also be effective treating other co-infections as well. This made me suspect a potential antibiotic effect on Lyme disease and co-infections.”

Dr. Murakami continues to be involved in the E. Murakami Centre for Lyme: Research, Education and Assistance Society and still answers inquiries.

To those of us in the Canadian Lyme world, Dr. Ernie Murakami will always be a true hero. A doctor who cared enough to risk his own profession, and sacrifice his own health and well-being to support and care for Lyme sufferers from coast to coast. We are all indebted to him, his expertise and his humanitarian efforts that go above and beyond the call of duty.

Lori Dennis, MA, RP is a Registered Psychotherapist and the author of LYME MADNESS, named #1 NEW RELEASE in Immune System Health on Amazon. LYME MADNESS is available on Amazon. For more information on Lyme Madness, go to loridennisonline.com. 

(Above is an excerpt from Lyme Madness – pp 302-309)

Postscript: This past January 27th 2017, Dr. Murakami’s beloved wife Patricia passed away after a prolonged illness, with her husband by her side. She is survived by Dr. Murakami, her sister Lucy, and daughter Julie, sons Paul and Douglas, granddaughter Emily and grandson Che. Patricia met and married Dr. Ernie Murakami at a hospital where she was working as a psychologist and Moved to Hope B.C. and was employed by the upper Fraser Valley School Board as a child psychologist.

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**Comment**
 
I recently wrote about the AMA’s sordid history of condemning anything that competes with their allopathic products (tests, treatments, vaccines, etc).  Right now, they are going after homeopathy:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2020/11/13/fda-declares-homeopathic-medicine-illegal-help-save-it/  History lesson in the comment section.
 
  • In short it took 11 years of continual litigation by some chiropractors who had had enough of the bullying to finally win their case which put a “cease and desist” order into place against the AMA for its concerted actions against the chiropractic profession.
  • It also took years for a “cease and desist” order against the AMA’s “seal of approval” on food products, which supplicants paid for.  They didn’t even have the lab equipment to test food!  Meanwhile, the FDA seized many of these products due to decomposed animal substances in them.

Yes, the AMA, CDC, and other large organizations are all about monopolizing medicine:

  • People were arrested for giving away booklets on vitamins.   Others received fines and prison sentences.  Injury was never alleged.
  • Heavily armed SWAT teams, often in the dead of night, broke down doors to capture elderly women and their stocks of herbal teas.
  • A Dr. Mendelsohn called modern medicine “The Church of Death,” whose Four Holy Waters are 1) immunizations 2) fluoridated water 3) IV fluids 4) silver nitrate.
 
 
 
 
 

Here we learn Facebook and Google spent $700 Million to “Buy off the press”:  https://www.naturalnews.com/2020-10-27-facebook-google-spent-700-million-buy-off-the-press

Name-calling and bullying are the new ‘science’: https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2020/07/25/anti-vax-labelling-and-the-mainstream-media-who-is-coordinating-this/  They’ve done this with masks as well – equating anyone who doesn’t wear a mask as someone who is killing grandma.  Ludicrous!
 
And just today an article titled, “AMA: Docs Must Fight False Facts, Belittlement of Science,” came out with the president of the AMA stating:
 
“Never again can we allow anti-science bias and rhetoric to undermine our public health institutions and discredit the work of physicians, scientists and researchers.”  https://www.medpagetoday.com/meetingcoverage/ama/89677
 
The article doesn’t state exactly what this “anti-science” bias is but please remember that numerous articles on COVID have been retracted due to horrible science.  Also, when you understand the AMA’s long history of bullying any medicine that conflicts with their own lucrative allopathic treatments it becomes clearer that a doctor recommending vitamins would be considered “anti-science.”  
 
When you study the history of AMA bullying doctors and scientists such as Andrew Wakefield, Judy Mikovitz, various Lyme doctors, etc, it becomes clearer that this is NOT about unscientific rhetoric, it’s about control.  

For more:  http://murakamicentreforlyme.org/Home.htm

Category:

Activism, Lyme, Treatment

Bartonella Induced Persistent Mechanical Hypersensitivity in Mice Observed (Which Means Pain For Us)

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33146308/

Bartonella henselae infection induces a persistent mechanical hypersensitivity in mice

Rev Inst Med Trop Sao Paulo

. 2020 Oct 30;62:e79

doi: 10.1590/S1678-9946202062079.eCollection 2020.

Gislaine Vieira-Damiani 1 2, Amanda Roberta de Almeida 1, Marilene Neves Silva 1, Bruno Groseli Lania 1, Tânia Cristina Benetti Soares 1, Marina Rovani Drummond 1, Karina A Lins 1, Marna Ericson 3, Kalpna Gupta 4, Paulo Eduardo Neves Ferreira Velho 1 5

Free PMC article

Abstract

Bartonella spp. are re-emerging and neglected bacterial pathogens. The natural reservoirs for several species of this genus are domestic animals such as cats and dogs, the most common pets in the USA and Brazil. Some cat studies suggest that the infection is more prevalent in tropical and poverty-stricken areas. These bacteria were associated with a wide spectrum of clinical manifestations:

  • fever of unknown origin
  • endocarditis
  • angiomatosis
  • chronic lymphadenopathy
  • hepatitis
  • fatigue
  • paresthesia and pain

Our group has already demonstrated that B. henselae -infected sickle cell disease mice present with hyperalgesia. We hypothesized that even immunocompetent mice infected by B. henselae would show an increased and persistent mechanical sensitivity. Five ten-week old male BALB/c mice were intraperitoneally inoculated with a 30 µL of suspension containing 10 4 CFU/mL of B. henselae, while five others were inoculated with an equal volume of saline solution. Four days after bacterial inoculation, the mechanical paw withdrawal threshold was measured using von Frey filaments in all animals, for five consecutive days.

The infected animals showed hypersensitivity to mechanical stimuli for five consecutive days. The present study has demonstrated that B. henselae infection induces persistent mechanical hypersensitivity, a signal consistent with pain.

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For more:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2020/11/01/understanding-bartonella-symptoms-testing-and-treatment/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/category/bartonella-treatment/  Symptom checklist & treatments within link

Category:

Bartonella, research

Visualizing PCR Amplification

https://rationalground.com/visualizing-pcr-amplification/

Visualizing PCR amplification

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is 1200px-PCR_masina_kasutamine-1024x681.jpg

BY LEN CABRERA

Important Excerpt:

A previous post by Jennifer Cabrera and Alex Rodriguez, “Why mass PCR testing of the healthy and asymptomatic is currently counter-productive,” discussed some of the problems with PCR tests. The short version is that documented studies show that PCR tests are too sensitive to identify live virus (infectious people) when they use a cycle threshold over 34, and almost all labs in the United States use at least 37, if not 40 or 42, cycles. The New York Times reported that these tests can produce 40% to 90% false positive results. (If you don’t have a subscription you can read the summary from Apoorva Mandavilli’s Twitter account.)

(See link for article)

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**Comment**

Hopefully this once again shows that the entire COVID-19 debacle is built upon a house of cards.  A test designed to pretty much show only positives.

This purposely flawed testing is the  premise behind all of the lockdowns, restrictions, mask mandates, school closures, and contact tracing.

For more:

Category:

Testing, Viruses