Author Archive

Removing Ticks: The Right Way & The Wrong Way

https://www.gundersenhealth.org/health-wellness/be-well/how-to-remove-an-embedded-tick/?

Removing ticks: The right way and the wrong way

Removing ticks: The right way and the wrong way

Tick season is here! While most tick bites are harmless, some ticks can carry diseases, such as Lyme disease. Knowing what steps to take following a tick bite can reduce your risk of infection.

Remove the embedded tick as soon as possible. The longer a tick is attached, the higher the risk of transmitting tick-borne illnesses.

Follow these steps:

  • Gently pull the tick out with tweezers by grasping its head as close to the skin as possible.
  • If the head remains, try to remove with a sterile needle.
  • Wash the bite site with soap and water. Rubbing alcohol may be used to disinfect the area.
  • Apply an ice pack to reduce pain.

Avoid the following:

  • Do not grab the tick at the rear of the body
  • Do not twist or jerk tick while pulling it out
  • Do not use alternative methods to remove it; such as fingernail polish, alcohol, petroleum products, or a hot match.

Identify the tick. Take note of the size and color of the tick, whether it was attached to the skin (ticks must bite you to spread their germs), if it was engorged (full of blood) and about how long it was attached. A healthcare provider may ask you these questions if you begin to experience symptoms.

Watch for symptoms. If signs of infection, rash or flu-like symptoms occur within 30 days of the tick bite, seek medical attention.

Remember, a tick that is crawling on you but has not attached to your skin cannot infect you. However, if you find one tick, there could be more. Check your body carefully and use these tips to prevent future bites. Prevention is the best medicine.

If you have questions regarding tick bites or bug bites, contact our 24/7 Nurse Advisor Line at (608) 775-4454.

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**Comment**

A few points:

  • The statement “Most tick bites are harmless” is completely false.  Who could possibly estimate this risk?  Another great example of mainstream medicine downplaying a serious problem.
  • While it’s true that the longer a tick is attached, the greater the risk of infection, it must be reiterated that minimum attachment time for transmission has never been determined.  Please treat each and every tick bite as seriously as a heart attack.Research has shown partially fed ticks that drop off transmit diseases much more quickly.
  • Identifying the tick is always smart but a tick is a tick is a tick, and all to my knowledge all have the potential of transmitting disease to you (they exchange fluids with you).  Mainstream medicine is woefully behind the 8-ball on this and doesn’t even consider the multitude of other pathogens transmitted by ticks.  To date there are 19+ pathogens transmitted by ticks. All of them are serious.
  • The statement, “watch for symptoms,” is horrible advice.  This “wait and see” approach has been dooming patients to misery for decades.  ILADS recommends prophylactic treatment for each and every black-legged tick bite.  
  • While the article doesn’t mention getting tested, many don’t understand that testing for tick-borne illness is abysmal, and often gives negative results when people are infected.
  • While some doctors will treat early with doxycycline if you are bitten by a black-legged tick and have the bullseye rash, I’ve had multiple patients report to me they were sent home empty-handed.  My advice is to pound the pavement until you find someone willing to treat you.  Time is of the essence.
  • I can’t emphasize the importance of Lyme literate doctors, who are trained by ILADS and diagnose patients clinically as they understand and appreciate the limits of serology testing.  ILADS recommends:
    • Based on animal studies, ILADS recommends that known blacklegged tick bites be treated with 20 days of doxycycline (barring any contraindications).
    • Given the low success rates in trials treating EM rashes for 20 or fewer days, ILADS recommends: that patients receive 4-6 weeks of doxycycline, amoxicillin or cefuroxime. A minimum of 21 days of azithromycin is also acceptable, especially in Europe. All patients should be reassessed at the end of their initial therapy and, when necessary, antibiotic therapy should be extended.
    • ILADS recommends that patients with persistent symptoms and signs of Lyme disease be evaluated for other potential causes before instituting additional antibiotic therapy.
    • ILADS recommends antibiotic retreatment when a chronic Lyme infection is judged to be a possible cause of the ongoing manifestations and the patient has an impaired quality of life.

For more on prevention:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/04/12/tick-prevention-2019/

Remember, in Wisconsin, ticks are found in every county in the state. Researchers are also finding them in bright, open, mowed lawns.

Category:

Prevention, Ticks, Treatment

Kidney Failure & Disseminated Rashes Associated With Lyme Disease

https://danielcameronmd.com/kidney-failure-associated-with-lyme-disease/  Podcast Here

KIDNEY FAILURE AND DISSEMINATED RASHES ASSOCIATED WITH LYME DISEASE

kidney-failure-lyme-disease

Hello, and welcome to another Inside Lyme Podcast. I am your host Dr. Daniel Cameron. In this episode, I will be discussing the case of a 66-year-old woman who ignored a Bull’s eye rash, indicative of Lyme disease, and later developed acute renal failure, also referred to as kidney failure.

By

Mishra and colleagues described this case, entitled “Disseminated Erythema Migrans,” in the American Journal of Medicine. [1]

CASE REPORT: Kidney failure, disseminated rashes associated with Lyme disease

Over a two-week period, a 66-year-old woman with a history of obesity, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia, developed fever and malaise.

One month earlier, she reportedly had a tick bite on her right groin. “A few days later she noticed a bull’s eye lesion over the same area which she ignored,” the authors explain.

READ MORE: Doctors recognize Lyme disease in a patient with kidney disease

I can’t tell you how many patients I have had in my practice who ignore the importance of a tick bite or a rash.

The woman developed clear findings of disseminated Lyme disease. She had “high grade, intermittent fever, malaise, and fatigability,” along with “multiple, painless, red color skin lesions involving her arms, legs and lower back,” the authors write.

Early disseminated Lyme disease typically occurs shortly after a tick bite when the infection has spread throughout the body.  

The patient was hospitalized and found to have unexplained acute renal failure (or kidney failure) with a creatinine of 4.49 mg/dl.  Normal levels are closer to 1. (Dialysis is typically necessary if the creatinine were to stay over 5.)

The woman’s IgM Western blot test was positive which is expected in early Lyme disease.

She was treated clinically with IV ceftriaxone and oral doxycycline. “Her renal functions improved following hydration, antibiotics, and discontinuation of her losartan and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs,” the authors explain.

The following questions are addressed in this podcast episode:

  1. What is the importance of the rash in this case?
  2. When does an EM rash typically appear?
  3. A rash will fade after a few days? Does this mean that Lyme disease is no longer a concern?
  4. This patient had multiple disseminated rashes. How common is this and what does it indicate?
  5. Does a rash always appear at the site of the tick bite?
  6. What is the risk of Lyme disease from a tick?
  7. What is the risk of Lyme disease once a rash is identified?
  8. How often are there treatment delays, even when a rash is present?
  9. What types of treatment delays have you seen?
  10. What are the consequences of delayed treatment?
  11. Have you seen kidney failure associated with Lyme disease?
  12. Could this patient’s hospitalization and kidney failure have been prevented?
  13. Have you seen kidney failure in dogs associated with Lyme disease?
  14. Do you feel treatment was appropriate in this case?
  15. What can we learn from this case?
    Thanks for listening to another Inside Lyme Podcast. You can read more about these cases in my show notes and on my website @DanielCameronMD.com. As always, it is your likes, comments, reviews, and shares that help spread the word about Lyme disease. Until next time on Inside Lyme.

Please remember that the advice given is general and not intended as specific advice as to any particular patient. If you require specific advice, then please seek that advice from an experienced professional.

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.

References:
  1. Mishra AK, Hashmath Z, Oneyssi I, Bose A. Disseminated Erythema Migrans. Am J Med. 2020 Feb 13. pii: S0002-9343(20)30114-5.

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For more:

Category:

Lyme, research

Notices of Liability for COVID-19 Vaccine Harms and Deaths Served on All Members of the European Parliament & Evidence-Based Position Paper to Ensure Ethical Conduct

https://healthimpactnews.com/2021/notices-of-liability-for-covid-19-vaccine-harms-and-deaths-served-on-all-members-of-the-european-parliament/

Notices of Liability for COVID-19 Vaccine Harms and Deaths Served on All Members of the European Parliament

April 23, 2021

Two of the doctors included in the “Doctors for COVID Ethics” group.

by Brian Shilhavy
Editor, Health Impact News

“Doctors for COVID Ethics” issued a press release today stating that they had issued “Notices of Liability” for vaccine harms and deaths were served on all Members of the European Parliament ahead of the April 28 vote on EU vaccine passports.

Notices of Liability for COVID-19 Vaccine Harms and Deaths Served on All Members of the European Parliament

by Doctors for COVID Ethics

On April 20, 2021, ahead of the April 28 vote on EU vaccine passports (the ‘Digital Green Certificate’), notices of liability for vacccine harms and deaths were served on all Members of the European Parliament.

The full list of recipients can be viewed here.

NOTICE OF LIABILITY (“NOL”)

Source.

_____________________

https://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/covid-19-restoring-public-trust-during-global-health-crisis

COVID-19: Restoring Public Trust During A Global Health Crisis

May 4th 2021 

GMI Reporter

An Evidence-Based Position Paper to Ensure Ethical Conduct

Executive Summary

(access the entire 444 page document here)

During our investigation into the variety of topics this manuscript covers, a theme began to stand out as a consistent concern. Safe and effective treatments for COVID-19 are inexplicably being withheld. As you read the full position paper, you will encounter many similar examples of what appears to be willful misconduct across several topics. These areas, and pertinent takeaways, are outlined below.

Topic area 1 – Asymptomatic transmission is the basis for public health policies regarding masking and social distancing.

  • Wuhan Participant Study – 9,898,828 enrolled participants were tested using qualitative COVID RT-qPCR testing. Only 300 possible asymptomatic carrier candidates were identified. Of the 300 possible asymptomatic carriers, all were tested using live cell culture to determine if their PCR samples could produce replication-competent virus. All 300 live cell cultures were negative for being able to produce replication-competent virus, indicating that none of the 300 people identified as potential asymptomatic carriers from the 9,898,828 people tested were infectious. Therefore 0.00% of COVID transmissions were asymptomatic.
  • Asymptomatic transmission is widely assumed globally but has never been definitively proven based upon the five medical gold-standards of empirical evidence for the evaluation of infectious disease discussed in the position paper.

Topic area 2 – PCR testing is the major basis for the diagnosis of COVID.

  • RT-qPCR tests are quantitative tests. However, it appears that PCR testing is intentionally being used qualitatively, and cycle threshold values are being manipulated to increase or decrease case counts.
  • Qualitative COVID RT-PCR tests are being used to do exactly what they are not calibrated to do, while confirmatory serologic viral load and antibody testing has been deemphasized.
  • Qualitative COVID RT-PCR cannot determine whether a person is infectious and therefore should not be used to establish a diagnosis without the assistance of additional confirmatory lab testing.

Topic area 3 – Effective treatments for COVID exist and are inexplicably being withheld by the FDA and CDC.

  • Comprehensive nutritional study – Used vitamin A (100,000 IU/day), vitamin C (1,000mg/hour during waking), vitamin D (50,000 IU/day), and Lugol’s Iodine (25mg). One hundred seven out of 107 patients fully recovered within seven days of treatment.
  • Vitamin D study – 191,779 participants across all “latitudes, races/ethnicities, both sexes, and age ranges” demonstrated that participants with deficient serologic vitamin D (<20 ng/mL) were more than twice as likely to be infected by the SARS-COV-2 virus (12.5% vs 5.9%) when compared against participants with a healthy amount of serologic vitamin D (≥ 55 ng/mL).
  • Ivermectin study – “Viral clearance was treatment dose- and duration-dependent. In six randomized trials of moderate or severe infection, there was a 75% reduction in mortality (Relative Risk=0.25 [95%CI 0.12-0.52]; p=0.0002); 14/650 (2.1%) deaths on ivermectin; 57/597 (9.5%) deaths in controls) with favorable clinical recovery and reduced hospitalization.”
  • Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) study – A meta-analysis of 192 studies concluded that HCQ is effective when used early. Early treatment is most successful, with 100% of studies reporting a positive effect and an estimated reduction of 67% in the effect measured (e.g., death, hospitalization, etc.) using a random effects meta-analysis (RR 0.33 [0.25-0.43]).
  • National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey studies – The CDC has known for at least two decades that Americans are deficient in the following key immunological nutrients: Vitamin A (35-45% of the population is deficient), Vitamin C (37-46%), Vitamin D (65-95%), Vitamin E (60-84%), and Zinc (11-15%).

Topic area 4 – Violations of federal law appear to have been perpetuated by the CDC with respect to death certificates, irrevocably altering COVID-19 mortality metrics and causing unnecessary harm to the American public.

  • Data quality was irreparably compromised by the CDC’s implementation of the NVSS COVID Alert No. 2 document on March 24, 2020, which significantly altered death certificate reporting, as well as the CDC’s adoption of the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists’ position paper on April 15, 2020 that defined the criteria for COVID cases without safeguards in place to ensure that the same person could not be counted multiple times. Both practices have significantly affected data aggregation and interpretation, and both adoptions appear to be in violation of the Administrative Procedures Act, the Paperwork Reduction Act, and the Information Quality Act at minimum.
  • For the previous 17 years, pre-existing/comorbid conditions were reported in Part I, not Part II, of death certificates–without incident. By reporting in Part II rather than Part I, the role of comorbidities as cause of death has been deemphasized. This change significantly impacts statistical aggregation, according to Certified Death Reporting Clerks we interviewed. A point of contention with the 2020 change is that it was made without official notification in the Federal Register to initiate federal oversight and invite mandatory public comment.

Topic area 5 – Inaccurate projection models have been widely used to justify public health policies.

  • All computer projection models make assumptions and require inputs. Unfortunately, vast uncertainty surrounds most inputs, especially at the start of a public health crisis.
  • Many models assume everyone is equally susceptible to infection. However, susceptibility depends upon variables such as available nutrient status, pre-existing conditions, age, genetic predispositions, socioeconomics, individual mental outlook, stress exposure, restorative sleep, bioaccumulation of chemical pollution, environmental exposure, place of residence, and multiple other factors unique to the individual.
  • Many COVID-19 projection models presume the frequency of asymptomatic transmission. The underlying assumption is that such infection is possible. However, a 2018 modeling study noted, “In practice, incorporating asymptomatic carriers into models is challenging due to the sparsity of direct evidence.”

Topic area 6 – Violations of medical ethics appear to have been perpetuated by the CDC and FDA.

  • Withholding evidence-based treatment from 399 American men during the Tuskegee Experiment was evidence of willful misconduct and the impetus for our current medical ethics laws. From 1943 to 1972, evidence-based treatment for syphilis was willfully withheld from 399 participants enrolled in the Tuskegee Experiment. With this understanding, would the withholding of evidence-based treatments from 332
  • MILLION Americans during COVID-19 also be considered willful misconduct?
  • Since the Moderna/NIH clinical trial does not end until October 27, 2022, and the Pfizer/BioNTech clinical trial does not end until January 31, 2023, the experimental COVID biologics (vaccines) are considered to be under investigation for safety and efficacy until the trials conclude.
  • With this in mind, every person has the legal right to decline the use of an experimental product still in clinical trial. On this point, we must stand resolute in protecting the individual civil rights each person has over their own bodily sovereignty that are protected by existing informed consent laws. This is especially important since very limited short-term safety data exists, and no long-term safety data exists.

Topic area 7 – Clinical trials continue while adverse events are increasing each week that experimental COVID biologics are distributed.

  • According to the federal Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (VAERS), 1,739 people have died and 38,444 people have experienced adverse events after receiving experimental COVID biologics for records reported from December 13, 2020, to March 12, 2021.
  • The Pfizer/BioNTech clinical trial design measured serologic antibody production post-vaccine administration in Phase 1 only and in fewer than 25 enrolled participants total. Establishing serologic antibody production is the key to determining the efficacy of the experimental COVID biologic. Considering this was not done in Phase 2/3 constitutes a major design flaw of the clinical trial because the trials cannot demonstrate that the biologic actually provides immunity.
  • Only 40,137 of 43,998 enrolled participants were included in final efficacy analysis. A reason for 3,861 enrolled participants not being included in final efficacy analysis was unable to be located within the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) peer-reviewed publication.
  • Only 37,706 of 43,998 enrolled participants were included in final safety analysis. A reason for 6,292 enrolled participants not being included in final safety analyses was unable to be located within the New NEJM publication.

Conclusion:

The collection of this growing body of evidence demonstrates that an independent grand jury investigation and congressional investigation into the research discussed in our position paper is a reasonable and necessary action on behalf of all Americans.

Two Easy Ways You Can Take Action:

1) Help Stand For Health Freedom, a nonprofit advocacy organization, convene a formal grand jury to investigate allegations of willful misconduct by federal agencies during COVID-19; add your signature to this petition now: https://standforhealthfreedom.com/action/cdc-grand-jury-investigation

2) Send a pre-drafted, customizable letter through Stand For Health Freedom urging Congress to thoroughly investigate alleged violations of federal law by the CDC that compromised COVID-19 data: https://standforhealthfreedom.com/action/investigate-the-cdc

Thank you for taking action and making your voice heard. Together, we can hold the CDC and other agencies accountable for their actions during COVID-19

For questions or inquires, please email COVIDResearchTeam@protonmail.com.

Interested in reading more? Click here to read the entirety of COVID-19: Restoring Public Trust During A Global Health Crisis

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of GreenMedInfo or its staff.
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For more on the CDC:

For more on COVID injections:

Category:

Activism, vaccines, Viruses

Long Haul COVID & Persistent Lyme; Is There a Silver Lining?

 

http://  Approx. 1 Hour

May 13, 2021

Long Haul COVID & Persistent Lyme; is There a Silver Lining?

About This Event:

National experts and patients come together to explore how these two diseases may be confused and address the ongoing health repercussions they each represent – particularly as outdoor activities increase and Lyme disease continues to be widely misdiagnosed. Both organizations are well positioned to host this event.

As early responders to the pandemic, Project Lyme provided professionally managed patient support to the Lyme community through the Lyme & COVID Facebook group. In addition, during its educational outreach to the community, Dr. Richard Horowitz correctly predicted the overlap between these diseases over a year ago.

For its part, Bay Area Lyme Foundation, a renowned as a leading sponsor of Lyme disease research in the U.S., is also a supporter of the Resilience Project, which seeks to identify people who, despite high risk of exposure to COVID-19, Lyme disease or other illnesses, do not exhibit any symptoms.

Featuring:

  • Dr. Richard Horowitz — a board certified internist, medical director of the Hudson Valley Healing Arts Center, scientific advisor to Bay Area Lyme Foundation and author of How Can I Get Better?
  • Dr. Christine Green — a practicing physician who has been treating Lyme disease since 1989 and has seen more than 100 patients with COVID-19 including those who have both Lyme and COVID-19. Dr. Green also serves on the boards of the International Lyme and Associated Disease Society (ILADS), LymeDisease.org and Bay Area Lyme Foundation.
  • Dr. Steven Phillips — Yale-educated expert on zoonotic infections, co-author of the newly-released and highly-acclaimed book Chronic, and scientific advisor to Bay Area Lyme Foundation.
  • David Roth — Lyme disease and COVID-19 patient. Executive Committee Chair, Project Lyme.
  • Laure Woods — Lyme disease and COVID-19 patient. Founder and Co-Chair, Bay Area Lyme Foundation.

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For more:

Category:

Lyme, Viruses

Enroll in ImmuneSense – a Clinical Study For Lyme Testing

 
I posted about this previously here.  It appears they are still accepting qualified patients.  You must be ages 18 and up, have symptoms suggestive of Lyme disease, WITH an EM rash, if on antibiotics, initiated less than a week ago, and you will be required up to 4 blood draws to be taken over 12 months.

 

https://1nhealth.com/health-care-providers/?  Go here for more information.  

Lyme season is here.

Your patients may hold the key to a new and potentially better diagnostic test.
About 300,000 people in the U.S. are infected with Lyme disease through tick bites each year. 1,2

You may hold the key to a new and potentially better diagnostic test.

Join us in the fight against Lyme disease by enrolling in the ImmuneSense™ Lyme clinical study. If you’ve been recently diagnosed with Lyme disease or you suspect you have Lyme disease, your immune system may hold key information that can help advance the development of a novel test.

 
GET INVOLVED

The Northeast, the Mid-Atlantic region and the Upper Midwest are hotspots.

 
GET INVOLVED

Only 30% of people with acute Lyme infections receive a positive test result with existing laboratory tests. 3

GET INVOLVED

The ImmuneSense™ Lyme study is currently collecting blood samples from patients for clinical validation of a T-cell-based assay that is a potential diagnostic for Lyme disease.

The T-cell-based test may offer:

• Earlier detection of Lyme disease than current tests

• A look at patients’ T-cell immune response to the bacteria that causes Lyme disease

Your patients can contribute to validating this novel test, and may be eligible to earn as much as $400 for taking part in the study.

Your patients can enroll in ImmuneSense™ Lyme study by filling out this questionnaire.

Category:

Activism, Lyme, Testing