Archive for the ‘Activism’ Category

“The Quiet Epidemic” Showing at the U.S. Capital Nov. 20, 2024

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

The Quiet Epidemic Film Presentation at the U.S. Capitol November 20th

Carl Tuttle
Hudson, NH, United States
Oct 29, 2024

The Quiet Epidemic Film Presentation at the U.S. Capitol

Please join us on Capitol Hill for a special presentation of the award-winning documentary The Quiet Epidemic

Hosted by Senator Richard Blumenthal, with a special appearance by Chris Meloni, Actor & Global Lyme Alliance Celebrity Ambassador

Since the earliest days of production, the team and supporters behind The Quiet Epidemic hoped the film might one day screen on Capitol Hill, and that moment has arrived.

Please join us for a free and open to the public presentation of The Quiet Epidemic on Wednesday, November 20th, from 5:30 PM to 9:00 PM, at the U.S. Capitol. The film will be preceded by a reception and followed by a discussion and Q&A with the film’s subjects, experts and actor Chris Meloni.

While the event is free to attend, RSVPs via Eventbrite are required for entry. You’ll find a PDF invitation attached to this email which includes the RSVP link—please circulate this widely, as our team is prohibited from promoting the event on social media. Details regarding the exact venue location within the Capitol will be sent to all registrants via Eventbrite approximately one week prior to November 20th.

The Quiet Epidemic team would like to thank our generous sponsors who have made our Capitol Hill events possible: LymeLight Foundation, Global Lyme Alliance, Sarena Snider, Project Lyme, NatCapLyme and lymeLNK. Among our sponsors are The Quiet Epidemic Executive Producers Phyllis & Scott Bedford—founders of LymeLight Foundation—and Sarena Sarena, each of whom generously supported the creation of the film itself, the film’s festival tour and release, and our team since the very beginning.

Please share the Eventbrite link and the attached PDF with anyone in your network who may wish to attend this event—especally those in the Washington D.C. area. We also encourage you to invite your representatives and include a brief statement about the impact Lyme has had on your life, and the prevalence in their state.

PDF invitation

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/rp1qqnln1w6ztk6yimecq/11.20.24_The-Quiet-Epidemic-on-Capitol-Hill.pdf?rlkey=ecmsm63kwn8w27pymi1x8dlqk&dl=0

This is a culminating moment for The Quiet Epidemic film and impact campaign, nine years in the making. Thank you for being a part of this journey and for making it possible in so many ways! We hope to see you in D.C.

With gratitude,
The Quiet Epidemic Team

Watch The Quiet Epidemic trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4C71N290co

Category:

Activism, Lyme, Uncategorized

Brazil Faces Same Problems With Lyme Disease As Seen in the USA

http://cameronmd.com/brazil-faces-problems-lyme-disease-seen-usa/

Brazil faces same problems with Lyme disease as seen in the USA

An article published in the Brazilian Journal of Microbiology entitled “Brazilian borreliosis with special emphasis on humans and horses” examines the growing number of cases in Brazil of Lyme disease, referred to, in that country, as the Lyme-like or Baggio-Yoshinari Syndrome (BYS).

By 

The authors take an in-depth look at BYS and how it compares to Lyme disease (LD) found in the United States. Although there are slight differences between the diseases, BYS and LD share similarities on many fronts. [1] “Despite the increasing number of suspect cases, this disease [BYS] is still neglected in Brazil by the medical and veterinary communities,” writes Basile and colleagues.

BYS causes some of the same symptoms seen in Lyme disease, such as erythema migrans, arthritis, neurological symptoms and cardiac disease. Both are difficult to diagnose.

“The disease is often unrecognized, especially at secondary or tertiary stages when patients do not remember what occurred months or years before the current disease,” stated Basile. “Certainly, many cases of unrecognized chronic neurological or articular disease are in fact cases of BYS not identified and treated at early stage.”

The capybaras, a popular Brazilian house pet, is a known reservoir for ticks infected with the Lyme-like or Baggio-Yoshinari Syndrome (BYS).

The Brazilian disease can also be multisystemic. “Baggio-Yoshinari Syndrome has been reported to cause neurological, cardiac, ophthalmic, muscle, and joint alterations in humans.” Furthermore, it has been associated with a high morbidity “due to the presence of symptom recurrence, severe reactive manifestations such as autoimmunity, and the need for prolonged treatment.”

According to Basile and colleagues, the disease progresses with recurrences, “especially if antibiotic treatment is initiated later than three months after infection.” Thus, treating the disease in its early stages is critical.

Cystic forms have been described, as well. “Because motile and spiral spirochetes were never isolated or cultured in Brazil, researchers from LIM-17 assumed that the etiological agent in Brazil was present in cystic form.”

The Brazilian patients may also be suffering from co-infections, as investigators identified other microrganisms in the blood of BYS patients. Tests showed “the occurrence of microorganisms with morphological structures similar to Mycoplasma spp., Chlamydia spp., and non-flagellated spirochetes in the peripheral blood of patients with BYS who were seropositive for B. burgdorferi sensu lato,” according to Basile. “Those patients exhibited negative serology for Mycoplasma spp. and Chlamydia spp.”

Additionally, laboratory testing for BYS is unreliable. There is a low sensitivity and specificity with the ELISA, enzyme immunosorbent assay, or western blotting for B. burgdorferi, in part because these tests utilize antigens from B. burgdorferi stricto sensu from the Northern Hemisphere.

Domestic pets have been described as potential reservoirs for ticks carrying the disease. The capybaras, a large rodent and popular house pet in Brazil, has been identified as a likely reservoir and is thus a threat in spreading the disease.

Wild and domestic animals can be infected. “Studies indicate that LB [Lyme borreliosis] in horses has clinical signs similar to the disease in humans, including fever and lethargy, arthritis, polysynovitis, lameness, muscle stiffness, abortion, meningitis, cranial neuritis, radiculoneuritis and encephalitis, uveitis, and premature death of foals,” according to Basile.

The authors’ findings reminds us that the challenges faced in the United States in gaining recognition for a disease that is growing in numbers and has the potential to cause chronic, debilitating illness is not unique to our country. The Brazilian patients suffering from the Lyme-like or Baggio-Yoshinari Syndrome are struggling to conquer the same obstacles.

“Lyme disease is a condition of extreme importance because it is a zoonosis that causes physical and psychological sequelae in affected individuals. It remains poorly investigated in Brazil, especially in the field of veterinary medicine. Therefore, studies describing the unique aspects of the disease in Brazil and the etiological agents found are needed.”

References:

  1. Basile, R.C., et al., Brazilian borreliosis with special emphasis on humans and horses. Braz J Microbiol, 2016.

Update: Oliveira from the Ministry of Health, Brasilia, DF, Brazil was not able confirm Lyme-like borreliosis in Brazil in a letter in the journal Travel Medicine and Infectious Disease.1 “The interpretations of the results have not followed those recommended by the CDC.” writes Oliveira. Only three cases of Lyme-like borreliosis were identified. “This evidence reinforces the hypothesis that Lyme borreliosis does not occur in Brazil.” writes Oliveira.

  1. de Oliveira SV, Faccini-Martinez AA, Cerutti Junior C. Lack of serological evidence for Lyme-like borreliosis in Brazil. Travel Med Infect Dis. 2018.

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**Comment**

Another perfect example of why the CDC must go.

This corrupt, inept organization rules the world.

Category:

Activism, Lyme, research, Testing, Ticks, Transmission

Another Tabletop Exercise: DHS & CISA’s Cybersecurity Exercise on Election Day in Atlanta GA

https://www.hsgac.senate.gov/media/reps/icymi-dr-paul-requests-information-on-dhs-cisas-participation-at-election-day-cybersecurity-conference/

ICYMI: Dr. Paul Requests Information on DHS & CISA’s Participation at Election Day Cybersecurity Conference

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Rand Paul (R-KY), Ranking Member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas requesting additional information regarding DHS’s and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s (CISA) attendance at a homeland security conference in Atlanta, Georgia and participation in a large-scale cybersecurity exercise on Election Day.

The letter notes over the past several months, foreign adversaries have sought to undermine confidence in our election through a series of cyberattacks aimed at the electoral process. The American public is appropriately concerned with the integrity of our election system. However, rather than monitoring cyberthreats that may occur relative to the election, senior federal officials plan to spend Election Day participating in a four-hour “Critical Infrastructure Tabletop” led by CISA staff, followed by a networking reception.

You can read the full letter HERE.

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**Comment**

Have we learned nothing about these prophetical table-top exercises?

The Election Day exercise will simulate an attack on critical US infrastructure.

As investigative Jon Rappoport states:

“If bad actors were looking to mess with electronic voting, this exercise would create a reasonable cover and method. If the actors wanted to rig electronic voting and needed an excuse to explain “anomalies” in the vote count, or to explain a sudden shut-down of key voting precincts, the cyber-exercise would provide those explanations.”

CODA: You might be interested in reading the Wikipedia entry for the group, AFCEA, which is sponsoring the cyber-security exercise. It reads in part:

“Armed Forces Communications & Electronics Association International (AFCEA), established in 1946, is a nonprofit membership association serving the military, government, industry, and academia as a forum for advancing professional knowledge and relationships in the fields of communications, information technology, intelligence and global security. AFCEA provides a forum for military, government, academic and industry communities with altogether more than 30,000 members. AFCEA supports local chapters, sponsors events, publishes a magazine, promotes STEM education and provides member benefits.

SIGNAL is a monthly AFCEA news magazine covering topics on command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (C4ISR); information security;  cybersecurity; research and development; artificial intelligence, machine learning, big data, cloud technologies,  electronics; and homeland security.

Category:

Activism

How DMSO Treats ‘Incurable’ Autoimmune and Contractile Disorders

https://www.midwesterndoctor.com/p/how-dmso-treats-incurable-autoimmune?

How DMSO Treats “Incurable” Autoimmune and Contractile Disorders

The decades of research that could have prevented an immense amount of human suffering

A Midwestern Doctor

Oct 20, 2024

Story at a Glance:

•DMSO is a remarkably safe substance that effectively treats a variety of conditions (e.g., chronic pain, acute injuries, and strokes) that medicine has struggled with for decades. Many readers here have already experienced profound benefits from using it.

•DMSO is a powerful (but safe) anti-inflammatory agent that is often extremely helpful for autoimmune conditions. For example, it’s frequently used to treat asthma, inflammatory bowel diseases (e.g., ulcerative colitis and irritable bowel syndrome), interstitial cystitis (painful bladder syndrome), ITP, lupus, multiple sclerosis, myasthenia gravis, scleroderma, Sjogren’s syndrome, and uveitis.

•DMSO is also remarkably effective at stabilizing and refolding proteins. This allows it to treat a variety of “untreatable” genetic disorders, and conditions characterized by the abnormal accumulation of misfolded proteins in the body (e.g., amyloidosis) or chronic deposits of excessive contractile collagen (e.g., surgical scars, abdominal adhesions, Dupuytren’s contractures, and Peyronie’s disease). Two of the most dramatic examples of this are scleroderma and fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva—both “untreatable” conditions where DMSO can provide truly lifesaving benefits.

•In this article, I will present the wealth of evidence substantiating each of those uses, share my theory on how the unusual antimicrobial properties of DMSO explain some of these benefits, and present DMSO treatment protocols for many of those disorders. Additionally, since many readers requested it, I put together a simplified guide on how to use DMSO orally or topically.

Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) is a simple and readily available naturally occurring chemical that rapidly enters the body through the skin and has a variety of remarkable therapeutic properties. When it was discovered, its proponents believed it (much like antibiotics) represented a new therapeutic principle in medicine and once adopted, would completely change how medicine was practiced. Unfortunately, the FDA conducted a reprehensible campaign against it and was able to successfully bury it.

Since there are so many uses for DMSO, to effectively present them, I’ve had to comb through well over ten thousand pages of scientific literature and then order them into a logical sequence (of what will be roughly a nine-part series). For instance, in the first part of this series, I discussed how DMSO completely changed the management of neurological injuries and showed that were it to be adopted, millions would no longer be disabled from the common emergencies we view as insurmountable within the current medical paradigm (e.g., frequent disabilities from stroke and the inevitability of becoming a paraplegic after a spinal cord injury).  (See link for article)

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**Comment**

DMSO has been a well-kept secret among those who are desperate enough to learn about it.  If you are new to it, go here for a basic article and helpful videos that explain it in layman’s terms as well as MSM, a derivative of DMSO.  I also include helpful info on dosages, etc.

I’ve used it many times over the years and always with good, measurable results.

I highly recommend reading a Midwestern Doctor’s thorough article in full as the good doctor goes through many conditions DMSO treats as well as the scientific studies and experiences behind them.

He goes through DMSO use for MS, Lupus, Asthma, Interstitial cystitis, Uveitis, inflammatory bowel diseases, Myasthenia gravis, Sjogren’s syndrome, as well as the possible bacterial component (even the challenges of pleomorphism) in many of these conditions and how DMSO is bacteriostatic, antiviral and antifungal.

You can use DMSO topically (recommended for newbies first), orally, intramuscularly, and intravenously.

Its only downsides are the tingling, itching in topical applications as well as the odor for all applications.  The severity of smell is commiserate with the amount used.

Go here for more:

[DMSO’s] virtues were extolled in another Congressional Hearing, this one taking place on March 24, 1980, before Claude Pepper’s Select House Committee on Aging. The drug was DMSO, and the opponent, as in Senator Johnson’s Hearing, was once again the FDA.

As with Ivermectin, the FDA [Bureau of Drugs] Director, Dr. J. Richard Crout, explained—tongue in cheek—that the agency would be the first to advocate DMSO’s use if it had only evidence that it worked.

“The FDA is willing, indeed anxious, to approve DMSO for such uses whenever controlled trials meeting the statutory standard are available [Page 61].

In place of Dr. Pierre Kory sat Dr. Stanley Jacob, a professor of surgery at the University of Oregon Medical School. Dr. Jacob was the dynamic Harvard-trained physician who headed the University of Oregon Transplant Program and had discovered many of the benefits of DMSO after first using it as a cryoprotectant.

Dr. Jacob testified before the committee in 1980, just as Dr. Kory would do some 40 years later, in 2020, and told an unbelievable story to a group of Washington D.C. insiders about the miraculous benefits of an almost unknown drug.

Like Dr. Kory, he has been proven correct.

Dr. Kory authored a book about his experience entitled The War Against Ivermectin: The Medicine that Saved Millions and Could Have Ended the Pandemic.

Dr. Jacob authored the book Dimethyl Sulfoxide (DMSO) in Trauma and Disease.

DMSO met the same fate in 1980 as Ivermectin did following Dr. Kory’s Congressional hearing in 2020: The FDA buried it.

The FDA shut down research on DMSO in 1965 after an estimated 100,000 patients began enjoying its benefits.

Many states have laws that steer licensed physicians away from prescribing DMSO for anything other than interstitial cystitis.

Sound familiar?

Category:

Activism, Pain Management, research, Treatment

23andMe Reportedly Faces Bankruptcy – What Will Happen to Everyone’s DNA Samples?

https://activistpost.com/2024/10/23andme-reportedly-faces-bankruptcy-what-will-happen-to-everyones-dna-samples.

23andMe Reportedly Faces Bankruptcy — What Will Happen to Everyone’s DNA Samples?

October 21, 2024

By Megan Prictor, The University of Melbourne

Since it was founded nearly two decades ago, 23andMe has grown into one of the largest biotechnology companies in the world. Millions of people have used its simple genetic testing service, which involves ordering a saliva test, spitting into a tube, and sending it back to the company for a detailed DNA analysis.

But now the company is on the brink of bankruptcy. This has raised concerns about what will happen to the troves of genetic data it has in its possession.

The company’s chief executive, Anne Wojcicki, has said she is committed to customer privacy and will “maintain our current privacy policy”.

But what can customers of 23andMe themselves do to make sure their highly personal genetic data is protected? And should we be concerned about other companies that also collect our DNA?

What happened to 23andMe?

23andMe has had a rapid downfall after the 2021 high of its public listing.

Its value has dropped more than 97%. In 2023 it suffered a major data breach affecting almost seven million users, and settled a class action lawsuit for US$30 million.

Last month its seven independent directors resigned amid news the original founder is planning to take the company private once more. The company has never made a profit and is reportedly on the verge of bankruptcy.

What this might mean for its vast stores of genetic data is unclear.  (See link for article)

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**Comment**

Many Lyme/MSIDS patients have had this genetic testing done, often to determine if they have a problem detoxing due to genetics.

The article advises:

The simplest thing is to delete your account, which opts you out of any future research and discards your saliva sample. But if your data has already been de-identified and used in research, it can’t be retrieved. And even if you delete your account, 23andMe says it will keep hold of information including your genetic data, date of birth and sex, to comply with its own legal obligations.

For more:

Category:

Activism, research, Testing, Uncategorized