Archive for the ‘Lyme’ Category

Insight into Lyme Prosthetic Joint Infection in Knee Arthroplasty: A Literature Review

https://journals.lww.com/jaaosglobal/Fulltext/2022/02000/An_Insight_Into_Lyme_Prosthetic_Joint_Infection_in.3.aspx

An Insight Into Lyme Prosthetic Joint Infection in Knee Arthroplasty: A Literature Review

Ali, Muzaffar DO; Kamson, Anthony O. DO; Phillips, David S. DO; King, Scott G. DO

Author Information
JAAOS: Global Research and Reviews: February 2022 – Volume 6 – Issue 2 – e21.00191
doi: 10.5435/JAAOSGlobal-D-21-00191
  • Open

Abstract

Lyme prosthetic joint infection (PJI) is a rare event, but it is imperative to include Lyme disease as a possible cause of PJI in a Lyme-endemic region. The purpose of this article was to review the reported cases of Lyme PJIs in knee arthroplasty and to initiate the development of a treatment strategy. We found five cases of Lyme PJI in the literature. All patients lived in the northeastern region of the United States. Four patients were successfully treated with surgical intervention and postoperative antibiotics. One patient was successfully treated with intravenous and oral antibiotics for 6 weeks, without surgical intervention. Synovial fluid Lyme polymerase chain reaction and serological tests were positive in all patients. On follow-up visits, after completion of their treatment, all patients were asymptomatic with a painless functional knee. We recommend considering Lyme disease as a cause of culture-negative PJIs in endemic regions. Additional research is needed to clearly define a treatment algorithm. Based on our literature review, we cannot recommend a single best treatment modality for the treatment of Lyme PJI. However, early irrigation and débridement with administration of postoperative antibiotics may improve early clinical outcomes.

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The article goes through 5 case reports that are very interesting.

Category:

Lyme, research

Censorship of the TBDWG Written Comment

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

Censorship of the TBDWG Written Public Comment

Carl Tuttle

Hudson, NH, United States

Mar 9, 2022 — 

As I anticipated the TBDWG Staff censored my Written Public Comment for the Feb 28th meeting that’s why I sent the comment in advance on February 15th addressed to all members of the group. All of the 15 references that supported my statements were removed as well as the names of the physicians mentioned in my Written Public Comment.

Our Public Health Officials clearly want to suppress the truth/facts for Lyme and Covid

Here is my full Written Comment sent to all members of the TBDWG and posted as an update to this petition:

https://www.change.org/p/the-us-senate-calling-for-a-congressional-investigation-of-the-cdc-idsa-and-aldf/u/30214185

Here is the censored version posted to the TBDWG meeting page: (6th on the page)

https://www.hhs.gov/ash/advisory-committees/tickbornedisease/meetings/2022-02-28/written-public-comment/index.html

Below is my inquiry to the TBDWG asking for an explanation for this censorship: (no response as of Mar 9th)

———- Original Message ———-
From: CARL TUTTLE <runagain@comcast.net>
To: “tickbornedisease@hhs.gov” <tickbornedisease@hhs.gov>
Cc: All members of the TBDWG
Date: 03/01/2022 8:18 AM
Subject: Re: Fwd: RE: Written Public Comment – February 28 – March 1, 2022 Meeting

To: The Tick-Borne Disease Working Group,

Regarding censorship of Written Public Comments; (As anticipated)

Why were 15 references and names of two physicians removed/redacted from my Written Public Comment?

Censorship:

–Dr. Charles Ray Jones who has treated over 15,000 children and adolescents with Lyme Disease and other tick-borne diseases.

-Dr. Meryl Nass of Ellsworth Maine who had her license suspended.

-15 references supporting my statements.

A response to this inquiry is requested!

Carl Tuttle
Hudson, NH

TBDWG February 28 – March 1, 2022 – Written Public Comment

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**Comment**

Seems censorship is the latest fashion of tyranny:

I could literally go on to infinity with this.  The censorship and bullying is vast and wide.

Category:

Activism, Lyme, Uncategorized

Extraction and Fractionation of Bioactives From Dipsacus fullonum L. Leaves and the Evaluation of Their Anti-Borrelia Activity

https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8247/15/1/87/htm

Extraction and Fractionation of Bioactives from Dipsacus fullonum L. Leaves and Evaluation of Their Anti-Borrelia Activity

by Piret Saar-Reismaa1, Olga Bragina1,2, Maria Kuhtinskaja1, Indrek Reile3, Pille-Riin Laanet1, Maria Kulp1 and Merike Vaher,*
Pharmaceuticals 2022, 15(1), 87; https://doi.org/10.3390/ph15010087
Received: 8 December 2021 / Revised: 10 January 2022 / Accepted: 11 January 2022 / Published: 12 January 2022
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Identification of Phytochemicals and Derivatives against Infectious Diseases)
Figure 1. Dipsacus fullonum L. harvested from Saaremaa, Estonia, 2017.
Abstract
Lyme disease (LD) is a tick-borne bacterial disease that is caused by Borrelia burgdorferi. Although acute LD is treated with antibiotics, it can develop into relapsing chronic form caused by latent forms of B. burgdorferi. This leads to the search for phytochemicals against resistant LD. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the activity of Dipsacus fullonum L. leaves extract (DE) and its fractions against stationary phase B. burgdorferi in vitro. DE showed high activity against stationary phase B. burgdorferi (residual viability 19.8 ± 4.7%); however, it exhibited a noticeable cytotoxicity on NIH cells (viability 20.2 ± 5.2%). The iridoid-glycoside fraction showed a remarkable anti-Borrelia effect and reduced cytotoxicity. The iridoid-glycoside fraction was, therefore, further purified and showed to contain two main bioactives—sylvestrosides III and IV, that showed a considerable anti-Borrelia activity being the least toxic to murine fibroblast NIH/3T3 cells. Moreover, the concentration of sylvestrosides was about 15% of DE, endorsing the feasibility of purification of the compounds from D. fullonum L. leaves.
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**Comment**

Dipsacus fullonum L, or wild teasel has been known in the Lyme/MSIDS world for a long, long time.  Many patients swear by it’s anti-inflammatory properties.

Here we learn that the leaves showed anti-borrelia activity in mouse cells – which doesn’t necessarily translate over to humans, but it’s a start.  It also only looked at the stationary phase and borrelia is pleomorphic and likes to mutate to evade treatment and the immune system. Previously, research on the herb stevia was touted by many as a “cure” for Lyme.  It is anything but a cure, although some doctors use it as a “biofilm buster.”

Every patient responds differently to treatment and I know patients who herx on one drop of an herbal tincture; however, I’ve taken a lot of herbs over the years and never herxed or had a noticeable change on nearly any of them, but don’t let that stop you from trying.  We are literally Guinea Pigs, and we have to kiss a lot of frogs to find our Prince!

The exception for me was a potent form of arthemisinin along with Mepron and an intracellular antibiotic for Babesia:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2016/01/16/babesia-treatment/  I write about my personal experience at the end of the article, along with the brand of arthemisinin used.  It was extremely potent and we pulsed it due to the heart-attack type herxes it gave me.  I’m happy to report that treating Babesia for a year has left both my husband and I symptom-free.

Category:

Herbs, Lyme, research, Uncategorized

Lyme Disease Deserves More Than “Mediocre Attention”

https://www.lymedisease.org/patient-story-casey-fillian/

Patient story: Lyme disease deserves more than “mediocre attention”

March 8, 2022

By Casey Fillian

Thirty-seven years ago, I went to summer camp in a heavily wooded area of New Jersey. I started coming down with odd symptoms a few weeks later.

I had high fevers, exhaustion, muscle aches, a mysterious rash on my torso, and a knee swollen twice its size.

For months, we went without answers. My mother took me to every type of doctor under the sun–orthopedics, rheumatologists, family physicians, infectious disease, and finally my pediatrician. And that’s where we FIRST heard the words “Lyme disease.”

We were taken immediately to a prominent medical center in Connecticut, to be observed by doctors familiar with this mystery disease, since Lyme wasn’t technically ‘in’ New Jersey at that time.

After a battery of tests and exams, the medical team there confirmed that I was indeed infected with Lyme. Actually, my blood tests showed I was septic.

Recurrences

I would suffer several recurrences of these symptoms over the next three decades. Lyme disease has permanently affected my heart, liver, joints and blood pressure regulation–just to name a few.

It was very difficult as a child to be sick with something that not many people knew about or had even heard of. I spent weeks and weeks in the hospital, feeling scared and alone, though my mother never left my side.

She has been my advocate so many times throughout the years and has never stopped fighting to get me the help I need.

I feel it’s important to share our story and educate people about the seriousness of tick bites, as it literally changed the course of both of our lives forever. My most recent flare up occurred just six short months ago, requiring my fifth round of antibiotics and second PICC line.

I am currently battling septic/inflammatory arthritis and fighting everyday to keep my mobility. I’m praying there are better treatments on the horizon and more recognition for the people suffering. We deserve so much more than the mediocre attention this disease gets.

My heart goes out to all my fellow warriors.

Casey Fillian lives in New Jersey.

For more:

Category:

Activism, Lyme

Nine Doctors Missed My Diagnosis: Here’s How I finally Found Relief

https://www.mindbodygreen.com/articles/invisible-illness-lyme-disease?

Nine Doctors Missed My Diagnosis: Here’s How I Finally Found Relief

Contributing Writer By Kris Newby

January 29, 2022
While some health issues are visible to the outside world, many people face chronic conditions that don’t have externally visible signs or symptoms—also known as invisible illnesses. In mindbodygreen’s new series, we’re giving individuals with invisible illnesses a platform to share their personal experiences. Our hope is their stories will shed light on these conditions and offer solidarity to others facing similar situations.

At the end of July 2002, my husband and two boys spent a relaxing week on the beaches of Martha’s Vineyard, an island off Boston. A few days after returning home, my husband and I came down with what felt like an intense summer flu. We had debilitating head and neck pain, fever and chills, body aches, and crushing fatigue. I had a circular pinprick rash around each knee, and I was so weak, I had to crawl on my hands and knees to get up to the second-floor bedroom. Both of us were in our early 40s, fit, and athletic, but we both agreed that this was the sickest we’d ever felt, so the next day we went to see a primary care physician together.

This physician looked us over and decided we had a viral infection that would go away in a few days. She ran a standard blood panel just to be sure. But four days later, things got worse. We went to see her again, and she told us our blood work was normal.  (See link for article)

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**Comment**

Another story that resembles thousands of other stories.  Sudden debilitating illness with no answers to be found.  Doctors, without even seeing or listening to you just decide you don’t have Lyme/MSIDS.  Infectious disease doctors are the worst!  They are willing to diagnose you with anything but Lyme/MSIDS.  In this story, the ID doc was willing to prescribe an anti-parasitic medicine, but heaven forbid, they won’t give you antibiotics, and if you miraculously manage to get antibiotics, it’s only a couple of week’s worth, which study after study has proven to be ineffective.

If you are unfamiliar with Kris Newby‘s name, please see:

Newby is also behind the excellent Lyme disease primer called, “Under Our Skin,” as well as the sequel “Emergence.”  Both are excellent films.  She also wrote the book, “Bitten, The Secret History of Lyme Disease and Biological Warfare,” which I highly recommend.

Category:

Activism, Lyme