Archive for the ‘Lyme’ Category

The Mishandling of Two Pandemics & Recent Pushback

http://  Approx. 4 Min

Communication Between FBI & Pfizer about Project Veritas

Jan. 18, 2022

  • Project Veritas previously published videos of a Pfizer scientist discussing the strength of natural COVID-19 antibodies versus the vaccine with an undercover reporter.
  • Then in October, Project Veritas obtained internal company documents from a whistleblower which showed admissions from Pfizer management that aborted fetal cell lines were used in the company’s vaccine program, but that employees should just stick with Pfizer’s polished narrative omitting any mention of aborted fetal cell lines to avoid any issues with the public.
  • Pfizer scientist admits COVID antibodies pass through umbilical cord during pregnancy, and that the shot ‘just doesn’t work in some people.’
  • Researcher who blows the whistle on data integrity issues in Pfizer’s vaccine trial is promptly fired.  Claims Pfizer falsified data, unblinded patients, employed inadequately trained vaccinators, and was slow to follow up on reported adverse events.
  • Pfizer whistleblower confirms that COVID shots are bioweapons.

https://www.theblaze.com/news/doctor-suspended-for-promoting-ivermectin-sues-houston-methodist-hospital-covid-data-financial-reports

Doctor Sues Hospital for COVID Data, Financial Reports

Sarah Taylor

January 19, 2022

Dr. Mary Bowden, who was previously suspended from Houston Methodist Hospital for spreading what the hospital said was “misinformation” surrounding COVID-19 and who later quit her job there, is suing the hospital, the Texan reported.

Bowden, a private-practice otolaryngologist, promoted ivermectin as a viable COVID-19 treatment in 2020 — a move with which her employers took grave issue.  (See link for article)

  • Bowden contends medical freedom has been hijacked by hospitals, big pharma, insurance companies, and federal agencies.
  • She is requesting hospital financial documents on all revenue generated throughout the COVID-19 “vaccination” program, reimbursements/payments from government, insurance companies, patients, and any financial arrangements with pharmaceutical companies for COVID treatments.
      • A “free” required PCR test in the Emergency Room or upon admission for every patient, with government-paid fee to hospital.
      • Added bonus payment for each positive COVID-19 diagnosis.
      • Another bonus for a COVID-19 admission to the hospital.
      • A 20 percent “boost” bonus payment from Medicare on the entire hospital bill for use of remdesivir instead of medicines such as Ivermectin.
      • Another and larger bonus payment to the hospital if a COVID-19 patient is mechanically ventilated.
      • More money to the hospital if cause of death is listed as COVID-19, even if patient did not die directly of COVID-19.
      • A COVID-19 diagnosis also provides extra payments to coroners.
      • CMS implemented “value-based” payment programs that track data such as how many workers at a healthcare facility receive a COVID-19 “vaccine”. This is why many hospitals implemented COVID-19 vaccine mandates. They are paid more.  Source

https://www.change.org/p/the-us-senate-calling-for-a-congressional-investigation-of-the-cdc-idsa-and-aldf/u/30058346

The Mishandling of a Pandemic

Carl Tuttle
Hudson, NH, United States

Jan 12, 2022

Senator Rand Paul
167 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington DC, 20510

Dear Senator Paul,

In reference to the mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic, thank you for keeping the pressure on Dr. Anthony Fauci.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JNPDf9DZDo

Americans are getting a first hand look at how our public health officials control the narrative to promote a vaccine. The Lyme disease patient population has been shouting from the rooftops for the past thirty years as this life-altering/life-threatening infection has been destroying lives, ending careers while leaving its victim in financial ruin. I provided Dr. Anthony Fauci with solid references and a 1033-page document with patient testimony identifying Lyme as a life-altering/life-threatening infection. An astute fifth grader would easily recognize something is seriously wrong here as the patient experience does not match the existing CDC disease representation. (“Hard to catch and easily treated”)

The rush to create a vaccine led to the mishandling of the disease as a chronic relapsing seronegative disease did not fit the vaccine model and the diagnostic testing was manipulated to facilitate vaccine development. (Dearborn Conference) The criteria for positive results are far too strict leaving many with false negative results. The serious consequences of untreated Lyme disease are avoided by our public health officials as the disabling stage of Lyme is denied.

I have sent many emails to Dr. Fauci over the years and have included a few below for your review.

Respectfully submitted,

Carl Tuttle
Hudson, NH

Member of Gov Chris Sununu’s Lyme Disease Study Commission
http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/statstudcomm/committees/default.aspx?id=1515Calling for a Congressional investigation of the CDC, IDSA and ALDF
https://www.change.org/p/the-us-senate-calling-for-a-congressional-investigation-of-the-cdc-idsa-and-aldf
97,000 Signatures 951,373 Views and 27,324 SharesEmails to Dr. Anthony Fauci….

Date: 07/31/2018 8:40 AM
Subject: Re: Tickborne Diseases — Confronting a Growing Threat

Dr. Fauci,

Below I have listed nine randomly selected comments from disabled Lyme patients across America. These comments were collected from the petition calling for a congressional investigation into the mishandling of Lyme disease. I have THOUSANDS of these comments describing an illness that is destroying lives, ending careers, causing death and disability while leaving victims in financial ruin.

You can download the entire comment file here: (1033 pages)
https://www.dropbox.com/s/qwuo4yss38ov1f3/petition_comments_June%2018%202018.pdf?dl=0

How long will you continue to ignore these patient experiences without challenging what has been deceitfully established by the CDC/IDSA and American Lyme Disease Foundation which is simply a clearinghouse for the propaganda and disinformation?

All of the honest scientific evidence/patient testimony is showing that Lyme belongs in the same health threat category as AIDS.

As you read the comments below I ask the question; does this sound like “Aches and pains of daily living”?

Comments:

1. My 16 year old daughter has late stage, neurological Lyme Disease. I have watch over the past several years as she has had to give up so much. She has stopped playing sports (basketball, soccer, and softball), dancing, eating many different foods, going to school, and even just spending time with friends. We have been to many different doctors with many different specialties looking for answers and have finally received a clinical diagnosis of Lyme Disease from two doctors who are working together to try to help her. The challenge now is to get her strong enough to endure the treatment that she is facing. We are told it may take years of treatment to get her to a reasonable quality of life. It is devastating to see my daughter struggle with all of this at a time when her friends are enjoy things like prom, graduations, and even just youth group activities while she sits at home suffering. This is a terrible disease!
Catherine Weakley, Virginia Beach, VA

2. My best friend’s life has been devastated by Lyme Disease for the last several years. If only her doctors had taken her concerns and symptoms seriously in the beginning and administered the proper tests, she may not have gone through so many years of pain. I accompanied her to these appointments and watched first hand as her symptoms were ignored and mis diagnosed over and over again. She has gone through years of suffering that could have been prevented had she been diagnosed at the start and given antibiotics. For the sake of her and the many others who are suffering needlessly I urge you to investigate this matter fully and support education, awareness, acceptance and action throughout the medical community.
Samantha Erin Barragar, Malibu, CA

3. I have been suffering from Neurological Lyme Disease since I was 15 years old. A year and a half ago, I had a serious flare up that has left me disabled with seizures, tremors, cognitive issues, immobility, and chronic pain. The severity of this disease should not be overlooked, and warrants significant research. The outdated and immoral IDSA guidelines must be investigated for the sake of all current and future persons infected with Lyme. Our voices deserve to be heard!
Caren Dandeo, Middletown, NJ

4. I’m positive for lyme and co infections and was getting better with treatment, then insurance stopped paying. I’m wheelchair bound now and cannot stand, move, or take care of myself. United HealthCare cited the CDC guidelines of 28 days of antibiotics of treatment. THAT’S NOT ENOUGH.
Doug Frenz, Hudson, OH

5. I’m only 20 years old and I’ve suffered from Lyme Disease for the past 6 years of my life. For the first few years of my disease I went undiagnosed; doctors would tell me I was crazy, and I continued to get sicker and sicker. My 15 year old sister is also really sick with Lyme and has been for years. It breaks my heart. There has to be something serious done about this epidemic, and fast.
Niki Mitchell, Binghamton, NY, NY

6. My 4 Lyme tests came back “negative” according to my PCP’s. I was “negative” for 8 years while I did indeed have Lyme. When I visited 2 LLMD’s they both verified that I had Lyme. Had it been caught 8 years prior it could have been cured. Instead, it spread to all parts of my body and brain. I in turn became a burden on the healthcare system and lost all of my assets. Accurate testing MUST be developed!
Serenaty S, New York, NY

7. I am disabled, in a wheelchair, and currently on IV medicine to try and kill off Lyme, Babesia, and Bartonella. I am in huge debt because insurance refuses to pay for anything – not doctor visits, not medicine, nothing. Too many are sick and dying. Enough.
Wendy Vogt, Redwood City, CA

8. My husband has been diagnosed with neurological lyme and the coinfections of bartonella and babesia. We spent years going form doctor to doctor trying to find out what he has. His illness reached the point where he is no longer able to work. Our insurance company will not approve the IV antibiotics he needs to get better due to the current CDC guidelines. The illness does not just affect the patient but the entire family. Lyme needs to be addressed.
Kathy Wilder Bichler, Fair Lawn, NJ

9. Spent over $100,000 dollars to get our son well in Oklahoma. 21 doctors would not recognize Lyme disease because of ignorance. We went out of state to find a LLMD. It is an awful disease and in so many ways. His Lyme test only had one band positive so according to the CDC is not proof of Lyme. Well wrong…he was pulled 5 ticks off himself and 3 days later severally I’ll for the next 2 1/2 years of being homebound. We where lucky we had a savings but I took our retirement money.
Diana Clock, Bixby, OK

PRIORITY # 1 MOVE LYME DISEASE TO HIGHEST ALERT AS IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN THIRTY YEARS AGO!

Carl Tuttle

Lyme Endemic Hudson, NH

Lyme Disease: Call for a “Manhattan Project” to Combat the Epidemic
Raphael B. Stricker, Lorraine Johnson
Published: January 02, 2014DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.100379
http://www.plospathogens.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.ppat.1003796

“In summary, preliminary studies from the CDC indicate that the Lyme disease epidemic has reached an unprecedented level with at least 300,000 people and as many as one million people, a majority of them women and children, diagnosed with Lyme disease each year in the United States. The staggering magnitude of the epidemic should prompt the CDC to show leadership in developing new guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of Lyme disease. A coordinated “Manhattan project” similar to the attack mounted against the HIV/AIDS epidemic is urgently needed to address the serious worldwide threat of Lyme disease.”

Cc: Attorney Daniel Dutko of Hanszen Laporte

Representatives Chris Smith and Colin Peterson

________________________________________

On July 30, 2018 at 4:26 PM Carl Tuttle <runagain@comcast.net> wrote:

Dr. Fauci,

This is a second request for acknowledgement and response to my email dated July 26, 2018.

As an MD you are well aware that untreated syphilis leads to progressive disability and dementia while untreated HIV infection progresses to AIDS with significant disability and death. 

Again I ask the question Dr. Fauci; “What happens to the Lyme patient who went months, years or decades before diagnosis?”

Late stage Lyme disease is a horribly disabling disease and to hide this from the public while ignoring patient testimony is ethically and morally inexcusable yet this is exactly what has been taking place for the past three decades while the focus was to discredit the sick and disabled comparing the disease to the “aches and pains of daily living.” (Wormser term)

Based on the article you coauthored in the NEJM it would appear that you haven’t been entirely straightforward while omitting the facts and references I presented in my previous letter.

Please hit “Reply All” when responding to this inquiry so that those involved in Lyme disease legislation and litigation can hear from you directly. (Not a correspondence officer)

Sincerely,

-Carl Tuttle

Lyme Endemic Hudson, NH

_________________________________________________

On July 26, 2018 at 9:16 AM Carl Tuttle <runagain@comcast.net> wrote:

Tickborne Diseases — Confronting a Growing Threat

Catharine I. Paules, M.D., Hilary D. Marston, M.D., M.P.H., Marshall E. Bloom, M.D., and Anthony S. Fauci, M.D.

This article was published on July 25, 2018, at NEJM.org.

https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp1807870

Excerpt:

“Although most cases are successfully treated with antibiotics, 10 to 20% of patients report lingering symptoms after receiving appropriate therapy.”

July 26, 2018

Office of the Director,
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID),
National Institutes of Health,
Bethesda, MD 20892
Attn: Anthony S. Fauci, M.D., Director

Dear Dr. Fauci,

There has been a thirty year fixation on the acute stage of Lyme disease (with bulls-eye rash) after early treatment however patients with a prolonged exposure to the pathogen before diagnosis and initial treatment are almost always incapacitated.

You know that untreated strep throat progresses to rheumatic fever causing irreversible heart damage. What happens to the Lyme patient who went months, years or decades before diagnosis? Dr. Neil Spector required a heart transplant after his Lyme went undiagnosed for four years while his laboratory tests (serology) were repeatedly negative. [1]

Singer/songwriter Kris Kristofferson was being treated for Alzheimer’s disease when discovering he had undiagnosed Lyme disease. [2]

Autopsy results identify the destructive nature of Borrelia as evident in Vicky Logan’s liver (nutmeg liver), kidneys, heart, lungs and brain. The patient died after the insurer refused additional IV antibiotic therapy. [3]

There is a growing patient population of this class of disabled patient who has been ignored for nearly four decades. Lyme disease is a life-altering/life-threatening infection misclassified as a low-risk and non-urgent health issue through an elaborate racketeering scheme as outlined in the SHRADER & ASSOCIATES, LLP racketeering lawsuit. [4] The U.S. Centers for Disease Control has aligned themselves with the seven defendants/academics named in this RICO lawsuit.

From your article:

“Nonserologic platform technologies may also improve diagnostic capabilities, particularly in identifying emerging pathogens. Two previously unknown tickborne RNA viruses, Heartland virus and Bourbon virus, were discovered by researchers using next-generation sequencing to help link organisms with sets of unexplained clinical symptoms.”

When Sanger sequencing identified a case of chronic Lyme disease, the CDC stopped all communication with the Director of Milford Molecular Diagnostics. [5], [6]

The recently published Middelveen paper reported persistent infection as the majority of patients were culture positive for infection even after multiple years on antibiotics so there was no relief from current antimicrobials. Some patients had taken as many as eleven different types of antibiotics. [7]

_______________________

Dr. Fauci; your “Perspective” published in the New England Journal of Medicine does not mention anything I have presented here so it would appear that you are caught up in this racketeering scheme to suppress the severity of a disease that is destroying lives, ending careers, causing death and disability while leaving victims in financial ruin. There are no Public Service Announcements informing the public that you could become horribly disabled or die from Lyme disease.

It is time to move Lyme disease to HIGHEST ALERT and remove the CDC’s stronghold over the progress to find a curative approach for the late stage Lyme epidemic. [8]

Acknowledgment and response to this letter is requested.

Respectfully submitted,

Carl Tuttle
Lyme Endemic Hudson, NH

Cc: Attorney Daniel Dutko of Hanszen Laporte
Representatives Chris Smith and Colin Peterson

REFERENCES: (Please read them!)

1. What It’s Like to Have Severe Lyme Disease
https://www.thecut.com/2015/06/what-its-like-to-have-severe-lyme-disease.html

2. A Slow Slipping AwayKris Kristofferson’s Long Undiagnosed Battle with Lyme Disease.
https://www.lymedisease.org/members/lyme-times/2016-fall-news/kris-kristofferson-lyme-disease/

3. Vicky Logan’s Autopsy results
1 https://www.dropbox.com/s/5ykib95sfp66adb/Logan%20Autopsy%201.JPG?dl=0

2 https://www.dropbox.com/s/lysfqd3vjc63bkl/Logan%20Autopsy%202.JPG?dl=0

3 https://www.dropbox.com/s/zq7kj953f7mejkn/Logan%20Autopsy%203.JPG?dl=0

4 https://www.dropbox.com/s/uqkgxynm5bn88jg/Logan%20Autopsy%204.JPG?dl=0

5 https://www.dropbox.com/s/id8bbppoiscxuiq/Logan%20Autopsy%205.JPG?dl=0

6 https://www.dropbox.com/s/mnms2un02g19kg7/Logan%20Autopsy%206.JPG?dl=0

7 https://www.dropbox.com/s/nfvqbidao16yynf/Logan%20Autopsy%207.JPG?dl=0

4. SHRADER & ASSOCIATES, LLP racketeering lawsuit
https://www.dropbox.com/s/18uyrli878ug51m/LymeDisease%20RICO%20Lawsuit.pdf?dl=0

5. $57.1 Million Lyme Disease Lawsuit Filed Against CDC
https://www.change.org/p/the-us-senate-calling-for-a-congressional-investigation-of-the-cdc-idsa-and-aldf/u/22752033

6. COMPLAINT:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/zem4v9sceg1v63d/Lee%20CDC%20Complaint%205-15-2018.pdf?dl=0

7.  Persistent Borrelia Infection in Patients with Ongoing Symptoms of Lyme Disease
http://www.mdpi.com/2227-9032/6/2/33

8. Lyme Disease: Call for a “Manhattan Project” to Combat the Epidemic
Raphael B. Stricker, Lorraine Johnson

Published: January 02, 2014DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.100379

http://www.plospathogens.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.ppat.1003796

Thanks to your support this petition has a chance at winning! We only need 52,304 more signatures to reach the next goal – can you help?

For more:

The problem is researchers in academia obtain money from the government.  Dr. Fauci, holds the keys to the coffer.  Hopefully by now it is evident to all that he is one of the most corrupt individuals on the planet and he will do whatever it takes to get what he wants – lie, cover up, deny, and hide.  He is not only behind the COVID debacle, but the Lyme debacle as well. 

Public health has become nothing more than a pharmaceutical arm and patients are the losers. 

I write about the similarities between how COVID and Lyme has been handled here: 

Category:

Activism, Lyme, vaccines, Viruses

High Cost of Treating Lyme Arthritis in Children With Surgery

https://danielcameronmd.com/high-cost-lyme-arthritis-children-surgery/

High cost of treating Lyme arthritis in children with surgery

lyme arthritis in children being treated by doctor wrapping knee

A study by Tout and colleagues investigated how operative management impacts the clinical course and health care costs of pediatric patients hospitalized with Lyme arthritis.

“We hypothesized that surgery does not improve clinical outcomes for children with Lyme arthritis but does increase resource utilization and cost,” the authors wrote.

By Dr. Daniel Cameron

In their article “The Impact of Operative Intervention in Pediatric Lyme Arthritis,” Tout et al. described 149 children admitted to a tertiary care children’s hospital in Pennsylvania who had been diagnosed with Lyme arthritis between 2008 and 2018.¹

All of the children met the CDC case definition, had Lyme arthritis, and were culture negative. The average age of the children was 6.7 years with a range of 4.5 to 9.7 years.

Out of the 149 patients, 47 underwent orthopedic intervention.

The study found:

  • 1 in 3 children underwent surgery
  • 2 out of 3 underwent open surgery
  • The remaining children underwent arthroscopic surgery. One child underwent arthroscopic surgery followed by open surgery. And, just over 50% of the children underwent a synovectomy.

Two children were re-admitted for surgical complications — one for wound dehiscence and the other for “persistence of arthritis in the setting of inappropriate initial antibiotic therapy (first-generation cephalosporin).”

“This retrospective cohort study demonstrates that operative intervention for Lyme arthritis does not improve outcomes, though it does increase cost and health care utilization.”

“One child was admitted due to persistent symptoms despite appropriate antibiotic therapy (doxycycline) for therapeutic arthrocentesis,” Tout wrote.

Cost and Outcome for Operative Intervention

The length of stay for children undergoing surgery was longer (3.17 vs. 1.40 days) and the cost was higher ($27,850 vs. $10,716) than children who did not have surgery. However, the outcome was the same for both groups (98% for each).

The two children who did not experience symptom resolution were diagnosed with a rheumatologic condition (e.g., juvenile idiopathic arthritis).

READ MORE: Preventing unnecessary surgery for children with Lyme arthritis

The authors were not able to definitively comment on why each child was admitted and why a subset underwent surgery.  One reason may have been the turnaround time for Lyme disease testing, as this was “typically 3 to 8 days, which is generally considered too long to wait if there was a concern for a septic joint.”

Authors’ Conclusion

“This retrospective cohort study demonstrates that operative intervention for Lyme arthritis does not improve outcomes, though it does increase cost and health care utilization.”

The authors emphasized the need for “rapid Lyme diagnostic testing in Lyme-endemic areas, the importance of increased provider awareness of the expanding distribution of Lyme disease when assessing acute undifferentiated arthritis, and the need for additional research in elucidating factors that can distinguish Lyme arthritis from septic arthritis.”

Editor’s perspective: The authors did not address the long-term cost of surgical intervention after open knee surgery and/or synovectomy.  I always examine children diagnosed with juvenile idiopathic arthritis for evidence of a persistent tick-borne infection.

Successful treatment for Lyme arthritis after knee surgery
Diagnosing Lyme arthritis of the hip in children
Will steroid injections help children with lyme arthritis of the knee?

References:
  1. Tout AR, McClincy M, Anderson A, Nowalk A, Campfield BT. The Impact of Operative Intervention in Pediatric Lyme Arthritis. J Pediatr Orthop. 2021 Nov-Dec 01;41(10):e911-e916. doi: 10.1097/BPO.0000000000001959. PMID: 34483307.

___________________

**Comment**

Of course the obvious issue this study doesn’t address is persistent/chronic infection which often improves or eradicates symptoms with appropriate antimicrobial treatment. Researchers/medical professionals continue to view this through a myopic, simplistic lens and until that changes patients will not obtain help from mainstream and will continue to have to hunt for experienced Lyme literate professionals.

Regarding knee arthritis, please also see: https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/05/09/rheumatological-presentation-of-bartonella-koehlerae-henselae-a-case-report-chiropractors-please-read/

I suspect Bartonella plays a major role in my knee/joint popping, which started when I became infected and has persisted to this day. I’ve struggled with a Baker’s cyst in my knee now for 6 months. I’ve tried many things over the years for inflammation/pain including DMSO & MSM, systemic enzymes, Class IV lasers, and biomats utilizing PEMF & red light therapy. The cyst has me pounding the pavement once more for possible treatments and relief. Here’s what I’ve discovered so far:

  • http://www.doctoryourself.com/index.html  This wonderful website by Dr. Saul that is chuck full of conditions and remedies. When you click on the arthritis links on the far right hand side, you will discover that juicing (getting micronutrients already broken down), sprouting (more living micronutrients), and vitamins D, A, C, and niacinamide have miraculously helped those with severe arthritis.  I’ve begun all of these modalities, some of which I was already doing, but now am spreading the niacinamide doses throughout the day which is making a big difference.

It has been found in the treatment of joint dysfunction that the manner in which the daily dosage of niacinamide is divided has an important bearing on the the therapeutic results achieved; e.g., 300 mg niacinamide given three times daily (900 mg/24 hours) is inferior in its therapeutic action to 150 mg niacinamide administered every 3 hours for 6 daily doses (900 mg/24 hours).

I have found this to be the case as well.

I’ve already had noticable results with the juicing, sprouting, and vitamin C/niacinamide supplements.  Pain has diminished by over half and cyst is shrinking, allowing a greater range of movement.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Category:

Lyme, research

Heartbreaking Connection Between Personality Changes & Lyme Disease

https://www.lymedisease.org/personality-changes-nicole-bell/

The heartbreaking connection between personality changes and Lyme disease

Jan. 13, 2022

By Nicole Danielle Bell

Early in our relationship, my husband, Russ, and I never argued. We were both engineers, so our disagreements felt more logical and debate-like.

But fast forward ten years, and all of that changed. He was irritable, moody, and sometimes outright nasty. The simplest thing caused an argument, and I didn’t understand why.

I figured he was depressed and unhappy. We had two young children, and he had stepped back from his fast-paced career to be “Mr. Mom.”

When that change didn’t seem to fit, I had encouraged him to go back to work — a suggestion that led to more resistance and fighting.

We went to therapy, but it didn’t help. Everything was a struggle, and divorce seemed imminent.

Then one day in 2016, the phone rang, and my entire vantage point changed.

The call was from our security company. Something triggered the house alarm, and they wanted to see if they should send the police. I called Russ, and he had set off the alarm. The problem was, he couldn’t figure out how to shut it off.

After I processed my confusion, I realized that he couldn’t remember the five-digit alarm code. His issue was more than unhappiness. His memory was failing. His irritability wasn’t “just life.” It was a symptom.

The search for answers

The following year was, frankly, a mess. I had to convince Russ that he was sick when we couldn’t even agree on dinner plans. And conventional medicine didn’t help. They ran a series of tests, but everything came back “normal.”

Eventually, he was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s, but that diagnosis didn’t make sense. Russ was young and had no genetic predisposition to Alzheimer’s. So I continued to dig.

Finally, almost two years after that blaring alarm, we found the root of his issue. And it had all started with a tick bite.

The three B’s

Russ suffered from three tick-borne infections: Borrelia (otherwise known as Lyme disease), Bartonella, and Babesia. They are known as the three B’s for those familiar with tick-borne illness. Each one is nasty, and each one can lead to mood disorders and cognitive decline.

Many folks have heard of Lyme disease. It causes fever, a rash, and is cured by a round of antibiotics, right? Wrong, at least for a lot of people.

Russ never experienced a fever or the characteristic bullseye rash, and this is not unusual.

A CDC report on Lyme carditis, which can be fatal, found that only 42% of cases experienced a rash. Symptoms vary immensely based upon the immune system response and where the infection takes hold. If the bacteria infect the joints, arthritis erupts. If they infect the heart, Lyme carditis develops. And if they infect the brain, neurological symptoms emerge — as they did with Russ.

Bartonellosis is a lesser-known disease but is turning out to be more prevalent than once thought. Fleas, ticks, and lice–as well as cat scatches–can transmit the bacteria, so people regularly in contact with animals are at greater risk.

One study showed that 27% of veterinarians were infected with various species of Bartonella — and the bacteria can lead to a host of psychological symptoms, including irritability, rage, depression, and anxiety. Russ’s symptoms? Check, check, check, and check. Some extreme cases have been linked to schizophrenia and other psychiatric conditions.

And the tick-borne diseases go on.

Babesia is linked to fatigue, sleep disorders, and muscle aches. Ehrlichia can cause seizures, difficulty breathing, and organ failure. Mycoplasma results in fatigue, musculoskeletal symptoms, and cognitive problems. Ticks are nature’s dirty needle and can transmit a long list of bacteria, viruses, and parasites—and they don’t always trigger a fever or a rash, as we’ve been told.

What to do?

So what can you do if you suspect that tick-borne illness is impacting you or your loved ones?

Well, you should get tested, but, unfortunately, that isn’t as easy as it sounds. The big problem is that the antibody-based, standard two-tier test recommended by the CDC is grossly inadequate. A study published in June 2020 demonstrated that only 29% of people known to have Lyme (because they presented with the typical rash) tested positive with the standard CDC method.

Wait, what? Only 29% of people known to have Lyme test positive with the gold standard test? Why is that?

There are many reasons, but a significant contributor is that chronic infection weakens the immune system.

Lower immune function means lower antibody levels, so there aren’t enough to trigger the test. In 2018, Congress established a Tick-Borne Disease Working Group to study the growing problem. Their report highlighted “the need for improved approaches to detecting tick-borne diseases.” Unfortunately, the standard still hasn’t changed.

Russ tested negative for Lyme in 2016 using the standard two-tier approach. Fifteen months later, we retested him using a different method. Instead of testing for antibodies, we tested for the bacteria itself using Polymerase Chain Reaction or PCR, as used for COVID-19. With that test, he was positive.

The moral of the story, in tick-borne illness, the test method matters. Lyme-literate physicians recommend labs such as Igenex, Galaxy Diagnostics, and Vibrant America, which specialize in tick-borne testing. If you get tested, be sure to ask where your sample is going and how it will be analyzed.

Current status

Back to Russ. You may ask, how is he doing? Unfortunately, not well.

We treated his tick-borne diseases for over 18 months, and he had many ups and downs.

In the end, we couldn’t get ahead of the cognitive decline. He is currently in a dementia care unit nearing the end. It has been a heartbreaking journey — one that has left our two children, now 8 and 11, without their dad.

I get asked all the time, “What would you do differently?”

The answer is simple. Personality changes are symptoms. Something has changed, and it is crucial to figure out why. If therapy doesn’t work, think infection, specifically tick-borne infection. Get tested with a Lyme-literate physician as soon as possible.

Ticks can kill, so heed the early warning signs—before it’s too late.

Nicole Danielle Bell is the author of “What Lurks in the Woods: Struggle and Hope in the Midst of Chronic Illness.” Click here to read our review and an excerpt of this gripping memoir.

___________________

**Comment**

This took me back.  Similar story, different couple – us.

My husband experienced those vast mood swings as well, including severe anxiety, and we were both oblivious to the fact tick-borne illness can cause these symptoms. I remember thinking my Type-A husband all of a sudden became lazy, sitting on the couch in his robe playing “Candy-Crush.”  He was also explosive.

Any amount of stress would set him off and the entire family walked on egg-shells.

Homeschooling three pubescent teenagers can be very stressful at times, especially when you own your own business and the economy tanks forcing you to live off of savings and investments for two years – possibly facing bankruptcy.

It wasn’t until I complained to my kids’ coach, who after listening stated:

“This sounds like a page out of my book.  I was just diagnosed with Lyme disease.” 

This information set me on a journey I’m still on.  Learning daily about a complex, misunderstood illness that is affecting nearly 500,000 people yearly, and those are just the acute cases, has been my full-time occupation. There are millions more of us who repeatedly relapse requiring stints of treatment to keep us functioning.

In time, I came down with full-blown symptoms as well, increasing the stress and financial burdens as the two of us required expensive treatment not covered by insurance.

I’m very thankful the author points out the problems with testing as well as the many coinfections that are often present, complicating cases exponentially.  These pathogens also require savvy, synergistic, holistic treatment that addresses the complexity.  Mainstream medicine is hopelessly in the dark on this complexity, similarly with COVID – and with the same conflicts as public health ‘authorities’ are more concerned about creating lucrative tests and lucrative “vaccines” than they are with effective treatments.  The exact same smear campaign that is currently occurring with COVID has occurred in Lymeland for over 40 years.  And biowarfare is a similar refrain.

Unfortunately, Mr. Bell in the story above didn’t get proper help soon enough, and had irreversible damage.  This can happen and does happen.  Everyone now admits that early detection and treatment are the key yet continue to take a “wait and see” approach, or to falsely believe that 1 or two pills of doxycycline prophylactically will cure this.

I’m thankful to report that extended antibiotic treatment, hormones, supplements, nutrition, and many other adjunctive therapies ameliorated mood swings, cognitive decline, pain, and other physical ailments we both suffered with.  We are both in good health and miles from where we started.  We must continually work to keep our immune systems working properly, but the work we’ve done has been fruitful and very much worth it.

Category:

Alzheimer's, Lyme, Psychological Aspects

Dr. Kinderlehrer: Recovery From Lyme, An Integrative Approach

http://  Approx. 40 Min

Part 1

– @ 5.25 minutes Talk DSF dosing and coinfections.

– @ 19.25 minutes Kinderlehrer talks about MCAS in DSF patients, causing MC Degranulation

– @ 21.45 minutes Kinderlehrer talks about food sensitivities, gut disorders, and elimination diet

– @25.20 minutes Kinderlehrer talks MCS and EMF

– @27.50 minutes Kinderlehrer talks Bartonella

http://  Approx. 36 Min

Part 2

“This is not a horse race, this is a marathon” – Dr. Kinderlehrer –

@ Beginning talk avoidance of alcohol on dsf and tinctures

– @ 3.45 minutes talk dsf and encephalitis brain herx

– @ 6 minutes in talk side effects stopping DSF cold turkey and the psychiatric manifestation

– @ 9.30 minutes approx, talk brain inflammation and remedies

– @ 11.30 Dosing for DSF

– @ 15 minutes talk about the book

– @ 17.00 onwards PTLDS, The Lyme Wars, Co-Infections, and “Lyme Denier Doctors” and talks about his personal story with contracting Lyme and how he was denied care initially like so many other patients find.

_________________

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Category:

Bartonella, Lyme, Psychological Aspects, Treatment

Chronic UTIs and Interstitial Cystitis

https://www.betterhealthguy.com/episode158  Podcast Here

Episode #158: Chronic UTIs and Interstitial Cystitis with Ruth Kriz, MSN, APRN

Last Updated: December 14 2021

Why You Should Listen

In this episode, you will learn about chronic UTIs and Interstitial Cystitis.

Watch The Show

Listen To The Show

About My Guest

My guest for this episode is Ruth Kriz. Utilizing her functional medicine background as well as experience in microbiology and teaching pharmacology, Ruth Kriz, MSN, APRN has spent the majority of her professional career as a Nurse Practitioner working with Chronic UTI and Interstitial Cystitis patients. Her practice expanded to patients from almost all the states in the US as well as from 35 countries who came to her seeking answers beyond symptom management. Through molecular testing, an understanding of the genetics common to these patients, and an understanding of how this contributes to chronic infection and biofilms, she has been able to successfully treat this population. These factors have broad implications for other chronic infections (sinus, prostate, ear infections, wounds, etc.) as well as fibromyalgia, cardiovascular disease, and other conditions in which biofilms are an important contributor. She has closed her medical practice, but she has reinvented as a consultant to help practitioners learn how to utilize her approach for curing these patients.

Key Takeaways

  • How do chronic UTIs evolve into Interstitial Cystitis (IC) over time?
  • What are the primary contributors to chronic UTIs and IC?
  • How is the potential for infection best explored in these conditions?
  • What types of microbes are commonly found in these patients?
  • Do chronic Lyme disease and mold illness play a role in these conditions?
  • What are the key genetic contributors?
  • What role does ammonia play in creating the right environment for microbial overgrowth?
  • How might Nrf2 support be helpful in treating these conditions?
  • What is the role of hypercoagulation and biofilm?
  • How does vitamin D impact these conditions?
  • Is MCAS involved in chronic UTIs and IC?
  • Are oxalates a primary contributor?
  • What are some of the treatment options to explore?
  • Why is detoxification support important?
  • What is the prognosis for those dealing with chronic UTIs and IC?

Connect With My Guest

https://RuthKriz.com

See link for transcript

For more:

Category:

Lyme, Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS), Supplements, Treatment