Archive for the ‘Lyme’ Category

85% of Turkish MS Patients Have Lyme – Study Shows

https://storage.googleapis.com/journal-uploads/ejbps/article_issue/volume_6_april_issue_4/1553939970.pdf

FREQUENCY OF BORRELIA BURGDORFERI WESTERN BLOT AND LTT POSITIVITY AMONG MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS PATIENTS FROM TURKEY

Barbaros Çetin* Dokuz Eylul University, Faculty of Science, Department of Biology, Izmir, Turkey.

Article Received on 29/01/2019 Article Revised on 19/02/2019 Article Accepted on 12/03/2019

ABSTRACT

In Turkey, Borrelia burgdorferi infections are not well known among physicians and almost completely overlooked. On the other hand, a small number of seropositivity studies (%3.3-%73) show that Borrelia burgdorferi is common in Turkey. There is no diagnostic biological marker in multiple sclerosis (MS). Only several clinical criteria used for diagnosis. These criteria are also compatible with other diseases. Lyme disease is currently among them. In the chronic phase of Lyme, demyelination can form and this can be confused with MS.

In this study 126 patients, between ages 17 and 66, with a definite diagnosis of multiple sclerosis was evaluated, and were found according to be found positive Borrelia burgdorferi western blot and LTT test results 108 (%85.72). Only 18 (%14.28) patients have negative test results.

The results show that LYME disease is very common in Turkey and LYME patients with neurological symptoms are misdiagnosed with multiple sclerosis.

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Important excerpts:

Multiple sclerosis affects at least 2.8 million people worldwide.

Worldwide, MS prevalence parallels the distribution of the Lyme disease pathogen Borrelia burgdorferi, and in America and Europe, the birth excesses of those individuals, who later in life develop MS exactly mirror the seasonal distributions of Borrelia transmitting Ixodes ticks.

According to the one of the most effective scientific papers, written by 4 Norwegian scientists, 10 of 10 MS patients were found to have a cyst form of the Borrelia spirochete bacteria. No bacteria were found in a control group. The cysts turned into spirochetal bacteria when cultured. The studies conclude that all ten MS patients have been infected with a spirochete. Concludes that MS could very well be a chronic infection.[8]

Since 1911, more than the past one hundred years, several older but also recent autopsy findings linked to in many articles found that all deceased MS patients’ brains harbored living lyme spirochetes. Even when tests, notorious for their large percentage of false negatives were used on living MS patients, staggeringly many tested positive for active Lyme borreliosis.[9]

“Spirochetes in MS” (Buzzard, E.F.), Published in the famous Lancet magazine in 1911, revealed the presence of Lyme spirochetes in the brains of MS patients. Over a period of more than a century, more than 50 international scientific papers proving the MS-Lyme relationship have been published in prestigious medical journals.[16-111] If you follow the European Medical Literature concerning Multiple Sclerosis from 1911 to 1939, you may find that in France, Germany and England, there were independent researchers all observing similar things and coming to similar conclusions:

  1. Spirochetes are often found in conjunction with the lesions in the brains of patients who have died with MS.
  2. These spirochetes can be isolated and can infect many mammalian animal models; including: mice, rats, hamsters, guinea pigs, rabbits, dogs, and primates.
  3. The spirochetes could be re-isolated from the brains of the infected animals and be inoculated into more un-infected animals and re-isolated from their brains.
  4. Multiple sclerosis may often be associated with Borrelia infection.
  5. Points out that a considerable body of clinical evidence supports the concept that cystic L-forms of Borrelia burgdorferi may cause MS. 

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Category:

Lyme, research

US News & World Report: Lyme Disease Can Wreak Havoc On Mental Health

https://www.lymedisease.org/us-news-world-report-lyme-disease-can-wreak-havoc-on-mental-health/

US News & World Report: Lyme disease can wreak havoc on mental health

US News and World Report, August 17, 2021

by Steven Reinberg

Lyme disease can exact a significant mental toll as well as a physical one on its sufferers, a new study confirms.

Patients hospitalized for Lyme disease had a 28% higher incidence of mental disorders and were twice as likely to attempt suicide than people without Lyme, researchers report.

“These findings highlight the need for greater awareness in the medical community that patients after a serious case of Lyme disease are at increased risk of mental disorders and suicidal behaviors, particularly during the first year after diagnosis,” said study author Dr. Brian Fallon….

“While most people with Lyme disease do not develop subsequent psychiatric problems, some do. Clinicians need to ask about suicidal thoughts and depression in particular, if symptoms persist,” Fallon said. READ MORE

Related Posts:

  1. Dr. Jane Marke discusses connection between Lyme and mental health
  2. NEWS: A ticking time bomb? Untreated Lyme disease can wreak havoc
  3. Groundbreaking study links Lyme disease to psychiatric disorders
  4. ILADS offers one-day course in “tick-borne diseases and mental health”

Category:

Lyme, Psychological Aspects

Learning to Be Supportive When Your Partner Has Lyme Disease

https://www.lymedisease.org/challenges-partner-lyme-disease/

Learning to be supportive when your partner has Lyme disease

By Fred Diamond

The woman I love has been coping with chronic Lyme for many years. For most of the 11 years we’ve been together, I thought I was doing my best to support her.

However, I came to realize recently that her challenges went further than I had imagined.

My mantra was “pay attention and keep her stress-free.” Shortly after I met her, she told me she had Lyme disease. I knew that meant she was easily fatigued, often in pain, and sometimes anxious. But she also had good energy, was very funny and beautiful.

I also knew that she had dietary restrictions, which meant we had to find the best gluten-free pizza in town. I knew she was concerned about heavy metals which meant she did not eat fish which might have mercury. It meant she had beef and rice when I had sushi.

I knew she was concerned about going into the basement when we realized there was mold there.

But I had no idea about the challenges she faced with Lyme and the stress she was under until I decided to really understand what her life was like battling this insidious disease.

You see, I pictured her as beautiful, funny, warm, and kind. My family loved her. My friends were happy for me knowing that I had such an amazing, loving, and supportive partner.

But I would always wonder why she seemed guilty whenever I did something for her and why she would often say I was working too hard for her when I had so many other things to worry about.

So, recently I decided to go deep into her world to understand the Lyme life she was living.

And I recommend that all partners of people with Lyme do the same. It changed my life in ways I never could have imagined.

Seeking to understand her illness

First off, I went online and purchased a few dozen books on Lyme, chronic illness, and anxiety. It was eye-opening! I joined a half-dozen Facebook groups and signed up for mailing lists at LymeDisease.org and other care organizations. I also called everyone I knew who ever uttered the word “Lyme.”

And I was shocked at what I discovered.

I thought I knew everything she dealt with, but I learned it was a constant battle for her to stay on top of treatments, supplements, and relief tools. Many days, all she could do was try to eliminate the pain, remove the anxiety, and find relief.

Even though I thought I was on top of things, I did not have a clue why certain things were so important.

Here are some things I discovered.

She felt a lot worse than I ever imagined

In a loving relationship, the balance of care shifts. When one partner is struggling at work, the other steps in and maybe takes a second job. When one partner is fatigued, the other does the housework and cooks the meals. I came to learn that she often felt the balance was uneven. Since she was sometimes unable to do some of the chores, she felt that since I was devoting more time and energy to her it was not fair. It never once occurred to me that this was an issue.

I had never thought of her as a Lyme sufferer.  I knew she had Lyme, but I never thought that was her identity. I always saw her as beautiful, caring, and funny, while she often saw herself as sick and was often in more pain than I ever knew.

I saw the anxiety and depression but never appreciated it. I always thought some rest and time would help. The supplements and herbals? I always saw them as merely vitamins, not part of a protocol. I had no idea that it took everything she had just to make it through the day, plagued by pain in her legs, or her neck, or her head.

Mold

We had mold in the basement after a leak. I didn’t realize how devastating mold can be for someone with Lyme. There are hundreds of thousands of people suffering from mold allergies. I now understand what mold can do and how someone who is susceptible can suffer from even a brief exposure.

Genes and heavy metals

We liked watching the “Finding Your Roots” show together but I was always watching for the aha moment or when they disclose the family member who was a slave owner. She was watching to see how the genetic matching might have affected the guest.

I would hear her talk about how genetic makeup may impact your body’s ability to detoxify. Who must spend a second of their life knowing about these enzymes and how they may or may not impair the detox? And that’s why she was always so concerned about copper, iron, zinc and the other heavy metals and how they can get in the way of your healing.

Letting healing take its course

I’ve come to realize that healing from Lyme is a personal, private, and sensitive process that only the person going through it can figure out. Hopefully there’s a good Lyme literate doctor who can help. For many, there are not. I’m amazed at how many doctors still do not understand Lyme.

I had often said that her health was one of my two top priorities, since I know it was her main priority. With my business background, I might have treated it like a business process. What are all the steps we need to do to get to healing? But it does not work that way.

As you let the healing take its course, you need to let the person going through it lead the way. They know their body; you do not.

No one has ever said they wanted to get Lyme. No one in their right mind would be thankful they have it. No one really wants to be a “Lyme Warrior,” But until acceptance comes in, healing is near impossible. I have come to realize that her recovery must be on her own terms and all I can do is educate myself and be as sensitive and available as needed.

Recovering from Lyme is a very personal process. It’s different for everyone.

How to be a better source of support

I didn’t know what healing meant until recently. As a spouse, all you can do is get educated, be considerate, and supportive where needed.

You can’t do it alone. It’s too overwhelming. Life’s overwhelming. Getting through the day even when everything is going your way is hard enough.

As a partner, you need to make the extra effort to understand your partner’s world and what they must do to make it through the day with chronic Lyme.

When I realized this, our lives changed for the better.

Fred Diamond lives in Fairfax, Virginia.

Category:

Activism, Lyme, Psychological Aspects

Debbie Gibson’s Lyme Disease Diagnosis

https://people.com/music/debbie-gibson-expects-the-unexpected-with-health-after-lyme-diagnosis/

Debbie Gibson ‘Learned to Expect the Unexpected’ with Her Health After Lyme Disease Diagnosis

“When you’ve lived enough life, you start to move through things with more ease,” the ’80s pop star tells PEOPLE in this week’s issue, in which she opens up about her Lyme diagnosis
By Brianne Tracy

August 18, 2021 11:30 AM

Debbie Gibson has no reservations when it comes to admitting that her past eight years of living with Lyme disease have been difficult — but don’t call it a battle.

“I’ve taken that word out of my vocabulary,” the ’80s teen queen tells PEOPLE in this week’s issue, on newsstands Friday. “For me, it’s about being zen and open, listening for answers and yes, being a warrior, but a peaceful warrior and moving through things. When you’ve lived enough life, you start to move through things with more ease.”

Gibson, now 50, first started experiencing undiagnosed Lyme symptoms — including food sensitivities, fatigue, night sweats, migraines and back pain — in 2013. At first she turned to Xanax — prescribed to her in her 20s after years of struggling with anxiety and depression — to help her cope.

“When I was in the throes of Lyme and didn’t really know it, I’d take a Xanax to help me sleep,” she says. “It started wigging my body out and was triggering something to do with the Lyme, and my body couldn’t handle it.”  (See link for article)

Category:

Activism, Lyme

PTSD, COVID-19 & Lyme Disease: A Perspective

https://danielcameronmd.com/ptsd-covid-19-and-lyme-disease-a-perspective/

PTSD, COVID-19 AND LYME DISEASE: A PERSPECTIVE

man with PTSD and COVID-19 getting console in therapy

“Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a severe mental health condition caused by a terrifying event outside the normal range of usual human experience.”[1] While it is often associated with events such as an assault or disaster, post-traumatic stress disorder can occur in people with severe health problems.

By 

Patients with chronic Lyme disease have reported symptoms of PTSD. Now, an article entitled “PTSD as the second tsunami of the SARS-Cov-2 pandemic,” by Dutheil et al. indicates that some COVID-19 patients are experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder, as well.¹

The authors highlight several observations on the SARS-Cov-2 pandemic and PTSD that would also apply to Lyme disease patients that I have seen in my practice.

PTSD in COVID-19 pandemic

  • “With a poor understanding of viruses and spreading mechanisms, the evocation of SARS is generating a great anxiety contributing to promote PTSD.”
  • “In the families of cases, the brutal death of family members involved a spread of fear and a loss of certainty, promoting PTSD.”
  • “PTSD symptoms involve chronic severe anxiety with re-experiencing the traumatic event, flashbacks, nightmares, increased arousal, and reduced social life.”
  • “People suffering from PTSD are prone to not seek care, because of barriers such as lack of information and cost of mental health care, being afraid of stigmatization, or beliefs that symptoms may increase with time.”
  • “PTSD individuals are more at-risk of suicidal ideation, suicide attempt, and deaths by suicide, in huge proportions.”

PTSD in chronic Lyme disease

  • The poor understanding of Lyme disease and associated tick-borne illnesses has generated a great deal of anxiety.
  • The severity of chronic illness following Lyme disease involves a spread of fear and a loss of certainty.
“People suffering from PTSD are prone to not seek care, because of barriers such as lack of information and cost of mental health care, being afraid of stigmatization, or beliefs that symptoms may increase with time.”
  • I have Lyme disease patients who re-experience the traumatic event, flashbacks, nightmares, increased arousal, and reduced social life, as described by the authors.
  • I have seen Lyme disease patients who “are prone to not seek care, because of barriers such as lack of information and cost of mental health care, being afraid of stigmatization, or beliefs that symptoms may increase with time.”
  • I have seen suicidal ideation in patients I have treated. Dr. Robert Bransfield, a psychiatrist specializing in tick-borne illnesses, has described suicidal ideation, suicide attempt, and deaths by suicide in patients in his practice.²

Author’s perspective: I hope that a better understanding of post-traumatic stress disorder in COVID-19 patients will lead to a better understanding of PTSD in Lyme disease.

Related Articles:

Lyme carditis diagnosis during a COVID-19 quarantine

COVID-19 delays diagnosis of Lyme disease

9 ways COVID-19 and Lyme disease can look alike

References:
  1. Dutheil F, Mondillon L, Navel V. PTSD as the second tsunami of the SARS-Cov-2 pandemic. Psychol Med. Apr 24 2020:1-2. doi:10.1017/S0033291720001336
  2. Bransfield RC. Aggressiveness, violence, homicidality, homicide, and Lyme disease. Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat. 2018;14:693-713. doi:10.2147/NDT.S155143

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**Comment**

PTSD is very, very real.  I’ve had it myself.  My husband had it. People don’t typically understand that Lyme/MSIDS IS a brain disease and can affect you psychologically in many ways.  You can hear voices, hallucinate, have PTSD or OCD, depression, de-personalization, and so many other mental issues.

It’s important to get to the root of the issue – and that’s treating the infections; however, you may also need to address the mental health aspects as well with a trained professional.  A word of warning; however, I would highly recommend a Lyme literate professional as many patients have been abused at the hands of uneducated professionals who blindly follow the CDC/IDSA ideology.  These people can cause more harm than good.  I would also seek to get a referral from either a knowledgable patient or health professional you know and trust.

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Category:

Lyme, Psychological Aspects, research, Viruses