Archive for the ‘Lyme’ Category

FREE Webinar on Vibrant’s New Expanded Tickborne & Infections Panels

https://zoom.us/webinar/register/

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Effective and Affordable Testing for Chronic Vector-borne Diseases

Join Vibrant and Amy Offutt MD for an introduction and discussion of Vibrant’s new expanded tickborne and infections panels, including additional Lyme and TBRF markers, added coinfections, and now with opportunistic infections commonly missed alongside Lyme and coinfections.
Time:  6:00 PM CT (US and Canada)

Date:  Oct 22, 2020

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Dr. Amy Offutt is a director on the ILADS board, and the medical director and co-owner of Heart & Soul Integrative Health and Yoga located in Marble Falls, Texas. She completed her undergraduate studies at Abilene Christian University, medical school at The University of Texas Health Sciences Center in San Antonio, and a residency in Family Medicine at Christus Health. She also has a Master’s Degree in Integrative Medicine from George Washington University and has completed a fellowship in Integrative Medicine. Her calling to look for the cause of disease, in addition to how to manage symptoms, led to her appointment by Governor Greg Abbott to the Pediatric Acute-Onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome Advisory Council in the summer of 2019. She has been married to her high school sweetheart, Brad, for 30 years, and they have 3 children, ages 19, 17, and 12. They enjoy family time, being on the lake, traveling, and healthy living.

Category:

Activism, Lyme, Testing

Chest Palpitations in a Teenager as Unusual Presentation of Lyme Disease: Case Report

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33028242/

Chest palpitations in a teenager as an unusual presentation of Lyme disease: case report

Faith Myers 1, Pooja E Mishra 1, Daniel Cortez 2, Mark R Schleiss 3
Affiliations expand

Free PMC article

Abstract

Background: The incidence of Lyme disease (LD) in North America has increased substantially in the past two decades. Concomitant with the increased incidence of infection has been an enhancement in the recognition of LD complications. Here, we report a case of Lyme carditis complicated by heart block in a pediatric patient admitted to our children’s hospital. What is unique about this case is that the complaint of chest palpitations is an infrequent presentation of LD, and what it adds to the scientific literature is an improved understanding of LD in the pediatric population.

Case presentation: The patient was a 16-year-old male who presented with the main concerns of acute onset of palpitations and chest pain. An important clinical finding was Erythema migrans (EM) on physical exam. The primary diagnoses were LD with associated Lyme carditis, based on the finding of 1st degree atrioventricular heart block (AVB) and positive IgM and IgG antibodies to Borrelia burgdorferi. Interventions included echocardiography, electrocardiography (EKG), and intravenous antibiotics. The hospital course was further remarkable for transition to 2nd degree heart block and transient episodes of complete heart block. A normal sinus rhythm and PR interval were restored after antibiotic therapy and the primary outcome was that of an uneventful recovery.

Conclusions: Lyme carditis occurs in < 5% of LD cases, but the “take-away” lesson of this case is that carditis can be the presenting manifestation of B. burgdorferi infection in pediatric patients. Any patient with suspected Lyme carditis manifesting cardiac symptoms such as syncope, chest pain, or EKG changes should be admitted for parenteral antibiotic therapy and cardiac monitoring. The most common manifestation of Lyme carditis is AVB. AVB may manifest as first-degree block, or may present as high-grade second or third-degree block. Other manifestations of Lyme carditis may include myopericarditis, left ventricular dysfunction, and cardiomegaly. Resolution of carditis is typically achieved through antibiotic administration, although pacemaker placement should be considered if the PR interval fails to normalize or if higher degrees of heart block, with accompanying symptoms, are encountered. With the rising incidence of LD, providers must maintain a high level of suspicion in order to promptly diagnose and treat Lyme carditis.

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**Comment**

Repeat:  Researchers need to refrain from stating that something is “rare” with Lyme disease as:
  • testing misses more than 70% of cases (thousands go undiagnosed)
  • much fewer report the EM rash than is quoted
  • this is still a misunderstood illness that doctors are woefully uneducated on.  If a patient doesn’t present with the EM rash, doctors unfamiliar with the wide symptom presentation are not going to catching this.

For more:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2020/03/01/study-cdcs-2-tier-lyme-testing-inaccurate-in-more-than-70-of-cases/

Click on image to see better. The graph is clear that there is a wide range of those with those finding the EM rash. While the EM rash is diagnostic for Lyme disease, many do not get it. In the first ever patient group in Lyme, Connecticut, only a quarter had the rash:

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/02/22/why-mainstream-lyme-msids-research-remains-in-the-dark-ages/

Again, mainstream medicine continues with abysmal testing and ancient dogma that is hurting patients.

More accurate scientific language would be: “Heart palpitations are rarely reported in the literature.”  What happens in the real world is often quite different than what is reported in the literature – particularly with Lyme as research has been hijacked by The Cabal:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2017/01/13/lyme-science-owned-by-good-ol-boys/

BTW: I had chest palpitations, my husband had chest palpitations, and most of the patients I work with have them.  I don’t think it’s nearly as rare as  is being reported.

It’s a good thing this teen was promptly diagnosed as people have died from this:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2020/02/21/17-year-old-dies-from-lyme-carditis/ 

The following statement is quite frightening:

The hospital course was further remarkable for transition to 2nd degree heart block and transient episodes of complete heart block.

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/11/16/advanced-heart-block-in-children-with-lyme-disease-2/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/12/09/study-identifies-189-children-with-lyme-carditis/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/09/17/lyme-carditis-heart-block-other-complications-of-ld/  Excerpt:

In 90% of cases, the most common consequence of Lyme carditis is heart block. The severity of the heart block can fluctuate rapidly and the progression to complete heart block can be fatal. Importantly, the heart block in Lyme carditis can be transient and usually resolves with antibiotic therapy. Additionally, Lyme carditis can affect other parts of the heart’s conduction system, as well as the heart’s muscle, valves, and outer layer of the heart wall.

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2020/08/22/boothbay-harbor-man-recovering-from-near-fatal-lyme-disease-infection/

These links show heart issues caused by Lyme disease are not rare.

Lyme advocate, Phyllis Mervine, makes a case that autopsies should be performed on those with unexpected, sudden death:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/07/09/with-unexpected-death-autopsies-should-look-for-lyme-carditis/

Category:

Heart Issues, Lyme, research, Testing

The Link Between My Lyme Disease and Mental Health

https://themighty.com/2020/10/lyme-disease-treatment-and-mental-health-link/

The Link Between My Lyme Disease and Mental Health

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Credit: Slide from Dr. Jane Marks’s lecture to American Psychiatric Association NY Branch, Lenox Hill Hospital, November 12, 2016

By Maddie Pinckney

Roughly 11 years ago, I walked out of my room and turned off the light switch. Instead of walking down the stairs, I turned back around and touched every pillow on my bed five times. This happened every day for the next few months. Touching objects repeatedly is a recognizable trait of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and so naturally, after being taken to the doctor, I was diagnosed with OCD. Doctors encouraged therapy, and they believed it would adequately manage the condition. And it did. That is, until it reappeared in other forms.  (Go to link for article)

____________________

**Comment**

This patient speaks of mental fatigue, depression, OCD, and stabbing pain, common symptoms of Lyme/MSIDS.

The really good news is after only 1 month of Lyme treatment, 80% of her psychiatric symptoms were gone.  GONE.

For more:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2015/10/18/psychiatric-lymemsids/

Please see this excellent presentation by Dr. Jane Marke:

http://

(If you are only interested in psychiatric symptoms, scroll to around minute 28)

12/11/2016

Dr. Jane Marke:  Mental Illness or Lyme Disease?

Lecture to American Psychiatric Association NY Branch, Lenox Hill Hospital, November 12, 2016

Lyme (Borreliosis) has become a very common illness; every state in the country has areas infested with ticks. Patients dealing with Lyme suffer neuro-psychiatric complications that are related directly to the illness, as well as to the emotional challenges and lack of support which often accompanies this difficult illness.

Many doctors are convinced that after a short course of antibiotics patients should be well. The huge number of people still ill years after a course of antibiotics belie this assertion.

Patients with Lyme, and related tick-borne disease, can have symptoms which mimic every known psychiatric syndrome. Treatment aimed directly at symptoms can relieve suffering rather quickly.

These symptoms include, but are not limited to:

  • insomnia
  • anxiety
  • “brain fog”
  • obsessive-compulsive symptoms
  • depersonalization
  • depression
  • rages

But antibiotics are needed to undermine the root cause of the illness: the bacteria that causes Lyme: Borrelia burgdorferi. Lyme is so common, that at this point in time, a large percentage of my patients have the illness. Almost everybody knows someone with this illness. It’s something we always have to keep in mind.

If you have Lyme, you deserve excellent treatment, no matter how briefly or how long you have been ill.

You deserve a Lyme-literate physician.

Visit Jane Marke here: http://www.janemarkemd.com/

Read also:

See more video’s and information about Lyme Disease here on Lyme Channel: http://bit.ly/2qLgv9g and here on Facebook: http://bit.ly/2rBchR0

Lyme disease is one of the fastest spreading infectious diseases in the world.
Lyme disease is almost twice as common as breast cancer and six times more common than HIV/AIDS!

Category:

Activism, Lyme, Psychological Aspects

WI Tick-borne Illness Center of Excellence Now Accepting New Patients

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TICK-BORNE ILLNESS CENTER OF EXCELLENCE

P: 715-203-1616

W: www.tickcenter.org

240 Maple Street, Woodruff, WI 54568

The Tick-Borne Illness Center of Excellence has come to the rescue. To receive specialty care for tickborne illnesses has required significant travel to either the east or west coasts. Now we have a center specializing in tick-borne illnesses right in the heart of the Midwest. Located in the beautiful Northwoods of Wisconsin, the Center opened its doors to chronically ill patients on the waiting list last September and is now ready to accept new patients. 

Under the purview of world-renowned Dr. Samuel Shor, a 30+ year Provider of care to tick-borne illness patients and past President of ILADS, the Center has four primary objectives. The Center is a place:

1. Where people who believe they may have a tick-borne illness can be effectively diagnosed

and treated.

2. Where patients who have been suffering for some time from an undiagnosed illness can receive a clear plan for treatment and follow-up care.

3. Where patients can participate in research to improve the ability to diagnose and treat tickborne illnesses.

4. That connects with other clinicians and researchers to share information and findings. A place where collaboration is the norm.

To remain focused on tick-borne illnesses, the Center is blessed with an Advisory Board consisting of Dr. Shor, Dr. Brian Fallon from Columbia University and Dr. John Aucott from Johns Hopkins University, all well-respected and recognized crusaders in the battle against tick-borne illnesses.

If you’re not getting the help you need to return to health, don’t hesitate. Contact the Tick-Borne Illness

Center of Excellence to have your best chance of succeeding.

To make an appointment today, call 715-203-1616

Make sure to let them know how you heard about the Center!

For more:

https://www.facebook.com/tickscenter/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2020/02/03/the-latest-on-the-tick-borne-illness-center-of-excellence-wisconsin/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/01/11/wisconsin-tick-borne-illness-center-of-excellence/

https://www.howardyoungfoundation.org/Howard-Young-Foundation-In-the-News/tick-center.

The good news is Wisconsinites have numerous qualified Lyme literate doctors and do not have to travel to the coasts to get help.  
The best source of information on doctors, their treatment style, and costs is your local Lyme support group.  Although these groups are influx, please see:  https://rawlsmd.com/lyme-support?

Category:

Lyme, Treatment

Live Q & A Webinar on Lyme Disease With Dr. Rawls

https://rawlsmd.com/webinars/ask-dr-rawls-10-2020/

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Whether you suspect you have Lyme disease, have recently been diagnosed, or have been struggling with chronic symptoms for a long time, we know you have questions — lots of them. Dr. Bill Rawls wants to help you find as many answers as possible.

The author of the best-selling book, Unlocking Lyme, Dr. Rawls isn’t just a Lyme-literate medical doctor (LLMD) — he also knows firsthand where you’re coming from: In the middle of his successful OB-GYN career, Dr. Rawls’ life was interrupted by Lyme disease. In his journey to overcome it, he explored nearly every treatment possible – from conventional medicine to a range of alternative therapies — until he finally discovered what worked.

Since his recovery more than a decade ago, Dr. Rawls has helped thousands of patients find their path to healing from Lyme disease and related chronic illness. Now, he’d like to help you. Come with your questions, and he’ll answer as many of them as possible.

Don’t miss an exclusive gift for all webinar attendees, plus a chance to win a FREE private consult with Dr. Rawls.

RESERVE MY SEAT »

Webinar can be viewed on any device

  • The best and worst lab tests and evaluations for diagnosing Lyme disease and common coinfections
  • When and how to safely use antibiotics and other conventional treatments
  • The most effective herbs, foods, and natural remedies for overcoming chronic Lyme
  • How to identify and cope with Lyme flare-ups, relapses, and Herxheimer reactions
  • Expert guidance on easing your worst symptoms, including chronic fatigue, pain, brain fog, and neurological and cardiac symptoms
  • Numerous other insights and answers throughout the live Q&A with Dr. Rawls

Category:

Activism, Detoxing, diet and nutrition, Gut Health, Herbs, Lyme, Supplements, Treatment