Archive for the ‘Lyme’ Category

Can Lyme Disease Cause Speech Issues?

https://danielcameronmd.com/can-lyme-disease-cause-speech-issues/

CAN LYME DISEASE CAUSE SPEECH ISSUES?

Can-Lyme-cause-speech-issues

“Lyme can affect the nerves that are responsible for controlling the muscles in the vocal cords,” says Amesh A. Adalja, MD, an infectious disease specialist at Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. “As a result, someone could technically lose their voice if they had Lyme disease.”

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“Lyme disease has been associated with a wide variety of persistent neuropsychological and cognitive symptoms, including: impaired attention, focus, concentration, judgment, and impulse control,” in addition to impaired memory and speech functions, according to an article published by Amen Clinics.¹

Recent studies of patients with post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome (PTLDS) have found “consistent deficits in memory and processing speed,” according to the authors of a new study “Language Fluency Deficits in Post-treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome.”² But are language fluency deficits due to poor performance in these other neurocognitive areas?

The study by Gorlyn et al. evaluated 38 individuals with major depressive disorder (MDD), 59 healthy volunteers, and 31 individuals with Post-treatment Lyme disease Syndrome (PTLDS).

The major depressive disorder group “had a cumulative time since first episode of depression of 13.5 ± 10.9 years, with an average 3.8 ± 3.5 episodes of depression,” wrote Gorlyn et al.

The Post-treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome group “had a duration of illness of 7.7 ± 5.6 years of illness and had gone 13.0 ± 18.5 (median = 7.0) months before being formally diagnosed and treated for Lyme disease.”

Additionally, the PTLDS group “received an average of 2.3 ± 1.7 months of prior intravenous antibiotic treatment and 7.4 ± 9.8 (median = 3) months of prior oral antibiotic treatment.”

The study found that both the PTLDS and MDD groups had deficits in basic verbal abilities, memory, and processing speed.

“…language fluency deficits were evident in PTLDS patients even after controlling for the significant effects of verbal ability, slowed processing speed, and memory difficulties on fluency performance.”

The authors concluded, “Language fluency appears to be an independent area of neurocognitive deficit within the constellation of PTLDS symptoms.”

These deficits in language fluency could not be a function of depressed mood, basic verbal abilities, or other cognitive problems, the authors point out.

“These findings suggest that language problems are a distinct area of cognitive deficit in PTLDS, and not a function of depressed mood, basic verbal abilities, or other cognitive problems frequently observed in PTLDS.”

The findings support those from other studies. “A clearer picture of these patients’ neurocognitive difficulties has emerged incorporating mild slowing, disruptions of learning and information retrieval, and dysfunction in everyday language skills,” wrote the authors.

The study was not designed to determine if the language fluency deficits in Lyme disease were transient or a long-standing effect, although the PTLDS group had been ill for years despite antibiotic treatment. Nor was the study designed to determine the cause of the language fluency deficits in Lyme disease.

References:
  1. Amen Clinics. November 15, 2022. https://rb.gy/ac4geu
  2. Gorlyn M, Keilp JG, Fallon BA. Language Fluency Deficits in Post-treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome. Arch Clin Neuropsychol. Dec 22 2022;doi:10.1093/arclin/acac095

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Category:

Lyme, research

HHS Releases Vector-borne Disease National Strategy

https://www.lymedisease.org/hhs-vector-borne-disease-strategy/

HHS releases vector-borne disease national strategy

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has released the National Public Health Strategy to Prevent and Control Vector-Borne Diseases in People (VBD National Strategy).

As directed by the 2019 Kay Hagan Tick Act—named after the U.S. Senator who died due to complications from a tickborne illness—HHS led a four-year process with civilian agencies and defense departments to deliver this strategy.

Co-led by the HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the strategy identifies and describes federal priorities to detect, prevent, respond to, and control diseases and conditions caused by vectors in the United States.

This VBD National Strategy represents the largest formal federal coordination effort focused on vector-borne disease prevention and control with contributions by over 50 representatives across 17 federal agencies. This collaborative effort will help

  • Address the significant public health challenges related to vector-borne diseases;
  • Incorporate a One Health approach to enhance coordination and communication across human, animal, and environmental areas; and
  • Reverse the upward trends in illness, suffering, and death.

Growing Problem of Vector-Borne Diseases

Vectors—biting insects and arachnids like mosquitoes, ticks, fleas, and lice—can spread germs that make people sick. These diseases are major causes of death and illness worldwide, and they increasingly threaten the health and well-being of people in the United States.

Diseases and conditions spread by vectors include Lyme disease, Zika virus, West Nile virus, dengue, malaria, plague, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and alpha-gal syndrome.

According to CDC, reported cases of these diseases doubled over the last two decades. Due to shifting land use patterns, global travel and trade, and a changing climate, the threat of existing and emerging vector-borne diseases continues to grow.

As geographic ranges of vectors expand, the number of pathogens spread by vectors continues to climb—yet only one vaccine is available to protect people against almost 20 domestic threats.

Goals of the Vector-Borne Disease National Strategy

The rising public health threat of vector-borne diseases requires a comprehensive and sustained national effort to protect people. In 2020, the U.S. government published a framework responding to this need, titled A National Public Health Framework for the Prevention and Control of Vector-Borne Diseases in Humans (Framework). A consortium expanded the Framework into this comprehensive strategy.

As stipulated in the Kay Hagan Tick Act, HHS and CDC consulted the Tick-Borne Disease Working Group while developing the interagency strategy. The strategy incorporates recommendations from the now sunset Working Group.

In addition to identifying challenges and opportunities to enhance the prevention and control of vector-borne diseases, the strategy lays out an ambitious national public health approach to develop diagnostics, drugs, and treatments for coexisting conditions. Although critical to public health and wellness, clinical and healthcare services, access to care, legal protections, and reimbursement or payment for clinical services are outside the scope of this strategy.

Implementing the VBD National Strategy

The federal government envisions a nation where vector-borne diseases no longer threaten the health and well-being of people. Agencies and departments are proactively working to protect people from illness, suffering, and death due to vector-borne diseases by

  • Better understanding when, where, and how people are exposed to and get sick or die;
  • Developing, evaluating, and improving tools, methods, and guidance to diagnose diseases and their pathogens;
  • Developing, evaluating, and improving tools, methods, and guidance to prevent and control disease;
  • Developing and assessing drugs and treatment strategies; and
  • Disseminating and implementing public health tools, programs, and collaborations to prevent, detect, diagnose, and respond to threats.

Federal Government to Develop New Approaches to the Threat

Vector-borne diseases are a global threat, with national security, economic, and health implications for the United States. As the federal government continues to proactively strengthen its response to this threat, HHS and CDC plan to develop future iterations of the VBD National Strategy with opportunities for public engagement.

Read the VBD National Strategy.

SOURCE: US Department of Health and Human Services

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**Comment**

It’s quite easy to see where this is going.

  1. They emphasize there’s only 1 vaccine. Vaccines are the only thing these people care about because they are big business and quite lucrative.
  2. Despite more and more experts defying the climate narrative, and proof that the entire paradigm is corrupt, and being used for a much bigger agenda, it is mentioned here because it too is big business and quite lucrative.
  3. While the article mentions diagnostics, drugs, and treatments for coexisting conditions – they won’t lift a finger regarding Lyme/MSIDS, unless it’s a vaccine.  No money in these other things.
  4. The buzz word of the day – ‘One Health’ has been hijacked by the corrupt WHO as an ultimate power grab, which would give them unlimited control over humans, animals, and the environment.
  5. Similarly to the completely unobtainable goal of a ZERO COVID policy, the federal government’s vision of a nation where vector-borne diseases no longer threaten the health and well-being of people is seriously a joke.
  6. The mention that vector borne diseases are a national security threat is code for: we are going to keep working on vector bioweapons.
Again, the only thing the HHS is going to release is a lot of hot air.

It is not going to do ONE thing to help the plight of Lyme/MSIDS patients. It will gladly spend even more of our tax-dollars to do yet more worthless research showing the same things they’ve been showing for 40 years.

Category:

Activism, Lyme, mosquitoes, Ticks, Transmission, Viruses

Peripheral Neuropathy Evaluation & Repair in Lyme Disease

https://www.treatlyme.net/guide/neuropathy-repair-heal-that-tingling-numbness-pain

Updated: 4/24/2023

Neuropathy in Lyme Disease

In chronic Lyme disease it is common to have nerve injury in locations outside of the brain and spinal cord – also called peripheral neuropathy. Common symptoms of peripheral neuropathy include:

  • numbness,
  • burning sensations,
  • and/or sharp, stabbing or electric feelings.

In this article Marty Ross MD reviews:

  • laboratory evaluation of neuropathy in chronic Lyme disease and a functional medicine approach to remove nerve insults and to repair nerve injury.

Neuropathy Laboratory Evaluation

A basic laboratory evaluation of neuropathy may include:

  • Vitamin B6 (too much Vitamin B6 causes neuropathy)
  • Vitamin B12 (low Vitamin B12 causes neuropathy)
  • Vt D3 (levels around 40 ng/ml to 80ng/ml support healthy nerve function)
  • CBC
  • CMP (evaluation of kidney and liver function)
  • TSH, Free T3, and Free T4 (evaluate for low or high thyroid function)
  • TTG-IgA & EMA (for possible celiac disease)
  • heavy metal urine testing (see the end of the article for when to do this)

(See link for video and article)

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For more:

Neuropathy Laboratory Evaluation

A basic laboratory evaluation of neuropathy may include:

  • Vitamin B6 (too much Vitamin B6 causes neuropathy)
  • Vitamin B12 (low Vitamin B12 causes neuropathy)
  • Vt D3 (levels around 40 ng/ml to 80ng/ml support healthy nerve function)
  • CBC
  • CMP (evaluation of kidney and liver function)
  • TSH, Free T3, and Free T4 (evaluate for low or high thyroid function)
  • TTG-IgA & EMA (for possible celiac disease)
  • heavy metal urine testing (see the end of the article for when to do this)

Functional Medicine Neuropathy Repair

Steps to repair nerve injury include:

removing the nerve insults

  • correcting abnormal labs including thyroid, Vitamin D, Vitamin B6, and Vitamin B12
  • stopping RX meds that may cause neuropathy
  • treating infections
  • correcting mold toxicity

repairing the nerve damage

  • repairing nerve cell and mitochondria power plant membranes,
  • increasing the master cell repair antioxidant glutathione,
  • increasing the nutrient Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10)
  • taking acetyl-l-carnitine if you do not eat red meat,
  • decreasing inflammation, and
  • using the peptide BPC-157.

Category:

Lyme, Supplements, Testing

Lyme-Induced Cardiac Problems Persist Despite Antibiotic Treatment

https://danielcameronmd.com/lyme-cardiac-antibiotic-treatment/

LYME-INDUCED CARDIAC PROBLEMS PERSIST DESPITE ANTIBIOTIC TREATMENT

lyme-cardiac

In their article, “An Unusual Presentation of Lyme Carditis and Adenosine-Sensitive Atrioventricular Block,” Alexandre and colleagues present the case of a 20-year-old female with Lyme disease and cardiac manifestations, who continued to experience cardiac problems despite 4 weeks of antibiotic treatment. [1]

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The young woman was admitted to the emergency department with acute pleuritic chest pain and shortness of breath. (Pleuritic chest pain is characterized by sudden and intense sharp, stabbing, or burning pain in the chest when inhaling and exhaling.)

The woman exhibited only mild tachycardia (100/min). However, “Considering the suspicion of acute myocarditis, the patient was admitted to an intensive cardiac care unit,” the authors state.

During hospitalization, cardiac monitoring revealed several asymptomatic episodes of paroxysmal AV block, including second-degree Mobitz I AV block, second degree AV block, and high-grade AV block.

Although there was no evidence of tick exposure or skin lesions, clinicians ordered testing for Lyme disease, which was positive by Western blot. “… an IgM Western-Blot test was performed, confirming positivity and recent Borrelia spp. infection.”

The patient was diagnosed with Lyme disease with cardiac manifestations of high-grade AV block. She was treated with a 4-week course of IV ceftriaxone, which led to a complete resolution of chest pain and shortness of breath.

However, the AV conduction disturbance continued after 4 weeks of antibiotic treatment. And subsequently, the woman was given an alternative diagnosis of extrinsic idiopathic paroxysmal AV block (“adenosine-sensitive AV block”).

This could be an extremely rare course of Lyme carditis, or the patient may have had asymptomatic AV conduction problems that surfaced when she developed Lyme disease, according to the authors.

“The patient was started on theophylline 400 mg twice daily, and after one week of treatment, the Holter monitoring demonstrated a significant reduction in AV conduction disturbances,” the authors state.

At her 18-month follow-up appointment, the woman continued to have fewer AV conduction disturbances, no cardiac complaints, and no need for a permanent pacemaker.

Authors conclude:

“This case illustrates a challenging scenario of [Lyme carditis] with high grade AV block, which persisted after appropriate antibiotic treatment and had key features supporting the diagnosis of extrinsic idiopathic paroxysmal AV block (‘adenosine sensitive AV block’).

References:
  1. Alexandre A, Ribeiro D, Sousa MJ, Reis H, Silveira J, Torres S. An Unusual Presentation of Lyme Carditis and Adenosine-Sensitive Atrioventricular Block. Arq Bras Cardiol. 2024 Jan;121(1):e20230228. Portuguese, English. doi: 10.36660/abc.20230228. PMID: 38324857.

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Category:

Heart Issues, Lyme, research, Testing, Treatment, Uncategorized

Superior Efficacy of Combination Antibiotics Therapy Versus Monotherapy For Lyme Disease in Mouse Model

https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2023.1293300/full

Front. Microbiol., 20 November 2023
Sec. Infectious Agents and Disease
Volume 14 – 2023 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2023.1293300
This article is part of the Research TopicInsights in Infectious Agents and Disease: 2023View all 11 articles

Superior efficacy of combination antibiotic therapy versus monotherapy in a mouse model of Lyme disease

Yasir Alruwaili1,2,3Mary B. Jacobs2Nicole R. Hasenkampf2Amanda C. Tardo2Celine E. McDaniel2Monica E. Embers2,3*

Lyme disease (LD) results from the most prevalent tick-borne infection in North America, with over 476,000 estimated cases annually. The disease is caused by Borrelia burgdorferi (Bb) sensu lato which transmits through the bite of Ixodid ticks. Most cases treated soon after infection are resolved by a short course of oral antibiotics. However, 10–20% of patients experience chronic symptoms because of delayed or incomplete treatment, a condition called Post-Treatment Lyme Disease (PTLD). Some Bb persists in PTLD patients after the initial course of antibiotics and an effective treatment to eradicate the persistent Bb is needed. Other organisms that cause persistent infections, such as M. tuberculosis, are cleared using a combination of therapies rather than monotherapy. A group of Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved drugs previously shown to be efficacious against Bb in vitro were used in monotherapy or in combination in mice infected with Bb. Different methods of detection were used to assess the efficacy of the treatments in the infected mice including culture, xenodiagnosis, and molecular techniques. None of the monotherapies eradicated persistent Bb. However,

  • 4 dual combinations (doxycycline + ceftriaxone, dapsone + rifampicin, dapsone + clofazimine, doxycycline + cefotaxime)
  • 3 triple combinations (doxycycline + ceftriaxone+ carbomycin, doxycycline + cefotaxime+ loratadine, dapsone+ rifampicin+ clofazimine) eradicated persistent Bb infections.

These results suggest that combination therapy should be investigated in preclinical studies for treating human Lyme disease.

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**Comment**

This research demonstrates clearly why many do not get better.  Mainstream doctors are still in the Dark Ages regarding all things Lyme/MSIDS and treat with the antiquated and unscientific IDSA Lyme Guidelines which have never worked and never will.

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Category:

Lyme, research, Testing, Treatment