Archive for the ‘Lyme’ Category

Suicidal & Homicidal Lyme Concerns Podcast

https://danielcameronmd.com/suicidal-and-homicidal-lyme-concerns/

SUICIDAL AND HOMICIDAL LYME CONCERNS

Suicidal and homicidal Lyme concerns

Welcome to another selection from my book “An Expert’s Guide on Navigating Lyme disease.” The books highlights the findings of my first 600 Lyme disease Science blogs.  In this episode, I will discuss suicidal and homicidal concerns in Lyme disease patients.

By 

Dr. Robert Bransfield from Rutgers-Robert Woods Johnson Medical School, Department of Psychiatry, has described suicidal and homicidal concerns in patients with Lyme and related tick-borne illnesses in his private practice. Likewise, in my practice I have seen patients with suicidal thinking.

SUICIDAL AND HOMICIDAL BEHAVIORS IN LYME DISEASE.

Dr. Robert Bransfield reports observing suicidal and homicidal behaviors in patients with Lyme and related tick-borne illnesses. Out of 253 patients, he found:

43% were suicidal; 32% were suicidal but not homicidal; 11% were both suicidal and homicidal. No patient was homicidal without also being suicidal. 25% had explosive anger but were not homicidal or suicidal. 10% had pre-existing depression. 97% reported depression after infection. Patients were ill an average of 8.4 years before being diagnosed and treated. Read more.

“Further disease progression contributed to him feeling desperate as a result of multiple late-stage symptoms.”

THREE PSYCHIATRISTS SHARE SUICIDAL AND HOMICIDAL CASES.

Three psychiatrists share published case reports supporting Bransfield’s concerns (Munir et al., 2017). “A 44-year-old male without any past psychiatric history presented with a third unsuccessful suicide attempt and was later diagnosed as having a Borrelia infection” (Bransfield, 2017). One month of medical therapy with intravenous ceftriaxone improved his mental status and resolution of suicidal ideation (Banerjee 2013).

Fallon described two cases in a 1995 paper. “I treated both of these patients, and in addition, I have been able to follow the status of Patient B over a span of 30 years. This patient was highly suicidal, had horrific intrusive images of killing others, and had violent impulses, which were eliminated with treatment. Patient A was also suicidal, violent, and physically assaultive to her son. Combined antibiotic and psychotropic treatment helped both patients.” Read more.

HOMICIDE, TWO ASSAULTS, AND SUICIDE IN LYME DISEASE PATIENT

An article entitled “A Fatal Case of Late Stage Lyme Borreliosis and Substance Abuse,” describes a patient exhibiting aggressiveness, violence, and homicidality. Like many Lyme disease patients, the man experienced a delay in diagnosis and treatment. (One study reports that subjects enrolling in a trial of Lyme encephalopathy were ill an average of two years before being diagnosed.)

The patient’s Lyme disease symptoms progressed. “Further disease progression contributed to him feeling desperate as a result of multiple late-stage symptoms,” wrote Bransfield et al.  According to Fallon et al., the number of Lyme disease patients who feel desperate is not clear.

Based on more than 30 years of experience treating Lyme disease patients, Dr. Bransfield previously described a wide range of neuropsychiatric symptoms in Lyme disease patients. “… neuropsychiatric symptoms, usually presenting with significant comorbidity which may include developmental disorders, autism spectrum disorders, schizoaffective disorders, bipolar disorder, depression, anxiety disorders (panic disorder, social anxiety disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, intrusive symptoms), eating disorders, decreased libido, sleep disorders, addiction, opioid addiction, cognitive impairments, dementia, seizure disorders, suicide, violence, anhedonia, depersonalization, dissociative episodes, derealization and other impairments.”

“A 44-year-old male without any past psychiatric history presented with a third unsuccessful suicide attempt and was later diagnosed as having a Borrelia infection.”

The patient’s condition worsened.  “The pathophysiological effects of the infection resulted in an increased number and severity of multisystem symptoms, disability, and substance abuse,” the authors wrote. “He experimented with multiple substances in an effort for relief.”

The authors added, “During acute deterioration of his mental state from phencyclidine withdrawal, NMDA agonism increased, he committed a homicide, two assaults, and suicide.”

In an earlier study, Dr. Bransfield described substance abuse, cannabis use, and intoxication in Lyme disease patients.

Bransfield and colleagues advised prompt diagnosis and treatment of Lyme disease to help prevent addictive disorders, substance abuse, and death.

“More effective diagnosis and treatment and attention to substance abuse potential in these patients may help prevent some cases of addictive disorders, substance abuse, and death.” Read more.

988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline

The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is a national network of local crisis centers that provides free and confidential emotional support to people 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in the United States. Anyone with the following concerns can call, text, or chat 988:

  • Mental health-related distress.
  • Thoughts of suicide.
  • Substance use crisis.
  • Emotional distress.
  • There are specialized services available for veterans, LGBTQ individuals and other groups.
  • People who are worried about a loved one who may need support also can call.
The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, available by simply dialing 988, is a 24-hour, toll-free, confidential suicide prevention helpline available to anyone in suicidal crisis or emotional distress. When someone calls the helpline, his or her call is routed to the nearest crisis center. The Lifeline’s national network, consisting of more than 250 local crisis centers, provides crisis counseling and mental health referrals day and night.
Related Articles:

Mental health in COVID-19 and Lyme disease patients

Lyme disease and depression

Lyme disease patients at risk for suicide

Category:

Lyme, Psychological Aspects, research

The Lyme Puzzle: Interview With Professor Nicole Baumgarth

https://podcast.tickbootcamp.com/episode/8bc4afa1/the-lyme-puzzle-an-interview-with-professor-nicole-baumgarth

Episode 364: The Lyme Puzzle – an interview with Professor Nicole Baumgarth

July, 2023

Introduction

  • In this episode of Tick Boot Camp, our hosts Matt Sabatello and Rich Johannesen had the opportunity to talk with the remarkable Professor Nicole Baumgarth, director of the Lyme and Tick-Borne Diseases Institute at Johns Hopkins University. Baumgarth brings a unique interdisciplinary background in veterinary medicine, immunology, microbiology, and pathology offering fresh insights into the complex world of Lyme disease and tick-borne illnesses.

Lyme Disease Research

  • Baumgarth and her team are investigating why we don’t mount an effective adaptive immune response to Lyme as we do with influenza (the flu).
  • She reveals their interesting finding about how Borrelia may alter the host’s gut microbiome to enhance its survival.
  • Baumgarth and her team are currently investigating why macrophages, immune cells that gobble up pathogens outside of our cells, don’t eat up Lyme bacteria as they do with other bacteria and viruses.
  • They are also investigating the impact Lyme has on obliterating our lymph nodes, which are critical agents in receiving signals from our body and mounting a specified immune response with targeted B cells and T cells against things like Lyme disease, as well as deploying long term memory immune cells and plasma cells which would give us long-term immunity to Lyme.
  • The Lyme and Tick-Borne Diseases Institute is focusing on investigating why mice get infected with Lyme, the infection persists, yet they never get sick from the infection.
  • If the team can identify human immune system deficits causing any of the above, they could identify immune therapies to overcome these shortcomings and treat all stages of Lyme disease.
  • Baumgarth and her team are also looking into the impact of tick-borne co-infections. They argue that it’s critical to study these diseases together rather than in isolation.

Autoimmune Responses and Lyme Disease

  • Professor Baumgarth suggests that Lyme disease may cause an autoimmune response, which can be particularly concerning for those with genetic predispositions to autoimmunity.
  • She cites several studies, both in the human model and mouse model, proving that Lyme disease creates an unnecessary increase in other antibodies from our immune system that aren’t Lyme-related, resulting in an autoimmunity phenomenon, increased inflammation, and potential immune system burnout.

Understanding Lyme Disease: A Veterinary Perspective

  • Professor Baumgarth’s veterinary background has allowed her to approach Lyme disease from a macro perspective. She emphasizes that Lyme, being a zoonotic disease, is fundamentally an infection that moves from animals to humans.
  • Lyme disease is often a natural infection in animals such as small rodents and birds, where ticks can bite them and transmit the disease.

Investigating the Human Immune Response to Lyme Disease

  • Our hosts discuss how humans’ immune responses to Lyme vary significantly. Some people are bitten by ticks multiple times without falling ill, while others suffer from chronic Lyme after just one bite.
  • This discrepancy might be due to factors such as genetic predispositions, environmental stresses, or an individual’s microbial load.

The Complexity of Eradicating Lyme

  • Eliminating Lyme is not as simple as wiping out a certain animal species, as the bacteria Borrelia can infect a variety of different rodents and even birds.
  • Borrelia is a complex bacterium that replicates slowly and requires a tick to infect a host. It’s constantly evolving and it’s not a simple task to eradicate Lyme from our ecology.

The Role of Antibiotics and Their Impact

  • Despite their potential long-term impact on our immune response, antibiotics are currently the most common form of treatment as soon as Lyme disease is diagnosed. Professor Baumgarth emphasizes a variety of risks when using antibiotics to treat Lyme disease.
  • While antibiotics can help in the short term, their effect on our long-term immunity to future infections is still unclear and Professor Baumgarth strongly warns against prolonged use of antibiotics.

Final Thoughts

  • Baumgarth is hopeful about the future of Lyme disease research. Despite the challenges and controversies, she believes that continued progress is possible with dedicated research and interdisciplinary collaboration.

Episode Wrap-up

  • Professor Nicole Baumgarth’s interview provides an enlightening look into the intricate world of Lyme disease and its complex interaction with our immune system. Her unique veterinary perspective coupled with her background in immunology, microbiology, and pathology as well as her research findings shed light on the challenges we face and offer hope for future breakthroughs in the fight against Lyme and tick-borne diseases.

__________________

**Comment**

My husband and I probably would not be on planet earth without long-term antibiotics so I’m glad this researcher didn’t treat us.  She’s just touting the safe narrative that is expected of academics working in research institutions that get their bread and butter from government grants with many strings attached, controlled by agencies that are completely corrupt.

Nobody denies the risk of prolonged use of antibiotics; however, Lyme/MSIDS can kill you in a myriad of ways.  This never seems to be discussed in the same sentence as prolonged antibiotics.  We would all love a safe, effective, affordable treatment.  Why aren’t researchers looking into this?  I’ll answer you: there’s no money in it, and it doesn’t fit with their narrative for a lucrative cash cow in a Lyme “vaccine.”  

It’s easy to be an arm-chair quarterback when it isn’t your neck on the chopping block.  All I can say is, whatever your opinions are about antibiotics before contracting Lyme/MSIDS, I guarantee they will change as you trod this pot-holed riddled, devastating path.  I hadn’t used antibiotics for 20 years before becoming infected.  I would use ANYTHING but antibiotics.  After I got infected I literally bathed in them for years.  I’m not proud of this, but they worked for both my husband and I, and many others.

It takes savvy to treat this complex illness and while anti-microbials are a MUST, there are many other important treatments required.  Please see the first link below for many treatments that experienced LLMDs have used with success.

For more:

Category:

Lyme, research, Treatment

NIH Funds PTLDS Research: More Deception?

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

NIH awards will fund Post-Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome research

Carl Tuttle

Hudson, NH, United States

JUL 31, 2023 — 

We are DONE with the JUNK SCIENCE previously financed by the CDC and NIH. Is this yet another deceptive attempt to avoid chronic Lyme disease and make it look as if our public health officials are listening to the disabled Lyme patient community?

Before we start focusing on persistent symptoms, we need to first rule out ongoing infection/co-infections and understand how Lyme disease disables its victim.  Then we need find a cure for all stages of disease.

It is time we get on the bandwagon here and make sure this is not another big waist of time and taxpayer dollars. Please contact Dr. Hugh Auchincloss, Acting NIAID Director and respectfully demand an answer to my inquiry below:

Contact info:

Dr. Hugh Auchincloss    Hugh.Auchincloss@nih.hhs.gov
Sherri DePollar Staff Assistant  Sherri.Depollar@nih.hhs.gov

Image of Dr. Auchincloss was found here:

https://www.niaid.nih.gov/sites/default/files/styles/image_style_33_width_xs/public/Auchincloss-Hugh.jpg?itok=35FyZGfW

Email to Dr. Auchincloss with Cc: to the five researchers receiving grants:

——— Original Message ———-
From: CARL TUTTLE <runagain@comcast.net>
To: “Hugh.Auchincloss@nih.hhs.gov” <Hugh.Auchincloss@nih.hhs.gov>
Cc: “bjutras@vt.edu” <bjutras@vt.edu>, “mtal@mit.edu” <mtal@mit.edu>, “linden.hu@tufts.edu” <linden.hu@tufts.edu>, “jaucott2@jhmi.edu” <jaucott2@jhmi.edu>, “nwoodbury@asu.edu” <nwoodbury@asu.edu>
Date: 07/30/2023 9:37 AM EDT
Subject: NIH awards will fund Post-Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome research

NIH awards will fund Post-Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome research
https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/nih-awards-will-fund-post-treatment-lyme-disease-syndrome-research

“The new NIAID awards for PTLDS, which will total approximately $3.2 million in first-year funding, will support work on possible causes of persistent PTLDS symptoms for five years.”

July 30, 2023

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
5601 Fishers Lane
Rockville, MD 20892
Attn: Hugh Auchincloss, M.D., Acting NIAID Director

Dear Dr. Auchincloss,

In reference to the five grants looking into “Post-Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome,” what diagnostic methods are you recommending to rule out ongoing infection and or coinfection(s) with other tick-borne diseases in the Lyme disease patient population expected to be evaluated in these five studies?

This step is crucial as evidence of persistent infection despite the CDC’s claim that chronic Lyme does not exist has been suppressed for decades.

For example:

I would like to call attention to the following study recently identifying chronic Lyme disease in twelve patients from Canada.

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

All patients were culture positive for infection (genital secretions, skin and blood) even after multiple years on antibiotics so there was no relief from current antimicrobials. Some of these patients had taken as many as eleven different types of antibiotics.

2. In 1991 B. burgdorferi had been isolated in culture from Vicki Logan’s CSF (CDC’s laboratory in Fort Collins CO.) despite prior treatment with 21 days of IV cefotaxime and 4 months of oral minocycline as identified in the following letter to past CDC Director Barbara Fitzgerald: (culture report included)

Letter to CDC Director Barbara Fitzgerald (personal Dropbox storage area)
https://www.dropbox.com/s/xaul84dqmqgbre0/Brenda%20Fitzgerald%20MD%20Director%20CDC.docx?dl=0

3. Per the following 1995 publication, the patient received thirteen spinal taps, multiple courses of IV and oral meds, and relapsed after each one, proven by CSF antigens and/or PCR. The only way this patient (said to be a physician) remained in remission was to keep her on open ended clarithromycin- was on it for 22 months by the time of publication.

European Neurology 1995

Seronegative Chronic Relapsing Neuroborreliosis
https://www.karger.com/Article/Abstract/117104

Lawrence C., Lipton R.B., Lowy F.D., Coyle P.K.d

Abstract

We report an unusual patient with evidence of Borrelia burgdorferi infection who experienced repeated neurologic relapses despite aggressive antibiotic therapy. Each course of therapy was associated with a Jarisch-Herxheimer-like reaction. Although the patient never had detectable free antibodies to B. burgdorferi in serum or spinal fluid, the CSF was positive on multiple occasions for complexed anti-B. burgdorferi antibodies, B. burgdorferi nucleic acids and free antigen.

And then there is this recent announcement:

Paralyzed by Lyme, they were helped with combo treatments [long-term antibiotics]
https://www.lymedisease.org/remission-from-lyme-paralysis/

So once again Dr. Auchincloss I ask the question:

What diagnostic methods are you recommending to rule out ongoing infection and or coinfection(s) with other tick-borne diseases in the Lyme disease patient population expected to be evaluated in these five studies? (Or is this step strictly prohibited as a condition of accepting grant money from the NIH?)

Any study that does not rule out active infection is disingenuous.

A response to this serious inquiry is requested.

Respectfully submitted,
Carl Tuttle
Independent Researcher
Hudson, NH

Cc:
Brandon Jutras, Ph.D. Grant: 1 R01 AI178711-01
Michal Tal, Ph.D. Grant: 1 R01 AI178713-01
Linden Hu, M.D. Grant: 1 R01 AI178725-01
John Aucott, M.D. Grant: 1 R01 AI178726-01
Neal Woodbury, Ph.D. Grant: 1 R01 AI178727-01

________________

For more:

Category:

Activism, Lyme, Uncategorized

2 Insects, 2 Bites, 1 Patient: A Lyme Disease & Jamestown Canyon Co-infection

https://www.cureus.com/articles/161559-two-insects-two-bites-one-patient-a-lyme-disease-and-jamestown-canyon-co-infection#!/

Two Insects, Two Bites, One Patient: A Lyme Disease and Jamestown Canyon Co-infection

Nicholas S. Weiler • Eric Niendorf • Igor Dumic

Published: June 10, 2023

DOI: 10.7759/cureus.40222

Peer-Reviewed

Cite this article as: Weiler N S, Niendorf E, Dumic I (June 10, 2023) Two Insects, Two Bites, One Patient: A Lyme Disease and Jamestown Canyon Co-infection. Cureus 15(6): e40222. doi:10.7759/cureus.40222

Abstract

Lyme disease (LD) is the most common tick-borne illness across the United States, caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato and transmitted to humans by the bite of infected Ixodes ticks. Jamestown Canyon Virus (JCV) is an emerging mosquito-borne pathogen found mostly in the upper Midwest and Northeastern United States. Co-infection between these two pathogens has not been previously reported since it would require the host to be bitten by the two infected vectors at the same time. We report a 36-year-old man who presented with erythema migrans and meningitis. While erythema migrans is a pathognomonic sign of early localized Lyme disease, Lyme meningitis does not occur in this stage but in the early disseminated stage. Furthermore, CSF tests were not supportive of neuroborreliosis, and the patient was ultimately diagnosed with JCV meningitis. We review JCV infection, LD, and this first reported co-infection to illustrate the complex interaction between different vectors and pathogens and to emphasize the importance of considering co-infection in people who live in vector-endemic areas.

_______________

For more:

Category:

Lyme, mosquitoes, research, Testing, Ticks, Viruses

Documentary “Take Care of Maya” How Children Are Medically Kidnapped

With a new focus on human trafficking, and with the U.S. government now wanting facial scans of all children to “protect” them, it’s important to realize legal medical kidnapping is happening everyday.

http://  Approx. 8 Min

Review: Take Care of Maya (June, 2023)

When 10-year-old Maya Kowalski was admitted to Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in 2016, nothing could have prepared her or her family for what they were about to go through. As the medical team tried to understand her rare illness, Dr. Sally Smith, the medical director of the child protection team in Pinellas County, Florida walked into the room and interviewed Maya and the parents for 10 minutes.

Suddenly, Maya was in state custody based on a 10 minute interview

Maya has Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS), but it could just as very well have been Lyme/MSIDS.  Both are misunderstood conditions that are severely disabling.

Similarly to parents with Lyme/MSIDS infected children, Maya’s mother, Beata, who just happened to be a nurse, was accused of Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy and Maya was removed from her family for 3 months until the court cleared Beata of any mental illness.  Sadly, Beata committed suicide 87 days after she had been separated from her daughter.  Five days after this, Maya was released into her father’s custody.

There have also been other controversies surrounding Smith, including petitions to have her fired and complaints about how she conducts her assessments.

An article on Black Enterprise in 2021 would detail cases of Smith wrongfully accusing parents of abuse and following up on hundreds of cases where parents would be innocent of allegations and traumatized by her interventions. The USA Today Network reportedly investigated hundreds of Dr. Smith’s cases, and:

found more than a dozen instances where charges were dropped, parents were acquitted or caregivers had credible claims of innocence yet suffered irredeemable damage to their lives and reputations.  Source

Yet in the court case after the incident, Smith was not held accountable for anything.

Recent news reports state Smith has retired, but she is still listed on the medical staff of Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg, Florida.

http://   Approx. 6 Min

What Happens When Florida Child Abuse Pediatricians Get It Wrong?

Florida families around the state are speaking out about being wrongly accused of child abuse by experts hired by the state to identify abuse.

If you live in Florida and have been a victim of medical kidnapping, the Torn Apart editors are collecting stories to potentially cover during their investigative series.

Producer of “Take Care of Maya”, Caitlin Keating and director Henry Roosevelt, were interviewed by The Wrap where they stated that they hear from other families with similar medical kidnapping stories as the Kowalskis, every single day.

It appears that this corrupt, criminal enterprise known as “child abuse pediatric doctors” is not confined to Florida. The specialty which began around 2010 consists of doctors who are not even practicing medicine but are acting as forensic criminal investigators with ZERO training in law enforcement or forensic evidence.  They are given far too much power for one person that has destroyed families.  According to this, tens of thousands of innocent parents have been falsely accused of abuse.  You can now receive a free book on the subject to educate yourself and others you know.

And it’s happened right here in Wisconsin .

Dr. Barbara Knox, considered a national expert on child abuse who testifies as an expert for prosecutors around the country and who has worked with the FBI, was put on paid leave by The University of Wisconsin after colleagues inside and outside of the hospital accused her of intimidation and retaliation. She also pressured colleagues to report injuries they did not see and left a wake of falsely accused parents, ripped apart families, ruined careers, and incarcerated parents.

A settlement agreement shielded details of her exit from future employers. The hospital gave her $20,000, and the agreement required them to send the Alaska medical board a scripted letter that said her administrative leave “did not relate to dishonesty, clinical skills, medical diagnostic abilities, or incorrect medical diagnoses,” and “no disciplinary action” was taken against her.

She then became the medical director at Alaska Cares in Anchorage.

As of November, 2021, Knox’s devastation continued causing a mass exodus at Alaska CARES, due to accusations against Dr. Knox of bullying, misdiagnosing, and causing a toxic work environment.  According to two people with direct knowledge of clinic operations, Knox was placed on leave pending an investigation but Providence declined to confirm Knox’s employment status. Wisconsin Watch later followed up with this article stating Knox “has chosen to pursue other opportunities and will be resigning,” as of April 1, 2022.

The article also mentioned that one parent spent eight years and $250,000 to clear her name after being wrongly charged by Knox with abusing a boy at her home day care in Mauston, WI.

The article also aptly states that Knox’s resignation does not solve the problems she created.
Who gives back those portions of people’s lives that she took and how many others are falsely accused?

Please learn about this topic as Lyme/MSIDS is greatly under appreciated and controversial.

Category:

Activism, Lyme