Archive for the ‘Lyme’ Category

About Cytokines in Lyme Disease and Related Conditions

https://www.treatlyme.net/guide/cytokines

Updated: 6/27/23

By Dr. Marty Ross

About Cytokines in Lyme Disease and Related Conditions

Lowering inflammatory cytokines made by the immune system is essential for Lyme disease and related conditions recovery. In this article and video, I discuss why this is so and lay out a nutritional support plan using supplements to lower cytokines.

Cytokines are proteins made by various types of white blood cells to turn on the immune system to attack invaders like:

  • bacteria (for example, Lyme germs and the co-infections),
  • intestinal yeast,
  • parasites,
  • viruses,
  • Lyme and mold toxins,
  • environmental toxins, and
  • heavy metals toxins, like lead and mercury.
Cytokines are Good, Right? Well, Yes and No.

In the right amount, cytokines promote healing. In excess, they cause all of the major Lyme disease symptoms and dysregulate the immune system. The problem in chronic Lyme and associated diseases is that they are usually made in excess. Fortunately, there are some great steps you can take to lower cytokines. (See top link for article and video)

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Category:

Detoxing, diet and nutrition, Inflammation, Lyme, Pain Management, Supplements

PBS Propels Lyme Myths

http://  Approx. 5 Min

What You Need to Know to Stay Safe From Ticks and Lyme Disease This Summer

PBS NewsHour

According to the Centers for Disease Control, as many as 476,000 people in the U.S. contract Lyme disease every year. Climate change and human encroachment into wilderness areas means ticks and the disease-causing bacteria they carry are becoming more common. Dr. Linden Hu, an immunology professor and co-director of the Lyme Disease Initiative at Tufts University, joins John Yang to discuss.

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**Comment**

Same old myths regurgitated due to either Hu’s ignorance (hard to believe), and/or conflicts of interest because he needs to obtain research grants from the government which continues to push a 40-year old false narrative.

  • Most never see the tick or have a rash.
  • Antibiotics are NOT effective for most as relapses have occurred in virtually every study done.
  • The percentages Hu states goes onto suffer with chronic Lyme are flat-out wrong and only include those diagnosed and treated early.  A far greater percentage are not included in this tally as they are diagnosed and treated late.  When combined together, a whopping 60% or more develop chronic symptoms.
  • Independent research has shown “climate change” is a nothing-burger regarding tick and disease proliferation.
  • While I agree that animals help propagate Lyme/MSIDS, let us never forget our own government experimented on ticks by infecting them with numerous pathogens and then dumped them out of airplanes.
  • Hu predictably pushes a Lyme “vaccine” in both humans and mice.  This is the big cash-cow for research institutions and the government which gives a huge financial return on investment.  Meanwhile, patients continue to suffer without answers or relief.
  • The only time our government is concerned about the increasing numbers of Lyme/MSIDS is when they are pushing a “vaccine.”  Nothing is ever done about the fact we still don’t have an accurate test.

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Category:

Activism, Lyme, Ticks, Treatment, vaccines

Case Report: Lyme Neuroborreliosis Triggers Multiple Strokes

https://danielcameronmd.com/lyme-neuroborreliosis-triggers-multiple-strokes/

CASE REPORT: LYME NEUROBORRELIOSIS TRIGGERS MULTIPLE STROKES

Lyme disease can trigger neurological complications. But neurovascular manifestations are far less common. In this case report, the authors describe a 58-year-old man who suffered multiple strokes due to Lyme neuroborreliosis.

By 

In their article, “A case report of unilateral cerebral vasculitis in adults: keep in mind Lyme neuroborreliosis,” Riescher and colleagues examine the case of a 58-year-old man “with recurrent strokes in the same vascular territory without CSF pleocytosis, reflecting an unusual first manifestation of [Lyme neuroborreliosis].”¹

The authors point out that cerebral vasculitis is reported in only 0.3–1% of all Lyme neuroborreliosis cases, and unilateral or focal vasculitis have only rarely been described, almost exclusively in children.

In this case report, the patient, who had no medical history or cardiovascular risk factors, was admitted to the hospital with sudden right brachiofacial weakness. According to the authors, “He recovered partially, but facial palsy persisted.”

He was referred to the stroke unit but a neurological and general examination was normal.

“Cervical and intracranial CT angiography did not show any abnormalities such as stenosis, occlusion, or dilatation,” the authors wrote.

The man was diagnosed with cryptogenic stroke and prescribed aspirin (160  mg), atorvastatin (80 mg), and perindopril at 2 mg daily.

Two months later, the man exhibited sudden aphasia.

“Burgdorferi-induced cerebral vasculitis is thought to be a very rare manifestation of [Lyme neuroborreliosis]. But it must nonetheless be considered in the differential diagnosis of unexplained recurrent and/or multiple strokes.”

“MRI revealed a new and recent ischemic lesion in the left MCA territory visible on DWI, and another older lesion in the anterior cerebral artery (ACA) territory,” the authors wrote.

The patient was prescribed an oral anticoagulant and a cardiac monitor was inserted.

Over the next several months, the patient developed new symptoms including paresthesia (tingling sensation) in the right hand and foot, headaches, extreme weakness and lack of energy, psychomotor retardation, and unsteadiness.

Thirteen months after his first symptom appeared, he developed paresis (muscle weakness) in his right leg.

“A brain MRI showed a new recent ischemic lesion in the left cingulate cortex on DWI in the left ACA territory as well as other new lesions in the left MCA territory (in the frontal lobe),” the authors wrote.

Additional neurological testing was normal. However, Lyme disease testing was “highly positive” on ELISA and confirmed by Western blot.

The man was successfully treated with a one-month course of doxycycline.

“The patient experienced no further stroke after four weeks of doxycycline treatment.”

“In the following weeks, the patient reported dramatic improvement, with disappearance of his asthenia, dizziness, and right arm paresthesia,” the authors wrote.

The patient later reported that he had a tick bite 2 years prior to his first stroke, along with an erythema migrans rash but he never developed arthritis or pain.

Authors Conclude:

  • “Our patient stood out because he had recurrent ischemic strokes for more than one year (at least four episodes), without other associated symptoms, involving the ICA territory only, and without CSF pleocytosis, which is thought to be highly suggestive of LNB.”
  • “Burgdorferi-induced cerebral vasculitis is thought to be a very rare manifestation of [Lyme neuroborreliosis]. But it must nonetheless be considered in the differential diagnosis of unexplained recurrent and/or multiple strokes.”
  • “This case report reminds clinicians that it can occur without a history of a clear tick bite or erythema migrans, and cranial or peripheral neuritis and that the CSF examination can be normal.”
References:
  1. Riescher, S., Dos Santos, A., Lecomte, R. et al. A case report of unilateral cerebral vasculitis in adults: keep in mind Lyme neuroborreliosis. BMC Infect Dis 23, 283 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12879-023-08259-z

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**Comment**

I’ve stated this before but it’s worth repeating: many Lyme/MSIDS patients improve by taking blood thinners or anti-coagulants like heparin, systemic enzymes, and things like serrapeptase, nattokinase & lumbrokinase which have a blood thinning effect.  Considering that many pathogens form biofilm, thinning and thereby cleaning the blood seems a logical step in helping treatment be more effective.

Category:

Lyme, research, Supplements, Testing, Treatment

CDC’s New Online Tool Gives Useful, If Slightly Flawed, Information

https://www.lymedisease.org/cdc-tick-bite-data-tracker/

CDC’s new online tool gives useful, if slightly flawed, information

May 16, 2023

By Lonnie Marcum

The CDC has recently updated its website regarding ticks and their diseases.

The changes include a new online tool called the Tick Bite Data Tracker.  It allows users to track and visualize tick-borne disease data in the United States, advancing our ability to raise awareness.

The new tool provides information on diseases transmitted by ticks such as Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and ehrlichiosis.

The CDC webpage also gives information on the most common North American types of ticks and 16 known diseases transmitted by ticks such as babesiosis, Borrelia miyamotoi, Powassan virus, STARI, Colorado tick fever and more.

In addition, the CDC offers an updated page on Alpha-gal syndrome, an allergy to red meat and products derived from mammals. The condition is triggered by the bite of a tick.

National collaboration

The Tick Bite Data Tracker is part of the National Syndromic Surveillance Program (NSSP) which is a collaboration among the CDC, local health agencies, state health departments and private sector partners. The NSSP allows these partners to collect, share and analyze electronic healthcare data in near real-time as it is processed.

Because there is no medical diagnostic ICD code for “tick bite,” the emergency department visits for tick bites are identified by specific words used in the medical record. For example, “tick” or “tick” and “bite.”

The Tick Bite Data Tracker includes interactive maps, graphs and tables that allow users to explore the data in different ways. Users can view data on a national or state level, as well as by county or even zip code in some areas.

One of the most interesting aspects of this new site is the ability to track emergency department visits for tick bites by week and month. This eliminates the strict reporting criteria that adversely affects statistics in lower incidence states like Florida, Texas and California.

What we see on the Tick Bite Data Tracker is simply the number of persons per 100,000 with reported tick bites who sought care in an emergency room. The new data can indicate when tick bites are most common in a region, and unlike other CDC surveillance data, it is updated weekly, rather than annually.

Tick bites peak in Spring

You can clearly see in the graph below how tick bites peak in the spring in almost all regions of the United States.

Unfortunately, the CDC lumps every state west of Nebraska as the “West.” Therefore, areas with higher incidence of tick bites, like California, are averaged with areas of lower incidence like Wyoming—giving an inaccurate picture.

In my opinion, at the very least, the CDC should have divided this huge region into the southwest and northwest to offer better representation of what is happening in those zones—but that’s another topic.

The site also points out several limitations of the tracker tool: “Results might not be generalizable to emergency departments that are not contributing data to the BioSense Platform. The keywords used to identify tick bite visits may under- or overestimate emergency department visits related to tick bites because of differences in coding, reporting, and availability of chief complaint text data between jurisdictions or over time. Finally, aggregated data by region might be less useful than state or local data.”

So essentially, you have to take this data for what it is: a slightly flawed tool that gives us a glimpse into what is happening in the tick-borne disease world.

Lyme Awareness Month is an opportunity to educate the public about the risks of Lyme disease and promote strategies for prevention and early detection. I hope you’ll use the Tick Bite Data Tracker, as well as additional information spread throughout the pages of our website to spread awareness.

LymeSci is written by Lonnie Marcum, a Licensed Physical Therapist and mother of a daughter with Lyme. She served two terms on a subcommittee of the federal Tick-Borne Disease Working Group. Follow her on Twitter: @LonnieRhea  Email her at: lmarcum@lymedisease.org.

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**Comment**

A flawed tool that will  continued to be used against patients like the Iron Curtain.

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Category:

Activism, Alpha Gal Meat Allergy, Anaplasmosis, Babesia, Borrelia Miyamotoi (Relapsing Fever Group), Ehrlichiosis, Lyme, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Ticks, Viruses

Could ‘New’ Antibiotic Prevent Chronic Lyme Disease?

https://news.northeastern.edu/2023/05/26/lyme-disease-treatment/

Could ‘new’ antibiotic treatment prevent chronic Lyme disease?

by 

A tick is held by a pair of tweezers

Every year, tens of thousands of new Lyme disease patients find that their symptoms persist even after the standard course of antibiotic treatment.

Instead of being cured, they find their lives upturned by chronic Lyme, also called persistent or post-treatment Lyme. Symptoms include bone-deep fatigue, cognitive difficulties, arthritis, muscle and joint pain and intermittent fevers, chills and sweats that can go on for months or years.

While medical solutions have proved elusive, a researcher at Northeastern University says he has developed a treatment for Lyme disease that could prevent chronic Lyme from developing in the first place.

Kim Lewis, distinguished professor of biology and director of Northeastern’s Antimicrobial Discovery Center, says human trials of his discovery may begin as early as next year.

Final toxicity trials will continue this summer, but so far the treatment—an antibiotic known as hygromycin A—has not been toxic in animals and has effectively cleared Lyme disease in mice, Lewis says.

He says the real promise of hygromycin A in preventing chronic Lyme is that it is a targeted antibiotic that selectively kills Lyme disease-causing bacteria without damaging the beneficial bacteria in the patient’s microbiome.

According to Lewis’ theory, the broad spectrum antibiotics traditionally prescribed for Lyme disease, doxycycline and amoxicillin, cause havoc in the gut by wiping out the healthy balance of bacteria.

“The microbiome has now been linked to almost every aspect of our health, especially the development of the immune system,” Lewis says.

(See link for article)

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A few points:

  • While Lewis regurgitates that only 10% go on to develop chronic Lyme, the Bay Area Lyme Foundation, states that it’s closer to 34%.  Microbiologist Holly Ahern shows it may be 60% or more.  This matters because the greater the number, the more research money will be designated for it.
  • Hygomycin A is found in the soil and it is weak against most bacteria but very potent against spirochetes.
  • The final stage of animal toxicity studies will take place this summer and human trials may start next year.

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Category:

Lyme, research, Treatment