Prophetic last words: “The stuff I’ve been going through in my brain–ugh”
By Dorothy Kupcha Leland
March 24, 2023
Popular San Francisco radio host Jeffrey “JV” Vandergrift often spoke on the air about his struggles with Lyme disease. On February 23, on what turned out to be his last appearance on his WILD 94.9 radio show, he gave the following alarming update:
“The stuff I’ve been going through in my brain that they’re trying to figure out. Ugh,” he said. He added that doctors told him they believed something might have “reignited old infections.” Then he added, “The body and the pain and all that stuff, I can handle. What it’s doing to my brain I could never describe to you.”
The next day, JV was reported missing from his San Francisco home. Shortly thereafter, his wife Natasha–also a WILD 94.9 radio host–posted the following on social media: “The amount of compassion for the physical torture J has been going through for the past 2 years has been overwhelming. I have been in so much pain and fear and I know all of you have been so scared and concerned for JV as well.” At that time, she said the family had reason to believe that “he will not be coming back.”
Sadly, on March 22, a month after JV disappeared, his body was found in the water near San Francisco’s Pier 39. Here is how his heartbroken colleagues at the WILD 94.9 broke the news to their listeners.
This Sunday, March 26, a screening of the Lyme documentary The Quiet Epidemic will be held at San Francisco’s Roxie Theater. While JV was still missing, the filmmakers had already planned to dedicate this event to JV. At that time, they posted the following on social media:
“JV was a supporter of The Quiet Epidemic and was in touch with our team. It’s incredibly sad that we won’t have a chance to meet him. We hold him and his loved ones in our hearts as we continue pushing our story and cause out into the world. This screening is dedicated to JV, his family, friends, 94.9 family, and listeners.”
I never knew JV and never listened to his show. But I hear elements of his story from countless people throughout the US–in fact throughout the world–who are being held hostage by an insidious disease that has invaded their bodies and brains.
To make matters worse, the medical establishment and government health officials have failed to act on this serious threat to physical and mental health.
In memory of JV and every other person suffering like he did, we must do our best to change this. The time is now.
How to lift brain fog and boost your immune system
2/9/23
By Lonnie Marcum
Both viruses and bacteria can invade the brain. All too frequently, patients with lingering symptoms following infection complain of “brain fog.”
Brain fog describes the feeling of mental confusion, forgetfulness, memory loss, lack of motivation, inability to focus, and/or difficulty concentrating.
A simple technique known as lymphatic drainage massage may help to clear the fog and boost your immune system at the same time.
Patients with brain fog often report “drawing a blank” when trying to remember the name of a friend, family member or pet; forgetting what they were going to do; or getting lost on the way home or to a familiar location. Brain fog can also be associated with symptoms of anxiety and/or depression.
Prolonged brain fog can be caused by a variety of factors, including sleep disturbance, certain medications, head injury, environmental toxins, inflammation and infection—which is the case in many individuals with “Lyme brain.”
Borrelia burgdorferi (Bb), the bacteria that causes Lyme disease, can infect the brain and nervous system. Neurological symptoms of Lyme disease are a late-stage manifestation of Bb infection called neuroborreliosis.
Neuroborreliosis and Lyme Brain
In 2011, researchers at the University of California, Davis were able to show how Bb invades the lymph nodes within 24 hours after infection. They later discovered how it causes abnormalities in the lymph tissues and impairs the immune system.
A more recent study suggests that the choroid plexus may play a role in how Borrelia infections affect the nervous system. The choroid plexus is found within the ventricles near the center of the brain. It produces and filters cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), the clear fluid that circulates around the brain and spinal cord.
Another important study from Tulane University found spirochetes that cause Lyme disease in the autopsied brain tissue of a patient who had been aggressively treated with antibiotics. This demonstrated that infection can persist despite antibiotic treatment.
Even if the Borrelia spirochetes don’t completely penetrate the brain, they are frequently present in the meninges. These are three protective layers surrounding the brain and spinal cord. Infection of the meninges is associated with increases in inflammatory cytokines, and meningitis, a swelling of the meninges.
Lyme disease is the most common vector-borne disease in the U.S. and Europe. The spread of Bb to the central nervous system causing Lyme neuroborreliosis occurs in approximately 10–15% of all cases of Lyme disease. In the U.S., one of the most frequent manifestations of Lyme neuroborreliosis is lymphocytic meningitis.
Lyme lymphocytic meningitis is swelling of the meninges with the infiltration of lymphocytes (a type of white blood cell) into the CSF. Symptoms may include fever, headache, neck pain/stiffness, sensitivity to light and cognitive impairment.
Two Circulatory Systems
There are two circulatory systems in our bodies: the cardiovascular system and the lymphatic system.
The cardiovascular system consists of the heart and blood vessels (arteries, veins, capillaries). Basically, arteries carry oxygenated blood and nutrients away from the heart to every tissue in the body, while veins carry used blood back to the heart and lungs in a continuous loop. Capillaries are the small vessels where the arteries and veins connect.
The lymphatic system is a secondary circulatory system. It works separately but in conjunction with the cardiovascular system. When working properly, lymphatics only move in one direction—towards the heart. Included in the lymphatic system are small bean-shaped structures called lymph nodes. Depending on one’s age and sex, there are 400-700 lymph nodes throughout the body with main clusters found in the neck, armpits, chest, abdomen and groin.
T-cells (T-lymphocytes) – play a crucial role in cell-mediated immunity;
B-cells (B-lymphocytes) – produce antibodies that help fight pathogens;
Dendritic cells – present antigens to T-cells, activating the immune system;
Macrophages – engulf and digest foreign matter, cellular debris, and pathogens;
Natural killer cells – attack abnormal (cancerous) or infected cells;
Plasma cells – produce and secrete antibodies.
As bacteria and viruses enter the lymph nodes, the immune cells work to identify and remove them. The more fluid that moves through the lymph nodes, the more immune cells will be produced. From there, the waste is filtered out through the liver and kidneys and the lymph is returned to the blood stream in a continuous cycle.
Unlike the cardiovascular system, which is powered by the heart, the lymphatic system lacks a central pump. Thus, it relies on muscle contractions to circulate lymph. To keep lymph moving through the system, you must drink plenty of water and be active enough to move the fluids through the body.
However, many patients with persistent symptoms of Lyme suffer from chronic fatigue, making activity and traditional exercise nearly impossible—which was the case with my daughter.
When my daughter was immobile due to chronic illness, I used three things to help with lymph drainage: passive range of motion exercises, medical grade compression stockings, and manual lymph drainage massage. These were all things I’d been taught as a physical therapist (PT).
Later we worked with a PT who specialized in chronic fatigue syndrome. She helped my daughter design a full body lymph drainage massage technique she continues to use to this day.
[Note: While you can learn to do all these things on your own, I highly recommend scheduling an appointment with a licensed physical therapist to learn the proper technique for each. PT is covered by most insurance.]
Whether an infection is active, persistent, dormant, or the dead remnants of previous illness, it can produce inflammatory waste products that the body must try to clear through the circulatory system.
Lymphatic drainage massage is a therapeutic technique that uses gentle, rhythmic strokes to stimulate the flow of lymph fluids in a specific direction through the body.
Whole body lymph drainage massage helps reduce inflammation and remove waste products. It also helps stimulate the immune system and allows the movement of basic hormones needed for rest and healing.
Lymphatic drainage massage is similar to deep cleaning your home. It’s like clearing the cobwebs out of the corners and the dust bunnies out from under the bed. When the lymph nodes are plugged, they slow the flow of lymphatic fluid. Leaving those nodes clogged and swollen impairs the healing process.
Never underestimate the value of keeping the lymphatic system functioning.
The Glymphatic System
In the brain, the lymphatic clearance pathway is called the glymphatic system—a pathway that was only recently discovered.
Maiken Nedergaard is a Danish neuroscientist who works at the University of Rochester Medical Center in New York. In 2012, she first identified the existence of the network of lymphatic vessels in the brain that eliminate toxins via cerebrospinal fluid. Prior to this, no one knew how the brain cleared waste and infections. Nedergaard created the word “glymphatic” to represent the relationship between the glial cells and the lymphatic system of the brain.
Nedergaard discovered that the glymphatic system is responsible for removing byproducts of infection, including amyloid beta. It’s a protein that can build up in the brain and is associated with the onset of Alzheimer’s disease.
The glymphatic system is most active during uninterrupted deep sleep. This is one reason why sleep is so important for overall brain health and why sleep deprivation can exacerbate neurodegenerative diseases.
Head/Neck Lymphatic Self-Massage
[Note: If you have any contraindications listed below, please speak to your doctor before performing this procedure.]
When doing lymphatic drainage massage, you always want to start by opening the lymph valves closest to the heart first, work your way outwards, then back in towards the heart. The first time you do this type of massage I recommend going low and slow — maybe 10 – 20 motions of each of the following steps. Later, if no adverse reactions, you can increase to 50 repetitions of each step.
Step 1. From a comfortable seated position, begin by gently pulsing the lymphatic nodes at the base of your neck, the soft space just above the collarbones. These nodes need to be opened before anything can move down from the head/neck.
Step 2. Move your fingers higher up the neck to the groove just behind your ears. With palms flat, pull the skin gently towards the front and all the way down to the center of your neck where it meets the “V” between the collarbones. (P.S. If your sinuses and/or ears pop and you feel like swallowing, you are doing it right.)
Step 3. Make the “Spock” hand sign. Place your middle and index finger behind the ears and the ring and pinky finger in front of the ears and gently pull downwards.
Step 4. Move your hands around the back of the head/neck to the base of the skull and gently pull forward.
Step 5, 6, and 7 is the first three steps in reverse: Perform steps 3, 2 and 1, pulling all the fluid down towards the collarbones.
This is the video I most frequently use to teach people this simple beginner’s self-drainage massage technique.
Watch:
Other Treatments
Ananti-inflammatory diet, full of high quality proteins, fresh fruits/veggies and fiber, and low in processed foods, sugar, gluten and dairy.
Vitamin B, vitamin C andvitamin D are also vital to immune health,
Epsom salt baths or foot soak. The magnesium helps to calm the nerves
Saunas and dry brushing also help with lymphatic drainage,
Movement based upon your tolerance: simple range of motion (moving arms & legs while lying or seated), walking, yoga, swimming, or biking.
Vagus nerve stimulation regulates the immune system through its connections with immune cells in the spleen, thymus and gut-associated lymphoid tissue (GALT),
I always recommend speaking to your treating clinician before beginning a new treatment method. Contraindications to lymphatic massage include acute infection, cardiac edema, cancer, blood clots (DVT), bleeding conditions, kidney failure, bronchitis, uncontrolled high blood pressure.
Resources
Find a Lymphology Certified Specialist through LANA.
Self-help: The Concise Perrin Technique: A Handbook for Patients. By Dr. Raymond Perrin. (A practical companion to The Perrin Technique 2E: How to diagnose and treat CFS/ME and fibromyalgia via the lymphatic drainage of the brain.)
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.
References
Adams Y, Clausen AS, Jensen PØ, Lager M, Wilhelmsson P, Henningson AJ, Lindgren PE, Faurholt-Jepsen D, Mens H, Kraiczy P, Kragh KN, Bjarnsholt T, Kjaer A, Lebech AM, Jensen AR. 3D blood-brain barrier-organoids as a model for Lyme neuroborreliosis highlighting genospecies dependent organotropism. iScience. 2022 Dec 19;26(1):105838. doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.105838. PMID: 36686395; PMCID: PMC9851883.
Bacyinski A, Xu M, Wang W, Hu J. The Paravascular Pathway for Brain Waste Clearance: Current Understanding, Significance and Controversy. Front Neuroanat. 2017 Nov 7;11:101. doi: 10.3389/fnana.2017.00101. PMID: 29163074; PMCID: PMC5681909.
Bohr T, Hjorth PG, Holst SC, Hrabětová S, Kiviniemi V, Lilius T, Lundgaard I, Mardal KA, Martens EA, Mori Y, Nägerl UV, Nicholson C, Tannenbaum A, Thomas JH, Tithof J, Benveniste H, Iliff JJ, Kelley DH, Nedergaard M. The glymphatic system: Current understanding and modeling. iScience. 2022 Aug 20;25(9):104987. doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.104987. PMID: 36093063; PMCID: PMC9460186.
Chikly, Bruno (2004). Silent Waves: Theory and Practice of Lymph Drainage Therapy: An Osteopathic Lympathic Technique. I.H.H. Pub. ISBN978-0-9700-5302-2.
Chikly BJ. Manual techniques addressing the lymphatic system: origins and development. J Am Osteopath Assoc. 2005 Oct;105(10):457-64. PMID: 16314678.
Elsner RA, Hastey CJ, Olsen KJ, Baumgarth N (2015) Suppression of Long-Lived Humoral Immunity Following Borrelia burgdorferi Infection. PLoS Pathog 11(7): e1004976. doi:10.1371/ journal.ppat.1004976
H Heald A, Perrin R, Walther A, Stedman M, Hann M, Mukherjee A, Riste L. Reducing fatigue-related symptoms in Long COVID-19: a preliminary report of a lymphatic drainage intervention. Cardiovasc Endocrinol Metab. 2022 Apr 12;11(2):e0261. doi: 10.1097/XCE.0000000000000261. PMID: 35441129; PMCID: PMC9010124.
Lotz SK, Blackhurst BM, Reagin KL, Funk KE. Microbial Infections Are a Risk Factor for Neurodegenerative Diseases. Front Cell Neurosci. 2021 Jul 7;15:691136. doi: 10.3389/fncel.2021.691136. PMID: 34305533; PMCID: PMC8292681.
Parthasarathy G, Pattison MB, Midkiff CC. The FGF/FGFR system in the microglial neuroinflammation with Borrelia burgdorferi: likely intersectionality with other neurological conditions. J Neuroinflammation. 2023 Jan 17;20(1):10. doi: 10.1186/s12974-022-02681-x. PMID: 36650549; PMCID: PMC9847051.
Sachdeva S, Persaud S, Patel M, Popard P, Colverson A, Doré S. Effects of Sound Interventions on the Permeability of the Blood–Brain Barrier and Meningeal Lymphatic Clearance. Brain Sciences. 2022; 12(6):742. https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci12060742
Thompson D, Brissette CA, Watt JA. The choroid plexus and its role in the pathogenesis of neurological infections. Fluids Barriers CNS. 2022 Sep 10;19(1):75. doi: 10.1186/s12987-022-00372-6. PMID: 36088417; PMCID: PMC9463972.
Tunev SS, Hastey CJ, Hodzic E, Feng S, Barthold SW, Baumgarth N. Lymphoadenopathy during lyme borreliosis is caused by spirochete migration-induced specific B cell activation. PLoS Pathog. 2011 May;7(5):e1002066. doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1002066. Epub 2011 May 26. PMID: 21637808; PMCID: PMC3102705.
Unvaccinated patients have mentioned half-jokingly that COVID-19 vaccination in friends and family makes some of them “crazy.” While I have always brushed this off as fear driven vaccine ideology taking over common sense in some zealots, the building literature on neuropsychiatric symptoms is alarming. There are now ~10 papers describing headache, fever, and a range of acute neuropsychiatric symptoms after both mRNA and adenoviral COVID-19 vaccination. The strong bias among editors and publishers has kept countless papers out of the mainstream medical media, hence one has to look far and wide to find information on the topic of vaccine safety. Borovina et al, from Croatia described three cases of acute headache followed by psychosis. (See link for article and study)
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Important excerpt:
One of the cases progressed to attempted suicide with a knife stabbing to the abdomen requiring emergency abdominal surgery.
As a doctor I am disturbed by medical evidence demonstrating gene coded SARS-CoV-2 Wuhan Institute of Virology Spike protein in the human brain after vaccination. I wonderhow many subtle changes go clinically unrecognized.
McCullough rightly states that every suicide after Dec. 2020 should be investigated and the brand, doses, and dates of “vaccination” should be recorded and noted. Unfortunately, none of this will happen. It’s all #ABV (anything but the vaccine).
Moderna Booster Vaccine Singled Out for Chronic Hives
— Chronic spontaneous urticaria more frequent when compared with Pfizer’s mRNA vaccine
by Elizabeth Short, Staff Writer, MedPage Today February 1, 2023
The monovalent Moderna COVID-19 booster vaccine may be associated with an elevated risk for new-onset chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU), or hives lasting more than 6 weeks, according to a Swiss study.
Among people who got an mRNA COVID vaccine booster and had new-onset hives reported to local allergists, 90% had vaccination precede CSU in the canton of Vaud during the study period, as did 81% of patients in the nationwide cohort, reported Yannick Daniel Muller, MD, PhD, of the University of Lausanne in Switzerland, and coauthors. (See link for article)
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**Comment**
Predictably, the authors still want everyone to get “vaccinated,” and take the safe route by stating more research is needed. They state that Moderna shots contain higher doses of mRNA and are more immunogenic than Pfizer shots, although both are clearly linked to a multitude of adverse events and death. The Vaccine advisory committee unanimously endorsed the FDA’s plan to harmonize the primary and booster shots to contain a bivalent composition with components targeting BA.4/5 and the original SARS-CoV-2 strain, eliminating the original monovalent products. Both are deplorable and useless.
The study points out the risk of trying to alter the pathogen’s genetic code
The study found that the medication molnupiravir (Lagevrio) is giving rise to new mutations in some patients which has some researchers worried the drug may create more contagious or dangerous variations of COVID
One author of the study states the drug should be discontinued due to the risks
No Testing Required to Get Paxlovid & Molnupiravir/Lagevrio, Even Though They Are Dangerous
But in a slick move, the FDA has removed COVID testing requirements to make it even easier to obtain Pfizer (Paxlovid) and Merck (Molnupiravir/Lagevrio) COVID treatments. Now, exposed individuals with signs and symptoms (that look like any other flu-bug), can simply waltz into their doctor’s office and be diagnosed with COVID, even if they have a negative test result: however, they stillcan not obtain cheap, safe, effective drugs like ivermectin, HCQ, or even vitamin C.
And low and behold, a new study finds that ivermectin is a promising cancer drug.
Ivermectin is a widely used antiparasitic drug and shows promising anticancer activity in various cancer types. Although multiple signaling pathways modulated by ivermectin have been identified in tumor cells, few studies have focused on the exact target of ivermectin. Herein, we report the pharmacological effects and targets of ivermectin in prostate cancer. Ivermectin caused G0/G1 cell cycle arrest, induced cell apoptosis and DNA damage, and decreased androgen receptor (AR) signaling in prostate cancer cells. Further in vivo analysis showed ivermectin could suppress 22RV1 xenograft progression. Using integrated omics profiling, including RNA-seq and thermal proteome profiling, the forkhead box protein A1 (FOXA1) and non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) repair executer Ku70/Ku80 were strongly suggested as direct targets of ivermectin in prostate cancer. The interaction of ivermectin and FOXA1 reduced the chromatin accessibility of AR signaling and the G0/G1 cell cycle regulator E2F1, leading to cell proliferation inhibition. The interaction of ivermectin and Ku70/Ku80 impaired the NHEJ repair ability. Cooperating with the downregulation of homologous recombination repair ability after AR signaling inhibition, ivermectin increased intracellular DNA double-strand breaks and finally triggered cell death. Our findings demonstrate the anticancer effect of ivermectin in prostate cancer, indicating that its use may be a new therapeutic approach for prostate cancer.
Well now, ‘the powers that be’ simply can not have this.
Better censor and ban it off the face of the earth.
Recent neurocognitive studies of patients with post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome (PTLDS) find consistent deficits in memory and processing speed. Language fluency deficits are observed as well but may be secondary to poor memory and slowing rather than an independent deficit.
Method
This study performed a secondary analysis of data presented previously, including individuals with PTLDS and comparison samples of healthy volunteers (HC) and patients with major depressive disorder (MDD), to determine if language fluency deficits could be accounted for by poor performance in these other neurocognitive domains.
Results
Basic verbal abilities, memory, and processing speed were all significantly associated with fluency performance. MDD patients’ fluency deficits relative to HC were accounted for by these covariates. However, PTLDS patients’ poorer fluency performance relative to both other groups was not.
Conclusions
Language fluency appears to be an independent area of neurocognitive deficit within the constellation of PTLDS symptoms.
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**Comment**
Again, the PTLDS moniker needs to be eliminated. It is built on an entirely faulty premise.
Cite this article as: Sathi S, Kim D, Duplan P, et al. (August 15, 2022) Ischemic Stroke With Hemorrhagic Conversion in a Case of Lyme Neuroborreliosis. Cureus 14(8): e28028. doi:10.7759/cureus.28028
Abstract
Lyme disease is an infectious tick-borne illness predominant in northeastern and midwestern United States. The clinical presentation varies significantly and only a few cases develop Lyme neuroborreliosis (LNB), which makes diagnosis difficult. A 59-year-old male visiting from Michigan presented to a hospital in Florida with an ischemic stroke with aphasia and acute confusion for two days. He had imaging that noted a subacute infarct in the left parietal lobe along with multiple areas of white matter signal abnormalities and CSF serology positive for Borrelia burgdorferi IgM and IgG antibodies. The patient was placed on ceftriaxone for 30 days and showed significant clinical improvement. We present a case of ischemic stroke with hemorrhagic conversion and an incidental finding of LNB.
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**Comment**
There is no way on earth that only a few cases develop Lyme neuroborrliosis. This statement shows the researcher’s complete disconnect from reality.
Testing is so abysmal, thousands fall through the diagnostic crack. Then, if they manage to win the lottery and test positive, they are told it’s a “false positive,” and to “go home and be well.”
This patient in fact did win the lottery and managed to get diagnosed in Florida, which like all Southern states has had to fight tooth and nail to get public health to even recognize it. And that probably wouldn’t have happened if it weren’t for infected researcher, Kerry Clark, who is finding Southern borrelia strains that will never be picked up in a million years using current CDC two-tier testing. He also showed DNA of Bbsl in Lone Star ticks which might be a bridge vector of transmission to humans, but is still considered by ‘the powers that be’ to not transmit Lyme disease. Instead, infected Southerners have been told they have STARI, a disease that looks, acts, and smells just like Lyme.
This patient, despite showing significant improvement, requires follow-up which will never happen. If and when symptoms reappear he will simply be told it’s all “in his head.”
“JV was a supporter of The Quiet Epidemic and was in touch with our team. It’s incredibly sad that we won’t have a chance to meet him. We hold him and his loved ones in our hearts as we continue pushing our story and cause out into the world. This screening is dedicated to JV, his family, friends, 94.9 family, and listeners.”
Madison Area Lyme Support Group 