Many late-stage chronic Lyme disease clinical findings are neuropsychiatric. A total clinical assessment is critical in diagnosis, especially since controversy surrounds the reliability of laboratory testing. The clinical findings of one hundred Lyme disease patients with chronic neuropsychiatric symptoms were entered into a database. The prevalence of each clinical finding pre-infection and post-infection was compared and calculated within the 95% confidence interval. Patients had minimal symptoms pre-infection, but a high post-infection prevalence of a broad spectrum of acquired multisystem symptoms. These findings included:
impairments of attention span
memory
processing
executive functioning
emotional functioning
behavior
psychiatric syndromes
vegetative functioning
neurological
musculoskeletal
cardiovascular
upper respiratory
dental
pulmonary
gastrointestinal
genitourinary
other symptoms
The most prevalent symptoms included:
sustained attention impairments
brain fog
unfocused concentration
joint symptoms
distraction by frustration
depression
working memory impairments
decreased school/job performance
recent memory impairments
difficulty prioritizing multiple tasks
fatigue
non-restorative sleep
multitasking difficulties
sudden mood swings
hypersomnia
mental apathy
decreased social functioning
insomnia
tingling
word finding difficulties
name retrieval
headaches
sound hypersensitivity
paresis
anhedonia
depersonalization
cold intolerance
body temperature fluctuations
light sensitivity
dysfluent speech
The average patient had five symptoms pre-infection and 82 post-infection. Pattern recognition is critical in making a diagnosis. This study was used to develop three clinical assessment forms.
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**Comment**
A simple perusal of these symptoms reveals how insidious this complex disease is. This is not what authorities have been telling us Lyme causes. Lyme/MSIDS is a systemic illness that can affect every single organ of the human body – and often collectively. The idea that 21 days of an antibiotic are going to take care of this is pure comedy if you study it for any length of time at all. It is not uncommon for patients to see numerous specialists for the wide array of issues they must contend with.
Time for mainstream medicine to awaken from its coma.
PROS AND CONS OF DOXYCYCLINE FOR CHILDREN WITH LYME DISEASE
There are times when doctors need to consider whether or not to prescribe doxycycline for children with Lyme disease. The antibiotic is indicated for other tick-borne illnesses including Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Ehrlichia and Anaplasmosis. But doctors often avoid prescribing doxycycline to young children for fear that it may cause tooth staining, particularly when used in children less than 8 years old.
In the article, Wormser discusses the risk to benefit ratio of prescribing the antibiotic.
“Tetracycline-induced dental staining does not spontaneously resolve, may have adverse psychological effects, and families may incur considerable expense to correct the problem.”
This risk is greatest for younger children, he explains. “Because calcification of permanent teeth is largely complete by 5–6 years of age, children who are <4 years of age are at highest risk.”
Doxycycline introduced
However, the risk of dental staining was expected to be less after doxycycline, a tetracycline derivative, was introduced to the market.
“Doxycycline was reported to bind calcium less avidly than does tetracycline, which could explain why doxycycline may be less likely to cause dental staining,” writes Wormser.
In 2 small studies, which enrolled 89 children, doxycycline did not lead to dental staining. However, the studies were of short duration and used lower doses of the antibiotic than is typically prescribed for tick-borne illnesses.
“These new studies led to the recommendation in 2018 by the Committee on Infectious Diseases of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) that a course of treatment with doxycycline (for up to 21 days) is safe to prescribe for young children with any infection responsive to this agent, specifically including early Lyme disease,” writes Wormser.
Risk to benefit ratio
“The recommendation to use doxycycline in young children with early Lyme disease should be based on assessment of the risk to benefit ratio of use of this drug compared with that of other recommended antibiotics,” writes Wormser.
“The recommendation to use doxycycline in children <8 years of age should require an assessment of how much doxycycline had previously been taken by a patient, including total dosage, because the risk of dental staining is directly related to cumulative exposure,” he adds.
Based on the number of Lyme disease cases reported each year and the percentage of children likely affected, Wormser estimates that “more than 30,000 children <8 years of age could potentially be treated with doxycycline each year.
If the risk of dental staining were even just 1 in 1000 (0.1%),” he explains, “this would translate to >30 children annually who would develop dental staining from taking doxycycline for erythema migrans.
Use of doxycycline clearly is indicated to treat young children with Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever or with other very serious infections for which doxycycline is preferred,” he adds.
Single dose of doxycycline for a tick bite
In addition, the authors discuss treating a deer tick bite with a single dose of doxycycline to prevent Lyme disease. “It seems unlikely that one dose would cause dental staining in young children,” writes Wormser.
Wormser GP, Strle F, Shapiro ED. Is Doxycycline Appropriate for Routine Treatment of Young Children With Erythema Migrans? Pediatr Infect Dis J. 2019 Nov;38(11):1113-1114.
Daniel J. Cameron, MD MPH, states there has only been one study (Nadelman et al) on the effectiveness of 1 pill of doxycycline and only found a reduction in the number of erythema migraines (EM) rashes compared to the placebo group. According to him, the IDSA 1 pill of doxy approach started in 2006 despite the fact that three previous prophylactic antibiotic trials for a tick bite had failed.
Only one study in 2001 tested this hypothesis at one hospital in New York.
For the study, the bullseye rash was the diagnostic criteria to determine if doxy prevented LD. The study actually showed that people bitten by nymphs were more likely to develop a bullseye rash and therefore diagnosed with LD in comparison with those bitten by an adult tick. None of those bitten by adult ticks developed a bullseye rash.
The Bullseye is a poor indicator of LD.
Only 50% with LD got any kind of rash and only 9% developed a bullseye.
Two pills used at the time of tick bite by a nymph prevented people from getting the bullseye – so they were not diagnosed as having LD and were excluded from the study.
A recent research review published in the Journal of Pain Researchfound that a little known supplement, acetyl-L-carnitine (ALC), is an effective preventive and treatment for all kinds of neuropathic pain.
The therapeutic benefits of acetyl-L-carnitine for neuropathy include pain reduction, promoting peripheral nerve regeneration, and a neuroprotective effect, among other therapeutic effects. Nerve conduction studies show improved velocity and amplitude….(See link for article)
The association between infection and psychiatric disorders was one of the milestones of early 20th century medicine. The identification of Treponema pallidum in the brains of individuals with “general paresis of the insane” by Noguchi and Moore in 1913 established the role of tertiary syphilis and showed that bacterial infections can cause long-term changes in both neurological and psychiatric functioning. The eventual development of treatments for syphilis and the subsequent curing of individuals with general paresis also showed that the discovery of an infectious cause of a neuropsychiatric disorder could be followed by effective treatment. The association between infection and some cases of psychiatric disorders was further solidified by the identification of an increased rate of encephalitis lethargica following the influenza epidemic of 1918-1919. Influenza control measures might be partially credited for the rarity of encephalitis lethargica in the modern era…..
Microorganisms capable of his latency include a diverse range of taxa including viruses such as the herpesviruses herpes simplex virus types 1 and 2, cytomegalovirus, and Epstein Barr virus as well as retroviruses such as human immunodeficiency virus, measles virus, bacteria such as Chlamydiae and Borreliae, and protozoa such as Toxoplasma gondii…(See link for article)
“This Workhorse of an Organ Can’t Signal for Help – Until It’s Often Too Late”
Your liver endures a tremendous amount of stress and toil, 24 hours a day. Hidden from sight, it doesn’t provide many clues as to its well-being. Yet it depends on you to give it the care it needs. Are you doing all you can?
By Dr. Mercola
Your liver might just be the most underappreciated organ in your body.
It is your body’s largest internal organ and one of its important functions is to help remove toxins and harmful substances. Unlike your gall bladder or appendix, you can’t live without your liver, at least not for very long.
And unlike some other organs in your body, such as your heart and lungs, it can be difficult to measure how well your liver is working. That is, until it falls to about 10 percent of its healthy working capacity.
Your liver can’t skip beats or produce a cough to warn you when it needs help…
Just because it sits quietly in your body most of the time doesn’t mean it can thrive without special care. Maybe 20 or 30 years ago, a healthy person’s liver did just fine without extra support, but today we live in a different world.
Today your liver confronts – and must overcome – challenges it’s never faced before.
Live Without Your Liver? Don’t Bet Your Life on It
Your liver serves many life-supporting functions
Your liver, which is made up of two main lobes, is located beneath your diaphragm and on top of your stomach, right kidney, and intestines.
Besides its primary role of protecting your body from harmful substances, your liver plays other key roles, too.
Your healthy liver:
Produces bile, which helps carry away waste and break down fats
Helps regulate the levels of sugar, protein, and fat entering your bloodstream
Clears your blood of drugs, alcohol, and other potentially harmful substances
Processes nutrients absorbed by your intestines during digestion
Produces cholesterol, proteins, and clotting factors to help your blood clot
Regulates many of your hormones
Neutralizes highly reactive oxygen molecules, or free radicals
After your liver breaks down harmful substances, they enter your blood or bile and leave your body either through your kidneys and urine or your feces after traveling through your intestines.
Normally, all these functions go on like clockwork, without much support on your part. But today many potential threats to your liver’s well-being prevail…
Is Your Expanding Waistline Putting Your Liver at Risk?
A renewed reminder of why it’s important to maintain your ideal body weight
Stunning new research suggests that your liver may be aging faster than the rest of your body if you hold excess weight in your waist.
Researchers found that for each 10-unit increase in body mass index, or BMI, the physiological age of the liver grew by 3.3 years.
To put that into real numbers…
Suppose a 5-foot, 8-inch man weighs 130 pounds and has a BMI of 20. A second man of the same height and age weighs 230 pounds, and has a BMI of 35.
The liver of the second man is likely five years older than the liver of the normal weight man.
And here’s another interesting finding… If the second man decided to have surgery to rapidly lose the excess weight, the age of his liver wouldn’t change!
What’s behind this vicious threat to your liver? It may be linked to one of its worst enemies.
One of Your Liver’s Worst Enemies Isn’t What You Might Expect
I’m guessing many people would say their liver’s worst enemy is alcohol. Yes, alcohol is harmful to your liver, but there’s another substance that’s equally so – and far more pervasive.
Unlike alcohol, this other substance can be found in some form in nearly everyprocessed food in your grocery store.
Fructose, the most damaging type of sugar to your body, is particularly hard on your liver, much like alcohol:
Fructose must be 100 percent broken down by your liver. Glucose on the other hand only needs to be partially broken down before it can be utilized.
Fructose is metabolized directly into fat that gets stored in your liver and other internal organs and tissues as body fat, which leads to mitochondrial malfunction
Corn sugars can damage your liver much like drinking alcohol
Fructose produces toxic metabolites and superoxide free radicals when it is metabolized, that can lead to inflammation in your liver
Fructose is a cheap form of sugar that’s found in thousands of food products and drinks. It’s often deliberately disguised by the use of many different names, so the only way to steer clear of it completely is to avoid eating processed foods.
I believe fructose and other non-fiber carbs are important factors behind the rising rates of liver issues and at least 30 other health concerns. Tragically, even children are now showing signs normally associated with alcohol abuse from their consumption of fructose!
Other Silent Slayers of Liver Function
Unfortunately, fructose isn’t the only challenge your liver has to deal with. Plenty more lurk in your home, water, and the air you breathe. Chemicals in plastics like phthalates and BPA/BPS, flame-retardants, and formaldehyde may be found in your:
Many people don’t realize how their living environments can impact their livers
Furniture and carpeting
Vinyl floor coverings
Building materials
Paint
Mattresses
Vinyl shower curtain
Children’s toys
Plastic water bottles and containers
Grocery store receipts
Scented personal care products
These contaminants enter your body through your skin or your lungs, or from the food and beverages you consume.
No matter how they enter your body, they end up in your bloodstream and your liver must process them.
Compared to 20 or 30 years ago, we are exposed to far more chemicals in our food, as well as in our living and working environments.
Yet your liver hasn’t changed – it hasn’t evolved to keep up with the increase in challenges. You still depend on it, day in and day out, to help minimize the effects of potential contaminants.
Simple Ways to Help Support Your Liver
Organic Lacinato kale is a liver-protectant food
Most likely by now you have a healthy appreciation of what your liver is doing for you – or at least trying to do.
Responsible for so many essential tasks, your liver can use all the support it can get. Luckily, there’s much you can do.
Of course, in today’s world you can’t safeguard your liver function 100 percent. But it’s worth doing all that you can…
To help protect your liver, I recommend:
Restricting alcohol consumption, and avoid completely if taking acetaminophen or Tylenol
Minimizing or avoiding the use of potentially harmful acetaminophen or Tylenol (be sure to check labels, it’s found in many over-the-counter products!)
Attaining and maintaining your ideal weight
Restricting your intake of fructose from all sources to about 15 to 25 grams per day (avoid sweeteners in foods, fruit juices, dried fruits, and limit sugary fruits like grapes, pears, plums, and red apples)
Avoiding or minimizing contact with toxic chemicals like pesticides, cleansers, paints and solvents
Buying products packed in glass containers and limiting your use of plastics, including plastic wrap
Adding liver-protective foods to your diet, like fermented vegetables, dark leafy green and cruciferous vegetables, “clean” sea vegetables, sprouts, artichokes, garlic and onions, avocados, berries, whey protein powder from grass-fed cows, and organic pastured eggs and grass-fed meat
In addition to these commonsense measures, there’s another simple way to help support your healthy liver function.
Trifecta Support for Your Liver Function
In my opinion, there are three ingredients that provide healthy liver function support:*
N-Acetyl L-Cysteine (NAC)
Milk thistle
Organic broccoli sprouts
I’ve combined this “perfect trifecta” of ingredients into my Liver Support for regular, daily use to specifically target six areas of concern:
Provide on-going support to help minimize the damaging effects of contaminants on your liver*
Help maintain intracellular levels of glutathione*
Maintain the normal metabolism of alcohol*
Provide antioxidant mitochondria support*
Support your body’s detoxification (cleansing)*
Provide short-term support for occasional acute events*
Let’s take a closer look at the first of these remarkable ingredients…
The Leader of Your Antioxidant Army… And It Helps Save Lives
Glutathione is your body’s principal antioxidant, and exists in each of your cells. With its lead status, it functions by keeping all the other antioxidants in line and performing at their peak.*
This super-antioxidant’s primary task is to help protect your body from free radical damage, wastes, and potentially harmful substances.* Glutathione is one of the most important factors in your body’s detoxification arsenal and is crucial for your liver’s well-being.*
As you age, your body’s ability to produce glutathione declines. And many substances like alcohol, drugs, and contaminants can deplete your glutathione levels.
While a glutathione supplement may sound like a good idea, oral glutathione is merely three amino acids and is rapidly broken down in your stomach by digestive enzymes. Even if it were effective, I still wouldn’t advise taking glutathione in oral form as it may interfere with your body’s ability to produce it naturally.
What I recommend instead for restoring the levels of glutathione inside of your cells is provide the raw materials for making glutathione so your body can produce the right amounts it needs and not any more.
One of the best ways to do this is use a derivative of the amino acid cysteine, called N-acetyl cysteine, or NAC for short.* NAC comes with four decades of scientific validation, and has been used in traditional medicine for over 30 years.
One of NAC’s primary roles in conventional medicine is as a treatment for acute poisoning with acetaminophen-containing pain-relieving drugs – the number one cause of acute liver failure in the U.S.
Too high of an acetaminophen dose can exhaust the body’s glutathione reserves, leading to permanent liver damage. As its precursor, NAC quickly restores glutathione levels, and, in effect, helps save lives.*
NAC’s Actions Beyond Its Role as Precursor to Glutathione
By replenishing your cells’ supplies of glutathione on a regular basis, NAC helps your cells regain their ability to protect themselves against free radicals and other damage.* This is especially desirable as you age.
Researchers have found that NAC does more than just replenish levels of glutathione within your cells. NAC provides additional potential benefits in these areas:*
Helps regulate the expression of many genes involved with your body’s inflammatory response*
Supports normal healthy insulin sensitivity*
Supports respiratory health*
Protects tissues and cells from the effects of oxidative stress from exercise*
Supports normal healthy cellular growth and development*
There’s no question that NAC offers valuable potential for the support of your liver health. Now let’s take a look at the second ingredient in Liver Support…
Don’t Be Fooled by Its Appearance – This Highly Valued ‘Weed’ Offers Potent Liver Support… and More*
Milk thistle contains liver-friendly silymarin
Milk thistle has been treasured for over 2,000 years for its value in supporting liver, kidney, and gall bladder health.*
When the leaves of the plant are crushed, they release a milky sap. Hence the name…
The herb milk thistle is an excellent source of the antioxidant compound silymarin, its primary active component.
Extracted from the plant seeds, silymarin consists of three flavonoids – silibinin, silidianin, and silicristin – all of which may help repair liver cells that have been damaged by environmental pollutants, alcohol, and fructose.*
Silymarin has been found to increase glutathione and help prevent its depletion in your liver.* It also helps support a normal inflammatory response in your cells through its effect on gene expression.
Support Your Liver With Up to 100 Times More of the Sulforaphane Precursor in Fresh Broccoli
Broccoli sprouts contain up to 100 times the glucoraphanin found in fresh broccoli
Glucoraphanin is a precursor to sulforaphane, a potent liver-supporting substance found in regular organic broccoli – its best-known source.
However, fresh, young broccoli sprouts – grown from organic broccoli seeds – can contain up to 100 times the amount of this glucoraphanin!
When animals in studies chewed or swallowed vegetables containing glucoraphanin, the resulting sulforaphane fired up the body’s waste disposal system.
This not only helped the body rid itself of pollutants, it also helped protect the body from potential harm.*
Researchers wanted to see how these substances would work in humans, so they travelled to one of the most heavily industrialized and polluted regions in China to put their theory to the test…
They recruited a total of 291 men and women living in a rural farming community in Jiangsu Province, China, about 50 miles north of Shanghai for their 12-week trial.
The treatment group received a half-cup of a beverage made with broccoli sprout powder containing glucoraphanin and sulforaphane, combined with sterilized water, pineapple and lime juice.
Urine and blood samples were taken during the trail to measure inhaled air pollutants.
The results were astounding… Excretion of a common and potentially hazardous airborne pollutant increased the very first day in the broccoli sprout powder group – by a whopping 61 percent! And increased excretion continued during the entire 12-week period.
Researchers concluded that the sulforaphane in the sprout powder might in some way be signaling to the cells the need to adapt to and survive a broad range of environmental contaminants, including those in water and food.
Based on these studies and more, I decided that organic broccoli sprout powder had to be part of my Liver Support!
Are You Ready to Give Your Liver the Support It Likely Needs?*
As I pointed out earlier, it can be difficult to know exactly how well your liver is functioning. That is, until it’s possibly too late.
But one thing we do know for certain is that your liver continuously labors hard to protect your body from the effects of environmental pollutants and chemicals.
Now you can help give it the support it may need with my Liver Support. With my unique “trifecta” formula, you get:
NAC for its ability to restore glutathione supplies and support mitochondrial function*
Milk Thistle Extract for its silymarin to help repair damaged liver cells and increase glutathione levels*
Organic Broccoli Sprout Powder for its rich supply of sulforaphane precursor to support your rapid excretion of environmental pollutants*
And much more… Liver Support provides the perfect tool to help minimize the damaging effects of everyday pollutants and stresses on your liver. And you can take it every day!
Take control of the health of your liver today and order Liver Support. When it comes to a hard-working organ like your liver, you don’t want to take chances.
Madison Area Lyme Support Group 