Archive for the ‘research’ Category

Lyme Disease Increases Gynecological Health Risks in Women

https://www.lymedisease.org/lyme-disease-reproductive-health/

Lyme disease increases gynecological health risks in women

By Lonnie Marcum

3/17/25

A new study has uncovered significant findings about how Lyme disease can impact the female reproductive system.

While previous research primarily focused on the effects of Borrelia (Lyme) on pregnancy, this study explores how the infection affects the reproductive system in non-pregnant mice and compares this to its effect on human gynecological disorders.

In a MedRxiv article entitled, Lyme disease increases risk for multiple gynecological conditions, MIT researchers Michal Caspi Tal, PhD, and Paige S. Hansen Colburn teamed up with researchers from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Nasa Sinnott-Armstrong, PhD, and colleagues.

“This changes how we understand Lyme”

Dr. Tal says, “For years, people have been asking if Lyme disease might cause miscarriage and other pregnancy problems. Our study shows a strong link, and more research is vital. This research changes how we understand Lyme. It’s a much bigger problem than we thought, especially for women.”

Tracking the illness for months, the team demonstrated that Lyme disease can cause prolonged and severe infection in the reproductive organs of female mice.

The study documented infected gynecological tissue, and problems such as enlarged uterus, ovarian cysts, thickening of the vaginal lining and inflammation of the internal and external tissues. Notably, older mice experienced more severe outcomes when infected.

Hansen Colburn says, “Our research both supports previous studies on Lyme in pregnancy and also highlights novel implications for Lyme in women’s health outside of the reproductive lens.”

In addition, using clinical and survey data, the researchers found associations between Lyme disease and an increased risk of endometriosis, dysmenorrhea (menstrual cramps), menorrhagia (heavy periods), miscarriage, uterine polyps, and endometriosis (uterine tissue growing outside the uterus).

Supporting evidence from human data

These findings were corroborated with data from a Finnish database, which showed higher rates of gynecological issues like miscarriage, vulvovaginitis, uterine fibroids, and dysmenorrhea in women with Lyme disease.

Hansen Colburn says, “We still need to learn exactly how the bacteria cause this damage. Is it the bacteria themselves, or is it collateral damage from the body’s immune response?”

It’s known that men and women exhibit different symptoms of Lyme disease. For example, men tend to develop a larger more typical Lyme rash than women. Men are also more likely to have a CDC-positive two-tier test for Lyme. But why?

In order to prevent miscarriage, women’s bodies are designed to alter their hormones and immune response when pregnant. It may be that female hormones or this immune response set women up for chronic Lyme.

Elevated risk

“Lyme disease appears to elevate risk of many gynecological diseases, and we still have a lot to learn about what else might result from Borrelia infection. This is just the beginning,” says Sinnott-Armstrong.

This study emphasizes the importance of:

  • tracking gender in Lyme disease studies
  • tracking age-related status
  • understanding the hormonal phase at the time of infection, during treatment and post-infection (eg. pre & post-pubescent, peri & post-menopausal)
  • understanding hormone levels and hormone dysregulation
  • tracking reproductive pathologies in both male and female patients with Lyme disease.

Findings from MyLymeData

In 2019, LymeDisease.org published results of a MyLymeData study, Gender Bias in Chronic Lyme Disease, showing that women are at a disadvantage when it comes to Lyme disease. Not just because women’s bodies respond differently to infection, but also because women represent a smaller percentage of participants in acute Lyme disease research.

A follow-up MyLymeData study, Does Biological Sex Matter in Lyme Disease? The Need for Sex-Disaggregated Data in Persistent Illness, published in 2023, found that women encountered lengthier diagnostic delays, grappled with more severe symptoms, and suffered greater functional impairment compared to men.

The MyLymeData authors concluded, “Our results indicate that biological sex should be integrated into Lyme disease research as a distinct variable. Future Lyme disease studies should include sex-based disaggregated data to illuminate differences that may exist between men and women with persistent illness.” (Disaggregated means that you separate out the data from male and female patients, so that you can look for trends in each group.)

Next steps

Today, we owe a huge thank you to the Tal Research Group and the Sinnott-Armstrong lab for demonstrating that Lyme disease increases the risk for gynecological disorders in women.

Dr Tal tells me the next step is to work on treatment protocols. “We’re very interested in the intersection of hormones and immune responses to infection, and we’ll be testing out different treatment protocols for the infection and also modulating the immune response to the infection to try to understand once this gynecological damage has happened, if antibiotic treatment alone be sufficient to reverse it.”

The Tal Research Group at MIT has also found Borrelia bacteria in the male reproductive tract, which is currently being investigated further.

The CDC estimates there are 475,000 annual cases of Lyme disease, however they make no meaningful analysis of sex differences in their list of symptoms or progression of disease.

Furthermore, approximately 5 million women in the U.S. suffer from endometriosis. Perhaps some of them would benefit from exploring a diagnosis and treatment for Lyme disease?

We look forward to the continued MIT research results and further understanding of chronic illness following infection.

LymeSci is written by Lonnie Marcum, a 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 X: @LonnieRhea   Email her at: lmarcum@lymedisease.org.

Reference

Hansen–Colburn PS, Blacker G, Galloway S, Feng Q, Padmanabham PS, Pisani G, Lee BT, Loeser G, Perez MW, Liu K, Kuan J, Von Saltza E, Strausz S, Mattei L, Nahass GR, Kitjasateanphun A, Potula HS, Shoham MA, Mascetti VL, Gars E, Ollila HM, Bruner-Tran KL, Weissman IL, You S, Pollack B, Griffith L, Sinnott-Armstrong N, Tal MC. (2025). Lyme disease increases risk for multiple gynecological conditions. medRxiv. https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.03.03.25323258.

Acknowledgement

This research was supported, in part, by the Emily and Malcolm Fairbairn donor advised fund.

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Category:

Activism, Lyme, research

Global Alert: Study Confirms COVID Shot Causes VAIDS & Vaccinated Child Death Surge

https://slaynews.com/news/another-major-study-confirms-covid-vaccines-cause-vaids/

Another Major Study Confirms Covid ‘Vaccines’ Cause VAIDS

Frank Bergman

A group of scientists has just provided further confirmation that Covid mRNA “vaccines” cause vaccine-acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (VAIDS), also referred to as “vaccine-induced AIDS.”

The team of leading Polish medical researchers confirmed recent findings from a major study by the world-renowned Yale University School of Medicine.

As Slay News reported, Yale researchers published the findings of their bombshell study last month.

They found that mRNA injections alter human biology to create long-term spike protein production that increases over time.

The scientists warn that the Covid mRNA vaccines alter T cell immunophenotypes which triggers VAIDS.

Two of the Yale study’s co-senior authors, Harlan Krumholz and Akiko Iwasaki, have been leaders in investigating mRNA shots’ links to so-called “Long Covid,” which they believe should be renamed “Long Vax.”  (See link for article)

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**Comment**

Still waiting to hear the FDA’s comment after its own study found residual cancer causing DNA contamination exceeded safety limits by 6-470 times, which align with earlier reports from independent laboratories in the United States, Canada, Australia, Germany, and France, but crickets…..

https://slaynews.com/news/japan-issues-alert-as-vaccinated-child-deaths-surge/

Leading Japanese Experts Issue Global Alert as Vaccinated Child Deaths Surge

Frank Bergman

Leading experts in Japan have issued a global alert to call for an urgent reassessment of worldwide vaccination programs after linking a recent surge in child deaths to “vaccines.”

A bombshell new study published in the Springer Nature peer-reviewed journal Discover Medicine raises the alarm over the issue after connecting several child deaths to “vaccinations.”

However, it wasn’t only mRNA injections that were linked to the deaths as the study found that multiple children died suddenly after receiving standard childhood schedule vaccines.

The study was conducted by Dr. Kenji Yamamoto of Okamura Memorial Hospital in Japan.

In the wake of Yamamoto’s, top Japanese experts are now calling for an urgent reassessment of global vaccination programs, particularly mRNA “vaccines.” 

Yamamoto’s findings are driven by growing evidence of vaccine-induced immunodeficiency and a sharp rise in adverse effects.  (See link for article and study)

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**Comment**

While most countries have halted additional clot shot doses, Japan and the U.S. are the exception and continue to push eight dose boosters to the elderly, which has caused dormant TB infections to ‘wake up.’   Madness……

Important quote:

The doctor argues that vaccination policies have been shielded from scientific scrutiny.

The vaccine topic is so riddled with conflicts of interest, fraud, and propaganda that anyone who dares to question anything is simply destroyed – like Andrew Wakefield, Suzanne Humphries, and Judy Mikovitz.  I’m sure there’s a long line of others who dared to think for themselves.

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Category:

Activism, research, vaccines, Viruses

Lyme Disease Increases Risk for Multiple Gynecological Conditions

https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.03.03.25323258v1

Lyme disease increases risk for multiple gynecological conditions

Paige S. Hansen Colburn, Grace Blacker, Sarah Galloway, Qingying Feng, Prasanna S. Padmanabham, Guido Pisani, Brandon T. Lee, Grace Loeser, Monika W Perez, Kunzan Liu, Jade Kuan, Emelia von Saltza, Satu Strausz, Lisa M. Mattei, Sophie VanderWeele, George R. Nahass, Amie Kitjasateanphun,  Rangarajan Bharadwaj, Hari-Hara SK Potula, Maia Atzmon Shoham, Finngen, Victoria L. Mascetti, Eric Gars, Hanna M Ollila, Kaylon L. Bruner-Tran, Irving Weissman,  Sixian You, Beth Pollack, Linda Griffith, Nasa Sinnott-Armstrong,  Michal Caspi Tal
doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.03.03.25323258

This article is a preprint and has not been peer-reviewed [what does this mean?]. It reports new medical research that has yet to be evaluated and so should not be used to guide clinical practice.

Abstract

Lyme disease (LD) is an illness caused by the spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi (B. burgdorferi). Borrelia is known to disseminate through organs, including the skin, joints, spinal cord, bladder, and heart, leading to Lyme arthritis, neuroborreliosis, and Lyme carditis. While previous studies have investigated the impact of LD on pregnancy in both mice and humans and have found the presence of B. burgdorferi in the uterus of mice, we studied the impact of LD on the non-pregnant female reproductive tract. We use a mouse model for LD and find an ongoing and severe infection of the reproductive tract of female mice, which persists up to 15-months post-inoculation. This infection results in uterine glandular cysts and endometrial hyperplasia as well as vaginal epithelial thickening, polymorphonuclear and mononuclear cell epithelial infiltration, and epithelial desquamation into the vaginal lumen. Strikingly, we find that age has an impact on the extent of gynecologic pathology such that aged female mice (1-year old) that are reproductively senescent have more gynecologic pathology with infection compared to young mice (15-weeks old) when infected for the same length of time. Using large-scale electronic healthcare record data, we report that LD additionally results in increased infection-associated risk of:

  1. menorrhagia (1.5-fold)
  2. miscarriage (1.62-fold)
  3. uterine fibroids (1.42-fold)
  4. endometriosis (1.93-fold)

Underreporting of gynecological outcomes is pervasive throughout many different infectious diseases, and LD-associated gynecological pathologies may have been similarly underappreciated in the field. This work suggests that further study of the female reproductive tract and the effects of B. burgdorferi infection therein will help clarify and expand the knowledge of myriad LD outcomes.

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Category:

Lyme, research, Transmission

Study: Fatal Malignant Cardiac Tumors Following COVID-19 mRNA Injection

https://www.thefocalpoints.com/p/new-study-fatal-malignant-cardiac

NEW STUDY – Fatal Malignant Cardiac Tumors Following COVID-19 mRNA Injection

Growing body of evidence suggests COVID-19 mRNA injections are likely carcinogenic, contributing to the sharp rise in rapidly progressing, fatal cancers.

Mar 06, 2025

by Nicolas Hulscher, MPH

The study titled, Heart-breaking tumors: a case series of malignant pericardial effusion, was recently published in European Heart Journal – Case Reports:

Background

Malignant pericardial effusions are often linked to metastases from solid tumours, such as those in the lung or breast, or haematological diseases. Primary cardiac tumours are rare, occurring in only 0.02% of cases, with pericardial tumours comprising 6.7%–12.8% of all primary cardiac tumours.

Case summary

In Case 1, a 49-year-old Black African male presented with chest pain and breathlessness after a COVID-19 vaccine. Initially treated for pericarditis, he returned with worsening symptoms. Echocardiography revealed pericardial effusion and cardiac tamponade. Imaging confirmed a right atrial mass diagnosed as malignant biphasic mesothelioma. He died 4 months after diagnosis. In Case 2, a 43-year-old Caucasian male developed breathlessness and fever post-COVID-19 vaccine. Imaging identified a large posterior pericardial mass, later diagnosed as synovial sarcoma. Chemotherapy yielded minor tumour reduction, but he succumbed to his illness, spending his final days in a hospice.

Discussion

Initial clinical signs are critical in determining the origin of pericardial effusion. Malignancy should be suspected in cases with cardiac tamponade, unexplained haemorrhagic pericardial fluid, or recurrent symptoms. Negative cytology warrants further investigation with advanced imaging or biopsy to improve diagnostic sensitivity. Diagnosing rare tumours involves multiple imaging modalities, fluid analysis, biopsies, and an interdisciplinary approach, with pathological analysis being the gold standard. Treatment remains challenging due to the rapid progression of these tumours, with surgery often not feasible. A multi-pronged diagnostic approach is crucial, and clinicians must maintain suspicion for malignancy in persistent pericardial effusion cases, even in the context of other potential confounding factors.

As this study indicates, rapidly progressing fatal cancers shortly following COVID-19 mRNA injection are real, not “disinformation” as the mass media suggests. A growing body of evidence suggests that COVID-19 mRNA injections are likely carcinogenic and have contributed to the alarming rise in cancer rates.  (See link for article)

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“We must stop messenger RNA [mRNA] at all costs… it’s not only mad, it’s EVIL.” – Dr. Angus Dalgleish, world-renowned ocologist

Category:

Cancer, research, vaccines, Viruses

Treating Bartonella: Medical Detective Pts 1-5

https://medicaldetective.substack.com/p/bartonella-the-second-great-imitator

Bartonella: The Second “Great Imitator” Underlying Many Chronic Illnesses – Part 1 of 5

Richard Horowitz
Feb 05, 2025

Bartonella is the third “B” of the triad found in the vast majority of my chronically ill patients who suffer from chronic Lyme disease/PTLDS, along with Borrelia and Babesia.A gram-negative intracellular bacteria, it’s controversial and misunderstood and has been throwing a monkey wrench into my treatments for decades. I barely remember learning about it in medical school, except when they were teaching me about cat scratch fever in children that would cause small, localized rashes (papules) at the site of the scratch with swollen lymph nodes and fevers. It would be treated with a short course of antibiotics like azithromycin. These images show classical cat scratch disease before and after treatment when the lesions are starting to crust up.  (See link for article)

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https://medicaldetective.substack.com/p/bartonella-establishing-the-diagnosis

Bartonella: Establishing the Diagnosis, and the Role of Multiple Bartonella Species and MSIDS Factors in Chronic Illness – Part 2 of 5

Richard Horowitz
Feb 12, 2025

As you learned last week in Bartonella Part 1, this is a very tricky bacteria, with symptoms overlapping many of those associated with chronic Lyme disease and other co-infections. Since there are so many species of Bartonella, the first step is to determine if Bartonella is actually in your body. As a Medical Detective, I know that there are certain clues to follow, but what exactly are they?

Clues to the Existence of Lyme and Bartonella in Chronic Illness

Let’s start at the beginning. You’ve been diagnosed with chronic Lyme disease–you had a prior EM rash and/or filled out the questionnaire and scored above 63, implying a high likelihood of exposure. See the prior Medical Detective Substacks on using this HMQ questionnaire:

https://cangetbetter.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/MSIDS-QUESTIONNAIRE-FINALR.pdf

(See link for article)

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https://medicaldetective.substack.com/p/effective-treatments-for-bartonella

Effective Treatments for Bartonella Infections – Part 3 of 5

Richard Horowitz
Feb 19, 2025

Bartonella is an intracellular biofilm/persister bacteria, like Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacterial agent of Lyme disease. For years, many doctors were using single drug therapies for Cat Scratch Disease (CSD), even in the chronic persistent phases of the infection (some may still). This was before we understood the complexity of how this bacteria persists.

Years ago, however, I did recognize that at least 2 intracellular antibiotics were more effective than one for difficult-to-treat intracellular infections. So for many years I treated Bartonella with doxycycline/rifampin or Zithromax/rifampin. Although they helped to knock down symptoms, Bartonella would invariably return after antibiotics were stopped. Persisters persist! (See link for article)

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https://medicaldetective.substack.com/p/treating-bartonella-double-dose-dapsone

Treating Bartonella: Double Dose Dapsone Combination Therapy (DDDCT) – Part 4 of 5

Richard Horowitz
Feb 26, 2025
 
In Bartonella Parts 1, 2, and 3, you learned the basics of Bartonella testing, symptoms, and treatment options, with a detailed discussion of laboratory work needed before starting the protocol, and how/why the medication and support supplements are being used to increase the tolerability and safety of DDDCT and HDDCT. Please review this information with your doctor before proceeding with the antibiotic protocol listed below.  (See link for article)
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https://medicaldetective.substack.com/p/treating-bartonella-2-week-pulses

Treating Bartonella: 2-Week Pulses of Antibiotics for Chronic Bartonellosis – Part 5 of 5

Richard Horowitz
Mar 05, 2025
 
Bravo! You’ve made it to Part 5, the final Medical Detective Substack on diagnosing and treating chronic Bartonella infections. As you read in the previous 4 Substacks, Bartonella is often found in my chronic Lyme patients, at least 80% of the time, right behind active Babesia infections–watch for unexplained fevers, day/night sweats, chills, flushing, “air hunger,” and an unexplained cough if you have ongoing Babesia. (See link for article)
 
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Category:

Bartonella, research, Treatment