Archive for the ‘Supplements’ Category

Study Says Opioids No Better Than Placebos For Back & Neck Pain

https://www.paintreatmentdirectory.com/posts/opioids-no-better-than-placebos-for-back-and-neck-pain-new-study-says

Opioids No Better Than Placebos For Back and Neck Pain, New Study Says

By: Cindy Perlin, LCSW

7/10/23

A new study just published in The Lancet, a highly respected mainstream journal, reported that patients with low back pain and neck pain who were prescribed opioids did no better than patients given a placebo. The randomized, controlled study of 347 patients found that there was no significant difference in pain scores between the two groups at six weeks. A year later, the placebo group had slightly lower pain scores,1.81 compared to 2.37 for the opioid group. The average age of participants in the study was 44.7 years and they all had lower back pain, neck pain or both for 12 weeks or less.

According to the National Institute for Drug Abuse (NIDA), 10-12% of those prescribed opioids develop an addiction. Despite the fact that over a million Americans have died of opioid overdoses to date, opioids continue to be widely prescribed as noted by the CDC. After peaking in 2012 at 81.3 prescriptions per 100 persons nationwide, the prescription opioid rate was 43.3 per 100 persons in 2020. However, some counties had rates that were nine times higher than that. This study indicates that many pain patients are being unnecessarily exposed to devastating and potentially fatal risks for absolutely no benefit.

I believe that the reason that opioids continue to be so widely prescribed despite the risks is that healthcare providers and patients have heard so often that “opioids are the best treatment we have for pain”. This statement has been repeated so often by pharmaceutical interests and their enablers despite the lack of evidence that most people believe it. Will this study be enough to change these beliefs? I doubt it.

Besides patients’ and healthcare providers’ frequently reinforced beliefs that “opioids are the best treatment we have for pain”, there are several other barriers that get in the way of change. These include:

Healthcare providers are not educated about safer and more effective alternatives.

One survey of medical school curriculum in the U.S. found that physicians were receiving less than two hours of education about pain during their four years of medical school. Post-graduate education is largely sponsored by the drug companies, who fund the medical journals through advertising, sponsor most of the continuing education courses and conferences that physicians attend and send sales reps to physicians’ offices to peddle their wares on an almost daily basis. There are no comparable platforms for educating physicians about alternatives to pharmaceuticals for the treatment of pain.

Insurance companies won’t pay for alternative treatments or severely underfund them.

They do not pay for acupuncture, biofeedback, massage, nutritional counseling or supplements, exercise programs, herbal treatments, light therapy or other proven pain treatments. They have not raised fees for chiropractors, mental health providers or physical therapists in over 40 years.

Government policy often blocks access to alternative treatments.

Marijuana is still federally illegal, making it inaccessible for many. The FDA has gone to great lengths to try to ban kratom, a very effective southeast Asian pain-relieving herb, and failing that, has done their best to demonize it. Several states have banned kratom. 

The FDA has also recently declared homeopathy illegal, classifying all remedies as unapproved drugs, despite significant evidence that homeopathy is safe and effective and a long tradition of its use being legal.

No federal or state laws require insurance coverage for most alternatives or adequate fees for the treatments, like physical therapy, psychotherapy and chiropractic, that are covered.

Sign My Petition to Require Insurance Companies to Pay for Alternative Treatments

The supply of alternative service providers cannot currently meet increased demand.

For instance, while the demand for chiropractic services has been increasing, the U.S. Small Business Administration reports that the five-year survival rate of chiropractic practices is only 48.9%. This is most likely due to low fees and excessive paperwork demands by insurance companies.

The physical therapy profession is currently hemorrhaging providers despite increasing demand, with over 22.000 physical therapists leaving the workforce in the last quarter of 2021 alone. Over 15,000 licensed clinical social workers left the workforce during the same time period in professions where there were already significant shortages.

There are already shortages of massage therapists and demand for acupuncturists is already increasing compared to supply. These shortages will be even more severe if insurance coverage is made available.

Find the Right Provider

The Placebo Effect and Chronic Pain

The placebo effect refers to the improvement in a patient’s condition, despite receiving a treatment with no active pharmacological properties, for example: a sugar pill. Research has consistently shown that when patients genuinely believe they are receiving an effective treatment, their bodies often respond accordingly, producing measurable improvements.

The power of placebos extends beyond a mere psychological response; it can lead to actual physiological changes in the body. Studies have shown that the placebo effect can trigger the release of endorphins (the body’s natural opioids), dopamine (the body’s natural mood elevators) and other neurotransmitters associated with pain relief and improved mood. This indicates that the mind possesses an innate ability to activate the body’s self-healing mechanisms.

Placebo-controlled clinical trials are now standard practice in drug development, enabling researchers to evaluate the true effectiveness of new medications, or in the case of the above-described study, older medications.

While placebos have the potential to produce positive outcomes, some have raised ethical concerns about their use. They claim that deceiving patients by prescribing placebos without their knowledge undermines the principle of informed consent. However, I would counter that by pointing out that prescribing potentially dangerous drugs without warning patients of the full range of risks or the fact that a safer alternative exists is a much higher order ethical violation.

Researchers are exploring ethical ways to use placebos. Some studies have shown that even if you tell patients they are getting a placebo for their condition, it still seems to have the desired effect.

Placebos and the Power of the Mind/Body Connection

Placebos are an indicator of the power of the mind-body connection to influence our well-being. The effectiveness of placebos in pain management has been observed for both acute and chronic pain. Placebos have shown significant analgesic effects in conditions such as migraines, osteoarthritis, and even post-surgical pain. They have been proven to reduce pain intensity, increase pain tolerance, and enhance overall well-being. Placebos have also been shown to reduce anxiety and depression and to improve sleep.

Want to try a placebo for yourself or a loved one? Here is a placebo you can order on Amazon:

Conclusion

Many safer treatments for back pain, neck pain and other types of pain exist and should be offered to patients instead of misinforming patients that “opioids are the best treatment we have for pain”. A “best” treatment doesn’t have the potential to kill people.

Cindy Perlin is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, certified biofeedback practitioner, chronic pain survivor, the author of The Truth About Chronic Pain Treatments: The Best and Worst Strategies for Becoming Pain Free and the founder and CEO of the Alternative Pain Treatment Directory. She has been helping her clients in the Albany, NY area reach their health and wellness goals for over 30 years. She also provides virtual pain consults. See her provider profile HERE. 

For more:

BTW, in the effort of staying real: The Lancet and other journals have been caught numerous times publishing fraudulent studies and pushing politics rather than science:

Category:

diet and nutrition, Hemp Oil, Herbs, Inflammation, Pain Management, research, Supplements, Treatment

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)

For more:

Category:

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

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

__________________

**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

9 Lyme & Tick-borne Disease Hacks & Dr. John Aucott’s Lyme Research Update

https://www.treatlyme.net/guide/lyme-tick-borne-disease-hacks  Video Here (Approx. 35 Min)

Nine Lyme and Tick-borne Disease Hacks

Marty Ross MD presents nine hacks for Lyme and tick borne disease. Watch this video and Powerpoint presentation to find real ways to improve your health.

This is a second recording of a video Powerpoint presentation first delivered to the Canadian Lyme Disease Research Network Virtual 2023 Awareness Event on May 23, 2023.

Video Thumbnail
____________________

Watch Dr. John Aucott’s update on latest Lyme disease research

Dr. John Aucott, Director of the Johns Hopkins Lyme Disease Research Center, recently delivered an overview of Lyme and other tick-borne disease research. You can watch a replay of his presentation below.

What follows is the introduction to Dr. Aucott by Shireen Rusby, one of the founders of Maryland’s Lyme Care Resource Center.

May is Lyme disease awareness month. Like any “awareness” effort, the intent is to increase the attention to and appreciation for the subject. In the case of Lyme disease there is a particularly powerful irony to the concept of awareness. Lyme disease is an illness that is often hidden and its symptoms unrecognized, yet the patient can be so overwhelmed that there is little reprieve from the self-awareness that dominates each day.

Those of us living with Lyme disease, as well as those living with many other long-term, hidden health conditions, have experienced very similar scenarios – the body’s natural inclination toward homeostasis is challenged.

Balance becomes harder to achieve and maintain. Lyme has imbalanced us, COVID has imbalanced us, ME/CFS has imbalanced us, dysautonomia and POTS have imbalanced us. So while our bodies, minds and spirits are making constant efforts to balance and rebalance physically, mentally and emotionally, what is the impact of stressors on a system that is already experiencing overload?

Well, that’s a whole thesis in and of itself and we’re not going to cover it tonight. But there is one stressor that we can increase “awareness” of this evening. For members of the Lyme community and those of other hidden illnesses, the challenges of dysfunctional homeostasis are compounded by the emotional strain of invalidation.

What interferes with healing

When we then begin to doubt our own reality, we make efforts to normalize the abnormal state of our being and that in turn leads to an even greater maladaptive response and further interferes with healing.

In his book, Conquering Lyme Disease, Dr. Brian Fallon states: “The experience of being disbelieved and misrepresented over and over is inherently traumatizing. Some patients…have identified this atmosphere of disbelief (and the resulting social isolation and self-doubt) as the single most stressful aspect of their illness experience.”

Some of you may have seen the movie Avatar. It is a futuristic story of human beings landing on another planet and attempting to conquer the native people of that land. When greeting each other, these natives to whom we are supposedly superior, look each other in the eye and say, “I see you.”

This simple phrase encapsulates much of our ongoing struggle in the medical world. It speaks to a fundamentally necessary component of the practitioner-patient relationship that is at times absent in this journey with invisible illness.

Many medical professionals may not know where to turn when blood work looks normal and verifiable analytical tools fail to provide objective evidence. The simple truth, however, is that an absence of evidence is not evidence of absence. That quote, often attributed to the astrophysicist Carl Sagan, can serve as an incredibly powerful guiding principle when it comes to illnesses like Lyme disease.

The art of inquiry

Our lack of comprehensive and neatly packaged scientific proof need not preclude our awareness and acknowledgement of the situation. Rather, this is an opportunity for us to practice the art of inquiry as the necessary first step on the path of healing.

And certainly, there is no one path of healing in illnesses as complex as Lyme disease, and that adds to the challenge for both the patient and the practitioner. The fractured Western paradigm of medicine, in its tendency to compartmentalize and classify health as black or white, present or absent, positive or negative often fails to recognize the holistic nature of human suffering.

But the path of healing is first paved with recognition of and respect for the imbalanced body, mind and spirit.

Our journey to regain and retain balance begins again each day. In paving this path let us remember to turn toward the light especially when it seems dark, and let us use the tools of compassion and understanding to help one another.

Fostering awareness of this hidden yet ever-growing health pandemic will increase the opportunities for healing, and will turn the tide against the history of glaring invisibility and deafening silence.

We have as our guest speaker tonight someone who has made it his mission to foster the awareness of Lyme disease. He has paved the path of healing for countless Lyme warriors with sound practices and with stellar science.

John Aucott and his amazing team at the Lyme Disease Research Center, have partnered with many, first and foremost with the patients they serve, to produce the scientific evidence necessary to authenticate many of our struggles – struggles which we have experienced for months, years or even decades, while seeking out the rare practitioner like him who looks at us and says “I see you.”

For your endless support, for your validation of what we endure, and for your ongoing efforts to find the evidence that may have once seemed absent –we offer our endless gratitude.

http://  Approx. 2 hours

LCRC May 2023: Advances in Lyme Disease and Tickborne Disease Research

Dr. Aucott will be discussing research advances in Lyme Disease and Tickborne Diseases, including an update on diagnostics, potential biomarkers, advanced neuroimaging, and future treatments.

For more:

Category:

Activism, Detoxing, diet and nutrition, Gut Health, Herbs, Inflammation, Lyme, Mold, Supplements, Testing, Treatment

Are You Unknowingly Ingesting Toxic Mold?

https://www.lymedisease.org/unknowingly-ingesting-mold/

Are you unknowingly ingesting toxic mold?

By Lonnie Marcum
April 4, 2023

Do you feel like you’re doing everything right and still not getting better? It’s possible something hidden in your daily routine may be sabotaging your healing.

One potential culprit is manufactured citric acid (MCA), often added to food as a preservative and flavor enhancer.

It’s used in processed foods, carbonated beverages, energy drinks, fruit drinks, nutritional supplements, vitamins, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and more.

And here’s the potential problem: this ingredient is mass produced using  Aspergillus niger—a type of mold. People with chronic illness and weakened immune systems may react badly to it. In fact, many patients with persistent symptoms of Lyme disease experience more severe symptoms when exposed to mold.

To date, there have been no human trials investigating the safety of MCA. However, in 2018, two medical doctors at the University of Chicago did a deep literature review and found cause for concern.

In their published paper, they present a series of four case reports of patients who had significant worsening of symptoms after ingesting MCA. By eliminating MCA, each of the patients had a resolution of symptoms.

What exactly is this substance?

Citric acid is naturally derived from lemons, limes and other fruits and vegetables and was widely used in foods and beverages until the early 1900s. In 1917, James Currie, an American chemist, discovered he could mass produce citric acid from mold.

Today, 99% of citric acid in commercial use is manufactured from fermented corn syrup and Aspergillus niger.

In 2016 there were 2.3 million tons of MCA produced, predominantly in China. Approximately 70% of that MCA is used in foods and beverages, 20% in pharmaceutical ingredients and cosmetics, and 10% in cleaning and softening agents.

While the basic molecular formula for natural citric acid and MCA is the same (C-6,H-8,O-7), MCA contains the potential of contamination by impurities and fragments of Aspergillus niger.

When mold enters the body, the immune system recognizes it as a foreign invader and mounts a response to remove it. The specific immune response to mold depends on the type of mold, the individual’s immune system, and the duration and extent of exposure.

Aspergillus niger is commonly found in soil and decaying vegetation. It is extremely resilient, flourishing in both hot and cold climates.

While the FDA currently lists MCA as a safe ingredient, it was developed at a time before the agency monitored food additives. In 1958, the US adopted the Food Additives Amendment, making any ingredients added to food subject to FDA approval. However, Congress excluded from this requirement all food ingredients in use before 1958.

Allergic reactions

Symptoms of mold allergy can include:

  • Respiratory symptoms (coughing, wheezing, worsening Asthma)
  • Skin rash or hives
  • Itchy or watery eyes
  • Runny or stuffy nose
  • Headache
  • Gastrointestinal upset

In rare cases, exposure to Aspergillus niger can lead to a life-threatening allergic reaction called anaphylaxis, which requires immediate medical attention.

If you suspect that you may have an allergy to Aspergillus niger or other molds, it’s important to speak with your healthcare provider. They may recommend allergy and mold testing to confirm the diagnosis.

Minimizing exposure

It’s important for people with weakened immune symptoms to minimize their exposure to mold. If you live or work in an environment where you are likely to be exposed to mold, you may need to take steps to reduce your exposure and minimize your risk of developing an allergy.

Ways to minimize mold exposure include keeping your living spaces clean and dry, using air filters or dehumidifiers, and consuming clean food and beverages. In severe cases, more drastic remediation efforts must be taken.

If you have a known mold sensitivity,  I recommend that you read the ingredient of your most frequently consumed foods, beverages, and supplements. Ingredients are listed from highest to lowest content. If you see citric acid high on the list and you notice an increase in symptoms shortly after consuming that product, you might try eliminating the item from your diet.

For more information, see:

LYME SCI: Are hidden ingredients in pills making you sicker?

LYME SCI: Dealing with Lyme disease and mold illness at the same time.

LYME SCI: Lyme? Mold toxicity? Other chronic ills? Read this book.

TICKTECTIVE: All about kids with Lyme, PANS, and mold illness.

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.

Reference

Sweis IE, Cressey BC. Potential role of the common food additive manufactured citric acid in eliciting significant inflammatory reactions contributing to serious disease states: A series of four case reports. Toxicol Rep. 2018 Aug 9;5:808-812. doi: 10.1016/j.toxrep.2018.08.002. PMID: 30128297; PMCID: PMC6097542.

For more:

Category:

Mold, research, Supplements