Archive for the ‘Treatment’ Category

Pediatric Bipolar Disorders & Tick-borne Illnesses

https://www.lymedisease.org/pediatric-bipolar-disorders/

Pediatric bipolar disorders and tick-borne illnesses

July 23, 2021

By Rosalie Greenberg, MD

Pediatric Bipolar Disorder (PBD) refers to a child or adolescent experiencing a distinct period of time in which he or she has changes in mood, energy, thought and behavior that can have a significant effect on the youngster’s ability to function.

This diagnosis, like most, is on a spectrum. A young person can have manic episodes with or without depressive episodes. This is called Bipolar I. Or, the child can have episodes of depression with only mild hypomanic episodes (not as severe as mania and which don’t require psychiatric hospitalization.) This is called Bipolar II.

Other Specified or Unspecified Bipolar and Related Disorder are two other categories that are used when the full criteria for the diagnosis are not met. In the past, this was called Bipolar Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (NOS).

Making a diagnosis

The symptoms required to make the diagnosis of a manic episode are the following: a clear period of abnormally elevated or irritable mood and heightened energy or activity lasting at least a week (or less if hospitalized) accompanied by three or more of the symptoms below (four if only irritable):

  • Decreased need for sleep
  • increased self-esteem or grandiosity
  • More talkative or pressured speech
  • Flight of ideas (loosely connected thoughts) or feeling like one has racing thoughts
  • Distractability
  • Increase in goal-directed activity or overall heightened psychomotor agitation
  • Increased impulsivity that can cause excessive involvement in activities that have a high potential for painful consequences

In the majority of cases, the cause of bipolar disorder is uncertain. But it is probably a mixture of genetics, the environment (including exposure to certain infections) and immune system dysfunction.

A few infectious agents have been accepted as being directly associated with bipolar disorder symptoms. Two of these are:

  1. the parasite Toxoplasmosis Gondii which causes toxoplasmosis
  2. the spirochetal (corkscrew shaped) bacteria, Treponema Pallidum which causes syphilis

Of note, both syphilis and Lyme disease (caused by Borrelia burgdorferi), are caused by a spirochete-shaped bacteria and they share a variety of other commonalities.

The Borrelia bacteria has more DNA and is much more complex in composition and function. Individuals who experience late stage, or tertiary, syphilis can exhibit manic-like behavior, which also can be seen at times in those with neurologic Lyme disease.

PANDAS/PANS

For a while, I was looking at new patients for any evidence of Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal infections (PANDAS) or Pediatric Acute-onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome (PANS).

The former refers to a group of psychiatric symptoms precipitated by a Group A Beta Hemolytic Streptococcal infection. In the latter, the cause remains unspecified and might include factors such as infections, trauma and environmental toxins.

Because of the similarities I observed between PANDAS/PANS  and PBD, I started to check some of my PBD patients for evidence of infection.

One such patient was P, an 11-year-old, who came to see me following four psychiatric hospitalizations over the course of one year, because of difficulty with mood shifts, oppositional behavior and verbal and physical aggressive outbursts.

He was diagnosed as having PBD, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) – combined type and oppositional defiant disorder. His difficulties had only mildly improved despite multiple psychiatric medication trials.

I first saw him after his last hospitalization.  At that point, he was no longer acutely dangerous to himself or others but had limited self-control and awareness.

I learned that his family history was strongly positive for bipolar disorder in at least three generations. Alcoholism was present in both maternal and paternal relatives. Furthermore, there were a variety of autoimmune disorders in relatives on both sides of the family tree.

After eight months of medication treatment under my care as an outpatient, he suddenly once again became highly agitated, argumentative and threatening. It was clear that he could not continue to live at home unless his behavior drastically changed

High strep titers

Despite the fact he had been healthy, with no known medical history of a Streptococcal infection (the bacteria responsible for causing strep throat), I decided to check him for evidence of infection causing PANDAS or PANS. To my surprise, his strep titers were quite high and he was subsequently diagnosed with PANDAS.

A few months of treatment with antibiotics eventually resulted in a dramatic change. His mood was happier and more even, he was much less oppositional, more affectionate and he even became a more diligent student.

He was on a low dose antibiotic prophylactically to protect against recurrent streptococcal infection. This protective approach is similar to what occurs in those with rheumatic heart disease.

Over time, P’s negative behavior would return and escalate on occasion if he was exposed to someone who was sick. But his symptoms usually responded quickly with anti-inflammatory treatment or, if needed, a change in antibiotic.

Bartonella

When P was in the 8th grade, he had a severe angry depressive episode. By this time, I had become familiar with tick-borne disorders and their potential neuropsychiatric effects. On testing, he was positive for the bacteria Bartonella henselae.

Once again, proper antibiotic treatment resulted in a significant lessening of his psychiatric symptoms. It is important to note that he also needed an antipsychotic and anticonvulsant for mood maintenance whether or not he was taking antibiotics.

Given the observation that P’s mood and behavior dramatically changed once his infections were identified and properly treated, I decided to screen many of my new patients for evidence of infection.

To my surprise, I found evidence of infections in the majority of those newer patients who underwent blood testing during psychiatric evaluation.

I am known as being an expert in pediatric bipolar disorder, having written Bipolar Kids: Helping Your Child Find Calm in the Mood Storm, as well as having lectured to the public and professionals and written a variety of articles for both groups.

It’s important to keep in mind that my practice is somewhat atypical in that it experiences what is called “a referral bias,” with many parents coming to see me to determine whether or not their child really has bipolar disorder.

Once I kept finding evidence of infections, and often positive mood or behavioral changes when the newly discovered illnesses were addressed, I decided that it was important that I go back and check for infections in my bipolar patients with whom I had worked for years.

Again, I was surprised to find that many of these kids also tested positive for evidence of infection, especially tick-borne illnesses (TBIs).

Tick-borne illnesses

Ten years ago, I learned that New Jersey, where my practice is located, is a Lyme-endemic state. But how was it possible that so many of my patients tested positive? Maybe the testing was wrong? I even submitted samples of my own blood to two of the specialty laboratories (Igenex and Galaxy Diagnostics) to check the accuracy of the testing and found the results quite credible for a variety of reasons.

I also noted that as I kept learning more and more about Lyme and the other TBIs at different specialized meetings, I often heard presentations of adult patients who were diagnosed with bipolar disorder and later found to be suffering from some form of tick-borne illness. This sounded just like “my kids.”

With this experience as my background, I decided to do a retrospective chart review to determine the rate of evidence of tick-borne infection exposure in 27 consecutively seen bipolar youth whom I treated between February 2013 and July 2015.

Of the 27, 81% (22/27) were males and 19% (5/27) were females with an average age of 7.3 years. Fifteen of the kids were diagnosed as having Bipolar I (had manic episodes) and 12 had Bipolar II (episodes of depression with periods of hypomania).

Using a variety of different laboratories, blood testing was done to check for evidence of exposure to Group A Beta Hemolytic Streptococcal bacteria, and other infectious agents including Mycoplasma pneumoniae (which can cause walking pneumonia), Borrelia burgdorferi (Lyme disease), Babesia, Bartonella, Anaplasma and Ehrlichia.

24 out of 27 bipolar children had TBIs

In the end, 89% (24/27) showed evidence of exposure to one or more of these pathogens (infectious agents). The frequency of the positive testing results in the 27 bipolar child patients were as follows:

  • Babesia =16
  • Mycoplasma pneumoniae = 11
  • Bartonella = 8
  • Lyme = 6
  • Anaplasma + Ehrlichia = 1

All individuals who had a positive test were recommended to see a doctor familiar with TBIs to determine if the patient should receive the clinical diagnosis and get appropriate treatment.

Twenty-two of the 24 agreed to this assessment. All of those children who followed the recommendation and sought consultation were found by the evaluating physician to meet the clinical criteria for the diagnosis of having TBIs.

In the end, 20/27 or 74% of those with PBD were positive for TBIs by both laboratory testing and clinician assessment. Four of the 27 (23.5%) patients tested were positive for PANDAS. Another important observation is that only three of the 27 with PBD had a known tick bite.

The results are clearly quite provocative. It’s important to keep in mind that the association found between TBIs and PBD does not mean there is a causal relationship. Interestingly, for some children, treatment of their TBIs resulted in variable degrees of improvement of their psychiatric symptoms.

The case of P, presented earlier, is a clear example of how treating the infection improved the child’s mental health. Studies are needed before making a definitive statement regarding the neuropsychological effects of treating underlying infections. It would be wrong to generalize the results from a small, specialized psychiatric practice without more evidential support from other pediatric populations.

“Bipolar-like” symptoms

I also noted that some of the kids in my practice exhibited what I call “bipolar-like” symptoms. They clearly do not fit the full criteria for a bipolar mood disorder. Yet, they exhibit definite elements consistent with a significant amount of mood unsteadiness, especially depression, as well as exhibit similar co-morbidity to youth with PBD.

The potentially accompanying psychiatric illnesses include anxiety disorders (e.g. obsessive-compulsive disorder [OCD] and separation anxiety), ADHD and behavioral disturbances with intense temper outbursts.

I can’t help but wonder how many of these children have been given the diagnosis of Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD) by other psychiatrists.

This particular diagnosis was created as a way to help identify children who did not show clear mania or hypomania but who struggle with long standing temper dysregulation, sadness and irritability. Could many of them be in this “bipolar-like “ group? Again, the answer requires more study.

The natural question from these findings for both parents and professionals is: Does treating the TBIs make any difference in how these kids actually end up functioning in real life?

Observations

Without more research, I can only comment about what I have observed in my practice with these children. There appears to be three groups:

  1. Kids who are treated for their bipolar symptoms as well as TBIs who at some point are able to do well once the infections are resolved or at least controlled. Their psychiatric symptoms appear to have been eliminated or significantly lessened enough that over time they can stop all psychiatric medication. This group is fairly small but definitely exists.
  2. Kids who are treated for BPD and TBIs but require less psychiatric medication (yet still need some) when their infections are under better control. One clue that the psychiatric medication can be lowered is the occurrence of side effects from the psychiatric medication (e.g. new onset of lethargy and sleepiness) that were previously not present while the child appeared to benefit from that dose of medication in the past.
  3. Kids who are treated for BPD and TBIs but still require significant doses of psychiatric medications as their infections come under better control.

Therefore treating the underlying psychiatric illness has the potential to change the long-term outcome in some youngsters who manifest bipolar disorder symptoms and were exposed to tick-borne illnesses.

The true prevalence of TBIs in youth who reside in the geographical area where my practice is located is unknown. This data is crucial to be able to interpret properly what I’ve found in my patients.

To what extent do infectious agents and autoimmune processes contribute to the present escalation in child and adolescent mental disorders? The mounting evidence supporting the connections of infections, autoimmune processes and mental disorders appears significant and demand more scientific investigation.

Dr. Rosalie Greenberg is a Board-Certified Adult, Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist, known for her expertise in the diagnosis and management of complex psychiatric problems in children, and pediatric psychopharmacology. For the past few years, she has focused on the psychiatric manifestations of infectious diseases, especially, tick-borne illnesses in children and adolescents. Her website is rosaliegreenbergmd.com.

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For more:

Category:

Babesia, Bartonella, Lyme, Psychological Aspects, research, Treatment

5 Reasons Why You Should Care About Lyme Disease

https://www.globallymealliance.org/blog/5-reasons-you-should-care-about-lyme-disease

5 Reasons Why You Should Care About Lyme Disease

by Jennifer Crystal on May 4, 2021

<span id="hs_cos_wrapper_name" class="hs_cos_wrapper hs_cos_wrapper_meta_field hs_cos_wrapper_type_text" style="" data-hs-cos-general-type="meta_field" data-hs-cos-type="text" >5 Reasons Why You Should Care About Lyme Disease</span>

“The fact is, everyone should care about Lyme disease. Here are five reasons why.”

May is Lyme Disease Awareness Month. Some people may think, “Oh, I already know about Lyme disease. You only have it if you see a bull’s eye rash.” Or, “I don’t need to worry about Lyme disease, because I don’t live in New England.” These are myths about Lyme disease that are all too commonly heard. The fact is, everyone should care about Lyme disease.

Here are five reasons why:

  1. If you spend time outdoors, you are at risk.

Lyme disease used to be known for its prevalence in New England, as well as the fact that it is carried by deer. Both of those things are still true, but what people don’t always realize is that infected blacklegged ticks that carry Lyme disease are found across the country and world. Some ticks carry other diseases that are endemic to certain areas of the country, such as Heartland virus and Southern Tick-Associated Rash Illness (STARI). Moreover, in addition to deer, ticks also feed on other mammalian hosts such as mice, chipmunks, and birds. They don’t just live in the woods, either. They like to hide in tall grasses, leaf piles and on brush. Anyone who spends time outdoors is at risk for Lyme and other tick-borne diseases, and should take important precautions.

  1. Your children and pets are at high-risk for Lyme disease.

Do you have kids who like to play outside? Do you have pets who run through the woods? They are both at high-risk for contracting Lyme disease—and, your pets can bring ticks into your home, which can then infect you and your family. Children ages 3-14 are at the highest risk for Lyme disease, since they love to roll in the grass, explore in the woods, etc. Complications for both children and pets can be severe if Lyme is not detected and treated immediately. Like adults, children can develop cognitive issues, mood changes, sleep disturbances, and prolonged fatigue that can significantly impact their ability to focus in, or even attend, school. Here are specific prevention measures you can take for your kids and for your pets.

  1. If not treated early, Lyme disease can become seriously debilitating.

Most cases of Lyme disease that are treated immediately can be cleared up with a course of antibiotics, but some 10-20% of patients go on to experience persistent symptoms. And that’s for patients who are lucky enough to see a bull’s eye rash or whose doctor quickly recognizes their clinical symptoms. About 50% of people never see a bull’s eye rash, or any rash at all. Others present nebulous symptoms such as fatigue, or take months to develop other symptoms such as joint and muscle aches, fevers, and neurological impairments, which are often misdiagnosed; Lyme is considered “The Great Imitator” because its symptoms can mirror those of other conditions such as Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/ Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS).

  1. Diagnosis and treatment can be complicated.

Lyme disease testing is notoriously faulty, since it only can detect antibodies against Borrelia burgdorferi (the pathogen that causes Lyme disease), not the bacteria itself. Many patients either get misdiagnosed, as described above, or not diagnosed at all. Their Lyme disease then progresses to later, more complex and systemic stages. It then becomes more difficult to treat. Treatment can also be complicated by co-infections that require different treatment—some doctors don’t know to test for co-infections in addition to Lyme disease—as well as an individual’s immune response. Each person’s case of tick-borne illness is different, and requires an individually tailored protocol.

  1. Ticks DON’T ONLY carry Lyme disease.

As mentioned above, ticks can carry other illnesses, commonly referred to as co-infections. Some of these include babesiosis, anaplasmosis, ehrlichiosis, and possible bartonella. Some require different treatment than Lyme disease (for example, babesiosis is a parasite that is treated with anti-malarial medication). They also can be more difficult to get rid of, even when caught early. If you have Lyme disease and have not been tested for co-infections, you may only be fighting half the battle.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 476,000 people are diagnosed and treated for Lyme disease every year. That’s more than breast cancer and HIV combined. Lyme and other tick-borne diseases are a serious health threat. The more people are aware of Lyme, the greater chance they’ll have of taking good preventative measures and/or getting accurately and efficiently diagnosed.

Writer

Jennifer Crystal

Opinions expressed by contributors are their own. Jennifer Crystal is a writer and educator in Boston. Her work has appeared in local and national publications including Harvard Health Publishing and The Boston Globe. As a GLA columnist for over six years, her work on GLA.org has received mention in publications such as The New Yorker, weatherchannel.com, CQ Researcher, and ProHealth.com. Jennifer is a patient advocate who has dealt with chronic illness, including Lyme and other tick-borne infections. Her memoir about her medical journey is forthcoming. Contact her via email below.

Email: lymewarriorjennifercrystal@gmail.com

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**Comment**

Here’s some more reasons why you should care:   https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2020/09/25/why-should-we-care-about-lyme-disease-a-colorful-tale-of-government-conflicts-of-interest-probable-bioweaponization-and-pathogen-complexity/  The information within this article is imperative to understand why patients are not believed, diagnosed, or treated within mainstream medicine unless they are lucky enough to have a bull’s eye rash and a tick dangling off their arm.  (Even then, people are sent home packing and told to “wait and see.”)

Category:

Lyme, Ticks, Treatment

Biofilm

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/319858.php

Strength in numbers: How biofilms outfox antibiotics

By 
Bacteria are vital for survival, but when they form communities, they can wreak serious havoc and pose a threat to our health.

When bacteria flock together and form a community, this is called a biofilm. Found all over the planet — from desert rocks to the surfaces of buildings — biofilms are an integral part of nature.

Biofilms are tricky beasts because they have a tendency to become resistant to all manner of efforts employed to eradicate them. This spells bad news for anyone with conditions such as cystic fibrosis, periodontitis, or chronic wounds as medical implants and catheters are hotspots for biofilm formation.

But why are biofilms so persistent, and what are doctors and scientists doing to outsmart these clever microbial communities?

What are biofilms?

“Biofilms are one of the most widely distributed and successful modes of life on Earth,” says Prof. Hans-Curt Flemming — director of the Institute for Interface Biotechnology at the University of Duisburg-Essen in Germany — in a 2016 article published in Nature Reviews Microbiology.

(See link for article)

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For more:

Category:

Activism, Biofilm, Lyme, Treatment

Dr. Rawls’ Lyme Treatment Guide

https://rawlsmd.com/treatment-guide

Dr. Rawls’ Lyme Treatment Guide

A-to-Z Lyme Treatment Ratings: From antibiotics to herbal therapy, ozone, and more, find out how Dr. Rawls rates these popular Lyme disease treatments.

As a physician, I often get asked my opinion on various Lyme treatments. While herbal therapy is my preference for the majority of those with chronic Lyme disease, I’m always learning and educating myself on different treatments and therapies that might make it easier for people to get their lives back. Based on my research, experience, and medical opinion, I developed a rating system to evaluate potential treatment options according to safety, efficacy, and cost.

Dr. Rawls’ Lyme Treatment Guide
Treatment Efficacy Safety Cost
Antibiotics 2.5 stars 2 stars 3 out of 5 dollar signs
NEW Bee Venom Therapy 4 stars 3 stars 2 out of 5 dollar signs
NEW Disulfiram 3.5 stars 1 stars 1 out of 5 dollar signs
Herbal Therapy 5 stars 5 stars 1.5 out of 5 dollar signs
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy 3.5 stars 2.5 stars 3 out of 5 dollar signs
Hyperthermia 3.5 stars 1.5 stars 5 out of 5 dollar signs
Infrared Sauna Therapy 4 stars 1.5 stars 2 out of 5 dollar signs
NEW Lyme Disease Diet 5 stars 5 stars 1 out of 5 dollar signs
Nosodes 2.5 stars 4 stars 2 out of 5 dollar signs
Ozone Therapy 3.5 stars 2.5 stars 3 out of 5 dollar signs
NEW Phage Therapy unknown 3.5 stars 5 out of 5 dollar signs
NEW Rebounder Therapy 3 stars 4 stars 1 out of 5 dollar signs
Rife Therapy 3 stars 4 stars 3 out of 5 dollar signs
Stem Cell Therapy 3 stars 3 stars 5 out of 5 dollar signs
UV Light Therapy 2 stars 3.5 stars 4 out of 5 dollar signs

More Treatments Coming Soon!

In the coming weeks, look forward to treatment additions like colloidal silver, essential oils, stevia, IVIG, methylene blue, peptides, and SOT therapy.

Sign up for our RawlsMD newsletter to find out when new treatments are added.

To evaluate the potential success and pitfalls of various treatments, I use a grading system based on my research, experience, and medical opinion. My criteria includes:

    • Cost: What are the out-of-pocket expenses for a particular treatment?
    • Efficacy: Is there any evidence the treatment works?
    • Safety: What’s the potential for the treatment to cause harm to the person who’s using it?
    • Ways to administer: What’s the route by which the treatment is given to a person?

Using my rating system, I’ve created a treatment guide so that you can learn about and compare a variety of treatments and therapies. You’re likely to hear some success stories with nearly every intervention or modality on this list. But measuring your options according to efficacy, potential risks, and cost, in partnership with your healthcare provider, will go a long way in helping you make the best decisions for you and your recovery.

Bill Rawls, MD
Medical Director and Cofounder of RawlsMD.com

Dr. Bill Rawls is a licensed physician with over 30 years of experience and a leading expert in Lyme disease, holistic health, and herbal medicine. In the middle of his successful medical career, Dr. Rawls’ life was interrupted by Lyme disease. In his journey to overcome it, he explored a wide range of treatments – from conventional medicine to an array of alternative therapies.

In the more than 10 years since his recovery, Dr. Rawls has helped thousands of patients to recover from chronic illness and maintain wellness. He is the author of the best-selling book Unlocking Lyme, and the Medical Director of RawlsMD.com and Vital Plan, an online holistic health company and Certified B Corporation®.

http://

How to Overcome Chronic Lyme Disease

Aug. 1, 2018

Dr. Bill Rawls overcame chronic Lyme disease with herbal and natural remedies. He reveals the 5 essential elements for recovery here. Learn more about Lyme disease and Dr. Rawls’ story: https://rawlsmd.com/health-articles/m…

Dr. Rawls recently came out with a nifty coinfection chart worth looking at as well.

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**Comment**

I would dispute a few items on the treatment ratings. I’ve done many of the treatments listed and have found antibiotics to be cheaper and more effective than herbal treatments for both myself and my husband. Dr. Horowitz has found that herbs alone have about a 70% success rate in his office (if I’m remembering correctly). Not many doctors write books on their clinical experience so when they do, I take note.

Please understand I’m not dissing herbs here – just talking brass tacks about money, time, and efficacy. I still use herbs to this day for various issues and know they have helped many patients, but to my knowledge there is no magic cure – including herbs, or I’d be using it. Savvy, layered treatment focused on all forms of borrelia and taking coinfections into account as well as detoxification, immune system imbalances, gut health, diet, exercise, sleep, stress, and more is crucial on this journey. It truly is as individual as the person.

For more:

Many are having wondrous results with disulfiram, unfortunately I had to quit it as it caused psychosis for me (not fun, and a $30 drug ended up costing me $20K due to a week long hospital stay because I went completely nuts).  Dr. Horowitz has also had good success with the triple Dapsone combination on some of his most refractory patients.  I’ve heart there are many side-effects and the need to supplement to mitigate those effects, but for the right patients it may prove to be the thing that helps the most.  Regarding liposomal essential oils, my husband and I are currently taking liposomal oregano oil in our Bartonella treatment of Clarithromycin/rifampin, along with garlic, monolaurin, and stevia.  Time will tell on this treatment.  

Go here to listen to Dr. Frid’s clinical experience using liposomal essential oils.  (Unlike antibiotics, she finds LEO’s most effective when pulsed).  I found them cheapest on her website.

Category:

Lyme, Treatment

Public Hearing: Consumer Access to Complimentary & Alternative Health Practitioner Bill on July 29 in Wisconsin

A public hearing has just been scheduled for Thursday, July 29 at 9:00 am for the Complementary and Alternative Health Care Practitioners Exemption bill (SB 98/AB 86) in the Assembly Health Committee!  Write to your own legislators asking them to support the bill. 

CLICK TO ASK YOUR LEGISLATORS TO SUPPORT SB 98/AB 86

Then, please prepare and submit testimony in support of the bill too (details below). 

When passed, Wisconsin will join eleven other states in protecting the thousands of wonderful complementary and alternative practitioners who are providing great services to health seekers in Wisconsin.  This bill already passed unanimously out of the Senate Insurance, Licensing and Forestry Committee on April 1 and it passed the Senate, as amended, on a unanimous voice vote on April 14.  

To refresh your memory: It was introduced last session (2019 AB 546/SB 492). It passed the Assembly Health Committee, the Assembly floor and the Senate Committee on Health before stalling in the Senate due to COVID-19. Unfortunately, this legislation was moved aside and was not addressed before the end of the legislative session.  

What the Bill Does:

SB 98/AB 86 is a bill to protect your access to services provided by practitioners of complementary and alternative health in Wisconsin such as herbalists, traditional naturopaths, nutritional consultants, homeopaths, Reiki practitioners and many more.  This exemption bill will make it possible for practitioners to provide their services without fear of being charged with practice of medicine without a license as long as they avoid a list of prohibited acts in the bill such as the use of prescription drugs, or puncture of the skin, and as long as they give out proper disclosures.

What you can do:

1. Take Action here to send a message of support for SB 98/AB 86 to your personal legislators.  Please take the time to write a personal note on your letter as this will have a greater impact with the legislator or send the letter we have provided. Start building a relationship with your personal Senate and Assembly Representatives. 

2. Call your legislators to leave a message reiterating your support of SB 98/AB 86.  Identify who your legislators are here by entering you address in the box under “Who are my legislators?” and click “Find your Legislator”.  Use their contact info to leave a message with each office letting them know why you support SB 98/AB 86.  Note: if your legislator is a sponsor of the bill, say Thank You!  Current sponsor and cosponsors of the bill include 14 Representatives (Dittrich, Horlacher, Kitchens, Murphy, Mursau, Schraa, Skowronski, Wichgers, Zimmerman, Callahan, Edming, Sortwell, Moses and Rozar) and 3 Senators (Felzkowski, Kooyenga and Bernier). 

The message for your personal legislators:

“As a constituent of [Senator/Assemblymember] [Insert Legislator’s Last Name] I want [him/her] to know that I support SB 98/AB 86, a bill Protecting Consumer Access to Complementary and Alternative Health Care Practitioners.  AB 86 is scheduled for a hearing on July 29 in the Assembly Health Committee.  Please tell the [Senator/Assemblymember] that I want [him/her] to please vote yes on the bill when it is heard on the floor of the [Senate/Assembly].  [Insert your own brief reason why you support access to complementary and alternative health care (i.e., I depend on complementary and alternative health care for myself and my family and I want Wisconsin law to protect my rights as a consumer to a free and educated choice in health care providers.)] Thank you.” 

3. Prepare Your Testimony for the Committee. It’s so important for legislators to hear from the public on a bill.  Your story could be just what a legislator needs to hear in order to vote in favor of the bill.  Written testimony should be given to the Committee in person but we can collect your written testimony and deliver it the day of the hearing.  Please send it to rosanne.lindsay@gmail.com and Nathan.Halbach@huschblackwell.com and we’ll deliver it to the committee for you.  Note: Due to COVID restrictions and the size of the hearing room, the committee is requesting written testimony over in-person testimony.  They are not allowing virtual testimony at this time.  Therefore, your written testimony is that much more important.  A few sentences about why you support SB 98/AB 86 is all that’s needed.  Please draft and submit it asap. 

4. Spread the word about SB 98/AB 86.  Please forward this email to your friends and family so they can Take Action to support SB 98/AB 86 too. THANK YOU for your commitment to Health Freedom!  If you have questions, contact us at info.nhfa@nationalhealthfreedom.org.   

Now more than ever it is important that we use the tools that are available to us as Americans. Your donation makes a huge difference in our ability to educate, foster and mobilize with people like you in states across the country. Together we can create the laws “we wish to see in the world”. Laws that protect our rights to make choices about our own health and the health of our children. 

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**Comment**

I’ve put in a call to NHFA regarding not being able to have my information sent to ask my legislators to support SB 98/AB 86. I keep getting “Error code 500, try again later.”

I will try again later, and so should you if you get this code; however, hopefully my alerting them of this will help matters get resolved.

Since Lyme/MSIDS patients have such a hard time receiving medical treatment, it’s imperative alternative practitioners are free to help patients obtain treatment.

Category:

Activism, Herbs, Treatment