Archive for the ‘Treatment’ Category

Treatment & Prognosis of Lyme Disease – John Hopkins

https://www.hopkinslyme.org/lyme-disease/treatment-and-prognosis-of-lyme-disease/

Treatment and Prognosis of Lyme Disease

What is the treatment for Lyme disease?

The first-line standard of care treatment for adults with Lyme disease is doxycycline, a tetracycline antibiotic. Other antibiotics that have activity against borrelia include the penicillin-like antibiotic, amoxicillin, and the cephalosporin, Ceftin. The mainstay of treatment is with oral (pill) antibiotics, but intravenous antibiotics are sometimes indicated for more difficult to treat cases such as meningitis, late Lyme arthritis, or neurologic-Lyme disease.

Why are antibiotics the first line of treatment for Lyme disease?

The use of antibiotics is critical for treating Lyme disease. Without antibiotic treatment, the Lyme bacteria can more easily evade the host immune system and persist in the body. Antibiotics go into the bacteria preferentially and either stop the multiplication of the bacteria (doxycycline) or disrupt the cell wall of the bacteria and kill the bacteria (penicillins). By stopping the growth or killing the bacteria the human host immune response is given a leg up to eradicate the residual infection. Without antibiotics, the infection in Lyme disease can more readily persist and disseminate.

What are the side effects of Lyme disease treatments?

Antibiotics, like all medications, have the potential for side effects. Any antibiotic can cause skin rashes, and if an itchy red rash develops while on antibiotics, a patient should see their physician. Sometimes symptoms worsen for the first few days on an antibiotic. This is called a Herxheimer reaction and occurs when the antibiotics start to kill the bacteria. In the first 24 to 48 hours, these dead bacteria stimulate the immune system to release inflammatory cytokines and chemokines that can cause increased fever and achiness. This should be transient and last no more than a day or two after the initiation of antibiotics.

The most common side effect of the penicillin antibiotics is diarrhea, and occasionally even serious cases caused by the bacteria Clostridium difficile. This bacterial overgrowth condition occurs because antibiotics kill the good bacteria in our gut. It can be helpful to use probiotics to restore the good bacteria and microbiome balance.

Prognosis

The prognosis after early treatment of Lyme disease is generally very good. The prognosis worsens, however, when diagnosis and treatment are delayed.

Most patients with early Lyme disease infection recover with antibiotics and return to their normal state of health. However, some patients suffer from chronic symptoms related to Lyme disease despite standard of care antibiotic therapy. For research studies, a defined subset of this condition is called Post Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome (PTLDS).

What is Post Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome?

Symptoms of Post Treatment Lyme Disease

  • Include severe fatigue, musculoskeletal pain, & cognitive problems
  • Can significantly impact patients’ health and quality of life
  • Can be debilitating and prolonged

Post Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome (PTLDS) represents a subset of patients who remain significantly ill 6 months or more following standard antibiotic therapy for Lyme disease. PTLDS is characterized by a constellation of symptoms that includes severe fatigue, musculoskeletal pain, sleep disturbance, depression, and cognitive problems such as difficulty with short-term memory, speed of thinking, or multi-tasking. In the absence of a direct diagnostic biomarker, PTLDS has been difficult to diagnose by physicians, and its existence has been controversial. However, our clinical research shows that meticulous patient evaluation when used alongside appropriate diagnostic testing can reliably identify patients with typical symptom patterns of PTLDS.

Our research indicates the chronic symptom burden related to PTLDS is significant. Although often invisible to others, the negative impact on quality of life and daily functioning is substantial for PTLDS sufferers.

In our study, participants with Post Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome (PTLDS) & controls were asked about presence and severity of 36 signs/symptoms over the past 2 weeks. Displayed are the 25 signs/symptoms with a statistically significant difference in severity by group (P<0.05) ordered by frequency within the PTLDS group. The nine signs/symptoms with a statistically significant difference at the p<0.001 level are indicated with an asterisk*.

The chronic symptom burden related to Lyme disease is considerable, as shown on the left side of the graph above, and statistically significantly greater than the aches and pains of daily living experienced by the control group, on the right.

What are the risk factors for Post Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome?

Risk factors for Post Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome include:

  • Delay in diagnosis
  • Increased severity of initial illness
  • Presence of neurologic symptoms

Increased severity of initial illness, the presence of neurologic symptoms, and initial misdiagnosis increase the risk of Post Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome. PTLDS is especially common in people that have had neurologic involvement. The rates of Post Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome after neurologic involvement may be as high as 20% or even higher. Other risk factors being investigated are genetic predispositions and immunologic variables.

In addition to Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacteria that causes Lyme disease, there are several other tick-borne co-infections that can also contribute to more prolonged and complicated illness.

What causes Post Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome?

The causes of PTLDS are not yet well understood but our Center is investigating the potential roles of:

  • Infection-induced immune dysfunction or auto-immunity
  • Inflammation
  • Persistent bacterial infection or bacterial debris
  • Neural network alteration
  • Other tick-borne infections
  • Other biologic mechanisms of disease

Our research has validated PTLDS as a serious and impairing condition. However, the causes of PTLDS are not yet well understood or validated, and the term PTLDS does not mean post-infection or imply an assumption of underlying biologic mechanisms. The roles of immune dysfunction, autoimmunity, persistent bacterial infection, neural network alteration, and other potential causative biologic mechanisms of PTLDS are being investigated at our Center.

Research at our Center aims to understand the biologic drivers of all manifestations of Lyme disease so that diagnostics can be improved, and more effective treatments developed to enhance patients’ health outcomes.

Is there a cure for Post Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome?

Currently there are no FDA approved treatments for Post Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome. Therefore, treatments must be individualized by addressing specific symptoms and circumstances for each individual.

Late Lyme Arthritis

What is the prognosis for Late Lyme Arthritis?

Following antibiotic therapy, approximately 90% of late Lyme arthritis patients recover from extensive joint swelling, arthritis, and pain.

What happens if a patient doesn’t recover from Late Lyme Arthritis?

After extensive antibiotic treatment, approximately 10% of late Lyme arthritis patients remain symptomatic with a condition termed antibiotic refractory late Lyme arthritis. Extensive research has shown that the bacteria can no longer be found in the tissue or fluid of this subgroup of patients. Their continued swelling of the joints and pain is thought to be perpetuated by their own immune system’s autoimmune condition. Their autoimmunity continues to inflame the tissues and cause swelling and pain even in the absence of detectable bacteria.

Why are patients often referred to the Center?

Patients are often referred to the Lyme Disease Research Center for evaluation of chronic Lyme disease, an umbrella term that encompasses many different subsets of illness. Examples of defined Lyme disease subsets are Post Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome (PTLDS), and Antibiotic Refractory Late Lyme Arthritis. The mechanisms of these Lyme disease conditions are different and effective treatments need to be tailored accordingly.

The symptoms of chronic Lyme disease are similar to and overlap with other conditions involving fatigue, pain, and cognitive symptoms. Therefore, rigorous diagnostic evaluation is necessary to determine if Lyme disease could be the trigger for ongoing disease processes or if some other disease processes are involved.

By distinguishing subsets of Lyme disease, such as PTLDS, our research program is illuminating the pathophysiology of the illness to improve diagnostics, treatments, and quality of life for patients.

USE OF THIS SITE

All information contained within the Johns Hopkins Lyme Disease Research Center website is intended for educational purposes only. Physicians and other health care professionals are encouraged to consult other sources and confirm the information contained within this site. Consumers should never disregard medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something they may have read on this website.

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**Comment**

Overall, a balanced and accurate article.  A few points for consideration:

  1. There have been treatment failures from the beginning using the mono-therapy of doxycycline.  This tactic needs rethinking for numerous reasons: pleomorphism (the shapeshifting ability of borrelia), and polymicrobialism (other pathogen involvement).  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/10/30/study-shows-lyme-msids-patients-infected-with-many-pathogens-and-explains-why-we-are-so-sick/
  2. I like how the author states that, “for research purposes a defined subset of this condition is called Post Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome (PTLDS).” What’s  important to understand is that this defined subset only includes patients who are diagnosed and treated early who go on to develop persistent symptoms. It does not and should not include those who were undiagnosed and untreated for months to years, which one microbiologist states is 30-40%.  By adding the two groups, a whopping 60% go onto develop chronic symptoms. To date, researches are utilizing the falsely skewed 10-20% which isn’t based in reality:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/02/25/medical-stalemate-what-causes-continuing-symptoms-after-lyme-treatment/  This important fact indicates the pressing importance of this neglected group that nobody is noticing.
  3. Please note that the top reason for patients to develop PTLDS is delayed diagnosis, yet the CDC/IDSA keep pushing their worthless tests and taking a “wait and see” approach.  This tactic hasn’t worked for over 40 years yet they continue to blindly recommend this. It’s laughable if it wasn’t so serious.
  4. There are far more patients with neurological involvement than mainstream medicine has a clue of.
  5. I’m thankful the author states that one reason for PTLDS could be persistent bacterial infection or bacterial debris.  Mainstream medicine and authorities STILL are not acknowledging this. I’m also thankful they state that PTLDS is a serious and impairing condition. Now, they need to acknowledge that 60% or more suffer with this, with corresponding prioritized research reflecting the vast numbers.
  6. The authors state that there are, “no FDA approved treatments for Post Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome; therefore, treatments must be individualized by addressing specific symptoms and circumstances for each individual.”  Since this is true, why are Lyme doctors STILL being persecuted for treating people individually and outside the CDC guidelines of 21 days of doxycycline and why won’t insurance cover it? Case in point:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2017/06/24/llmd-daniel-cameron-disciplined-by-ny-medical-authorities/  Within this article is another article in “Sciencebasedmedicine.org,” that states, “Chronic Lyme” VIP Daniel Cameron Discipled by New York Medical Authorities. The title alone should be a foreshadowing of the type of ad hominem attacks against Lyme literate doctors for decades. Expert: “He is not a “recognized leader” among board-certified infectious diseases doctors and other experts who agree that “chronic Lyme” is not a real disease and who rely on well-conducted trials showing that long-term antibiotics do not substantially improve the outcome for patients diagnosed with so-called “chronic Lyme.” Long-term antibiotics can, in fact, result in serious harm, including death, a subject our good friend Orac covered just yesterday over on Respectful Insolence. The CDC, the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA), the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Physicians, the Medical Letter and the American Academy of Neurology all reject the notion that “chronic Lyme” exists and that long-term antibiotics are an appropriate treatment. (Orac’s post nicely summarizes the differences between real Lyme disease and “chronic Lyme,” “a prototypical fake medical diagnosis,” and the dangers of long-term antibiotics, as have posts on SBM, here, here, here, and here.)”  
  7. Malicious articles such as the one above which strangely chastises Cameron for not being a “recognized leader” which means part of the “Good old boy club,” among infectious disease doctors is a bit ironic when you consider that due to serious medical abuse, patients have been FORCED to go to doctors willing to listen to them to perhaps learn something new.  The “well conducted” clinical trials don’t exist.  There’s serious flaws with each of them.  And people HAVE improved immensely using long-term antibiotics.  Case in point:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2017/07/09/idsa-founder-used-potent-iv-antibiotics-for-chronic-lyme/  Excerpt: A founding member of the IDSA, Dr. Waisbren disagreed with their stance that Lyme is hard to get and easy to treat, is not persistent, and that IV antibiotics are too dangerous to use as a treatment option.  In his book, “Treatment of Chronic Lyme Disease,” he discusses 51 difficult cases, nearly all Chronic Lyme disease sufferers that had been misdiagnosed with everything from ALS to mental disorders. They had all been neglected by main stream medicine that was following the CDC/IDSA stringent guidelines of essentially 21 days of doxycycline.  BTW:  Waisbren’s book was written nearly a decade ago yet the IDSA/CDC infectious disease “leaders” haven’t learned a thing and continue to live in the Stone Ages.

 

 

 

 

 

Category:

Inflammation, Lyme, research, Treatment

What Role Do Co-infections Play in Lyme Disease Diagnosis?

https://www.bca-clinic.de/en/what-role-do-co-infections-play-in-lyme-disease-diagnosis/

What Role Do Co-infections Play In Lyme Disease Diagnosis?

10. May 2019in BCA-clinic

Chronic Lyme disease is an intimidating enough prospect by itself. Unfortunately, a large number of cases are compounded by Lyme co-infections – additional diseases that are transferred simultaneously with the Lyme-causative Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria. Ticks are responsible for all these transmitted infections; they carry the strains that are passed on to their human hosts. Unfortunately, many patients don’t realise that co-infections even exist, and more crucially, many doctors don’t either. It’s extremely important to test for co-infections at the same time as Lyme disease diagnosis, as they can compound or revitalise the primary debilitating symptoms of the umbrella infection. This makes simultaneous diagnosis an important area of study for Lyme-literate doctors.

The majority of co-infections will exacerbate the symptoms of chronic Lyme itself. They modulate and stymy the immune system, as well as providing resistance to therapy. Chronic Lyme disease diagnosis in itself is a controversial topic, whose waters do not need muddying further. Acute Lyme is relatively straightforward to diagnose, if the distinctive bullseye rash is present. This rash – a red circle surrounded by a larger red circle, forming the shape of a bullseye – will be noticeable in the majority of cases, although it can be easily missed. Once the infection develops to chronic Lyme, however, the process of diagnosis becomes much more difficult, as Lyme is not usually considered among potential diseases.

Lyme is sometimes nicknamed ‘the Great Imitator’, due to its symptoms mimicking the symptoms of other significant diseases. The symptoms themselves bear very little resemblance to the initial ones presented by acute Lyme, instead differing in severity from patient to patient. Broadly, they encompass everything from fatigue, joint pain and muscle pain to depression, neurological issues, headaches and sleep disturbances. These symptoms are so broad that it’s easy to see why under-educated doctors will often reach for something more common, like multiple sclerosis or fibromyalgia. When it comes to Lyme, misdiagnosis rates are estimated to be extremely high, with the full extent unknown. Co-infections can cloud diagnosis by adding more symptoms, presenting new ones, or making others more pronounced. To fully benefit Lyme disease treatment, the full spectrum of issues must be investigated and laid out before the process begins.

The full range of symptoms must be examined during Lyme disease diagnosis.

BCA-lab, who are Lyme specialists based in Augsburg, Germany, understand co-infections very well. They will run a full gamut of tests early on in the treatment process in an effort to understand exactly what the patient is suffering from, and how precisely they’re suffering from it. Some of the main diseases they test for can severely change the way Lyme develops within the body, and how it should be treated. Some co-infections can even revitalise the Lyme disease symptoms after the primary Borrelia infection has been dealt with, leading patients to believe that either they are not fully cured, or that they were never suffering from Lyme in the first place.

One of the most common Lyme co-infections is Bartonellosis. If this co-infection is present in the initial tick bite, and is allowed to run amok within the system, it can be expected to have substantial significance to the overarching Lyme infection. The clinical manifestations of both diseases contain numerous overlaps, and the symptoms presented by both are undeniably broad. Bartonellosis is still not well understood by the medical community at large; it was initially thought to be relatively benign. However, the long-term effects and symptoms of the disease are intimidating, especially if paired with Lyme. They include fever, fatigue, joint pain, muscle ache and brain fog. More alarmingly, the disease can have a range of neurological effects, resulting in symptoms such as panic attacks, seizures, depression, epilepsy and psychosis. Many of these symptoms are extremely similar to the ones presented by chronic Lyme, which makes differentiating them at the diagnostic stage a critical first step.

Another common co-infection is Chlamydophila pneumoniae, the primary manifestation of which is the well-known and well-understood pneumoniae. However, left over a long period of time, Chlamydophila pneumonia can severely compromise the body’s immune system by placing it under extreme stress. Upper respiratory infections can be a huge drain on the immune response, especially if they are recurring. Given the fact that chronic Lyme already sends the immune system haywire, Chlamydophila pneumoniae is a very dangerous co-infection, if left to its own devices. To compound this, the infection is quite hard to both detect and treat, as chlamydia are much smaller than other pathogens. Mixed in with Lyme disease and possible other co-infections, it can often go undetected.

Chlamydophila pneumoniae can be one of the more dangerous Lyme co-infections.

 

Bartonellosis and Chlamydophila pneumoniae are just two examples of co-infections that can cause severe problems for Lyme patients if they are not dealt with adequately. Currently, the answer to the question posed by this article, ‘what role do co-infections play in Lyme disease diagnosis’, is simply ‘not enough’. There needs to be a combined and concerted effort on the part of medical health professionals everywhere to engage with co-infections and recognise the danger they pose to Lyme patients. Diagnosis is often the hardest part of the Lyme battle; it’s the stage where we should strive to get everything right the first time. Correct diagnosis across the Lyme disease spectrum lays a strong foundation for successful patient treatment and subsequent recovery.

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**Comment**

Great article overall, just remember this is written by a lab that does testing for profit, so their first priority is selling tests.

Testing throughout the history of Lyme/MSIDS has been extremely poor.  Most testing is serological testing – utilizing blood, where frankly these pathogens do not hang out.  They are stealth pathogens and burrow deep within the body to avoid the immune system, treatment, AND testing.

LLMD’S (Lyme literate doctors) are educated in the symptomology of these diseases and can diagnose you clinically.  Treatment is often a bit of “Let’s try this and see,” approach as everyone is so different with numerous variables.  This is why mainstream medicine is woefully unprepared and uneducated for all of this.  They simply are ignorant.

To date, nobody has a true bead on what the implications of multiple pathogens fighting synergistically to the body are, but this work is screaming to be done as recent research has borne polymicrobialism out to be true:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/10/30/study-shows-lyme-msids-patients-infected-with-many-pathogens-and-explains-why-we-are-so-sick/

Mainstream medicine STILL hasn’t acknowledged or dealt with this FACT.

It makes the CDC/IDSA mono-therapy of doxycycline a true joke. As well as their FDA-approved 2-tiered testing which misses half of all cases.

Bartonella, as mentioned in this article, is a HUGE player that up until recently has been considered a benign disease with required of cat exposure, yet any Lyme literate doctor OR patient will tell you Bart is far from benign, and a plethora of case studies have proven you don’t have to be around cats to contract it.  In fact, personally, it is my Achilles heel.  It’s what I deal with – perhaps forever.

Great read on the types of chlamydia:  https://articles.mercola.com/chlamydia/types.aspx The first two are mentioned in the abstract:

  • Chlamydia trachomatis can be passed from one person to another via unprotected sexual intercourse. Pain English: this is a STD.
  • Chlamydia pneumoniae (C. pneumoniae), a nonsexually transmitted disease that infects the lungs and causes bacterial pneumonia.
  • Chlamydia psittaci is another chlamydia strain that can lead to a rare condition called psittacosis, aka “parrot fever.”

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2016/10/07/chlamydia-like-organisms-found-in-ticks/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/04/19/first-study-showing-borrelia-chlamydia-mixed-biofilms-in-infected-human-skin-tissues/  Excerpt:  

IN SUMMARY, OUR STUDY IS THE FIRST TO SHOW BORRELIA–CHLAMYDIA MIXED BIOFILMS IN INFECTED HUMAN SKIN TISSUES, WHICH RAISES THE QUESTIONS OF WHETHER THESE HUMAN PATHOGENS HAVE DEVELOPED A SYMBIOTIC RELATIONSHIP FOR THEIR MUTUAL SURVIVAL.

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/03/09/researchers-identify-herpes-1-chlamydia-pneumoniae-several-types-of-spirochaete-as-major-causes-of-alzheimers/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/04/04/correlation-of-natural-autoantibodies-heart-disease-related-antibacterial-antibodies-in-pericardial-fluid-mycoplasma-bb-chlamydia/  Excerpt:

Mycoplasma pneumoniae antibody positive patients had significantly higher anti-CS IgM levels. In CABG patients we found a correlation between anti-CS IgG levels and Mycoplasma pneumoniae, Chlamydia pneumoniae and Borrelia burgdorferi antibody titers. Our results provide the first evidence that natural autoantibodies are present in the PF and they show significant correlation with certain antibacterial antibody titers in a disease specific manner.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Category:

Activism, Bartonella, Lyme, Psychological Aspects, Testing, Ticks, Treatment

CDC Creates Interactive Training For Diagnosis, Management of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever

https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2019/p0513-rocky-mountain-spotted-fever-training.html

CDC Creates Interactive Training for Diagnosis, Management of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever

Press Release

For Immediate Release, Monday, May 13, 2019
Contact: Media Relations
(404) 639-3286

 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has created a first-of-its-kind education module to help clinicians recognize and diagnose Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF), a sometimes serious and fatal disease spread by the bite of an infected tick.

“Rocky Mountain spotted fever can be deadly if not treated early – yet cases often go unrecognized because the signs and symptoms are similar to those of many other diseases,” said CDC Director Robert R. Redfield, M.D. “With tickborne diseases on the rise in the U.S., this training will better equip healthcare providers to identify, diagnose, and treat this potentially fatal disease.”

The module includes scenarios based on real cases to help healthcare providers recognize the early signs of RMSF and differentiate it from similar diseases. Continuing education credit is available for physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, veterinarians, nurses, epidemiologists, public health professionals, educators, and health communicators.

In 2017, a record number of cases of tickborne spotted fever rickettsiosisexternal icon, including RMSF, were reported to the CDC. While the number of spotted fever cases in 2017 is striking (6,248 cases, up from 4,269 the previous year), fewer than 1% of those cases had sufficient laboratory evidence to be confirmed, pointing to the need to better train health care providers on the best methods to diagnose tickborne diseases.

RMSF is treatable with doxycycline, the antibiotic of choice in people of all ages. Disability and death from RMSF can be prevented when doxycycline is prescribed within the first five days of illness, meaning that early recognition and treatment can save lives. RMSF begins with non-specific symptoms such as fever and headache, and sometimes rash, but when left untreated, the disease can lead to devastating consequences. Severely ill patients may require amputation of fingers, toes, or limbs due to poor blood flow; heart and lung specialty care; and management in intensive care units. Roughly 1 in 5 untreated cases are fatal. Half of those deaths occur within the first 8 days of illness.

For more information about Rocky Mountain spotted fever and other rickettsial diseases:

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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICESexternal icon

CDC works 24/7 protecting America’s health, safety and security. Whether disease start at home or abroad, are curable or preventable, chronic or acute, or from human activity or deliberate attack, CDC responds to America’s most pressing health threats. CDC is headquartered in Atlanta and has experts located throughout the United States and the world.

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For More:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/07/10/first-rmsf-death-in-wisconsin/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/09/14/rocky-mountain-spotted-fever-rmsf/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/08/16/new-tick-causes-epidemic-of-rmsf/  Excerpt:

It’s usually spread by the American dog tick and the closely related Rocky Mountain wood tick. But in recent years the bacterial infection has also been spread by the brown dog tick — a completely different species.

The researchers were investigating an epidemic of the infection that broke out in the border town of Mexicali starting in 2008. It’s already sickened at least 4,000 people, according to Mexican government estimates. Several hundred have died, and at least four people have died in the U.S. after crossing the border, according to this report and others.

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2015/08/13/severe-case-of-rmsf-had-to-remove-patients-arms-and-legs/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/10/21/all-his-symptoms-pointed-toward-the-flu-but-the-test-was-negative-rmsf-in-connecticut/

Again, testing is abysmal.  Doctors NEED education.

If interested:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/02/19/calling-all-doctors-please-become-educated-regarding-tick-borne-illness-heres-how/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/06/06/lyme-education-for-healthcare-professionals/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/03/15/global-lyme-alliance-announces-new-partnership-with-delaware-lyme-board-to-help-educate-physicians-about-lyme-disease/

 

Category:

Activism, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Testing, Ticks, Transmission, Treatment

Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy as an Autoimmune Disease – but Associated with Bartonella, Mycoplasma & Viruses

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31072742

2019 May 6. pii: S0896-8411(19)30043-5. doi: 10.1016/j.jaut.2019.04.021. [Epub ahead of print]

Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy as an autoimmune disease.

Rodríguez Y1, Vatti N2, Ramírez-Santana C1, Chang C3, Mancera-Páez O4, Gershwin ME5, Anaya JM6.

Abstract

Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) is an autoimmune disease characterized by neurological symptoms and signs of progressive weakness, paresthesias, and sensory dysfunction. Other symptoms include reduced or absent tendon reflexes, cranial nerve involvement, autonomic symptoms, ataxia, and neuropathic pain. Unlike other autoimmune diseases, CIDP generally affects older individuals and has a male predominance. The onset is generally insidious and can take up to 8 weeks with a relapsing-recovery pattern. Like all autoimmune diseases, the etiology is multifactorial, with both genetic and environmental factors contributing to it.

Case reports of CIDP have found associations with multiple pathogenic organisms including Hepatitis B and C viruses, Bartonella henselae, Mycoplasma pneumoniae, Human immunodeficiency virus, Cytomegalovirus and Epstein-Barr virus. Possible antigenic self-targets include myelin protein 0, myelin protein 2, peripheral myelin protein 22, Connexin 32, and myelin basic protein. Antibodies targeting the Ranvier node proteins such as contactin-1, contactin-associated protein 1, and neurofascin 155 have been described. CIDP is treated with rehabilitation and pharmacological modalities. Pharmacological treatments target autoimmune dysfunction and include corticosteroids, intravenous immunoglobulin, subcutaneous immunoglobulin, plasma exchange, immunosuppressive and immunomodulatory agents such as methotrexate, cyclophosphamide, rituximab, and mycophenolate mofetil. Although there are few observational studies and randomized clinical trials with limited evidence supporting the use of immunosuppressive drugs, they are widely used in clinical practice. A comprehensive review of CIDP is presented herein in light of the autoimmune tautology.

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**Comment**

It’s a bit of a head-scratcher to me why they call this an autoimmune disease when it’s associated with multiple pathogenic organisms.  From everything I know – treat the infection and the symptoms improve:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2017/10/03/treat-the-infection-psychiatric-symptoms-get-better/

That’s not to say the immune system doesn’t need to be addressed.

Lyme/MSIDS treatment includes both aspects as well as detoxification and addressing imbalances within the body which requires supplementation with whatever is lacking.

It is common knowledge that immunosuppressive drugs worsen Lyme/MSIDS patients, so they need to be used scrupulously and along with antimicrobials or the pathogens are in an environment where they are allowed to thrive, ultimately worsening the patient’s condition.

For more:  https://www.ninds.nih.gov/Disorders/All-Disorders/Chronic-Inflammatory-Demyelinating-Polyneuropathy-CIDP-Information-Page  Excerpt:  

Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) is a neurological disorder characterized by progressive weakness and impaired sensory function in the legs and arms. The disorder, which is sometimes called chronic relapsing polyneuropathy, is caused by damage to the myelin sheath (the fatty covering that wraps around and protects nerve fibers) of the peripheral nerves….It often presents with symptoms that include tingling or numbness (beginning in the toes and fingers), weakness of the arms and legs, loss of deep tendon reflexes (areflexia), fatigue, and abnormal sensations. CIDP is closely related to Guillain-Barre syndrome and it is considered the chronic counterpart of that acute disease.

The NIH link states the treatment is corticosteroids, but again, you’ve been warned that IF you have Lyme/MSIDS, that mono-therapy will make you worse.

Tingling, numbness, and stabbing pain are quite common in Lyme/MSIDS and many people with Epstein Barr (EBV) have misdiagnosed Lyme:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2017/04/11/diagnosed-with-ebv-had-lyme/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2017/11/04/24514/  EBV – A Key Player in Chronic Illness.

Neuropathy is also common with Lyme/MSIDS:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/03/12/small-fiber-neuropathy-ptlds/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/02/07/cranial-neuropathy-severe-pain-due-to-bb-infection/

 

 

Category:

Bartonella, Mycoplasma, Treatment, Viruses

FREE: Antigerm Action Plans For Lyme Disease – How to Use Herbal & Prescription Germ Killers for Bacteria, Parasites, Viruses & Yeast

https://mailchi.mp/treatlyme/antigerm-action-plans-lyme-disease  (Go to Link to get FREE pdf book)

Free Treat Lyme Book & Health Tips By Dr. Marty Ross

Subscribe to the Treat Lyme newsletter and receive a FREE pdf download book: Antigerm Action Plans for Lyme Disease and Ten Daily Email Health Tips. Plus get updates, special offers and more.

I have decided to offer Treat Lyme newsletter subscribers a free downloadable version of my book: Antigerm Action Plans for Lyme Disease: How to Use Herbal & Prescription Germ Killers for Bacteria, Parasites, Viruses & Yeast.  

In the Appendices you will find two bonus sections you can use to improve your Lyme disease treatment. These include:

  • The Ross Lyme Support Protocol (my full Lyme disease treatment guideline) and
  • Herxheimer Die-off Reaction: Inflammation Run Amok with steps to manage herxheimer reactions.

If you have any questions, participate in my weekly free Lyme Q&A Webinar called Conversations with Marty Ross MD.

To learn more:  https://www.treatlyme.net

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Marty Ross, MD, is the creative force behind Treat Lyme, Marty Ross MD Supplements, and this book. He believes strongly that given the right information, people with Lyme and tick-borne illnesses can recover. He offers these resources so that all who have Lyme disease may recover with or without a physician.

Dr. Ross is a graduate of Indiana University School of Medicine. He completed his family medicine residency at the Georgetown University/Providence Hospital program where he served as chief resident.

Dr. Ross is a member of The International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society and The Institute for Functional Medicine.

Category:

Activism, Lyme, Treatment