One thousand patients with tick bites were treated with a 10% Azithromycin antibiotic gel within 72 hours of attachment. None developed Lyme borreliosis. Of the control group, receiving a placebo, 7 contracted LD.
The gel has to be applied every 12 hours over three days to be effective.
While this is certainly a wonderful tool for our toolbox, consider the story of the little girl who in under six hours developed a facial palsy and the inability to walk or talk after a tick bite. https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2016/12/07/igenex-presentation/ If it were not for the fast actions of an experienced Lyme literate doctor giving her injectable antibiotics, the outcome could have been devastating and life changing.
This demonstrates that infection can enter the central nervous system quickly and cause neurological symptoms, which if left untreated can cause damage. I wish the study followed the people for a year, minimum. Symptoms with Lyme (borrelia) tend to wax, wane, and migrate, often fooling people into thinking their symptoms are age-related.
Published on Nov 21, 2016 FOX5NY The full interview with Dr. Elena Frid for Lyme & Reason 2.0.
Excellent interview with Dr. Frid on Neurological Lyme. http://www.elenafridmd.com She is honest and humble enough to give patients credit for teaching her a lot about Lyme Disease. She also states it’s imperative to deal with autoimmune issues throughout treatment.
Dr. Frid sees clients with complex Neuro-Lyme manifestations which often hide behind other illnesses including: Multiple Sclerosis, ADHD, Autism, Arthritis, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s disease, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and many others.
She frequently collaborates on complex pediatric cases with Dr. Charles Ray Jones, a world leading pediatric Lyme disease specialist with over 40 year career experience in dealing with children with Lyme disease and other Tick Borne Illnesses.
In addition to her practice, Dr. Frid lends her expertise to various organizations and news programs by speaking about Lyme disease and its effect on the nervous system. She has been featured on NY1 news, 710 talk radio, interviewed for a Fox News Special on Lyme disease as well as various podcasts. She offers her medical knowledge to patients on her YouTube channel with weekly posts of interesting and complex cases that she comes across in her practice.
To stay connected and up-to-date with Dr. Frid’s monthly newsletter and weekly YouTube posts as well as other announcements please follow the News Link to subscribe. http://www.elenafridmd.com/copy-of-news
Approx. 1 hour FOX5NY
Published on Nov 18, 2016
A replay of a Facebook Live chat.
FOX5NY started doing pieces on Lyme Disease due to Lew Leone, vice president and general manager of WNYW-FOX 5 and WWOR-My9, FOX Television Stations’ New York duopoly. While saddened to hear his wife has LD, we are the grateful recipients of his desire and ability to give this pandemic and epidemic the air time it deserves.
***If you are seeing a doctor that is not a part of ILADS (International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society) I highly recommend you get this crucial information into their hands and encourage them to become members, where they will learn the most cutting edge research and treatments. Your very life depends upon it.
Low Dose Naltrexone (LDN) is widely used for autoimmune disorders such as multiple sclerosis (MS), Crohn’s disease, fibromyalgia, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, and other inflammatory and chronic disorders. LDNscience produced this video explaining how it works. LDNscience.org, launched in 2009, is a public information project of the MedInsight® Research Institute.
You may remember the use of Naltrexone in the treatment of those with alcohol and opioid addictions; however, those dosages are much higher (50-300mg) than for Low Dose Naltrexone (LDN) (1.5-4.5mg). LDN works by blocking opioid receptors for 3-4 hours, telling your body to increase endorphins that relieve pain and also activate the immune system by directing activity of stem cells, macrophages, killer cells, T and B cells and other immune cells. It also modulates an overactive immune system so there is less inflammation and release of neurotoxins.
Naltrexone at 50 mg prohibits heroin addicts from getting high. Those working with addicts and using Naltrexone uncovered the fact that addicts have low endorphins – which is why addicts reach for things that increase endorphin levels, such as heroin. Heroin works temporarily but it also causes horrific side effects and it ends up lowering endorphin production, which of course causes the addict to keep reaching for a fix, but it takes more and more to achieve the same results.
So what does having low endorphins and addictions have to do with MSIDS(multi systemic infectious disease syndrome – or – Lyme with friends)?
Over 90% of immune cell receptors are endorphin receptors, sowhen we have low endorphin levels, our immune systems are hugely compromised and we feel….well, crappy. Feeling crappy is your body’s way of telling you that something isn’t right. MSIDS patients can’t sleep at night but we are exhausted all day long. We have temperature dysregulation and alternate from sweating to shivering. We suffer with pain that is unbelievable and have cognitive issues such as memory loss and word search, and neurological issues such as tingling, burning, and twitching. (Oh, isn’t it fun when your body acts on its own volition!)
When we are infected with a long train of pathogens that are experts at subverting our immune response, we suffer with a veritable laundry list of symptoms and often need to take various supplements, including neurotransmitters, to help our hijacked immune systems.
According to Cowan, there are 4 ways to increase your endorphins.
1) High intensity exercise – the proverbial “runner’s high,” which frankly isn’t possible when you have MSIDS.
2) Acupuncture
3) Chocolate – the constituent I-Phenylalanine keeps endorphins from breaking down. But it doesn’t last – leading to wanting more chocolate, so this isn’t a great one for MSIDS patients either unless you like gaining weight.
4) LDN – while history found that 50mg blocks endorphin receptors all day making addicts feel lousy, taking only 2-4.5mg right before bed only blocks receptors about an hour. The block wears off which tells the body to make more. LDN is a telegram sent to your body to create more endorphins.
A beautiful connection: The Gut and the Brain (something we can do something about)
Rudolf Steiner once said, “The brain is just smooched up guts.”The brain and the gut both have the same receptors – including serotonin. Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride has successfully created the Gut and Psychology Syndrome (GAPS) diet.http://www.doctor-natasha.com. Gluteo-morphines (gluten in grains) and caseo-morphines (casein in dairy) alter our immune function and our neurological function by creating imperfect chemicals which ultimately cause immune dysfunction.
What this means is that we can tweak our diets and avoid gluten and casein, talk over LDN with our medical practitioner, and help our guts, our brains, and our immune systems all in one fell swoop.
Cowan states that creating natural endorphins and healing the leaky gut which is causing gut and neurological issues are two key issues.
Dr. Bernard Bihari has treated more than 450 cancer patients with LDN and has noted at least a 75% reduction in tumor size, and nearly 60% of his patients demonstrated disease stability. He also found people with autoimmune diseases such as Lupus often showed quick stabilization. When his HIV/AIDS patients took LDN were typically spared deterioration of helper T cells (CD4+).
Dr. Burton Berkson states: “It is difficult for many to believe that one drug can accomplish so many tasks. But LDN does not treat symptoms as most drugs do. It actually works way ‘upstream’ to modulate the basic mechanisms that result in the disease state.”
Published on Jun 22, 2015 Approx. 1 hour
Hear from several practitioners on how they use LDN with their patients and witness 2 remarkable stories on how LDN has changed the lives of a 8 year old Jacob Valazquez in Miami and Sarah Morton in the UK who was suffering from Fibromyalgia.
LDN helps MS. An Excerpt from “Low Dose Naltrexone Therapy in Multiple Sclerosis,” in Med Hypotheses states: “The use of low doses of Naltrexone for the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS) enjoys a worldwide following amongst MS patients. There is overwhelming anecdotal evidence, that in low doses naltrexone not only prevents relapses in MS but also reduces the progression of the disease. It is proposed that naltrexone acts by reducing apoptosis of oligodendrocytes. It does this by reducing inducible nitric oxide enthuse activity…. It is crucial that the medical community respond the patient needs and investigate tis drug in clinical trial.”
LDN helps PTSD.Post Traumatic Stress Disorder significantly improved with LDN. An Excerpt from “Low Dose Naltrexone in the Treatment of Dissociative Symptoms”:
“The low dose treatment with Naltrexone proved to be effective whereby 11 out of 15 patients reported immediate positive effects and 7 described a lasting helpful effect. The majority of patients who felt positive effects reported a clearer perception of both their surroundings and their inner life.Assessment of reality and dealing with it improved as did the perception of their own body and affects as well as self-regulation. The treatment was very low in side effects….Treatment with low dose naltrexone may be a helpful element in the treatment of patients with complex post traumatic stress disorder.”
Abstract
Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) is a neuropathic pain syndrome, which involves glial activation and central sensitization in the central nervous system. Here, we describe positive outcomes of two CRPS patients, after they were treated with low-dose naltrexone (a glial attenuator), in combination with other CRPS therapies. Prominent CRPS symptoms remitted in these two patients, including dystonic spasms and fixed dystonia (respectively), following treatment with low-dose naltrexone (LDN). LDN, which is known to antagonize the Toll-like Receptor 4 pathway and attenuate activated microglia, was utilized in these patients after conventional CRPS pharmacotherapy failed to suppress their recalcitrant CRPS symptoms.
LDN helps Crohn’s Disease. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17222320 Dr. Jill Smith found that two-thirds of patients in her pilot study went into remission and 89% responded to treatment to some degree.
Hepatitis C
Lupus
Ulcerative colitis
Autism
Chronic Fatigue
Irritable bowel
Diabetic neuropathies
Dermatomyositis
MS
Crohn’s
Alzheimer’s
Hasimoto’s
Parkinson’s
Tick borne Illness
Common Colds
Emphysema
HIV/AIDS Lyme Disease (Late Stage)
ALS
PTSD
Transverse Myelitis
Behcet’s
Celiac
Dystonia
Endometriosis
Hashimoto’s
Psoriasis
RA
Sjogren’s
Cancers
and more
So why haven’t you or your doctor heard of LDN? Although it has been FDA approved for over two decades, the lower doses used to help the immune system have not been submitted for FDA approval as big pharma wants nothing to do with a drug that costs between $15-$40/month.
“LDN substantially reduces health care costs and improves treatment of a wide array of diseases. Unfortunately, because naltrexone has been without patent protection for many years, no pharmaceutical company will bear the expense of the large clinical trials necessary for FDA approval of LDN’s new special uses. It is now up to public institutions to seize the opportunity that LDN offers.” David Gluck, MD
There are virtually no side-effects; however, occasionally and only during the first week of use, some may have trouble sleeping. Some do report vivid dreams. It’s important to start with the lowest dose (1.5-2mg) for a month before going higher. It’s also important NOT to use the time-release form as you want a spike in the blood stream for therapeutic effect.
The therapeutic dosage range for LDN is from 1.5mg to 4.5mg every night. Dosages below this range are likely to have no effect at all, and dosages above this range are likely to block endorphins for too long a period of time and interfere with its effectiveness.
*Those taking narcotics should NOT take LDN until it is completely out of the body.
*Those taking thyroid hormone for Hashimoto’s thyroiditis with hypothyroidism need to start at the lowest dose as there may be a decrease in their disorder which may necessitate a rapid reduction in thyroid medication in order to avoid hyperthyroidism.
*Folks with organ transplants and taking permanent immunosuppressive drugs should avoid LDN as it will counter the effects of those meds.
*Do not use LDN that has employed the filler calcium carbonate as it has been found to interfere with absorption of the capsule. It is recommended that the fillers be Avicel, lactose (if lactose intolerance is not a problem), or sucrose fillers as useful fast-release fillers.
Irmat Pharmacy, New York, NY
(212) 685-0502
(212) 532-6596
Belmar Pharmacy, Lakewood, CO
(800) 525-9473
(866) 415-2923
The Compounder Pharmacy, Aurora, IL
(630) 859-0333
(800) 679-4667
(630) 859-0114
The Pharmacy Shop and
Compounding Center, Canandaigua, NY
(585) 396-9970
(800) 396-9970
(585) 396-7264
McGuff Compounding Pharmacy,
Santa Ana, CA
(714) 438-0536
(877) 444-1133
(877) 444-1155
Skip’s Pharmacy, Boca Raton, FL
(561) 218-0111
(800) 553-7429
(561) 218-8873
The Medicine Store Pharmacy, Concord, NH
(603) 225-2747
(877) 926-7637
(603) 224-3661
Smith’s Pharmacy, Toronto, Canada
(416) 488-2600
(800) 361-6624
(416) 484-8855
Dickson Chemist, Glasgow, Scotland
+44-141-647-8032
+44-800-027-0673
+44-141-647-8032
**I have successfully used and highly recommend Women’s International Pharmacy in Madison, WI.
Phone: 800.279.5708
Fax: 800.279.8011
They also provide a 24-Hour Automated Phone Service with which you may leave your orders. https://www.womensinternational.com/connections/index.html Excellent articles put out by WIP on hormone-related conditions and therapies. You can also sign up for their monthly e-letter. The pharmacists will be happy to answer any questions you or your practitioner may have.
**The only filler in WIP’s LDN is olive oil. They also sell a compounded form of T3 or (L-triiodothyronine or LT3) much cheaper than the Brand Name Cytomel (which has undesirable fillers such as calcium sulfate, gelatin, starch, stearic acid, sucrose, and talc. Make sure you ask for the compounded form. More info: https://www.restartmed.com/cytomel-side-effects/
The following videos were created by the LDN Research Trust
“A wide-ranging investigation into generic drug prices took its most significant turn yet on Thursday, as state attorneys general accused two industry leaders, Teva Pharmaceuticals and Mylan, and four smaller companies of engaging in brazen price-fixing schemes — and promised that more charges were coming.
A civil complaint filed by 20 states accuses the companies of conspiring to artificially inflate prices on an antibiotic and a diabetes drug, with executives coordinating through informal industry gatherings and personal calls and text messages. Officials said the case was a small example of broader problems in the drug business.
“We believe that this is just the tip of the iceberg,” George C. Jepsen, Connecticut’s attorney general, whose office started the inquiry that led to the charges, said in an interview on Thursday. “I stress that our investigation is continuing, and it goes way beyond the two drugs in this lawsuit, and it involves many more companies than are in this lawsuit.”
The accusations, as well as continuing investigations at the state and federal levels, have left a cloud of uncertainty over the industry. While several other big generic drug companies have received subpoenas, it is unclear where the inquiries will eventually lead. The generic drug business is already on the defensive and struggling to recover from a barrage of public criticism in the past year over high prices.
The complaint on Thursday describes a cozy industry culture defined by regular dinners and social outings, and argues that those events often cross the line to violate antitrust rules. Generic drug makers hoping to begin selling a new drug first seek out rivals, the suit says, in hopes of reaching an agreement on how to maintain market share and avoid competing on price.
“These agreements had the effect of artificially maintaining high prices for a large number of generic drugs and creating an appearance of competition when in fact none existed,” the lawsuit says.
Teva, an Israeli drug maker, is the world’s largest manufacturer of generic medicines. Mylan faced intense criticism this year after it sharply raised prices on EpiPen, a severe allergy treatment. The charges filed on Thursday are not related to EpiPen, a branded product that has little competition.
Both Teva and Mylan, the suit says, engaged in anticompetitive behavior, but not with each other — coordinating instead with smaller companies.
A Teva spokeswoman said, “We have not found evidence that would give rise to any civil or criminal liability.” A spokeswoman for Mylan offered a similar statement, saying the company knew of “no evidence that Mylan participated in price-fixing.”
The suit’s focus is two drugs, a delayed-release form of the antibiotic treatment doxycycline hyclate, and glyburide, a commonly used diabetes drug. The price of doxycycline has surged in recent years, and it was singled out by members of Congress and others as a prime example of unexplained price increases for generic drugs.
One form of doxycycline, for example, went from an average market price of $20 for a bottle of 500 pills in October 2013 to an average market price of $1,849 in April 2014, according to a congressional report.
The suit filed by the attorneys general says the investigation began in Connecticut in July 2014 and “uncovered evidence of a broad, well-coordinated and long-running series of schemes to fix the prices and allocate markets for a number of generic pharmaceuticals in the United States.”
On Wednesday, federal prosecutors made similar claims against two former executives at Heritage Pharmaceuticals, a small company, accusing them of engaging in a price-fixing scheme for the same two drugs. Heritage was also one of the companies named in the complaint on Thursday.
That complaint, in Federal District Court in Connecticut, identifies Heritage as the “principal architect and ringleader” of the activities involving the two drugs, and said that employees of the company, including the two former executives, Jeffrey Glazer and Jason Malek, contacted competing companies and sought to make illegal deals over pricing before entering the market for the two drugs.
Heritage fired Mr. Glazer, the former chief executive, and Mr. Malek, a former president, in August and is suing the two men, claiming that they “looted” tens of millions of dollars from the company. Heritage, which has said it is cooperating with the authorities, declined to comment on the lawsuit filed Thursday.
Other companies named in the suit, including Aurobindo Pharma, Citron Pharma and Mayne Pharma, did not reply to requests for comment.
The court actions this week could have wide implications, particularly if, as officials suggest, they are just the beginning. More than 80 percent of all prescriptions dispensed in the United States are for generic drugs, which have been credited with saving consumers and taxpayers billions of dollars by introducing competing products to a drug losing patent protection.
“It blows that entire assumption out of the water when you hear that generic companies are getting together to increase prices,” Michael A. Carrier, an antitrust professor at Rutgers Law School, said.
The lawsuit, filed by Democratic and Republican attorneys general, portrays a close-knit circle of generic drug executives and sales representatives who regularly socialize at conferences and gatherings like golf outings, cocktail parties and “girls’ night out” events in the New Jersey area, where many of the companies are based.
But the collegial relationships, while common in many industries, veered into more overt anticompetitive tactics, Mr. Jepsen, Connecticut’s attorney general, said.
“It’s very damning,” he said. “It reveals a culture of cronyism where, whether it’s over a game of golf or a dinner or drinks, there’s just systematic cooperation.”
He described the behavior as deliberate. “There’s nothing hidden about it,” he said.
In the case of doxycycline, the complaint says that in 2013 Heritage contacted Mylan, the only other maker of a delayed-release version of the product at the time, and told executives there that Heritage planned to release its own version. According to the complaint, Mylan agreed to “walk away” from at least one major wholesaler and one large pharmacy chain to allow Heritage to gain a foothold in the market. The complaint quotes from emails that are redacted in the publicly available version and that the suit says show how Mylan and Heritage executives hammered out the details.
When a third competitor, Mayne, planned to enter the doxycycline market in 2014, it contacted Heritage and Mylan to negotiate details of how prices would be set and customers would be allocated, the suit says.
A spokesman for the Generic Pharmaceutical Association, the industry’s lobbying group, declined to comment on the investigation. But he said that the group supports laws that promote competition, and ‘believes competition is the key to providing affordable and accessible medicines to patients, while also constraining costs.'”
Madison Area Lyme Support Group 