From Fringe to Focus: How Research Is Catching Up to Post-Acute COVID-19 Vaccination Syndrome (PACVS)
PACVS (Post-Acute COVID Vaccine Syndrome) is real, and the science is finally opening up. Months ago, IMA researchers broke ground. Now, another team is validating what patients have known all along.
Those suffering from Post-Acute COVID-19 Vaccination Syndrome (PACVS) face not only debilitating symptoms but also institutional resistance to recognition, diagnosis, and care. Despite these barriers, researchers are beginning to shed light on this under-recognized condition. Those who follow IMA know we’ve been working in this space for years—seeing our peers in the research community finally open up is more than encouraging.
A recent publication by Yong et al. in Reviews in Medical Virology offers one of the most comprehensive summaries to date on PACVS (which they refer to as Post-COVID-19 Vaccination Syndrome, or PCVS). Their team, spanning 25 institutions, reviewed existing scientific literature and highlighted several important areas of progress:
The review outlines the evolving language around this condition—from “Long Vax” to “post-vac syndrome.” At the Independent Medical Alliance, we’ve adopted Post-Acute COVID-19 Vaccination Syndrome (PACVS) as our standard terminology to reflect both the temporal and mechanistic distinctions from Long COVID.
Symptom Clusters
The article identifies hallmark symptoms that will be familiar to both clinicians and patients: fatigue, cognitive dysfunction (brain fog), and paresthesia.
*This figure for post-COVID-19 syndrome is reproduced under an Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International license
The image above is adapted from an earlier study on “post-COVID-19 syndrome” (long COVID). The more recent article expands on this by introducing additional system categories: autonomic, visual, auditory, gustatory**, and multi-system syndromes that highlight a broader range of physiological effects.
It introduces new symptoms, including
paresthesia
neuropathy
tremors
orthostatic hypotension
fluctuating blood pressure or heart rate
heat or cold intolerance
vision problems
tinnitus
taste dysfunction
urticaria
exercise intolerance.
It also adds a new section on multi-system and immune-mediated conditions such as POTS, SFN, ME/CFS, myocarditis, VITT, and ITP, framing the syndrome as a more complex, vaccine-specific condition with autonomic and immune involvement beyond the generalized symptoms in the second image.
Proposed Mechanisms
The authors explore two leading hypotheses for PACVS: one centering on spike protein–induced tissue damage and another on dysregulated immune responses. While not mutually exclusive, both warrant deeper investigation.
Treatment Landscape
Though research is still early, the paper compiles a useful snapshot of current treatment strategies—ranging from manual therapies (e.g., compression garments, vestibular rehab) to pharmaceuticals (SNRIs, modafinil) and nutraceuticals (melatonin, NADH, acetyl-l-carnitine).
📣 Call for Papers: PACVS Special Edition
Our team at the Independent Medical Alliance has made PACVS research a central focus. Now, we’re inviting submissions for a special edition of the Journal of Independent Medicine dedicated to this emerging condition. If you’re studying spike injury, vaccine-related syndromes, or chronic post-injection effects, we encourage you to submit your work or learn more here before the submission deadline of December 31, 2025.
The Yong et al. review is a welcome contribution to the growing PACVS landscape, but much more research is urgently needed. Our team recently published a complementary case series on PACVS mechanisms and treatment hypotheses, available here:
Together, let’s build the evidence base for the patients still waiting to be heard.
🔬 Explore Our Independent Research Hub
From vaccine safety and cancer care to post-COVID protocols and chronic disease, our research team and Senior Fellows are producing science that challenges the status quo. The Research Hub is where you’ll find all our published studies, reviews, and groundbreaking monographs, all organized, accessible, and free to the public.
Bioengineering Without Boundaries: Why Lyme Disease Belongs in the GMO Debacle
Michelle Perro, MD
Published: October 20, 2025
Lyme disease is not simply an infection. It is a lens into the consequences of manipulating biology without accountability. As we confront the obfuscated crisis of Lyme and other chronic infections, it becomes evident that bioengineering in pathogens and genetic engineering in food are part of the same continuum of unregulated biotechnology. Both alter life’s blueprints, both evade oversight, and both are creating a legacy of ecological and human suffering.
In her groundbreaking book, Bitten: The Secret History of Lyme Disease and Biological Weapons, science journalist Kris Newby details how US biowarfare research programs, including work at the Rocky Mountain Laboratories in Hamilton, Montana, experimented with spirochetes to alter virulence and transmission. The intention of these manipulations, although unclear, likely spawned Borrelia burgdorferi, the stealth pathogen now linked to millions of chronic infections worldwide. The same recombinant DNA methods used in agricultural GMOs were being applied in microbial genetics at the time.
“When we manipulate genes for profit or power, the consequences ripple through ecosystems, our children, and future generations.”
Lyme rarely acts alone. It often coexists with Bartonella, Babesia, Ehrlichia, Mycoplasma, Rickettsiae, and viruses such as Powassan, all of which exacerbate inflammation and neuroimmune dysfunction. These infections disrupt the immune system through biofilm formation, cytokine storms, and molecular mimicry, while simultaneously impairing gut barrier integrity; a condition known as ‘leaky gut.’ This state of immune chaos parallels the chronic inflammation seen in individuals exposed to genetically engineered foods and glyphosate residues.
Despite their shared roots in biotechnology, genetically modified foods and engineered pathogens are regulated separately by the USDA, EPA, FDA, NIH, and DOD, none of which coordinate holistic biosafety. This fragmented oversight allows both agricultural and biomedical engineering to advance without unified accountability. The same regulatory capture that shields agri-tech corporations has also protected infectious disease gatekeepers, such as the Infectious Disease Society of America (IDSA), whose restrictive guidelines have left millions of chronic Lyme patients untreated.
Just as the FDA dismisses independent research on GMO toxicity, the IDSA dismisses clinicians and patients suffering from persistent Lyme. Both systems denied chronic exposure or chronic infection, labelled dissenting experts as “fringe,” protecting corporate and institutional interests over public health. The pattern created is systemic and taken directly from the GMO playbook: create complexity, deny chronicity, and suppress those questioning the government/corporate narrative.
Lyme Mythology
Lyme Disease is the modern plague that never shouldn’t have been. It is now one of the fastest-growing infectious diseases in the United States, with the CDC estimating up to 3 million cases annually when underreporting is considered.
Although black-legged ticks (Ixodes scapularis and I. pacificus) are the best-known carriers, Borrelia DNA has been detected in a variety of other insects, suggesting other forms of transmission. This fact is little known in mainstream medicine and leaves those with Lyme disease unclear as to how they were infected when consulting with their physicians who just believe that the tick is the only vector of Lyme.
The Multi-Vector Reality: Beyond the Tick
The following graph demonstrates that there are many other potential vectors of Lyme disease which should increase our awareness when facing those with multi- system complaints and health challenges.
Insect
Evidence ofBorreliaDNA
Proven Transmission to Humans
Comments
Ticks (Ixodes scapularis, I. pacificus)
Strong
Yes
Primary vector
Mosquitoes (Aedes, Culex)
Moderate
No
Possible mechanical transmission
Horseflies / Deer flies
Moderate
No
Possible mechanical role
Fleas
Detected
No
Reservoir role in pets/rodents
Mites
Rare
No
Wildlife vector potential
Lice (Pediculus humanus)
Different Borrelia)
Yes (B. recurrentis, relapsing fever)
Demonstrates Borrelia versatility
Sources: Schotthoefer & Frost, 2015; Franke et al., 2020; Eisen et al., 2017; Jaenson et al., 2019.
Integrative Framework
Healing requires more than antibiotics or symptom management. It demands restoration of biological integrity. Integrative and terrain-based approaches rebuild the immune system through microbial, nutritional, and energetic balance.
The gut-immune axis is central to Lyme’s chronicity. Dysbiosis from antibiotics, poor diet, and/or environmental toxins (e.g., glyphosate, heavy metals) compromises the gut-associated lymphoid tissue (GALT). Over 70% of immune function resides in the gut creating conditions where infections persist and autoimmunity originates.
Supporting terrain integrity is essential though the use of an organic regenerative diet with strict avoidance of glyphosate-contaminated foods (which destroy beneficial gut flora). Additionally, a whole foods based diet composed of increased polyphenols, flavonoids, healthy fats, and fiber are paramount to healing.
An integrative approach is necessary when helping those with Lyme disease and treatments stem from a multimodal tool box with suggestions outlined in article (See top link).
Lyme literate doctors (LLMDs) have learned to track symptoms and then use treatment that works on given symptoms (that change). This requires different drugs. Also, once you beat back Lyme enough, it is quite normal for coinfections to become evident. These also require different drugs. Further, dosage matters. Then, there’s the issue of pulsing and cycling – both techniques that experienced LLMDs use – precisely due to needing a judicious approach since treatment is often protracted. Throwing antibiotics at this indiscriminately is unwise.
Treatment must be fluid to adapt to the ever changing symptoms.
Also, besides congenital transmission, sexual transmission is highly likely:
Targeting Lyme at the genetic level: SOT’s emerging role
This is Part Two of a series on Supportive Oligonucleotide Therapy (SOT), a form of antisense oligonucleotide therapy. SOT is a personalized, gene-silencing treatment designed to disrupt pathogens like Lyme disease. Read Part One here.
10/8/25
By Maria Marian, ND, MSE
The idea of silencing genes to weaken pathogens may sound futuristic, but antisense oligonucleotide therapies have already proven themselves in medicine.
Cancer research: Multiple antisense drugs have been studied in oncology to block genes that promote tumor growth and survival (e.g., Bcl-2, EGFR). While not all succeeded in trials, these studies helped refine delivery methods and safety monitoring【PMID: 19164450】.
FDA approval for infection: In 1998, fomivirsen (Vitravene) became the first antisense drug approved for human use, targeting CMV retinitis in immunocompromised patients【PMID: 9815174】. This milestone showed that gene silencing could work safely against viruses in humans.
Emerging infectious disease applications:
Laboratory studies demonstrate antisense oligonucleotides can inhibit replication of HSV, EBV, hepatitis viruses, and influenza【PMID: 19920191】.
In Lyme disease, small clinical series using SOT have reported significant reductions in Borrelia burgdorferi DNA copy numbers in blood following one or two infusions, as measured by PCR. Viral infections like EBV and HSV may require more sessions to achieve measurable results.
Although the published data are limited, these results are encouraging for patients who have exhausted conventional treatment options.
The Patient Experience
From a patient’s perspective, SOT is different from antibiotics, antivirals, or even most integrative therapies.
One infusion, long effect: Instead of daily or weekly medication, SOT is given as a single intravenous infusion, yet its activity can last up to six months.
Gradual improvement: Because the therapy slowly reduces pathogen replication rather than rapidly killing organisms, many patients notice changes gradually over weeks to months.
Reported benefits: Improvements may include reduced fatigue, better cognitive clarity, less pain, and fewer flares of viral reactivation.
Side effects: Most reported side effects are mild—such as temporary fatigue, flu-like symptoms, or localized reactions during infusion. Serious side effects appear rare in current reports.
That said, responses vary. Some patients may need multiple SOT cycles for sustained benefit, and others may not notice dramatic changes. As with all therapies, individual outcomes depend on many factors, including immune status, co-infections, and overall health.
Benefits and Strengths of SOT
Patients and clinicians exploring SOT often highlight its unique advantages:
Precision: Targets one critical sequence of the pathogen’s genome with minimal off-target effects.
Immune-system independent: Works even when immunity is suppressed or exhausted.
Continuous action: Active day and night for months, unlike short-lived antibiotics or antivirals.
Compatibility: Can be combined with integrative approaches (herbal protocols, detoxification, nutritional support) for a systems-based strategy.
Limitations and Open Questions
Despite its promise, SOT is not a silver bullet. Important limitations remain:
Limited clinical research: Most studies so far are pilot projects or case series, not large randomized controlled trials.
Not FDA-approved for Lyme or herpes viruses: Currently, its approved infectious disease application (fomivirsen for CMV) is historical. Use for Lyme, EBV, or HSV is off-label/experimental.
Cost: Treatments are highly individualized and can be expensive, often not covered by insurance.
Unknowns in long-term outcomes: While short-term safety looks good, more research is needed to assess durability of remission and long-term effects.
For these reasons, patients considering SOT should do so under the guidance of a clinician familiar with both its potential and its uncertainties.
Where Does SOT Fit in Chronic Lyme Care?
SOT should be thought of as a potential adjunctive therapy—not a replacement for all other treatments. In chronic Lyme and co-infections, successful treatment usually requires a layered approach, addressing:
Detoxification and environmental exposures (mold, metals, chemicals)
Mitochondrial and hormonal health
Lifestyle and resilience factors
Within that framework, SOT may serve as a targeted tool to reduce microbial load when conventional antimicrobials or integrative protocols have plateaued.
The Future of Gene-Silencing Therapies
The broader field of RNA-based medicine is expanding at remarkable speed. In recent years, the FDA has approved multiple oligonucleotide drugs for rare genetic diseases, including:
These approvals show that oligonucleotide therapies can be safe, effective, and commercially viable. As technology advances, it is likely we will see more robust clinical trials for antisense therapies in infectious diseases, improved delivery systems that increase effectiveness and reduce costs, and expanded targets, not only for microbes but also for the inflammatory pathways they trigger.
For the Lyme community, this represents a hopeful horizon: a class of therapies designed with molecular precision to address infections that often resist conventional treatment.
Final Thoughts
Supportive Oligonucleotide Therapy is an exciting example of how genetic medicine is moving from the laboratory into clinical care. While not a cure-all, and not yet backed by large-scale Lyme disease trials, it offers a promising option for patients whose infections have proven stubborn to standard therapies.
As with all emerging treatments, the best approach is a balance of hope and caution: hope that this new tool may bring relief, and caution in recognizing the need for further research and informed decision-making.
For patients and families dealing with the daily challenges of chronic Lyme and viral co-infections, SOT reflects a broader truth in medicine today—sometimes the way forward is not more of the same, but something entirely new.
Maria Marian, ND, MSE, is a naturopathic physician at Jyzen Wellness in Mill Valley, California. In addition to her Doctorate of Naturopathic Medicine, she holds both a Bachelor and Master of Science in Chemical Engineering. She specializes in complex chronic illness, Lyme disease, and integrative approaches to immune dysfunction. Follow her on Instagram: @dr.marian.nd
References
Perry CM, Balfour JA. Fomivirsen. Drugs. 1999;57(3):375–380. PMID: 10080450.
Crooke ST. Antisense Drug Technology: Principles, Strategies, and Applications. CRC Press; 2008.
Stein CA, Castanotto D. FDA-Approved Oligonucleotide Therapies in 2017. Mol Ther. 2017;25(5):1069–1075. PMID: 28457632.
Kole R, Krainer AR, Altman S. RNA therapeutics: beyond RNA interference and antisense oligonucleotides. Nat Rev Drug Discov. 2012;11(2):125–140. PMID: 22262067.
Khorkova O, Wahlestedt C. Oligonucleotide therapies for CNS disorders. Neurotherapeutics. 2017;14(4):827–840. PMID: 29191460.
Stein CA, Hansen JB, Lai J, et al. Efficient gene silencing by delivery of locked nucleic acid antisense oligonucleotides. Nucleic Acids Res. 2010;38(1):e3. PMID: 19850725.
Ivermectin’s Accidental Breakthrough: A Lifeline for Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s Sufferers
A stunning revelation from the front lines of medicine. Dr. William Makis is reporting unprecedented success using ivermectin for two of our most devastating neurological conditions: Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease. His accidental discovery is yielding results that defy conventional expectations. For Parkinson’s, high-dose ivermectin (60-72mg) is facilitating remarkable recoveries. Patients on maximum standard treatments, once barely mobile, are now experiencing dramatic improvements in movement and symptoms. One such patient, after a few weeks of treatment, returned to playing golf—an activity lost for years. The outcomes in Alzheimer’s are even more profound.
Dr. Makis details how family members, following his protocol of low-dose ivermectin (12-24mg for a few days), are witnessing what can only be described as medical miracles. Loved ones who had not recognized family members for years are suddenly reconnecting. Memories are flooding back; cognitive abilities are being restored. In one extraordinary case, a patient was taken off hospice after their condition improved so drastically. The stories are heart-rending: “My grandma’s back.” Families are reclaiming precious time with loved ones they felt they had lost forever. All from a few pills of a medication with a well-established safety profile.
Dr. Makis challenges the medical establishment, noting that supportive preclinical research on ivermectin and Alzheimer’s appears to have been scrubbed from mainstream search engines, a silent testament to the battle over this repurposed drug. He urges the public to look at the evidence he shares on his platforms. The potential for a safe, accessible, and effective treatment for these neurodegenerative scourges is too significant to ignore.
(See link for article, video, dosages, and links to testimonials)
For decades we’ve been told that nicotine is as addictive as heroine, cocaine, amphetamines and alcohol, but a 2015 Harvard study confirmed nicotine alone is not addictive. The true perps are the added pyrazines, acetaldehyde, anabasine, nornicotine, anatabine, cotinine, and myosomine. These addictive derivatives potentiate 5-HT binding to receptors in the CNS which results in enhanced dopamine release independently of nicotine.
People have a hard time separating nicotine from cigarettes and chewing tobacco, which ARE laden with cancer causing chemicals and addictive substances. But they are not one and the same.
The FDA still allows the tobacco industry to add 599 different man-made chemicals, of which 15 are pyrazines, to tobacco products causing the known damage from cigarettes and other tobacco products. This corrupt agency has been involved in a 30 year coverup regarding the incredible healing powers of nicotine and is currently in the process of attempting to reduce nicotine in cigarettes – not the actual harmful substances.
Read on to discover the many healthy attributes of nicotine…..
Nicotine is also a potential candidate for treating ulcerative colitis, IBD, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, multiple sclerosis, and myocarditis.
Nicotine is considered the most reliable cognitive enhancer that we currently have.
A 2010 meta‑analysis of 41 double‑blind, placebo‑controlled trials confirmed significant improvements in alerting and orienting attention as well as memory tasks following nicotine administration. As mentioned above, nicotine selectively activates nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs), particularly those containing the α4β2 and α7 subunits, which in turn modulate dopamine, glutamate, serotonin, gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), and acetylcholine pathways associated with enhanced cognitive processing.
Nicotine affects the adaptive immune system, influencing T cell differentiation and function. This could influence how the body recognizes and eliminates infected cells, affecting COVID-19 progression and severity.
Nicotine is Considered a Nutrient by Some
Nicotine is a naturally occurring organic alkaloid compound, not a man-made chemical. It is present in all the nightshade vegetables as well as egg plant/aubergine, potatoes, tomatoes, celery, cauliflower, and the tobacco plant.
Many tissues in the human body have nicotine receptors including in the brain. Nicotine is an energizer that makes cells work better.
On average, a person absorbs 1-1.5mg of nicotine from a single cigarette. Potatoes contain about 15 mg of solanine, the glycoalkaloid structurally similar to nicotine – which is roughly the equivalent of smoking a cigarette.
If nicotine alone was addictive, then we would be inundated with folks addicted to cauliflower, tomatoes, potatoes, and other vegetables. Sadly, this is far from the case.
Nicotine Benefits
Nicotine has been found to help with neurological disorders like Parkinsons and Alzheimers, as well as with Myocarditis, tinnitus, long covid, and mild cognitive impairment.
Nicotine and COVID
Recently, Dr. Bryan Ardis has stated that not only is nicotine not addictive, research shows smokers have lower COVID infection rates. In 2020, French researchers isolated the spike protein genes which are identical to the toxins from snakes of the Ophiophagus (cobra) and Bungarus genera. The benefits of nicotine in the smokers’ bodies was protecting the nicotine receptors from allowing venom spike proteins from binding to the nACHR receptors. The authors acknowledge that ivermectin was successful for the same reason.
No one in their right might would recommend smoking cigarettes, but again, don’t conflate nicotine with cigarettes.
The authors suggest nicotine as a potential preventative against COVID infection as both the epidemiological/clinical evidence and the in silico findings suggest that COVID is a nAChR disease that could be prevented and controlled by nicotine as it competes with the SARS-CoV-2 binding to the nAChR. Other research has also suggested nicotine as a COVID treatment.
In 2023 the NIH funded and published a study confirming that the venomous spike proteins of COVID target alpha-7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (not ACE2 receptors).
Then in the same year, a study was published of 4 case studies of long-haul COVID patients and their miraculous recovery in only 6 days of using 7mg nicotine patches. The authors state:
The transcutaneous administration of nicotine ensures constant serum levels without peak levels. Thus, we did not see any development of nicotine dependence in the context of nicotine patch therapy. From the author’s point of view, this is not be be expected.
Others have found that there doesn’t seem to be any abuse liability whatsoever in taking nicotine by patch in nonsmokers.
Go here for an article on how nicotine patches are made as well as what raw materials are used in them. Some patches may use pure nicotine or mixed with entities such as hydrochloride, dihydrochloride, sulfate, tartrate, bitartarate, zinc chloride, and salicylate to form derivatives. A carrier layer is made from a variety of plastics as well as a occlusive backing layer, adhesive such as acrylate ester/vinyl pyrrolidone copolymers, dimethyl silicone polymers, and acrylate polymers. Other ingredients, such as pigments, dyes, inert fillers, and processing aids, may be mixed in with the drug. Certain types of patches also include permeation enhancers to improve drug penetration and some contain anti-itch agents like bisabolol, oil of chamomile, chamazulene, allantoin, D-panthenol, glycyrrhetenic acid, corticosteroids, and antihistamines.
Dr. Merritt gives examples of how nicotine gum immediately helped numerous patients.
Click Dr Bryan Ardis to hear more. And here for his slide show on nicotine which is quite informative.
In this video, Ardis recommends starting low and slow on TOLEVITA brand nicotine patches, which uses a natural nicotine extract. He recommends starting with 1mg daily and over time, depending upon how you feel to titrate up to 3mg. He takes 7mg but only after being on lower dosages for 4 years.
He also discusses how historically nicotine has been used for cancer, and to remit neurodegenerative diseases, etc. A study used 15mg nicotine patches for 6 months showed improvement for 100% of patients with early dementia. They were all contacted after stopping the study and NO patients were still using it and NO patients struggled with any addictive behaviors from using it. (We’ve been lied to again, friends)
The following information is for educational purposes only and not meant to diagnose and treat. Make sure to discuss any and all treatments with your health practitioner.
Purchase 14mg size Nicotine Patches and cut into 6 equal pieces and wear one small size patch daily, on rib cage or upper arm. (This is what Dr. Ardis does daily since November of 2022 to prevent all future virus/venoms or variant exposures).
Long-Hauler COVID Sufferers
Purchase and wear one 7 mg Nicotine Patch daily for 1 week minimum and then continue until symptoms abate. Go here to read one person’s successful usage of 7mg nicotine patch for Long COVID.
Purchase 2mg size Nicotine Gum and chew 1 gum tablet for at least 10 minutes, twice a day. (This is what Dr. Ardis’s wife Jayne does daily to prevent all future virus/venoms or variant exposures).
Long-Hauler COVID Sufferers
Purchase 2mg Nicotine Gum (do NOT buy 4mg nicotine gum), and chew one 2 mg gum tablet for 10 minutes, 4 times per day for 2 weeks or until symptoms resolve and then continue until symptoms abate.
C19 Vaccine Injured
Follow Long-Hauler COVID protocol above.
According to Ardis there are nicotine receptors in the gut and a few people when chewing and swallowing nicotine gum get nauseous and vomit or get loose stools. He states this is because so much of the venom spike proteins are attached to the nicotine receptors that line the bowel that when nicotine is present the massive amount of venom in the bowel gets released, and the body is created to expel poisons. If this is a problem for you, switch to nicotine patches which by pass the bowels. Nicotine from patches are absorbed into your blood stream via the skin in less than 30 seconds.
He also mentioned getting organic tobacco leaf and then boiling the leaves and soaking the feet for 20-30 min several times a week.