Archive for the ‘Treatment’ Category

Lyme Disease & Herxheimer Reaction in Newborn

https://danielcameronmd.com/lyme-disease-herxheimer-reaction-newborn/

LYME DISEASE AND HERXHEIMER REACTION IN NEWBORN

Newborn with lyme disease and herxheimer reaction being examined by doctor.

The Herxheimer reaction, also referred to as a Jarisch-Herxheimer reaction, is “a transient clinical phenomenon that occurs in patients infected by spirochetes who undergo antibiotic treatment.”¹ It was first described in patients with syphilis but has also been associated with other spirochetal infections including leptospirosis, Lyme disease, and relapsing fever. The reaction is associated with the onset of new symptoms or a worsening of existing symptoms in patients receiving antibiotic treatment.

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In 2020, investigators published a case involving a 13-year-old boy with Lyme arthritis, a common manifestation of Lyme disease, who developed a Herxheimer reaction when treated with doxycycline. On the 7th day of treatment, the boy developed a low-grade fever and severe arthralgias with intense hip, ankle and cervical spine pain and myalgias.

You can read more about the 13-year-old boy’s case in an earlier blog “Herxheimer reaction in a 13-year-old boy with Lyme disease.” 

Newborn with herxheimer reaction

In their article “Lyme disease in a neonate complicated by the Jarisch–Herxheimer reaction,” Prodanuk and colleagues² describe the case of a 21-day-old infant who was admitted to the hospital with decreased activity, poor feeding and abdominal distension.

The parents removed an engorged tick from the infant’s forearm 5 days earlier. An EM rash was present at the site of the tick bite.

“Given the erythema migrans lesion at the site from which the engorged tick was removed, we made a presumptive diagnosis of Lyme disease and administered IV ceftriaxone,” the authors write.

Two hours after treatment began, the infant developed a fever, tachycardia and other symptoms consistent with the Jarisch–Herxheimer reaction.

Testing for Lyme disease was negative.

Clinicians should also “be aware of the possibility of the Jarisch–Herxheimer reaction during the initial phase of treatment.”²

Several studies, they warn, indicate “newborns with findings consistent with early localized disease may also be at higher risk for disseminated disease.”

“Given the limited data for neonates and the possible predisposition of this population to disseminated Lyme disease, clinicians should strongly consider administering IV antibiotics to target Lyme disease,” the authors suggest.

Patients can experience a broad range of symptoms resulting from a herxheimer reaction, explains Nykytyuk and colleagues, including fever, severe polyarthralgias, myalgias, chills, hypotension, nonpruritic, nonpalpable rash, tachycardia, nausea, headache, strengthening of existing or occurrence of new symptoms of the underlying disease.¹

The exact cause of Jarisch-Herxheimer reactions is still unknown. “At first, the role of an endotoxin in the development of JHR was suggested, but later experimental studies showed that spirochetes do not have biologically active endotoxins,” the authors explained.¹

Related Articles:

What does a Lyme disease flare-up feel like?
Herxheimer reaction in a 13-year-old boy with Lyme disease
Lyme disease causes a mix of symptoms including autonomic dysfunction

References:
  1. Dhakal A, Sbar E. Jarisch Herxheimer Reaction. [Updated 2022 Apr 28]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2022 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK557820/
  2. Prodanuk M, Groves H, Arje D, Bitnun A. Lyme disease in a neonate complicated by the Jarisch-Herxheimer reaction. CMAJ. 2022 Jul 18;194(27):E939-E941. doi: 10.1503/cmaj.220112. PMID: 35851530; PMCID: PMC9299745.

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**Comment**

This infant won the lotto by having astute parents, a noticable tick bite, and EM rash.  Many are not so fortunate to have these clear signs.  Many also test negative.  Without the signs and positive test, many are misdiagnosed and miss this opportunity for early treatment which is imperative.

For more:

Category:

Inflammation, Lyme, research, Testing, Ticks, Treatment

Ischemic Stroke With Hemorrhagic Conversion in a Case of Lyme Neuroborreliosis

https://www.cureus.com/articles/97069-ischemic-stroke-with-hemorrhagic-conversion-in-a-case-of-lyme-neuroborreliosis

Ischemic Stroke With Hemorrhagic Conversion in a Case of Lyme Neuroborreliosis

Srinandan Sathi, Daniel Kim, Patrick Duplan, Paul Kim, Carl Shenkamn

Published: August 15, 2022 (see history)

DOI: 10.7759/cureus.28028

Cite this article as: Sathi S, Kim D, Duplan P, et al. (August 15, 2022) Ischemic Stroke With Hemorrhagic Conversion in a Case of Lyme Neuroborreliosis. Cureus 14(8): e28028. doi:10.7759/cureus.28028

Abstract

Lyme disease is an infectious tick-borne illness predominant in northeastern and midwestern United States. The clinical presentation varies significantly and only a few cases develop Lyme neuroborreliosis (LNB), which makes diagnosis difficult. A 59-year-old male visiting from Michigan presented to a hospital in Florida with an ischemic stroke with aphasia and acute confusion for two days. He had imaging that noted a subacute infarct in the left parietal lobe along with multiple areas of white matter signal abnormalities and CSF serology positive for Borrelia burgdorferi IgM and IgG antibodies. The patient was placed on ceftriaxone for 30 days and showed significant clinical improvement. We present a case of ischemic stroke with hemorrhagic conversion and an incidental finding of LNB.

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**Comment**

There is no way on earth that only a few cases develop Lyme neuroborrliosis.  This statement shows the researcher’s complete disconnect from reality.

Testing is so abysmal, thousands fall through the diagnostic crack.  Then, if they manage to win the lottery and test positive, they are told it’s a “false positive,” and to “go home and be well.”

This patient in fact did win the lottery and managed to get diagnosed in Florida, which like all Southern states has had to fight tooth and nail to get public health to even recognize it.  And that probably wouldn’t have happened if it weren’t for infected researcher, Kerry Clark, who is finding Southern borrelia strains that will never be picked up in a million years using current CDC two-tier testing.  He also showed DNA of Bbsl in Lone Star ticks which might be a bridge vector of transmission to humans, but is still considered by ‘the powers that be’ to not transmit Lyme disease.  Instead, infected Southerners have been told they have STARI, a disease that looks, acts, and smells just like Lyme.

This patient, despite showing significant improvement, requires follow-up which will never happen.  If and when symptoms reappear he will simply be told it’s all “in his head.”

Category:

Lyme, Psychological Aspects, research, Testing, Treatment

Spotting the Target: Clinical Clues in the Diagnosis of Disseminated Lyme Disease in Pregnancy

https://www.ajog.org/article/S0002-9378(22)00203-4/fulltext

Spotting the target: clinical clues in the diagnosis of disseminated Lyme disease in pregnancy

Published:March 18, 2022 DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajog.2022.03.03

A 33-year-old G2P1 woman at 33 weeks’ gestation presented with 10 days of bifrontal headache despite treatment with sertraline, butalbital-acetaminophen-caffeine, and prochlorperazine and 2 days of pruritic body rash (Figure 1).

Blood pressure and urine protein: creatinine ratio were within normal limits, but she had mild transaminitis. Her rash was originally thought to be caused by a drug-induced hypersensitivity reaction, however, in addition to a generalized morbilliform eruption, a physical examination revealed a large annular erythematous patch with a dusky center on the left popliteal fossa (Figure 2)  and similar smaller annular lesions on the buttocks and legs (Figures 3 and 4).

The findings of large and multiple erythema migrans lesions and associated headache prompted a high suspicion for disseminated Lyme disease with neurologic involvement. Serum tests for Lyme disease, including whole-cell enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and Western blot (for immunoglobulins M and G), were positive. A lumbar puncture revealed elevated red blood cells and nucleated cells in the cerebrospinal fluid consistent with neurologic involvement of Lyme disease. The patient recovered with intravenous ceftriaxone for 2 weeks for disseminated Lyme disease. She delivered a healthy baby boy at 40 weeks’ gestation.

(See link for article)

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**Comment**

Unfortunately many do not remain “recovered” after only 2 weeks of antibiotics.  This woman and her baby need to be watched over time.  If mysterious, migrating symptoms continue – they need retreatment.

This is a perfect example of a glaring problem with Lyme/MSIDS.  Mainstream medicine treats it as they do other infections when this is a relapsing illness that is stealthy, embeds itself in the human body, (making it hard for treatments to reach it) is often polymicrobial (numerous pathogens that require different medications), is pleomorphic (changes forms) so the body can’t recognize it as a “bad guy,” and is often relapsing (reappears) at a later date due to stress when the body is in a weakened state.

Please read a few articles to understand these issues better:

For more on Lyme/MSIDS in pregnancy:

Category:

Lyme, Pregnancy, research, Testing, Treatment

Lyme Arthritis With Rheumatoid Arthritis Leads to Poor Quality of Life

https://danielcameronmd.com/lyme-and-rheumatoid-arthritis-impairs-quality-of-life/

LYME ARTHRITIS WITH RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS LEADS TO POOR QUALITY OF LIFE

Man with lyme arthritis rubbing his wrist.

Lyme Arthritis and Rheumatoid Arthritis can greatly impair a person’s quality of life. A recent study examines survey results from 90 patients to assess the levels of impairment for patients with both these conditions.

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In the study “Assessment of quality of life in patients with Lyme arthritis and rheumatoid arthritis,” Yuskevych and colleagues surveyed 90 patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis who were treated at their rheumatology clinic.¹

Nearly 50% of the patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis also tested positive for Lyme disease.

Survey results indicated, “The presence of Borrelia burgdorferi [the causative agent of Lyme disease] in patients with arthritis not only significantly reduced the motor activity of patients, but also complicated the mental adaptation to their own disease.”

The patients had high and moderate disease activity, significantly reduced physical activity, and body pain.

The quality of life of patients with Lyme arthritis and Rheumatoid Arthritis was worse due to severe joint pain and a greater degree of functional disorders compared to the patients with only Rheumatoid Arthritis.

The authors considered depression as a cause of the problem with Rheumatoid Arthritis. “Depression imposes a significant burden on the health-related quality of life, disability, and mortality of individuals with arthritis,” wrote the authors.

“Patients with [Lyme arthritis] have significantly lower MCS (mental component score) values, which is explained by the patients’ severe psychological adaptation to their own disease, given the prevalence of [Lyme disease] at the present and its tendency towards chronicity.”

The authors suggested that an active infection might be the cause of the mental health issues in individuals with these conditions. “We can speculate that the conscious that joints disease may be connected with infection not with the autoimmune disease caused a more depressive reaction.”

Editor’s note: I often see patients with both a rheumatologic condition and Lyme disease. I have had patients with Lyme disease whose symptoms were initially thought to be from a flare-up of the rheumatologic condition.

Related Articles:

Lyme disease protein tricks immune system, ignites arthritis
Treatment of Lyme arthritis with disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs
Will steroid injections help children with Lyme arthritis of the knee?

References:
  1. Yuskevych VV, Zhulkevych IV, Makhovska OS, Smiyan SI. Assessment of quality of life in patients with Lyme arthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Reumatologia. 2022;60(1):35-41. doi:10.5114/reum.2022.114352

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For more:

http://

Practical TENS demonstration for RA in the hand

Category:

Lyme, Pain Management, research, Treatment

Timeline of Major Battles in the Global War on Ivermectin

**UPDATE**

We now learn of a “cartel” led by the U.S. government allegedly bribed large pharmacy chains like Walgreens and CVS with billions of dollars in contracts to promote COVID-19 vaccines and not fill prescriptions for ivermectin.  Source

Go here to learn of all the things ivermectin does, where to get it, and treatment protocols.

https://pierrekory.substack.com/p/the-timeline-of-major-battles-in-

A Timeline of Major Battles In the Global War on Ivermectin – Part 1

My chronology of the Disinformation tactics deployed to paint ivermectin as an ineffective horse dewormer against Covid. Largely taken from the ever-evolving keynote lecture I give at conferences
Pierre Kory, MD, MPA

In this three-parter, I am going to present, in approximate chronological order, the most important events regarding both the emergence of evidence of the massive efficacy of ivermectin and the countering, neutering, and destroying tactics deployed by the Disinformationists paid for by Big Pharma and/or The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF). Although many of these events will not be news to my long-time subscribers, there is some new stuff, and it reads (hits) different when presented chronologically and in somewhat rapid-fire format. Let’s go.

Lets start with some foreshadowing by taking a look as to where this is all heading. As of today, December 5, 2022, the evidence base for ivermectin in Covid is below, thanks to the tireless work of the c19early.com group.

93 controlled trials. 73 of them are peer-reviewed trials. 43 of them randomized controlled trials. Aside from the evidence base for hydroxychloroquine in Covid (which is larger), I know of no other medicine in any disease model in history with an evidence base this large, yet still considered “unproven” or “ineffective” by the health systems of advanced health economies around the world.

Similarly, it is unprecedented that, despite an evidence base this large and positive, these same health systems systematically persecute and punish physicians who use the medicine despite an unparalleled safety profile. How did we get to this dystopian nightmare? Slowly and deliberately, using relentless propaganda and censorship of the truth. Take a walk with me down memory lane of the Disinformation war on ivermectin.  (See link for article, relevant research, & powerful video)  

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https://pierrekory.substack.com/p/the-timeline-of-major-battles-in?

The Timeline of Major Battles In the Global War on Ivermectin – Part 2

In the wake of the FLCCC press conference, Senate Testimony and review paper retraction, suddenly Merck fires the first public salvo in the Disinformation war by posting brazen lies on their website.
Pierre Kory, MD, MPA

Following from all the events in December 2020 and January 2021, we continue:

FEBRUARY 4, 2021 – MERCK’S PR DEPARTMENT POSTS BRAZEN LIES ON THE COMPANY WEBSITE

The anti-ivermectin PR campaign was kicked off by Merck’s PR department when they quietly posted three brazen lies on the night of February 3rd. I already covered this action in a recent post. This ignited a media amplification of Merck’s statement, most notably by.. Reuters, posted within 6 hours of Merck’s.

The media literally started blaring unfiltered and un-fact checked Pharma lies. My confusion as to what was wrong in the world further deepened.

DISSIDENT RESPONSE

We didn’t know what to do besides attacking this action on Twitter and in interviews and podcasts (which were all on the periphery/small audiences of the independant media of the internet or on right wing-leaning outlets). Not one critical take of Merck by major media as they all assumed Merck was just trying to be helpful in their guidance. I first begin to use the phrase clown world.

Important excerpt:

 To wit, we now know that:

The three Federal Health Agencies paid media outlets $1 billion dollars to promote the safety and efficacy of the vaccines, the Trusted News Initiative made a global compact amongst the world’s largest media organizations to censor medical “misinformation” (truth actually), and now we have evidence emerging that the White House was regularly directing social media companies to censor individuals whose “science” was inconvenient to their interests. We also recently discovered that a single massive PR firm worked simultaneously for Moderna, Pfizer, and the CDC. Ultimately, all I have to say about this chapter (and it is not really a chapter or event) is that it literally spanned the entire pandemic and is only getting worse, like with Clownifornia’s recent bill threatening doctors for sharing an opinion contrary to some supposed “scientific consensus.”

(See link for research and article)

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https://pierrekory.substack.com/p/the-timeline-of-major-battles-in-bc

The Timeline of Major Battles In the Global War on Ivermectin – Part 3

The final phases of the Disinformation war on ivermectin kicks into high gear with the launch of the “Horse Dewormer” public relations campaign followed by the publication of Pharma corrupted trials.
Pierre Kory, MD, MPA

AUGUST 2021 – THE LAUNCH OF THE “HORSE DE-WORMER” PUBLIC RELATIONS CAMPAIGN AGAINST IVERMECTIN BY THE FEDERAL HEALTH AGENCIES

This was, after the manipulation of the Pharma funded trials, the biggest offensive in the war. I maintain that Weber Shandwick, the PR firm working simultaneously for Moderna, Pfizer and the CDC had constructed it well before, and were just waiting for the best time to launch it.

This is what prompted them to launch the campaign:

As you can see from the graph above.. ivermectin prescriptions in the U.S were rapidly increasing to a level never before seen in history. August 13, 2021 was the middle of the Delta wave.. and Delta was wicked. Much harder to treat than prior variants. Late Delta was insanely difficult to treat (October-December 2021), so much so that ivermectin alone was no longer enough, and during that time period of late Delta, I was routinely using between 3-6 different medicines to keep patients out of the hospital. But none died and nearly all avoided hospital (the one exception was a cousin who contacted me on Day 10 of her illness, already breathless, I treated her for a day and a half before she had to be admitted, however she was only in for 4 days and never ventilated).

https://rumble.com/v1qp4ww-october-30-2022.html  (Fauci on CNN on 10/30/22 lying about ivermectin)

Important excerpt regarding the news segment:

It was carried by every major news organization around the world, like our friends at the Associated Press. No-one notices the unprecedented nature of such an action (it has been FDA approved for years) nor that they have no authority to do this. At the risk of repeating myself, just take a moment and ponder the fact that you have three major U.S medical societies calling for an immediate end to the use of a medicine supported by a meta-analysis of 60 controlled trials showing it leads to major mortality (and other) benefits. Now you know why I call our country the United States of Pharma.

Also:

September 1, 2021 – What happened next is that the horse dewormer meme explodes throughout mass media – every late night talk show host does a bit, every broadcaster and journalist. They pull a fierce “2 by 4” PR campaign (remember a “2 by 4” defines a propaganda campaign as any story or message that appears for 2 weeks on 4 different channels or major media sources. Rachel Maddow actually “led the way” on August 21, the same day as the FDA tweet that kicked off the entire campaign. Nice coordination there Weber Shandwick. CNN then followed up on August 23, blaming “right-wing” media for “pushing” a “deworming drug.” These narratives start to build as you can see:

(See link for article)
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**Comment**
The entire sordid account is here for historical review and record.  Dr. Kory deserves serious street cred for this poignant, humble, unbelievable account he continues to live through.
He states:
I went to bed on February 6th, 2022 as a physician (albeit clinging on to his license). On Feb. 7, 2022, I woke up to discover the U.S. Department of Homeland Security had come to the conclusion that my deeply studied scientific opinions made me a domestic terrorist.

He mentions Mikki Willis’ accurate and powerfully done short documentary on ivermectin.

He ends by stating he’s probably done writing about ivermectin on his Substack as he needs to move on, but that he never wants us to forget that it all started with his first patient who had a “profound and robust clinical response within 12 hours of her first dose after being ill and feverish for the prior two weeks.”  He states that result kept happening until the variants changed which then required higher doses and synergistic therapies.  Actually, this too has been experienced in Lymeland over time.

Speaking of similarities, Kory points out that the atrocities that happened to Dr. Burzynski, who successfully treated patients with cancer, have happened to him.  In Burzynski’s case, concerted actions by health system entities began 30 years ago and predicted exactly what has happened to Kory and other doctors now considered “dissidents.”

Kory states we are predictably looking at a nasty RSV/FLU season due to “the lunatic mass vaccination campaign against a coronavirus.”  He is also busy treating the “vaccine” injured and those with long haul syndromes.  Ironically, ivermectin is one of his primary therapies to treat these syndromes which has transformed the lives of many, but similarly to Lyme/MSIDS the fly in the ointment is “insufficient evidence” for this claim, despite what he sees with his own eyes.

But fraudulent trials debunking ivermectin continue….

For more:

“ivermectin’s manufacturer does not believe the data available support the safety and efficacy of ivermectin for preventing or treating COVID-19.”  

Now this is quite amusing for two reasons 1) data show things, which has nothing to do with belief. 2) Ivermectin’s manufacturer is Merck, which just happens to also manufacture Molnupiravir, a new lucrative drug for COVID which doesn’t work and may cause birth defects, and may affect bone and cartilage growth…..yet this drug received EUA in 2021 and has been used heavily.  Ivermectin, on the other hand, is a fraction of the cost, is one of the most extensively studied drugs, is on the WHO list of essential medicines, has a long standing safety profile, and is commonly used in Africa with regular community directed ivermectin treatment programs – which just happen to have given Africa a much lower COVID morbidity and mortality and was the strongest predictor of improved survival and recovery rates.  Yet this drug is not approved by the FDA which out of one side of their mouth states the drug is safe and effective as an antiparasitic, but can somehow causes “serious harm,” is “dangerous,” and is connected with “seizures, coma and even death,” and is “highly toxic” for COVID.  Evidently, due to a lawsuit, the FDA is now back-peddling and trying to squirm out of their stance, which has caused the death of countless people.

Ivermectin fights 21 viruses, including SARS-CoV-2, the cause of Covid-19. A single dose reduced the viral load of SARS-CoV-2 in cells by 99.8% in 24 hours and 99.98% in 48 hours, according to a June 2020 study published in the journal Antiviral Research.

Once again, conflicts of interest are killing patients.

Category:

Activism, Treatment, Viruses