Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category

Why We Can’t Get Better

Most MSIDS (multi systemic infectious disease syndrome – or Lyme with friends) sufferers are familiar with Dr. Horowitz, a famous and gifted LLMD (Lyme Literate Doctor) who wrote the book, “Why I Can’t Get Better?  Solving the Mystery of Lyme and Chronic Disease.”  I just noticed you can get it new for $7.99 – the best eight bucks you’ll ever spend!  I warn you; however, it’s deep and it’s wide, and you will be looking up a few terms unless you’re a M.D. http://www.amazon.com/Better-Solving-Mystery-Chronic-Disease/dp/1250019400

In fact, he’s the person who came up with the term MSIDS as it more adequately explains what’s going on in most patients diagnosed with “Lyme Disease,” as research shows we are typically infected with multiple pathogens making our treatment pictures far more complex than most GP’s realize and is also a very good reason why people don’t get better.  This issue is what he discusses in the following videos.  For some of you, you just can’t get on top of things – even after years of treatment.  There can be numerous reasons for this but the following videos may enlighten both you and your doctor.

Working with an LLMD is definitely a partnership.  In the beginning, unless you’ve watched someone go down this pot-hole riddled road, you know very little other than the fact that your body’s going to hell in a hand basket!  As time progresses, you talk to others, watch videos, read books, and become an on-line researcher learning things you never in your wildest dreams would have thought about learning (the life-cycles of ticks).

For those of you who are new to the journey, you want to get someone you know up to speed quickly, or if you need a refresher course, these videos will do it.  Horowitz is engaging, intelligent, and funny.  The first video is only 8 minutes long and explains the nuts and bolts of how he came to his current knowledge.

The second video is an hour long, but definitely worth watching.  In a much more detailed fashion, it explains many symptoms of the various coinfections that could be holding up your progress unless you are dealing with them.  Watch these videos, take notes, and go back to your doctor and discuss these possibilities.  Remember, testing for all of these pathogens is extremely poor and not to be solely relied upon for diagnosis.  It’s important to “study thy enemy,” so you understand him and know how to combat him.  In this case the more you know about the various pathogens and how they affect the human body the better.

Published on Nov 3, 2014
At the “Symposium on Tick-borne Diseases” held May 17, 2014 at the Hyatt in Cambridge, Maryland, Dr. Richard Horowitz provided insights into the many diseases humans are contracting from ticks, and he helps us to differentiate between the different illnesses. The event was hosted by the Lyme Disease Association of the Eastern Shore of Maryland (soon to be the Lyme Disease Association of Delmarva), a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization providing educational resources on tick-borne diseases. This and other videos from the Symposium were made possible by a very generous private donation for which we are very thankful to have received. The wonderful videographer/editor for the event was Bryan Krandle (krandle86@yahoo.com). If you enjoy having wonderful resources like the videos from this conference, please consider a donation to the LDAESM, P.O. Box 5360, Salisbury, Maryland 21802. Thank you!

Category:

Anaplasmosis, Babesia, Bartonella, Lyme, Mycoplasma, Treatment, Uncategorized, Viruses

A Dozen collapse after vaccine

MSIDS (multi systemic infectious disease syndrome or Lyme with friends) sufferers are in a war with pathogens who are living off their bodies.  These pathogens deplete the body of many valuable nutrients, leaving the body quite compromised while fooling the immune system.  This is an important factor in many regards, but particularly with regards to vaccines, which are designed to mimic infection by spurring B cells to produce antibodies as part of the adaptive immune system.

http://www.thevaccinereaction.org/2016/03/a-dozen-boys-in-england-collapse-after-receiving-meningococcal-acwy-vaccine/

Sadly, a dozen boys in the UK collapsed in January after receiving a routine series of meningococcal quadrivalent vaccines (bacteria types A, C, W135 and Y) for meningitis.  According to an article by The Daily Mail, the mother of one of the boys observed that, “Several different vaccines were being administered, and around 10 to 15 pupils keeled over and paramedics were called.”  The woman said she saw the boys “on their backs on the floor with their legs up on chairs.”

The remainder of the vaccinations were cancelled, but Public Health England was reported to be “satisfied that this was an isolated incident and that there is no issue with the batch of vaccines.”

That’s interesting.

http://ca.gsk.com/en-ca/media/press-releases/2016/gsk-voluntary-recall-of-menjugate-liquid-vaccine-lot-150401/

Because GSK just recalled Menjugate Liquid vaccine Lot #150401 due to reports of anaphylaxis in three teenage patients in Canada.

But that’s not all.

http://www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/concerns/guillain-barre-syndrome.html

A Closer Look at the Safety Data
• In 2008, reports to VAERS suggested a potential for an increased risk of Guillain–Barré syndrome (GBS) following Menactra vaccination. The package inserts for two of the meningococcal vaccines were changed to identify a history of GBS as a precaution to vaccination.  Following the VAERS study, two large safety studies were done to evaluate the risk of GBS after vaccination with Menactra. The two studies combined found that the risk for GBS after Menactra was not increased over the usual (non-vaccine related) GBS rate among 11 to 21 year olds.   Based on these large studies, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) no longer considers a history of GBS to be a contraindication nor precaution for meningococcal vaccination. 

Interestingly, the conclusion is that MCV4 vaccination was NOT associated with increased GBS risk, but when you look at the two studies mentioned, the time frame was 6 weeks after vaccination, so anyone having symptoms after that time-frame wouldn’t have been noted.  What about all of those folks?

For more information on vaccines go to: https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.wordpress.com/2015/06/19/a-word-on-vaccines/ and https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.wordpress.com/2015/07/15/vaccines-continued/

Despite what you read, there are many health professionals that are questioning the current vaccination theory and program, and it’s important for MSIDS sufferers to understand the risks:

http://www.naturalnews.com/025596.html following quotes researched by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, editor of NaturalNews.com.

“Some scientists have attributed the onset of chronic fatigue to the administration of vaccinations. Several members of the scientific community have reinforced this argument against vaccinations by establishing a correlation between Gulf War syndrome, which is predominantly characterized by chronic fatigue, and the vaccination program carried out by the military during the Persian Gulf War.”
The Complete Encyclopedia of Natural Healing: A Comprehensive A-Z Listing of Common and Chronic Illnesses and Their Proven Natural Treatments by Gary Null, Ph.D

“It has been hypothesized by researchers at Duke University in North Carolina that the particular combination of pesticides, such as organophosphates and carbamates, along with the solvents and toxic metals and other chemicals in the anthrax and botulism vaccinations soldiers were injected with, could have brought about more nerve damage than any one of these substances could have done individually.”
Toxic Overload: A Doctor’s Plan for Combating the Illnesses Caused by Chemicals in Our Foods, Our Homes, and Our Medicine Cabinets by Dr. Paula Baillie-Hamilton

“Chaitow has found that a number of factors negatively impact the immune function, including increased toxic burden due to pollution in all its forms; disturbance of immune systems through repeated childhood and adult vaccinations and immunizations; and damage to healthy intestinal flora due to over-reliance upon antibiotics and steroids (especially birth control pills).”
Alternative Medicine the Definitive Guide, Second Edition by Larry Trivieri, Jr.

“It is my belief that the widespread use of antibiotics and vaccinations is probably among the main causes of immune system disorders.”
Food and Healing by Annemarie Colbin

“Research findings now available from many sources are indicating that vaccinations interfere with the body’s immune system development and make people more susceptible to diseases, not less. There is a growing body of evidence suggesting that childhood diseases, most of which are harmless, are critical stages in the development of a strong, fully functioning immune system. An immature immune system needs to develop naturally, by fighting off the illnesses that occur in childhood.”
Conscious Health: A Complete Guide to Wellness Through Natural Means by Ron Garner

http://www.naturalnews.com/035371_vaccine_theory_antibodies_viruses.html

“In tests, adaptive immune system antibodies were shown unable to fight infection by themselves, which in essence debunks the theory that vaccine-induced antibodies serve any legitimate function in preventing or fighting off infection.

‘Our findings contradict the current view that antibodies are absolutely required to survive infection with viruses like VSV (vesicular stomatitis virus), and establish an unexpected function for B cells as custodians of macrophages in antiviral immunity,’ said Dr. Uldrich H. von Andrian from Harvard Medical School. ‘It will be important to further dissect the role of antibodies and interferons in immunity against similar viruses that attack the nervous system, such as rabies, West Nile virus, and Encephalitis.’

As explained by Dr. Russell Blaylock in a recent interview with Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, vaccines not only do not work as advertised, but they actually damage the body’s innate immunity. Rather than teach the body how to respond to infections, vaccines actually inhibit the immune system’s ability to produce TH2-type cytokines, and suppress cellular immunity, which is how the body protects itself against deadly viruses and bacteria.”

Category:

Uncategorized, vaccines

Tick Removal

http://www.abc.net.au/health/features/stories/2015/02/12/4178721.htm

Some recommend using tweezers being careful to avoid squeezing the tick, which would cause it to inject its stomach contents into you; however, others are now recommending aerosol freezing sprays or ether-containing sprays that instantly kill the tick. This approach is recommended by the Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy (ASCIA) for those with a known tick allergy. Since Australia contends with a tick that causes a severe allergy to red meat, they are recommending the ether sprays which will not disturb the tick, thereby lessening the chance of it injecting more of its allergen-containing saliva.  

Dr Cameron Webb, a medical entomologist at Westmead Hospital and clinical lecturer at the University of Sydney, has been looking into the various methods of tick removal and thinks we should all be following the advice of ASCIA, which recommends killing the tick in place by using ether-containing aerosol sprays that instantly freeze it (although some of these are not registered for use in humans). He suggests some over-the-counter products for freezing off warts may work.

Wartner may be the perfect fix.  http://www.wartner.eu/uk_en/warts-and-verrucas/treatments/wartner-wart-verruca-remover/

http://www.wartner.eu/warts-verrucas/treatments/wartner-cryotherapy/

PRODUCT CHARACTERISTICS

Freezes the tick to the core by –50°C  (lowest temperature available within self treatments), it says to press applicator firmly down for 3 seconds, then hold on tick for 40 seconds.  Let tick fall off naturally – takes approximately 10 minutes.               
Using DMEP gas mixture
New application steps to reach therapeutic temperature any time
http://www.walgreens.com/store/c/wartner-cryogenic-wart-removal-system%2c-original/ID=prod3984640-product

Ingredients:  Dimethyl Ether, Propane

Extremely Flammable. Contents Under Pressure Keep away from fire, flame and heat. Do not smoke while using this product. Protect from sunlight and do not expose to temperatures above 120°F. Store at room temperature away from heat.

Keep out of reach of children. Avoid contact with eyes. Do not inhale vapor/spray and use only in well-ventilated areas. Do not Swallow. For external use only. Use only as directed. If Wartner® is not used exactly as instructed or if you mistakenly apply it directly to the skin or use it on conditions that are not warts, it may cause serious burns and permanent scarring of the skin.

Wartner® should only be used in combination with the applicators provided. Use one foam applicator for session.  Do not reuse applicator.

I knew this product was it when I read a review:

“Pros: great if you want to torture your worst enemy”

How did they know?

 

Category:

Lyme, Ticks, Treatment, Uncategorized

Meeting Reminder

Our next regular Lyme Support Meeting will be Saturday March 19, 2:30-4:30 at Pinney Library in Madison.

Upcoming meetings – April 9, 2:30-4:40 (Dr. Isom, Upper Cervical Chiropractor) and May 28, 3:30-4:30 (Dr. David V Baewer, Chief Medical Officer Coppe Laboratories)

Also, we are having a warmer than average March with daffodils up out of the ground already.  That means the ticks are stirring earlier than usual as well.  Please take precautions when working outside and tuck your pants into your socks, spray your shoes and socks with Permethrin, and do tick checks regularly.  Should you find a tick, remove carefully without squeezing.  Some are now recommending using an ether spray (like the kind you use on warts) on the tick and waiting until it falls off.   http://sectionhiker.com/treating-your-clothes-with-permethrin/  Excellent article on using Permethrin with details such as how long it lasts on your clothing under various conditions.  You should not spray this on your skin – only your clothing.

Also, please note that Susan Paskewitz, Professor and Researcher, Medical Entomology Laboratory, UW Madison, says they are finding ticks in open spaces now – meaning, places like soccer and football fields with short grass.  This presents a risk for everyone but particularly children playing sports in open fields.  Please share this information with your family and friends and educate anyone who will listen.  

Also, be careful when mowing or cutting down areas that contain ticks.  Make sure to blow away from your house not toward it.  I found ticks on my basement screens and crawling up my walls last summer due to a farmer unknowingly mowing a tick infested area toward our house.

Stay safe.

Category:

Lyme, Meetings, Ticks, Uncategorized

Student Lyme Documentary

 

Wonderful 26 minute documentary put out by student filmmakers from SUNY Broome Community College in New York exploring the impact of Lyme disease in their local area.

A few comments:  they state that 70-80% of those bitten by a tick will get a bullseye rash, but according to ILADS (International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society), that number is less than 50%.  Hardly anyone I talk to (and I talk to many) has seen a tick or a rash.  In fact, I would go as far to say seeing a bullseye rash is the exception, not the norm.

Also, I felt they were extremely generous in their wording of many items such as testing for instance.  They said they weren’t foolproof.  Now that’s an understatement: https://www.lymedisease.org/lyme-basics/lyme-disease/diagnosis/

Did You Know?

52% of patients with chronic Lyme disease are negative by ELISA but positive by Western blot (Donta 2002).  Between 20-30% of patients with confirmed Lyme disease are seronegative (Aguero-Rosenfeld 1996, 1993; Donta 1997).  The College of American Pathologists (CAP) found that ELISA tests to not have adequate sensitivity to be used for screening purposes (Bakken 1997). LLMDs consider the specificity of the particular bands that test positive for a patient.  The NIAID views the Western blot as the best method for detecting Borrelia antibodies.  Although the CDC requires 5 of 10 bands to IgC surveillance purposes, 2 of 5 bands have specificity of 93-96% and a sensitivity of 100% (Engstrom 1995).

Two-Tier Testing
The most common diagnostic tests for Lyme disease are indirect ones. They measure the patient’s antibody response to the infection, not the infection itself. The two most-used antibody tests are the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and the Western blot. The CDC recommends that doctors first order an ELISA to screen for the disease and then confirm the disease with a Western blot.

During the first four-to-six weeks of Lyme infection, these tests are unreliable because most people have not yet developed the antibody response that the test measures. Even later in the illness, the two-tiered testing is highly insensitive

missing roughly half of those who have Lyme disease.

Screen-Shot-2014-08-25-at-5.08.30-PM

Chart from Lymedisease.org

HIV/AIDS is diagnosed with tests that are both highly sensitive and highly specific. They are accurate more than 99% of the time.  How well would  AIDS patients accept testing that was accurate less than half the time?

I felt they were also generous in their dialogue about whether Lyme Disease is chronic or not.  

http://norvect.no/230-peer-reviewed-studies-show-evidence-of-persistent-lyme-disease/  According to NorVect, a Nordic non-profit organization, there are 230 studies stating borrelia persists.  I can’t believe this is still being debated.

And lastly, there is Sapi’s recent work showing borrelia biofilms exist, further demonstrating the challenge in eradication.    http://consumer.healthday.com/diseases-and-conditions-information-37/lyme-disease-news-454/lyme-disease-agent-that-eludes-antibiotics-found-study-708316.html

The CDC remains strangely quiet.  Meanwhile an African proverb comes to mind:

“The ax forgets; the tree remembers.”

We may be cognitively impaired, but we are far from stupid!

 

Category:

Activism, Lyme, research, Ticks, Uncategorized