Abdominal Pain in Child with Lyme

May 12, 2021

https://danielcameronmd.com/lyme-disease-manifests-abdominal-pain-child/  Podcast Here

LYME DISEASE MANIFESTS AS ABDOMINAL PAIN IN A YOUNG CHILD

lyme-disease-abdominal-pain

Hello, and welcome to another Inside Lyme Podcast. I am your host Dr. Daniel Cameron. In this podcast, I will be discussing the case of a 9-year-old boy who presented with abdominal pain as his first symptom of Lyme disease and the subsequent onset of attention deficit and ataxia (or difficulty in walking).

By

I first read about this case by Savasta and colleagues in the Italian Journal of Pediatrics.1

There are a growing number of signs and symptoms of Lyme disease in children. Savista and colleagues describe the 9-year-old child as having a one-year history of “abdominal pain, progressive poor scholastic performance and gait disturbance.”

At age 8, the boy had been hospitalized for severe abdominal pain and underwent extensive testing. But results were negative. His abdominal pain remitted over the next two months.

One year later, the boy became ill again with new symptoms. “He experienced learning difficulties with attention deficit and irritability, in addition, he developed difficulty in walking,” wrote the authors.  “When he was admitted to our Department he presented with ataxic gait, difficulty in speaking and attention deficit.”

The child was diagnosed with abdominal neuroradiculopathy. “Although not confirmed by nerve conduction studies, the clinical characteristics of the pain, the exclusion of other causes, the diffuse spinal roots enhancement on MRI and the additional confirmation of peripheral neuropathy are highly suggestive for abdominal neuroradiculopathy as symptom of onset of the disease,” the authors wrote.

“We observed ataxic gait, learning difficulties with attention deficit and irritability, signs and symptoms reflecting bacterial involvement of central nervous system,” the authors wrote.

Diagnosis and Treatment

Additional laboratory and radiological findings confirmed the diagnosis of late Lyme disease.

The boy was treated with 3 grams of intravenous ceftriaxone for 3 weeks, followed by an additional 3-week course of oral amoxicillin.

The treatment was prolonged “considering the disseminated and long-lasting illness,” the authors wrote.

They explain that in hindsight, “Indeed, a thorough past medical history collection evidenced that the onset of abdominal pain started 2 weeks after a tick-bite episode occurred during a walk in the wood.”

Three months after treatment, the boy’s gait and scholastic performance had improved and resolved completely after one year. A repeat of his spinal tap showed marked improvements.

The authors concluded the abdominal pain was due to painful radiculopathy.  Painful radiculopathy leading to abdominal pain has previously been seen in adults but not children.

They suggest that abdominal radiculitis, “although extremely rare, could be the first manifestation of early Lyme neuroborreliosis in pediatric patients.”

The authors did not address whether the abdominal pain was associated with autonomic dysfunction.

This case report highlights the importance of considering “Lyme disease in the differential diagnosis of abdominal pain of unknown origin in children, especially in countries where the infection is endemic,” the authors wrote.

This podcast addresses the following questions:

  1. Have you seen abdominal pain from Lyme disease in your practice?
  2. What types of abdominal pain have you seen in your Lyme disease patients?
  3. What is abdominal neuroradiculopathy?
  4. Abdominal pain can have many causes and is quite common in children. So, at what point do you consider Lyme disease in the differential diagnosis of a child with abdominal pain?
  5. What is the importance of the tick bite?
  6. What is the significance of the ataxic gait, irritability and learning difficulties?
  7. Will Lyme disease patients tolerate antibiotics?

Editor’s note:  I have had Lyme disease patients with abdominal pain associated with autonomic dysfunction in my practice.  Thanks for listening to another Inside Lyme Podcast. You can read more about these cases in my show notes and on my website @DanielCameronMD.com. As always, it is your likes, comments, reviews, and shares that help spread the word about Lyme disease. Until next time on Inside Lyme.

Please remember that the advice given is general and not intended as specific advice as to any particular patient. If you require specific advice, then please seek that advice from an experienced professional.

Inside Lyme Podcast Series

This Inside Lyme case series will be discussed on my Facebook and made available on podcast and YouTube.  As always, it is your likes, comments, and shares that help spread the word about this series and our work. If you can, please leave a review on iTunes or wherever else you get your podcasts.

References:
  1. Savasta S, Fiorito I, Foiadelli T, et al. Abdominal pain as first manifestation of lyme neuroborreliosis in children, case report and review of literature. Ital J Pediatr. Nov 23 2020;46(1):172. doi:10.1186/s13052-020-00936-y

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Lyme, Psychological Aspects, research

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Federal Gov’t Telling Facebook to Silence Those With Vaccine Safety Concerns Says Lawsuit & Center For Food Safety Sues NIH

May 11, 2021

https://www.activistpost.com/2021/05/federal-govt-telling-facebook-to-silence-those-with-vaccine-safety-concerns-says-lawsuit.html

Federal Gov’t Telling Facebook to Silence Those With Vaccine Safety Concerns Says Lawsuit

MAY 6, 2021

By Matt Agorist

It is no longer a random act — Facebook censorship has become so blatant and massive that they have indefinitely silenced the former president of the United States. Many pro-censorship advocates cheer this on because they dislike the voices silenced by Facebook. They attempt to justify the censorship with the claims that Facebook is a private company and can do what they want, a lawsuit filed against the social media giant says that is not the case.

A lawsuit filed by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — the chairman of the non-profit group Children’s Health Defense (CHD) — claims Facebook conspires with the federal government to squelch speech which advocates for vaccine safety.

(See link for article)

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**Comment**

Facebook attempted to have the case dismissed but so far the judge “took it under submission.”

While many have attempted to sue FB for censorship, their rebuttal has always been that FB is a private company and can do as it pleases.  What’s new about this lawsuit is the documented collusion between FB, the federal government, the FBI, the Atlantic Council or Digital Forensic Research Lab (government funded) and the CDC and “it’s proxy,” the WHO.

But that’s not all.

From government-funded censorship arms to the revolving door of high-level bureaucrats who fill the ranks of the oligopolies, the “private company” Facebook concept comes crashing down when taking a closer look. Private-sector firms do not need to be explicitly nationalized to further the establishment’s interests; it’s enough to install their alumni in top regulatory positions. Through these methods, Facebook can put on the façade of privatization while actually acting as deputies for the state but alleviating any constitutional checks in the process.

The author of the article states that the answer for this censorship lies not in regulation but in boycott and that it’s imperative to get off these spying, banning platforms who sell your personal information for profit, and whom are tearing society apart.

He further gives alternatives platforms.  You can check them out here.

Source: The Free Thought Project

Matt Agorist is an honorably discharged veteran of the USMC and former intelligence operator directly tasked by the NSA. This prior experience gives him unique insight into the world of government corruption and the American police state. Agorist has been an independent journalist for over a decade and has been featured on mainstream networks around the world. Agorist is also the Editor at Large at the Free Thought Project. Follow @MattAgorist on Twitter, Steemit, and now on Minds.

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https://www.centerforfoodsafety.org/press-releases/6350/center-for-food-safety-sues-nih-over-unlawfully-keeping-secret-federal-funding-of-research-creating-new-more-virulent-pandemic-viruses

Center for Food Safety Sues NIH Over Unlawfully Keeping Secret Federal Funding of Research Creating New More Virulent Pandemic Viruses

NIH Failed to Promptly Release Documents Concerning “Gain of Function/Gain of Threat” Research on Influenza, MERS, SARS, and COVID

MAY 04, 2021

SAN FRANCISCO–Last week, Center for Food Safety (CFS) filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit against the National Institutes of Health (NIH), an agency with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). CFS is suing the agency over its failure to release government documents related to the approval and issuance of NIH contracts and grants that fund research projects involving controversial gain of function/gain of threat studies with dangerous, so-called “enhanced potential pandemic pathogens.”

“The NIH’s refusal to make public the research it is funding to enhance the transmissibility, infectiousness, and lethality of potential pandemic viruses is grossly irresponsible,” said Andrew Kimbrell, executive director of Center for Food Safety. “We are litigating to get that information because transparency and public knowledge about these highly hazardous experiments could be an important step in avoiding the next pandemic.“

(See link for article)

Important excerpt:

NIH’s unlawful withholding of public records undermines FOIA’s basic purpose of government transparency. CFS has a history of suing the federal government to compel agencies to be compliant with FOIA. CFS’s FOIA program is committed to upholding the principles embodied in FOIA, such as maintaining an open and transparent government.

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Activism, vaccines

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Bill Gates, China, 23andMe, And Your DNA

The purpose of this post is 3-fold:

  • Everyone should understand this for privacy reasons.  Medical care should be personal, confidential, and protected.
  • Lyme/MSIDS patients in particular often get DNA testing to discover if they have the MTHFR gene or other genes that may inhibit proper detoxification as well as information on their ability to handle certain medications.
  • To reveal, yet again, the importance of understanding the many conflicts of interest and the tangled web of connections that best exemplify the expression, “Things are not as they seem.”  These conflicts of interest/connections drive public health decisions which in turn affect all of us.

https://www.thelastamericanvagabond.com/bill-gates-china-23me-and-your-dna/

Gates

Bill Gates, China, 23andMe, And Your DNA

Posted on Author
Derrick Broze
Is there a connection between China, Bill Gates, YouTube, and DNA collection?

Recent reports reveal that a Chinese company with connections to the Gates Foundation is involved in COVID-19 testing and poses a potential threat to American privacy, particularly the medical and health data of those who have been tested for COVID-19.

In late January, CBS’ 60 Minutes reported:

“60 Minutes has learned Chinese company BGI Group, the largest biotech firm in the world, offered to build COVID labs in at least six states, and U.S. intelligence officials issued warnings not to share health data with BGI. 

The largest biotech firm in the world wasted no time in offering to build and run COVID testing labs in Washington, contacting its governor right after the first major COVID outbreak in the U.S. occurred there. The Chinese company, the BGI Group, made the same offer to at least five other states, including New York and California, 60 Minutes has learned. This, along with other COVID testing offers by BGI, so worried Bill Evanina, then the country’s top counterintelligence officer, that he authorized a rare public warning.”

“Foreign powers can collect, store and exploit biometric information from COVID tests” declared the notice. Evanina believes the Chinese are trying to collect Americans’ DNA to win a race to control the world’s biodata.”  (See link for article)

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**Comment**

  • This information could be used to monopolize drugs and treatments.
  • Reuters reported in January that more than 40 publicly available documents and research papers show BGI’s regular partnering with the People’s Liberation Army (PLA). They share a dozen patents for DNA tests.  A 2015 patent is for a “low-cost kit to detect respiratory pathogens, including SARS (Sever Respiratory Syndrome) and coronaviruses.  
  • BGI’s chief infectious disease expert is listed as an inventor on the patent while also being one of the 1st scientists to have sequenced COVID-19 samples from a Wuhan military hospital. Please remember; however, that China’s chief epidemiologist states the virus was NOT isolated.
  • Natalie Winter of National Pulse uncovered documentation of a relationship between the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and BGI going back nearly a decade, with the Gates Foundation funding BGI projects relating to genome sequencing alongside Chinese Communist Party bodies such as the Ministry of Science and Technology and Academy of Agricultural Sciences.  Dr. Tadataka Yamada, former president of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s global health program, serves as the Chairman of BGI’s Scientific Advisory Board.
  • BGI, worth a market value of around $9 million and known for creating a cloned pig, has sold millions of their COVID-19 test kits around the world.

The article then switches to dangers posed by genealogy companies and that millions have voluntarily submitted their DNA for ancestry and health information.

A former counterintelligence officer told 60 Minutes that Chinese companies are investing in U.S. biotech companies which gives them access to health data. This officer ominously states that this genetic material represents “your past and your future as well as your children’s future.”

China is far from alone and most governments will seek to mine DNA information, which includes the U.S. government, military, as well as private companies.

The article then states 23andMe was discussed on 60 Minutes and that its CEO states the company plans to use DNA information to develop drugs.  The company announced in February it would become a publicly traded company with help from billionaire Richard Branson.

The article connects a spider-web which includes Branson, Jeffrey Epstein, Bill Gates and the BGI Group.  Another little known web includes the CEO of 23andMe, her sister who is CEO of Youtube, and her former husband – one of the founders of Google (which owns Youtube) and president of Alphabet Inc. until 2019.

These webs must be understood due to severe conflicts of interest to understand the wide censorship by Youtube labeling anything that doesn’t fit the COVID-19 narrative as “misinformation.” 

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Activism, Testing, Treatment, vaccines, Viruses

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“The Red Ring” – A Documentary About Tick-Borne Illness

https://www.lymedisease.org/red-ring-lyme-film

05 MAY 2021

By Dorothy Kupcha Leland

TOUCHED BY LYME: You can watch Lyme film “The Red Ring” online now

In 2011, Finnish filmmaker Joonas Berghäll was living his dream, making films about important topics. He went to Kenya to direct a documentary about women’s rights in that country. “I was working outside for three weeks and I felt good and strong,” he remembers.That changed dramatically when he returned to Finland. Within days, he started to experience a cascade of symptoms that hit hard and kept going—for weeks, and then months, and then years.

Pain, fatigue, insomnia, muscle weakness, digestive problems, losing his balance, memory lapses, brain fog…among others.

“I felt like there were snakes and fishes living in my stomach,” he said. By the end of the first year, he had over 20 symptoms.

82 doctors

In a scenario that’s painfully familiar to anybody with chronic Lyme disease, he went from doctor to doctor, desperate for someone to help him. He saw 82 practitioners, with no answers.

Finally, six years in, he located a doctor who tested him for Lyme disease and co-infections. Berghäll tested positive for three species of Borrelia (Lyme), as well as Babesia, Bartonella, Ehrlichia, Rickettsia, Mycoplasma, and several viruses. As the doctor noted: “Borrelia seldom comes alone.” Yet, although he was finally diagnosed in Finland, he could not obtain treatment there, and had to look elsewhere.

All this is the setting for a remarkable new film called “The Red Ring.” Being a filmmaker, Berghäll documented his circuitous journey from the very beginning. Eventually, he teamed up with producer Satu Majava, to create a film that raises bigger questions than just about his personal health.

Questions like: Why is this illness not taken seriously—all over the world? Why are there hundreds of millions of people suffering? Why isn’t the World Health Organization willing to address this? (He called the WHO over 50 times, seeking an interview. No dice.)

Berghäll attended a medical conference in Europe where he met and interviewed American Lyme doctor Richard Horowitz, former ILADS president Leo Shea, and other experts. In time, Berghäll spoke with patients, doctors and researchers from many countries, with differing points of view on the topic. One, a prominent infectious disease doctor in Finland, insists that testing is perfectly fine, and that chronic Lyme simply doesn’t exist. (Aarrrrrrgghh!)

The filmmaker even traveled to New York to start treatment with Dr. Horowitz. In March 2020, after coming to New York for a follow-up appointment with Dr. Horowitz, he had to scramble to get out of the country before international travel shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Watch the film now

“The Red Ring” is both riveting and educational. I encourage you all to take the opportunity to view it. It’s currently available to stream via Vimeo, for $3.99.

In addition, Project Lyme will host a Live Q&A about the film, featuring writer and director Joonas Berghäll and producer Satu Majava. It will take place May 15 at 12:00 pm EDT. To stream the film or register for the Q & A event click here.

Preview of the film:

Category:

Activism, Lyme

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Candida & Lyme

https://www.globallymealliance.org/blog/candida-and-lyme

Candida and Lyme

by Jennifer Crystal on November 9, 2020

Strategies and treatments for Lyme patients to avoid Candida overgrowth

When I was a teenager, I used to get yeast infections during the summers because I was always in a wet bathing suit. At least, that was the rationale I was given by doctors and other females, and it made sense. What I didn’t know then was that recurring yeast infections can also be a sign of a weakened immune system, something that would come back to haunt me in college when I started wrestling mysterious flu-like symptoms. The yeast infections persisted then, too.

People generally don’t talk about yeast infections because they seem like a private topic. But we should, because candidiasis—a fungal infection caused by yeast (Candida) overgrowth—is not exclusive to females or the vagina. In fact, many men and women alike suffer from Candida overgrowth and may not even know it. Candidiasis often occurs in the gut, causing symptoms typically associated with the gastrointestinal tract such as bloating, constipation, diarrhea, gas, blood sugar swings, and cravings for sweets; and those that aren’t, such as fatigue, depression, dizziness, itching, and hives. Candida can also manifest in the mouth as thrush, causing bad breath, a funny taste, soreness, white lesions, or a pasty white tongue.

I was first diagnosed with intestinal yeast overgrowth when I was wrestling a bad case of mononucleosis that slipped into chronic active Epstein-Barr virus. The naturopathic physician I was seeing told me excessive Candida could cause fatigue, inflammation, and headaches. In more serious cases, systemic candidiasis can, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) affect the blood, brain, heart, eyes, bones, and other parts of the body.

So, what does this have to do with Lyme disease? Many Lyme patients may already be dealing with candidiasis infections that are exacerbating or causing some of their symptoms. Coupled with Lyme disease, these symptoms become overwhelming. Moreover, antibiotics, a standard and critical treatment for Lyme, cause Candida overgrowth because they kill off the good bacteria in the gut. As Richard Horowitz, M.D. explains in Why Can’t I Get Better? Solving the Mystery of Lyme & Chronic Disease, “Although we all normally have Candida organisms present in our gastrointestinal tract in limited amounts, taking antibiotics for bacterial infections will encourage an overgrowth of Candida…Furthermore, many Americans have diets high in sugar and refined carbohydrates, which help promote yeast overgrowth.” Immune suppression due to stress—common for Lyme patients—and other factors such as medications that decrease the acidity of the gastrointestinal tract can also lead to Candida issues.

What can Lyme patients do to avoid and/or treat Candida overgrowth?

• Diet: We often hear of the “Lyme diet” to treat inflammation, which it does. It also combats Candida overgrowth. I have had success by eliminating simple sugars, gluten and wheat, and alcohol. In his book, Dr. Horowitz also recommends eliminating malt, vinegar, carbohydrates (including fruit early in treatment), all yeast-containing foods (most bread and cheeses, mushrooms), and fermented foods. How extreme you need to be with this diet depends on how acute your infection is. Because I am still on low-dose antibiotics, I have stuck to a gluten-free, low-sugar, alcohol-free diet while in remission. I avoid mushrooms and most yeasty foods but do eat dark chocolate, cheese, and whole grains. Talk to your Lyme Literate Medical Doctor (LLMD) about the best dietary changes for you.

• Probiotics: When you’re on antibiotics, you must take probiotics to replenish your system with good yeast. However, you must take the probiotics at least two hours before or after the antibiotics, or the antibiotics will kill the probiotics.

• Anti-fungal medication: For persistent candidiasis, some LLMDs prescribe anti-fungal medication, some of which have also been known to be effective against Lyme bacteria. They are not without side effects (some can cause liver or heart damage), so doctors use these sparingly and in low and/or pulsed doses, and you should have regular bloodwork to test your liver and other functions while you’re on these medications.

• Monitor symptoms and adjust accordingly: I can tell when yeast levels are getting high because I get a pasty tongue, have vaginal symptoms, or feel some gastrointestinal discomfort. This usually happens after I’ve cheated by eating several gluten-free brownies (naturally sweetened, but the sugars still add up). I will then be extra-careful with my diet in the following days, and it sometimes helps to eat something that tastes acidic, like grapefruit or tomato but is alkaline once digested (you’re trying to keep a healthy pH balance).

• Don’t cheat: With some diets, especially those that are just about losing or maintain weight, having a “cheat” day once in a while won’t have too many adverse effects. That’s not true with Lyme disease, especially if you are dealing with an acute infection. Eating a regular pizza or a chocolate chip cookie will probably make you feel horrible for a few days, and that’s not worth it. There are plenty of great alternative foods available.

If you find yourself craving sweets or experiencing unexplained fatigue or digestive symptoms, talk to your doctor about Candida, especially if you are being treated for Lyme disease.

For more blog posts, click here.

jennifer crystal_2

Opinions expressed by contributors are their own.

Jennifer Crystal is a writer and educator in Boston. Her memoir about her medical journey is forthcoming. Contact her at lymewarriorjennifercrystal@gmail.com.

 

Opinions expressed by contributors are their own. Jennifer Crystal is a writer and educator in Boston. Her memoir about her medical journey is forthcoming. Contact her using her email.

Email: lymewarriorjennifercrystal@gmail.com

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Both my husband and I took diflucan, an anti-fungal medication twice a week throughout our entire treatment journey (over 5 years).  I believe this saved us from many problems antibiotics can cause.  We also tried to limit sugar.  We also took a strong, refrigerated probiotic daily as well as a prebiotic (feeds the good guy bacteria), specially formulated for Lyme/MSIDS patients with many and varied strains of bacteria.  

Category:

Candida, Gut Health, Lyme, Supplements

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