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Aussie Barb
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Posted: Fri May 27th, 2005 21:55 |
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Post Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome
Post Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome (PTLDS) commonly known as chronic Lyme only occurs in a small fraction of the people who are bitten by ticks, those whose immune system cannot withstand the sudden challenge.
I have no doubt that borrelia L-forms are transmitted during sexual contact, and are probably spread by immunizations and blood transfusion. These bacteria are too small to be filtered during the 'purification' processes used in pharmaceutical manufacturing procedures.
Vectors are not the only method of transmission, in fact there are more cases where a vector cannot be implicated than where there is evidence of a clear bite.
We have shown how the susceptibility to Th1 inflammatory diseases most probably accumulates over a lifetime, and many of the elements of susceptibility seem to occur in the pre-natal or neo-natal timeframes. It is thus misleading to focus on the tickbite as being "the cause" of the chronic disease. And treating the patients for tickbite pathogens does not return them to 'health'.
Only when the underlying innate immune system overload is addressed, by the MP, does the Borrelia titre start to disappear, along with the signs of other pathogens. Susan explained this very well during her talk about her own recovery from chronic Lyme, in the "recovery" panel session at our 2006 LAX conference.
It doesn't have to be Borrelia which pushes the patient over the cliff, it can be Rickettsia, Mycobacteria, and no doubt many other pathogens yet to be identified ('TBD')
Dr. Andy Wright has found pleomorphic bacteria (in the blood of his patients), but they are not necessarily Borrelia Burgdorferi. It is hard to guess how much of the DNA of the pleomorphs maps to Borrelia. Indeed, one of Andy's patients had the same-looking pleomorphs, but did not flourescent-stain at all for Borrelia.
Borrelia, in the intracellular coccoid form, does not have a discernible 'natural life cycle.' The host phagocytic cells do regenerate due to apoptosis (programmed cell death) but there is now abundant evidence that the bacteria actually cause the phagocytes to live longer than the average 40 days (so as to not have to move-home so often, I guess ).
The reason that we have had success with the MP is that we realized early on that there were many species involved in Sarcoidosis. Borrelia, Propionibacteria, Mycobacteria and Rickettsia have all been isolated with PCR from sarc patients. So we had to design a therapy based not on the microscopic observations, but on the way the bacteria exert their damage upon the immune system.
It turned out that all Th1 diseases seem to have a similar multi-family mix of pathogens. We are almost certainly dealing with inter-species mutants.
The pleomorphism is the key. There are a number of species, including Borrelia, which can change to CWD, depending upon the environment they are in. Dr Andy Wright can culture the Spirochetes (characteristic of Lyme) right at the very edge of the slides on which he films the tubule-protected, the cyst, and the coccoid forms. The spirochete seems to be the adaptation for the harshest environments, while elements of the spirochete, like the flagellin, are not expressed (manufactured) when the microbe is in the CWD state.
Treponema can also form a spirochete, and, surprisingly, I have found that Benicar acts as an antibacterial for Treponema Denticola, the form of Treponema found in CWD form in the mouth and gums (in 'biofilms,' mainly).
IMO, Borrelia is a better term than 'Lyme.' Borrelia is a potent pathogen. But it is not a single entity. The genome of B.Burgorferi, for example, has a chromosome, and between 17-21 plasmids (depending on the study). The plasmids contain almost as much DNA as the chromosome, and are self-replicating and capable of horizontal DNA-transfer to other other pathogenic species. So B.b is a moving target, not a single entity. Similarly Baciillus anthracis has two plasmids, one of which contains the genes by which it evades phagocytosis. Rickettsia has one plasmid. These species can share their plasmids, share their ribosomes, share their toxins, and in a chronic disease they have plenty of time to figure out how to share the very best features of each species.
So from a scientific perspective, it is statistically unlikely that any one pathogen is the primary pathogen in these chronic diseases. By using the term "Lyme" one tends to think of a primary pathogen, and a vector-borne pathogen at that, and this tends to blind one to the complexity (and sophistication) of the antibiotic-resistant pathogens we are dealing with in Th1 disease.
There are bacteria with bigger genomes than Borrelia, and certainly there are more dangerous species, but I haven't seen any with a greater number of plasmids. The potential for horizontal DNA transfer to other pathogens is what makes Borrelia a 'bad guy,' in my opinion. But there is no indication (at this point) that Borrelia, acting on its own, can evade phagocytosis. A strong immune system will kill it. But an immune system weakened by other chronic Th1 pathogens cannot deal with the challenge Borrelia poses.
The longer one is infected the higher the intensity of mutation and the more chance it will be visible in DNA testing for the HLA haplotypes. The HLA haplotypes are more likely to be the result of an infection than the cause.
Again, I continue to maintain that Borrelia burgdorferii is not the primary cause of Chronic Lyme symptomology. Chronic disease is due to a mixture of pathogens, accumulated over a lifetime. This accumulation makes one more susceptible to subsequent viral or bacterial infection, including Tuberculosis and HIV.
All Chronic-Lyme is CWD
Further, I am sure that Borrelia is not the primary pathogen, as it is present in not all Th1 patients. Andy (Wright) has some who are Borrelia-negative, and several Sarc studies have shown varying percentages with Borrelia PCR.
The issue of testing is very complex because you are dealing with imperfect tests, and pleomorphic organisms.
Another key point is that Dr Garth Nicholson's data shows several species of pathogens are common, but not universal, throughout his GWS and CFS cohorts.
and:
Folk commonly confuse spirochetes with Borrelia. All that they found in the PCR study you linked to was DNA. http://www.anapsid.org/lyme/bach.html
In fact, it would have been RNA, since it was dicovered by PCR techniques. And that RNA would more likely have come from L-forms than spirochetes. FYI, intracellular Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacteria have also been found in semen. The basic concept the story at your link is trying to convey is correct, but their understanding of pathogenic science is minimal, to say the least
Dr. Trevor Marshall, Ph.
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Please see:
Dr Marshall's presentation at "30th Anniversary of Lyme" Download RealPlayer - Free
and
The Marshall Protocol for Lyme Disease and Other Chronic Inflammatory Conditions
This two-part article appeared in the Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients in the April and May, 2007 issues (http://www.townsendletter.com).
Part One: Overview and Implementation
Part Two: Scientific Background, Data, and Case Histories
(The photographs in Part Two are too dark in this reproduction to the see the fine biofilm filaments of the CWD bacteria escaping from the white blood cell.)
Copyright (C) 2007 J.C. Waterhouse, PhD. Contact her to request permission for republication in newsletters etc. (jcwat101@aol.com).
Related FAQ:
Will the Marshall Protocol treat co-infections? Last edited on Thu Jul 19th, 2007 16:24 by Meg Mangin R.N.
____________________
Barb: Dx Inflammatory Disease Endocrine Imbalance 2003| 24+ years not Dx| Cut D/exp July04| NoIR Aug04 Comm Beni| Sept05 off Thyroxine| CLICK ABCofMP
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Aussie Barb
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Posted: Fri May 27th, 2005 21:56 |
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Post Treatment Lyme Disease is successfully treated with the Marshall Protocol:
Ceredwyn: Ph3: Lyme: greatest gains in the emotional/cognitive area
Dody: Lyme: quality of the life. camping activities.
MaBear: Lyme: great improvement I have made on the MP.
Corey K. ph1 + ph3 update: 13yo son of Teri K: Lyme ADD w/cardiac symptoms: enjoying his new-found energy and health
Izzy: on a break: noting overall improvements: pain, energy, thinking, BP, eyes.
BenK: Lyme: 17 months on MP & never better.
Interview with Ken L. - Post Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome (PTLDS)
Interview with Melinda Stiles – Lyme, Irritable bowel syndrome/colitis, radiculitis (inflammation of the nerve roots)
Interview with Robyn Russell - Lyme, myoclonus
Interview with Sue Andorn - Lyme, babesia
Interview with P. Bear R.N. - chronic borreliosis, multiple chemical sensitivities, chronic spinal inflammation, peripheral neuropathy
joannem: Lyme: Noting multiple improvements
Jasmine: Lyme: multiple improvements
Mike27: Lyme: Young man completes Law School using the MP!!!
Sue A: Lyme and bartonella gone....vision improved
davbrkr Dave: Lyme 40+ yrs: 1 month-17 days on Phase I
afetzer: Lyme: early improvements
Cold Feet: Lyme: back to work again!
tadpole: Borreliosis EM: improvements: alopecia, brain fog, strength.
DrVikki: Lyme co-infec: great gall bladder test results
Jay4me: Lyme, FM, CFS: improvements. Staph mass gone
hellohope: Rickettsia, CFS: from disabled to able.
Joyce Waterhouse: Townsend Letter: 9 documented MP case studies
joannem: Lyme / FM noticable changes for the good
TeriK: Sarc / Lyme: I am so much better just after the first year!
Matt Happy New Year 2007
Lori Lyme includes tale of woe re IV Treatment Pre-MP
Lori - Lyme
neuro immunopathology and sensation returning:
LH1953/Lori: Lori: w C LYME: MCS IC Asthma ... How grateful am I.
DrVikki Lyme co-infec: Phase 3 update: social / cognitive improvements
Joyce Waterhouse: CFS/FM/Lyme for 18 years: neurological improvements.
Marie's Progress - Lyme
Desert Marie Lyme so much better after 8 months
Melinda Progress Report/Lyme 2 yrs end of Aug06
Melinda LYME: The MP has given me my life back.
Aunt Diana Lyme
AuntDiana: LYME: MP for 8 months. I am definitely going in the right direction.
Linda Jones - Lyme- many improvements
Matt 14 Lyme symptoms/record of progress
Lonestartick: Late-stage Lyme patient with co-infections - MP is the only treatment that has ever handled all of my infections.
Lonestartick: neuro-borreliosis (chronic, late-stage Lyme disease) turned the corner..
P.Bear R.N.: LYME: MCS: There is more than a light at the end of the tunnel...
livitup/ Linda: Lyme: improvements..
DrVikki:- going out in the world
DrVikki: LYME with co-infection. thrilled with the MP
Debbie PCRLyme: improvements
Semper Fi LYME: I feel great 100%.
Jolbell The MP has been a miracle for me!! Chronic Borreliosis & Bartonella
Physical & emotional improvements
GeorgeinRollaMO: Borreliosis does respond to the Marshall Protocol safely!!!
GeorgeinRollaMO: Libido
Marianne L. walking, balance, fine motor skills, swallowing, talking, strength, weight: Improvements....
-I'm reading from your posts that you (and your doctor) are not sure your body can recover from the damage that has been done over the course of your illness and the 12 years of antibiotic treatments you have already been through. That can't be an easy place to be in and I have not faced as long a history as you, so I can't say I know how you feel from my own experience.
But I also have been diagnosed with Lyme Disease and much of my symptoms relate to my CNS (neuro stuff). And I have read over and over on the lymenet.org about relapses and how the neuro stuff just snowballs with each relapse. It was very alarming to consider that my future could be that bleak. but I am not afraid anymore and I'd like to share some of why with you in hopes that you will be less concerned and more hopeful too.
{Hey, take note: I'm not a medical person, but I'm a very interested patient! So, please read my following opinions with that in mind.} 
It is true that many people seem to be unable to recover from damage to not only the HPA, but also lungs, joints, eyes and other parts of their bodies during chronic disease.
But I am not worried about these issues on the MP for some very specific reasons.
(1) there is scientific evidence, published over the last 100 years, that the stealth pathogens the MP is targeting exist in chronic disease and are even infecting our stem cells. This prevents our bodies from having the capacity to heal themselves.
(2) by lowering inflammation using the Benicar, these stealth pathogens will no longer be hidden from my immune system and therefore will be dealt with by my own immune system during my treatment.
(3) by inhibiting key protein synthesis by the stealth bacteria using the Minocycline and other bacteriostatic antibiotics, these stealth pathogens will be at an even greater disadvantage against my immune system and therefore will be slowly, but surely eliminated.
(4) we know that the co-infections (like babesiosis and boreolosis) are not the root cause of our body's failure to heal themselves and our immune systems will only be able to truly eradicate them once the stealth pathogens are cleared from our stem cells, immune system cells, etc..
I wonder if some of the symptoms that LLMDs attribute to the TBD co-infections are actually effects on our endocrine system from the imbalances created from excessive 1,25D (caused by the stealth pathogen's activities). This extra 1,25D binds to hormone receptors and interferes with everything from adrenals to thyroid to thymus to pituitary, and so on it goes.
I do not fear "irreparable damage" because I have faith in my own body's ability to heal itself ... once it is not longer crippled by these stealth infections.
After spending the past 8 months of reading individual progress reports that confirm that these processes of healing are happening in real people's experiences, I am convinced that our well-meaning doctors who are fearful of unrecoverable damage do not understand the power of our own bodies to heal.
Short of a miracle, they probably have never seen what a patient's body can do to heal itself ... once their body is free from these stealth infections that our doctors have no way to identify or treat using standard practices.
So, while it may feel like the co-infections are getting the upper hand and just causing you a great deal of trouble right now, those on the MP have seen how persistence towards the goal of dealing with the true root cause will brings them into a place of true healing that lasts. Therefore the MP only wants to offer methods that will help with the symptoms without stopping the underlying work of getting our own immune systems restored.
The MP folks have also seen how adding antimicrobials (the big guns, like high dose garlic, or even arteminisin) to a person after they have started the Benicar can cause intolerable symptoms that may put the person off from continuing the MP at all. They want to help us avoid all that pain and suffering.
I think the hardest thing to get my brain around is that the MP medications are not being taken to chemically "kill" anything. They are only there to level the playing field for my immune system to take over. Antimicrobials create an environment where the pathogens shift into hiding. But, we need the bacteria to sense that the 'coast is clear' so they come out of hiding where our immune system can deal with them, therefore we avoid the antimicrobials on the protocol.
I also find it difficult to be patient with allowing my own body to reset and rebalance itself. I want to be better and I want it now! No more weird skin stuff, no more hair loss, no more cognitive struggles! I'm sure you can relate to that! However, my intuition says to me that it is wiser and I will be stronger if I allow my body to rebalance on it's own without propping it up with supplements.
Well, there I go again, my thoughts ran away with my fingers... Maybe something in this long note to you will be of some benefit. 
Chronic Lyme is tough. Weaning steriods is tough. The MP is tough. Good thing you have what it takes (motivation), and you have people that are going through the same things (me included) who care and who will try to encourage you along the way.
May your vision guide you through! ~Joyful
Last edited on Wed Jun 11th, 2008 22:17 by Aussie Barb
____________________
Barb: Dx Inflammatory Disease Endocrine Imbalance 2003| 24+ years not Dx| Cut D/exp July04| NoIR Aug04 Comm Beni| Sept05 off Thyroxine| CLICK ABCofMP
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Aussie Barb
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Posted: Fri May 27th, 2005 22:05 |
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Pertinent FAQs
Is pulsed minocycline alone effective?
Should I treat my co-infection before I start the MP?
Do the D tests rule out Babesia? Will the MP treat other co-infections?
Will the MP treat paresthesia and neuropathy?
Topic Could a parasite hinder effectiveness of MP on Lyme?
CELL WALL DEFICIENT BACTERIA AND THE MARSHALL PROTOCOL
A Simple Explanation
The Marshall Protocol -- simple explanations
for patients and physicians
Dr Marshall's presentation at "30th Anniversary of Lyme" Download RealPlayer - Free
____________________
Barb: Dx Inflammatory Disease Endocrine Imbalance 2003| 24+ years not Dx| Cut D/exp July04| NoIR Aug04 Comm Beni| Sept05 off Thyroxine| CLICK ABCofMP
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Meg Mangin R.N.
Research Team
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Posted: Thu Jun 23rd, 2005 10:17 |
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Lyme disease
Lyme and borreliosis are both caused by the CWD bacteria called a borrelia. Lyme, by definition of the US's CDC (Center for Disease Control), is caused by the borrelia that was found around Old Lyme and Lyme, Conn. It was named borrelia burgdorferi after the man who discovered it, Dr. Willy Burgdorfi, Phd, a micro-biologist. It was further named borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto, a sub-species of the family of borrelia, Bb sensu lato.
There are at least 82 strains of Bb sensu stricto in the US. There are over 100 strains of BB sensu lato in the US alone....I understand over 300 worldwide. The medical name should have been used for the disease, borreliosis. But it sure is easier to say Lyme, and the media loved that name for the "new" disease that was "discovered" by two mothers in about 1975, but which really goes back to 1895 or so in the US, and back further in Europe.
Borreliosis is the medical name for a disease in which any borrelia is involved. The world outside of the US uses borreliosis. The folks on the East Coast particularly like to use, and almost insist on using the term "Lyme" for all borrelioses. "...ses" is the plural.
The CDC has within the last two years isolated and named another borreliosis, STARI, caused by the borrelia lonestari....which has the same symptoms as the earlier Lyme. More researchers and clinicians within the US are starting to use the term "Lyme borreliosis", because in their minds, I guess, they realize that the greater term "borreliosis" is the better... it can then be divided into the various strains as found. And it is sometimes said as Lyme borreliosis in the rest of the world.
I think that when the term Lyme is used, they are referring to the symptoms that everyone has come to learn rather than a particular strain of disease of a particular strain of bacteria. I am a strong advocate of using borreliosis, as you may have been able to tell.
Influenza is a good analogy. One can have Hong Kong A flu, Hong Kong B flu, etc. The problem would be, but does not exist for influenza, if the test were set up for only Hong Kong B flu, and denying the existance of any other flu if one did not pass the test for HK B.
The test criteria as setup is designed only for the one strain of borrelia, Bb sensu stricto. The big fallback for the CDC is their saying that that is the only strain of disease that "is proven" for Lyme. And in a sense of strict terminology, they are correct. But there are many other strains of borrelia not yet isolated, cultivated, and "proven" to cause a disease. However, borrelia do not like to be grown outside of a living animal.
You can have borreliosis and not have Lyme. If you have Lyme, you have borreliosis.
Don't forget, that borrelia have been found in the gut of mosquitoes, fleas, sandflies and horseflies... and some others that I cannot remember. Don't get locked into thinking that borrelia will be vectored by only ticks. Again, the word "proven" is used.
Borreliosis will, and does, respond to the Marshall Protocol...safely!!! Provided that one does THE Marshall Protocol, and not something else, such as, even using the same meds, but in a different way.
George Rollo 
LYME/BORRELIOSISlink
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Aussie Barb
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Posted: Thu Jun 23rd, 2005 15:07 |
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Fibromyalgia masks as PTLDS
George wrote:
Dr. Charles Ray Jones, a noted pediatric LLMD from Conn, who has treated thousands, has said in a tape he made, that fibromyalgia is really Lyme disease. My LLMD has said to me that he thinks fibro is really Lyme, also, or, as he likes to call it, borreliosis.
I do not know that one needs to know if it is Lyme or fibro if one is doing the MP, but perhaps for personal satisfaction of knowing a reason for the fibro. The orthodox medical community says that fibro is of unknown cause, as you probably know already.
As mentioned previously, the premier labs for testing is Igenex for the WB test, which looks for the antibodies (which have some problems with being produced, such as you may not have any spirochetes in your body for antibodies to be produced against, but have cyst and/or coccoid forms, and you will have the disease), and, the Bowen RIBb test which looks for the borrelia burgdorferi bacteria itself, spirochete and cyst form. I do not know about the coccoid form. The Bowen RIBb test also looks for two or three other pathogens at the same time. The Bowen also gives a relative quantitative measure of the number of bacteria by the dilution ratio. The last feature is handy to see an objective improvement while doing the MP, and may assist one to decide an end point in doing the MP. But endpoint is only for the borrelia CWD. You may have other CWD besides borrelia that may be causing the Th1 inflammation.
When I have been feeling real lousy from herxing, and might wonder if it is all worth the trouble, I now have the objective dilution ratio for me to remember is going down… for the very first time. The AP (antibiotic protocol) did not move my dilution ratio from the highest, 128. After six and a half months of mino on the MP, my Bowen was 32. I am going to do another Bowen in August. Trevor has said that someone has gone from Positive to Negative on Bowen RIBb tests, after doing the MP.
Technically, if you really want to know if you have “Lyme disease”, you need to do a next to worthless ELISA test, followed by a Western Blot… so says the CDC, and which criteria is followed by most other countries. EXCEPT, in Germany, you need only two out of nine titers on a WB for one to be reported as having “ borreliosis”.
Since the Bowen RIBb looks for borrelia burgdorferi, IMO, it cannot tell you for a certainty that you have the Bb that causes Lyme disease or not. But it will find Bb if they are present.
Lyme disease is caused by borrelia burgdorferi senso stricto, which is but one subspecies of the greater family, borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato. Bb senso stricto is what the CDC found to be causing the illness around Lyme and Old Lyme, Conn, and is what the CDC is calling Lyme disease. You can be feeling like pure misery with all kinds of symptoms but if you do not present with the results of an ELISA and WB tests for the Bb sensu stricto, the CDC does NOT want to know about you. They only want to know about this very select case….for surveillance purposes. This is part of the big controversy about this illness. (Oh, you can fulfill the criteria if you have the EM.)
I understand that there are 82 known strains of Bb sensu stricto, and over 100 strains of Bb sensu lato in the U.S. alone. And that does not include the other known varieties of borrelia. Don’t forget the New Jersey researchers have found out that borrelia bacteria mate, and share genetic material, so that new strains are being formed quicker than tests can be devised for the new strain.
I personally like the Bowen test just because it does as dsiebenh says, “and tends to report positive results for many specemins.” Those specimen are Bb if Positive, but may not be the Bb sensu stricto.
I know that I failed to test for Lyme disease on a WB test per CDC criteria, but I did have some bands for borrelia. I also tested Positive for Bb on a Bowen RIBb test, at the highest dilution ratio of 128 to begin with. I have borreliosis, the better name for the illness… by far!!! It is the medical name if one has borrelia in one’s body, and has illness.
This whole thing can be compared to designing the test to find Hong Kong B flu only, and, if you do not test for Hong Kong B flu, telling you, you do not have flu. Yet, one may know full well that one has flu by the symptoms.
U. S. Public Law 107-116, signed as law in January 2002, told the CDC to correct this discrepancy, and the CDC has not done one iota so far in the over three years since the law went into effect, except to make disparaging remarks about “certain labs” via their bulletin system. Guess which labs those are?
Forget “Lyme”. Think and say, “borreliosis” pronounced bor rel e o sis For some reason that I cannot understand, folks from the East Coast insist on the saying, Lyme disease, instead of "borreliosis". They would be better off using the medical name, IMO. It would then include all of those cases that are falling through the cracks in the CDC criteria for surveillance purposes, and in the very least, we would have much better statistics of the extent of the illness. Does it make a difference if you are sick with the flu to know whether which flu you have?
George Rollo
.....
I forgot to mention that there is also another illness now recognized by the CDC within the last two years...STARI Disease, which the CDC says is caused by borrelia lonestari, which is supposed to have "lyme-like" symptoms. STARI is for Southern Tick Associated Rash Illness, and is supposed to mainly in the S.E. U. S.
Two researchers in Missouri, Dr. Ed Masters, M.D., a clinician specializing in tick-borne diseases, and, Dr. Greg McDonald, Phd, a microbiologist, who was affiliated with UMissouri-Columbia, both have found evidence that there is a third borrelia that is causing illness, which has not been recognized by the CDC.
Curiously, a CDC website that I found in the beginning of April 2005 said that there are fifteen borrelioses. Sorry, I did not bookmark the site. I found it under borreliosis, I believe.
I think that what was found around Lyme and Old Lyme, Conn is just the tip of the borreliosis iceberg. I think that many more will be found as the tests are developed and the effort is made to look for ALL of the other borrelioses.
IMO, knowing is good for encouraging one doing the MP, and, for the other very good purposes that Hrts has mentioned.
George
.................
____________________
Barb: Dx Inflammatory Disease Endocrine Imbalance 2003| 24+ years not Dx| Cut D/exp July04| NoIR Aug04 Comm Beni| Sept05 off Thyroxine| CLICK ABCofMP
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Meg Mangin R.N.
Research Team
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Posted: Fri Jun 24th, 2005 02:54 |
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LYME/BORRELIOSISlink
Testing
Note: Bowen Lab closed 12-22-07 when its director retired.
Many Lyme disease patients have been diagnosed with Lyme using the Q-RIBb direct detection test at the Bowen Research and Training Institute in Palm Harbor, Florida. The lab closed on December 22. The director and president, Dr. JoAnne Whitaker, has retired. People are being referred to The Central Florida Research Lab, a new laboratory at 245 N. Seminole Ave., Lake Alfred, FL 33850, phone 863-956-3538. They are working on a new Lyme disease test that should be available soon. The Q-RIBb direct detection test is no longer available.
Dr. Whitaker has had Lyme disease since childhood and has worked well past normal retirement age to help Lyme disease victims. Her dedication has enabled thousands of Lyme disease patients to get diagnosed and treated. We are very grateful for her dedication and accomplishments.
As reported in the Greater Kansas City Lyme Disease Asso's January '07 Newsletter.
===================================
The consensus within the Lyme community seems to be that the Lyme ELISA test is worthless, Western Blot tests from most labs are questionable, and the "gold standard" is the IGM and IGG Western Blot test from Igenex Labs (http://www.igenex.com).
There is also a lot of interest in the Flourescent Microscopy tests done by Bowen Labs (http://www.bowen.org), but this test tends to be questioned by the medical establishment, as it is not yet approved by the FDA, not covered by insurance, and tends to report positive results for many specemins.
dsiebenh 
.......................................................................
GeorgeinRollaMO writes:
"If you will go to http://www.bowen.org, you can read/make contact with the Bowen Research and Training Laboratory yourself.
I believe that I have read that they have accepted samples from Europe. You will need to ship the sample Priority Overnight Express. It is a long flight from Melbourne, but I would think it is a do-able, if packaged correctly. Not inexpensive! But a person can throw away a lot of money on this disease if one does not get a good diagnosis.
May I offer a suggestion? Stop using the term "Lyme disease". Use "borreliosis" instead. The bacteria that cause Lyme disease are borrelia, therefore, "borreliosis" is a more correct medical terminology, though it is not as easily said. The word is pronounced bor rel e o sis. Well, in my part of the world.
Lyme disease does exist. However, it is so narrowly defined that too many people fall through the cracks of the definition. Too many medical doctors and insurances take the very strict definiton for surveillance purposes as the definition for diagnosis and treatment... and not give treatment, based upon the fraudulent criteria, and rather poor tests that it is based upon.
Please read the excellent report by Pamela Weintraub on the CDC Dearborn Conference that set up the criteria...
http://www.astralgia.com/magazine/bitterfeud.htm
Our US Congress passed a law in January 2002, Public Law 107-116, that told the CDC to get their act together and correct things based upon a Senate Committee looking into the situation. It is now over three years since that Public Law went into effect, and the CDC has not done one iota to correct the fraudulent criteria... eg, titer #31 is not included in the array of titers that are allowed for the ten titers. Yet, the titer is soooo specific for the bacteria that that is the titer that the pharmaceutical vaccine companies based their vaccines upon. And in direct conflict with that Public Law, the CDC is putting out disparaging remarks via their bulletin system against those labs that have come up with a better test than what the CDC is requiring for reporting for their surveillance purposes. The Bowen test is one of those better tests!!! Though the CDC does not use the name in their disparaging remarks.
After nuclear amounts of varying antibiotics over a long period of time, I tested at the highest dilution ratio of 128 on the Bowen RIBb test in June 03. I continued those abx, and was re-tested in Dec 03 at ratio of 64. I thought that I was gaining ground, so continued the abx including as much as 1,500 mg of Flagyl abx, which is tauted to cause very strong herxes. In April 04, my Bowen dilution ratio was again at the highest, 128. I was very depressed about the situation. I discovered the MP on June 9, 2004, and started the MP on September 1, 2004. I re-tested with the Bowen on April 19, 2005, and had a dilution ration of only 32. I am elated!!
My herxes on the MP have been harder than any that I had on the AP (antibiotic protocol). Uncomfortable at times, but controlable, and certainly within my limitations. I do take short vacations from the minocycline every so often.
I recommend the Bowen RIBb test! Whether it is the exact same strain of borrelia (borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto) that causes Lyme disease is questionable in my mind, because that strain is so narrowly defined. I think that any borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, the greater family (genus) might be causing the Th1 imflammation, not just the Bb sensu stricto. But who cares? What one really wants to know is whether one has borrelia in their body. The Bowen test does that!!!! Even the CDC on one of their websites says that there are "fifteen borrelioses" that cause disease. I would wager that there are many more borrelia when the test are developed to find them, and the effort is expanded to do the searching.
Please think and use the word, "borreliosis". It will at least not raise the red flag with doctors and insurance that Lyme disease seems to do.
If you wish to discuss this further, please send me a PM.
I am on a project with my Missouri State Dept of Health to have them change their regulations to have docs report "borreliosis" as well as "Lyme disease", so that at least my State will get a better handle of how many people are suffering from borrelia caused disease. My Petition is getting "due process". The laws are already on the books requiring surveillance of "contagious disease", even by "arthropods". I am hopeful."
Dark Vader (aka, George)
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When you say "titer 31", I don't know what you're referring to. Is it one of the bands on the Western Blot?
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Yes, titer is another name for band. Titer #31 is band 31.
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I have noticed that I should make a few corrections to my spelling in my posting...
The bacteria name is borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto... leave the "s" off of the "burgdorferi".
I wrote, "Even the CDC on one of their websites says that there are "fifteen borreliosis" that cause disease." The plural of "borreliosis" is "borrelioses", so I should have written "fifteen borrelioses", as the CDC site has done.
And, I wrote, "...so that at least my State with get a better handle of how many people are suffering from borrelia caused disease." I should have written, "...my State will get a better handle..."
Under what I have proposed for new regulation in this State, you would be reported under "borreliosis". I secured a copy of the number of case reports in my State going back numerous years before the CDC Dearborn criteria and after. I realized that what the doctors were seeing did not go away, but that it needed to be reported, also. And, it is a much larger number than the CDC "Lyme disease", by a factor, based on those case numbers of approximately three to one. "Borreliosis" is the answer. I suspect, like every one, that the number is much larger. But it is a start to get changes!
I would like to see folks in other States push for the same change... at their State level. The CDC is too entrenched in their thinking, or whatever. We have to side-step them. And the same could apply in Australia, as well.
BW! George
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I emailed Dr. Whitaker's lab in Florida, and they sent me details regarding getting this test done by sending a sample (from Australia) to the USA. The cost is $250 U.S.
The cost for the the Bowen RIBB is $250 for the lab fee, which must be paid either by money order or credit card. It is not FDA approved as yet, but they have done over three thousand, or even more since I last heard, so is not insurance paid. There is also the FedEX Priority Overnight shipping fee (to reach the lab by 10:00AM the following morning... on Mon, Tues, Wed and Thurs only). Plus whatever the doc needs to charge for his participation, which is required by the lab, per new U.S. Federal law (to protect our privacy ).
I believe that Igenex's name for their test is "Western blot for Lyme". http://www.igenex.com
Bowen calls theirs "Bowen q-RIBb" (Rapid Identification of Borrelia Burgdorferi)
http://www.bowen.org
Since you say that the medical community says that there is no Lyme in your area, they may be correct (considering the CDC criteria for Lyme disease), but there might just be a lot of "borreliosis", which they might be more willing to explore with you than "Lyme disease". All that is needed is to have two 5-ml purple stoppered vials of blood drawn by the doc/lab tech there, and packaging it to send. Saying "Lyme" seems to raise a red flag with docs and insurance!!! You might be able to talk one of them into giving you an order for the RIBb test, and work with you to do it, as though he and you were on an exploring adventure. All paper work can be handled by FAX, rather quickly. Then, if that test came back Positive, you would be on stronger ground for asking to do a "Western Blot for Lyme disease", if you still wanted to know if your illness was "Lyme disease", instead of one of the many other "borrelioses". And you do not have to "prime" the immune system into making antibodies with the Bowen RIBb test as you do with the WB test, with all of that expense (LLMD, abx, transportation, lodgeing, etc... at least not in the beginning of this exploration. The RIBb looks for the antigen itself.
Borrelia are CWD, and really what you want to know for your own information, and a buttress for all of the reasons that Hrts gave you for getting financial help.
George Rollo
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I am pleased to announce that IGeneX, Inc. recently passed two inspections on September 7 and 8, 2005, for its biannual recertification from the State of California. A federal inspector also arrived simultaneously, indicating she was present due to the NY Times article August 23 which had made allegations against IGeneX laboratories. The inspection was intense, with a focus on the Western Blots which had been cited in the NY Times article.
The lab has been fully recertified, and the inspectors clearly saw the allegations were without merit.
Despite a volume of letters to the Times after the article by patients, groups, and doctors in support of IGeneX, nothing was printed by the Times.
IGenex thanks all the Lyme community for your support. Perhaps the Times will relent and print another piece on this issue.
Sincerely,
Nick Harris
CEO, IGeneX Labs
Palo Alto, California
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Bowen q-RIBb test:
Dr Marshall wrote:
There is only one true marker of progress, the rate at which you regain your health. There are a plethora of markers used by phsyicians these days, and they go in and out of favor every few months. These include CD-57 and VEGF. But they are just markers of inflammation. Flourescent antibodies, of the type used by Bowen (borrelia) and Jardin (Rickettsia, in South Africa) have been proven for decades to be accurate markers of the actual organisms themselves.
The CDC has just issued a directive that Bowen Labs is contaminated, and not to be trusted. This is because, according to the CDC, nearly every test from Bowen comes back positive. However, we don't see that. In two of the MP folks their titres have steadily dropped, every 3 to 6 months. This indicates, to me, that Bowen labs is accurately reporting the organism, but that the organism is endemic.
see George Rollo Personal Tests
Like everybody, I would love to know exactly what microbe is causing my problem. However, I do not think that is possible in this day and age. And, it may well be more than one microbe that is causing trouble....a stew or soup of troublemakers may be at work. But for the buck spent, I think doing the Bowen q-RIBb test is worth the expense. It will give one the knowledge of at least one CWD bacteria, and one that may be more widespread than authorities would like to admit. I truly believe that Borrelia bacteria are epidemic, and our trouble is really "borrelioses" (plural), not Lyme disease, which is just one "borreliosis", in many, if not most, cases. And having the Bowen dilution ratio as a relative quantitative guide should be helpful to see that the MP does work. It is reassuring for me to see my numbers get lower! If one gets a Positive on the Bowen, does the MP, and sees the dilution ratio go down, one will know that the MP should be working for all of the CWD bacteria. The test is a bit more objective than "I feel better!", during a period when one is herxing, and that feeling can change from day to day.
To search for all CWD bacteria, and keep tabs on all of them, would require a research lab dedicated for the individual alone. Perhaps, Howard Hughes could have supported such a scheme of things. It would be out of the question for most people, self included.
To my understanding, the Bowen test is an antigen test, meaning it looks for the bacteria itself, rather than the antibodies that our immune system produces in reaction to the antigen (bacteria). To my understanding also, the current antibody tests, such as ELISA and Western Blot tests, can not show a quantitive amount...this is what makes the Bowen test, a test for the antigen, so much more valuable. Would you clarify this for me, please?
George
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I agree with George.
I was chatting with an ID specialist in Germany who routinely sends blood from his patients to the US to be tested for Borrelia by Bowen Labs, and down to South Africa to be tested at the Jardin lab, which has had been doing flourescent antibody testing of Rickettsia for nearly a decade. This is another of the nasty bugs, and he tells me they are almost all positive at the highest dilution.
I have just identified, using bacterial genomics, another couple of possible nasty species, but there are no decent tests for them yet. However, at least in Sarcoidosis, both Borrelia and Rickettsia have been identified at high rates, so, if money is not an object, you might find antibody testing for both these species will allow you a quantitative track of your progress.
..Trevor..
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To my understanding also, the current antibody tests, such as ELISA and Western Blot tests, can not show a quantitive amount...this is what makes the Bowen test, a test for the antigen, so much more valuable. Would you clarify this for me, please?
George
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The Bowen test uses a Flourescent Antibody to identify the Target Bacteria. So when I talk about an 'antibody' I am not implying any are present in the patient, they are the basis of how the Bowen and Jardin testing procedures work.
..Trevor..
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http://www.bowen.org/index_018.htm
George this Bowen link, which I have pasted an excerpt below, has helped me to understand their testing and maybe will others who are interested.
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"...Dr. Whitaker developed the titration serial dilution method for quantitating the amount of Bb antigen in the blood. This may help to differentiate the carriers from the patients with serious disease by comparing persistence of fluorescing structures. In this part of the test, whole blood is diluted and fluorescent antibody added. The solution containing the antigen is progressively diluted down until a count of the antigen in that particular blood sample remains.
Findings are documented with digital photography using Darkfield microscopy.
The Bowen Q-RiBb isn’t looking for antibodies; it detects the actual antigen - the L-Form (cell wall deficient form) of the bacteria in the blood. The Bowen Q-RIBb accomplishes this with the use of fluorescent staining specific for detecting Bb that attaches to the protein in the L-Form. They use green in the stain because the eye is more sensitive to green and it can easily be seen under the Darkfield microscope. The Darkfield microscope is a high magnification microscope with a special lighting feature which allows for greater observation of the blood samples. Fluorescent staining for specific bacteria has been around for over fifty years.
We chose, due to having to work with other specialists to run Igenex IgG and IgM Western Blots, after "priming" with abx to stir things up....we are all CDC positive. Had this not occurred, as I am aware that false negatives do occur (especially with inferior labs and not priming) we certainly would have gone with Bowen. Our hanging point though was that other physicians and specialists with whom we must deal----are accustomed and more inclined to take a positive Western Blot at face value."
hrts
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I have just rec'd my B. burgdorferi test results back from IGenex. In a nutshell, they reported my IgM as positive, but my IGG as negative. What does this mean?
IMO, if a person has even one titer on a WB test for borreliosis, the person has borrelia in his body. Any borrelium is a CWD bacterium from what I understand. Therefore, if one has CWD bacteria in their system, and symptoms of illness, they will have a Th1 inflammation, whether they are aware of it or not. This opinion is not shared by the orthodox medical community, and insurance, I realize.
You have more than one titer on your WB test for borrelium. An "IND" on your test means that the technician saw something, or otherwise he/she would have given a "-" for that titer. The technician compares two things with his/her eyes for determining whether there is a titer to report. If the tech sees absolutely nothing, then the "-" is given. IMO, an "IND" is the very first step of reporting a titer, then comes a "+", then "++".
I was first bit by a tick in the Spring of 1958. I was not aware then that anything was caused by that tick bite. I thought that it was just a nuisance. However, I NOW realize that the "sun stroke" stroke that I had just a few months later from being in the sun all day sailboating was the first of such sun intolerances when I went sailboating in later years. I did a WB test in August of 1999 to be used as a "base" of information for later use should I come down with any tick-borne disease. I felt well through all of those years. However, that "base" WB showed two titers for borrelia. I did not qualify for a diagnosis of "Lyme disease", but those CWD bacteria were at work causing me some silent symptoms, caused by a dysregulated 125D hormone, causing resorption, which caused me my osteoporosis and osteoarthritis (bone spurs that had to be removed surgically). I had another tick bite in March 2000 that caused me to "crash". Another WB done in August 2000 did show an increase in titers, but not enough to qualify for "Lyme disease". I did have titer #31 though!!! My LLMD did treat me based upon my symptoms/clinical diagnosis. I did my first Bowen RIBb test in June 2003, after three years of the AP (ILADS LLMD antibiotic protocol), and had a Positive for Bb at the highest dilution ratio, 128. My wife, who had been bitten at the end of June 1999, (nine months ahead of me in relation to my "crash"), and had her first Bowen test in August 2003, had a dilution ratio of only 16. Those two titers that I had on that first WB, and my high Bowen dilution ratio, had to be saying that my disease was in the making a very long time.
I would suggest that you read the following material CAREFULLY, and make your own decision as to what your WB means:
1.) Article by Pamela Weintraub at http://www.astralgia.com/magazine/bitterfeud.htm
on CDC Dearborn Conference of 1994 setting WB test criteria and Lyme vaccine
2.) Article about WB bands at http://www.geocities.com/HotSprings/Oasis/6455/western-blot.txt
by Art Doherty
3.) Article ritten by Tom Grier, which can be found at http://www.canlyme.com using Search for "Tom Grier", part of which follows:
Immune Responses
The first antibody our body makes in response to a foreign invader is usually immunoglobulin type M, abbreviated as IgM. This large antibody takes two to four weeks to be made in quantities large enough to be consistently measured. It is at its peak of production four weeks after exposure to an antigen. The IgM antibody will only stay in circulation for about six months, and then levels are usually too low to detect. If infection persists, this antibody may also persist. In general, a Lyme patient who consistently has detectable IgM levels is usually chronically ill, but its absence is not a reliable indicator of cure.
The second antibody we make after the IgM is the IgG antibody. This antibody takes four to eight weeks to form, and is gone in less than twelve months. It peaks at about six weeks. This antibody crosses the placenta, so an infected mother can pass this antibody to her child. An IgG antibody titer in a newborn does not have to mean active infection. It does mean the mother has had exposure, and the child must be carefully monitored for signs of the disease.
IgM:
This is the earliest of the antibodies to appear in response to an infection. It is produced in quantity. It is six times larger than the IgG antibody. Because of its size, this immunoglobulin does not cross the placenta. Since it cannot enter the fetus from the mother, any newborn that starts to make IgM antibodies against Lyme disease must be infected. However, a fetus exposed to Borrelia burgdorferi early in the pregnancy may never make an antibody response to the Lyme bacteria because the baby's immune system doesn't recognize it as foreign.
IgG:
This antibody remains the longest and is the foot soldier of the immune system. It attacks viruses, bacteria, yeast, toxins, and transplants. The IgG antibody can kill bacteria indirectly by tagging or marking the foreign invaders for destruction by the killer cells (T-cells, macrophage). Or, it can kill the bacteria directly by evoking compliment, a series of enzymes and proteins that will dissolve the intruder.
Conspicuously absent are the most important bands, 22, 23, 25, 31, and 34, which include OSPA, OSP-B and OSP-C antigens - the three most widely accepted and recognized Bb antigens. These antigens were the antigens chosen for human vaccine trials. This abstract showed that, under the old criteria, all of 66 pediatric patients with a history of a tick bite and bull's-eye rash who were symptomatic were accepted as positive under the old Western Blot interpretation.
Some of the information in these are outdated now by the knowledge of Dr. Trevor Marshall, Phd, but are useful, nevertheless.
George (aka, Dark Vader)
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CD-57
This is a new test done by labcorp. Lb is, reportedly, the only bacteria to lower this subset of the natural kiler cell.
CD-57 cells "are down-regulated by so-called TH1 cytokines (such as IL-2, IFN gamma, TNF alpha)" - Dr. Ray Stricker - York 2004 LDA Conference.
George Howell writes:
"Instead, it remains low until the LB infection is controlled, and then it will jump.", and the last sentence, "If the CD-57 count is not in the normal range when a course of antibiotics is ended, then a relapse will almost certainly occur." makes me cautious about this test.
I suspect that this test does not really show much about the Th1 inflammation caused L-forms (cyst and coccoid) of the bacteria as a factor.
Dr. B sure seems to think that the spirochete is the only factor in Lyme borreliosis if you read his Guidelines. IMO, and experience, the spirochete is a factor.
However, the Th1 inflammation caused by L-forms living in the macrophages is definitely a big factor, in my experience, for a whole set of symptoms, and the reason for relapsing.
I see this test leaving one really open to NOT knowing whether one is 'cured'."
Hrts writes:
"Our Lyme care provider is very much on the cutting edge----we have had CD57's run. In our cases-----I am the most disabled---on disability, and yet my CD57 is not nearly as poor as other patients I have conversed with or my own family members. I would not use this as a diagnostic test, personally at this time. Perhaps in some it can be used to monitor treatment progress."
Dr Marshall: I wouldn't trust the CD-57 test further than I could throw it, as I don't agree that the science underlying this test is sound.
One of the Pubmed articles describing this test is here: http://tinyurl.com/o9faj
and here is another: http://tinyurl.com/myp6n
I would be happy to talk with your LLMD and explain why I think a test based on such limited immunological knowledge, and such a tiny cohort of patients will ill-defined disease presentation, is hardly suitable to be used as a basis for clinical decision making.
You need to understand that chronic Lyme patients have gone seronegative due to MP therapy, something that was never contemplated by the authors of the two studies cited above. One of those chronic Lyme patients tells her story on the DVDs of our 2006 conference, which should be out in a few weeks.
..Trevor..
CD-57 test is irrelevant unless you are bound to prove that you are infected with borreliosis. However, if you are chronically ill, you don't need any tests. A simple therapeutic probe with the MP with demonstrate the need for MP treatment.
Last edited on Mon Jan 22nd, 2007 19:21 by Meg Mangin R.N.
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Meg Mangin R.N.
Research Team
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Posted: Fri Jun 24th, 2005 03:00 |
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LYME/BORRELIOSISlink
Testing may be needed for disability
For many chronic late-stage disseminated borreliosis is a very disabling disease. Many times previous diagnoses have included Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome or ME. For some who are no longer employable, it might behoove them to be tested through the two best labs, Igenex and Bowen. (Some may even become unable to work during the treatment phase, as the herxing or light exposure may increase symptomology). In that case we may be looking at an extended time, as a possibility for unemployment. Therefore, I think that testing is a very good idea for those who suffer from some of the various syndromes, and in which Borreliosis may be a factor.
Many with this disease are diagnosed as having Fibromyalgia Syndrome, or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. While this is true in and of itself (the patients meet all the criteria for diagnoses of such), many are carrying a bacteria, which can be detected and will assist them in documentation to support a disability claim if unable to work. Having comorbid diagnoses of FM, and/or CFS, documented by one's physician, along with the borreliosis diagnosis, and the disabling reports in the functional tests one's physician provide the SSA will greatly help someone being awarded a favorable claim. This will allow the unemployable to receive some income while unemployed and disabled, and Medicare health coverage, which may be very helpful. As we all know chronic illness is a huge financial setback for most.
FM and CFS are often difficult to "prove" in the manner that the SSA desires, as they look for testing as a mainstay. Many times FM and CFS patients are told they they test normal in areas investigated. For that reason alone, I think one should have as much testing done to support one's case, as did my lawyer. It can be difficult (not impossible though) to receive a disability award with FM and/or CFS alone. I was one of the fortunate, but now I know at review time, that I have even more documentation, after being seropositive on an Igenex Western Blot, and seropositive for co-infection, also. Although, I do hope to be well enough to return to my vocation in the near future, SSDI and Medicare has been a necessity for myself.
The Western Blot often does not come up positive in patients who have not been on abx therapy prior to testing, as their bodies do not seem to be manufacturing antibodies. This situation is very often remedied by LLMD's "priming" the patient with a short antibiotic protocol, prior to testing, thus achieving some die-off of Borrelia organisms, and an antibody response, making for seropositive test results. We had seronegative tests in the past, until we were "primed" for a few weeks with abx in 6 of our family members. Our bodies then made antibodies---and we recieved positive results for Borrelia infection, and other co-infections, such as Erlichiosis, Babesia, and Bartonella. We highly recommend Igenex, as compared to a lab one's physician regularly uses.
Although, I believe that the Bowen Labs, are very accurate in their assessments, one will often find that in conventional mainstream medicine, if one waves a positive Western Blot in their face, will take it much more seriously. I have heard rumors that Bowen will be moving on, and changing from research lab designation in the future. (This would be great). We have heard many physicians disclaim their tests, unfortunatley due to this designation.
This is the reason we went with Igenex, as it seemed to be a less bitter pill for mainstream docs to accept, as many do not believe that "chronic Lyme Disease" exists, and they are more convinced when they see a positive Western Blot. They are familiar with Western Blots, and hold them to be "proof positive". We also ran PCR's at the same time for further proof, avoiding the Elisa altogether, as it doesn't have a great track record. Since Borreliosis is a systemic disease one can have to deal with many areas of specialities, and will want the doctor to consider the disease in their assessments, another reason for testing. One can convince a nephrologist, endocrinologist, cardiologist, pulmonologist etc. that as the abx protocol does its job, that the manifestations of the disease will diminish, and can avoid some pretty aggressive treatments, that may be not be needed.
Most of all though, none of us is sure with our level of health and subsequently our employability that it may not change at a moments notice, it would seem testing for Borreliosis, would be a wise investment to protect one's income and health benefits if the need arises. Many hesitate since they do not believe they have had tick exposure. We all now know that they are many more modes of transmission than this. I would like to stress that testing may be beneficial if the need arises to make a disability claim, or to sustain one.
Hrts
PS. I also wanted to add it is most beneficial to be seen and tested by an LLMD (Lyme Literate Medical Doctor), as they will know what priming may be necessary, and are very familiar with the labs that are most accurate. Many physicians are not Lyme literate, unfortunately.
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Aussie Barb
Research Team
| Joined: | Thu Jul 22nd, 2004 |
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Posted: Fri Jun 24th, 2005 16:35 |
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Will the MP clear cyst forms and coccoid forms?
The MP should kill all the species of tick-borne aliens, including the cyst and coccoid L-forms. The antibiotics we use target the 70S ribosome that all forms of the bacteria use to create the proteins they need to survive.
..Trevor..
Lyme Disease (Bacterial Survival In Adverse Conditions)
The Strategy of Morphological Variation in Borrrlia burgdorferi and Other Spriochetes
"If it's a manipulation ((of the host by the parasite)) and you treat it, you're avoiding damage, but if it's a defense and you treat it, you sabotage the host."
Paul Ewald, PhD
(professor of biology at Amherst College)
Last edited on Thu Jul 26th, 2007 00:10 by Meg Mangin R.N.
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Barb: Dx Inflammatory Disease Endocrine Imbalance 2003| 24+ years not Dx| Cut D/exp July04| NoIR Aug04 Comm Beni| Sept05 off Thyroxine| CLICK ABCofMP
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Meg Mangin R.N.
Research Team
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Posted: Thu Jun 30th, 2005 00:54 |
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LYME/BORRELIOSISlink
What to do if you are bitten by a tick
See How to remove a tick
Standard treatment
When you are bitten by a tick, you may or may not develop the classic bulls-eye (or other) rash that signals an acute borreliosis (Lyme disease) infection. For this reason, many doctors routinely prescribe a course of doxycycline after a tick bite. This may be as little as a one time dose of 200mg or 100mg twice daily for 21 days. Lyme disease caught in its early stages is highly favorable to treatment and this is the best course of action for those not already on the MP.
"Most medical treatments are developed by consensus over a period of time. The medical profession (as a whole) thinks that doxycycline will do the job. Minocycline would work better, but it is usually a fruitless task to try and explain 'why' to a Doc who routinely uses doxycycline." ..Trevor..
If you are already on the MP and you develop a bulls-eye rash after a tick bite or you think a tick bite has put you at risk for Lyme disease, ask your doctor about taking 100mg minocycline twice daily for 30 days. If your immune system reactions do not yet allow you to take 100mg of minocycline with Benicar, your symptoms of immunopathology suggest that bacteria are already being killed and you are at low risk for developing Lyme disease. If you have already progressed to the maximun dose of antibiotics in phase 3, you may opt to continue this effective treatment for killing many bacteria.
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Meg Mangin R.N.
Research Team
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Posted: Fri Jul 1st, 2005 11:15 |
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LYME/BORRELIOSISlink
The Marshall Protocol and borreliosis
There are many patients with confirmed Borrelia who are using the MP to kill that chronic infection.
Some of the pathogens, notably Borrelia, extract their energy from glucose, and I think it is not a good idea to increase the pathogens' level of well-being.
..Trevor..
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Does Elisa test and western blot drop down after or while progressing on MP?
Yes
..Trevor..
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Lyme PCR (urine) test showed positive for the first time. Is there any basis for that being associated with the protocol?
The bacteria causing chronic illness hide inside the phagocytes of the immune system. In sarcoidosis patients there are no antibodies, no sign of bacteria at all, until they start taking the MP antibiotics, when their antibodies and SED rates often immediately start to show the bacteria which are being killed.
I would surmise you are seeing the same effect. As the bacteria die within the phagocytes, and cause apoptosis of their 'homes,' the fragments of their RNA appear in the bloodstream in sufficient quantity to be measured by PCR technology (I am assuming it is an RNA based PCR assay). That's good news indeed!
..Trevor..
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Dr. Marshall is finding a high rate of improvement in the more than 50 chronic LD patients that he is tracking on the MP. Some of these patients are at an advanced stage of recovery, despite many years of chronic illness and unsuccessful antibiotic treatment. Full recovery may take 18-36 months, though most patients experience significant improvement in the first 9-12 months.
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"The spirochetes in-vivo are not classical 'ketes. In particular, they have no flagella (you know, the things that all the tests are looking for). They are coccoid forms inside some sort of transparent biofilm, I think. Anyway, all these antibiotics will kill them at the peak MP concentrations. 100mg Mino for 2-6 hours after you take it is above the MIC, for example. So the mobile bugs will be dispatched as well. But remember that when the intra-cellular form is killed there are no more blood-borne 'ketes eminating from them. It takes a long time to kill them all, While there are still some inside the cells they will eventually leave the cells and enter the bloodstream, especially as the cells die through apoptosis."
..Trevor..Last edited on Fri Jan 27th, 2006 02:24 by Meg Mangin R.N.
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Meg Mangin R.N.
Research Team
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Posted: Fri Jul 1st, 2005 11:21 |
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LYME/BORRELIOSISlink
http://tinyurl.com/55cf7
Study finds changes in Lyme bacteria - Lyme Bacteria mate!
Discovery expected to improve treatment
Tuesday, September 28, 2004
BY ANGELA STEWART Star-Ledger Staff
New Jersey researchers have discovered unique genetic elements associated with different strains of Lyme disease, which could aid vaccine development and improve diagnosis, according to a study released today.
Led by scientists at the UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School in Newark, the study focused on the genetic makeup of the bacteria that causes Lyme, including the proteins. The findings may help explain why some people get a mild form of the disease while others experience major complications, such as neurological problems, said Steven E. Schutzer, an immunologist at the UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School who served as principal investigator of the study.
To the scientists' surprise, said Schutzer, they discovered that the bacteria that cause Lyme disease (Borrelia burgdorferi) do indeed mate and exchange genetic material, a process that may lead to infection.
"Before this, scientists were unaware that the Lyme disease bacteria could modify themselves so rapidly," he said. "The implication is that the bacteria may produce a more disseminated infection in the patient that results in infection involving multiple parts of the body."
The study appears in the journal, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. It was funded by the Jackson-based Lyme Disease Association Inc., the National Institutes of Health and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.
Pat Smith, association president, said the study "opens up a whole new world of possibilities" for Lyme patients in the areas of diagnosis and treatment.
"If scientists could figure out how they could possibly disrupt the ability of the organism to exchange this genetic material, maybe the disease would be a lot less virulent than it is," she said.
Lyme is a tick-borne illness that peaks in the spring and summer months. It is sometimes characterized by a red bull's-eye rash surrounding the tick bite. But diagnosis is a problem, since Lyme can mimic other diseases and not everyone gets the classic rash.
To conduct their study, Schutzer and his team identified and studied strains associated with Lyme disease in the United States. They then performed sequencing to determine the genetic compositions of each Lyme strain.
"This study really lays out all the different proteins of Borrelia, and as a result of that, we know we have a much larger group of substances to use for both a vaccine and (as targets) in helping diagnose the disease," said Benjamin J. Luft, chair of the Department of Medicine at the State University of New York at Stony Brook and a senior author on the study.
New Jersey ranks third in the nation in Lyme cases, with 2,887 reported last year to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. However, the actual number is believed to be much higher because many cases go unreported.
Angela Stewart writes about health care. She can be reached by e-mail at astewart@starledger.com or at 973 392-4178
Copyright 2004 NJ.com. All Rights Reserved.
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Meg Mangin R.N.
Research Team
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Posted: Mon Jul 4th, 2005 14:15 |
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LYME/BORRELIOSISlink
Tick-Borne and Other Emerging Infectious Diseases
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Meg Mangin R.N.
Research Team
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Posted: Wed Jul 20th, 2005 00:50 |
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