Morgellons Disease Physicians Reference Guide of symptoms with common emerging patterns among sufferers plus diagnosing the disease using dermascopes
Physicians Reference Guide
We believe that Morgellons Disease is going to fundamentally change the way doctors examine and diagnose patients and urge physicians to start using assistive optical tools during exams so they can learn to identify the disease.
Above: Fiber partially emerging from skin. 200x
Camera: Celestron 44306
Below: Fiber and particle.
Symptoms of Morgellons:
• Intense itching
• Biting, stinging and crawling sensations under and on the skin
• Eruption of rashes or sores with possibility of non-healing lesions (although this may not be a symptom in everyone)
• Bacterial infections
• Fungal/yeast overgrowth
• Debilitating fatigue
• Neurological problems and ‘brainfog’
• Fibers under and emerging from the skin. These fibers are not textile in nature and are the defining symptom of Morgellons
• ‘Black specks,’ and ‘sand-type particles’ just under and emerging from the the skin
• Possible joint pain and/or muscle spasms
Morgellons sufferers report an array of symptoms happening just under the skin, such as the emergence of fibers and filament clusters, specks, particles and sand shaped granules, yet physicians are unaware of this phenomena because they are not using enlargement devices. An unaided visual exam using the naked eye is no longer appropriate to an emerging illness involving so many artifacts. No one trusts the judgment of a mechanic who refuses to look under the hood of a car.
A more thorough approach needs to be taken using equipment such as dermascopes and microscopes, as this is the only way to identify the microscopic fibers that are the defining symptom of Morgellons, and which separates it from all other diseases. Using a dermascope can also prevent misdiagnosing diseases that have some similar symptoms, such as Lyme (although some patients may have both). Microscopic enlargement needs to be at minimum 60x-200x in order to see the fibers clearly.
As evidenced in the photos in our galleries, there is something clearly wrong with the skin of Morgellons sufferers. Without the use of enlargement aids, this might not be apparent. Most doctors currently believe that the fibers patients come to see them about are 'textile' in nature. If you take a look at the galleries of fibers in , , , and , you will see that these filaments are invading the body systemically and cannot possibly be textile. Indeed, we are even seeing these fibers in our source. View the page to quickly see the commonalities of these fibers. Click here to view other particles in the skin as well as other unidentified artifacts.
• Randy Wymore, Director of OSU-CHS Center for the Investigation of Morgellons Disease and Associate Professor of Pharmacology and Physiology had the fibers analyzed at the Tulsa police department's forensic laboratory. The Morgellons particles didn't match any of the 800 fibers on their database, nor the 85,000 known organic compounds.
According to Nancy Guberti, Certified Holistic Nutritionist, the nutritional testing used in functional medicine is showing an emerging pattern among sufferers:
• Oxidative stress
• Elevated ‘VMA’ (vanillymandellic acid)
• Elevated ‘HVA’ (homovanillic acid)
• Elevated ‘Hippuric Acid’
• Overgrowth of Bacteria, Yeast/Fungus, taxonomy unavailable
• ‘Non-human parasite, taxonomy unknown'
• Morgellons sufferers going for the test at Fry Labs are testing positive for a previously unknown protozoa.
For those insisting the CDC study of Morgellons laid down the law for definitive answers about Morgellons, I'd suggest you listen to Doctor Randy Wymore speak more in depth about the study and its inherent flaws and bias. http://www.krmg.com/Player/101246021
Published: 12 February 2015
Exploring the association between Morgellons disease and Lyme disease: identification of Borrelia burgdorferi in Morgellons disease patients
Marianne J Middelveen1, Cheryl Bandoski2, Jennie Burke3, Eva Sapi2, Katherine R Filush2, Yean Wang3, Agustin Franco3, Peter J Mayne1 and Raphael B Stricker14*
Morgellons disease (MD) is a complex skin disorder characterized by ulcerating lesions that have protruding or embedded filaments. Many clinicians refer to this condition as delusional parasitosis or delusional infestation and consider the filaments to be introduced textile fibers. In contrast, recent studies indicate that MD is a true somatic illness associated with tickborne infection, that the filaments are keratin and collagen in composition and that they result from proliferation and activation of keratinocytes and fibroblasts in the skin. Previously, spirochetes have been detected in the dermatological specimens from four MD patients, thus providing evidence of an infectious process.
(2013) has revealed the presence of Borrelia in Morgellons lesions in everyone tested. http://f1000research.com/articles/2-118#.UYJpb9wTIR4.facebook
Morgellons: a novel dermatological perspective as the multisystem infective disease borreliosis [v1; ref status: awaiting peer review, http://f1000r.es/116]
Peter Mayne1, John S English2, Edward J Kilbane3, Jennie M Burke4, Marianne J Middelveen1, Raphael B Stricker1
Morgellons disease (MD) is a term that has been used in the last decade to describe filaments that can be found in human epidermis. It is the subject of considerable debate within the medical profession and is often labeled as delusions of parasitosis or dermatitis artefacta. This view is challenged by recent published scientific data put forward between 2011-2013 identifying the filaments found in MD as keratin and collagen based and furthermore associated with spirochetal infection. The novel model of the dermopathy put forward by those authors is further described and, in particular, presented as a dermal manifestation of the multi-system disease complex borreliosis otherwise called Lyme disease. A differential diagnosis is drawn from a dermatological perspective. The requirements for a diagnosis of delusional disorder from a psychiatric perspective are clarified and the psychological or psychiatric co-morbidity that can be found with MD cases is presented. A concurrent case incidence is also included. Management of the multisytem disease complex is discussed both in general and from a dermatological perspective. Finally replacement of the term ‘Morgellons’ by ‘borrelial dermatitis’ is proposed within the profession.
Characterization and evolution of dermal filaments from patients with Morgellons disease
January 8, 2013
Dr. Marianne J Middelveen, Dr. Peter J Mayne, Dr. Douglas G Kahn, Dr. Raphael B Stricker
"In summary, histological observations and electron microscopic imaging from representative MD samples suggest that dermal filaments are composed of keratin and collagen and result from proliferation and activation of keratinocytes and fibroblasts in the epidermis."
F1000 – Morgellons Study Cited by Faculty of 1000 Study of Emerging Skin Disease Among Top 2% Published
June 12, 2012
Morgellons Disease: A Chemical and Light Microscopic Study
Marianne J. Middelveen1, Elizabeth H. Rasmussen2, Douglas G. Kahn3 and
Raphael B. Stricker1*
May 15, 2012
Morgellons disease is an emerging multisystem illness characterized by unexplained dermopathy and unusual skinassociated filament production. Despite evidence demonstrating that an infectious process is involved and that lesions are not self-inflicted, many medical practitioners continue to claim that this illness is delusional. We present relevant clinical observations combined with chemical and light microscopic studies of material collected from three patients with Morgellons disease. Our study demonstrates that Morgellons disease is not delusional and that skin lesions with unusual fibers are not self-inflicted or psychogenic. We provide chemical, light microscopic and immunohistological evidence that filaments associated with this condition originate from human epithelial cells, supporting the hypothesis that the fibers are composed of keratin and are products of keratinocytes.
PubMed – Filament formation associated with spirochetal infection:
a comparative approach to Morgellons disease
Marianne J Middelveen and Raphael B Stricker
Nov 4, 2011
Bovine digital dermatitis is an emerging infectious disease that causes lameness, decreased milk production, and weight loss in livestock. Proliferative stages of bovine digital dermatitis demonstrate keratin filament formation in skin above the hooves in affected animals. The multifactorial etiology of digital dermatitis is not well understood, but spirochetes and other coinfecting microorganisms have been implicated in the pathogenesis of this veterinary illness. Morgellons disease is an emerging human dermopathy characterized by the presence of filamentous fibers of undetermined composition, both in lesions and subdermally. While the etiology of Morgellons disease is unknown, there is serological and clinical evidence linking this phenomenon to Lyme borreliosis and coinfecting tick-borne agents. Although the microscopy of Morgellons filaments has been described in the medical literature, the structure and pathogenesis of these fibers is poorly understood. In contrast, most microscopy of digital dermatitis has focused on associated pathogens and histology rather than the morphology of late-stage filamentous fibers. Clinical, laboratory, and microscopic characteristics of these two diseases are compared.
Keywords: Digital dermatitis, Morgellons disease, Lyme disease, Borrelia burgdorferi, spirochetes
An excerpt from Dr Horowitz's latest book, "Why can't I get better?"
"Although we still do not completely understand this syndrome, I have treated Morgellons patients successfully, starting with using the sixteen-point MSIDS diagnostic map to ferret out any underlying health problems and treating with the same antibiotics used to treat Lyme and associated co-infections. The most effective antibiotics have included tetracyclines (doxycycline, minocycline), macrolides (Zithromax, Biaxin), Septra DS, and quinolone drugs (Cipro, Levaquin, Avelox, and Factive). Often the skin lesions and associated symptoms resolve once the above antibiotics are used in a comprehensive treatment plan"
Horowitz, Richard (2013-11-12). Why Can't I Get Better?: Solving the Mystery of Lyme and Chronic Disease (Kindle Locations 2662-2666). St. Martin's Press. Kindle Edition.
Excerpt below from a paper written by Randy Wymore
"Homeworld," a Morgellons sufferer shares his observations of urine particles as they sprout fibers (Below: Figs 1-9)
Photographs of urine sediment collected on 4mar2011
Urine pH 7.1
Light dusting of sediment; just enough to cover the bottom of a 15 ml vial.
Particles extracted with pipette; one drop on a slide, no stain.
Camera used: Celestron 44306 imager placed on the eyepiece of a MI-5000 STD microscope, using 4x and 10x objectives.
[160x and 400x, verified with etched calibration slide]
Homeworld's observations: "The photographs display evidence that the urine sediment is not merely mineral accumulations being flushed from the body. The photographs indicate that the particles are very active, and are growing "tendrils," fibers," "ruffles," protrusions," and are creating connections between themselves. These connecting "fibers" appear to be creating translucent "crystal clear" objects that give the appearance of "crystal fibers."
Although Morgellons has no known ‘cure’ at this time, we believe recognizing and identifying the disease gives a patient something to go on so they can start becoming proactive with their health.
This is a costly illness with many patients seeing anywhere from 10-60 doctors without a diagnosis. Often these visits are out-of-pocket expenditures as patients escalate up the food chain to specialists not within their health plans, bankrupting themselves unnecessarily. Having a diagnosis will allow sufferers to make informed decisions about their next healthcare choices.
There is no silver bullet when it comes to Morgellons. A holistic approach working with diet and pH, plus supplements to rebuild the body's systems is one avenue towards proactive change and symptom reduction.
Fibers and particles in various states of emergence from the skin. This mass exodus happens after coconut oil has been applied to my skin and usually takes 3-4 hours after application to see these kind of results. Enlargement 200X
One last thought if there are any physicians out there reading this...
I hope there is enough material here for you to consider that there is a serious health situation going on. Fibers under the skin can clearly be seen in these photos as well as in urine and stool, plus the lab doing DNA testing has noted that they are seeing fibers in stool samples. I truly do not understand how this could be misconstrued as a mental illness—and anti-depressants and anti-psychotics are not a fix. This community is looking for a way to repair the health of the body.
A quick Google search revealed that only a quarter of the dermatologists in the United States even own a dermascope. Plus, a scope that only enlarges 10 or 15 times, is not going to be appropriate for diagnosis of Morgellons. The fact that our doctors are supposedly experts and authorities, and considered the last word in the eyes of most of the public, yet are clearly not equipped to diagnose a new disease such as Morgellons, reflects poorly on the medical profession.
You have power to move the Morgellons cause along, if only you will participate. We need your support and input as health "authorities" to bring credibility to the phenomenon happening. If you think there are not enough people sick with this disease to warrant your time, think again and heed a call from those of us who are looking at the skin of our friends and families and are finding fibers in them. As of yet, this "healthy" population is asymptomatic, but we believe they are carrying the seeds of this disease in their systems. When and if they will become ill is still to be determined.
The sooner you look, the sooner the alarm bells can be sounded. If I can do this with a $70 microscope, so can you. Imagine a world in which every patient going for a physical with their GP or dermatologist had 3 minutes devoted to examination of the skin with a scope—and what kind of data could be gathered from this! That's the kind of world I would like to live in.
One final note before I step off my soapbox is to reinforce the oath you took on becoming a doctor. "Do no harm." Putting in someone's record that they have Delusional Parasitosis (DOP) has long-term unforseen effects on the lives of the patient and if you are unlicensed in the mental health field, you do not have the authority, or training, to make that judgement call. DOP in patients records have led to loss of their legal rights, hospitalization against their will and in some cases children being removed from their parents. Please think of this before you act.
For those patients seeing a doctor for the first time, and are planning to talk about Morgellons with them, you should go armed with printouts of the above articles as well as this Practitioner's Letter. The more prepared you are, the more credible you appear. Also, be cautious as to how you phase things as in "I'm having crawling sensations on my skin." instead of "I'm infested with bugs!" I'd refrain from using the term "Morgellons" until you had more of a sense of your practitioner.
Above: Fiber is magnified 200x. Notice how it is being pushed up out of the skin.
Above: These bunch of fibers were on the inner joint of the index finger. They are clearly visible both under the skin and emerging. At the time this was taken, my urine pH was very low (acidic) and I was having a hard time bringing it up to alkaline for two days. When I checked my skin I saw many more fibers then usual and many were still under the skin. I asked myself what would cause such fiber growth, and made the connection to an acidic system. This confirms for me, what "Homeworld" and others have said about Morgellons fiber growth—keeping the body alkaline slows the growth process down.
Above: Various artifacts that came from the skin of a Morgellons sufferer.
Above: The underside of the Morgellons lesion reveals a complex root system. Anonymous submission.
Above: Besides fibers, there are particles both microscopic and as large as grains of rice, plus granules that can be seen with magnification of 60-200x on and in the skin. It it my personal wish to see physicians actually begin to use magnification so that they may understand the phenomena their patients are experiencing. For more extensive images of the many forms these particles take, click Morgellons particles in the skin.
Above and below: The beginning of lesions and "tracks" that look like scratch marks come from under the skin. Often within a couple of hours these tracks break open on the surface of the skin.