Lyme Disease - it's evolving and the clock is ticking.
Tuesday, 14 June 2016 | Editor
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Lyme Disease - it's evolving and the clock is ticking.
Note: This article is worth reading if you suffer from Lymes, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinsons, Alzheimers, and many other chronic conditions.
Adapted from article byJon Inder, England
There is growing concern and confusion over the issue of Lyme Disease in this country and in the broader global community.
You may not have heard of Lyme Disease, and if you have, you may have heard little more about it than that it is a 'rare' condition and one that is caused by infection from tickbite.
Worryingly, both of these statements are believed by many Lyme experts to be erroneous - and they believe that the consequence of such false assumptions could be disastrous.
In June of 2004, the U.S. Centre for Disease control and prevention (CDC) passed funding of $2.9 million to begin a comprehensive survey of Lyme Disease from Maine to Texas, which indicates that someone thinks the problem is a real one. Now many American Doctors are calling for action to prevent what many believe could be a pandemic (global epidemic).
"Some are calling Lyme the most over-diagnosed disease of our time, while others are claiming that it is the most under-diagnosed. The truth of the matter is that Lyme is far more widespread than has been reported, and hundreds of thousands of people are suffering needlessly due to misdiagnoses and the treatment prejudices of many doctors, the government, and the insurance industry."
(Dr David Williams, 'Alternatives'December 2004, Vol 10, No 18)
Sadly, the story in this country is very similar, with many patients being pushed around from 'specialist' to 'specialist' - none of whom are actually Lyme specialists. Often it is many months before the condition is even recognised, and then it is frequently underplayed.
The first problem here is quite simply that Lyme is hard to see ... and to most medical doctors, seeing is believing. Many who have suffered from a Candida Infection or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome have learnt this fact at great cost, and concerns over other 'Stealth pathogens' is growing.
The spirochetes (spiral shaped bacteria) that cause Lyme can worm their way into muscles, tendons, and practically every organ in the body. Once imbedded, they can quickly begin to wreak havoc. Over time, they diminish your immune system's ability to mount a proper defence, which opens the door to other pathogens.
Most antibiotics work by destroying the cell wall of bacteria. The Borrelia burgdorferi (Bb)bacterium of Lyme, however, can exist without the cell wall typically characteristic of other forms of bacteria, which makes most antibiotics useless against Lyme.
The bacteria can also change forms to avoid detection when confronted by elements of the immune system or various antibiotics, and then turn back again when a threat to their survival is no longer present. These unusual properties of Bb have caused an unprecedented amount of confusion in the medical community - and with the public as well. Cell Wall Deficient Forms -Stealth Pathogens by Dr Lida Mattman
At a recent International Conference in Brighton, Doctors were able to actually present images of these bacteria 'on the move' in different states. These startling images included what appeared to be organisms 'running away' from the light caused by the scanning equipment. This has meant that Lyme often goes undetected until a time (often following a trauma or when immunity is low) when it chooses to 'become active' and therefore visible, again.
The blood tests used in this country (the Elisa and Western Blot) are based on response to antibiotics. If the Lyme is 'hidden' or inactive, then you are not diagnosed with Lyme. But that does not mean you haven't got it. Since the recognised medical definition of Lyme Disease was developed, research has also emerged showing that many of the initial assumptions concerning Lyme were wrong. The'recognised' signs for the disease itself are leading medical professionals to simply miss it. For example, we now know that the bull's-eye rash following initial infection, originally thought to be the definitive diagnostic sign, may occur in only one-fifth to one-half of patients. Newer research indicates that ticks may be the least of our worries when it comes to contracting Lyme.
Researchers have foundlive spirochetes of Lyme in fleas, mites, and mosquitoes. And although it was first thought the disease couldn't be transmitted directly from human to human, the live spirochetes have now also been found in blood, urine, tears, semen, breastmilk, cord blood, and vaginal secretions. Doctors who specialise in treating the disease are convinced it can be passed from one infected person to another by several means, particularly through repeated sexual contact and passage through the placenta in the womb.
(Rheum Dis Clin North Am 89;15(4):657-77)
More worryingly, the CDC has now admitted what researchers found years ago, that Bb bacteria survive the purification process of donated blood and could be passed through blood transfusions.
(J Infec Dis 90;62(2):557-9)
It has been reported that the problems and symptoms associated with Lyme can mimic over 350 different medical conditions.
Doctors learned this fact by watching many of these problems and so-called "incurable" diseases disappear miraculously, sometimes within only 24 to 72 hours after treating their patients for Lyme.
However, as we have already noted, symptoms can come and go - often leading to false assumptions about recovery. The extent of the patients 'viral load' and of the damage caused by Lyme and co-infections are all variables to be taken into account.
Of course the tiredness is not likely to go away if the body's immune system is compromised.