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miche
Canada
283 Posts |
 Posted - 03/07/2007 : 14:57:08
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I will probably be told that I don't belong on this board, however I would very much believe that this article is bogus, the reason I am considering the possibility that there may be truth in this research paper and in many others I have come upon ,is that my cousin who was raised in northern Ontario , as I was ,has come close to dying from this disease, she was diagnosed three years after a lenghtly illness that left her in very bad shape, her diagnosis finally came from a hospital in Toronto, she has been told that she is the first case to originate in Northern Ontario.
If anyone on this board feels that this article is bogus please respond, here it goes and please forgive the lenght of it,
From: Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients | Date: 7/1/2004 | Author: Howenstine, James
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Lyme Disease was initially regarded as an uncommon illness caused by the spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi (Bb). The disease transmission was thought to be solely by the bite from a tick infected with this spirochete. The Bb spirochete is able to burrow into tendons, muscle cells, ligaments, and directly into organs. A classic bulls-eye rash is often visible in the early stage of the illness. Later in the illness the disease can afflict the heart, nervous system, joints and other organs. It is now realized that the disease can mimic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, Bell's Palsy, reflex sympathetic dystrophy, neuritis, psychiatric illnesses such as schizophrenia, chronic fatigue, heart failure, angina, irregular heart rhythms, fibromyalgia, dermatitis, autoimmune diseases such as scleroderma and lupus, eye inflammatory reactions, sudden deafness, SIDS, ADD and hyperactivity, chronic pain and many other conditions.
Biology professor, Lida Mattman, author of Cell Wall Deficient Forms: Stealth Pathogens, has been able to recover live spirochetes of Bb from mosquitos, fleas, mites, semen, urine, blood, and spinal fluid. A factor contributing to making Bb so dangerous is that it can survive and spread without having a cell wall (cell wall-deficient CWD). Many valuable antibiotics kill bacteria by breaking down the cell wall. These antibiotics often prove ineffective against Bb.
Lyme Disease is now thought to be the fastest growing infectious disease in the world. There are believed to be at least 200,000 new cases each year in the US and some experts think that as many as one in every 15 Americans is currently infected (20 million persons). Dr. Robert Rowen knows a family where the mother's infection spread to 5 of her 6 children (1) all of whom recovered with appropriate therapy. It is difficult to believe that these children were all bitten by ticks and seems more plausible that person to person spread within the family caused this problem. Dr. Mattman states "I'm convinced Lyme disease is transmissible from person to person." In 1995 Dr. Mattman obtained positive cultures for Bb from 43 of 47 persons with chronic illness. Only 1 of 23 control patients had a positive Bb culture. Dr. Mattman has subsequently recovered Bb spirochetes from 8 out of 8 cases of Parkinson's Disease, 41 cases of multiple sclerosis, 21 cases of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and all tested cases of Alzheimer's Disease. The complete recovery of several patients with terminal amyotrophic lateral sclerosis after appropriate therapy shows the great importance of establishing the diagnosis of Lyme Disease.
Some very important information has recently become available about the spread and magnitude of the problem with Lyme Disease. The severity of the Lyme illness is related to the spirochete load in the patient. Few spirochetes produce mild or asymptomatic infection. A study from Switzerland in 1998 pointed out that only 12.5% of patients testing positive for Bb had developed symptoms. A German boy developed Lyme arthritis 5 years after his tick bite. Often mycoplasmal infections remain without symptoms until the victim suffers a traumatic event (stress, injury, accident etc.) These stressing events enable the mycoplasma to begin consumption of cholesterol and symptoms may begin to present. The mechanism of this deterioration is thought to be suppression of the immune system secondary to stress.
Many patients with LD have concomitant infections with other parasites (Ehrlichia in white blood cells and Babesia in red blood cells) Some patients have all 3 parasites. Each requires a different therapy with Babesia being particularly difficult to eradicate. Recently, Artemisinin appears effective in Babesia infections. All coinfections must be eliminated to obtain a successful result.
Dr. Joanne Whitaker relates that nearly every patient with Parkinson's Disease (PD) has tested positive for Bb. Dr. Louis Romero reports that 3 patients with PD are 99% better after TAO-free cat's claw (Uncaria tomentosa) therapy. When Dr. Mattman cultured 25 patients with fibromyalgia all subjects had positive cultures for the CWD Bb. which causes LD. She relates that Bb can be found in tears and could thus easily appear on the hands where touching could spread LD. Several families are now documented where nearly every family member is infected. How sick the individual patient becomes probably relates to their initial spirochete dose, immune system, detoxification capability and stress levels.
Transmission of the disease has been clearly documented after bites by fleas, mites, mosquitos and ticks. There is compelling evidence that Lyme disease (LD) can be spread by sexual and congenital transfer. One physician has cared for 5000 children with LD: 240 of these children were born with the disease. Dr. Charles Ray Jones, the leading pediatric specialist on Lyme Disease, has found 12 breastfed children who have developed LD. Miscarriage, premature births, stillbirths, birth defects, and transplacental infection of the fetus have all been reported. Studies at the University of Vienna have found Bb in urine and breast milk of LD mothers.
Researchers at the University of Wisconsin have reported that dairy cattle can be infected with Bb, hence milk could be contaminated. Bb can also be transmitted to lab animals by oral intake such as food.
The Sacramento, California blood bank thinks that LD can be spread by blood transfusions. The CDC (Center for Disease Control) in Atlanta, Georgia states that their data indicates that Bb can survive the blood processing techniques used for transfusions in the US.
Lyme Disease is the fastest growing epidemic in the world. LD is grossly under-reported so there may be far more than the 200,000 cases reported annually in the US. Drs. Harvey and Salvato estimate that 1 billion persons in the world may be infected with LD. LD is thought to be a contributing factor in 50% of patients who have chronic illness.
Dr. Joanne Whitaker, a Lyme disease victim from childhood, has developed a reliable test for the presence of Lyme disease. This test looks for the Bb organism, not antibodies, and is able to identify the cell wall deficient (CWD) form of the spirochete as well as the actual Bb organism. The test is called Q-RIBb which stands for quantitative rapid identification of Bb. Dr. Lida Mattman has confirmed that Dr. Whitaker's test is sensitive because there has been a 100 % correlation between a positive culture of Bb by Dr. Mattman's lab and a positive Q-RIBb test from Dr. Whitaker's Laboratory.
Case Reports Illustrating the Critical Importance of Establishing the Diagnosis of Lyme Disease
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alexis
USA
596 Posts |
Posted - 03/07/2007 : 15:17:09
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Lyme is a very controversial disease and the content of this post contains most of the ideas in one extreme end of that controversy. It does not hurt to remind people that if they have systemic symptoms Lyme is one among a number of conditions that need to be considered (as B12 deficiency should).
But the research cited is very much at one end of the controversy, with many at the other end believing Lyme doesn't even exist in the chronic form. There is evidence on both sides.
I suspect a lot of people here have been tested already, due to the nature of their symptoms. Each person has to decide for themselves what to believe based on their own Lyme research.
For reasons of disclosure, I was friends with the sister of one of the first ever diagnosed cases of Lyme. I certainly believe it exists in its acute form and can be quite serious. But I also suspect the chronic form is fairly rare.
Again, this is a good reminder like JimmyJimmy's cautionary tale, but I think we should leave it at that and let interested persons visit Lyme boards for further discussion.
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Although I recognize some of the research cited (and I believe it is real, if selective) I browsed through the Townsend Letter website. For some perspective on the subject matter and slant of this publication, here is their editorial on Transcendental Meditation:
http://www.townsendletter.com/Oct_2002/zuckereditorial1002.htm
From there you can browse other articles and decide for yourself as to whether you trust this source. |
Edited by - alexis on 11/30/2015 08:39:50 |
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miche
Canada
283 Posts |
Posted - 03/07/2007 : 17:30:14
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Thank you Alexis for your reply, here is one article I found under the link you forwarded, of course there are also a lot of articles regarding the role of viruses, but this one goes back to tms
Psychological Impact
In a study involving 40 female fibromyalgia patients and 38 healthy age-matched women, 51% of the patients had experienced very negative life events during childhood or adolescence compared to only 28% among the controls. Before onset, 65% of the patients experienced some negative life event. Furthermore, the life events experienced by the patients were more negative than those of the healthy controls.6 It is hypothesized that a significant transient depression of immunological parameters initiated the fibromyalgia syndrome |
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armchairlinguist
USA
1397 Posts |
Posted - 03/07/2007 : 20:09:13
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Oy. I can't believe that TM article. It started out interesting, I thought maybe it was going to get into how teaching meditation in schools and workplaces could help each of us get to know ourselves better and reduce stress, thus reducing violence. But no...it's the Power of Prayer argument. Stupid. And added benefit: oh yeah, clearly mysterious things can be real because the Internet is So Very Mysterious.
Even if the PoP is true (and studies have been mixed on it), having a few "expets" meditate can't possibly be as good as doing it ourselves and having a direct effect.
I don't mean to derail your thread, miche -- I think the Lyme article is interesting, and it does underscore the need to get checked out thoroughly before doing the TMS thing. But I just HAD to say something about the TM article. Jeez.
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Wherever you go, there you are. |
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alexis
USA
596 Posts |
Posted - 03/07/2007 : 20:30:21
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Sorry, I should have been more clear -- I was NOT recommending the TM article, but pointing it out as an example of the kind of things they published. Unless you're into that kind of thing, you might want to take it as a warning about how much faith to put other articles they are publishing.
I will fix my first post since I think it wasn't clear enough. |
Edited by - alexis on 03/07/2007 20:48:15 |
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At the risk of antagonising some of you
