He’s BACK!!!!
No, I’m not talking about Chuckie!
I’m talking about Mr. Lyme, the famous and much -feared villainous relative of our favorite arachnoid, Ms. Spider.
In this week’s blog on my homepage, I discussed the many downfalls of being the unfortunate recipient of a tick-saliva exchange.
These include:
1. The vast array of symptoms ranging from immune imbalances, joint and muscle pain, brain disorders, hormonal issues, and emotional disturbances.
2. The problems with testing and the many forms and disguises that Mr. Lyme uses to trick our immune system and invade our organ systems.
3. The undiagnosed co-infections, AKA sexy co-stars, that travel with Mr. Lyme who create just as much damage.
In August, Lyme hit headlines again when the CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) released that it had originally underestimated the number of Lyme suffers. The new estimate was ten times more than originally thought, with more than 300,000 people being affected. That’s a big mathematical boo-boo!
This led to an array of more coverage on Lyme (hence my two blogs) and the controversy of testing.
Recently, Dr. Mercola discussed this issue:
Another reason is because a vaccine was developed years ago, and conventional testing does not identify the most popular surface proteins or “bands” as they are sometimes called because those were in the original vaccine (Lymerix) now removed from the market. So if you can’t test for the most common bands of Lyme, how will you find the infection in people? This is yet another reason Lyme is so underreported. If you take a standard “Western Blot” blood test for it, your test is likely to be negative even if you have full-blown Lyme disease.
For this reason, I recommend the specialized lab called Igenex because they test for more outer surface proteins (bands), and can often detect Lyme while standard blood tests cannot. Igenex also tests for a few strains of co-infections such as Babesia and Erhlichia. That said, a negative on the Igenex test for these co-infections doesn’t necessarily mean you are not infected, there are many more strains than they can test for.
The problem is, even with Igenex and other specialty tests, Lyme can still go undiagnosed and undetected. Holistic Primary Care offered some hope about this issue on the horizon. They reported that there is a new Lyme test, which takes into consideration the many ways that Lyme seeks to hide itself from our immune system:
A new test that measures T-cell response to antigens from Borrelia bergdorferi has the potential to vastly improve Lyme disease diagnosis–especially in the early phases.
The test, called iSpot Lyme, utilizes the Elispot technology introduced several years ago for evaluation of persistent tuberculosis.
The iSpot Lyme test is far more sensitive and specific than the standard Western Blot, which despite it’s limitations, remains a cornerstone of the CDC’s recommended diagnostic work-up. Physicians using the new test, developed by Pharmasan Labs and introduced earlier this year by NeuroScience Inc, are calling it a game-changer.
Other conventional tests can also help determine if your immune system is going wonky due to Lyme infection as well. These include:
- White Blood cell counts and types of white cells (such as differential counts, CD57, and immune antibodies)
- Tests for anemia, low iron, or high ferritin (as some bugs consume iron)
- Antibodies counts for attacks on other organs systems (such as the thyroid (TPO, TgAB) , mitochondria (anti-cardiolipin), and a general autoimmune issue with ANA)
- Inflammatory markers such as hsCRP, ESR
- Co-infections including parasites and viruses.
The good news is, if your immune system is strong and you are into prevention, the more likely you will be to notice if your system is out of whack early on.
Dr. Mercola reported on some steps from the famous Dr. Klinghardt that you can consider to empower yourself against this pest:
Below are the five steps Dr. Klinghardt recommends to consider when treating Lyme Disease:
- Evaluation of all external factors. External factors include electrosmog, EMF, microwave radiation from wireless technologies, and molds. For more information on mold, see Ritchie Shoemaker’s website.
- Remediation and mitigation of external factors. Once external factors have been assessed, they’re remediated and mitigated. (Please refer to our previous article on mold remediation.) To mitigate microwave radiation, Dr. Klinghardt recommends shielding the outside of your home with a graphite paint called Y Shield. Inside, he uses a special silver-coated cloth for your curtains. Patients are instructed to remove all cordless telephones and turn off all the fuses at night, until they have recovered from Lyme disease.
- Addressing emotional issues. Emotional components of the disease are addressed using Energy Psychology tools, including psychokinesiology (PK), which is similar to the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), but more refined and advanced.
- Addressing parasitic, bacterial and viral infections. Dr. Klinghardt addresses the parasites first, followed by the bacteria and the viruses. The “Klinghardt antimicrobial cocktail,” which includes wormwood (artemisinin), phospholipids, vitamin C, and various herbs, is an integral part of this treatment. He addresses viral infections with Viressence (by BioPure), which is a tincture of Native American herbs.
- Addressing other lifestyle factors. Nutritional considerations and supplements are addressed.
For more preventive and natural tips, search my homepage blog at dr-lobisco.com.
References:
Goldman, Erik. New T-Cell Test a “Game-Changer” for Lyme. UpShots: Holistic Primary Care. Fall, 2013; 14(3).
Chenggang Jin, PhD, MDa,b, Deanna J. Fall, BAc, Diana Roen, BSa and Gottfried Kellermann, PhDc. iSpot Lyme™: A New Generation of Lyme Disease. Neroscience. April 2013.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Ticks. cdc.gov/ticks/. Updated August 30, 2013.
Hickley, A. Southern Tick-Associated Rash Illness — When a Bull’s-Eye Rash Isn’t Lyme Disease. Medscape: CDC Commentary. March 25, 2013.
Peter D. Burbelo,et al. Rapid, Simple, Quantitative, and Highly Sensitive Antibody Detection for Lyme Disease (abstract). Clinical and Vaccine Immunology, June 2010, p. 904-909, Vol. 17, No. 6 1071-412X/10/$12.00+0 doi:10.1128/CVI.00476-09
Mercola, J. Prevalence of Lyme Disease in the US Is 10-Times Higher Than Previously Reported. Mercola.com. September 5, 2013.
