and others interested in Lyme Disease research

[Guest guest]

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

I posted this earlier but, it didn't come thru for some reason. If

my other one does show up, sorry for the repeat!

Dana

,

You expressed interest in Lyme Disease and I know that and

others have posted some info. for you. I just wanted to give you

some further information. First of all, I have done many hours of

research on the link between Lyme Disease and Hypo-Thyroidism., Hypo-

Adrenal and many other diagnosis's(FM, CFS) and would like to give

you a tidbit of what I have. If you would like further information,

email me at danaw36@...

Most of this I have saved in a document so could not link it here.

One more thing....the reason I have taken a big interest in Lyme

Disease is bc my son contracted it in the early fall of 05'. (when

11 years old) After doing some research, I concluded that I also

probably have Lyme Disease from an early age. There is evidence that

Lyme can be contracted in Utero and in breast milk so I highly

suspect my children got it from me. It can also be passed thru sexual

relations so my husband probably has it as well. (and has many, many

symptoms) I am saving $$ to get the best testing thru Igenix. I

believe my son got re-infected in 05'. Today he is exhibiting signs

of Hypo-Thyroidism & Hypo-Adrenal symptoms. I noticed you said that

your daughter has had low body temps. etc....since birth. I think it

might be important for you to get tested to see if maybe you have

passed it to your child/children. I am not trying to be an

alarmist. Lyme Disease is a serious disease and can cause many, many

issues, including Thyroid/Adrenal. Forgive me if this is a little

long but, I wanted you to get the full scope of some of the many

symptoms of Lyme and how they often interlap into other disease

processes.

1.) First link is on the transmission of Lyme in California-

http://www.anapsid.org/lyme/calyme.html

2.) Second link is very interesting-

http://cassia.org/essay.htm

I have included some of the essay below:

" When to Suspect Lyme " .. D. Bleiweiss, M.D.

--Traditionally, the public has been advised to suspect Lyme (LD) if

a round or oval, expanding, red rash develops 3-32 days after a deer

tick bite associated with or followed by a flu-like illness. This

limited description will apply to only some cases. About 50% of

patients do not recall one or more of tick bite, rash or flu-like

illness. The rashes associated with LD can assume a variety of

morphologies including vesicular, urticarial, eczematoid or atrophic

(Acrodermatitis Chronicum Atrophicans). For many patients,

neurologic, cardiac, arthritic, cognitive and/or psychological

complications predominate. While deer ticks and LD have a well known

affiliation, other potential vectors can carry the spirochete that

causes LD (Borrelia burgdorferi; Bb). These include, the lone star

tick, fleas, the biting flies (e.g. green-headed fly) (and

mosquitoes?). A case of suspected transmission via blood transfusion

has been reported by Dr. Burrascano.

--Symptoms vary stereotypically during the day. Joint stiffness

and " brain fog " are often reported on rising in the AM (but not

solely in the AM). Fatigue can be unrelieved by sleep, or develop

between noon and 4 PM, whereupon a short nap provides

refreshment. " Madman Syndrome " (explosive irritability) may appear

toward the end of stressful work period or late in the evening.

A " mad face " can herald imminent detonation. Prior to proper

diagnosis, patients habitually report that they were assigned the

following diagnoses most often: Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Multiple

Sclerosis, Fibromyalgia, Lupus, Candidiasis, Chronic mononucleosis,

Hypoglycemia, and Stress-related illness. If these appear in a

differential diagnosis, then LD should be considered.

--Patients most frequently report fatigue that varies from mild to

debilitating. Usually there is a loss of interest and initiative so

that lounging around becomes habitual. This derives not from

laziness, but results from lassitude. . Paradoxically, at usual

bedtimes, patients often experience insomnia or frequent awakenings.

-- *Many LD patients have routinely subnormal body temperatures so

that the appearance of a temperature of 98.6 degrees F may be

compatible with a low grade fever analogous to diabetics.

--Cold hands and feet even in warm environments occurs and some

patients have Raynaud's phenomenon. Potentially contributing to this

vasoconstriction are excessive levels of vasoconstricting hormones,

magnesium and potassium deficiency, limbic or hypothalamic

dysfunction due to CNS infection, local inflammation of capillary

sphincter or hypothyroidism. Eczema and psoriasis can appear in

conjunction with LD. A female LD patient had generalized psoriasis

covering 40% of her body. Antibiotics for LD gave total relief.

--Eventually the majority, but not all, complain of one or more

of " foggy brain " , forgetfulness, anxiety, mood swings, loss of

initiative, depression, impairment of concentration, inattention,

easy confusion or disorientation when attempting intellectual tasks.

--*Thus a deterioration in academic and vocational performance is a

frequent manifestation of LD in children and adults.

--*Miklossy (NeuroReport 4:841-848, 1993) reported the detection of

Bb spirochetes on dark-field microscopic examination of post-mortem

brain biopsy specimens FROM PATIENTS WITH ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE! CSF

and blood cultures grew out Bb from those cases. In my view, a child

assigned a diagnosis of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Syndrome

(ADH) or PNI (Perceptual Neurologic Impairment) should be evaluated

for LD.

--Panic attacks are the extreme of this anxious state and should

arouse a suspicion of LD. I suspect that in addition to CNS infection

of the limbic system, these phenomenon could also be the result of

elevated adrenaline levels, Mg++ deficiency or hypoglycemia.

--Adolescent hormonal surges and the emotional turmoil wrought by LD

at once camouflage and exacerbate each other mutually. Thus, children

tend to be unruly, hard to please and prone to atypical emotional

reactions. A child who is misbehaving in class should not be

dismissed as a " bad kid " . Lyme can catalyze inappropriate behavior

and commentary.

--Clinically, there is considerable overlap between LD and Chronic

Fatigue Syndrome.

--These regions control the very areas of functioning which are

abnormal in both LD and CFS, namely verbal capacity, memory, emotions

and higher order information processing. Dr. Jay Goldstein has

proposed the term " limbic encephalopathy " to describe the disorders

of memory, appetite, temperature and appetite regulation, libido and

hormonal homeostasis seen in CFS.

--Many patients are told that they have Multiple Sclerosis (MS)

because of brain MRI findings or a spinal tap was positive for

oligoclonal bands (OCB) or myelin basic protein (MBP). The medical

literature is quite emphatic that MRI does not reliably distinguish

between MS an LD because there is too much overlap in their

supposedly distinct appearance and location of plaques.

--It has been affiliated with Lou Gehrig's disease and the Guillain-

Barre Syndrome.

--hyperaccusis (sound sensitivity) can be a feature, When the VIII

nerve is involved, vertigo and impaired hearing can result.

--LD related headaches can have a wide variety of patterns and can

broadcast the early onset of LD or a flare of LD. The headaches

incorporate the characteristics of migraines, muscle tension or

cervical/radicular headaches.

--In many of my patients, cysts are found not uncommonly in various

locations: thyroid, breast, liver, bone, ovary, skin, pineal gland,

and kidney. Some forms of Polycystic Kidney and Fibrocystic Breast

Disease may be LD manifestations.

--LD can cause an interstitial cystis leading to bladder pain

relieved by urination. A neurogenic bladder can develop with either

hesitancy, frequency, loss of bladder awareness, urinary retention,

incontinence or the symptoms of UTI (urinary tract infection). I

suspect that some cases of chronic pyelonephritis are actually LD.

Pediatricians may want to consider that nocturnal enuresis

(bedwetting) is secondary to LD.

--Constipation severe enough to cause fecal impaction can occur. Many

LD patients will experience a spastic (irritable) colon and that

diagnosis should spark a search for LD.

--Among untreated patients with LD, arthritis can ultimately develop

in up to 60%. The joint swelling, which may or may not be painful,

frequently is episodic, recurrent and migratory if multiple joints

are involved. Any joint can be affected including the TMJ

(temporomandibular) and small joints of the fingers (contrary to

earlier reports).

--Sudden death can also result from arrythmias. Fast and slow heart

rates occur, usually at the time of symptom flares...

--Mitral valve prolapse is not uncommonly found in LD. MVP can be

associated with confounding chest pain and ventricular arrythmias. It

is often accompanied by Mg++ deficiency and LD can cause Mg++ levels

to be low. In a few of my patients, MVP developed only after the

onset of LD and resolved with LD treatment. Chest pain due to LD may

arise from numerous causes: myocarditis, pericarditis, angina,

asthma, bronchitis, periostitis of the ribs, pectoral myositis and

tendinitis, sternoclavicular and costochondral arthritis, esophagitis

and esophageal spasm, stomach acid reflux, and gastritis.

--Potassium deficiency without an obvious origin irregularly evolves

in LD. Rarely, the K+ losses are profound. This could be due to Mg++

deficiency. New onset or difficult to control hypertension is more

likely to be seen.

**--Increasingly, I am encountering thyroid disease in LD. A local

endocrinologist has remarked to me privately that the incidence of

thyroid involvement in LD may be greater than expected from the

normal population. A final judgement awaits formal statistical

analysis. In many of these patients, the thyroid dysfunction was seen

to originate in the pituitary or hypothalmus. Remaining alert to the

possibility of thyroid disease is essential because there can be

considerable clinical overlap with LD. Subacute thyroiditis is the

most prevalent thyroid phenomenon I see in LD. Hypoadrenalism can

uncommonly develop. Uncorrected hormonal aberrations can vitiate

otherwise effective LD therapy. Like any infection, LD can provoke

the onset of hyperglycemia and alter the facility with which diabetes

is managed.

--**In a few female LD patients, disturbed estrogen and progesterone

levels were found. Early " menopause " , skipped menses, and heavy

menstrual flow represent a few of the perturbations in LD. Women with

symptomatic LD can experience new onset or heightened PMS (ballistic

mood swings and irritability), or perimenstrual headache or cramps.

The last of these theoretically could also be due to Pelvic LD

infection (ooperitis or salpingitis) and/or elevated PGE-2

(prostaglandin E-2) levels, the latter having been reported in LD.

--Carcinomas are not unknown in LD: melanoma, thyroid cancer, and

lymphoma have been published

**-- There is substantial documentation to suggest a causal

relationship between LD and stillbirths, congenital abnormalities,

spontaneous abortion, low birth weight babies, prematurity and

intrauterine fetal infection acquired from the mother. An outcome of

untreated LD arising from Mg++ deficiency could be pre-eclampsia

(hypertension) or eclampsia (hypertension with seizures). Magnesium

is often relied on to treat these problems. Women with LD in

pregnancy can experience severe morning sickness, gestational

diabetes mellitus and prominent flares of Lyme related symptoms. As

both LD and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome are attended by sleep apnea,

this should impel further research to determine if some babies with

SIDS are actually suffering from LD. Bb can appear in the breast

milk.

--------- To read the full text, click on the link above info.----

--Below I have copied from a symptoms list on Lyme Disease-----

(the link between Lyme, Hypo & Adrenal & CFS & FM)

Low Adrenal Function / Adrenal Insufficiency--

Hypothalamus/pituitary/adrenal axis dysfunction is frequently

associated with Lyme disease, and many Lyme patients have (at least

temporarily) both thyroid and adrenal insufficiency.

Hypothyroidism-- Hypothalamus/pituitary/adrenal axis dysfunction

is frequently associated with Lyme disease, and many Lyme patients

have (at least temporarily) both thyroid and adrenal insufficiency.

Immunity

Counter-indicators:

Chronic Fatigue / Fibromyalgia Syndrome Lyme disease should be a

differential diagnosis for all fibromyalgia patients who could have

been exposed to a tick bite. Despite antibiotic treatment, a sequel

of Lyme disease may be a post-Lyme disease syndrome (PLS), which is

characterized by persistent arthralgia, fatigue, and neurocognitive

impairment. [Journal of Rheumatology 23(8): pp.1392-1397, 1996]

Although patients with CFS and PLS share many features, including

symptoms of severe fatigue and cognitive impairment, patients with

PLS show greater cognitive deficits than patients with CFS compared

with healthy controls. This is particularly apparent among patients

with PLS without premorbid psychiatric illness.

According to an informal study conducted by the American Lyme Disease

Alliance (ALDA), most patients diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue

Syndrome (CFS) are actually suffering from Lyme disease. In a study

of 31 patients diagnosed with CFS, 28 patients, or 90.3%, were found

to be ill as a result of Lyme disease.

----Hope this gives you the information you need to make a decision

about testing. Testing, unfor., is not fool-proof. However, there

are 3 labs that I have researched to be very good. If you would like

that info., let me know. If you have any further questions, feel

free to ask!

Have a great Turkey day everyone! :0)

Dana