Treating Lyme Disease With Chemotherapy

Treatment Of Early Manifestations

Table 1 Antibiotic therapy for early Borrelia burgdorferi infection

Late skin disease

Late skin manifestations are usually caused by B. garinii and B. afzelii, and are thus seen predominantly in Europe and not in the USA. Acrodermatitis chronica atrophicans is caused by B. afzelii and is characterised as a blue/red-coloured atrophic skin lesion predominantly at the extremities . Antibiotic therapy for at least 4 weeks has been recommended .

Post-Lyme disease syndrome

Despite the resolution of Lyme borreliosis manifestations after antibiotic treatment in the majority of patients, a minority of patients present fatigue, musculoskeletal pain, concentration or short-term memory problems. These generally mild and self-limiting symptoms have been termed post-Lyme disease symptoms. If the symptoms last longer than 6 months they have been called post-Lyme disease syndrome.

Dos And Donts Of Getting Help

If you think you may have this syndrome, experts suggest these tips:

Donât assume. Tell your doctor your symptoms, and let her check you.

Donât rush to a specialist. For an accurate diagnosis, start with a primary care doctor, says Eugene Shapiro, MD. He’s a professor of pediatrics, epidemiology, and investigative medicine at Yale School of Public Health.

Do take your antibiotic as prescribed. Even if you feel better, continue the course. Itâs 4 weeks of medications at most. Some experts believe stopping the drugs before your prescription ends may cause symptoms to linger.

Do find experts who can help your symptoms. Ask your doctor if it would be worth your while to visit naturopaths, traditional Chinese medicine doctors, psychologists, or other experts. Many medical centers have complementary and alternative medicine experts on site.

Researchers’ Discovery May Explain Difficulty In Treating Lyme Disease

Date:

Northeastern University

Summary:

The bacterium that causes Lyme disease forms dormant persister cells, which are known to evade antibiotics, researchers have discovered. This significant finding, they said, could help explain why it’s so difficult to treat the infection in some patients.

Northeastern University researchers have found that the bacterium that causes Lyme disease forms dormant persister cells, which are known to evade antibiotics. This significant finding, they said, could help explain why it’s so difficult to treat the infection in some patients.

“It hasn’t been entirely clear why it’s difficult to treat the pathogen with antibiotics since there has been no resistance reported for the causative agent of the disease,” explained University Distinguished Professor Kim Lewis, who led the Northeastern research team.

In other chronic infections, Lewis’ lab has tracked the resistance to antibiotic therapy to the presence of persister cells–which are drug-tolerant, dormant variants of regular cells. These persister cells are exactly what they’ve identified here in Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacterium that causes Lyme disease.

The researchers have also reported two approaches–one of them quite promising–to eradicate Lyme disease, as well as potentially other nasty infections.

The research was supported by grants from the Lyme Research Alliance and the National Institutes of Health.

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Don’t Panic If You Find A Tick

“If you find a tick on your child, do not panic,” Dr. Jacobs exclaims. “If the tick is not attached to the skin and is not engorged, then it hasn’t bitten your child and you don’t need to worry. Even if it has bitten through, most tick bites do not end up spreading any disease at all, and the risk of your child getting Lyme disease is still very, very low. Second, note the color of the tick, take a high-resolution photo of it, and plan to try to keep the tick once it’s removed, as that information could help identify what type of tick it is.”

Lyme Disease Treatment Testimonials

The greatest testimony to the benefits and results of our Lyme Disease treatment program at Life Health and Research Center comes from the inspiring stories told by actual patients and their families. From Western Blot Tests indicating no positive bands to patients that arrive in wheelchairs and later walk out our front door, we can say that our research and dedication have made a difference in the lives of our patients.

Dont take our word for it, please take a moment to watch these amazing stories and know that we are always ready and eager to make a difference in your life or the life of a loved one who may be dealing with chronic Lyme Disease.

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Anyone Can Get Lyme Disease

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states, “Where you live or vacation can affect your chances of getting Lyme disease. So can your profession and the outdoor activities you enjoy. The most common risk factors for Lyme disease include:

• Spending time in wooded or grassy areas. In the United States, deer ticks are found mostly in the heavily wooded areas of the Northeast and Midwest. Children who spend a lot of time outdoors in these regions are especially at risk. Adults with outdoor jobs also are at increased risk.
• Having exposed skin. Ticks attach easily to bare flesh. If you’re in an area where ticks are common, protect yourself and your children by wearing long sleeves and long pants. Don’t allow your pets to wander in tall weeds and grasses.
• Not removing ticks promptly or properly. Bacteria from a tick bite can enter your bloodstream if the tick stays attached to your skin for 36 to 48 hours or longer. If you remove a tick within two days, your risk of getting Lyme disease is low.”

Azlocillin An Amazing Compound

The study team first tested to see whether different doses of the drugs could kill drug-tolerant borrelia bacteria grown on laboratory plates better than a standard Lyme disease antibiotic .

They carried out each experiment three times in triplicate . The team tested the drugs on different ages of bacteria, colonies that were 3 days old and growing rapidly, and colonies that were 710 days old and had reached a growth plateau.

At high concentrations, both drugs could kill all the drug-resistant borrelia cells and outperformed the standard Lyme disease antibiotic. When the study team tested the drugs at lower doses, azlocillin outperformed the standard antibiotic and cefotaxime, which left 20% of the drug-resistant cells alive.

The researchers tested the drugs in a small number of laboratory-bred mice that they infected with the bacteria. They treated the mice at different stages of the disease at 7, 14, and 21 days after infection.

They gave each mouse a daily dose of either azlocillin, cefotaxime, or the standard treatment for Lyme disease for 5 days. They cultured the mouse organs and checked for live bacteria using microscopy and genetic testing 2 days after the last dose.

The researchers found that both the standard treatment and azlocillin completely cleared the infection in the early stages of the disease, while cefotaxime did not.

We have been screening potential drugs for 6 years, Venkata Raveendra Pothineni, Ph.D., the lead study author says.

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Treating Lyme Disease: When Will Science Catch Up

Cases of Lyme disease appear to be rising but there are still many unanswered questions about the condition, its diagnosis and the available treatment options.

Infectious diseases

K H Kjeldsen / Science Photo Library

After being bitten by ticks in her Devonshire garden, a spreading rash appeared on Stella Huyshe-Shiress hip. Soon afterwards, her health began to deteriorate but she had no idea what was causing her pain, lack of energy and other problems. It was three years before a positive blood test confirmed Lyme disease, a test Huyshe-Shires asked for after recognising her symptoms in a letter about the spread of the tick-borne illness in a local newspaper.

I was getting lots of things wrong with me and its not the sort of thing you expect to happen to you until youre 80, explains Huyshe-Shires, who was 48 years old when she got the rash. By the time she was diagnosed, her list of ailments was long. She had lost half a stone, experienced pain in her back, legs and feet, felt numbness in her face and other parts of her body, had reduced reflexes in her eye, as well as distorted hearing, critical fatigue and poor concentration. The disease was having an impact on every aspect of her life.

Hyperthermia: A Cure For Lyme Disease

HYPERTHERMIA:The information summarised straight from the St Georg Kliniks website in Bad Aibling Germany) and includes my information and opinion.

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Treatment For Erythema Migrans

People treated with appropriate antibiotics in the early stages of Lyme disease usually recover rapidly and completely. Early diagnosis and proper antibiotic treatment of Lyme disease can help prevent late Lyme disease.

Treatment regimens listed in the following table are for the erythema migrans rash, the most common manifestation of early Lyme disease. These regimens may need to be adjusted depending on a persons age, medical history, underlying health conditions, pregnancy status, or allergies. Consult an infectious disease specialist regarding individual patient treatment decisions.

*When different durations of antibiotics are shown to be effective for the treatment of Lyme disease, the shorter duration is preferred to minimize unnecessary antibiotics that might result in adverse effects, including infectious diarrhea and antimicrobial resistance.

NOTE: For people intolerant of amoxicillin, doxycycline, and cefuroxime, the macrolide azithromycin may be used, although it is less effective. People treated with azithromycin should be closely monitored to ensure that symptoms resolve.

What Are The Signs And Symptoms

Those with Lyme disease can exhibit similar symptoms to those with Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome in its latter stages.

Although there are thought to be around 100 different Lyme disease symptoms, these can vary widely from person to person. The most common are:-

Erythema Migrans

• Circular skin rash
• Aching joints and/or stiff neck
• Muscular pain
• Disrupted sleep patterns
• Memory issues or Brain Fog

In around 70% of cases, patients experience a rash on the skin in the shape of a bulls-eye. A large red ring on the outside, with a red circle in the middle. The rash is commonly referred to as Erythema Migrans or an EM Rash.

If left untreated, the infection can spread to the joints, the heart and may even disrupt the central nervous system, peripheral nervous system, and cardiovascular system. In some extreme cases, Lyme disease can result in Pericarditis or death from heart blockage.

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Scientists Find Promising New Treatment For Lyme Disease

A new study gives hope that an effective treatment for Lyme disease may be available in the future. The new treatment involves the drugs cefotaxime and azlocillin.

The new paper appears in the Nature journal Scientific Reports .

Lyme disease affects nearly 300,000 people a year in the United States and around 230,000 people a year in Europe, according to an article in the Journal of Public Health .

Bacteria belonging to the group Borrelia burgdorferi cause Lyme disease. Most people develop it after being bitten by a tick that carries the bacteria.

Approximately 6080% of people with Lyme disease develop a circular red skin rash called erythema migrans around the infected tick bite, and some also develop flu-like symptoms.

Most people develop the rash within 4 weeks of being bitten, but it can appear up to 3 months afterward.

of people with the disease later develop symptoms of fatigue, pain in their muscles, joints or nerves, and cognitive impairment.

These symptoms can continue for months or even years after their initial infection.

Researchers have suggested that this may because of drug-tolerant persisters, a group of bacterial cells that survive the initial dose of antibiotics.

Others believe its an immune disorder caused by bacteria during the first exposure, which causes a perpetual inflammation condition. Whatever the cause, the pain for patients is still very real.

Effective Natural Treatment Of Chronic Lyme Disease

Those treated with antibiotics in the early stages of a Lyme infection usually recover completely and in a relatively short space of time.

Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for around 20% of patients who will continue to experience persistent and recurring symptoms. These patients are classed as having PTLDS or Post Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome.

Post-Lyme disease syndrome symptoms are similar to the symptoms that occur during the early stages. These symptoms include difficulty sleeping, fatigue, joint and muscle aches, short-term memory issues or difficulty concentrating, pain, and swelling in the larger joints, such as elbows, knees, shoulders, or speech issues. Its fair to say that Lyme disease is one of the most challenging conditions to recover from fully, especially when at a more advanced stage.

Here at the Budwig Center clinic, our experienced therapists have successfully treated many Lyme disease patients over the last 10 years using BioMagnetism or BIO-MAGNETIC THERAPY.

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Note: This post was originally published in November 2014 and has been updated for freshness, accuracy, and clarity.

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Treatment For Other Forms Of Lyme Disease

People with other forms of disseminated Lyme disease may require longer courses of antibiotics or intravenous treatment with antibiotics such as ceftriaxone. For more information about treating other forms of Lyme disease, see:

The National Institutes of Health has funded several studies on the treatment of Lyme disease that show most people recover within a few weeks of completing a course of oral antibiotics when treated soon after symptom onset. In a small percentage of cases, symptoms such as fatigue and myalgia can last for more than 6 months. This condition is known as post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome , although it is also sometimes called chronic Lyme disease. For details on research into chronic Lyme disease and long-term treatment trials sponsored by NIH, visit the visit the National Institutes of Health Lyme Disease web siteexternal icon.

Laboratory Radiographic And Other Tests That Are Likely To Be Useful In Diagnosing The Cause Of This Problem

• Serologic testing for antibodies to Borrelia burgdorferi with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay , with confirmation of a positive test by Western blot. However, presence of IgM or IgG antibodies are an indication of previous exposure and not always active infection, thus should be correlated with history and physical exam.
• Direct detection of the bacteria in patients with EM, such as biopsy or blood cultures are not available for weeks, and thus not recommended for clinical practice.
• For Lyme meningitis, cerebrospinal fluid with lymphocyte-predominant pleocytosis, elevated protein and normal to low glucose, and diagnostic titers of IgG or IgM in serum or CSF.
• Four-fold interval increase in titers in convalescent compared to acute samples.
• Exclusion of causes of biological false-positive tests, such as syphilis.
• Electrocardiogram may demonstrate varying degrees of AV block, rarely with complete heart block.
• White blood cell count may be normal or high. Hemoglobin, urinalysis and chemistry are usually normal.
• For a patient with EM based on history and physical exam serologic testing is usually not helpful, as there is a high rate of false negative results.

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Lyme Disease’s Role In Cancer Development

Lyme disease is a complicated bacterial infection that is often seen accompanied by many other co-infections, this heightened number of infections could be making patients more susceptible to cancer. Infections have been shown to have three major modes of either causing or assisting in tumor growth, they cause inflammation, depress the immune system, and they can alter DNA causing mutations in the cell. Fortunately, Envita has developed patient specific and targeted treatment plans for Lyme disease and many of its coinfections, reducing the risk of developing cancer from infections for their patients.

Lyme disease patients may be very susceptible to cancer as Lyme can directly or indirectly cause all three of the mechanics that lead to tumor growth. Lyme disease and it coinfections directly cause inflammation of muscle and nerve tissue through endotoxins, biotoxins, and neurotoxins released by the bacterial infection. Lyme and its co-infections can severely depress the immune system making the body more susceptible to viral infections which can alter cellular DNA leading to cancer in a process known as oncogenesis. It is important to understand that Lyme disease is rarely seen alone and is almost always accompanied by other infections which must be addressed for proper treatment and cancer prevention.