- Headaches
- Arthritis
- FibromyalgiaFibromyalgia (FM) is also a recently coined term to describe widespread muscular pain and tender points. Pain is generally felt all over the body although it may start in one particular area such as the neck or shoulders. FM pain has a variable description including: burning, radiating, gnawing, sore stiff and aching muscles. It often varies according to the day, activity level, weather, sleep patterns and STRESS LEVELS. Most FM patients state that some degree of pain is always present and that they feel almost “flu like.” About 90% of FM patients describe moderate or severe fatigue with lack of energy, decreased exercise endurance, or the kind of exhaustion felt with the flu or lack of sleep. Generally FM patients wake up feeling tired and this may be due to the fact that sleep studies have demonstrated an abnormal sleep pattern with particular interruption in their deep sleep patterns. In both CFS and FM, it is not uncommon for people to also experience cognitive abnormalities in the form of poor memory, difficulty concentrating, mood liability and general confusion. Again, these are all characteristics of an “infection like” syndrome or environmental illness or a combination of both. The challenge then becomes to identify what pathogen(s) a patient has, in order to begin addressing the etiology of symptoms. Clearly the treatment for various infections is different, especially with regard to viral versus bacterial infections.
- Sleep DisordersChronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is a late 20th century buzz word used to convey a constellation of symptoms that patients’ experience, but it is a NOT formal diagnosis. Extreme exhaustion, poor stamina coupled with difficulty concentrating and poor memory render patients nearly completely disabled. Additionally, CFS may be accompanied by flu-like symptoms, joint and muscle aches, unrefreshing sleep, tender lymph nodes, sore throat and headache. This constellation of symptoms is similar to that which would be seen in many viral or bacterial infections such as walking pneumonia, strep throat, Borreliosis/ Lyme disease or even AIDS. Another distinct set of symptoms associated with CFS includes: post-exertional malaise, a worsening of symptoms following physical or mental exertion that occurs within 24-48 hours of the exertion, and requiring an extended recovery period. Neuroimmune and endocrine abnormalities are also frequently observed in CFS, and patients may require hormonal support including: thyroid, pregnenolone, DHEA, estrogen and/or progesterone and testosterone. Patients are generally unable to appropriately respond to stress and may require low doses of cortisol or the natural equivalent as well. Sleep disorders are also common in this patient population and may require natural sleep aids like melatonin or prescription sleep medication
- Infectious DiseasesTessa Gardner, MD, an infectious disease specialist at the University of Washington, St. Louis, MO also wrote an entire chapter in a book devoted to infections of the unborn and newborn child, titled “ Infectious Diseases of the Fetus and Newborn Infant” Philadelphia, Saunders, 2001. In this chapter she discusses the possibility of Lyme Disease transmission from mother to child in utero.
- Electrocardiogram
- EndometriosisHypothalamic-pituitary insufficiency is common in tick-borne disease manifesting as, hypothyroidism, adrenal exhaustion, endometriosis, polycystic ovarian disease and a host of other hormone mediated diseases. The phenomenon of infectious disease causing such widespread and variable neuroendocrine disorders has not been systematically studied but is often clinically observed and requires nutritional, herbal and sometimes pharmacologic intervention. Return of normal hormone function is important in patients with Lyme Disease if healing is to occur.
- Pregnancy
- Kidney StonesOxalate Intolerance can mimic Lyme Disease symptoms. Oxalates are molecules found in foods which can accumulate in the body. Vitamin B-6 deficiency, magnesium and thiamine deficiency can also increase oxalate synthesis. Additionally, there appears to be a genetic predisposition for sequestering oxalates as well. Symptoms of oxalate intolerance include: Joint inflammation Muscle stiffness Kidney stones … Read More
- AutismMost patients with neurological Lyme Disease and coinfections (i.e., MS, ALS, Parkinson’s Disease, Autism), have elevated levels of ammonia in the brain which is neurotoxic. This is due to the fact that the spirochete, Borrelia burgdorferi, produces urease enzymes, and ammonia accumulation results. Sometimes ammonia levels will be elevated in the blood, but many times they are also normal. This is because the ammonia concentration is localized in specific tissues (brain), where the concentration is not high enough to be detected in the blood. But that doesn’t mean that ammonia is not causing destruction. It is VERY neurotoxic, and needs to be removed with herbal supplements and diet changes.
- Multiple SclerosisMS onset usually occurs in young adults and is more common in women. Its estimated prevalence ranges between 2 and 150 per 100,000 people. The neurological symptoms associated with Multiple Sclerosis can vary, with new symptoms occurring either in discrete attacks (relapsing forms) or gradually accumulating over time (progressive form). Generally, the symptoms associated with MS include: changes in sensation, loss of sensitivity, prickling or numbness especially in the extremities, muscle weakness, clonus, muscle spasms, poor coordination, difficulty swallowing, visual problems, extreme fatigue, acute and chronic pain, and irritable bladder and bowel.
- Epilepsy
- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)Additionally, there is good reason to believe that certain cases of autism are in fact the result of congenital Lyme disease. Since Borrelia is known to be involved in a myriad of neurological disorders including: ALS, Parkinson’s Disease, Alzheimer’s Disease and Multiple Sclerosis, logic follows that we might suspect similar involvement in childhood neurological disorders such as autism, ADHD, sensory integration and processing difficulties, learning differences, dyslexia, Aspberger’s Syndrome, and a host of other unexplained disorders.
- Depression
- Mental HealthDr. Susan L. Marra is an adult and pediatric Lyme specialist with over 23 years of experience as a clinician, and over 30 years in the health care industry. She has trained with world-leading Lyme disease specialists (Dr. Richard Horowitz and Dr. Charles Ray Jones) on the east coast and has practiced both on the east (Connecticut) and west coasts (Seattle). She has a BS and MS in Psychology, with an emphasis in Psychobiology, and received her ND degree from Bastyr University. Prior to attending Bastyr, she worked at the National Institute of Mental Health in Bethesda, Maryland, and at the University of Pennsylvania in brain and behavior research. Dr. Marra has been an ILADS member since 2001.
- Anxiety
- Diabetes Care
- HypothyroidismMany patients who suffer from chronic Lyme Disease and coinfections or chronic complex illness, also suffer from a low core body temperature (less than 97.0 degrees F). Sometimes this cold body temperature is due to hypothyroidism, which is relatively easy to diagnose with blood tests and a thermometer, an easily treated with some combination of T3 and T4 sustained release capsules.
- Thyroid
- MRITo date there is no known cure for MS, and treatments including interferon may help to halt progression of the disease. However, if an underlying tick-borne infection is present, antibiotics that cross the blood brain barrier can be used. Follow up MRI tests can reveal that if infection is present, a receding of the white matter lesions occurs, and healing can take place. Return of total function may or may not occur depending on many factors including: genetic propensity, environmental influences, diet, length of time of infection, status of the immune system, and virulence of the strain of spirochete(s) present.
- Eczema
- FungusAs of 2018, recent research by Fry Laboratories in Scottsdale, Arizona, suggests that, at least in some patients with chronic fatigue syndrome and arthritis, fungus may be the actual problem. This should come as no surprise because fungi, bacteria, and viruses have been coevolving on earth and in hosts for millions and millions of years. Fungi are found throughout the environment and especially in soil, air and water, and in normal healthy people, they may not pose a problem. However, in patients who are immunocompromised, fungal infections can be VERY problematic.
- LesionsMultiple Sclerosis (MS) was first described by Jean-Martin Charcot in 1868, and is an autoimmune inflammatory disease in which the myelin sheath (composed of fats) around nerve axons of the brain and spinal cord are damaged. Chronic inflammation leads to widespread demyelination, especially in the white matter areas of the brain where there is a high density of fatty acids. MS affects the ability of nerve cells to communicate with each other because the body’s immune system attacks and damages the myelin sheath. As a result, lesions or scars in the brain and spinal cord give rise to neurological symptoms such as numbness and tingling.
- Psoriasis
- Allergies