In 2001, Dr. Fish found it in about 2 percent of the deer ticks in the Northeast and Upper Midwest and proved that mice could pick it up from tick bites.

In spite of all this evidence, researchers could not find grant money to research the new strain in order to find out whether or not it caused disease or not (some strains of spirochetes cause no more than a rash, some apparently do not cause any illness, and of course some like Borrelia burgdoferi are virulent and potentially lethal.)

Recently the New York Times reported that B. miyamotoi has been found in the same deer tick species that transmit Lyme, and the Yale researchers estimate that perhaps 3,000 Americans a year pick it up from tick bites, compared with about 25,000 who get Lyme disease. These numbers come from the CDC (Center for Disease Control) who admits that they are under-reporting due to the lack of accurate diagnostic tests.  In fact they conservatively say they are only reporting 10% of actual cases.  Many believe it is more like 1 %.

Well, if there are diagnostic problems with Borrelia burgdoferi, you can imagine how much more difficult it is right now to diagnose Borrelia miyamotoi.  There is no diagnostic test for it in this country. So the number of people who are sick with it in America is anybody c E ™s guess although we do have some clues.

As far back as 2006 researchers from UC Berkeley entomologist department classified Borrelia miyamotoi as a relapsing fever group spirochete having found the miyamotoi in the western blacklegged tick, Ixodes pacificus.  Now that this strain has been found in deer ticks on the East Coast it doesn c E ™t take very much imagination to allow that it has found its way into other spirochete infected ticks.

And on the other side of the world, Russian scientists made some discoveries that forced some heads out of the sand here in America.

In Russia, where a team in the Siberian city of Yekaterinburg finally developed a test that can distinguish miyamotoi from other tick-borne spirochetes, and were able to determine that there was in fact specific and measurable illness caused from Borrelia miyamotoi.

As it turns out, their results also put the species in the rlapsing fever category but show that it causes higher fevers than Borrelia burgdorferi typically does. In about 10 percent of cases, the fevers repeatedly disappear and return after a week or two.

This discovery raises more questions than it answers.

Dr. Fish found B. miyamotoi in American ticks 10 years ago, but was repeatedly refused a study grant until the Russians proved it caused illness. c E oeIt c E ™s been like pulling teeth, c E  he said. c [...]]]> The miyamotoi spirochete was discovered in Japan in 1995. It was at first believed to be limited to those islands. It then began appearing elsewhere in the Pacific including California and other western states in America.

In 2001, Dr. Fish found it in about 2 percent of the deer ticks in the Northeast and Upper Midwest and proved that mice could pick it up from tick bites.

In spite of all this evidence, researchers could not find grant money to research the new strain in order to find out whether or not it caused disease or not (some strains of spirochetes cause no more than a rash, some apparently do not cause any illness, and of course some like Borrelia burgdoferi are virulent and potentially lethal.)

Recently the New York Times reported that B. miyamotoi has been found in the same deer tick species that transmit Lyme, and the Yale researchers estimate that perhaps 3,000 Americans a year pick it up from tick bites, compared with about 25,000 who get Lyme disease. These numbers come from the CDC (Center for Disease Control) who admits that they are under-reporting due to the lack of accurate diagnostic tests.  In fact they conservatively say they are only reporting 10% of actual cases.  Many believe it is more like 1 %.

Well, if there are diagnostic problems with Borrelia burgdoferi, you can imagine how much more difficult it is right now to diagnose Borrelia miyamotoi.  There is no diagnostic test for it in this country. So the number of people who are sick with it in America is anybody c E ™s guess although we do have some clues.

As far back as 2006 researchers from UC Berkeley entomologist department classified Borrelia miyamotoi as a relapsing fever group spirochete having found the miyamotoi in the western blacklegged tick, Ixodes pacificus.  Now that this strain has been found in deer ticks on the East Coast it doesn c E ™t take very much imagination to allow that it has found its way into other spirochete infected ticks.

And on the other side of the world, Russian scientists made some discoveries that forced some heads out of the sand here in America.

In Russia, where a team in the Siberian city of Yekaterinburg finally developed a test that can distinguish miyamotoi from other tick-borne spirochetes, and were able to determine that there was in fact specific and measurable illness caused from Borrelia miyamotoi.

As it turns out, their results also put the species in the rlapsing fever category but show that it causes higher fevers than Borrelia burgdorferi typically does. In about 10 percent of cases, the fevers repeatedly disappear and return after a week or two.

This discovery raises more questions than it answers.

Dr. Fish found B. miyamotoi in American ticks 10 years ago, but was repeatedly refused a study grant until the Russians proved it caused illness. c E oeIt c E ™s been like pulling teeth, c E  he said. c E oeGo ask the N.I.H. why. c E 

Our country is facing the fastest growing epidemic it has ever faced and to quote the New York Times, c E oe c E ¦Most medical authorities, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Infectious Disease Society of America, take the position that c E oechronic Lyme disease c E  does not exist and that those victims either have other illnesses or are hypochondriacs. They oppose the solution demanded by some self-proclaimed victims: long-term intravenous antibiotics c E ¦ c E 

Perhaps the cure for those of us who suffer from chronic Lyme disease will come from another country.  In fact it appears that unless something significant changes in the current American medical system, other than a handful of courageous doctors, we are on our own.

Below are examples of signs, symptoms and indirect ways to help increase the diagnosis of Babesia.   An examination of public genetic databases shows well over thirty-five species exist, many of which have variants.

Please note that an unknown percentage of people infected have no symptoms, at least for many years.

This checklist is not meant to be used as a definitive tool to diagnose Babesia.   I would suggest no definitive 100% or even 98% sensitive tool exists.

My goal is merely to decrease illness resulting from false negative patients, i.e., people who are positive but do not show up positive on a basic direct test.

Indeed, it is not uncommon for a patient with Babesia to present with a negative test result over ten times, regardless of the lab, and then to show up positive on DNA testing when exposed to two or three protozoa treatments for three days, or to have positive antibody testing six weeks after a similar provocation trial.

I do not oppose or endorse such approaches, but feel it necessary to mention that this has happened with aEoemalariaaE  prevention treatment.   Additionally, there have been instances in which the use of herbs, such as artesunate, for cancer prevention, has resulted in an unintended outcome: the conversion of a Babesia titer from negative to positive.

The path to expertise with Babesia is not simply to read a summary article or guidebook (of which I have authored four on the topic of Babesia).   Nor is expertise acquired by viewing the sickest 1% of patients as the aEoenormaE  in Babesia diagnosis.

If someone seeks expert knowledge of the infection, it begins by reading the entire world Pub Med literature over a few years, then utilizing that knowledge by focusing on treating this infection for over five years.

In summary, how can any certain Babesia position exist, when new species that infect humans are routinely emerging, and for which there is not even a direct testaE”regardless of sensitivity?

SYMPTOM LIST

1) I react to any derivative of Artemisia (Sweet Wormwood). *Note: the reaction does not need to last more than a day and any immediate stomach aches or loose stool do not apply.

2) I react to a malaria drug. (It requires profound wisdom for a clinician to distinguish between a side effect and a reaction caused by an effective Babesia treatment.   For example, insomnia caused by the synthetic drug Larium is meaningless, since Larium has this as a side effect in uninfected patients.   But fatigue and a severe headache resulting from a teaspoon of Mepron on day one are very suspicious symptoms for a known protozoan like Babesia or Malaria or other similar infections that are newly identified genetically).

3) Headaches with no clear cause

4) Headaches that are hard to control

5) Weight gain in clear excess of diet and exercise

6) Weight loss with reasonable eating and average exercise

7) Fatigue [...]]]> A Common Emerging Stealth Infection by Dr. James Schaller

Below are examples of signs, symptoms and indirect ways to help increase the diagnosis of Babesia.   An examination of public genetic databases shows well over thirty-five species exist, many of which have variants.

Please note that an unknown percentage of people infected have no symptoms, at least for many years.

This checklist is not meant to be used as a definitive tool to diagnose Babesia.   I would suggest no definitive 100% or even 98% sensitive tool exists.

My goal is merely to decrease illness resulting from false negative patients, i.e., people who are positive but do not show up positive on a basic direct test.

Indeed, it is not uncommon for a patient with Babesia to present with a negative test result over ten times, regardless of the lab, and then to show up positive on DNA testing when exposed to two or three protozoa treatments for three days, or to have positive antibody testing six weeks after a similar provocation trial.

I do not oppose or endorse such approaches, but feel it necessary to mention that this has happened with aEoemalariaaE  prevention treatment.   Additionally, there have been instances in which the use of herbs, such as artesunate, for cancer prevention, has resulted in an unintended outcome: the conversion of a Babesia titer from negative to positive.

The path to expertise with Babesia is not simply to read a summary article or guidebook (of which I have authored four on the topic of Babesia).   Nor is expertise acquired by viewing the sickest 1% of patients as the aEoenormaE  in Babesia diagnosis.

If someone seeks expert knowledge of the infection, it begins by reading the entire world Pub Med literature over a few years, then utilizing that knowledge by focusing on treating this infection for over five years.

In summary, how can any certain Babesia position exist, when new species that infect humans are routinely emerging, and for which there is not even a direct testaE”regardless of sensitivity?

SYMPTOM LIST

1) I react to any derivative of Artemisia (Sweet Wormwood). *Note: the reaction does not need to last more than a day and any immediate stomach aches or loose stool do not apply.

2) I react to a malaria drug. (It requires profound wisdom for a clinician to distinguish between a side effect and a reaction caused by an effective Babesia treatment.   For example, insomnia caused by the synthetic drug Larium is meaningless, since Larium has this as a side effect in uninfected patients.   But fatigue and a severe headache resulting from a teaspoon of Mepron on day one are very suspicious symptoms for a known protozoan like Babesia or Malaria or other similar infections that are newly identified genetically).

3) Headaches with no clear cause

4) Headaches that are hard to control

5) Weight gain in clear excess of diet and exercise

6) Weight loss with reasonable eating and average exercise

7) Fatigue in excess of that experienced by most people in the same age range

Fatigue that produces need for sleep in excess of 8 ½ hours daily

9) Fatigue with ongoing insomnia [consider the possibility of both Bartonella and Babesia in this case]

10) Absolute Eosinophils in the low or high range [this is not definitive in any manner, but is a useful tool]

11) A percentage of Eosinophils in low range or high normal range

12) Very high Eosinophils [rare with Babesia, but other findings suggest other possible causes]

13) Mood changes with any herb or drug that kills protozoa like Babesia, with the exception of Larium

14) Shortness of breath [no clear asthma, pneumonia, COPD or other common cause]

15) Swelling in limbs and other parts of body

16) Night sweats

17) Excessive perspiration during normal daily activity

18) Hot flashes in a normal temperature room

19) A poor appetite

20) Intermittent fever

21) Chills

22) A high fever

23) A high fever in excess of three days

24) Slowed thinking

25) Listlessness

26) A normal or low VEGF lab result in the presence of Bartonella

27) A TNF-a in excess of 1.0 in the presence of Bartonella

28) A CD57 or CD57/8 level that drops right after the start of a Babesia treatment, or which falls steadily with ongoing treatment

29) Pets, farm animals or local relatives with ANY tick borne virus, bacteria or protozoa

30) Excess breast tissue in a man or boy

31) Any decreased in appetite

32) Severe chest wall pains

33) Random stabbing pains

34) Any enhanced sense: sensitivity to light, touch, smells or sound

35) Family, friends or others report you look tired or foggy

36) You have received blood from another person

37) Muscle aches or joint aches/pain, especially worse after use of a protozoa killing medicine such as proquanil, Alinia, ativoquone, clindamycin, or one of many new emerging progressive natural medicine or synthetic malaria drug treatments

38) Nausea or vomiting

39) Hemolytic anemia with lab positive blood products in your urine [this is not a routine finding]

40) Dark urine [this is rarer than some articles intimate]

41) An enlarged liver (which sits under your right rib cage)

42) An enlarged spleen (under your left rib cage). This is falsely believed to be a common human sign; actually it is very rare.

43) A yellow hue on eyes, hands and skin (jaundice) with no other clear cause.

44) Sexual contact is a debated form of communication of some tick and flea borne infections. I have no position. Isolation in a body fluid does not mean that is a route to spread the infection. If you and your healer feel this is a possible route of infection, has the patient had intimate contact with the sharing of body fluids with an infected person?

45) The patientaE ™s mother is suspected of having or has been diagnosed with Babesia, Ehrlichia, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Anaplasma, Lyme or Bartonella based on newer direct and indirect testing or clinical signs and symptoms.

46) A sibling, father, spouse or child with any tick borne infection who shared a residence or vacation with proximity to brush (wooded area).

47) Exposure to outdoor environments with brush, wild grasses, wild streams, golf courses or woods in excess of ten minutes in any location lived or visited since the age of eighteen months of age.

48) Outdoor exposure in locations such as brush, wild grasses, wild streams or woods which took place without the use of DEET or without very high off-gassing essential oils on exposed skin areas.

49) Enlarged lymph nodes (but also in Lyme, Bartonella, other infections, high inflammation, tumors and other diseases)

50) After Babesia treatment with clear protozoa killing agents used also to kill malaria, IL-6 moves from very low to an increased level.

51) After Babesia treatment with clear protozoa killing agents used also to kill malaria, IL-1B moves from very low to an increased level.

52) Brain troubles such as trouble keeping up with past routine life demands, lateness due to trouble with motivation and organization, and trouble with concentration [Any of these would be a positive]

53) Memory troubles [this is not specific to one infection or one disease process.   For example, exposure to indoor moldaE ™s biological chemicals can decrease memory within an hour depending on the species mix]

54) Profound psychiatric illnesses [this is not limited to a single infection]

55) Daytime sleep urgency despite nighttime sleep

56) Waves of generalized itching [this infection and inflammation sign is not limited just to Babesia].

57) Spike of a fever over 100.5 after a possible tick bite.

58) Insomnia after taking a malaria killing herb or drug

59) Anxiety and/or depression after taking a malaria killing herb or drug

60) Rage or temporary personality regression right after use of a malaria killing herb or medication

61) Excess fat in lower belly area that is in excess of lifestyle and activity.

62) Lumps or other types of tissue collection with no clear cause [Other tick and flea-borne infections can also cause these growths]

63) One or more medical problems with unclear cause(s), with changing or contradictory diagnoses, or which are eventually called aEoeidiopathic.aE 

64) Psychiatric label(s) given for all of your troubles or a child or relativeaE ™s troubles when clear medical problems exist as shown by abnormal laboratory results (only if wide testing is done which includes inflammation and anti-inflammation chemicals, hormones, nutrient levels, and other immune system chemicals).

65) You have two tick or flea infections with two positive tick or flea borne viruses, bacteria or protozoa.   The presence of other infections such as tick borne viruses or bacteria raises suspicion of a Babesia infection.

66) Your clinician understands the use of indirect testing and feels your lab pattern is suggestive of the presence of Babesia.   This involves more than an ECP spike.

67) Since direct testing for Babesia by any lab misses many human species and is of variable reliability, and the common presence of Bartonella suppresses some antibody tests, a positive or aEoeindeterminateaE  is likely a positive. Have you had an aEoeindeterminateaE  or aEoeborderlineaE  Babesia result?

68)  You have neighbors living near you with a tick or flea infection diagnosis.

69)  Your pet(s) or family animals of any type, e.g., horses, have had outdoor exposures to areas such as brush, wild grasses, wild streams or woods. If the pets were animals such as dogs, which can be given anti-tick and flea treatments, were these animals always on schedule with these treatments?

70) Have you had clear exposure to ticks in your current or past homes as an adult?

71) Have you had clear exposure to ticks during vacations or other travels?

A WORD ON MANUAL BLOOD EXAMINATIONS

No blood smear will be positive for Babesia unless you have a profoundly massive number of infected red blood cells, which is rare.   Therefore, no blood smear should be considered negative unless it has been examined for thirty minutes. While a 2-3 minute exam of large white blood cells may be fully sufficient to identify cancers and other diseases, a search for over eighty Babesia red blood cell presentations under 1000x, as found in my Hematology Forms of Babesia Book, requires at least thirty minutes, which requires private contracting with a microbiologist or pathologist or a favor from a lab director.   Please appreciate that stains help define whether a substance is what it appears to be.

Babesia is an emerging infection.   Any certainty claims or criticism about Babesia positions without reading at least parts of 1,500 articles is a premature certainty.   Again, new Babesia species are emerging every one to four months.   Indeed, even a new protozoan has been found that looks like Babesia under a high powered microscope. But when it is genetically sequenced it is not Babesia or immature malaria, which can look similar. It is a new infection.

Therefore, since this is a new emerging illness, this scale is meant to merely increase awareness of Babesia, an infection that can kill patients of any age.   Writings in the past fifteen years have either seen Babesia as a mere aEoeco-infectionaE  or a footnote of a spirochete infection [Lyme]. Anything that can hide for a couple of decades, and then possibly kill you with a clot or by other means, is not a casual infection.

Babesia cure claims should be made with the use of indirect testing birthed from extracts of superior journals read over five years.   Currently, these many indirect well-established lab test patterns are not used or understood by immensely busy and smart clinicians working full-time.   While this is fully understandable, I hope it may change in the coming decade.

Dr. Schaller is the author of 29 books and 27 top journal articles.

His publications address issues in at least twelve fields of medicine.

He has published the most recent four textbooks on Babesia.

He has published on Babesia as a cancer primer under the supervision of the former editor of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), and his entries on multiple tick and flea borne infections, including Babesia [along with Bartonella and Lyme disease], were published in a respected infection textbook endorsed by the NIH Director of Infectious Disease.

Dr. Schaller has produced six texts on tick and flea-borne infections based on his markedly unique full-time reading and study practice, which is not limited to either finite traditional or integrative progressive medicine.   With a physicianaE ™s medical license, he has been able to sort through many truth claims by ordering lab testing.   He does not casually follow the dozens of yearly truth claims, without indirect testing laboratory proof.   He has read full-time on these emerging problems for many years.   He is rated a TOP and BEST physician. One of these award ratings is based on physician peer ratings.

Today, every person on the planet is enveloped in radioactive electromagnetic field (EMF) pollution or aEoeelectro-smog.aE 

Dr. Andrew Weil states that aEoeElectromagnetic pollution (EMF) may be the most significant form of pollution human activity has produced in this century, all the more dangerous because it is invisible and insensible.aE 

Where does it come from?

For starters, letaE ™s look at your home.

The wiring in your walls and outlets create an ever-present electromagnetic field in the room. Nearby power lines radiate even more EMF exposure into your home.

Household appliances and lighting, especially aEoeenergy-savingaE  computers, refrigerators, plasma TVs, compact fluorescent light bulbs, and dimmer switches produce a particularly harmful dose of EMFs.

When these energy-efficient electronics and appliances tamp down the electrical current, they create a wildly fluctuating and potentially dangerous electromagnetic field.

High-frequency voltage transients, or aEoedirty electricity,aE  results and radiates into your home.

These EMFs can also back up along your wiring all the way to the utility, infecting every energy customer in between.

Add in all the everyday things you use aE” alarm clock, electric razor, hair dryer, electric toothbrush aE” and youaE ™re literally cluttering your living environment with toxic doses of EMFs.

In addition to all of that we have wi-fi and mobile phones.

The electrosmog created from all sources, including electronics, cell and cordless phones, wireless technology (especially Blue Tooth and WiFi), certain alarm systems, and radio and TV transmissions are now conclusively proven in over 2,000 studies to be hazardous to your health.

In fact just recently, on May 31, 2011, the World Health Organization reversed previous statements and declared that cell phones very possibly cause cancer.

But donaE ™t wait for your cell phone carrier or Internet provider to deliver the bad news. Wireless Internet technology, some home alarm systems, cell phones, digital cordless phones, and blue tooth all use dangerous microwave radiation.

Cell phone radiation comes into all homes from nearby cell phone panels. So whether you are at home or away from home aE” there is no place aEoesafeaE  anymore unless you make it that way.

And then you add wireless technology. Even if you donaE ™t have WiFi, the EMFs from your neighborsaE ™ wireless technology extends into your living space as well.

As [...]]]>

If you had the time to listen to the fascinating interview presented on this blog last week between Dr. Mercola, Dr. Klinghardt and chronic Lyme disease, you may have heard Dr. KlinghardtaE ™s assessment of the ultimate havoc that radioactive EMF (Electro-Magnetic Fields) have on our health.

Today, every person on the planet is enveloped in radioactive electromagnetic field (EMF) pollution or aEoeelectro-smog.aE 

Dr. Andrew Weil states that aEoeElectromagnetic pollution (EMF) may be the most significant form of pollution human activity has produced in this century, all the more dangerous because it is invisible and insensible.aE 

Where does it come from?

For starters, letaE ™s look at your home.

The wiring in your walls and outlets create an ever-present electromagnetic field in the room. Nearby power lines radiate even more EMF exposure into your home.

Household appliances and lighting, especially aEoeenergy-savingaE  computers, refrigerators, plasma TVs, compact fluorescent light bulbs, and dimmer switches produce a particularly harmful dose of EMFs.

When these energy-efficient electronics and appliances tamp down the electrical current, they create a wildly fluctuating and potentially dangerous electromagnetic field.

High-frequency voltage transients, or aEoedirty electricity,aE  results and radiates into your home.

These EMFs can also back up along your wiring all the way to the utility, infecting every energy customer in between.

Add in all the everyday things you use aE” alarm clock, electric razor, hair dryer, electric toothbrush aE” and youaE ™re literally cluttering your living environment with toxic doses of EMFs.

In addition to all of that we have wi-fi and mobile phones.

The electrosmog created from all sources, including electronics, cell and cordless phones, wireless technology (especially Blue Tooth and WiFi), certain alarm systems, and radio and TV transmissions are now conclusively proven in over 2,000 studies to be hazardous to your health.

In fact just recently, on May 31, 2011, the World Health Organization reversed previous statements and declared that cell phones very possibly cause cancer.

But donaE ™t wait for your cell phone carrier or Internet provider to deliver the bad news. Wireless Internet technology, some home alarm systems, cell phones, digital cordless phones, and blue tooth all use dangerous microwave radiation.

Cell phone radiation comes into all homes from nearby cell phone panels. So whether you are at home or away from home aE” there is no place aEoesafeaE  anymore unless you make it that way.

And then you add wireless technology. Even if you donaE ™t have WiFi, the EMFs from your neighborsaE ™ wireless technology extends into your living space as well.

As you might already realize, cell phones, especially when used without a safe headset, are very problematic when it comes to EMFs aE” for both the user and others. Of all the cell phones, the iPhone presents an exceptional hazard.

Even when switched off, the iPhone acts as a transmitter from other cell phone users. In other wordsaE ¦ if you happen to be the closest person to a cell phone tower, you and your iPhone serve as a transmitter station for possibly thousands of other cell phone users further away!

This is not just a theoretical threat.   This is a reality that is currently detriorating the lealth of millions of people around the world aE” especially those who are already sick with cancer or chronic Lyme disease.

Every cell in your body undergoes more than 100,000 biochemical reactions per second. And to ensure things run smoothly, every cell, tissue, and organ need to talk to each other and share information about those reactions.

This critical information travels as light signals via the autonomic nervous system throughout your body. These light signals connect to a biophysical field of light that your body creates outside of itself. This outer biophoton field, or aEoebiofield,aE  is sensitive to magnetic and pulsating light fields.

The frequencies used by your body to communicate its information are in the range of a couple of billion Hertz. And that is the problem.

The cell phone industry is now using this very same frequency band for cell phone-to-cell phone communication.

We now have strong scientific evidence that these cell phone microwaves are significantly interfering with the healthy communications between your physical body and your external aEoebiofieldaE  of light.

In other words, theyaE ™re causing aEoestaticaE  and breaking down your bodyaE ™s essential communications. Your cells canaE ™t properly respond to signals from your brain, nervous system and immune system.

According to the Journal of Biochemistry, just living in a community with cell phone reception destroys crucial central signaling pathways in your cells.

Poor cellular communication and the dysfunctional autonomic nervous system that results are known precursors to cancer and other types of chronic illnesses.

A German study very clearly demonstrates these effects from cell phone radiation. For the first five years of exposure to a community cell phone tower, there is no increased cancer risk.

After five years, there is a sharp rise. At the end of ten years, there is a three to five-fold increase in cancer rates.

If you want to know your exposure, check http://antennasearch.com.   Just enter your address and get a free report listing all existing towers and antennas (even those planned for the future); of every type and even raw power and frequency data for that location.

I guarantee you will be alarmed, or at least you should be.   You can have the best diet with the highest quality organic foods and top shelf supplements, exercise and low stressaE ¦but the radioactive EMFs will be eating away at your health.

What can you do?

There are products galore that advertise their protective power against this electro-pollution aE” from canopies that cover your bed while you sleep to headbands, hats, and just about anything you can conceive of.   DonaE ™t let the hype confuse you.   In my opinion there are two products that are important for you and each member of your family.

First, assuming you use a cell phone (if you donaE ™t great aE” skip down to the next section) you donaE ™t want to fry your brain (See aEoeAre You Frying Your Brain With Your Cell Phone?aE )   Green 8 USA has what you need with all of the science and testimonials you need to feel confident about the quality and safety of this product aE” not to mention the economy! You must check this out:

Green 8 USA

Now, what about the rest of the radioactive EMFs pounding at your body day and night.   Do you really think that turning off your wi-fi at night is going to help?   PerhapsaE ¦marginallyaE ¦but there is a fantastic new product on the market now that can protect you and your family all the day and night aE” its called a BioElectric Shield.

Using applied physics, the living energy BioElectric Shield provides a lifetime of EMF protection, stress reduction, and energy enhancement. The Shield, uses aEoeEarth Resonance TechnologyaE  developed from Nobel Prize winning physics aE” specifically the scientifically activated matrix of quartz and other living crystals which:

• PROTECTS you from cell phones, computers and other electromagnetic radiation by deflecting and redirecting this unhealthy energy;
• STRENGTHENS your own natural healthy energy field, amplifying your abilities to handle stressful situations and people more easily;
• ENHANCES your natural energy, improving focus, performance and goal achievement.
• BALANCES your system to the level of your DNA and helps to keep your immune system strong.

BioElectric Shield

Increase your chances of recovering completely from chronic Lyme disease.   Protect yourself from radioactive electromagnetic fields with a Green 8 USA for your cell phone, and a BioElectric Shield to block electro-smog and radioactive EMFs.

He writes about a planned protest coming up in Boston:

It seems the Guideline Authors have gotten wind of our planned protest and have released an article trying to dismiss us.

Let c E ™s let them know who is truly ignoring the SCIENCE!

This is rather amusing considering they are the ones completely ignoring the science.

Here is a link to the summary of the latest article published by 8 out of 10 of the IDSA Lyme Disease Guidelines Authors:

http://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PIIS1473-3099(11)70034-2/fulltext

Click here for some response to this article.

http://lyme-aware.org/news/lydias-blog/917-lyme-disease-activists-a-threat-to-public.html

They are ignoring the very SCIENCE they claim does not exist!  For more information on the Science use link below.  Feel free to print and share the Science with any skeptics

http://lymekick.com/chroniclyme.pdf

Now more than ever we need everyone on board for this Important event to Protest the IDSA Guidelines and their Authors who continue to feed lies into the community

See you all in Boston

Paul

I am including this information to support Paul.

We must stick together while facing those esteemed medical professionals who think we are c E oehypochondriacs c E  or c E oedelusional c E .  Unfortunately their opinion has influenced media and hundreds of thousands of innocent bystanders who don c E ™t have any experience with chronic Lyme disease and are quite happy to believe the authoritative pronouncements from IDSA (and look at their suffering friends with raised eyebrows and unkind thoughts/judgements.)

Thank you Paul, for your efforts that help all of us!

Dr. Eva Sapi and colleagues have published an important study today, c E oeEvaluation of in-vitro antibiotic susceptibility of different morphological forms of Borrelia burgdorferi c E . I have included the link to the article, which is available free of charge at Dove Press, at the end of this post and encourage you to read it.

The study is broad ranging, but makes a significant contribution to Lyme research in a number of areas: culturing techniques, cyst and spirochete antibiotic susceptibility, and the role of biofilms in persistence.

The most important result of the research was the development of a new culture technique that dramatically increases the growth of Borrelia burgdorferi (Bb), the corkscrew-shaped bacteria (spirochete) that causes Lyme disease, making it easier to detect persistence of the bacteria. The new culture technique is also better able to grow the cyst form of the bacteria that is thought to be metabolically dormant. 

One mechanism of persistence of Bb is believed to be its ability to convert from the spirochete form to the cyst form in vitro when presented with an unfavorable environment.  This conversion would allow the bacteria to evade the immune system and resist destruction by antibiotics that rely on cell division for effectiveness.  When the environmental conditions become more favorable, the organism can then revert back to the spirochete form.

The ability to easily culture the cyst form as well as the spirochete form of the bacteria permitted the researchers to determine the effect of various antibiotics on each form of the bacteria.  Some antibiotics decreased the number of spirochetes but increased the number of cysts, while other antibiotics reduced both spirochetes and cysts, but at different rates.

Finally, the researchers were able to develop biofilm colonies of the Lyme bacteria.  These colonies are made up of bacterial clusters coated in slime, and they have been shown to promote persistent infection in other diseases. The effectiveness of antibiotics for Bb in biofilm colonies was greatly reduced, with viable organisms detected in 70-85% of the biofilm colonies.

In summary, the study achieved an important new advance in culture techniques for Bb, demonstrated varying sensitivity of the cyst and spirochete form of Bb to different antibiotics, and confirmed mechanisms of persistence of Bb by converting from spirochete to cyst form and by forming biofilm colonies that protect the organism from antibiotics.

The research was supported by grants from the California Lyme Disease Association, Turn the Corner Foundation and the University of New Haven. The full [...]]]> CALDA printed the following information in their blog recently.  The article, c E oeHARDSCIENCEONLYME: Lyme Culture Made Easy, Antibiotic Effectiveness, and Mechanisms of Persistence c E  written by CALDA c E ™s President Lorraine Johnson can also be found on CALDA c E ™s website http://www.lymedisease.org/:

Dr. Eva Sapi and colleagues have published an important study today, c E oeEvaluation of in-vitro antibiotic susceptibility of different morphological forms of Borrelia burgdorferi c E . I have included the link to the article, which is available free of charge at Dove Press, at the end of this post and encourage you to read it.

The study is broad ranging, but makes a significant contribution to Lyme research in a number of areas: culturing techniques, cyst and spirochete antibiotic susceptibility, and the role of biofilms in persistence.

The most important result of the research was the development of a new culture technique that dramatically increases the growth of Borrelia burgdorferi (Bb), the corkscrew-shaped bacteria (spirochete) that causes Lyme disease, making it easier to detect persistence of the bacteria. The new culture technique is also better able to grow the cyst form of the bacteria that is thought to be metabolically dormant. 

One mechanism of persistence of Bb is believed to be its ability to convert from the spirochete form to the cyst form in vitro when presented with an unfavorable environment.  This conversion would allow the bacteria to evade the immune system and resist destruction by antibiotics that rely on cell division for effectiveness.  When the environmental conditions become more favorable, the organism can then revert back to the spirochete form.

The ability to easily culture the cyst form as well as the spirochete form of the bacteria permitted the researchers to determine the effect of various antibiotics on each form of the bacteria.  Some antibiotics decreased the number of spirochetes but increased the number of cysts, while other antibiotics reduced both spirochetes and cysts, but at different rates.

Finally, the researchers were able to develop biofilm colonies of the Lyme bacteria.  These colonies are made up of bacterial clusters coated in slime, and they have been shown to promote persistent infection in other diseases. The effectiveness of antibiotics for Bb in biofilm colonies was greatly reduced, with viable organisms detected in 70-85% of the biofilm colonies.

In summary, the study achieved an important new advance in culture techniques for Bb, demonstrated varying sensitivity of the cyst and spirochete form of Bb to different antibiotics, and confirmed mechanisms of persistence of Bb by converting from spirochete to cyst form and by forming biofilm colonies that protect the organism from antibiotics.

The research was supported by grants from the California Lyme Disease Association, Turn the Corner Foundation and the University of New Haven. The full text of the article is available without charge at Infections and Drug Resistance.

Hi to all of my friends and family,

I am writing this e-mail because today is my birthday. I am very ill in bed today. It is okay. I am okay. I have my hard days with this illness. I want to tell a little bit of my story of my journey in the last 2 years.

I was super healthy April of 2005 and then on May 1, 2005 I woke up to what I thought was me dying. I had so many bizarre and scary symptoms. The scariest was my heart was skipping beats and then it would beat super fast. I went weeks without sleeping. I truly felt that I was going to die. No one could understand what I was going through. Many people in my family turned on me and believed what the doctors were all saying. They were saying it was all in my head. I was heartbroken. I knew in my core being that it was something.

There was one person that stepped up to the plate.

My mom.

She held me while cried. She rubbed my back and told me every day that I would be okay. There were days that I would try to think of what I could do to take my life. I just couldn’t deal with the pain. My husband was there but just not. He in my heart was not that supportive. He was financially supportive in every sense of what money can buy. But what my heart craved was just a simple, “Hang in there”, it’ll all be okay”, “I am here for you no matter what”, “Is there anything I can do to help you out today?” He just couldn’t do this.

Going through this has truly been the biggest challenge of my life. I have a 3 year old and it is so hard to care for him when I feel this way but he makes me so happy so I just push through. My mom was amazing. I truly for the first time in my life realized what love was. Love is being there. I now understand that some people just aren’t ready to give up any of their time in their lives. They simply don’t get it. Work, cars, money, financial things are just more important. I was very angry with the people that I thought were my friends and family because they weren’t there for me but now I have forgiven them.

God has a plan for all of us and it is just in his time. God has a way of stopping us in our [...]]]> I think that we can all relate to this!  A fellow Lyme-sufferer from a Lyme forum allowed me to reprint this very touching essay.

Hi to all of my friends and family,

I am writing this e-mail because today is my birthday. I am very ill in bed today. It is okay. I am okay. I have my hard days with this illness. I want to tell a little bit of my story of my journey in the last 2 years.

I was super healthy April of 2005 and then on May 1, 2005 I woke up to what I thought was me dying. I had so many bizarre and scary symptoms. The scariest was my heart was skipping beats and then it would beat super fast. I went weeks without sleeping. I truly felt that I was going to die. No one could understand what I was going through. Many people in my family turned on me and believed what the doctors were all saying. They were saying it was all in my head. I was heartbroken. I knew in my core
being that it was something.

There was one person that stepped up to the plate.

My mom.

She held me while cried. She rubbed my back and told me every day that I would be okay. There were days that I would try to think of what I could do to take my life. I just couldn’t deal with the pain. My husband was there but just not. He in my heart was not that supportive. He was financially supportive in every sense of what money can buy. But what my heart craved was just a simple, “Hang in there”, it’ll all be okay”, “I am here for you no matter what”, “Is there anything I can do to help you out today?” He just couldn’t do this.

Going through this has truly been the biggest challenge of my life. I have a 3 year old and it is so hard to care for him when I feel this way but he makes me so happy so I just push through. My mom was amazing. I truly for the first time in my life realized what love was. Love is being there. I now understand that some people just aren’t ready to give up any of their time in their lives. They simply don’t get it. Work, cars, money, financial things are just more important. I was very angry with the people that I thought were my friends and family because they weren’t there for me but now I have forgiven them.

God has a plan for all of us and it is just in his time. God has a way of stopping us in our tracks and teaching the lesson we need to learn whether it is through illness or some other plan. I now realize that without my mom I would have died but I also realize that my husband served and still serves his purpose and that is to be there for me financially. My mom could not have done this. So, God put all the different people there to help me and without each one of them I would not be where I am today.

About 7 months ago I lost both of my parents within 2 months of each other. I was not that close to my Father but it still hurt. Then my Mother passed and I thought I was going to die of my heart hurting so badly. She was my rock. Who was going to tell me that I was going to be okay and help me through this illness. I needed her. I had friends and family but they just could not compare to the love of my Mother.

Two months after she died I decided to go to counseling and I was telling her my story and how I had lyme disease. She said, “Wow, that is so weird because I have been seeing a young gal for the last year and I just saw her this week and she told me that she had lyme disease when she was younger, do you want me to give her your number?” I was so excited to talk to this girl to see how she got through it and see what she used to get better.

A few days later she calls me. I could tell she was younger on the phone so we talked and decided to meet up. Her name was Bekka and she was 22 with a 7 month old baby.

My first impression of her was “Hippy” She was so cute. She dressed differently, she had a hippy aura about her, she wore no makeup, she smokes weed from time to time. Her hair was short and curly. Almost messy. She was shorter than me and on the skinny side. She had a energy about her that was infectious. She was just really excited. She told me her story of how her mom took her to Canada and she did an alternative treatment of ozone insufflations and that is what cured her. She was so wise. When I was 22 I was drinking beer, shopping, concerned about money. And here is this 22 year old, Mommy, doesn’t drink, and just so happy and I could just feel her excitement for life and love.

We then developed a friendship. She would come over and help me with Kaden, do my dishes, clean my house, drive me around to do errands, and most of all she always tells me how I am going to get better and she will help me get there. So sweet. I couldn’t believe how caring she was. I asked her why she wanted to do all of this for me. She told me that when she was really sick and wanted to die she asked God that if someday he healed her she wanted to find someone that she could help because she was so lonely going through her illness. She said, “Jamie, I understand how lonely you feel, I have been there and that is why I want to help you. God sent me to you.”

I went to sleep one night and had this dream. It was very powerful and very real. In my dream I was on the couch( my usual spot). Bekka was reading me something standing in the kitchen. She laughed. By the way she has this huge funny laugh. In my dream I looked over at her as she was looking down at the paper and reading and laughing and I thought to myself of how much her laugh reminded me of my mother’s laugh. Then I looked at her hair. It is the same color and length as my Mothers. Her hair started transforming into my Mother’s hair. I was like how weird, What is this? As she was reading she looked up. It was Bekka but my Mother’s eyes looked me straight at me and said, “It is okay Jamie, I am here” I woke up in a sweat. It was 3 am. I laid in bed for an hour and thought about how powerful this was. This cute little hippy girl was sent to me from God and my mother.

I called Bekka and told her about my dream the next day. She was like, “Wow, that is cool”A ‚ EA ‚ . She then said, “Jamie, I want you to know that if you ever get too sick and you want me to come over and stay the night I will.” I burst into tears. My mom constantly would offer to come stay the night with me. The morning after my dream Bekka tells me this. I knew for sure then that this was the work of God.

I feel so blessed by this disease. I was angry for a long time about it but now I see the blessings. I have learned to be empathetic towards all humans. I think twice about the bum on the side of the road. Maybe he or she has gone through of is going through what I am going through. I see the goodness in people. I see the selfishness of people. I have met such caring and wonderful people through this disease. I see the balance of the world. We need selfish people to see the giving people. Vice Versa. We need successful money making people just as much as we need the poor giving people. It is the balance of life. It is an amazing spiritual path that I am on. This disease is horrific but there is a beautiful silver lining.

So, I want to thank my Mother, Bekka, my friends and family and especially all of the wonderful people I have met with Lyme for listening to me complain daily about how bad I feel. Thankyou for encouraging me along the way. Thank you to my husband. I have needed you just as much as the Bekka’s of the world.

So, I wrote this for my birthday. Today I am too sick to really enjoy it so my birthday wish is that you please do something caring for someone. Do someone’s dishes, give them a ride to the grocery store, tell them that you are there to help them. Just those words mean more than any amount of money or possessions. This is what I want for my birthday is for you to pay it forward. It doesn’t have to be right now but sometime in your life please do this for me. One caring gesture can change a life. I now know this. And remember, “You can’t know what you don’t know.” Life is a fun, bumpy, scary ride and we all need each other for the balance.”

The moose were unmarked and dead for no apparent reason other than the fact that they were completely covered in ticks.   Their natural predators will not eat the moose in this condition,but the ticks will.   The ticks fill their bellies and hop off to breed more – up to three thousand youngsters each.

Do the math.

It isn’t just the moose in trouble.

This alarming news travels fast in a state that depends greatly on tourists and hunters who bring revenue into the state when they venture north to view the beautiful Maine wilderness and hunt in the vast forests.   And with Lyme and other tick borne diseases spreading like wildfire, people are hesitating to risk the exposure.

Is an enjoyable week-end worth the very real possibility of ending up as a tragic statistic – out of work and painful suffering for who knows how many years?   In New England the epidemic is common knowledge, even in Maine there are very few people who don’t know someone stricken with the disease.

I won’t be surprised to see legislation asking for pesticide drops to push back the dangerous infestation (as hinted in the article.)

When it was just humans suffering with tick born diseases we were told that we were crazy.   Now that the moose are endangered something must be done.

To read the article click here.

In 2009, “Science Magazine” published a newly released paper from Whittemore Peterson Institute about the existence of XMRV, (which stands for xenotropic murine leukemia virus related virus,) which looked to be a causative agent in CFS, Fibromyalgia, Prostate Cancer and several other neuro-immune disorders.

The race was on.

All around the world there were doors opened for research scientists to apply this remarkable discovery and try to find better diagnostic tools, better treatment and of course – the great career maker – finding a cure.

Somehow, I am willing to bet that the excitement surrounding the original research had more to do with the potential impact on prostate cancer patients.

Why?

Well, if you aren’t familiar with “Osler’s Web: Inside The Labyrinth of the Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Epidemica”, then perhaps you are unaware of the government scandal that was exposed by author Hillary Johnson in 1996 proving fraud to the tune of many millions of dollars that had been earmarked from Congress to the CDC to research CFS/ME, but had been applied to other programs. This involved cooked books and lying to Congress amongst many other crimes by an entire division at CDC.

Thankfully those funds have been accounted for and new programs put together under new management at the CDC.

So, up until the announcement last year by WPI, there had been very few breakthroughs regarding cause or cure, and the XMRV discovery gave the estimated 17 millions of sufferers hope for the first time in many years.

Now, a year later, the mud slinging has begun with small studies that seem designed to do nothing more than cast doubt on the original work at WPI. With the close connections that have been drawn between CFS/ME, Fibromyalgia, RA, MS, Autism, chronic Lyme disease (Ooh, yes we have been told by the dark robed priests of the IDSA that there is no such thing as chronic Lyme disease!) by top researchers who have been written about elsewhere in this blog, one must question the validity of the mud-slingers, and wonder if continued funding will allow WPI and other reputable research firms to solve the mystery of XMRV – amazingly only the third type of virus known to mankind at this time.

So little is known just yet, but enough for some medical doctors who are themselves infected with chronic Lyme to consider jumping ship altogether and dividing Lyme sufferers into those who respond to antibiotics – those without XMRV, and those who don’t respond to antibiotics, don’t have Lyme and have XMRV instead which would explain quite a bit about the vast differences between treatment responses.

One such doctor is Jamie Deckoff-Jones, MD who tells her story convincingly at http://treatingxmrv.blogspot.com/2010/05/thoughts-about-chronic-lyme-disease.html

In 2009, “Science Magazine” published a newly released paper from Whittemore Peterson Institute about the existence of XMRV, (which stands for xenotropic murine leukemia virus related virus,) which looked to be a causative agent in CFS, Fibromyalgia, Prostate Cancer and several other neuro-immune disorders.

The race was on.

All around the world there were doors opened for research scientists to apply this remarkable discovery and try to find better diagnostic tools, better treatment and of course – the great career maker – finding a cure.

Somehow, I am willing to bet that the excitement surrounding the original research had more to do with the potential impact on prostate cancer patients.

Why?

Well, if you aren’t familiar with “Osler’s Web: Inside The Labyrinth of the Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Epidemica”, then perhaps you are unaware of the government scandal that was exposed by author Hillary Johnson in 1996 proving fraud to the tune of many millions of dollars that had been earmarked from Congress to the CDC to research CFS/ME, but had been applied to other programs. This involved cooked books and lying to Congress amongst many other crimes by an entire division at CDC.

Thankfully those funds have been accounted for and new programs put together under new management at the CDC.

So, up until the announcement last year by WPI, there had been very few breakthroughs regarding cause or cure, and the XMRV discovery gave the estimated 17 millions of sufferers hope for the first time in many years.

Now, a year later, the mud slinging has begun with small studies that seem designed to do nothing more than cast doubt on the original work at WPI. With the close connections that have been drawn between CFS/ME, Fibromyalgia, RA, MS, Autism, chronic Lyme disease (Ooh, yes we have been told by the dark robed priests of the IDSA that there is no such thing as chronic Lyme disease!) by top researchers who have been written about elsewhere in this blog, one must question the validity of the mud-slingers, and wonder if continued funding will allow WPI and other reputable research firms to solve the mystery of XMRV – amazingly only the third type of virus known to mankind at this time.

So little is known just yet, but enough for some medical doctors who are themselves infected with chronic Lyme to consider jumping ship altogether and dividing Lyme sufferers into those who respond to antibiotics – those without XMRV, and those who don’t respond to antibiotics, don’t have Lyme and have XMRV instead which would explain quite a bit about the vast differences between treatment responses.

One such doctor is Jamie Deckoff-Jones, MD who tells her story convincingly at http://treatingxmrv.blogspot.com/2010/05/thoughts-about-chronic-lyme-disease.html

It has been so exciting to think that perhaps XMRV would give chronic Lyme, CFS/ME, Fibromyalgia and other chronic illnesses some hope for future help. But it appears that the baby may be getting thrown out with the bath water.

As much as I hate being sick, I continually give thanks that my children are all healthy. Given the choice, I think it is quite safe to say that most parents would trade places and take on any illness or disease to keep their children from suffering.

So what do you do when you find out your child is sick – especially with a painful, chronic,and difficult to treat disease such Chronic Lyme Disease?

Certainly it is more common these days for children to be diagnosed with ADD, ADHD or Autism, but the frightening evidence emerging from research labs across the country is that there appears to be a connection between these diseases and Lyme, and in fact may be even caused by Lyme.

Autism is a syndrome characterized by impairments in social relatedness and communication, repetitive behaviors, abnormal movements, and sensory dysfunction. Recent studies suggest that autism may affect 1 in 150 US children. Exposure to mercury can cause immune, sensory, neurological, motor, and behavioral dysfunctions similar to traits defining or associated with autism, and the similarities extend to neuro-anatomy, neurotransmitters, and biochemistry.

Thimerosal, a preservative added to many vaccines, has become a major source of mercury in children who, within their first two years, may have received a quantity of mercury that exceeds safety guidelines. A review of medical literature and US government data suggests that: (i) many cases of idiopathic autism are induced by early mercury exposure from thimerosal; (ii) this type of autism represents an unrecognized mercurial syndrome; and (iii) genetic and non-genetic factors establish a predisposition whereby thimerosal’s adverse effects occur only in some children.

Depression can be a sign of so many diseases and yet it can go undiagnosed for years, or misdiagnosed as mercury poisoning, autism, thyroid disease…without the tick bite, how is a parent to figure out all these clues when they are rushing from “pillar to post” in today’s stressful, over-programmed world when doctors are having such a hard time with all of their time focused on the puzzle.

As parents we need to take back our control and challenge doctors for explanations and other possibilities. Many readers have emailed me with stories of insisting their child be tested for Lyme against their doctor’s wishes to find that indeed – even with the abysmal diagnostic tests we must rely on – that their child was infected with Lyme. Unfortunately, these deadly life-altering diseases are subtle. It is up to us to be vigilante and educated, and demand proper medical treatment.

The first symposium on the third known human retrovirus, XMRV, was recently held in Reno Nevada at Whittemore Peterson. Feeling the need to share this important news, Dr. Burrascano sent the following message:

Hello all from Dr. B.

I just returned from the first official scientific symposium of the Whittemore-Peterson Institute on the topic of XMRV.

We formed a working group to be in constant touch and we plan to meet regularly because advances are coming so rapidly.

Big news that everyone should know and adopt is that we have proposed a name change for the virus.

This virus is a human, not mouse virus, and it is the first and so far only gamma-retrovirus known to infect people. Also, it is clearly not an “endogenous” retrovirus (one that is present in all genomes due to ancient infection).

Because of all of this, and because of the desire to begin on the right track, the new name of the virus is HGRV- Human Gamma Retro Virus. The illness caused by this infection is named HGRAD- Human Gamma Retrovirus Associated Disease.

We plan to announce this at the upcoming NIH retroviral conference this September.

Definitely stay tuned- the volume of new and important information about this virus and its disease associations is increasing rapidly and in my opinion should be a concern to every patient with chronic neuro-immune diseases, including those with chronic Lyme. Joseph J. Burrascano Jr. M.D. Water Mill, NY, USA

Retroviruses were only discovered in the 80′s when it became possible to culture T-cells in-vitro. However, they are extremely rare in humans including AIDS (HIV1 & HIV2), and HGRV is the first ever gamma human retrovirus.

What makes a “Retrovirus”? They are enveloped viruses, with an RNA genome. The name is derived from the fact that the virus particle contains an RNA-dependent DNA Polymerase (Reverse transcriptase).

This enzyme converts the RNA genome into DNA, which then integrates into the host chromosomal DNA. The reverse transcriptase is highly error prone and rapid genetic variation is a feature of this group.

In other words it becomes a part of the human DNA and then is actually propagated and continually created by our own bodies.

The good news is that testing for the retrovirus antibodies is already available, and according to an article in the Wall Street Journal, some limited drug trials using approved drugs for other retroviruses have shown some early promise.

Read the Wall Street Journal Article here:

The Whittemore Peterson is the first institute in the world dedicated to [...]]]>

The first symposium on the third known human retrovirus, XMRV, was recently held in Reno Nevada at Whittemore Peterson. Feeling the need to share this important news, Dr. Burrascano sent the following message:

Hello all from Dr. B.

I just returned from the first official scientific symposium of the Whittemore-Peterson Institute on the topic of XMRV.

We formed a working group to be in constant touch and we plan to meet regularly because advances are coming so rapidly.

Big news that everyone should know and adopt is that we have proposed a name change for the virus.

This virus is a human, not mouse virus, and it is the first and so far only gamma-retrovirus known to infect people. Also, it is clearly not an “endogenous” retrovirus (one that is present in all genomes due to ancient infection).

Because of all of this, and because of the desire to begin on the right track, the new name of the virus is HGRV- Human Gamma Retro Virus. The illness caused by this infection is named HGRAD- Human Gamma Retrovirus Associated Disease.

We plan to announce this at the upcoming NIH retroviral conference this September.

Definitely stay tuned- the volume of new and important information about this virus and its disease associations is increasing rapidly and in my opinion should be a concern to every patient with chronic neuro-immune diseases, including those with chronic Lyme.

Joseph J. Burrascano Jr. M.D.
Water Mill, NY, USA

Retroviruses were only discovered in the 80′s when it became possible to culture T-cells in-vitro. However, they are extremely rare in humans including AIDS (HIV1 & HIV2), and HGRV is the first ever gamma human retrovirus.

What makes a “Retrovirus”? They are enveloped viruses, with an RNA genome. The name is derived from the fact that the virus particle contains an RNA-dependent DNA Polymerase (Reverse transcriptase).

This enzyme converts the RNA genome into DNA, which then integrates into the host chromosomal DNA. The reverse transcriptase is highly error prone and rapid genetic variation is a feature of this group.

In other words it becomes a part of the human DNA and then is actually propagated and continually created by our own bodies.

The good news is that testing for the retrovirus antibodies is already available, and according to an article in the Wall Street Journal, some limited drug trials using approved drugs for other retroviruses have shown some early promise.

Read the Wall Street Journal Article here:

The Whittemore Peterson is the first institute in the world dedicated to neuro-immune disease integrating patient treatment, basic and clinical research, and medical education. Their mission exists to bring discovery, knowledge, and effective treatments to patients with illnesses that are caused by acquired dysregulation of both the immune system and the nervous system, often resulting in life long disease and disability.

Their goals include:

• To facilitate and advance patient care
• Research the patho-physiology of neuro-immune diseases such as ME/CFS, fibromyalgia, atypical MS, and autism
• Develop therapeutics, diagnostics and prevention strategies for this spectrum of diseases
• To advance and support medical education and physician training.

I may be climbing out on a limb, but given the fact that they invited Dr. Burrascano to be a part of this research team tells me that they are open to the possibility of chronic Lyme disease; both as a disease falling within their mission guidelines. It would appear that they are not bound by the IDSA guidelines.

Originally posted August 24, 2010.