Last week I attended the ILADS ( International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society) yearly scientific conference and training. LYME and COVID comparisons were a highlight, but they also discussed new ideas for Lyme disease diagnostics and treatment. Here are some highlights:
- COVID 19 has many similarities with Lyme disease. Among them are :
Difficulties in accuracy of testing, different strains evolving causing different symptoms pictures and difficulties in people getting the care they need due to the politics of treating emerging illnesses. Dr Robert Bransfield did a brilliant job laying out these harsh realities and pulled no punches in letting us all know how unethical the system can be in prioritizing power and profits over people. Those of us in the Lyme world are well aware of the many injustices when it comes to getting diagnosis and care, but Dr Bransfield asserted that the hurdles in research, and development of effective and affordable care apply not only to Lyme disease but also to COVID and many other emerging illnesses. - Those who have been treating Lyme patients report that those who were in active treatment for Lyme disease and co – infections either didn’t get COVID or got much milder cases than those who were not treating. No one had a Lyme patient in active treatment get seriously ill or die of covid. I share that report in my own practice! Those who have been on a liposomal remedy or other herbal remedy either did not get COVID at all or did not get seriously ill.
- MinION testing is showing multiple strains of COVID 19- therefore if you are tested for one strain of Covid but have a different one, you will get a negative. The Covid testing has been confusing overall and this can help to explain why.
- TESTING for Lyme, Bartonella and other co-infections is still difficult. Several promising new tests are in the development stage including Droplet Digital PCR testing and Phage testing. But in the meantime we still know that a negative test does not necessarily mean Lyme or a co-infection is not there.
- Borrelia Miyamotoi is more common in a recent study than we ever thought. They estimate that 1/3 of the cases are passed mother to baby. Treating the mother and early intervention is always best.
- Environmental Toxins are a major reason for why those with lyme are not getting well. They are now linked in the science to autoimmunity. Toxins such as pesticides and herbicides, heavy metals, and pharmaceutical drugs being found in municipal water supplies all over the country are directly linked to autoimmunity and chronic inflammation. When someone is burdened with these toxins , or with mold, it makes it far more difficult to treat for Lyme. This is also why antibiotics alone are not getting sick patients well. Lyme, parasites and co-infections absolutely thrive in an inflamed toxic body. I have to admit that when I heard Dr Ilene S Ruhoy MD, PhD, lecture on this I ran upstairs in great excitement jumping up and down telling my husband “ This validates what I have been saying for the last 3 years!”
- Disulfiram has given some patients exciting breakthroughs, but just like antibiotics,
when patients go off of it their symptoms often return so they need to stay on low
doses of it for longer times. The data is still emerging on DSF. Again, to me this all goes back to “ terrain”. We must detoxify a sick inflamed body in order to maintain gains over lyme and co-infections.
I am sure there were many other interesting lectures that I was not able to attend, however these stood out most to me. Advances in treatments for lyme and autoimmune illness are advancing all the time. This is why I have my nose stuck in a book or a seminar during much of my free time. It takes a lot to stay on top of the latest breakthroughs in effective treatment. I don’t think there is a more difficult disease to treat. However hearing the success stories of my clients and my colleagues brings me such joy that it is all worth it!
WHAT ELSE IS NEW THIS WEEK?
PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT:
Cell Core Viradchem is back in stock! It returned to us earler than we expected – it was exciting
to restock our shelf with it. 🙂
INFLAMMA-CONTROL And GLUCO OPTIMIZER
These are some of the newest Cell Core products. Inflammacontrol is for the early stages of
treatment when inflammation needs to be brought down before root causes can be addressed.
It can also be used throughout the treatment process to help keep inflammation under control.
Gluco-optimizer is to help with blood sugars stabilization which can help with so many
symptoms!
