Quick Facts About Lyme Disease

Lyme Disease is initiated by a spiral-shaped bacteria (spirochete) called Borrelia burgdorferi, but the actual disease always involves loss of the body's control of several different "co-infections" of virtually every microbial class, i.e., viral, mycoplasmal, fungal, parasitic.

Toxins from the bacteria are actually the primary cause of all of your symptoms!

· Lifelong optimal health can be achieved even if every single Lyme spirochete in your body has not been killed.

· It is well recognized that the best natural or pharmaceutical antibiotics can at best only kill 85% of the target bacteria in the body.

· Antibiotics may do more harm than good. Antibiotics can activate bacteriophages (viruses) that infect the Lyme spirochetes and insert their toxin-generating genes into the bacterial chromosomes. These viruses can turn basically harmless bacterium into killers through this genetic sequencing of toxins by causing the bacteria to produce greateramounts of neurotoxins (nervous system poisons).

· The allopathic philosophy of medicine (antibiotics, etc.) often predisposes one to Post-Lyme Syndrome (PLS).

· After prolonged illness a person would not likely be symptom-free or truly healthy even if it were possible to kill every spirochete, because restoring health requires more than killing the bacteria.

· It is possible to have Lyme spirochetes and yet never manifest any symptoms.

· The unique symptoms experienced by an individual are from the microbes revealing a person's weakest, and therefore most vulnerable, areas in the body.

· High-powered microscopes have revealed that our bodies are a soup of innumerable and greatly unrecognized microbes. There are 20 times more microbes than cells in your body. Another way of saying this is that 90% of the cells in your body are microbes.

· A Herxheimer reaction (herx) is a sign of a poor treatment plan and is unnecessary. A herx greatly increases the toxic load on the body; at its worst it can kill an illness weakened patient outright. A herx can temporarily or permanently disable the body,mind, and spirit.

· The sustained restoration of the optimal function and integrity of the body, mind, and spirit will naturally resolve any infection.

· No microbe can replicate at will or unchecked in a healthy body.

· A component in your blood called albumin is six times stronger than penicillin as a bacteriostatic (preventing microbial replication).

· Until the patient's body can maintain microbial balance without the help of medications, the patient will never reach the point of not needing the medications.

· Some of the best research facility laboratories report that they have rarely found any person's blood to be completely clear of spirochetes, even after every type of longterm natural or pharmaceutical intervention.

· Tick bites are not the only way to get Lyme Disease Less than half the people diagnosed with Lyme Disease ever have a bulls-eye rash.

Why Is My Doctor Clueless About My Lyme Disease?

You may have been visiting your doctor for years complaining about a myriad of symptoms. People may think that you are a hypochondriac. Yet you knew something was wrong. And one day finally you are told a diagnosis that you have a disease called Lyme disease. How is it that the medical community was clueless? After all this is the 21’st century with advanced medicine and all the tests in the world. Why you wonder was your Lyme disease caught before.

The answers are myriad. First Lyme disease is frequently misdiagnosed. Physicians overlook cases of Lyme disease simply because they do not know the complex nature of the origin and development of Lyme Disease. Lyme Disease can cause over 100 different symptoms and the one commonly known symptom of Lyme Disease – that is joint pain is only one of the many presentations of Lyme Disease.

Secondly the tests for Lyme Disease are frequently useless and frequently misleading. The bacteria which causes Lyme disease can only infrequently be grown in bacterial plates. There is no one test to medical test diagnose Lyme Disease. Hence your doctor has to be on the ball to catch your symptoms. And even then he may not put together your odd symptoms as Lyme Disease if you unlucky enough to have Lyme Disease symptoms that “are not in the book”.

Not only is that Lyme Disease not caused by the one known bacteria. It is now estimated that 300 different strains of bacterial worldwide cause Lyme Disease. Further it is not only the deer tick that spreads Lyme Disease. Other ticks such as Lone Star Ticks, western black legged and wood ticks can spread Lyme Disease as well. And if that is not enough global warming is spreading the geographic range of some of these insects to previously unknown areas.

You are not alone in being left out in the cold. It turns out that Lyme Disease is much more common than previously estimated – up to 10 to 15 times higher than the previous underrated estimates. As you well have figures out by now doctors often miss most cases if Lyme Disease. The reasons are not hard to figure out. Further because of the apparent low rates of this disease it is not considered of any major public health concern so that there is no mandatory reporting procedure as one might find with venereal diseases. You have been caught in a terrible vicious cycle. Low diagnosis rates since doctors do not know what to look for and tests are not accurate in any manner. Then because the true prevalence of the incidence of Lyme Disease is vastly underreported Lyme disease is seen as a minor disease that is well taken care of. Hence there is little need for education on how to catch the symptoms of Lyme Disease .The circle goes on and on.

Amazingly even if you are one of the lucky few and have your Lyme Disease correctly diagnosed you may not be home free. You may be under treated with antibiotic therapy. The stated course of action is a 6 week schedule of antibiotic therapy. Yet it often takes months, years and perhaps for ever of antibiotic therapy to manage this lingering disease with its hardy bacterial threat.

It has been said that just because you are paranoid does not mean that people are not out to get you. You were not imagining that your Lyme Disease took a very long time to diagnose. And the reasons are real not imagined.

Margaret Mathews Morgellons Research Foundation Com www.fortunawebs.com www.morgellonsresearchfoundation.com Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Margaret_Mathews

Diagnosis and Treatment of Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia is a chronic, widespread, debilitating disease that often manifests as diffuse pain, constant muscle aches and overwhelming fatigue. Although it affects about 2-6% of the general population (about five million people), fibromyalgia is not a contagious disease. Women are about 9 times more likely to be diagnosed than men, and it is most prevalent in prevalent in people between 20-50 years of age.

Fibromyalgia usually displays a variety of symptoms including generalized aches and pains, increased sensitivity of the skin, chronic fatigue, weakness or dizziness, muscle stiffness or joint pain and migraine headaches. Symptoms of fibromyalgia vary greatly between individuals but almost all suffer from an associated sleep disorder. Depression, anxiety, irritable bowel syndrome, numbness and tingling of the extremities and heightened sensitivity to stimuli may also be present.

Currently, there is no known specific cause of fibromyalgia. Popular opinion suggests a disorder in pain perception and processing in the pathways to the brain. Research has shown that fibromyalgia patients have elevated levels of substance P (involved with enhanced pain perception) and a lower than normal production of natural stress hormones. Another theory revolves around a sleep disturbance as the cause, because many fibromyalgia patients cannot attain deep sleep. Still other theories have implicated reduced immune system function, environmental toxins, abnormal hormonal fluctuations, viral causes, genetic links and dysfunctional neurotransmitters. Although exciting new research is constantly being done, the cause of fibromyalgia remains elusive and has the medical world stumped.

Diagnosis of fibromyalgia is based on a specific set of criteria, including a physical examination or observation, and the symptoms described by the patient. Ruling out other possible diseases is key. Currently, there are no conclusive laboratory tests to identify fibromyalgia but for diagnostic purposes, there has to be a history of diffuse pain lasting longer than three months. Another diagnostic requirement is the presence of at least 11 "tender points" out of a possible 18 and these are typically located at elbow and knee joints, the neck, shoulders, lower back and hips...

Individual cases of fibromyalgia have a wide variability, but many patients also suffer from other disorders as well. These comorbid syndromes commonly include chronic clinical depression, lyme disease, chronic fatigue sydrome, premenstrual syndrome, restless legs syndrome, spinal disorders, or hypothyroidism. There are also many factors that can aggravate fibromyalgia. Severe weather changes, nutritional deficiencies, over-exertion, increases in stress levels, allergies and cold weather have all been shown to contribute to flare-ups.

Treatment of fibromyalgia has historically been inadequate at best. There is no cure for the disease and therapies are usually aimed at alleviating the symptoms and improving quality of sleep. Medications commonly prescribed for fibromyalgia include conventional analgesics, low-dose antidepressants, muscle relaxants and sleep-inducing agents. Alternative therapies that have shown some promise include acupuncture, chiropractic care, physical therapy, meditation or relaxation techniques and a gentle aerobic exercise program. Other important considerations to prevent fibromyalgia from flaring up include a regular sleep routine, emotional and physical stress reduction, good social support networks and strategies to conserve energy and minimize triggering factors.

Fibromyalgia can be a very difficult disease to live with because of its chronic, disabling nature and the presence of widespread skepticism. There is often no objective evidence of physical illness and the disease is very poorly understood. Sufferers of fibromyalgia face accusations of laziness or feigning illness. Social activity and recreation is often be avoided and the patient's career is usually affected as well. Although fibromyalgia can affect every aspect of its victims' lives, it does not have to be as devastating as it once was. With advanced scientific research and promising new treatments waiting in the wings, anything's possible.

Disclaimer: The information presented here should not be interpreted as or substituted for medical advice. Please talk to a qualified professional for more information about fibromyalgia.

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