Wednesday 14 March 2012

RECOVERY FROM ALS, MOTOR NEURONE, LOU GEHRIG, MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS, PARKINSON'S



Congratulations to David Martz, MD the 2011 recipient of the Invisible Disabilities Association Research Honors Award.

In this video Dr Martz touches on his personal story of being diagnosed with ALS (Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) known in the UK as Motor Neurone Disease or Lou Gehrig's Disease in 2003.

In time he realised that some of his arthritis symptoms could indicate an underlying condition of Lyme Disease although initial testing came back negative. However one test eventually came back DNA positive for Lyme Disease and he was treated aggressively on long term antibiotics making an amazing recovery.

I had the privileged of meeting Dr Martz at the London ILADS conference in 2010 and listening to his personal story - as he described many symptoms I had also experienced I found my self nodding in agreement. My diagnosis was not the same but I was surprised how many of my symptoms were as he described. Arthritis and muscle weakness, difficulties climbing stairs, difficulties lifting even small items, difficulties raising from a chair/bed, difficulties rolling over in bed or walking across a room, swallowing problems of course that just didn't describe that constant unremitting pain.

Dr Martz recovered and opened a clinic in Colorado where with a group of doctors they treated 850 patients with possible Chronic Lyme Disease many of them with a diagnosis of MS (Multiple Sclerosis) Parkinson's and ALS or Motor Neurone Disease.

At the London ILADS conference he discussed his research findings which he is hoping to publish shortly.

From the Invisible Disabilities Association here this is a list of what he is hoping to publish, they need to be disseminated far and wide among patients and doctors dealing with these Neurological diseases :-

8-year follow-up case report of antibiotic-responsive ALS-like illness; 

Objective functional improvement in 15 patients with ALS-like disease; 

Antibiotic-responsive Lyme-like illness in 40 rural Coloradoans; 

Outcomes of 90 ALS patients treated with extended antibiotic therapy; 

Case report of antibiotic response of biopsy-proven pulmonary sarcoidosis; 

Minimal complications of extended antibiotic therapy in 330 patients; and, 

A clinical study of 850 patients treated with extended antibiotic therapy for “Chronic Lyme Disease”. 

Thank you Dr Martz for your work in helping others at a time in life when most of us would sit back and enjoy some peace and relaxation and thank you to your lovely wife for her patience and support in helping you in your efforts.

5 comments:

  1. I just stumbled upon your blog and I am truly impressed! There is so much great information here about Lyme. Thank you for taking to blog about something so important. I started a blog back in October if you would like to read my story. http://www.cosmomomwithatwistoflyme.com

    healthy wishes,
    Brandi

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  2. Hi Brandi I think I have come across your blog and will have a look again soon- all very time consuming but have spoken with people who have found it helpful

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  3. Thank you for being a voice. We are fighting for help for my 17 year old daughter. She was offered several volleyball scholarships, but the Lyme virus is now affecting her neurological system. Not sure if she will even be able to play by college next year. Please keep advocating for all of us out here!!

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  4. Anonymous I am so sorry to hear your daughter's situation and your fight for appropriate help for her - I guess you have found yourself a good Lyme literate doctor to advise treatment Lymedisease.org will advise those nearest to you wherever you are in the World.
    I am sure it was a slip but Lyme is not a virus it is a bacterial infection that can be treated on antibiotics, however many affected the worst also struggle with all sorts of co infections and opportunistic infections and so really it is a complex muti system illness. Have a look at my latest post 12/08/12 Dr Horowitz presentation is a must watch. Very best wishes to you in your battle

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  5. by inmacdonald » Fri 23 Nov 2012 17:22

    ALS-like Lyme and ALS not related to Lyme Neuroborreliosis:

    Let us reduce the discussion to progressive incapacitating Motor Neuron Disease.
    Dr William Harvey ,now deceased from a Heart Attack in year 2012 an buried with honor
    at the Cemetery of the US Air force Academy, developed Motor Neuron disease,progressive type.
    He diagnosed himself ..He started a course of Long term antiborrelia antiBabesial antimicrobialtherapy.
    Dr. William Harvey experienced a reversal of his motor neuron disease after long term antibiotic therapy.

    Dr David Martz developed progressive motor neuron disease. He was diagnosed by several consultant neurologists as "most consistent with Amotropic Lateral Sclerosis. His children searched the Internet
    and found the newspaper reports of Dr William Harvey's results with the success of long term antibiotic
    and antibabesia therapy in motor neuron disease. Dr David Martz became a patient of Dr Bill Harvey.
    Long term Therapy with antiborrelia/antibabesial medications produced a reversal of his disease. but from time to time, Dr David Martz must restart the Dr Harvey Protocol to maintain his recovery.

    Dr. David Martz and I had a conversation on Nov 3, 2012 in Boston. We discussed our "MarkTwain" moments. Dr.Martz has since his recovery, treated multiple patients with Antibiotics/antibabesial medications and has noted reversal of motor neuron disease in his patients. He is drafting a manuscript
    to report these patients. It is likely that the completed manuscript will be published in a Scandinavian Neurology Journal, just as his case report was published. It is noteworthy that previous to the acceptance of
    the Harvey Martz manuscript in a Scandinavian Journal, it was reviewed and rejected by multiple journals
    based in the USA and in the United Kingdom.

    Any therapy which is capable of reversing the untreated natural history of Motor Neuron Disease
    is Press-worthy. The untreated natural history of Motor Neuron Disease is a short pathway to death by
    suffocation.
    Above all , do no harm.
    Best,
    Alan B> MacDonald MD

    Link to Manuscripts and to file
    https://www.dropbox.com/s/gtr1bicr872n0 ... 1600-4.pdf
    http://www.lymeneteurope.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=4362&p=33197#p33197

    It seems getting anything published that doesn't say what the establishment wants to hear is very difficult something that Steven Barthold commented about during his presentation http://lookingatlyme.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/global-challenges-in-diagnosing-and.html

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