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.