WHAT CAUSES MENTAL ILLNESSES - DR ROBERT BRANSFIELD TALKS ABOUT OFTEN OVERLOOKED INFECTIONS

'We shouldn't accept chronic mental illnesses as something that is there we can prevent it, treat it and understand it better.' Dr Robert Bransfield 

Published on Nov 5, 2014

Dr. Robert Bransfield provided this very informative talk on the psychiatric and neuropsychiatric manifestations of tick-borne diseases at the "Symposium on Tick-borne Diseases" held on May 17, 2014 at the Hyatt in Cambridge, Maryland. The conference was hosted by the Lyme Disease Association of the Eastern Shore of Maryland, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization providing educational resources on tick-borne diseases. We are 100% dependent upon donations to continue providing educational resources such as this video. Please consider supporting our efforts. LDAESM, P.O. Box 5360, Salisbury, MD 21802 Thank you!

Interesting to hear that Lyme induced Autism often tests positive on Bands 31 and 34 - these two bands were removed from the two tier testing, due to conflicts with vaccine production - but as Dr Bransfield says in the presentation this raises great concerns in the use of the Outer surface proteins ( linked to bands 31 and 34) in vaccine production and it's possible bearing on the Autism epidemic being escalated even further. 

'The two tier testing used for Lyme Disease is useless it's dangerous.'

'Immune mediated effects of Lyme/Tick borne diseases contributes to cognitive impairments, dementia, depression, anxiety, Autism, violence and other psychiatric illnesses.'

'We have insights into preventing a lot of chronic diseases, a lot of pain, a lot of suffering violence death - and particularly the Autism.'

Good to listen to Dr Bransfield once again - I have heard him present in the UK on two occasions. 

Previous posts on Dr Bransfield  click here 

Dr Bransfield's website http://www.mentalhealthandillness.com/

INVISIBLY ILL

Invisibly Ill Video Sneak Preview

This interesting video preview can be watched here 

Bec is currently writing, directing and producing a series of self-funded educational documentaries entitled Invisibly Ill

This sneak preview starts with interviews with Californian Microbiologist Prof Garth Nicolson, founder of the Institute of Molecular Medicine and New Jersey Psychiatrist Dr Robert Bransfield, President of the International Lyme and Associated Diseases Educational Foundation

Dr Bransfield - I think one way to think of it is, if you have chronic infection that adversely affects the brain it has different affects at different points in a person's life.

If it affects fetal development we see developmental diseases and Autism.

If it is in middle life we see depression, anxiety and cognitive impairments.

If it is in early life and sometimes fetal it may show as psychosis like Bipolar or Schizophrenia.

If it is in later life it can be associated with Dementia.

But in all those cases what they have in common is there's a provocation of the immune system and there's close communication between the immune system and the nervous system.

Prof Nicolson - Stealth infections are in general bacterial but some cases viral infections, that can get inside and hide inside cells and they can't be seen by the immune system

Dr Bransfield - Chronic persistent low grade infections

Prof Nicolson - The most common stealth infections related to Chronic Illnesses are number one Mycoplasma, Chlamydia Pneumonia, Borrelia Burgdorferi which is one of the causative components of Lyme Disease a complex illness involving not only Borrelia but Mycoplasma and other infections as well.

Dr Bransfield - Babesia comes up and certain viruses Herpes 1,2,6, Toxoplasmosis but there's other infections that are not well identified and those are invariably as a group, these slow growing relapsing stealth infections that stay in the body in a low grade way and slowly impact and have affect over time.

Prof Nicolson - All these infections spread throughout the body and tend to end up in the central nervous system where they can cause tremendous damage.

That's just the start so go to the link to watch several speakers on this subject.

Great work Bec I look forward to watching more and visiting your website for further information here  

CHRONIC FATIGUE, ARTHRALGIAS, MYALGIAS, DYSESTHESIA, DEPRESSION

This recent research article is a start in the right direction looking at Chronic Lyme Disease, so far most research concentrates on the early acute form only.

The recent Institute of Medicine workshop highlighted that more studies need to be done in this later chronic state of illness with or without positive serology.

Abstract can be found on Pub med here

The diagnostic spectrum in patients with suspected chronic Lyme neuroborreliosis - the experience from one year of a university hospital's Lyme neuroborreliosis outpatients clinic.

Most common symptoms in all categories were arthralgia, myalgia, dysaesthesia, depressive mood and chronic fatigue. Conclusion:  Patients with persistent symptoms with elevated serum antibodies against BB but without signs of cerebrospinal fluid inflammation require further diagnostic examinations to exclude ongoing infection and to avoid co-infections and other treatable conditions (e.g. autoimmune diseases). One patient with acute LNB, who was treated with ceftriaxone for 3 weeks suffered from LNB with new headaches and persistent symptoms 6 months later. These data should encourage further studies with new experimental parameters.

details also found on Prohealth here

I found the above interesting because it highlights that Borrelia infection may not be ruled out by lack of Cerebrospinal fluid inflamation, something that many Neurologists tend to do with people with Neurological illness or Multiple Sclerosis.

Also the study talks about 122 patients in one year with suspected Chronic Lyme Neuroborreliosis that in itself is interesting because 114 of these people had tested positive for Lyme Disease and all had received antibiotic treatment.

To have such a number suffering with Arthralgias, myalgias, Dysesthesia, Depression and Chronic Fatigue after the standard treatment has to raise some serious questions beyond what this study was aiming at.

Because current guidelines adopted from the IDSA guidelines suggest that these remaining symptoms are rare, all in your head or the aches and pains of daily life it would seem they are not so rare after all.

One has to wonder with the poor state of reliable testing for Lyme Disease how many more people with the above symptoms could infact be suffering from an undiagnosed case of Lyme Disease and may benefit from antibiotic treatment following such as the ILADS guidelines .

A CALL FOR MORE AWARENESS

A FATHER-OF-TWO from East Yorkshire has told how he is still suffering a range of horrendous symptoms from Lyme Disease – 12 months after being bitten by a tick while walking in the Lake District.
Kevin Slater, 49, has spoken out in a bid to increase awareness of the illness, both amongst the general public and medical professionals in the UK.
“The effects of this disease are so horrendous that I made a promise to raise as much awareness as possible to try to prevent other people, especially children, from becoming infected,” he said, claiming there was a severe lack of knowledge and understanding within the NHS of the disease and appropriate methods of treatment
“It is crucially important that early treatment with aggressive antibiotics is given to stop the spread and eradicate the bacteria in the early stages.
“There should be public warnings about Lyme Disease in parks and open spaces so that people can take measures to protect themselves.
“We often see public notices in doctors surgeries warning about the dangers of disease such as malaria should we travel abroad. However, there is nothing mentioned about Lyme Disease, which exists in our own country.”
The Press reported last autumn how Mr Slater, a self-employed engineering consultant from near Pocklington, was bitten by a tick, an arachnid that cuts through flesh with barbed teeth before inserting a needle-like feeding tube, when he was walking in Grisedale Valley, Patterdale, during last August, probably while he was walking through a patch of bracken.
His illness developed into encephalitis -inflammation of the brain that can cause brain damage, blindness and even death.
He said today that over the past year, his symptoms had included fatigue, low grade fevers, swollen glands, stiff neck, myalgia, chest and abdominal pain, sleep disturbance, poor concentration, depression, back pain, blurred vision, tinnitus, headaches and dizziness.

To read the full article and comments click here

AN AVOIDABLE TAX BURDEN

Lyme Disease positive NHS serology England and Wales

for 2009 -867

a 6 fold increase in ten years!!

link here

02 June 2010
Tick awareness for the Scottish summer
link here
Earlier in May, the Health Protection Agency (HPA) produced advice on tick risks in the great outdoors.

1 Late spring, early summer and autumn are peak times for tick bites and coincide with people venturing into the more rural areas for the warmer weather.
The National Lyme Disease Testing Laboratory in Inverness has seen a dramatic increase in Lyme borreliosis in Scotland which it estimated in 2009 at 5.9/100,000 population but with an incidence rate of 43.4/100,000 population in the Highlands of Scotland.

2 During the months of July to September the incidence rate can double.An assessment of Lyme borreliosis has shown also that clinical features in Scotland have differences to other countries.

3 It is worth noting that only 59% of seropositive patients could recollect having a tick bite. This underlines the importance of patients having regular inspections of their bodies after exposure. Only 57% of seropositive patients had the characteristic erythema migrans rash and this is lower than other published reports.The urban and rural risks of Lyme borreliosis have also been recently studied.

4 Those living in the more rural areas of the Highland region had the greatest risk of acquiring the infection, especially if within 200m of woodland. The HPA advice is very relevant to Scotland and it is important to raise tick awareness.Ticks are very small (about the size of a poppy seed), and can easily be overlooked, so it is important to check regularly. Most ticks do not carry the infection. If one is found it should be removed promptly, as infected ticks are unlikely to transmit the organism if they are removed in the early stages of attachment. Ticks can be removed with tweezers or special tick hooks, pulling gently upwards away from the skin.The HPA advice on minimising the risk of being bitten by an infected tick is to:* wear appropriate clothing in tick-infested areas (a long sleeved shirt and long trousers tucked into socks). Light coloured fabrics are useful, as it is easier to see ticks against a light background * consider using insect repellents, e.g. DEET-containing preparations * inspect skin frequently and remove any attached ticks * at the end of the day, check again thoroughly for ticks, especially in skin folds * make sure that children’s head and neck areas, including scalps, are properly checked * check that ticks are not brought home on clothes * check that pets do not bring ticks into the home on their fur.
Further information and guidance is available on the HPS factsheet What do I need to know about ticks and tick borne diseases? at http://www.documents.hps.scot.nhs.uk/giz/general/tick-factsheet-2009-04.pdf.References1. HPA Press Release. Be tick aware when visiting the great outdoors. 2010. Available from: http://www.hpa.org.uk/NewsCentre/NationalPressReleases/2010PressReleases/2. Milner RM, Mavin S, Ho-Yen DO. Lyme borreliosis in Scotland during two peak periods. J R Coll Physicians Edinb 2009; 39:196–9. Available from: http://www.rcpe.ac.uk/journal/issue/39-3.php.3. Milner RM, Mavin S, Ho-Yen DO. Lyme borreliosis in Scotland is different. J Infect 2009; 59:146-7.4. Mavin S, Hopkins PC, MacLennan A, Joss AWL, Ho-Yen DO. The urban and rural risks of Lyme disease in the Scottish Highlands. SMJ 2009; 54(2):24-6. Available from: http://www.smj.org.uk/0509/0509%20index.htm. Websites* http://www.documents.hps.scot.nhs.uk/ewr/pdf2010/1022.pdf
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Adding the above information to HPA websites is not my idea of raising awareness what is going to be done to alert those of us who live and spend time in the countryside?

Farming Today BBC program listen to podcast here

listen to the above podcast for Farming Today 11.08.10 at about 4.26
Only available for another 6 days.

Interview with Prof John Fazakerley about the £2.5 million research money for tick borne illnesses.
During the above podcast the figures of positively tested

Lyme Disease cases in Scotland for 2009 were quoted as 600.

An enormous rise from the 37 cases in 2000.

Dr Ho Yen of HPA in Scotland and CDC say that the resal figure for Lyme Disease is probably about 10 x that of the serologically positive tested cases.

lets do some sums
867 +600= 1467 x 10=14670

Now many on Eurolyme have been chronically ill years before diagnosis some 20-30 years and also years to recover in my case a total of 7 so lets be conservative and say a mean of 5 years.

14670 x 5 = 73350

We could be talking of about

Seventy three thousand yes 73000 people in the UK suffering with Lyme Disease

many will be undiagnosed or mis diagnosed with Arthritis, Fibromyalgia, ME/CFS, Polymyalgia Rheumatica some in my locality were diagnosed with depression another psychosis and the latest case had been diagnosed with Parkinson's others I am in touch with, have been diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis and one motor Neurons.

Apart from the cost to these individuals of loss of health, many will be unable to work full time and thus claiming benefits.


The burden on the tax payer in itself should make our government sit down and think about this problem.