SYPHILIS LESSONS FOR LYME DISEASE

For the past 30 years Dr. Alan MacDonald has worked to revive the Model of Syphilis and draw attention to clinical and laboratory parallels between 

Treponema pallidum infection and Lyme Borreliosis. 

Dr. MacDonald hypothesized that Alzheimer's disease might be the late neural borreliosis equivalent of General paresis of the insane. 

He further hypothesized that syphilitic Tabes Dorsalis might have a "spinal cord only" neurodegenerative equivalent In borreliosis, namely Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (Lou Gehrig's Disease). 

He hypothesized that syphilitic Temporal arteritis might have a Borrelia equivalent in Temporal arteritis of unknown cause.

 In addition to the ongoing Alzheimer's studies, which would occupy the remainder of his research career, Alan made basic new observations in pathobiology. He was the first to publish evidence for a cystic form of Bb, granular forms of Bb, and cell wall deficient forms. 

Although officially retired now, Dr. MacDonald has started a research collaboration with Dr. Eva Sapi of University of New Haven.

Dr MacDonald and many other distinguished researchers and doctors will be presenting at this years ILADS Conference in Boston details here  

Dr MacDonald's hypothesis are slowly becoming acknowledged and researched elsewhere we have a lot to thank him for.

Judith Miklossy has also found Borrelia in the brains of patients with Alzheimer's here

Dr Martz found patients with ALS linked to Borrelia and with appropriate antibiotics some recovered and some stabalised  here 

Three cases of neuroborreliosis misdiagnosed as giant cell arteritis.  here 

Link to Dr MacDonald's website here

link to Borreliosis Spirochetes imaged from Human Blood -- Case studies  here  

MORE LYME DISEASE AWARENESS IN AUSTRALIA

Thanks to Dr Mualla McManus for this excellent Video posted on the Karl McManus Foundation website here

Cases have been misdiagnosed as Arthritis, Multiple Sclerosis, Motor Neurone's, Parkinson's, and as in my case Polymyalgia Rheumatica, Fibromyalgia, ME/CFS and the list goes on.

Australia have been advocating hard recently and here is a link to several programs presented on TV in Australia here 

Many thanks for all their work in bringing more awareness to this dreadful disease which can more easily be treated in the early stages but capable of causing such horrendous ill health if left to develop into a Chronic Illness.

Our Health Authorities ought to be ashamed of their lack of efforts to understand this disease in it's chronic form.

Update more news from Australia here 

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.