Naked Science Forum
Life Sciences => Cells, Microbes & Viruses => Topic started by: Andrew K Fletcher on 30/03/2009 09:36:32
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New Ideas About the Cause, Spread
and Therapy of Lyme Disease
by Dr. James Howenstine
Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients, July 2004
Lyme Disease was initially regarded as an uncommon illness caused by the spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi (Bb). The disease transmission was thought to be solely by the bite from a tick infected with this spirochete. The Bb spirochete is able to burrow into tendons, muscle cells, ligaments, and directly into organs. A classic bulls-eye rash is often visible in the early stage of the illness. Later in the illness the disease can afflict the heart, nervous system, joints and other organs. It is now realized that the disease can mimic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, Bell’s Palsy, reflex sympathetic dystrophy, neuritis, psychiatric illnesses such as schizophrenia, chronic fatigue, heart failure, angina, irregular heart rhythms, fibromyalgia, dermatitis, autoimmune diseases such as scleroderma and lupus, eye inflammatory reactions, sudden deafness, SIDS, ADD and hyperactivity, chronic pain and many other conditions.
Biology professor, Lida Mattman, author of Cell Wall Deficient Forms: Stealth Pathogens, has been able to recover live spirochetes of Bb from mosquitos, fleas, mites, semen, urine, blood, and spinal fluid. A factor contributing to making Bb so dangerous is that it can survive and spread without having a cell wall (cell wall-deficient CWD). Many valuable antibiotics kill bacteria by breaking down the cell wall. These antibiotics often prove ineffective against Bb.
Lyme Disease is now thought to be the fastest growing infectious disease in the world. There are believed to be at least 200,000 new cases each year in the US and some experts think that as many as one in every 15 Americans is currently infected (20 million persons). Dr. Robert Rowen knows a family where the mother’s infection spread to 5 of her 6 children1 all of whom recovered with appropriate therapy. It is difficult to believe that these children were all bitten by ticks and seems more plausible that person to person spread within the family caused this problem. Dr. Mattman states “I’m convinced Lyme disease is transmissible from person to person.” In 1995 Dr. Mattman obtained positive cultures for Bb from 43 of 47 persons with chronic illness. Only 1 of 23 control patients had a positive Bb culture. Dr. Mattman has subsequently recovered Bb spirochetes form 8 out of 8 cases of Parkinson’s Disease, 41 cases of multiple sclerosis, 21 cases of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and all tested cases of Alzheimer’s Disease. The complete recovery of several patients with terminal amyotrophic lateral sclerosis after appropriate therapy shows the great importance of establishing the diagnosis of Lyme Disease.
http://www.samento.com.ec/sciencelib/4lyme/Townsendhowens.html
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I looked up this article. What is interesting is the list of references. One is a video. What's that? Another two are in Crusader which is a newsletter. Then 2 other newsletters are referenced. The information from regular science journals is marginal. The large number of misspellings in the article also make this article suspect. I tried to Google some of the mentioned doctors. I was not able to locate anyone. Usually do not have that problem.
That claim that there is a single cause to the world's problems sure looks like an unlikely situation.
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Andrew, you might want to re read the first and last posts in this thread.
http://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/index.php?topic=16414.0
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Thanks for the input Stereologist. As we have seen on many occasions on this forum, publication in a journal is no qualification for a truth. This article is a letter for doctors and states it. Just thought it was interesting and that some of you involved with microbes might find it of interest.
BC, as always I find you being your helpful self :)
I looked it up because last summer I found a tick had dug itself into my leg, after an itch while in bed found my fingers had scratched the body off and left the head in, which I managed to grab with tweezers and pull the blighter out. I didn't develop the typical bullseye rash.
No side effects from the bite as yet.
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Andrew, even though it states that it is a letter to doctors that does not make it anything more than a letter. I realize that. Still, I think that the references that were used make the claims in the letter questionable. For example, the Crusader newsletter is a non-medical newsletter. What little I saw appeared to be marketing dietary supplements.
Notice that some of the important claims in here are not referenced. Claims such as epidemic proportion, and cause of a long list of very different diseases.
The writing itself is not that good.
I think this is either a hoax, or a crank letter.
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CDC Lyme Disease Home Page
Borrelia burgdorferi are helical shaped bacteria about 10-25µm long.
(View enlarged image .)
Introduction: Lyme disease was named in 1977 when arthritis was observed in a cluster of children in and around Lyme, Connecticut. Other clinical symptoms and environmental conditions suggested that this was an infectious disease probably transmitted by an arthropod. Further investigation revealed that Lyme disease is caused by the bacterium, Borrelia burgdorferi . These bacteria are transmitted to humans by the bite of infected deer ticks and cause more than 16,000 infections in the United States each year.
http://www.wrongdiagnosis.com/artic/cdc_lyme_disease_home_page_dvbid.htm
http://www.lymediseaseaction.org.uk/story/paul_bramble.htm A personal account of Lyme Disease and the failings of the NHS to diagnose and treat this condition.
resources for Lyme Disease: http://www.dartmoorcam.co.uk/CAM/ticks/ticks.htm
The original article in this thread shows a big jump from 16 thousand cases a year to 200 thousand. Looks like the paper in the first post may have been bogus.
Breathing a sigh of relief here, as that letter caused me considerable concern having been bitten :)
Thanks
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One of the problems with tracking Lyme disease and getting formal numbers is that the treatment for Lyme disease is relatively inexpensive, while the tests are not. Often people are treated for the possibility of Lyme disease without a definite diagnosis. The patient gets better. Did the patient have Lyme disease? Unknown. Should this person be counted as having been infected with Lyme? Sometimes they are. Sometimes they are not.
I personally know of several people that were treated in a precautionary manner although the tests for Lyme were inconclusive. Treatment works best if done early so erring on the side of caution means getting a course of antibiotics if there is reason to believe that Lyme is a possibility.
The letter reminded very much of a claim that aspartame, an artificial sweetener, breaks down in the body and releases methanol. The wood alcohol then goes on to do extensive damage to tissues. The aspartame damage is often misdiagnosed as lupus and dozens of other diseases and all you have to do to fix any of a number of incurable diseases is to give up diet drinks.
The aspartame letters that circulate the web and health newsletters use all sorts of references from doctors that 'mysteriously' cannot be found by search engines.
My recommendation to you is that if you are concerned about Lyme disease and a tick bite that you should see a physician. I know I feel much better if I get a professional opinion.
Cheers. Hope things turn out well and I for one really appreciated your posting.
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I did go to the doctors and asked for a dual course of 2 different oral antibiotics, taking one course after the other had finished for a sinus problem, but have to admit my main reason for asking for a double wammy was the tick bite :)
All appears to be ok for me so far at least.
Thanks a lot for adding your thoughts and for pointing out the shortcomings in the original post.
Andrew
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"The letter reminded very much of a claim that aspartame, an artificial sweetener, breaks down in the body and releases methanol. The wood alcohol then goes on to do extensive damage to tissues."
Well stereologist, yes and no.
It does break down and form methanol but only in tiny amounts. There's already methanol in the body from other nautral sources and, in small quantities, the body is perfectly capable of dealing with it.
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http://www.newswithviews.com/Howenstine/james16.htm
Found Dr James Howenstein's website
Hmmmm: Dr. Mu Shik Jhon states, “Aging is a loss of hexagonal water from organs, tissues and cells and an overall decrease in total body water.” Evidence exists that replenishing the hexagonal water in the body results in increased vitality, prevention of disease and slowing the aging process. Structured water hydrates the body and removes free radicals thus slowing degenerative illnesses.
:P