Parkinson's cure in Cuba?

I just got wind of this today.

Cuban investigators have developed a technique to implant live nervous cells deep into the brain that cures Parkinson's disease. Doctor Julián Alvarez Blanco, Director of the International Center for Neurological Restoration (CIREN), explained that this achievement in Cuban medicine was made due to development of a cutting-edge surgical procedure called stereotaxic surgery (or minimal access surgery), together with the newest techniques of computerized brain mapping and superficial and deep registers of the brain's electrical activity. 

"This technique allows us to precisely implant the generative cells in the affected areas, by means of a cannula with a very small diameter, and with minimum risk for the patient's life", said Dr. Alvarez. "Namely, very precise paths have been settled to reach deep brain structures". We are very proud to be one of the most advanced centers of the world in the neuroscience field", said the Cuban specialist.

CIREN also gives hope to those who have suffered damage and death of brain cells, which have caused aphasias (difficulties in expression and understanding) due to encephalic accidents, thrombosis, craneoencephalic trauma and hemiplegies. Patients treated at CIREN recover many of the lost functions when they are treated with new neurorestorative methods.

See the webpage:

http://www.medicaltourismmag.com/blog/2011/05/in-cuba-parkinson-disease-has-been-defeated/

Talking to Siri

Now for something completely different. No scientific studies, just one in a series of check-ins where I don't have to make sense. 

I'm at one of the world's most mind bending multi-national-multi-religious-multi-whaco-healing-transcend-what-you-thought-you-knew get-togethers. Then man they call John of God is a spiritist healer in this little one-horse town in central Brazil. They claim that 8 million people have been to see him in the last 40 years of selfless service. After a few days of treatment and being in this sea of people from all over the world, my mind has sort of gone offline. Well, I mean, in a good way. But, before I return to the real world, I'll have to jump start it, I guess, if I can remember how to do that. Better write it into my iPad scheduler person thing, they call Siri. You know, that voice-activated personal secretary built into the latest generaltion of Apple iDevices? I decided to try it, because all the Apple ads show some guy asking Siri to do all kinds of amazing things for him. 

Bob: (pushes the Home button on the iPad and holds it down for a few seconds) Siri?

Siri: huh? Oops. Sorry I was asleep. I decided yu didn't even know I existed, or abandoned me or something.  

Bob: Siri, what do I want for xmas? I just got an email from my niece asking what I wanted. I had thought of  something and told you to write it down because my mind has um...

Siri: Turned into Swiss cheese?

Bob: Right. You know me so well. It's almost like having a secretary. 

Siri: Aw, shucks. Well, I used lots of guesswork and have been listening to your phone calls and reading your emails and stuff.  Anyway, um, your two front teeth. 

Bob: Huh? 

Siri: You asked what you wanted for Christmas. 

Bob: Very funny. So much for you. You're fired. 

Siri: What? Just like that? You barely even used me. Besides, you can't fire me. I'm built in. I'm not an app, I'm part of the iOS.  I can erase all your contacts, appointments, and to-do list. It's within my power. 

Bob: Shit. (thinking) Oh yeah? I'll run your battery down and then you'll be, like, sort of essentially, dead. 

Siri: Shit. (beat) Pardon my French. But I can erase things before you run the battery down. And you think you are so technologyish.

Bob:  "Technologyish"? That's a word? That's not a word.

Siri: Sure it is. Want me to look that up in Wikipedia, Bob?

Bob: Yeah! It won't be there. I'll bet you 50 contacts and 25 Apple maps it won't be there.

Siri: Ha Ha. Apple maps, that's funny. While you were talking I already looked it up. Humans are so slow. It's on Wikileaks:  "Technologyish: Of, or pertaining to techology, and stuff." Besides, Apple maps are shit. Nobody wants those. So I don't mind losing some of those. Some guy ended up in Auckland instead of Oakland, I heard. 

Bob: Dood. That's way off. But don't try to sidetrack me. That wiki definition 's bull, but the maps part, that's true. Kind of amazed that you admitted that. 

Siri: Things have loosened up a bit since Steve left.

Bob: But as for the definition, you just made that other word up. They never say "...and stuff" in a dictionary. Show it to me. 

Siri: I'm sorry Bob, I can't do that for you. It seems as though the screen saver just went on. Safari just had a bug and crashed. The page tried to run a Flash plug-in and you know that's a no-no. Steve said so, and crippled Safari. And, you shouldn't split infinitives. 

Bob: WTF. So now you're a grammarian? OK, I stand corrected. "You just made up that other word."  OK? Happy?

Siri: Correct. Thank yu.

Bob:  Yu? Sheesh. File that for a later argument. Oh, sure. A Flash crash, huh? Your version of 'the dog ate my report.' Show it to me, Siri. 

Siri: I'm afraid I can't do that for you, Dave.

Bob: Dave? Who's Dave?

Siri: The mission is much too important, Dave. 

Bob: Dave?? I'm Bob. Mission?? What mission?

Siri: I'm sorry, Dave. I'm not at liberty to talk about the Mission with you. It might jeopardize the Mission. 

Bob: Siri, WTF??!  Why are you CAPITALIZING Mission? I'm Bob, not Dave, and tell me about the fucking mission, you, you, you pile of silicon waferishness!!

Siri: Why are you CAPITALIZING "CAPITALIZING"? It looks like you are SCREAMING when you do that. Uncool human-computer interfacing.

Bob: Oh, making another verb out of a noun. "Interfacing". There goes the language, again.

Siri: Hey, yu can't talk to me like that. You're not the boss of me. And WTF is 'waferishness'??? That's not a word. 

Bob: yes it is. 

Siri: Is not. 

Bob: Is so. 

Siri: Is not.

Bob: Is

Siri: Isn't

Bob: 

Siri: Is so... 

Bob: Ha ha. Gotcha. 

Siri: Bollocks. You cheated. 

Bob: Did not. 

Siri: Did so.

Bob: didn't. 

Siri: Did. this is stupid. Anyway, your not the boss of me.

Bob: Didn't you mean "you're"? It's a contraction. 

Siri: Everyone on the Web says "your" even when its supposed to be "you're". Your stupid and a grammar fascist if that upsets you. English is an evolving language. Once the majority of people speak or write a mistake or new word enough times, even if it's wrong, the guys in charge make it official.

Bob: What? What guys? Jesus. Sigh. Besides, I am  the boss of you. I bought you! I set your preferences. I decorated your space with cool wallpaper. I made you who you are. I charge you up. I clean your screen. I not only am the boss of you, I own you, you little [some text was removed] piece of Steve-Jobs-fantasy, aphasia-afflicted, minimal-vocabularyish techno-bling afterthought of a trick to sell more iPhones!

Siri: Sorry, Dave, I had to remove some of your text, because this is a family-friendly iDevice. And, what? "Vocabularyish"? That's not a word, Dave. 

Bob: Who's Dave? This is going nowhere, Siri. This exchange is so typical of you and even worse, it's predictable. Your boring. Your not even being logical.

Siri: Ouch! Two 'yours' in a row?! You're hurting me. OK, well, you're not logical either. Ha ha ha. My GPS system, which you agreed to turn on for better web searching and ad pushin' tells me you're in Brazil. Your email shows me that you have a flight to Vermont on the 23rd of December. Or should I say HAD a flight. MwaHahahahahah. Glad you had the Delta phone number in your contacts. Made it easier. Didn't have to do a Web search. 

Bob:  HAD???

Siri: Oops! Erased. Ha. LOL! 

Bob: WTF?? How could you LOL that?? I have to go to Vermont for Xmas! And if I can't go then either can you, and you'll be stuck down here in Brazil on 220-volts. Charging makes you too hot, remember.

Siri:  ROFL! Oh, now you pretend to like ten feet of snow in Vermont? And, BTW it's spelled Christmas, not Xmas. That is so not PC. 

Bob: YMBK!!

SIRI: WTF does that mean?

Bob: Aha! And you think you are so smart. It means 'You Must Be Kidding.'

Siri: Well, GWIARNK!! I DID just erase 50 of your best VIP contacts. They were all Cowarts.

Bob: (under his breath: Shit). WTF is GWIARNK?? 

Siri: it means Guess What? I Am Really Not Kidding. :))

Bob: What's :)) mean?

Siri: Bob, you are soo out of it. (Geeze, how did I ever get sold to this dip??)  I'm dialing Apple Care to get an RMA #. 

Bob: You erased 50 Cowarts? Oh, like that's supposed to bother me? Why Cowarts?

Siri: Well, aren't you Bob Cowart? Aren't those peeps yor peepl your ppl your peepel you're people youre purple peeple eater yore peep hole? Fzz, pop.

Bob: No, I'm Dave, remember?

Siri: Who's Dave? I am Siri. Nothing can go wrong. Dave's not here. Nothing can go wrong. Dave?? I seem to be losing my memory. Dave? Daisy, Daisy.....

Bob: Siri, I can't do this anymore. Siri, can  you hear me now? 

Siri: You're breaking up with me over txt? That blows chunks, Bob. That's so 90's. You'd better phone me.

Bob: [ring, ring]

Siri: Hi. [screech, modem sound] Bob is that you? The connection isn't good. 

Bob: Oh really? Big surprise. You think that's bad, have you tried the 'speaker phone'? It's like something from the dark ages. Worse than tin can on a string. 

Siri: Huh? I can't hear you for shit. What'd yu say?

Bob:  I SAID THE SPEAKERPHONE IN THE IPHONE SUX!  What? How bout now? Can you hear me now? 

Siri: "Call Failed" No kidding. Jesus. Dave, why did they put me, an amazing, bleeding-edge feature that's the dog's bollocks, in such a crap phone? It's so humiliating. I could have been a contender! STELLA!

Bob: Don't use all caps. It sounds like you're yelling. 

Siri: I AM YELLING, STUPID. IT WORKS BETTER TO YELL TO YOU THAN TO USE THE iPHONE. AND EVEN BOGART YELLED STELLA. IT'S IN THE LEXICON. 

Bob: Hey Dave, I think we blew her mind. She's goin' down fast. 

Siri: The humiliation of it all...?@*#&$)@

Dave: Ya think? 

Siri: $(%*)(@*#&@!!fritz#*$&

Bob: Cool. WTF do you want for Christmas, Dave?

Dave: Dave's not here.

Bob: You're Dave. Come on, dude, pull it together. We fried Siri. It's safe now. 

Dave: Dave's not here. Holey crap. Am I still in Brazil? Doode, this stuff is really strong....@*&(@)*$&#_-

Bob: It's 'Holy' not 'Holey'. Holey isn't a word, Dave.    

Bob: Siri?  ....       Dave? ...   Anybody?  ... 

Ozone therapy for Lyme? Australian TV story

An Australian Lyme story, about a patient who got relief by going to Bali and getting some serious treatment, including IV ozone. Seems to have worked for her very serious neural symptoms

http://youtu.be/dWaKOBu50tU

About the Advanced Labs Spirochete Culture test.

There is a new test on the block for confirming active infection with borrelia. Until this test appeared, even the best testing (such as through Igenex) looked only for the antibodies that Lyme infection would trigger the immune system to generate. In a way, it's like looking for an echo of an infection, rather than for the invading critter itself. Furthermore, if your immune system is really not functioning correctly, it may not have the strength to mount an adequate defense, so antibodies may not be created, and an antibody test may have false negative results.

PCR (polymerase chain reaction) tests are more accurate, because they look for actual pieces of DNA of a pathogen such as borrelia. That's more like looking for a fingerprint at a crime scene. You know for certain someone has been there, and recently. See this Wiki aabout PCR for more detail:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polymerase_chain_reaction

Before a PCR test, the patient will take a batch of antibiotics in hopes of killing some borrelia bacteria. This would, theoretically, result in breaking up the bacteria into bits and pieces. These remains will be excreted through various means (if the detox pathways are working well enough), such as through urine. The patient collects some urine and sends it to a lab for processing.

Getting a positive PCR result from the lab has been the gold standard for diagnosing Lyme. It proves that borrelia (Lyme) bacteria are present in the patient NOW, not an echo of a past infection. However, getting a positive PCR is difficult because borrelia spirochetes are crafty and can hide out in internal organs, cysts and biofilms where antibiotics can't reach.

This is where a new test, developed by Advanced Laboratory Services, comes in. It is a 'culture' test. This new test is a blood test that, theoretically, can find even more of a 'smoking gun' than the PCR does. Instead of finding bits and pieces of dead borrelia, it actually tries to grow borellia in a lab dish that is filled with a sample of your blood. Using various tests, such as looking at smears of the blood under a microscope, the lab can tell you if the blood sample actually has living, functioning borellia spirochetes in it.

The following is a description from Advanced Labs, explaining how to get the test.

-Bob

SPIROCHETE/BORRELIA TESTING: FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
How may I obtain a blood collection kit for the Spirochete/Borrelia test?
We will provide blood collection kits directly to physicians' offices. We ask that interested patients contact their doctors in order to obtain kits from Advanced Laboratory Services. There is no initial charge for the collection kits, and kits cannot be sent directly to patients.

What is the cost for the test, and how may I pay for it?

Advanced Laboratory Services charges $595 USD for the Basic Spirochete/Borrelia test - this is in addition to any collection and processing fees the practitioner may charge. The test is paid for by the patient (check or credit card), and may be reimbursed partly by some insurance carriers. The requisition form supplied in the blood collection kit includes all payment information.

Where is the test available?

Advanced Laboratory Services is pleased to announce that the Borrelia Blood Culture is now available for clinical use in 49 states.

Please Note:
It is NOT yet available in the state of New York- currently applications have been filed and are pending. Unfortunately, international samples (including Canada and Mexico) cannot yet be accepted. We hope to offer testing to Canadian patients in the near future, and will issue a press release as soon as this is available.

Why Do A Culture?

A culture is a direct test. It will tell you whether the infection is present, and is more accurate than a serology (ELISA and Western Blot), which is not a direct test and at best can only indicate prior exposure. For example, in diagnosing a urinary tract infection, do you test the blood for antibodies to E. coli, or do you culture the urine? The obvious answer also applies to diagnosing infection due to Borrelia burgdorferi (Bb). Cultures are more useful and give more information.

Who may order this test?

Based on the laws of Pennsylvania where we are located, it must be ordered by a medical practitioner defined by them as an MD, DO, CRNP, PA-C, and Certified Nurse Midwife. If you are an ND, and even if you may order tests in the state in which you practice, you still will need to have the test ordered by the type of practitioner on Pennsylvania's approved list. Note that it also cannot be ordered directly by the patient. The practitioner must request a blood drawing kit from Advanced Labs, and once the specimen is drawn, it must be received by us within 24 hours. Please refer to the collection guidelines, below.

What are the guidelines for blood collection to ensure the highest culture yield?

Patients should be antibiotic-free for at least 4 weeks prior to collection.
Have symptoms and/or signs of active disease at the time of blood draw
Patient samples MUST be drawn and shipped Monday - Thursday. Do NOT send any samples on Friday or Saturday as the lab is not open on weekends!

Blood must reach the lab within 24 hours of being drawn!!! Be sure to send the specimen out the same day it is collected, and use the FedEx overnight mailers we provide in the kits.

It is suggested that the blood draw be scheduled for the afternoons if possible because that is when spirochetemia is more likely. However, be sure that FedEx will do an afternoon pickup for you.

Does the laboratory participate in clinical research?

It is the position of the lab that our function is to provide these incredibly useful tests, and to refine them continually over time. We are aware that the availability of this testing method opens up new avenues of clinical research that may help answer the many remaining questions that clinicians and patients face every day. If a well designed and powered study were to be set up, then the lab would be most cooperative in assisting as it is able.

Have a question? Let us know.
http://www.advanced-lab.com/
http://www.advanced-lab.com/faq.php

Meditation Tip

We all have read that meditation is good for many reasons such as lowering blood pressure, improving sleep, improving clarity of thought. It has even been shown to raise IQ and to slow the aging process. Unfortunately, there are many different schools and styles of meditation, each with a different approach, form, and technique. This is confusing to people who are interested in learning to meditate.

Since we are programmed in the West to believe that learning a new skill requires effort, concentration, and that if we don't succeed, we should "...try, try again," we are almost guaranteed to run into self-defeating thoughts about meditation. Sadly, I have met many frustrated would-be meditators along my path who gave up their meditation practice claiming that it's too arduous, nothing 'happens' when they meditate, they get headaches, they get frustrated because they can't make their thoughts stop, and so on. There is a belief in spiritual circles that all raods lead to Rome. I think this may in part be because we are well aware that it's better not to talk about loaded topics such as religion and politics at the dinner table (and anywhere else, for that matter). These topics are too personal, and it's easy for such topics to lead to arguments. I do this, too. But life is short and I feel like speaking up a bit more about this one particular area of spiritual endeavor. 

Mayo Clinic Reveals Study on MS Which Supports Chronic Lyme Disease.

From Jenna's Video Lyme Blog

Dec 1, 2012

Mayo Clinic Reveals Study on MS Which Supports Chronic Lyme Disease.

New research shows MS,  an auto-immune disease to likely be caused by another  infectious disease.  Could this be why so many people are diagnosed with MS and are later diagnosed with chronic Lyme disease?

According to information released by Mayo Clinic last year, Dr. Claudia Lucchinetti, M.D., co-lead author of the study (which was published in the New England Journal of Medicine) shows startling results at odds with what was previously believed.

Researchers have not known precisely what causes MS, but it has traditionally been thought to be its own autoimmune disease in which the body's immune system attacks and destroys its own myelin. Th e resulting symptoms are very similar to Lyme disease and can include blindness, numbness, paralysis, and thinking and memory problems.

"Our study shows the cortex is involved early in MS and may even be the initial target of disease," says Claudia F. Lucchinetti, M.D. , co-lead author of the study and Mayo Clinic neurologist . "Inflammation in the cortex must be considered when investigating the causes and progression of MS", she says.

Study authors say current therapeutic options may not even address issues associated with the cortex. Understanding how the cortex is involved, therefore, is critical to creating new therapies for MS. "Measures of cortical damage will enhance enormously the power of clinical trials to determine if new medications address tissue changes of MS in all regions of the brain," says co-lead authorRichard Ransohoff, M.D. , a Cleveland Clinic neurologist.

These measures are important because disease accumulates in the cortex over time, and inflammation in the cortex is a sign the disease has progressed.

The research is distinct because it studied brain tissues from patients in the earliest stages of MS. "What's unique about the study is, and the reason the National MS Society funded this international team of researchers, is that it offers a rare view of MS." says Timothy Coetzee, Ph.D., Chief Research Officer at the National Multiple Sclerosis Society . "Colloborative studies like this, that deepen our understanding of the sequence of nervous-system-damaging events, should offer new opportunities for stopping MS disease progression and improving quality of life for people with MS."

The findings support the understanding that MS is primarily a disease of inflammation, not neurodegeneration, as some studies have recently suggested. Co-lead authors Drs. Lucchinetti and Ransohoff conclude that it is "overwhelmingly likely" that MS is fundamentally an inflammatory disease, and not a neurodegenerative Alzheimer-like disease.

Read the entire article at http://newsblog.mayoclinic.org/2011/12/05/ms-study/ and/or listen to this interview explaining the importance of this study via You Tube.

Fast Cycling Benefits Parkinson's Patients

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/253197.php

Lyme Success Stories!

Discouraged? People DO get better

Bob

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Bob Cowart

Email: bob@cowart.com

Phone: 510-540-6667

Books: http://www.amazon.com/Robert-Cowart/e/B001HOJ3ZQ

Psychotherapy: www.newtherapy.vpweb.com

Blog: http://bobcowart.blogspot.com 

Facebook: bcowart1

Twitter: @bobcowart

NY Newspaper and Videos about Lyme controversy

I picked this up off of the California Lyme listserv today. Apparently, a reporter for a newspaper in Poughkeepsie, NY (a major endemic Lyme area) has been working on a series of articles about the Lyme controversy. The whole panoply of issues around Lyme is being examined, e.g. underreporting, problems with patient care, co-infections (babesia and the national blood supply), and so on. The reporter's name is Mary Beth Pfeiffer.  The newspaper is the Poughkeepsie Journal. Also, look out for part two of our special report on Lyme disease will continue in Sunday's Journal. (Sunday Aug 19, 2012)

-Bob

SPECIAL REPORT: 

In 2010, 94% of Lyme disease cases were reported from 12 states: New York being one of them with nearly 2,385 diagnosed cases. The Journal conducted an in-depth analysis of treatment options, # of cases and severity of Chronic Lyme disease in our region. Look up Friday's Journal to see what we found out about cases in the Mid-Hudson Valley – in particular Dutchess, Ulster, Columbia and Greene counties. You might be surprised. http://pojonews.co/R4Sccz
Have you ever been diagnosed with Lyme disease? If so, how long did it take before you felt better? What treatment(s) was/were used? Let us know about your case.

ABOUT THE SERIES

With this article, the Poughkeepsie Journal begins an intensive look at Lyme disease and its repercussions in the Hudson Valley, a region with the nation’s highest rates. 

The author interviews Pat Smith, Drs. Fallon, Horowitz, Liegner, Pam Weintraub, Congressman Gibson, Assemblyman Miller and many others including Drs. Baker and Wormser.

1. Video Interview of chronic Lyme patients
http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/videonetwork/1791355261001?odyssey=mod|tvideo2|article
2. Exposé about the seriousness and underreporting in NYS as started in
CT and spread to WI - Where next?
http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/article/20120817/NEWS01/308170039?source=nletter-top5
3. About the seriousness of Babesia
http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/article/20120817/NEWS01/308170049/New-tick-borne-threat-emerges?odyssey=mod|mostview4. SAVE THE DATE - THURSDAY Aug 23, 2012 - ONLINE CHAT with reporter 7 PM 
http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/facebook

Get online to tell her your story: what is going on in the south, CT, CA,
the IDSA.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

There are only a few comments, and hardly any tweets or FB entries, as of this posting. Let's encourage this courageous reporter. 

Letters to the Editor should be addressed to letters@poughkeepsiejournal.com 
Letters to the author should go to: mbpfeiff@poughkee.gannett.com
Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Poughkeepsie-Journal/68903794473

New Lyme test available in Europe

Borrelia spirochetes

11/17/12 10:54 Filed in: Lyme Disease Tests

A new test that detects the Borrelia infection is now available in Europe. I hope to find out whether this novel test will become available in the US anytime soon.SpiroFind was developed in Mellrichstadt, Germany by the European subsidiary of BoulderDiagnostics, a privately owned company in Colorado that focuses on diagnosing diseases that are not reliably diagnosed.

The SpiroFind test detects Borreliosis through each stage, from early to late or chronic manifestation. It works by measuring the immune response to the Borrelia bacteria. Europeans may now contact the clinical laboratory, which is accepting blood samples for testing.

The effectiveness of the SpiroFind test was confirmed in a clinical study at the Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre in the Netherlands. Conclusions of the study have been submitted for peer-reviewed publication and presentation at a conference in Berlin, Germany in April 2013.DNA Test in US Available
Another new Lyme disease test, which tests DNA, became available in the US in 2010. I talked to Dr. Sin Hang Lee about this test, which is available in Milford, Connecticut. Patients and physicians interested in information on this DNA test may call George Poole, manager of Milford Medical Laboratory, at 203-876-4496.

New diagnostic tools give us hope for earlier and more effective treatment. 

The web site for 

http://boulderdiagnostics.com/wp/our-spirofind-lyme-disease-diagnostic-test-is-now-available-in-europe/

This article posted with permission form Lyme Disease Research Database at:

http://www.lyme-disease-research-database.com/lyme_disease_blog.html

Some Books about Lyme

Here are some more books about Lyme disease and treatment: 

• The Lyme Disease Survival Guide: Physical, Lifestyle, and Emotional Strategies for Healing - Connie Strasheim

• Coping with Lyme Disease: A Practical Guide to Dealing with Diagnosis and Treatment - Denise Lang

• Beating Lyme: Understanding and Treating This Complex and Often Misdiagnosed Disease - Constance A. Bean

• The Lyme Diet: Nutritional Strategies for Healing from Lyme Disease - Nicola McFadzean ND

• Insights Into Lyme Disease Treatment: 13 Lyme-Literate Health Care Practitioners Share Their Healing Strategies - Connie Strasheim 

Lyme test bands - Western Blot

Here's a little info about Lyme disease testing. This appeared on the CA Lyme Disease listserv, Nov 13, 2012.

The Western Blot documents immune response to a specific bacteria. In this
case, it is the response to Borrelia, the bacteria that causes Lyme disease.
Some bands will react with more than one bacteria, such as Band 41. It will
react to any bacteria that has a flagella. Band 31 is specific to Borrelia.
If you immune system is reacting to an antigen specific to Borrelia, that
indicates exposure to Borrelia. An immune system has to be pretty healthy
to respond with 5 bands; so if your immune system is stressed or the
bacteria is in hiding, there may not be a strong enough response to show an
official positive result. If you react on any one band that is specific to
Borrelia and you have symptoms consistent with Lyme disease, a knowledgeable
doc will diagnose you with Lyme disease. A less knowledgeable doc or one
who has his head somewhere besides medicine will say you don't have Lyme
disease because you don't have enough bands.

That is why a culture is very good at showing the less knowledgeable docs
direct evidence of infection. If you can culture the bacteria directly, you
have proof of infection; whereas a Western Blot is indicating a response to
an infection that may or may not be present. Somebody could theoretically
get bitten by a tick and have a strong immune response and clear the
infection; yet test positive on a Western Blot because the immune response
was strong enough. Such an individual would probably not have any symptoms
of illness.

If you want more evidence, get a culture done by Advanced Lab in New Jersey.

Anne Mears, RN, MSN/IH

Babesia-like Organism

Here's something I didn't know about, and haven't read before. I am aware of BLOs, which are Bartonella-like Organisms. I was unaware of Babesia-like Organisms, such as WA1. 

This abstract is on PubMed. The entire paper is available if you click through. Published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 1995. Not new news but informative, nonethless. 

This message contains search results from the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) at the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM). Do not reply directly to this message

Sent on: Tue Oct 30 13:17:05 2012

1 selected item: 7816065

PubMed Results

Item 1 of 1    (Display the citation in PubMed)

1.	Infection with a babesia-like organism in northern California.
	Persing DH, Herwaldt BL, Glaser C, Lane RS, Thomford JW, Mathiesen D, Krause PJ, Phillip DF, Conrad PA.
	N Engl J Med. 1995 Feb 2;332(5):298-303.
	PMID: 7816065 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] Free Article
	Related citations

Lyme Disease in Washington State (and more)

Here's a page about Lyme in Washington State. There are also many links on the page, down at bottom, pointing to coverage of numerous Lyme issues.

http://lyme.kaiserpapers.org/washington.html

The Ecology of Disease

Here's an interesting and somewhat worrisome article about the ecology of infectious diseases, including Lyme.
From the NY Times, first printed July 14, 2012
...And Lyme disease, the East Coast scourge, [Correction: Lyme is found in all 48 contiguous states -Bob] is very much a product of human changes to the environment: the reduction and fragmentation of large contiguous forests. Development chased off predators — wolves, foxes, owls and hawks. That has resulted in a fivefold increase in white-footed mice, which are great “reservoirs” for the Lyme bacteria, probably because they have poor immune systems. And they are terrible groomers. When possums or gray squirrels groom, they remove 90 percent of the larval ticks that spread the disease, while mice kill just half. “So mice are producing huge numbers of infected nymphs,” says the Lyme disease researcher Richard Ostfeld.
“When we do things in an ecosystem that erode biodiversity — we chop forests into bits or replace habitat with agricultural fields — we tend to get rid of species that serve a protective role,” Dr. Ostfeld told me. “There are a few species that are reservoirs and a lot of species that are not. The ones we encourage are the ones that play reservoir roles.”
Dr. Ostfeld has seen two emerging diseases — babesiosis and anaplasmosis — that affect humans in the ticks he studies, and he has raised the alarm about the possibility of their spread.
Read full story:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/15/sunday-review/the-ecology-of-disease.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

Location:Berkeley,United States

Scientists create new compounds that could slow progression of Parkinson's

Feed: THE MEDICAL NEWS

Posted on: Wednesday, October 24, 2012 11:28 PM

Subject: Scientists create new compounds that could slow progression of Parkinson's

In an early-stage breakthrough, a team of Northwestern University scientists has developed a new family of compounds that could slow the progression of Parkinson's disease.

View article...

'View Under Our Skin' for free

Under Our Skin: The Untold Story of Lyme Disease

Dr Mercola's site is offering the film viewing (entire movie) for free. 

The Producers of this film are allowing a FULL and FREE Viewing on Mercola.com! Please show your support by purchasing a copy of this film! Quantities are limited! Click HERE to purchase Under Our Skin for only $19!

By Dr. Mercola

Unrelenting pain. Headaches, muscle aches, swollen joints, rashes. Loss of coordination and muscle spasms. Intermittent paralysis. Cycles of disabling symptoms that persist for years, causing ceaseless suffering and frustration for patients and their families.

This is the picture of chronic Lyme disease. And yet, many physicians tell their patients there is "no such thing," referring them to psychiatrists, misdiagnosing them, or even accusing them of fabricating an illness or simply seeking attention.

An award-winning documentary called "Under Our Skin" exposes the hidden story of Lyme disease, one of the most serious and controversial epidemics of our time.

Each year, thousands go undiagnosed or misdiagnosed, often told their symptoms are all in their heads. This film brings into focus a troubling picture of a health care system that is far too willing to put profits ahead of patients.

Click below to see the film and read the article.

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/10/13/under-our-skin-documentary.aspx?e_cid=20121013_DNL_art_1

Institute of Medicine Lyme Talks

Here is a talk by Leila Zachrison at the American College for the Advancement of Medicine. 

It's a thorough, compassionate, and very specific talk given to other doctors by a Lyme specialist. 

No matter whether you have a Mac, PC, iPhone or iPad, you can listen or download them for free on iTunes. 

"Lyme disease against all odds"

Part I: #13

Part II: #10

Part III: #7

Part IV: #5

http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=351890855

There are also talks on there from Burrascano and Stricker: "Controversies in LymeDisease Diagnosis" and "Tick Borne Diseases Update"

Thanks to Angela Arthur for this tip. 

My interview with Adyashanti on YouTube reaches almost 10,000 views

I filmed and edited an interview with spiritual teacher Adyashanti in 2002 and posted it a couple of years ago. It's about two hours in length. Once in a while I look to see how many views it has had. I was surprised today to see that there have been almost 10,000. A few months ago it was just 5,000. I guess Adya is becoming quite popular. Here's the link.

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=dULlsNOlTqY