Wait, what did he just say? Rewind. "We never had a -- in the last 5 years -- a single MS patient, a single ALS patient, a single Parkinson's patient who did not test positive for Borrelia Burgdorferi. Not a single one."
What is Borrelia Burgdorferi? It's Lyme Disease. Borrelia are the bacteria that cause Lyme Disease.
What do I desperately want people to understand? Lyme Disease is called the "Great Imitator." That's quite a name to live up to. Why is it called that?
Lyme Disease mimics so many other diseases. Actually, depending on who you ask, Lyme Disease may be the cause of so many other diseases.
Watch Dr. Alan McDonald talk about how he found Borrelia Burgdorferi in 7 out of 10 Alzheimer's patients, and Dr. David Martz talk about how he had been diagnosed with ALS, given two years to live, and then when he got the diagnosis of Lyme Disease and started treatment, his ALS not only stopped progressing, but reversed.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCLwauRh2gQ
... What are they saying? That whether it's due to genetic factors, how they contracted the disease, the way the disease penetrated certain systems in their bodies, how long they had it -- whatever the case be -- that these diseases are Lyme Disease. There are thousands of similar stories in patients with the diseases listed below.
Are you listening yet?
Whether you believe or don't believe that Lyme Disease can cause the following diseases, Lyme Disease sure as hell mimics them. No one argues otherwise.
Imitated Diseases:
-Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
-ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis / Lou Gehrig's Disease
-Parkinson's
-Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
-Fibromyalgia
-Alzheimer's
-Rheumatoid Arthritis
-Lupus
-Autism
-Flu
Do I find it unbelievably infuriating, horrifying and fascinating that Lyme Disease mimics major neurologic diseases that we have names for but don't know what causes them? How can that be? A disease for which there is a known cause, causes all of the symptoms of other diseases for which there is no known cause...
Look at the vagueness of the definitions of the following diseases, how much they all overlap, and how all of those symptoms are symptoms of Lyme Disease as well. It's believed that Lyme affects people differently because of a number of reasons... Your genetic susceptibility, age, how you were infected, what diseases you were infected with (co-infections), how long you've been infected, etc. So essentially, the diseases below could be the same disease, presenting itself differently in different people based on a number of factors.
Fibromyalgia: (musculoskeletal / hallmark is pain, with other things...)
"Fibromyalgia is a disorder characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain accompanied by fatigue, sleep, memory and mood issues. Researchers believe that fibromyalgia amplifies painful sensations by affecting the way your brain processes pain signals.
Symptoms sometimes begin after a physical trauma, surgery, infection or significant psychological stress. In other cases, symptoms gradually accumulate over time with no single triggering event.
Women are more likely to develop fibromyalgia than are men. Many people who have fibromyalgia also have tension headaches, temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders, irritable bowel syndrome, anxiety and depression.
While there is no cure for fibromyalgia, a variety of medications can help control symptoms. Exercise, relaxation and stress-reduction measures also may help."
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: (hallmark is fatigue, with other things...)
"Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is a complicated disorder characterized by extreme fatigue that can't be explained by any underlying medical condition. The fatigue may worsen with physical or mental activity, but doesn't improve with rest.
Chronic fatigue syndrome has eight different signs and symptoms:
-Fatigue
-Loss of memory or concentration
-Sore throat
-Enlarged lymph nodes in your neck or armpits
-Unexplained muscle pain
-Pain that moves from one joint to another without swelling or redness
-Headache of a new type, pattern, or severity
-Extreme exhaustion lasting more than 24 hours after physical or mental exercise.
The cause of chronic fatigue syndrome is unknown, although there are many theories — ranging from viral infections to psychological stress. Some experts believe chronic fatigue syndrome might be triggered by a combination of factors.
There's no single test to confirm a diagnosis of chronic fatigue syndrome. You may need a variety of medical tests to rule out other health problems that have similar symptoms. Treatment for chronic fatigue syndrome focuses on symptom relief."
Parkinson's: (nervous system / movement)
"Parkinson's Disease is a progressive disorder of the nervous system that affects movement. It develops gradually, sometimes starting with a barely noticeable tremor in one hand. But while a tremor may be the most well known symptom of Parkinson's, the disorder also commonly causes stiffness or slowing of movement. In the early stages of Parkinson's disease, your face may show little or no expression, or your arms may not swing when you walk. Your speech may become soft or slurred. Parkinson's disease symptoms worsen as your condition progresses over time.
Although Parkinson's disease can't be cured, medications may markedly improve your symptoms. In occasional cases, your doctor may suggest surgery to regulate certain regions of your brain and improve your symptoms."
Multiple Sclerosis: (central nervous system / symptoms may get worse very quickly or come and go over time...)
"Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a potentially disabling disease of the brain and spinal cord (central nervous system).
In MS, the immune system attacks the protective sheath (myelin) that covers nerve fibers and causes communication problems between your brain and the rest of your body. Eventually, the disease can cause the nerves themselves to deteriorate or become permanently damaged.
Signs and symptoms of MS vary widely and depend on the amount of nerve damage and which nerves are affected. Some people with severe MS may lose the ability to walk independently or at all, while others may experience long periods of remission without any new symptoms.
There's no cure for multiple sclerosis. However, treatments can help speed recovery from attacks, modify the course of the disease and manage symptoms."
ALS: (nervous system / progressive, eventually fatal)
"Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (a-my-o-TROE-fik LAT-ur-ul skluh-ROE-sis), or ALS, is a progressive nervous system (neurological) disease that destroys nerve cells and causes disability.
ALS is often called Lou Gehrig's disease, after the famous baseball player who was diagnosed with it. ALS is a type of motor neuron disease in which nerve cells gradually break down and die.
Doctors usually don't know why ALS occurs. Some cases are inherited.
ALS often begins with muscle twitching and weakness in a limb, or slurred speech. Eventually, ALS affects control of the muscles needed to move, speak, eat and breathe. There is no cure for ALS, and eventually the disease is fatal."
Can I point out that often times these diseases run in families... And they don't know why. But did you know that Lyme Disease can be passed sexually and from mother to child during birth?
Below are a list of symptoms (and this is not a complete list) of Lyme Disease, and this doesn't include each co-infection of Lyme Disease:
-Joint pain and swelling
-Psychosis
-Depression
-Anxiety
-OCD
-Cardiac irregularity
-Chest pain/heart palpitations/pulse skips/heart block
-History of heart murmur or valve prolapse
-Rib soreness
-Twitching of muscles
-Unexplained weight loss/gain
-Abdominal cramping/pain
-Increased motion sickness/vertigo
-Tremors
-Irritable bladder, bladder pain, chronic urinary tract infections
-Buzzing, ear ringing, ear pain
-Fever
-Hair loss
-Double/blurry vision, floaters
-Abnormal aversion to bright light
-Unexplained fevers, sweats, chills
-Cough
-Shortness of breath
-Testicular/pelvic pain
-Neck creaks, cracks, stiffness
-Joint or back stiffness
-Muscle pain or cramps
-Insomnia, disturbed sleep (too much, too little, early awakening)
-Exaggerated symptoms or worse hangover from alcohol
-TMJ (jaw pain)
-Headaches
-Tingling or numbness
-Burning or stabbing sensations
-Poor balance
-Difficulty walking
-Dizziness
-Personality changes
-Mood swings or irritability
-Confusion
-Disorientation
-Difficulty concentrating or reading
-Gastritis
-Menstrual irregularity
-Loss of libido
-Trouble speaking
-Nausea or vomiting
-Facial twitching or Bell's Palsy
-Sore throat
-Swollen glands
-Diarrhea or constipation
What about common symptoms of infection in children?
-severe fatigue unrelieved by rest
-insomnia
-headaches
-nausea, abdominal pain
-impaired concentration
-poor short-term memory
-inability to sustain attention
-difficulty thinking and expressing thoughts
-difficulty reading and writing
-being overwhelmed by schoolwork
-difficulty making decisions
-confusion
-uncharacteristic behavior
-outburts and mood swings
-fevers/chills
-joint pain
-dizziness
-noise and light sensitivity
What about symptoms in children who may have been born with Lyme?
-frequent fevers
-increased incidence of ear and throat infections
-increased incidence of pneumonia
-irritability
-joint and body pain
-poor muscle tone
-gastroesophageal reflux
-small windpipe
-cataracts and other eye problems
-developmental delay
-learning disabilities
-psychiatric manifestations
Just in case you're thinking "well that's a lot of possible symptoms... How do you know Lyme Disease isn't actually Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, or Fibromyalgia, or something else, you crazy...?" Because those diseases, the way they're defined, are just names with a list of symptoms for which there is no known cause or cure. People with the symptoms of those diseases have later been proven to be infected with Borrelia Burgdorferi (Lyme Disease).
Are you listening?
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