Harvard medical school just discovered vitamins!

They published an article that states that B vits
are successful in the treatment of MS.

Only problem is that this info was published over
40 years ago by a brilliant doc, Robert Klenner
of North Carolina.

This was recently reported in the Orthomolecular
Medicine newletter. (10/03/06) You can read it
here:

www.tldp.com/issue/11_00/klenner.htm

The Townsend Letter is a valuable resource for
alternative medicine modalities and research.
You may want to bookmark it.

www.townsendletter.com

JPS - Aren't most of these Allopathic sources way behind
the times in reporting things we've known for a LONG
time

Better Late Than Never, I guess

__________________
May you always have..Love to Share, Health to Spare, and Friends that Care!

Stressed nerves love and use LOTS of B vits.

MS, though, is really late stage Lyme's in 90% of the cases. Bad news, sad news but true news. Just saw 2 maps of the US, one with the density of MS cases and one with density of Lyme's.

It is stunning to me how the maps are almost exactly the same.

Maybe it's only the US that is being kept behind? It's the place where big Pharma has the most influence. Big Pharma couldn't even keep up the prices of their own drugs in Canada. But in the US? They can charge people many times more for what they charge in other countries.

See a related post about this "backwardness" of the US:

https://www.medscitalk.com/ftopic27200.html

where it is mentioned that in Europe, it can be malpractice not to prescribe fish oil in heart patients!

Gerry

Maybe because other countries have free Gov Health Care,
and in US the Ins co's get to charge big-time for drugs? :wink:

The sad part is that the Fish Oil is soooooo much better
for people, than ANY drug, which only causes more problems
usually. :x

Any chance you can provide a link to the maps?

I, for one, would be VERY interested in these, having
several relatives and friends with Lyme's.

Sorry - could not get the maps to appear here, but you may be able to access them by emailing the author - I really do not know if the woud be possible.


Date: 10/09/06 12:59:49
To: S L
Subject: *A Geostatistical Analysis of Possible Spriochetal Involvement in MS & related diseases

A Geostatistical Analysis of Possible Spirochetal Involvement in Multiple Sclerosis and Other Related Diseases


� Megan M. Blewett 2006
[email protected]


Abstract
Zoonotic diseases, especially those with insect or arthropod vectors, are recognized public health problems. This class of diseases includes West Nile Virus, Human Granulocytic Ehrlichiosis (HGE), Babesiosis, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, and Lyme Disease. This study examines whether Multiple Sclerosis (MS), which is the most common primary neurological disorder of young adults, also belongs in this category. Visual and geostatistical analyses of MS and Lyme reveal striking similarities between the two diseases. Maps displaying each disorder�s geographic distribution by county reveal this overlap visually. In addition, the statistical correlation between MS and Lyme deaths (specifically all arthropod-borne disease deaths) is significant at the state-level and highly significant at the county-level. MS incidence is known to vary with latitude; the study�s statistical analysis reveals that Lyme Disease follows the same trend. Discussion of possible biological explanations of these geographical and statistical trends is included in this article. Significant correlations also exist with other diseases: on the state level, the correlation between MS and breast cancer is 0.330, and between MS and ALS (Motor Neuron Disease used in this study), the value is 0.618. The control, external accident/injury, did not yield significant correlations. Producing the maps and data required contacting all of the state epidemiologists in the nation for Lyme incidence data. Compiling the data has resulted in one of the most comprehensive Lyme databases available to researchers. The results of the visual, geostatistical, and biochemical analyses suggest common spirochetal involvement in MS and related diseases.
A Geostatistical Analysis of Possible Spirochetal Involvement in Multiple Sclerosis and Other Related Diseases
Introduction
Zoonotic diseases, especially those with insect or arthropod vectors, are well-recognized public health concerns. Such diseases include West Nile Virus, Human Granulocytic Ehrlichiosis (HGE), Babesiosis, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, and Lyme Disease. Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is the �most common primary neurological disorder of young adults� (Warren, 2001, page 1). The National Multiple Sclerosis Society estimates that 400,000 people in the United States have MS (National Multiple Sclerosis Society, 2005). The National Institute for Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) reports that the cause of MS is �linked to an unknown environmental trigger, perhaps a virus (NINDS, 2006a). Although a viral cause of MS is the prevailing view, some researchers believe MS is a zoonotic disease caused by a spirochete and spread by an arthropod vector. This study examines the spirochete hypothesis.
Spirochetal involvement in MS was a hypothesis gaining ground in Europe in the 1930s (Murray, 2005). Unfortunately, most of the research in support of this hypothesis, as well as the researchers themselves, was lost during World War II. A surviving researcher, Gabriel Steiner, published work after World War II that identified a spirochete, Spirochaeta Myelophthora, as the causal agent of MS with an unknown vector (Steiner, 1952; Steiner, 1954). Some of those who worked with Steiner in the United States as well as other researchers hypothesize that MS and Lyme might be either: 1) the same disease; or 2) different diseases caused by two different spirochetes carried by the same arthropod vector (Mattman, 2001; Rubel, 2003; Fritzsche, 2005).

Figure 1. Normalized Count of MS Deaths by County (1998 Deaths Divided by 1990 Census Population)

Figure 2. Normalized Count of Other Specified Arthropod-Borne Diseases (OSABD) Deaths by County (1998 Deaths Divided by 1990 Census Population)


Geostatistical and biochemical analyses reveal many similarities between MS and Lyme. Each is influenced by geography, and MS and Lyme overlap in this geographic distribution. The author began to examine the relationship between MS and Lyme after being struck by the similarity of the distribution apparent in generated distribution maps of both diseases. See Figure 1 and Figure 2. There are also biochemical similarities. NINDS (2006a) defines MS as �An unpredictable disease of the central nervous system � in which the body, through its immune system, launches a defensive attack against its own tissues � the nerve-insulating myelin.� NINDS (2006b) also recognizes the neurological complications of Lyme, which usually occur in the second stage, and include �numbness, pain, weakness, Bell's palsy � visual disturbances, and meningitis symptoms � decreased concentration, irritability, memory and sleep disorders, and nerve damage in the arms and legs.�
Each of the disorders is characterized by damage to the blood-brain barrier (BBB) endothelium and subsequent increased barrier permeability (Pardridge, 1998). Degradation of the barrier in Lyme patients involves bacterial breakdown of the collagen in the BBB basement membrane. The method of degradation in MS is not known (Russell, 1997), though thickness of the collagen layer could be a factor for prevalence among certain ethnic groups. For example, African-Americans have high levels of collagen and low rates of MS. Both diseases also involve demyelination triggered by what can resemble an autoimmune attack against the myelin sheath. Among MS patients, the mysterious increase in lymphocyte movement across the BBB could be in response to a bacterial invader. Lastly, MS and Lyme disease share an inflammatory response, most likely the work of proinflammatory chemokines and cytokines(Rothwell, 2002). The epidemiological and biochemical similarities suggest, but do not confirm a common bacterial basis for MS and Lyme.
The possibility of a common bacterial basis for both MS and Lyme is examined in this study using geostatistical analysis. Such analysis combines descriptive and inferential statistical techniques with data visualization (cartographics). The results have proven useful in understanding the etiology of many diseases including cholera, plague, malaria, smallpox, AIDS, and Lyme (Ormsby, 2001, Cliff, 2004; Koch, 2005. The hypothesis to be tested is that MS and Lyme Disease are triggered or influenced by a similar zoonotic spirochetal agent and spread by a tick-like vector. If a common etiology exists, then a geostatistical relationship between Lyme and MS should be observed at either the state-level or the county-level or both. The analysis can be improved by using a control variable (disease) and at least one other condition in which the causal agent or geographic distribution might be similar to that of MS.
The control variable in this study is accident/injury because this condition should be unrelated to a bacterial distribution. The two diseases with a suggested bacterial cause or geographic similarity to MS are Breast Cancer (Cantwell, 1998) and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS, Lou Gehrig�s Disease) (Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, 2003).

THERE IS A LOT MORE - TABLES AND TEXT. WHAT I HAVE POSTED BELOW ARE THE REFERENCES LISTED:

References
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR). (2003, last updated May). Multiple Sclerosis and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis-Related Projects: Ongoing and Completed Projects, Health Investigations Branch, Division of Health Studies. Access at: https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/DHS/MS_Fact_Sheet.html
Cantwell, A. (1998). Do killer microbes cause Breast Cancer? New Dawn: A Journal of Alternative News and Information, 48 (electronic copy). Available at: https://www.newdawnmagazine.com/Artic...%20Cancer.html
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). (2005a). DataWarehouse, Accessing NCHS Data in DataFerrett. Access: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/datawh/ferret/ferret.htm
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2002). Lyme Disease � United States, 2000. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), 51(02), 29-31.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Division of Parasitic Diseases (2004, last updated April). Parasitic Disease Information: Leishmania Infection Factsheet. Access:
https://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dpd/parasi...leishmania.htm


Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). (2005b). Mortality Data from the National Vital Statistics System. Access: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/deaths.htm
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), Publications and Information Products. (2005c). Mortality Data and Underlying Cause of Death Public-Use Files. Access: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/ele...ct/mortucd.htm
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). (2005d). National Vital Statistics System. Access: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss.htm
Cliff, A., Haggett, P, & Smallman-Raynor, M. (2004). World Atlas of Epidemic Diseases. New York: Oxford University Press.
Council of State Epidemiologists. (n.d.). Directory. Access: https://www.cste.org/members/state_an...torial_epi.asp and https://www.cste.org
Filley, C.M. (2001). The Behavioral Neurology of White Matter. New York: Oxford University Press.
Fritzsche, M. (2005). Chronic lyme borreliosis at the root of multiple sclerosis � is a cure with antibiotics attainable? Medical Hypotheses, 64(3), 438-448.
Guyton, A.C. & Hall, J.E. (1997) Human Physiology and Mechanisms of Disease (6th Edition). Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders
Koch, T. (2005). Cartographics of Disease: Maps, Mapping, and Medicine. California: ESRI Press.
Mattman, L.H. (2001). Cell Wall Deficient Forms: Stealth Pathogens (Third Edition). New York: CRC Press.
McKinnell, R.G., Parchment, R.E., Perantoni, A.O., & Pierce, G.B. (2003). The Biological Basis of Cancer. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Murray, T.J. (2005). Multiple Sclerosis: The History of a Disease. New York: Demos Medical Publishing.
National Center for Health Statistics. (2005, last updated August). Mortality Data from the National Vital Statistics System, International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9), Volume I. Accessed at ftp://ftp.cdc.gov/pub/Health_Statist...cations/ICD-9/
National Multiple Sclerosis Society. (2005, last updated October). Epidemiology. Retrieved from https://www.nationalmssociety.org/Sou...idemiology.asp
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). (2006a, last updated January). NINDS Multiple Sclerosis Information Page. Retrieved from https://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/m..._sclerosis.htm
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). (2006b, last updated January). NINDS Neurological Complications of Lyme Disease Information Page. Retrieved from https://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/lyme/lyme.htm
Norusis, M.J. (2003). SPSS 12.0 Statistical Procedures Companion. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall.
Ormsby, T., Napoleon, E., Burke, R., Groessl, C., & Feaster, L. (2001). Getting to Know ArcGIS Desktop: Basics of ArcView, ArcEditor, and ArcInfo. California: ESRI Press.
Pardridge, W.M. (Ed.). (1998). Introduction to the Blood-Brain Barrier: Methodology, Biology, and Pathology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Rothwell, N. & Loddick, S. (Ed.). (2002). Immune and Inflammatory Responses in the Nervous System (Second Edition). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Rubel, J. (Ed.). (2003). Lyme disease survival in adverse conditions: the strategy of morphological variation in Borrelia burgdorferi & other spirochetes 1900-2001 (electronic). Lyme Info: Cystic Form of Bb & Other Spirochetes: Advanced. Accessed at https://www.lymeinfo.net/medical/LDAdverseConditions.pdf
Russell, W.C. (Ed.). (1997). Molecular Biology of Multiple Sclerosis. New York: John Wiley &Sons.
Saier, M.H. & Garcia-Lara, J. (2001). The Spirochetes: Molecular and Cellular Biology. Wiltshire: United Kingon: Horizon Press.
SPSS. (2003). SPSS Base 12.0 User�s Guide. Chicago, Illinois: Author.
Steiner, G. (1952). Acute plaques in multiple sclerosis, their pathogenic significance and the role of spirochetes as etiological factor. Journal of Neuropathology and Experimental Neurology, 11(4), 343-372
Steiner, G. (1954). Morphology of spirochaeta myelophthora in multiple sclerosis. Journal of Neuropathology, 13, 221-229.
United States Census Bureau. (n.d.). American FactFinder, Population Finder (Data WebTool). Access: https://factfinder.census.gov/servlet...tion_0&_sse=on
United States Census Bureau and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2005a). DataFerrett: For TheDataWeb. Access: https://dataferrett.census.gov/index.html.
United States Census Bureau and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2005b). National Center for Health Statistics, Mortality � Underlying Cause of Death, 1998 [Data WebTool]. Available from TheDataWeb website, https://www.thedataweb.org/index.html.
United States Census Bureau and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2005c). TheDataWeb: Description of Datasets Available Using DataFerrett. Access: https://www.thedataweb.org/datasets.html
United States Geological Survey (n.d.). Geographic Names Information System (Data WebTool). Access: https://geonames.usgs.gov/fips55/fips55down.html
University of Virginia. (n.d.). University of Virginia Library Geostat Center: Collections for the 1990 and 2000 Populations (Data WebTool). Access: https://fisher.lib.virginia.edu/collections/state/ccdb
Warren, S., & Warren, K.G. (2001). Multiple Sclerosis. Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organization.
To The Top

I KNOW THIS IS A MONSTER - I HOPE IT CAN HELP.

If the maps appear online, I believe I can copy them and post them here. I found a map showiwng the distribution of Lyme disease in US. I someone can show me where to find a map shoiwng MS distribution I will certainly try to post it here.

I could not get the maps to paste here either, but here is the link where you can see them:

https://www.canlyme.com/megan_geostat...analysis2.html

Klutzo

Thanks Roxie the first map =

Figure 1. Normalized Count of MS Deaths by County (1998 Deaths Divided by 1990 Census Population
Second map = Figure 2. Normalized Count of Other Specified Arthropod-Borne Diseases (OSABD) Deaths by County (1998 Deaths Divided by 1990 Census Population

[quote="Xania"]Thanks Roxie the first map =

Figure 1. Normalized Count of MS Deaths by County (1998 Deaths Divided by 1990 Census Population
Second map = Figure 2. Normalized Count of Other Specified Arthropod-Borne Diseases (OSABD) Deaths by County (1998 Deaths Divided by 1990 Census Population


Those look awfully similar to me!!

When I was first diagnosed as having MS - the research then found that it was a disease of upper latitudes - and decreased as one got to the tropics - it was speculated that it could be a lack of vitamin D because of the lack of daily sunlight!
But the research and speculation has swung this way and that over the years - so is MS another form of Lyme - or are they both developed because of similar environmental causes!!
Janner

__________________
SAVE THE EARTH
It's the only planet with chocolate

Thanks Xania for working computer magic!

Hi Janner,
My feeling is they are both caused by stealth infections,that is intracellular pathogens that are pleomorphic. They can change form to evade detection and shed their cell wall and hide inside our immune cells! They are very clever. The main pathogens that do this are borrelia and mycoplasma. BTW, it is looking like Rheumatoid arthritis is caused by mycoplasma. Some feel that MS is caused by a different strain of borrelia from Lyme, which is caused by borrelia burgdorferi. There are about 300 known strains. Many people have both borrelia and mycoplasma. Most Lyme patients also have reactivated viruses that were kept dormant before Lyme dysregulated their immune systems. It is truly like having an invisible "infectious soup".

I have not seen the 90% figure quoted earlier, but nothing would surprise me about Lyme Disease any more!
I do not have a citation as to where these figures I am about to post come from....I saw them in a research article a couple of years ago and did not save the article......could kick myself now. These are the figures I've seen for Lyme testing in the six diseases it most often imitates. It's closest relative is syphillis, "the great imitator", which is why Lyme is called "the new great imitator. Besides the figures I list here, it can imitate any psychiatric problem you can imagine, from ADHD to Bipolar disorder,and especially "Intermittent explosive disorder", aka Lyme Rages.

Percentage of patients who tested positive for Lyme Disease:

MS = 35%
ALS = 55%
CFS, FMS, Parkinsons = 95%
Alzheimers = 100%

In order to be scientifically honest here, I have to stress that presence does not prove causation. It sure looks suspicious though, and if you have Lyme, you need to deal with it, no matter if it is the original cause of your illness or not. It is definitely a bad thing to have.

If I were diagnosed with MS (which was my first misdiagnosis, for the first four years of my illness!), I would either see an LLMD (Lyme literate medical doctor, which you can find at LymeNet.com) and get properly tested by either Igenex or Bowen Labs, or I would try to get my PCP to prescribe a month of high dose minocycline or doxycycline if you can't afford the mino, and see if it made my symptoms noticeably worse, which it should if you have Lyme or mycoplasma. If allergic to those antibiotics (like me), or if you can't talk your PCP into prescribing them, I would use an herbal antibiotic like Samento to do the same test on myself.

I would also look up a listing of Lyme symptoms and see if I have more than 7 of them, which is considered suspicious.....you can find this in the newbie links at LymeNet.com, under Medical Questions in their Flash discussion forum. I will try to locate and post a list for you to save you some time there.

Regards,

Roxie
P.S. I do feel vitamin D is important. 2,000 units daily is not out of line, after having a baseline blood test of Vitamin 25D to be sure you do not already have too much. Cod liver oil is a good natural source as well as good old sunshine, which has been getting an undeserved bad rap.

SYMPTOM CHECKLIST

This is not meant to be used as a diagnostic scheme, but is provided to streamline the office interview. Note the format � complaints referable to specific organ systems are clustered to better display multisystem involvement.

NAME_______________________________________DATE___ _______________

RISK PROFILE (PLEASE CHECK)

Tick infested area ___ Frequent outdoor activities ___ Hiking ___ Fishing ___ Camping ___ Gardening ___
Hunting ___ Ticks noted on pets ___ Other household members with Lyme ___
Do you remember being bitten by a tick? No ___ Yes ___ when ________
Do you remember having the �bull's eye rash?� No ___ Yes ___
Any other rash? No ___ Yes ___

Have you had any of the following? CIRCLE ALL YES ANSWERS

Unexplained fevers, sweats, chills, or flushing
Unexplained weight change (loss or gain � circle one)
Fatigue, tiredness, poor stamina
Unexplained hair loss
Swollen glands: list areas _______________________________________________
Sore throat
Testicular pain/pelvic pain
Unexplained menstrual irregularity
Unexplained milk production; breast pain
Irritable bladder or bladder dysfunction
Sexual dysfunction or loss of libido
Upset stomach or abdominal pain
Change in bowel function (constipation, diarrhea)
Chest pain or rib soreness
Shortness of breath, cough
Heart palpitations, pulse skips, heart block
Any history of a heart murmur or valve prolapse?
Joint pain or swelling: list joints _________________________________________________
Stiffness of the joints or back
Muscle pain or cramps
Twitching of the face or other muscles
Headache
Neck creaks and cracks, neck stiffness, neck pain
Tingling, numbness, burning or stabbing sensations, shooting pains, skin hypersensitivity
Facial paralysis (Bell's Palsy)
Eyes/Vision: double, blurry, increased floaters, light sensitivity
Ears/Hearing: buzzing, ringing, ear pain, sound sensitivity
Increased motion sickness, vertigo, poor balance
Lightheadedness, wooziness, unavoidable need to sit or lie down
Tremor
Confusion, difficulty in thinking
Difficulty with concentration, reading
Forgetfulness, poor short term memory, poor attention, problem absorbing new information
Disorientation: getting lost, going to wrong places
Difficulty with speech or writing; word or name block
Mood swings, irritability, depression
Disturbed sleep � too much, too little, fractionated, early awakening
Exaggerated symptoms or worse hangover from alcohol

Dear Janner,
I just noticed you live in England! DUH! Sorry I am so slow on the uptake. I do have significant brain damage from Lyme, so I will use that as my excuse :wink: . You obviously don't have a "PCP", and using Bowen or Igenex labs would not work either, since Bowen does not accept blood more than 16 hours old, and I doubt Igenex would either.

I know a couple of Brits being treated for Lyme, and if memory serves, I believe the doctor they rave about over there is named Jonathan Wright. Those who can't afford him are using either Samento or Colloidal silver as treatments. If you are interested, I can contact them and find out more info about their doctors.

Have you had any courses of antibiotics since being diagnosed with MS? If so, what antibiotics were they and how did they make you feel? Are you taking steroids? If you do have Lyme, that is the worst thing you can do.

I am just curious......do any of your relatives come from the Hebrides? You probably already know this, but the Hebrides have by far the highest rate of MS in the world.

Being in cloudy England, I would revise that daily dose of vitamin D upwards as high as 4,000 units, especially in winter.

Roxie

Roxie, in these times of climate change it may no longer accurate to describe us as cloudy! Because of greater heat and loss of cloud cover this summer I have had hardly any sun exposure, so my need for Vit D must have increased due to increased sun!