Posted by bleauberry on June 15, 2009, at 18:56:47
In reply to Anxiety or Depression can be Lyme Disease ?, posted by KimStereo on June 14, 2009, at 11:48:04
The problem with Lyme disease is that it should actually be called the Lyme Complex. Because it really is extremely complex and mysterious. It can mimic any disease. Just like Syphillis. Great deceivers. Great imitators. People can be treated with antibiotics, get well, and later relapse. No one knows why. They can get better again. But there are lots of unanswered mysteries.
Adding to that are the alternative methods of treatment, such as Salt+VitC, that do not have a track record. I don't care about clinical testing, proof, or scientific evidence. But I do care about having a large body of anecdotal case reports. That does not exist at this time. All of these people doing Salt+C are in an experimental phase.
The best bets for Lyme are:
1. Get a diagnosis from someone well experienced with it. A Lyme Literate practitioner. They come in all specialities...family MDs, Nurse Practioners, Neurologists, Rheumatologists, etc. The things they have in common are fascination with the the mystery of Lyme, the talent to diagnose it, and the experience at getting people well.
2. Get treated by methods that have worked. In the medical world, that includes well-chosen antibiotics, ususally 2 or 3 at the same time in order to hit all three of the mutation forms of Lyme as well as its cousin co-infectors that are so common and just as devastating to the nervous system as Lyme. In the alternative world, there are some herbs with enough anecdotal efficacy behind them to provide a reliable body of evidence.The rule of thumb in Lyme is, "Anecdotal patient experience is rapidly over-ruling clinical experience". What that means is that academia are being proven wrong, in that Lyme is far more common, more devastating, and more complex than thought. Lyme doctors are learning excellent methods. I do not believe Salt+C is one of them. Not at this point in time.
If someone wants to venture into the alternative experimental world, a MUCH safer and more logical venture would be the Hyberbaric Oxygen Chamber. Infectious organisms of all kinds live in an environment of low oxygen and a defined pressure. Lyme and HIV and others die immemdiately upon exposure to more than minute amounts of oxygen. That's why they aren't spread through the air. They love our warm bodies and the small amount of oxygen. IN HB chambers, atmospheric pressure is increased and forces pure oxygen deep into every cell of the body.
This was clinically tested at a University in Texas. It had a 90% success rate which included severe Herx reactions. Almost all patients were markedly improved or in full remission. This kind of testing has not been done with Salt+C.
The Herx reaction is not bogus as someone said it might be. It is a severe reaction to floods of toxins and dead corpses. It is no joke. It does not belong to the alternative world. It is in the real world, universities, and hospitals.
With the Salt+C thing though, I don't know how someone could tell the difference between a Herx and a bad reaction to basically overdosing on salt. Seems to me taking that much salt is going to feel pretty yucky whether it's actually killing anything or not.
To the original title of this thread, yes, depression and anxiety are most definitely very common outcomes of the Lyme Complex. My doctor has had a few Lyme patients where depression was actually their only symptom. They didn't have the common aches and pains, inflammation, or fatigue. Just depression. They got better on Tetracycline, not Prozac.
I have zero evidence to base it on, but my guess is that 20% to 30% of psychobabble participants have a serious infection they are completely unaware of. Lyme tops the list. Even the CDC estimates the cases out there that are undiagnosed dwarf the ones that are by huge percentage numbers. Since the Lyme bacteria burrow into nervous system tissues, it is no wonder they cause such an astounding array of illnesses and problems, with depression and anxiety topping the list.
poster:bleauberry
thread:900949
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20090611/msgs/901181.html