All Posts Tagged With: "ALS"

Linda’s comment:  Misdiagnosing Lyme disease for MS is a very common thing these days,  It isn’t jut happening in Canada, it is happening world-wide. We must bring education and awareness to this serious matter.  When ignored patients are becoming sicker and sicker.  Lyme is best diagnosed clinically, as there are not that many Lyme blood tests that are accurate.  Most doctors now realize, when in doubt treat for Lyme.

Full article: http://www.calgaryherald.com/health/Doctors+misdiagnose+Lyme+disease+researcher/2908675/story.html

Excerpt:

A Manitoba researcher says some patients deemed by doctors to suffer from multiple sclerosis may be misdiagnosed.

In a recent thesis, Winnipeg researcher Kathleen Crang found that some Manitobans diagnosed with MS and other chronic conditions may actually be suffering from the borrelia bacteria, a tick-borne “biological evil genius” that causes Lyme disease.

“If I knew someone with MS, I’d be saying, ‘Let’s look at those questions,’ ” said Crang. “If their MS is coupled with heart problems, or skin rashes, or rheumatological involvement, there might be some question as to why.”

After all, the bug is dubbed “the second great imitator” — syphilis is the first.

Tests for Lyme disease can be unreliable; many of the disease’s 75 known symptoms are shared by a host of neurological conditions. Case studies have even found that Lyme can produce lesions on the brain like those seen in MS.

That in itself isn’t breaking news. Crang’s thesis, titled Knowledge and Perception of Lyme disease in Manitoba: Implications for Risk Assessment, found numerous reports in Europe and the United States of Lyme disease being initially misdiagnosed as everything from MS to ALS and fibromyalgia.

But in Manitoba, where Lyme is thought to be almost non-existent, Crang found that doctors may not be on the lookout for the disease.

Could that lack of concern lead to lasting misdiagnoses?

“There’s a bit of a disconnect there,” said Crang. “It’s an information-flow problem. The fact that individuals are hearing such low numbers of Lyme leads to a perception that Lyme isn’t there.”

In a series of interviews for the thesis, Crang found that many Manitoba public health decision-makers and clinicians didn’t perceive Lyme as a threat to Manitobans, and “did not expect they would see patients with the disease.”

Crang, 44, is living proof that the mistake can be made.

In 1999, doctors told the Fort Richmond Collegiate science teacher that she had MS; an MRI appeared to confirm the diagnosis.

Linda’s comment:  Thanks to the Colorado Springs INDEPENDENT for presenting this article on Lyme disease.  It presents what is going on today worldwide.  We need more newspapers to come to the Lyme communities rescue and help us get the word out.  I work with thousands of Lymies doing research and helping to guide them to make better healthcare choices.  I personally have battled 2 Lyme infections and have been blessed to live in a state where alternative doctors are licensed to practice <OUTSIDE OF THE BOX>  The one thing I have come to realize is our bodies are so overloaded with pathogens and toxins, that without lifestyle changes, getting rid of the heavy metals, being gluten free, caffeine free, sugar free, alcohol free, fast food free and most importantly GMO FREE, you struggle reaching the level of wellness you desire.  Getting rid of all the above is difficult, since we have industry shoving it in our faces at every turn.  I’m so thankful that I found the FIGHT program that Dr Garry Gordon has developed.  I couldn’t believe how many pathogens and toxins I have dumped over the last year and a half.  I have a long way to go, but I can tell you, I thank God daily for the FIGHT program. Continued