Excerpt:

RESULTS: Eleven patients who presented with acute central nervous
system (CNS) syndrome fulfilled the diagnostic criteria for
neuroborreliosis. In the CSF studies, lymphocytic pleocytosis
with elevation of total protein and normal glucose was noted in 9
patients. The clinical syndromes were confirmed by magnetic
resonance imaging and electrophysiological studies. Ten of 11
patients were found to have brain stem or spinal cord lesions on
neuroimaging studies, and 8 patients had concomitant peripheral
nervous system involvement with electrophysiological evidence of
multiple root lesions with an acute or subacute course.
CONCLUSIONS: Lyme neuroborreliosis presenting as acute CNS
syndrome with peripheral nervous system involvement
simultaneously in the disease course, especially acute
myelopolyradiculitis, in Taiwan is different from Lyme
neuroborreliosis seen in Europe and North America. The treatment
outcome is variable and based on the severity of initial
neurological deficits, early diagnosis, and early management.
Copyright (c) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

We report the case of a 30-year-old man who developed severe
dysphagia owing to neuroborreliosis. He showed dysphagia,
diplopia, hiccups, and walking difficulty Neurological
examination revealed mild disturbance of consciousness, diplopia
on left lateral gaze, left-side-dominant blephaloptosis,
gaze-evoked horizontal nystagmus on left lateral gaze, mild
bilateral muscle weakness, palatoplegia, dysphagia, dysarthria,
and truncal ataxia An increased pharyngeal reflex caused
dysphagia in this patient. An EEG revealed intermittent high
amplitude slow wave activity. However, head MRI, blood count,
serum chemistry, and cerebrospinal fluid examination showed no
abnormality. Initially, brainstem encephalitis with unknown
etiology was diagnosed. The hiccups, diplopia, and ptosis were
improved by corticosteroid therapy, but other symptoms were
refractory to corticosteroid therapy and IVIg.

BACKGROUND: Lyme borreliosis is a multisystemic disease which affects several organs such as skin, nervous system, joints and the heart. The presented study focused on patients with persisting symptoms of the disease, which could be in correlation with Lyme disease but antiborrelial antibodies were not confirmed by screening tests. MATERIAL AND METHODS: 32 patients with anamnestic data and suspected clinical signs of lyme borreliosis were tested for the presence of antiborrelia antibodies by using ELISA and westernblot analysis and the state of cellular and humoral immunity. RESULTS: All patients had specific antiborrelial antibodies confirmed by using the westernblot in spite of negative ELISA. Immunological investigations revealed a deficiency of cellular immunity in all patients and in a part of them (15.6%) a deficiency of humoral immunity was also found. The presence of different types of autoantibodies was detected in 17 (53.1%) patients. CONCLUSION: In patients with persisting difficulties that could be associated with Lyme disease, it is necessary to use the westernblot test which could prove the presence of specific antibodies. It is probably due to the very low production of specific antibodies caused also by the status of immune deficiency detected in all our patients (Tab. 1, Ref. 11).

Linda’s comment:  The FIGHT program is a perfect example of how you can fight Lyme disease.  As Dr Patricia Gerbarg, MD has found out.  She has not experienced the FIGHT program to my knowledge, but the protocols she mentioned are all part of the FIGHT program.  It is a must that we reduce the total body burden of toxins and pathogens to fight the Lyme critters.  Lyme loves heavy metals.  We are slammed every time we walk out our front doors with 500 to 600 environmental toxins.  It is a daily battle, but I found the FIGHT program made this all very easy.  I only wish I had  the knowledge of the FIGHT program with the first Lyme infection.

I have never taken any antibiotics and don’t intend to, but I focused on the lifelong daily detox program FIGHT and cleaned up my lifestyle, home and diet.  I got rid of all the GMO foods, gluten, sugar, caffeine, alcohol and my body shakes if I pass a fast-food restaurant….the smell turns my stomach.  Once you clean  up your diet and clean up your homestead, you begin to feel better….Lifestyle is probably one of the hardest things I have ever done….Yes, I cheat, but at least now I have learned to cheat. and can neutralize a toxic food if I eat it.  Once you begin to feel better it makes the journey of cleaning up much easier. Just give the FIGHT program 90 days and you too will feel the difference.

Regards, Linda

Chronic Lyme Disease: Myth or Reality?

By Mehmet Oz, MD

Mehmet Oz, MD, host of The Dr. Oz Show, sorts out the truth. Lyme disease, a bacterial infection transmitted by the bite of a deer tick, can cause a variety of flu-like symptoms-achy joints, fatigue, fever, headache. But chronic Lyme disease is a different beast. Experts can’t agree on a case definition-or if the condition exists at all. What’s clear is that some Lyme patients, even after taking the standard treatment of antibiotics, continue to suffer long-term and often serious health problems, including poor mental function, migratory joint pain, and sleep disturbances. Whether the condition is an autoimmune or nervous system response triggered by the now-eradicated infection (sometimes called post-Lyme disease syndrome), or a chronic case of the disease directly attributable to an ongoing infection depends on whom you ask-as does the treatment.

The Case for Diagnosing CLD

“There is absolutely no doubt chronic Lyme disease [CLD] exists,” says Richard Horowitz, MD, president of the International Lyme and Associated Diseases Educational Foundation. What’s more, he adds, many of those who contract Lyme disease can also have tick-borne coinfections like babesiosis, caused by parasites, and their symptoms can easily be mistaken for those of other ailments such as chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia. “Like syphilis, chronic Lyme disease is a great imitator,” Horowitz notes. He has seen more than 11,000 patients whose CLD he has helped to pinpoint using his own broad differential diagnosis, which looks at all possible causes of symptoms. Along with specific treatments for any overlapping conditions, he often prescribes a combination of targeted antibiotics to beat the infection, and says he has seen dramatic recoveries.

The Case Against Diagnosing CLD

“There’s simply no scientific evidence that these symptoms are caused by an ongoing infection of Lyme disease,” says John Halperin, MD, chair of the department of neurosciences at Overlook Hospital in Summit, New Jersey, and professor of neurology at Mt. Sinai School of Medicine. Halperin agrees that some Lyme disease patients can experience real, ongoing health issues. However, he says, “The best guess is that it has to do with how our nervous systems respond to different stressors. It’s probably due to a fundamental neurobiological trait of some people.” Halperin believes the way to treat the problem is symptomatically. That means everything from therapy for depression to surgery for severe arthritis-but not months of antibiotics, which can result in serious side effects, according to National Institutes of Health-funded studies.

Dr. Oz Says…

Let’s get past the fundamental argument over whether this is a chronic condition or an autoimmune response by acknowledging that it could be both. Someday we might discover that ticks aren’t giving people just a bacterial infection but also a virus or a hybrid bug. Patricia Gerbarg, MD, is the coauthor of How to Use Herbs, Nutrients, and Yoga in Mental Health Care as well as a former Lyme patient. What she found, and what I support, is that certain supplements strengthen the body’s ability to repair itself from the long-term problems associated with CLD. Taking vitamin B12, coenzyme Q10, chromium, folate, omega-3 fatty acids, and herbs such as Rhodiola rosea can improve energy and help with cellular repair-all key in recovering from conditions that can be as resistant as Lyme disease. Dr. Oz – Treating Lyme Disease – Oprah.com