7. Roots to Sky: Clinical Research & Treatment

Two groundbreaking studies from Northwestern researchers may transform how we treat and understand Lyme disease

2,510 likes, 140 comments - unbiasedscipod on August 14, 2023: "Lyme disease (LD): while a public health concern, rampant misinformation fueled by vocal advocacy organizations has led the public to perceive it as a bigger threat than it is. One of the most pervasive: chronic Lyme disease. LD is a bacterial infection caused by Borrelia burgdorferi (rarely Borrelia mayonii in the US; Borrelia garinii & Borreli afzelii in Europe). In the US, 2 species of ticks can transmit these bacteria: Black-legged & western Black-legged ticks. It is not spread by other ticks, other arthropods, or by other means. Most infections remain localized, cause mild illness, and present with the ‘bulls-eye rash’, erythema migrans. Other symptoms are generic: fever, fatigue, headache, muscle/joint pain, and lymphadenopathy. In ~10-20% of infections (depending on bacterial strain), bacteria can spread elsewhere in the body like large joints and nerves and cause disseminated LD symptoms, which can be painful and debilitating. The good news? The bacteria can be killed with antibiotics. Even without antibiotic treatment, most infections would be eliminated by your immune system. In a small proportion of individuals who TRULY were infected, certain symptoms - fatigue, musculoskeletal pain, insomnia - may last after antibiotic treatment. These are post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome (PTLDS) symptoms, or sequelae, and are a result of the immune response – inflammation created to eliminate bacteria. PTLDS typically resolves over a period of months, like other post-infection sequelae. This is NOT chronic infection. Bacteria are not hiding, persisting, or establishing dormancy or biofilms. Infection does not reactivate over the years. There is NO benefit to taking longer-term antibiotics. Bacteria are eliminated. Chronic Lyme disease is not a medically supported condition, no matter how loud advocacy organizations shout. Unfortunately, chronic Lyme has become a scapegoat for an array of non-specific symptoms even without evidence someone had Lyme to begin with. This prevents people from addressing real causes of their symptoms and undergoing harmful and expensive ‘treatments’, as well as propagating fallacies and undue fear about Lyme to the public.".

11K likes, 527 comments - unbiasedscipod on August 9, 2023: "“Chronic Lyme” is a scapegoat in the ‘alternative health’ & ‘wellness’ industries. Many nonspecific symptoms are falsely attributed to a bacterial infection readily treated with antibiotics. This trend has increased due to celebrity & media attention. We have discussed Lyme pseudoscience extensively, but with recent headlines about Bella Hadid, we must revisit. Bella shared this 2016 ‘lab report’ filled with Lyme misinformation. Here are the most glaring. 1️⃣Urine samples cannot be used to diagnose ANY of these, Lyme or otherwise. Credible expert organizations including Infectious Diseases Society of America are explicit about this. 2️⃣FDA-authorized Lyme tests assess immune responses (antibodies) to Borrelia burgdorferi in blood. There are NO credible Lyme tests that use PCR (what this test claims to use). 3️⃣The test falsely claims the first 4 ‘microbes’ listed are different species of Lyme bacteria. 4️⃣This test “detects” SEVERAL impossible co-infections alongside Lyme: Bartonella bacilliformis only occurs in the Andes Mtns (South America) between 3,000 and 10,000 ft. of elevation. It is transmitted by sand flies, NOT ticks. Bartonella henselae is also NOT spread by ticks, but by fleas (or animal scratch contaminated with infected flea feces). Ehrlichia chaffeensis is transmitted by ticks, but NOT the species that transmits Lyme bacteria. The likelihood Bella was bitten by 4 different arthropods all infected with these bacteria (incl. one only in S. American mountains) is near zero. It is also implausible she has been infected for over 7 years. Self-appointed “Lyme specialists” have gotten rich by selling fake tests to diagnose illnesses that there is zero evidence (clinical or epidemiological) to support. They then prescribe unproven, harmful, long-term, and expensive treatments. Is Bella feeling ill? Possibly! But it is very likely the array of “treatments” for infections she doesn’t have are the cause of that. Unfortunately, celebrities who buy into the myths about Lyme fall prey and legitimize it with their large public platforms. Scientists, credible clinicians, and media outlets all need to help dispel this type of harmful nonsense.".

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