Real Heroes: A Tribute To Lyme Warriors

There is a turning point for everyone. 

A place where courage overtakes fear.

A place where adversity reveals true heart and character.  

It is here, within the smoky haze of battle, that real heroes begin to arise, something stirring within them, fighting a fight they never asked for but pushing through nonetheless.

Wounded and weary from the prolonged fight, they wear their scars like service medals;
marking severe afflictions and commemorating hard-fought victories. 

They do not stand alone but rather band together, supporting and holding each other up
along the way, not wanting to leave any behind.

But the battle takes some. 

Still, they journey on, for the time demands it.

They will not forget. Nor will they lay the torch down. 

 Perseverance surges through their exhausted bodies.
Wisdom and experience hold them upright.
And they war with an intensity that marks their call. 

Humble. 

Compassionate.
Tenacious.

Resolute.

They step forward for this fight. 

Praying for the strength to overcome.

And they'll keep working until they get it right.

Pressing on in fortitude, they take charge.

Believing the impossible to be possible, they change the atmosphere.

Now the truth is bearing down,
revealing what could not be seen before.

And then they emerge as the real heroes they truly are.

I've written this in tribute to all my fellow Lyme Warriors. I know the battle is brutal. I know you're weary. I also know you're stronger than you realize. 

You make a difference. You inspire and encourage. And you are some of the gutsiest, most kindhearted people I have the honor of knowing. Thank you for your friendships and support. You are heroes every day.

Keep on keeping on. 

Change is coming.

With much love, gratitude, and respect, 

Michelle

Lyme Disease Awareness Month

It's May, and that means Lyme disease awareness month. Lyme is caused by the spirochetal bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi (Bb) transmitted through the bite of an infected tick. Lyme is primarily a tick-borne infection. However, transmission is also possible through infected mosquitoes, fleas, and other insects. 

Lyme disease is not to be taken lightly. If left untreated or not treated sufficiently, it can disseminate throughout the body, damaging cells, organs, and tissues. It is a multi-system disease, meaning it affects many systems in the body. Long-term or chronic Lyme can significantly affect the heart, joints, muscles, nervous (central and peripheral), and immune systems. It has been documented that the Bb bacteria can invade the brain within the first 48-72 hours of infection. Lyme disease is also known as "the great imitator" because it can mimic other diseases and illnesses. Accurate diagnosis is paramount. 

Remember ticks also often carry other serious pathogens such as Bartonella (Cat Scratch Fever), Babesia, Ehrlichiosis, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Relapsing Fever, Q Fever, Tularemia, and Powassan virus. This speaks of the more common picture of Lyme disease today, which is chronic, relapsing, and includes multiple co-infections, such as those listed above, and other viruses, parasites, and fungals. This is more appropriately termed the Lyme disease complex. I'll be writing more about this throughout the month, the life stages of ticks, and how to properly recognize and remove them. 

We are now entering the season that ticks are most active (mid-Spring to Fall). So please be mindful to check yourself, your kids, and pets for ticks after being outdoors. And don't forget to check those inconspicuous places like belly buttons, underarms, in and behind ears, between toes, and groan areas. 

Educate yourself. Please see What Is Lyme Disease? for more detailed information about risk factors, safety precautions, and the symptoms and stages of Lyme. 

Please see Resources for a list of helpful websites, blogs, and books related to Lyme, co-infections, and other relevant health issues. 

You might also want to consider reading The Complexities of Lyme Disease series by Thomas Grier, M.S. Part 1 can be found here, or the entire series is listed in my blog archive (March and April 2013).

Michelle 

The Complexities of Lyme Disease (Part 4): Lyme Receptors

This is Part 4 in the series The Complexities of Lyme Disease by Thomas Grier, M.S. Click here to read Part 1. Here to read Part 2. And here to read Part 3.

Lyme Receptors 

It now appears that there are specific receptors in the Lyme spirochete to attach to endothelial
cells, N-Acetyl-glucasomine, B-cells, glial cells, nerves, and neurons.

The way our immune system is supposed to work is that it recognizes foreign invaders as being different from self, and it attacks the infection. Unfortunately, the immune system sometimes attacks our own cells. This is called autoimmune disease. If a foreign invader has a chemical structure similar to our own tissue antigens, our bodies sometimes make antibodies against our own tissues. In people with Lyme disease, scientists have discovered auto-antibodies against our own tissues, including:

• Nerve Cells (Axons)
• Cardiolipin 
• Myelin (also seen in MS)
• Myelin Basic Protein (also seen in MS)
• Neurons (brain cells)

When the immune system finds a foreign invader, it tags that invader in a number of ways. A cell called the macrophage can engulf the bacteria and then communicate to other immune cells the exact description of the bacteria. Another cell might mark the cell with an antibody, which attracts killer T-cells. Some types of T-cells communicate to other cells what to attack and regulates the immune assault. But sometimes, the body can produce a type of antibody that doesn't attack or help. A blocking antibody will attach and coat the intruder, but it won't fix *compliment, and it shields the bacteria from further immune recognition. In Lyme, we have seen quantities of IgG4 blocking antibody such as is seen in some parasitic infections (Tom Schwann RML 92 LDF Conference).

[* Note: Compliment is a term used for a series of 18 + digestive proteins that are only activated by signals from our immune system, such as complement-fixing antibodies that attach to foreign antigens.]

In order for the immune system to make an attacking antibody, the immune system must first find an antigen that it can attack. Unfortunately, as seen by freeze-fracture electron microscope, photographs of the Lyme bacteria show that most of the antigens are on the inside of the inner membrane and not on the outside. This makes the bacteria less visible to the immune system and more difficult to attack.

The most intriguing fact about Borrelia spirochetes is their well-documented ability to change the shape of their surface antigens when they are attacked by the human immune system. When this occurs, it takes several weeks for the immune system to produce new antibodies. During this time, the infection continues to divide and hide. It appears that Borrelia are able to change their surface antigens many times and can do it quickly.

Borrelia burgdorferi (Bb) correlates with the enhancement of Toll-like 

receptor 2 (TLR2) expression by microglia 

American Society for Microbiology

In one study by Dr. Andrew Pachner, M.D., he infected mice with a single strain of Borrelia burgdorferi. After several weeks he was able to isolate two slightly different forms of the bacteria. The bacteria from the bloodstream was attacked and killed by the mouse's immune sera, but the bacteria isolated from the mouse's brain was unaffected by the immune sera. The bacteria isolated from the mouse's brain had a new set of surface antigens.

It appears that contact with the CNS caused the bacteria to change its appearance. Since the brain is isolated from the immune system and is an immune-privileged site, the bacteria became its own separate strain.

This means: Infections of the bloodstream may be different from the infections that are sequestered in the brain. While we continue to have active immunity in the bloodstream, the brain has no immune defenses except for circulating antibodies. So if those circulating antibodies are ineffective to attack the bacteria in the brain, then the brain is left without any defenses, and the infection goes unabated.

Another peculiar observation of this bacteria is seen inside the bacteria. When the genetic control mechanisms of this bacteria are inhibited with antibiotics known as DNA Gyrase Inhibitors (ciprofloxin), the bacteria start to produce bacteriophage.

A phage is a virus that specifically attacks bacteria. In this case, there are two distinct forms. This means the Lyme bacteria at one time was attacked by viruses; it was able to suppress them, but the DNA to make the phage is still incorporated within the DNA of the bacteria. Perhaps activation of this phage could one day be beneficial to treating chronic Lyme patients?

The Complexities of Lyme Disease ( A Microbiology Tutorial) by Thomas Grier, M.S.

Never Stop Believing

Even though the days can be long and difficult; Even though our bodies are still exhausted and unwell; Even though we may feel alone and forgotten; Even though this journey seems to be unending—

Never stop believing for something better.

Never give up on your dreams. 

Never let go of your faith.

Miracles do happen.

I'm thinking of you today, friends. And praying hope stays alive and well in your hearts. 

Remember, you are not alone.

In love and friendship,

Michelle

The Complexities of Lyme Disease (Part 3): When Lyme Bacteria Infects the Brain

This is Part 3 of the series, The Complexities of Lyme Disease by Thomas Grier, M.S. Click here to read Part 1 and here to read Part 2. Part 4 is soon to come.  ~ Michelle

When Lyme Bacteria Infects The Brain:

As we have previously discussed, the pathogen that causes Lyme disease is a highly motile spirochete within the Borrelia family of bacteria. This is the same group of bacteria that cause Relapsing Fevers in Africa and around the world. Like other Relapsing Fever bacteria, Borrelia burgdorferi (Lyme bacteria) has both an affinity for the brain and a mechanism to penetrate into it.

While Lyme may be a bit more subtle upon penetrating the brain, its silent but insidious invasion may be the reason that brain involvement can and is often overlooked by physicians for months or even years in neurological Lyme patients.

In the case of Lyme disease, every animal model to date shows that the Lyme spirochete can go from the site of the bite of an infected tick to the brain in just a few days. While we know this bacteria can break down individual cell membranes and capillaries, its entrance into the brain is too pronounced for such a localized effect.

When the Lyme bacteria enters the human body, we react by producing several immune regulatory substances known as cytokines and lymphokines. Several of these act in concert to break down the blood-brain barrier (e.g., IL-6, Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha, IL-1, Transforming Growth Factor-beta, etc.). In addition to affecting the blood-brain barrier, these cytokines can make us feel ill and give us fevers.

Since the brain has no immune system, it prevents infection by limiting what can enter the brain. The capillary bed that surrounds the brain is so tight that not even white blood cells are allowed to enter. Many drugs can’t enter either, making treatment of the brain especially hard.

For the first ten days of a Lyme infection, the blood-brain barrier (BBB) is virtually nonexistent. This not only allows the Lyme bacteria to get in but also immune cells that can cause inflammation of the brain.

* Note: The breakdown of BBB was shown to occur by tagging WBCs, albumin, and other substances known not to cross the BBB with radioactive iodine. The CSF (cerebrospinal fluid) of mice was tested, and then they were infected with Bb (Borrelia burgdorferi). The CSF was then retested every day after for several weeks. The result? No crossover of iodine was present in the control group, but 100% crossover was in the infected group for 10 days. The infection had the same result on the BBB as if you were injecting the radioactive iodine directly into the brain.

Once the Lyme bacteria enter the brain, they continue to divide and become entrenched within the brain's tissues and cells. Borrelia burgdorferi is directly neurotoxic upon contact with neurons and also has a negative effect on glial cells trying to repair brain injury. This, in turn, further increases the permeability of the blood-brain barrier, allowing, even more, blood-borne agents to enter the brain. The immune system responds to the new flood of internal bacterial antigens and produces more inflammatory cytokines. The result can cause brain edema or encephalitis, intracranial pressure, and focal areas of demyelination.

Also, when the human brain becomes inflamed due to infection with the Lyme bacteria, cells called macrophages respond by releasing a neuro-toxin called quinolinic acid. This toxin is also elevated in Parkinson’s Disease, MS, and ALS. What quinolinic acid does is to stimulate neurons to repeatedly depolarize. If this goes on unabated, it eventually causes the neurons to demyelinate and die. Basically, people with elevated quinolinic acid have short-term memory problems.

This means: If we think of our brain cells like telephone lines, we can visualize the problem. If all of the lines coming in are busy, we can’t learn anything. If all of the lines going out are busy, we can’t recall any memories. Our thinking process becomes impaired.

A second impairment to clear thinking that Lymies can experience is the restriction of proper circulation within the blood vessels inside the brain. Using an instrument called the Single Photon Emission Computerized Tomography scanner (SPECT scans), we are able to visualize the blood flow throughout the human brain in 3-D detail. What was seen in the brains of chronic neurological Lyme patients was an abnormal “Swiss-Cheese” pattern of blood flow. The cortical or thinking region of the brain was being deprived of good circulation, while the occipital (eyesight) regions had an increased flow. This could help explain why most Lyme patients complain of poor concentration and overly sensitive eyes.

The Complexities of Lyme Disease (A Microbiology Tutorial) by Thomas Grier, M.S.
Neurocascade Events and Lyme by Thomas Grier, M.S.