I don't know if you guys seen this book. I haven't read it all, but it looks very interesting.
Posted by VV (Member # 38828) on :
I don't like the expression "ALS = Lyme".
What I do see happening is such studies (also with MS, Alzheimer's etc.) is that Lyme is highly correlated with some of there diseases, and yes more and more research points to Lyme as a causative factor.
Note I said "a" causative factor and not "the" causative factor. This is where I think the distinction is very important. Trying to equate one to the other full stop is doing a disservice to medicine and to many patients who have these diseases due to other causes.
Auto-immune conditions are known to be triggered by environmental factors, of which Lyme is only one of many.
There are many things that can fell a tree: axe, chainsaw, bulldozer, wind, lightning, meteor, age...
Just because we know lighting to be a cause, does not make it the only cause.
Posted by lpkayak (Member # 5230) on :
Agree VV
Posted by droid1226 (Member # 34930) on :
Well put VV. There's too many factors that go into MND that just because infection can trigger it, that means it's the same thing or the only cause.
I don't like the way they make it seem black and white in that .pdf. She cites a study where italian footballers are 7 times more likely due to sliding in the grass and infected ticks getting in those wounds. I think it's more likely the blows to the head.
Not many stories of ALS oncoming symptoms of high fevers, neuropathy, arthritis...
Dr. H treated 12k patients I believe and said 50 or so had ALS. He thinks they are pretty much mutually exclusive, although not 100%.
Posted by Brussels (Member # 13480) on :
I feel the author of the book is trying to make a point that ALS could be triggered by Borrelia, while most medical doctors believe, it is a mere neurological disease, without any infectious component.
That is why the author emphasizes the link, I suppose.
I guess for the informed community of lyme, knowing that is not a big deal (we know so many neurological symptoms come from infections because we live that every day....).
But just try to talk to someone from your neighborhood saying MS, Alzheimer, ALS, autism, hyperactivity, even cancer have an INFECTIOUS component and that when such infectious component is treated, conditions like ALS, MS, Alzheimer, autism etc, can be even be healed....
I do feel this book has some relevance in that sense, sort of showing to some closed minded practioners that think neurological diseases have nothing to do with infections, while prevalence of ALS cases shows continuous relation to prevalence of lyme.
Maybe the book is insufficient for us, who know what it is to live a chronic infectious disease, but it is still useful, for the great majority of people that have no clue of the link between neurological diseases and infection.