Topic: News service likes controversies--print Lyme war?
hshbmom
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 9478
posted
This news service posts articles no others dare to post. We should ask them to do an expose' on the Lyme war.
I posted these articles in Medical yesterday:
The 2nd part of the 1st article discusses Morgellons. The other 2 articles are about Morgellons. Ginger Savely is quoted & Lyme disease mentioned.
World Net Daily also printed "Crohn's disease, sick cows and contaminated milk"....Compelling evidence links Crohn's disease with Mycobacteria paratuberculosis. See the article:
I think if enough people contacted this news service they would be willing to run articles about Lyme disease and the current political war. _______________________________________________
INVASION USA Rare brain worms latest border disease Fatal disease found in developing countries with poor hygiene habits hits South Texas
Posted: January 13, 2007 1:00 a.m. Eastern � 2007 WorldNetDaily.com
Medical professionals in South Texas have identified another disease that has apparently slipped across the border - caused by a rare brain worm that can be fatal and is being spread by unsanitary food-handling practices. While not yet classified as a "major outbreak," several cases of cysticercosis have been identified in South Texas, a spokesman for San Antonio's Metro Health District told KENS-TV, San Antonio.
Magnetic resonance image showing multiple cysticerci within patient's brain
According to the Center for Disease Control, cysticercosis is an infection caused by the pork tapeworm, Taenia solium. Infection occurs when the tapeworm larvae are ingested, pass through the intestinal wall and enter the body to form cysticerci, or cysts. The cysts migrate throughout the body, resulting in symptoms that vary depending on whether they lodge in the muscles, the eyes, the brain or spinal cord.
Symptoms for Renaldo Ramirez, 50, of Houston, began with mild headaches.
The tile worker, who immigrated to the U.S. from El Salvador 20 years ago, told KENS-TV he had been eating most of his meals at mobile kitchens because of the convenience, but after his ordeal with brain worms, he insisted on preparing his own food.
"He's scared now. He's scared of any food from outside," his sister, who interpreted for him, said.
"It was a mild headache, but it wouldn't go away," Ramirez said. "It was just there and it wouldn't go away with Tylenol."
Clinic doctors gave him blood pressure medicine, but a few days later, he passed out and did not awaken for eight days.
Dr. Aaron Mohanty, an assistant professor in the Department of Neurosurgery at the University of Texas Medical School, found and removed a cyst caused by a tapeworm larvae living in Ramirez's brain. Undiagnosed and untreated, he could have died within hours.
According to the CDC, infection from the tapeworm, which is found worldwide, occurs most often in rural, developing countries with poor hygiene where pigs are allowed to roam freely and eat human feces. This allows the tapeworm infection to be completed and the cycle to continue.
The risk for U.S. citizens has been considered rare due to strict food processing and handling regulations, especially for pork products, and generally high levels of hygiene.
The condition is very rare in Muslim countries where eating pork is forbidden.
"The cycle starts with a human that's infected with the tapeworm," said Dr. Luis Ostrosky, of the UT Houston Medical Center.
Failure to wash hands after using the restroom can result in contaminating food and infecting further victims.
"These eggs hatch in the intestine and go through the gut-wall and into the circulation where they get stuck somewhere," Ostrosky said.
Cysticercosis joins Morgellons disease, a mysterious infection seemingly similar to one documented 300 years ago, in the list of new illnesses spreading throughout South Texas.
While Morgellons disease has not been known to kill and it doesn't appear to be contagious, WND has reported its horrible symptoms are what worry doctors.
"These people will have like beads of sweat but it's black, black and tarry," Ginger Savely, a nurse practitioner in Austin who has treated a majority of Morgellons patients, told the San Antonio Express-News.
Patients infected with the disease get lesions that never heal.
Fibers removed from facial lesion of 3-year-old boy "Sometimes little black specks come out of the lesions and sometimes little fibers," said Stephanie Bailey, a Morgellons patient.
It's those different-colored fibers that pop out of the skin that may be the most bizarre symptom of the disease.
More than 100 cases have been reported in South Texas.
"It really has the makings of a horror movie in every way," Savely said.
The South Texas outbreak's proximity to the U.S.-Mexico border comes at a time when the issues of illegal immigration, border security and possible amnesty for over 12 million illegal aliens are being debated in the U.S.
Despite Morgellons disease's distinctive symptoms and patients' tales of suffering, most of the medical community don't see the disease as real, with some doctors telling patients it's all in their head.
Morgellons disease may remain a mystery, but cysticercosis does not.
Doctors say washing hands, cooking meats thoroughly, especially pork, and washing fruits and vegetables are the best ways to avoid the disease.
OUTBREAK! Mystery disease hits South Texas Bizarre symptoms: Black, tarry beads of sweat, lesions, fibers popping out of skin
Posted: May 13, 2006 2:05 a.m. Eastern � 2006 WorldNetDaily.com
To the concern of medical professionals already preparing for a potential bird flu pandemic, a mysterious disease first documented 300 years ago is spreading throughout South Texas. Morgellons disease has not been known to kill and it doesn't appear to be contagious - it's the disease's horrible symptoms that worry doctors.
"These people will have like beads of sweat but it's black, black and tarry," Ginger Savely, a nurse practioner in Austin who has treated a majority of Morgellons patients, told the San Antonio Express-News.
Patients infected with the disease get lesions that never heal.
"Sometimes little black specks come out of the lesions and sometimes little fibers," said Stephanie Bailey, a Morgellons patient.
It's those different-colored fibers that pop out of the skin that may be the most bizarre symptom of the disease.
Travis Wilson, a Morgellons sufferer for over a year, once called his mother in to see a fiber coming out of a lesion in his chest.
"It looked like a piece of spaghetti was sticking out about a quarter to an eighth of an inch long and it was sticking out of his chest," Lisa Wilson said. "I tried to pull it as hard as I could out and I could not pull it out.
"He'd have attacks and fibers would come out of his hands and fingers, white, black and sometimes red. Very, very painful," said Wilson.
More than 100 cases of the disease have been reported in South Texas.
"It really has the makings of a horror movie in every way," Savely said.
To make matters worse for sufferers, some doctors dismiss the disease as a delusion because the symptoms patients experience are so bizarre.
"Believe me," said Savely, "if I just randomly saw one of these patients in my office, I would think they were crazy too. But after you've heard the story of over 100 (patients) and they're all -- down to the most minute detail -- saying the exact same thing, that becomes quite impressive."
The outbreak's proximity to the Texas-Mexico border comes at a time when the issues of illegal immigration, border security and possible amnesty for over 12 million illegal aliens are being debated in the U.S.
The Wilson's spent $14,000 last year after insurance coverage on medical treatment for the disease, primarily on antibiotics.
"He was on Tamadone for pain. Viltricide, this was an anti-parasitic. This was to try and protect his skin because of all the lesions and stuff," said Wilson.
Travis, 23, complained of feeling like bugs were crawling all over him. "You can't sleep. It's freaky. So he'd go days without sleep," she said.
Austin resident Stephanie Bailey, who developed the lesions over four years ago, said she felt the same crawling sensation that Travis Wilson had felt. "The lesions come up, and then these fuzzy things like spores come out," she said. "You just want to get it out of you."
She, to this day, has no idea what could have caused her disease, and nothing has worked to rid her of it.
"They (doctors) told me I was just doing this to myself, that I was nuts. So basically I stopped going to doctors because I was afraid they were going to lock me up," Bailey said.
Pathologists have not been able to find any infection in the fibers pulled from lesions.
"Clearly something is physically happening here," said Dr. Randy Wymore, a researcher at the Morgellons Research Foundation at Oklahoma State University's Center for Health Sciences. "These fibers don't look like common environmental fibers."
Currently the only treatment that has shown success is an antibiotic. More than half of Morgellons patients have also been diagnosed with Lymes disease, but no other connections have been found.
"It sounds a little like a parasite, like a fungal infection, like a bacterial infection, but it never quite fits all the criteria of any known pathogen," said Savely, who continues to treat the disease others say isn't real.
Wilson says her son suffered to such a point she was sure he was suicidal.
"I knew he was going to kill himself, and there was nothing I could do to stop him," she said.
OUTBREAK! Border mystery disease: Is huge scare even real? Symptoms include persistent lesions, fibers popping out of skin, brain fog
Posted: May 18, 2006 1:00 a.m. Eastern
By Ron Strom � 2006 WorldNetDaily.com
Fibers removed from facial lesion of 3-year-old boy
A nonprofit foundation is working to drum up awareness of a border-area mystery disease that's been described as something out of a horror film, but which most mainstream doctors refuse to admit exists.
The Morgellons Research Foundation hopes to inform lawmakers and public-health officials of the disease to try to work toward an eventual cure.
As WorldNetDaily reported, Morgellons disease, a mysterious infection seemingly similar to one documented 300 years ago, is spreading throughout South Texas. While the disease has not been known to kill and doesn't appear to be contagious, it's the horrible symptoms that have some working feverishly to find an effective treatment.
The South Texas outbreak's proximity to the U.S.-Mexico border comes at a time when the issues of illegal immigration, border security and possible amnesty for over 12 million illegal aliens are being debated in the U.S.
According to the foundation's website, symptoms include skin lesions that do not heal, a crawling sensation on the surface of the skin, fatigue, cognitive difficulties and, perhaps the most disturbing, fibers popping out of the skin.
Fibers removed from facial lesion of 3-year-old boy
States the site: "[The fibers] are generally described by patients as white, but clinicians also report seeing blue, green, red, and black fibers, that fluoresce when viewed under ultraviolet light (Wood's lamp)."
Travis Wilson, a Morgellons sufferer for over a year, once called his mother in to see a fiber coming out of a lesion in his chest.
"It looked like a piece of spaghetti was sticking out about a quarter to an eighth of an inch long and it was sticking out of his chest," Lisa Wilson told the San Antonio Express-News. "I tried to pull it as hard as I could out and I could not pull it out.
"He'd have attacks and fibers would come out of his hands and fingers, white, black and sometimes red. Very, very painful," said Wilson.
A variety of other symptoms range from neurological and gastrointestinal problems to changes in skin pigment. Some people have also reported black, tarry beads of sweat.
While it's impossible to know how many Americans - who appear to be concentrated in California, Texas and Florida - suffer with the disease, the foundation says thousands with one or more symptom have registered with it.
Even so, most of the medical community don't see the disease as real, with some doctors telling patients it's all in their head.
"They (doctors) told me I was just doing this to myself, that I was nuts. So basically I stopped going to doctors because I was afraid they were going to lock me up," said sufferer Stephanie Bailey.
A big question medical professionals are wrestling with is how victims come down with the disease.
"It is difficult to say whether Morgellons is contagious," states the FAQ page on the foundation's site. "Many of our group have family members who exhibit no symptoms whatever. On the other hand, many entire families have reported becoming infected at or near the same time. At this juncture, it remains unclear if these households with multiple infected members reflect contagion, due to human-to-human transmission, or some type of mutual exposure."
The name for the disease comes from a condition involving "black hairs" emerging from the skin of children, which was documented in France in the 1600s. While experts say it is doubtful the modern-day disease is linked to the 17th century occurrences, the name was chosen, says the Morgellons Foundation, to provide "a consistent label when addressing politicians, physicians and health departments."
Mary Leitao is executive director of the Morgellons Foundation. She became involved several years ago when her 2-year-old son began exhibiting symptoms.
"The goal of the foundation is to find a cure for Morgellons disease," Leitao told WND. "The other goal is to determine the cause."
Leitao explained that Randy Wymore, Ph.D., of Oklahoma State University is working on getting research work started at the school.
"His goal is to see patients and to investigate it medically and scientifically," Leitao said.
One obstacle, she explained, is that there is not a diagnostic test for Morgellons disease. Even so, Leitao stressed that the skin lesions with fibers appears to be a symptom that links nearly all victims.
"If a physician is able to view these skin lesions under magnification, they may see these fibers," Leitao said.
Since the disease is hard to pin down, treatments vary widely.
Said Leitao: "Some physicians are treating it with pretty high-dose antibiotics. Others are using other meds, including pain medications. It can be a very uncomfortable disease for people."
Leitao said officials at the Centers for Disease Control are "not sure there's a situation going on here" so are reticent to take action.
"I don't think the CDC has heard from enough physicians, because many physicians don't recognize the illness," she said. "They just think the illness is psychosomatic."
Leitao stressed she is committed to finding a cure because of the devastation she has seen in the lives of victims. Many no longer work because of the brain fog that often accompanies the disorder.
"They can't mentally focus on tasks," she said. "They're extremely fatigued and severely depressed - in addition to the skin symptoms."
Indeed, Travis Wilson committed suicide three weeks ago.
"I knew he was going to kill himself, and there was nothing I could do to stop him," his mother said.
Dr. Adelaide Hebert of the University of Texas Health Science Center Houston is unconvinced Morgellons is an actual medical disorder.
"I think if we look at what is truly evidence-based medicine, what has been proven based on scientific fact we know we don't have a means to substantiate [Morgellons]," Hebert told KVUE-TV.
Hebert believes Morgellons exists only in the patient's mind.
"Many of these patients do have delusion of parasitosis," Hebert is quoted as saying. "It is actually not uncommon to have patients come in and describe the sensation that something is crawling on their skin."
Ginger Savely is a nurse practitioner in Austin, Texas, who has documented over 100 incidents of Morgellons.
"[Sufferers] can't get anybody to help them in the medical profession. It's just a nightmare, a living nightmare. I can't imagine any worse disease," she told the TV station.
Some doctors who do recognize the disorder as a medical disease sit on the Medical Advisory Board of the Morgellons Research Foundation.
Says Gregory V. Smith, M.D., a member of the board: "This disorder is much more common than anyone suspects. ... During the course of my practice activity, I have seen numerous children ... a minimum of three children daily in my office with suspicious skin lesions."
Adds another board member, William T. Harvey, M.D.: "The Morgellon's phenomenon is real. It is also clearly devastating, life-shortening and infectious. I have observed the herald lesions microscopically with their central fibers in dozens of patients."
Leitao remains hopeful for a cure - not only for her own son but countless others.
"It's a bizarre disease; I will admit to that," Leitao said. "But it's a real disease and the people need real help."
Ron Strom is commentary editor for WorldNetDaily.com
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