I have a friend of my sisters newly diagnosed with MS.

She is getting married this month. She is in early thirties, and grew up in the highly endemic area of NY, now living in Florida.

Sis called to ask me about herbal remedies for MS.

I need to find the best piece to offer her in considering ruling out LD before proceeding with MS therapy, as the therapy is steroids..an immunsuppressant..disasterous if her true problem turns out to be bacterial.

In my two years at this, my favorites list is three feet long. Always running to fast to have proper files organized!

I'm digging through it..but have only come up with Art Dougherty's collection. Have done searches here.

If anyone has or can recall a lead to a singular piece that I can offer for simple consideration that is well written, I would appreciate it!

I have spelling problems, type with two fingers, and the letters are rubbed off my keyboard from hitting the keys too hard for a couple of years!!

Ooops..

Others here should be able to point you to articles comparing lyme and MS in MRIs and SPECT scans. If not search for those keywords and maybe add "columbia" for the university (??).

But really, if her doctor won't consider lyme after reading the stuff she needs to find another one.

longer abstract on spirochetes in MS; http://www.home.pon.net/caat/lyme/cyst_phase/MS_study.htm

In vitro conversion of Borrelia burgdorferi to cystic forms in spinal fluid, and transformation to mobile spirochetes by incubation in BSK-H medium.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=9646104&dopt=Abstract

I don't have much faith in the Doc diagnosing MS helping her to adequately evaluate and rule out Lyme.

How far is Fla from Doc C? I wonder if I can just get a good enough compilation of info to her to motivate her to get a full LL eval to rule LD out before moving ahead with anything.

I know I can just put it out there, nothing more..so I want to give it my best shot.

She grew up near me, tick central USA..
MS is one of THE most common misdiagnosis, and hey..we just gotta share the info.

Mo

I am awaitng good answers to this also.

A lady from my church is in the SAME scenario...MS vs Lyme.

Her mother started her on XanGo after speaking to me....starting on her fourth bottle...has dropped ALL meds.

6-Vicodin
2-Muscle Relaxers
2-Lasix
1800mg Neurontin
2 Ambiens
Elavil

Dropped them all after 5 weeks of XanGO.
(I found it immoral for me NOT to mention the above....at least consider this while you push her in the right direction.)

BUT!!!!!!!!!!!

In my last conversation with her...now that her brain is clearing up...she remembers when she was FIRST diagnosed...they told her that she tested positive for Lyme...and, they NEVER treated her for it.

Go figure.

Trout

PS.....You should see her now...she is functional again.

From The MS Information Sourcebook produced by the National MS Society.

Lyme disease is an illness caused by the organism Borrelia burgdorferi, a bacterium known as a spirochete that is carried by a deer tick. The spirochete can be transmitted to people or animals by the bite of the tick. Some of the neurologic symptoms of Lyme disease are similar to those of MS.

The first signs of Lyme disease develop within days to months after the tick bite. From 60-80% of those infected with Lyme disease get a large, reddish rash sometimes described as a bulls-eye. Other symptoms include a flu-like illness with fever, headache, stiff neck, and muscle and joint pains.

Neurologic Symptoms Can Be Similar to Those of MS

There may also be delayed neurologic symptoms similar to those seen in MS, such as weakness, optic neuritis producing blurred vision, dysesthesias--sensations of itching, burning, stabbing pain, or ``pins and needles''--confusion and cognitive dysfunction, and fatigue. Lyme disease symptoms may also have a relapsing-remitting course.

Lyme disease occasionally produces similar abnormalities in tests that are used to diagnose MS. These include MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scans of the brain and analysis of cerebrospinal fluid.

All these similarities in symptoms and test results have led some people with MS to be tested for the presence of antibodies to Borrelia, with the expectation that their neurologic symptoms are the result of Lyme disease not MS. The distinction is important because Lyme disease, especially when treated early, often responds to antibiotic therapy, whereas MS does not.

Studies Examine Overlap in Diagnosis of Both Diseases

Two recent studies have examined the overlap in diagnosis of MS and Lyme disease. The studies were conducted in parts of Long Island, New York, an area where Lyme disease is endemic, or regularly found.

In the first study, people who had Borrelia antibodies in their blood and had a variety of neurological symptoms considered ``MS-like,'' were evaluated with MRI, evoked potentials, and cerebrospinal fluid analysis including a test for the presence of Borrelia antibodies in the spinal fluid.

While those with the MS-like illness had the highest incidence of abnormal MRIs and were the only ones among those studied with abnormal evoked potentials and oligoclonal bands (indicating an abnormal immune response) in the spinal fluid, they did not prove to have any Borrelia antibody in their spinal fluid. The researchers concluded that the few patients with the MS-like symptoms probably had these symptoms due to MS and had also been exposed to the Borrelia bacteria.

A companion study looked for the presence of Borrelia antibodies in the blood of 100 people with the diagnosis of possible MS. Of 89 people who in fact turned out to have definite MS, only one had Borrelia antibodies. The researcher concluded that ``...infection with Borrelia is infrequent in MS patients who live in an endemic area. Lyme disease is unlikely to be a significant factor in the differential diagnosis of MS.''

From Ms site http://www.nationalmssociety.org/Sourcebook-Lyme%20Disease.asp

--------------------------------------------- http://www.lymenet.de/lymems.htm
http://www.wildernetwork.org/MS_and_Lyme.html
http://home.earthlink.net/~webmedic4u/ms.html

Her doctor has told, day before her wedding when she had vision problems in one eye..that he would run blood tests for MS.

The Monday following her wedding, informed her they were "positive" (for MS).

From all I can see..there IS no positive test for MS, and the ones they lean too most recently finding certain anti-bodies in the blood that indicate an auto-immune reaction, are antibodies found in MS, but are also found in many other conditions, including infection.

It seems a patient with an MS diagnosis MUST go on to carefully evaluate infection..

No doubt.

Can you disclose what battery of tests Doc C runs in his initial evaluation?

Anyone having info on a Doc in Fla, or Doc C (don't know if she will go that far)..and the Docs initial eval proceedures (what battery of tests are used, how long is the initial visit, ect.), could you e-mail me?

Mo

From the top...

Western Blot

Hyper-Coagulation

Hormones

Heavy Metals

If all the patient can afford is a little...then he starts at the top.

Hope that helps.....

I always say...see the website...
www.drcharlescrist.com

or call them..they will tell you.

They're super friendly.

417-886-8995

Trout

PS...same thing for her friend...get them some relief while they look for answers....no need in suffering Mo.
(XanGo)

Here is a link to recent researchby Canadian researchers

GREAT article.

I mailed it already.