posted
This may be far fetched but has it ever been considered? Is there potential with it? It has crossed my mind more than once but couldnt bring by myself to even utter the words much less type them...
-------------------- Seeking renewed health & vitality. --------------------------------- Do not take anything I say as medical advice - I am NOT a dr! Posts: 830 | From TN | Registered: Aug 2007
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disturbedme
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 12346
posted
I THINK I've heard this mentioned before as possibly being effective.
My mother-in-law has lupus (but I've sometimes wondered if it really is lupus because many are diagnosed with it but have lyme) and at one point it got so bad and she was feeling terrible. I guess chemotherapy is something for lupus patients to consider if it gets bad enough because she had it done and it helped her and she's been in remission ever since then.
-------------------- One can never consent to creep when one feels an impulse to soar. ~ Helen Keller
My Lyme Story Posts: 2965 | From Land of Confusion (bitten in KS, moved to PA, now living in MD) | Registered: Jun 2007
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posted
Partial doc on PubMed - does anyone have entire results of study?????
1: Photochem Photobiol. 2001 May;73(5):537-44. Links The effect of UV irradiation on infection of mice with Borrelia burgdorferi.Brown EL, Ullrich SE, Pride M, Kripke ML.
Department of Immunology, P.O. 178, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Boulevard, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
These studies addressed the hypothesis that UV radiation (UVR) could affect immune responses in mice infected with Borrelia burgdorferi.
Immunity against the Lyme spirochete B. burgdorferi was studied in a murine model of UV-induced immune suppression. Borrelia-specific cellular and humoral responses were examined
following immunosuppressive doses of UVR. Low-passage Borrelia were injected intradermally at the base of the tail following irradiation. At various time points after infection the blood
was cultured for the presence of Borrelia and the serum analyzed for Borrelia-specific antibodies. Two weeks after infection one hind-limb joint was cultured for the presence of
spirochetes and the contralateral joint was examined histologically for arthritis formation. The results demonstrated that UV irradiation, administered at the site of infection or at a
distant site, suppressed Borrelia-specific cellular and humoral responses in infected mice. Suppression of delayed-type hypersensitivity and antibody responses to UV was abrogated by
administration of anti-interleukin (IL)-10 after UV irradiation. In addition, UV irradiation altered the dissemination pattern of the bacteria from the skin into the blood and
exacerbated arthritis when compared with unirradiated controls. From these studies we concluded that UV irradiation can modulate the immune response to Borrelia and exacerbate the
subsequent arthritic component of Lyme disease in mice. Furthermore, our studies suggest that IL-10 is in part responsible for the suppression of both cellular and humoral responses in
addition to playing a role in the development of Lyme arthritis.
PMID: 11367577 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
-------------------- Seeking renewed health & vitality. --------------------------------- Do not take anything I say as medical advice - I am NOT a dr! Posts: 830 | From TN | Registered: Aug 2007
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SForsgren
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posted
Radiation seems less likely to be helpful but I have heard of people with Lyme doing chemo and recovering. One personal friend had chemo for an unrelated cancer and her Lyme seems to be gone now. There are some doctors doing something called IPT I believe which is a low dose potentiated form of chemo and I have heard that could be helpful for Lyme but still have not seen a lot about it yet. Best
-------------------- Be well, Scott Posts: 4617 | From San Jose, CA | Registered: Jul 2005
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posted
I'm not sure, but I think you are asking whether radiation or chemotherapy have been effective in treating lyme disease.
What type of radiation or chemotherapy? There are so many different regimens.
I was treated for breast cancer with 8 weeks of radiation therapy plus a boost, and 5 years of tamoxifen. So far, so good with the cancer! However, I still have lyme disease.
My treatment was intended specifically for cancer. Are people using these therapies to treat lyme??
Posts: 873 | From WA | Registered: Dec 2005
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posted
I've wondered quite a bit about this myself. Don't have any personal stories to share but am very interested in others experiences, thoughts, etc.
Posts: 561 | From mass | Registered: Jul 2007
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Tracy9
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 7521
posted
Since the definition of chemotherapy is:
"the prevention or treatment of disease by the use of chemical substances. The term is sometimes restricted to the treatment of infectious diseases with antibiotics and other drugs or to the control of cancer."
I think it is important to realize most of us already are ON chemotherapy, Lyme Chemotherapy.
I have seen our drug regimens referred to this way in studies, and will sometimes use this language myself.
I actually think if we applied the term "chemotherapy" universally to our antibiotic, etc treatment, our illness might be taken a bit more seriously.
Many people liken Lyme to cancer; and the treatment to how difficult chemotherapy is.
I think we need to collectively begin calling a spade a spade. We are on lots of drugs, this IS chemotherapy.
With that said, I assume the poster of this thread was referring to cancer medications.
Here is a quote from an article that refers to the treatment of Lyme Disease:
"Macrolides and azilides frequently fail in the treatment of Lyme Borreliosis and the recent IDSA guidelines therefore discourage their routine application in the chemotherapy of Lyme Disease."
13 years Lyme & Co.; Small Fiber Neuropathy; Myasthenia Gravis, Adrenal Insufficiency. On chemo for 2 1/2 years as experimental treatment for MG. Posts: 4480 | From Northeastern Connecticut | Registered: Jun 2005
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posted
I have no idea about types as I truly dont have in depth knowledge on the topic. Just know it seems plausible - I know it seems extreme though.
I dont know if I would do it either. That would be a big action but I can say if I knew odds were in my favor, I probably would. It would have to be 80% or better odds I think before I could "go there"
It may be something we see - it may not....
SForgeson I did read some on the IPT - it sounded promising and interesting but also found that it isnt common practice in states but more oversease, at least that is what i got from it - could be OFF in that summation LOL Imagine that, HUH!!!???
Tracy Yes - I am aware that we are on "chemotherapy" but as we all know the term is more relative in application to cancer treatment and I think that is "understood"
-------------------- Seeking renewed health & vitality. --------------------------------- Do not take anything I say as medical advice - I am NOT a dr! Posts: 830 | From TN | Registered: Aug 2007
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Tracy9
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 7521
posted
Another one:
Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, April 2005, p. 1294-1301, Vol. 49, No. 4
In Vitro Susceptibility Testing of Borrelia burgdorferi Sensu Lato Isolates Cultured from Patients with Erythema Migrans before and after Antimicrobial Chemotherapy
Klaus-Peter Hunfeld,1,2* Eva Ruzic-Sabljic,3 Douglas E. Norris,2 Peter Kraiczy,1 and Franc Strle4
Institute of Medical Microbiology, University Hospital of Frankfurt, Frankfurt/Main, Germany,1
Institute of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical Faculty, University of Ljubljana,3
Department of Infectious Diseases, University Medical Centre, Ljubljana, Slovenia,4
The Harry W. Feinstone Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology,
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland2
Received 26 July 2004/ Returned for modification 7 September 2004/ Accepted 19 December 2004
Clinical treatment failures have been reported to occur in early Lyme borreliosis (LB) for many suitable antimicrobial agents.
Investigations of possible resistance mechanisms of the Borrelia burgdorferi complex must analyze clinical isolates obtained from LB patients, despite their receiving antibiotic treatment.
Here, borrelial isolates obtained from five patients with erythema migrans (EM) before the start of antibiotic therapy and again after the conclusion of treatment were investigated.
The 10 isolates were characterized by restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis and plasmid profile analysis and subjected to susceptibility testing against a variety of antimicrobial agents including those used for initial chemotherapy.
Four out of five patients were infected by the same genospecies (Borrelia afzelii, n = 3; Borrelia garinii, n = 1) at the site of the EM lesion before and after antimicrobial therapy.
In one patient the genospecies of the initial isolate (B. afzelii) differed from that of the follow-up isolate (B. garinii).
No significant changes in the in vitro susceptibilities became obvious for corresponding clinical isolates before the start and after the conclusion of antimicrobial therapy.
This holds true for the antimicrobial agents used for specific chemotherapy of the patients, as well as for any of the additional agents tested in vitro.
Our study substantiates borrelial persistence in some EM patients at the site of the infectious lesion despite antibiotic treatment over a reasonable time period.
Borrelial persistence, however, was not caused by increasing MICs or minimal borreliacidal concentrations in these isolates.
Therefore, resistance mechanisms other than acquired resistance to antimicrobial agents should be considered in patients with LB resistant to treatment.
13 years Lyme & Co.; Small Fiber Neuropathy; Myasthenia Gravis, Adrenal Insufficiency. On chemo for 2 1/2 years as experimental treatment for MG. Posts: 4480 | From Northeastern Connecticut | Registered: Jun 2005
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quote:Therefore, resistance mechanisms other than acquired resistance to antimicrobial agents should be considered in patients with LB resistant to treatment.
This is about use of antibiotics but substantiates that there is resistance to antibiotics and other agents should be considered. Which says to me - WE HAVENT FIGURED IT OUT YET AND WE NEED TO KEEP ON LOOKING FOR WHAT WILL WORK!
-------------------- Seeking renewed health & vitality. --------------------------------- Do not take anything I say as medical advice - I am NOT a dr! Posts: 830 | From TN | Registered: Aug 2007
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Tracy9
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 7521
posted
quote:Originally posted by cjnelson: Tracy Yes - I am aware that we are on "chemotherapy" but as we all know the term is more relative in application to cancer treatment and I think that is "understood"
I know I am kind of going off on a tangent here, not responding to what you are actually asking....I just feel if we called our treatment "chemotherapy" as some researchers do, we might gain more understanding in regards to being seriously ill, at least from the layperson.
13 years Lyme & Co.; Small Fiber Neuropathy; Myasthenia Gravis, Adrenal Insufficiency. On chemo for 2 1/2 years as experimental treatment for MG. Posts: 4480 | From Northeastern Connecticut | Registered: Jun 2005
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Tracy9
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Member # 7521
posted
I just posted that article to illustrate the use of the language "chemotherapy" in terms of lyme disease.
13 years Lyme & Co.; Small Fiber Neuropathy; Myasthenia Gravis, Adrenal Insufficiency. On chemo for 2 1/2 years as experimental treatment for MG. Posts: 4480 | From Northeastern Connecticut | Registered: Jun 2005
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hiker53
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Member # 6046
posted
If lyme is in the brain, can you radiate the brain? I am being serious here. Hiker53
-------------------- Hiker53
"God is light. In Him there is no darkness." 1John 1:5 Posts: 8848 | From Illinois | Registered: Aug 2004
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posted
i belive so.. they do radiation on brain tumors dont they?!?!
-------------------- Seeking renewed health & vitality. --------------------------------- Do not take anything I say as medical advice - I am NOT a dr! Posts: 830 | From TN | Registered: Aug 2007
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hiker53
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 6046
posted
They radiate the brain tumor, but I think they pinpoint the spot and only try to radiate it. Do they do the whole brain? Hiker53
-------------------- Hiker53
"God is light. In Him there is no darkness." 1John 1:5 Posts: 8848 | From Illinois | Registered: Aug 2004
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posted
yeah...was thinking the same thing after posting and pondering....i kinda dont think so! i think it is more "direct"....
sure wish the funding would come through for research!!!!
-------------------- Seeking renewed health & vitality. --------------------------------- Do not take anything I say as medical advice - I am NOT a dr! Posts: 830 | From TN | Registered: Aug 2007
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