From anthrax-no list: (First posted July 2000)
Re: anthrax vaccine adverse reactions..
We data collected in place in two places to report symptoms. Rep. Burton has a website to report illness at: anthrax@mail.house.gov . Then Sonnie has a spreadsheet that he has collected the symptoms.
Note: Sonnies spreadsheet when compared to the Rockefeller report on GWS is the same. What I mean by that, is our current symptoms are identical as GWS symptoms. Our number one most frequent symptom is bone and joint pain, and so is the Rockefeller report and down the line with chronic fatigue, memory loss and skin rashes etc.
This symptom profile sounds like what is seen in chronic Lyme disease that is caused by Borrelia burgdorferi. Borrelia burgdorferi has been an agent that has purportedly fascinated both German and Japanese germ warfare scientists. There is a rumor that the current epidemic of borreliosis in the United States began after some German scientists brought over after World War II were experimenting with it on Plum Island, formerly a biowarfare experimentation facility owned by the Army, now operated by the USDA.
Bone and joint pain, memory loss, and skin rashes all occur with Lyme disease. I understand there have been rashes at the site of the vaccination.....
... What is also curious is that these two new outbreaks appear to look somewhat different than that in the northeast. New diseases are very unusual....
The CDC has also promulgated laboratory test guidelines that makes it virtually impossible for anyone to come up with a positive test. Based on some calculations I did from some old data that had been published, it also looks like women may produce significant less antibody to this organism than men, which would also make it even more difficult for females to be able to meet the laboratory criteria for the diagnosis.
... I believe borreliosis should be in any good differential diagnosis of this symptom spectrum and that it should be aggressively ruled out. By “aggressively” ruled out --- I mean jumping directly to IgG and IgM western blots, PCRs, the LUAT, and also considering the use of antibiotic challenge tests. It appears that in chronic infection with this organism, there is some immunosuppresion, so antibody levels drop over time, making it virtually undetectable with the standard antibody tests. The antibiotics seem to boost antibody levels, likely by killing the organism and having it “re-presented” to the immune system. It seems to live in the body almost like a parasite—living inside cells, hiding. The antibiotics seem to flush it out enough to stimulate more of an immune response. This is also a technique used in Europe to deal with seronegative syphilis.
...Again, I think Borrelia has huge significance for GWS, for the post-anthrax vaccine syndrome, and for chronic fatigue syndrome. Also, every patient I have ever worked up for Lyme disease who has come into my office with “chronic fatigue syndrome” has turned out to have Lyme disease. They also have had the typical Jarisch-Herxheimer’s reactions you see with borreliosis.
... if anyone has the experience of worsening symptoms while taking antibiotics or after drinking alcoholic beverages -- that can be a big tip off. Essentially what occurs is that the antibiotic or the alcohol can kill off the organism—causing release of substances in the blood stream that make you feel sick. These are called Jarish-Herxheimer reactions. Heat can also produce the same symptoms because the organism can be very sensitive to heat.
... The thing is that if borreliosis is not treated, given that it is so similar to the organism that causes syphilis, it can progress into other very serious manifestations --- just as heart disease, brain damage, dementia—very similar to what has been seen with late stage syphilis when it goes untreated....
Best to you all,
Lynn Shepler, MD, JD
http://www.vaccinationnews.com/DailyNews/May2001/LymeDisCover.htm
There is too much in the following article to put it all here - go to the website to read it all:
"...To me, "Lyme Disease" is not simply an infection with Borrelia burgdorferi, but a complex illness potentially consisting of multiple tick-derived co-infections...."
1. Unexplained fevers, sweats, chills, or flushing
2. Unexplained weight change--loss or gain
3. Fatigue, tiredness, poor stamina
4. Unexplained hair loss
5. Swollen glands: list areas_______________________________
6. Sore throat
7. Testicular pain/pelvic pain
8. Unexplained menstrual irregularity
9. Unexplained milk production: breast pain
10.Irritable bladder or bladder dysfunction
11.Sexual dysfunction or loss of libido
12.Upset stomach
13.Change in bowel function-constipation, diarrhea
14.Chest pain or rib soreness
15.Shortness of breath, cough
16.Heart palpitations, pulse skips, heart block
17.Any history of a heart murmur or valve prolapse?
18.Joint pain or swelling: list joints________________________
19.Stiffness of the joints, neck, or back
20.Muscle pain or cramps
21.Twitching of the face or other muscles
22.Headache
23.Neck creeks and cracks, neck stiffness, neck pain
24.Tingling, numbness, burning or stabbing sensations, shooting pains
25.Facial paralysis (Bell's Palsy)
26.Eyes/Vision: double, blurry, increased floaters, light sensitivity
27.Ears/Hearing: buzzing, ringing, ear pain, sound sensitivity
28.lncreased motion sickness, vertigo, poor balance
29.Lightheadedness, wooziness
30.Tremor
31.Confusion, difficulty in thinking
32.Diffculty with concentration, reading
33.Forgetfuiness, poor short term memory
34.Disorientation: getting lost, going to wrong places
35.Difficulty with speech or writing
36.Mood swings, irritability, depression
37.Disturbed sleep-too much, too little, early awakening
38.Exaggerated symptoms or worse hangover from alcohol
I have talked with over 8,000 people with Lyme. 102 of these cases are ALS-diagnosed patients who were properly tested for Lyme and came uppositive. I feel that people who are diagnosed with ALS/Lou Gehrig's disease, Multiple Sclerosis, Alzheimer’s, Lupus, Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue and many other neurological and degenerative diseases, could actually have Lyme disease.
After testing, I only had one band - number 41, which is the “flagellin” (or tail) of the spirochete, specific for Borrelia bacteria (Lyme), so I would have been told that I was negative. Quite often, patients have to be diagnosed by symptoms alone.
...Pentacyclic Alkaloid Chemotype Uncaria tomentosa
also known as TOA-Free Cat's Claw, is a rare chemotype of a medicinal plant commonly known as Cat's Claw, botanical name Uncaria tomentosa.
According to the article Hidden Plague, Forget About SARS, Lyme disease is spreading steadily, and some experts say it can elude the standard cure (People Magazine, June 16, 2003). The article tells the story of a patient suffering from Lyme disease who was misdiagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease (ALS), an incurable disease that is fatal within 5 years of onset. Dr. Whitaker states that nearly every patient she has tested who is suffering from Parkinson's disease has tested positive for Bb. Professor Luis Romero, M.D., Ph.D., reports three patients that had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease years ago to be 99% reversed using Pentacyclic Alkaloid Chemotype Uncaria tomentosa. (TOA-Free Cat’s Claw – Prima Uã De Gato)
Editor’s Note: This study was conducted because benefits were found using TOA-f ree Cat's Claw alone. However, according to the authors, other supportive measures were of benefit including; metabolic diet, pH balancing, and various forms of detoxification.
Lee Cowden, M.D., states that there are very few symptoms where one should not consider Lyme, especially given that a quarter of the U.S. population may be affected. It is estimated that Lyme disease may be a contributing factor in more than 50% of chronically ill people.
We asked our Lyme experts which diseases and conditions they found were most commonly connected to Lyme:
Jo Anne Whitaker, M.D.
In addition to her list above, Dr. Whitaker feels that all rheumatological diseases and many connective tissue diseases may be Lyme-related. Svetlana Ivanova, M.D., Ph.D.
Note: A list of over 320 conditions that may be related to Lyme were compiled by means of a non-exhaustive search of published scientific literature by the authors of our feature article.