with Jacob Teitelbaum, M.D.
I am SO sorry to bother you again but I am still going crazy trying to figure out what I have after 5 months of suffering. As my illness came on suddenly and really hit the nervous system and lowered the white blood cells I am interested in this link about Lyme from your website.
I did have an AB Serum blood test in August that came back negative but a Voll electrodermal screening just found some Ehrlichia Sennetsu bacteria. I know it takes different antibiotics than the regular Lyme but I wonder what the person who wrote the link above suggests for testing if not the Western Blot, etc.—especially for co-infections! Thanks.
Dr. Teitelbaum’s response:
The whole area of testing for lyme and other infections is very difficult and controversial. Standard Lyme screening plus western Blot testing misses 1/2 of people who have Lyme (see Lyme Testing Not Much Better than Guessing). The reliability of Voll testing is not known, and may pick up “energy signatures” of infection without actual infection being present. Igenix testing is more sensitive, but it is not clear how often it says people have Lyme when they do not.
Because of this, testing for infections needs to be done by someone familiar with the issues seen in CFS. Unfortunately, most infectious disease specialists are NOT and will severely underdiagnose chronic infections. One must look at the mix of symptoms the person presents, as some who are concerned that they may have Lyme actually have fibromyalgia without the infection. Others have viral infections, yeast, etc. Yet others do have Lyme. Because of this, your issues cannot be properly addressed without a thorough evaluation, and I recommend you see a Fibromyalgia and Fatigue Center physician as they are well trained in this (fibroandfatigue.com).
I would note that a newer approach to diagnosing Lyme has some promise. Dr Shoemaker’s recent research suggests that if both the C4a and C3a blood tests are elevated, one should suspect Lyme, and that this applies to chronic as well as new cases.
SHINE represents four areas of health issues that need to be addressed when creating a treatment program. These health issues and their roles in treating CFS/FM are as follows:
S = SLEEP: Get adequate sleep, preferably eight to nine hours a night. Sleep replenishes the body's energy and heals its muscles. Inadequate sleep will leave you exhausted and in pain.
H = HORMONES: Get tested for hormone deficiency and treated if needed. Hormone deficiencies can contribute to fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome.
I = INFECTIONS: Get treatment when symptoms of infections occur. The lack of restorative sleep in CFS/FM leads to dysfunctional immune systems. Underlying viral, bacterial, bowel, sinus and yeast infections are common and can be a contributing cause or result of CFS/FM.
N = NUTRITIONAL SUPPLEMENTS: Optimal nutritional supplementation is essential. Many nutrients can be depleted as a result of CFS/FM. B-12, magnesium, Acetyl L Carnitine and glutathione, as well as your basic A, B, C and D vitamins need to be supplemented at a level that your average over the counter multivitamin cannot provide.
E = EXERCISE: Exercise as able. After 10 weeks on the 4 steps above, you will be able to slowly increase your exercise—without being wiped out the next day!
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posted on June 24, 2008 | 684 views | tags: CFS, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, FMS, lyme disease
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