Nothing short of amazing. This 62 year old female walked into my office beaming. She drove more than an hour to my office, something she had been incapable of doing for many years.
This patient had been dealing with 2 sick family members over the past years and had neglected herself. Over the last 2 years her family had become progressively concerned. She was loosing the ability to function. She could hear something repeated ten times over only to forget it moments later. She was experiencing a rapid, global decline in cognitive functioning and the ability to manage activities of daily living.
She had a long history of Lyme disease but had been non-compliant with therapy. She complained that every medicine gave her side effects: a moot point since she never remembered to take them.
We skipped the SPECT scan and went right to a PET scan. These are both nuclear medicine scans which make observations regarding brain function. A SPECT images blood flow: areas of the brain which are not functioning have decreased/abnormal blood flow and therefore oxygen utilization patterns. The PET images tagged glucose and actually images areas of the brain that are specifically not metabolizing sugar, not working/nonfunctional. The PET is approved for an adjunct in making the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease.
Her PET showed classic signs of Alzheimer's disease. With these results the patient was now worried and agreed to attempt to treat Lyme disease in earnest. And as one of her astute neurologist astutely: Alzheimer's doesn't get better. She has.
On my recent exam I could find nothing significantly wrong with her memory. Doctors frequently assess mental capacity with a mini-mental examination. She did great. She could count backwards from 100 by serial 7s; she could recall three items after 5 and 10 minutes and she could spell WORLD backwards. Her affect showed clarity I have seen in 5 years.
So what happened? IV antibiotic therapy. I started treating her with Rocephin. Chronic pain melted away which was a great relief but her mental status was not quick to change. I then added Flagyl, a drug which fights the strange pleomorphic (cyst-like) forms of Borrelia in the brain. After 3 months her brain was not significantly better. Now after 4 1/2 months there is a real change. My patient did something else as well, with my approval under my radar. We ordered IV glutathione which she has been receiving every other day for the last month. I don't know yet, but this could be a game changer.
Glutathione is the master antioxidant on a cellular level and it is critical for detoxification on a cellular level. Chronically ill patients are generally deficient. Many patients have reported that intermittent doses of IV glutathione in their doctor's office have been very helpful. Having a PICC provided convenient access.
I am hearing a lot about methylation. The induction of methylation pathways promotes glutathione and this can be achieved with a number of supplements, primarily various forms of B12 and folate. Active forms of B12 including methylcobalamine and hydroxycobalamine are taken under the tongue with special forms of folic acid such as Folinic acid. The recommended protocols are a bit more complex.
It makes me wonder if this might be why patients frequently have a lot of energy after receiving B12 shots. Maybe not a placebo effect after all.
The simultaneous use of hyperbaric oxygen therapy also augments the effectiveness of antibiotics for brain recovery. Hyperbaric by itself, results published (for what its worth), at low pressures, about 1.5 ATA is associated with significant cognitive improvements.
As I ramble on.... the snarky (for what its worth) comment has to do with how doctors like me look at medical studies with our distrust of "evidence based medicine." Perhaps it is a little hypocritical for us to throw out the studies that deny chronic Lyme but keep studies that prove things we believe in/agree with. Well lets not go overboard and throw out the baby with the bath water. Some studies are useful. Anyway, the "denialist" studies never proved their point: they were poorly designed with built in biases and them misinterpreted. In my blogs there is a recurring theme: medicine is a healing art, not a science. But studies and science have a great deal of value. The help us understand mechanisms and at times point us in a direction.
Terimakasih anda telah membaca artikel tentang Lyme disease, Alzheimer's disease, Glutathione. Jika ingin menduplikasi artikel ini diharapkan anda untuk mencantumkan link https://the-lyme-disease.blogspot.com/2013/10/lyme-disease-alzheimer-disease.html. Terimakasih atas perhatiannya.