TOUCHED BY LYME: Horowitz publishes on COVID-19 and glutathione

Why is COVID-19 a relatively mild infection for some people—and fatal for others? That’s a mystery facing patients and their doctors these days.

In some cases, it appears that an immune response that’s gone haywire creates a “cytokine storm.” That’s when the body starts to attack its own cells and tissues, instead of just fighting off the virus.

In COVID-19, a cytokine storm can lead to cell death in the lungs. This can lead to pneumonia and starving the blood of oxygen. Sometimes, this results in extensive organ damage, which can be fatal.

Dr. Richard Horowitz, well known Lyme and tick-borne disease expert, has experience dealing with cytokine storms, because they can occur in Lyme patients as well.

He and patient advocate David Roth recently gave a presentation about how Dr. Horowitz’s use of glutathione and other innovative treatments helped Roth recover from a serious case of COVID-19 last month.

Now, Dr. Horowitz and two co-authors have compiled that information—and more—into an article in the open access online journal Respiratory Medicine Case Reports. The title is Efficacy of glutathione therapy in relieving dyspnea associated with COVID-19 pneumonia: A report of 2 cases. [Note: “Dyspnea” is the medical term for shortness of breath.]

In a Facebook post linking to the article, Dr. Horowitz stated, “I also have contacted my state and federal representatives about the article and explained the urgent need to do a randomized, controlled study to evaluate the efficacy of the treatment protocols described in the paper.”

TOUCHED BY LYME is written by Dorothy Kupcha Leland, LymeDisease.org’s Vice-president and Director of Communications. She is co-author of When Your Child Has Lyme Disease: A Parent’s Survival Guide. Contact her at dleland@lymedisease.org.

Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Our hearts, thoughts and prayers go out to you and your families during this unsettling time. As the situation with the coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to develop, we are focused on safety and standing by to support you.  We are also closely monitoring the situation and are taking steps to provide continued service and to uphold our no-compromise quality commitment.  Our top priority remains the safety and health of everyone. 

Fortunately, due to the fact that we are a family business, we are not closing business and still operational at this time and do not expect this to change. The family is avoiding social contacts and social distancing if we do go out for any essentials which is very infrequently.  We do ask that you please consider ordering more frequently and not stockpiling vitamins as in this time of a global pandemic, people really need to boost their immune system through Vitamin C, Zinc, Vitamin D3 and a good Phyto Multivitamin.  Order just what you need for a month and then reorder at least 2-3 weeks before you are going to run out just in case there are manufacturer delays.  Some of the supplement manufacturers are experiencing some backorders and some are rationing how much Vitamin C we can order per week. 

Proper Handwashing is very important.  As a R.N. with experience in infection control, people rarely wash their hands for the required amount of time and the amount of friction required to remove germs.  Please don't use antibacterial soaps as they are not only toxic but also increase the risk of superbugs. Consider soaps that contain tea tree essential oil instead which can act as a natural disinfectant.  We carry foaming hand soaps and also bar soaps with tea tree essential oil.  The technique is the most important - friction and at least 20 seconds of handwashing.  Do an experiment and time your handwashing.  You will likely be surprised at how long 20 seconds is.  Our medical staff is here if you have any questions.  Please stay healthy and protect your immune system.  This too shall pass.  We appreciate your support and business.  God Bless all of Us!

Advice about the coronavirus for people who have Lyme disease

Dr. Steven Bock, a Lyme-treating physician, provides information about the coronavirus–and the risk it poses for people with Lyme disease.

He explains about the immune system and ways that Lyme patients (and others with compromised immune systems) can protect themselves.  https://www.lymedisease.org/bock-coronavirus-lyme-disease/

Seven herbal medicines can kill Lyme disease bacteria in test tube

Researchers have determined that seven herbal medicines are highly active in test tubes against B. burgdorferi, the bacteria that causes Lyme disease, compared to the control antibiotics, doxycycline and cefuroxime.

Published in the journal Frontiers in Medicine, the laboratory study was funded by the Bay Area Lyme Foundation and supported in part by The Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation.

Researchers at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and colleagues at the California Center for Functional Medicine and FOCUS Health Group, Naturopathic collaborated on the study.

“Since traditional antibiotic approaches fail to resolve symptoms in up to 25% of patients treated for Lyme disease and many suffer disabling effects of the disease, there is a need for novel treatment proven effective against B. burgdorferi,” said the paper’s co-author Sunjya K. Schweig, MD, CEO and co-director, California Center for Functional Medicine and Scientific Advisory Board Member, Bay Area Lyme Foundation.

Patients turning to herbal remedies

“Because patients are currently turning to herbal remedies to fill the treatment gaps left by antibiotics, this research is a critical step in helping clinicians, as well as patients, understand which ones may offer the most potential benefit.”

According to this study, carried out by Prof. Ying Zhang’s group at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, the seven herbal medicines that have the ability to kill B. burgdorferi in test tubes are:

• Cryptolepis sanguinolenta
• Juglans nigra (Black walnut)
• Polygonum cuspidatum (Japanese knotweed)
• Artemisia annua (Sweet wormwood)
• Uncaria tomentosa (Cat’s claw)
• Cistus incanus
• Scutellaria baicalensis (Chinese skullcap)

It is important to note that each of these products have the potential to produce significant side effects in patients, and should be taken only under advisement of a clinician knowledgeable of their capabilities and toxicities.

Of these products, the Cryptolepis sanguinolenta extract caused complete eradication, while doxycycline and cefuroxime and other active herbs did not. This extract has been used for the treatment of malaria as well as the tick-borne infection Babesia, a malaria-like parasite.

This study is believed to be the first time this extract has been documented to have a potential impact on B. burgdorferi, and additional laboratory and clincial studies should be conducted to investigate the potential role Cryptolepis sanguinolenta could play in the treatment of Lyme disease.

Further, Cryptolepis sanguinolenta and Polygonum cuspidatum (Japanese knotweed) showed strong activity against both growing B. burgdorferi (MIC=0.03%-0.06% and 0.25%-0.5% respectively) and non-growing stationary phase B. burgdorferi.

In contrast, Stevia rebaudiana, Andrographis paniculata, Grapefruit seed extract, colloidal silver, monolaurin, and antimicrobial peptide LL37 had little or no activity against stationary phase B. burgdorferi.

New therapeutic options

“Our hope is that findings from this study could point to new therapeutic options for doctors and their patients, and pave the way for clinical research to help patients with persistent Lyme disease,” said Linda Giampa, executive director, Bay Area Lyme Foundation.

These data may provide a basis for the clinical improvement of patients who take herbal medicines, particularly those whose chronic symptoms may be due to persistent bacteria that are not killed by conventional Lyme antibiotic treatment.

However, it is critical to note that additional studies are needed to further evaluate the seven active botanical medicines identified in the study. Patients should not attempt to self-treat with these herbal medicines due to potential side effects and lack of clinical trials with these products.

About the study

For the study, the researchers tested 14 natural products in test tubes against B. burgdorferi. Plant extracts selected for the study included herbs or agents that: have been previously used to manage the symptoms of patients who do not respond to standard Lyme antibiotic treatment; have favorable safety profiles; and can be absorbed systemically.

Additional criteria for selecting compounds included anti-biofilm effects and ability to cross the blood-brain barrier. To conduct the study, the plant extracts in concentrations of 1%, 0.5% and 0.25% and antibiotic controls were each tested on growing as well as non-growing B. burgdorferi cultures.

The study found that seven of these natural product extracts at 0.25%-0.5% had better activity against the stationary phase B. burgdorferi culture than the control antibiotics doxycycline and cefuroxime, both of which are commonly used to treat Lyme disease.

The paper titled “Evaluation of Natural and Botanical Medicines for Activity against Growing and Non-growing Forms of B. burgdorferi,” was written by Jie Feng, PhD, Jacob Leone, ND, Sunjya Schweig, MD, and Ying Zhang, MD, PhD.

PRESS RELEASE SOURCE: Bay Area Lyme Foundation

Related Posts:

1. New study finds Lyme bacteria survive a 28-day course of antibiotics
2. NEWS: EPA says flea & tick products kill or injure many pets
3. UNH Research Confirms Lyme Disease Bacteria Biofilm in Human Body
4. NEWS: Breakthrough test evaluates drugs for Lyme treatment

https://www.lymedisease.org/seven-herbals-kill-lyme-disease/