THE GREAT IMITATOR

But, Why?

Dr. Douglas Wine
Founder of Lyme Laser Centers, Inc.

There was another disease in the 19th century that was also nicknamed “The Great Imitator”; Syphilis. The similarities between Lyme and Syphilis are surprisingly close for two seemingly different diseases. (1) There is also research to show that Alzheimer’s, MS, and ALS may all be forms of Lyme disease. (9)

Now, the question becomes “Is this diagnosis accurate, or could it be Lyme disease?”

Below is the list of the most popular symptoms related to Lyme. If you are experiencing any or some of these symptoms, you should consider getting thoroughly tested for Lyme.

Below are the most common diseases that have characteristics directly related to Lyme.

Syphilis; Symptoms can include fever, swollen lymph glands, sore throat, patchy hair loss, headaches, weight loss, muscle aches, and fatigue (feeling very tired), heart and blood vessels, brain and nervous system, severe headache, difficulty coordinating muscle movements, paralysis (not able to move certain parts of your body), numbness, and dementia (mental disorder) (2).

Lyme symptoms can include Fever, chills, headache, fatigue, muscle and joint aches, and swollen lymph nodes, neck stiffness, facial palsy, arthritis with severe joint pain and swelling, particularly the knees and other large joints, intermittent pain in tendons, muscles, joints, and bones, heart palpitations or an irregular heartbeat, dizziness or shortness of breath, inflammation of the brain and spinal cord, nerve pain and shooting pains, numbness, or tingling in the hands or feet (3).

MS; patients develop various areas in the brain and spinal cord where the myelin is stripped off of the nerves. These areas are called plaques or sometimes lesions. (4)

Lyme: The brain MRI of a young patient reveals MS-like lesions in this individual with a fully positive IgG Lyme Western blot, indicating immune reactivity against the agent of Lyme disease. (5)

In his 2016 study of the brains and spinal fluid of patients who had died from MS, pathologist Dr. MacDonald found nematode worms in the brains and spinal fluid of 100% of MS patients that he tested.

In addition, he discovered that Borrelia (Lyme disease) was present inside the worm, and when these worms die in the central nervous system, Borrelia is released into the central nervous system – thus infecting the brain and spinal fluid with Borrelia – Lyme disease. (6)

Alzheimer’s and Dementia; Plaques of Alzheimer’s disease originate from cysts of Borrelia burgdorferi, the Lyme disease spirochete. In this truly revolutionary notion, it is hypothesized that rounded cystic forms of Borrelia burgdorferi are the root cause of the rounded structures called plaques in the Alzheimer’s brain. By Dr. Alan MacDonald (7)

Dr. Herbert B. Allen and his colleagues at Drexel University, Philadelphia have confirmed the presence of bacterial biofilm substance in autopsy brain tissue from victims of Alzheimer’s disease. The extracellular polysaccharide matrix of the biofilms was detected using periodic acid Schiff (PAS) stain, and co-localized with the beta-amyloid in the plaques, which are the hallmark of Alzheimer’s. (8)

ALS; “Borrelia is involved in illnesses like Alzheimer’s, ALS and MS.” – Dr. Alan MacDonald (9)

The strong potential of a link between ALS and Lyme disease is nothing new. One study from 1990 summarizes that “There appears to be a statistically significant association between ALS and immunoreactivity to B burgdorferi…” Currently, 90-95% of ALS cases are categorized as Sporadic (can happen to anyone), and we are still without a known cause, aside from the remaining 5-10% of cases recognized to be caused by an inherited genetic mutation. Without a clear outline of the causes of ALS, it is imperative that more research be conducted on all potential links to other illnesses recognized to cause neurological degradation. (15)

Bell’s palsy;

Bell’s palsy, also known as acute peripheral facial palsy of unknown cause, can occur at any age. The exact cause is unknown. It’s believed to be the result of swelling and inflammation of the nerve that controls the muscles on one side of your face. Or it might be a reaction that occurs after a viral infection. (10)

Lyme disease causes distressing symptoms including facial palsy, which is often misdiagnosed as Bell’s palsy. There has been a call for epidemiological data concerning Lyme disease, which is currently lacking. (11)

Leaky gut /digestive issues;

Food allergies, alcoholism, stress, infections (including SIBO), toxicants, certain medications, and mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS) are some of the causes of increased intestinal permeability. (13) Paradoxically, leaky gut syndrome also leads to an increase in food allergies since food proteins pass through the inflamed small intestine into the bloodstream creating an antibody response.

Leaky gut syndrome can lead to systemic inflammation which contributes to fatigue, headaches, joint pain, ADHD, and brain fog. Research has demonstrated leaky gut syndrome can contribute to autoimmune conditions. (14) Since many of the symptoms related to Lyme disease are caused by inflammation, successfully treating leaky gut syndrome (if present) is crucial to reducing the systemic inflammatory burden. (12)

We certainly can’t say that if you have been diagnosed with any of the illnesses above, you have been misdiagnosed. What we are saying, however, is that if you have been diagnosed with these illnesses and aren’t finding success in treating it, you may want to consider getting thoroughly tested for Lyme disease and its recognized coinfections.

(1)  https://globallymealliance.org/the-great-imitator/

(2)  https://www.cdc.gov/std/syphilis/stdfact-syphilis.ht

(3)  https://www.cdc.gov/lyme/signs_symptoms/index.html

(4)  https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/14315-multiple-sclerosis-frequently-asked-questions

(5)  https://www.columbia-lyme.org/diagnosis

(6)  https://livediseasefree.com/multiple-sclerosis-and-parasites/

(7)  https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16675154/

(8)  https://canlyme.com/2016/02/14/drexel-university

(9)  http://norvect.no/tag/alan-macdonald/

(10)  https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/bells-palsy/symptoms-causes/syc-20370028

(11) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5409434/

(12)  https://drtoddmaderis.com/gastrointestinal-lyme-disease

(13) https://drtoddmaderis.com/mast-cell-activation-syndrome

(14) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22731712

(15) https://www.als.org/understanding-als/what-is-als