Dec

20

From Here :

Dr Harvey Writes :

Dear BMJ Editor,

One notes with interest…and dismay… the number of responses to the Lyme Wars topic thirty years after Steere published the Lyme hypothesis. There should be little residual conflict given that the birth of critical thinking began centuries ago with the Renaissance via many European and UK thinkers, including physician William Harvey (reference intended). The arguments now appearing as BMJ Lyme Wars letters surprisingly ignore the insight shift of Harvey Padua University schoolmate, Nicolaus Copernicus. Although the essence of De motu cordis was that truth lay in the reality at hand, a century earlier Copernicus first made an even more fundamental point, that co-variants do not prove cause-and-effect. Unexpectedly, both concepts are ignored so frequently in the Lyme Wars thread that collectively they illustrate what has happened to recent scientific thinking and immediately clarify how such arguments can occur. Truth seems to lie in the simplest concepts, as Einstein had hoped. Here, brought to a grade school level is the concept that has invalidated most Borreliosis research over the past three decades: The finding of Borrelia in a chronically ill human does not prove Borrelia generated the illness. No one has ever elucidated the mechanism by which Borrelia exerts its claimed pathophysiology.

When Willie Burgdorfer first encountered Borrelia (burgdorferi sensu lato) in acutely ill New England patients, the correlation was initially made. Subsequently, it was verified numerous times in endemic areas of the planet. Ultimately, the numbers reached mathematically validity and in time revealed a zoonosis cycle bridged by at least one arthropod vector. This correlation came from Epidemiology devoid of a pathologic mechanism, but was strong enough to make the case for an acute illness. This method, as weak as it was, gave rise to the present US CDC case criteria for Lyme disease as an acute, readily treatable illness with predictable (but not well understood) signs and symptoms. What then is the dilemma where acute Lyme disease and chronic Lyme disease are juxtaposed in a mortal face-off? Enter semantics.

This dilemma did not occur in a vacuum. Outside the boundary of a relatively limited acute zoonosis, there must exist yet another illness; an illness so serious and pervasive that many astute clinicians and a few scientists would go to any means to give credibility to that illness. An NLM search taking only seconds will indeed uncover a veritable ocean of persistently ill humans with these similar characteristics: Their illness is chronic, multi-systemic, unpredictably varied, possibly life shortening, unsolved and appropriately kept outside the taxonomy of proven illnesses. The number of assigned labels is extraordinarily large, however, and vastly more inclusive than chronic Lyme disease is thought to be. If such an illness exists it necessarily would engender extreme clinical passion. And given no support by traditional science, labels would be found in large numbers, with similar descriptors, and would emerge as historical counterparts. This phenomenon has indeed occurred. Awareness began to appear between 1970-1980. New semantic identifiers such as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia syndrome…and since the mid- 1980s, chronic Lyme disease…are only three.[3-13] If we follow the theme of similar intermittent laboratory abnormalities, basic abnormal physical findings and fundamental chronic symptoms, at least two-dozen other groups such as Bannwarth’s syndrome, Ekbom syndrome, Asperger’s syndrome and others emerge.[14-23]

A short foray into the universe of illness labels above reveals similar wars underway since 1980: Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) VS chronic Fibromyalgia syndrome (Fibromyalgia); CFS VS chronic Lyme disease (Lyme); Lyme and CFS VS Gulf War Syndrome (GWS) are among the obvious. Clinicians fortunate enough to encounter this larger chronically ill group outside of New England (where vector prevalence of Borrelia is high) were not tempted by Borrelia as a generator of chronic illness.[24-29] Rather, their semantic choices emerged from such random events as participation in recent wars, or travel to high-humidity regions where fungi are rampant.

In summary, Lyme Wars if followed to its root, is a failure of our medical education system to insist on teaching scientific method, and beginning that with the foundation of all truth: language (semantics). Something did likely occur in the world of human disease some 30 years ago as these wars attest to. It could be attributed to the population explosion, global warming, excess computer use, or even larger numbers of vaccines. But, I choose to wait until science shows us the mechanism rather than join the twenty first centurys trust in celebrity (trust papers from the most notable journals or be pulled into the current popular mindset) rather than face the factual illness only where it exists: the patient. Even medical wars are cognitive constructs, generated by the human mind. If we are ever to get the term evidence based medicine correct, this is our wake up call. The evidence as Harvey showed us in the sixteenth century is in the ill (or deceased) human, not textual material often outdated before it reaches print. (812 words)

References

1. Steere, A.C., J.A. Hardin, and S.E. Malawista, Erythema chronicum migrans and Lyme arthritis: cryoimmunoglobulins and clinical activity of skin and joints. Science, 1977. 196(4294): p. 1121-2.

2. Steere, A.C., et al., Lyme arthritis: an epidemic of oligoarticular arthritis in children and adults in three connecticut communities. Arthritis Rheum, 1977. 20(1): p. 7-17.

3. Eidelman, D., Fatigue: towards an analysis and a unified definition. Med Hypotheses, 1980. 6(5): p. 517-26.

4. Ballow, M., et al., Familial chronic mononucleosis. Ann Intern Med, 1982. 97(6): p. 821-5.

5. Uretsky, B.F., Does mitral valve prolapse cause nonspecific symptoms? Int J Cardiol, 1982. 1(5-6): p. 435-42.

6. DuBois, R.E., et al., Chronic mononucleosis syndrome. South Med J, 1984. 77(11): p. 1376-82.

7. Yunus, M.B., Primary fibromyalgia syndrome: current concepts. Compr Ther, 1984. 10(8): p. 21-8.

8. Caligiuri, M., et al., Phenotypic and functional deficiency of natural killer cells in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome. J Immunol, 1987. 139(10): p. 3306-13.

9. Byrne, E. and I. Trounce, Chronic fatigue and myalgia syndrome: mitochondrial and glycolytic studies in skeletal muscle. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry, 1987. 50(6): p. 743-6.

10. McLaughlin, T.P., et al., Chronic arthritis of the knee in Lyme disease. Review of the literature and report of two cases treated by synovectomy. J Bone Joint Surg Am, 1986. 68(7): p. 1057-61.

11. Kriuchechnikov, V.N., [Chronic migrant erythema or Lyme disease--a new tick-borne Spirochaetales infection]. Zh Mikrobiol Epidemiol Immunobiol, 1985(9): p. 101-9.

12. Eschard, J.P., et al., [Lyme disease without arthritis: presence of antiBorrelia burgdorferi antibodies in meningoradiculitis following chronic erythema migrans]. Presse Med, 1985. 14(28): p. 1517-8.

13. Ryberg, B. and I. Thelin, [Lyme disease in Sweden. A patient with arthralgia associated with chronic erythema migrans]. Lakartidningen, 1984. 81(30-31): p. 2758-60.

14. Calabresi, P.A., et al., Ekbom’s syndrome: lipomas, ataxia, and neuropathy with MERRF. Muscle Nerve, 1994. 17(8): p. 943-5.

15. Sojka, E. and Z. Afeltowicz, [Ekbom's syndrome in a patient with mitral valve disease and subacute endocarditis]. Pol Tyg Lek, 1978. 33(17): p. 691-2.

16. Harriman, D.G., D. Taverner, and A.L. Woolf, Ekbom’s syndrome and burning paraesthesiae. A biopsy study by vital staining and electron microscopy of the intramuscular innervation with a note on age changes in motor nerve endings in distal muscles. Brain, 1970. 93(2): p. 393-406.

17. Fox, W.B., Ekbom’s syndrome. J Am Inst Homeopath, 1967. 60(1): p. 26.

18. Roelcke, U., et al., Untreated neuroborreliosis: Bannwarth’s syndrome evolving into acute schizophrenia-like psychosis. A case report. J Neurol, 1992. 239(3): p. 129-31.

19. Henriksson, A., et al., Immunoglobulin abnormalities in cerebrospinal fluid and blood over the course of lymphocytic meningoradiculitis (Bannwarth’s syndrome). Ann Neurol, 1986. 20(3): p. 337-45.

20. Tantam, D., Asperger’s syndrome. J Child Psychol Psychiatry, 1988. 29(3): p. 245-55.

21. Bowman, E.P., Asperger’s syndrome and autism: the case for a connection. Br J Psychiatry, 1988. 152: p. 377-82.

22. Wing, L., Clarification on Asperger’s syndrome. J Autism Dev Disord, 1986. 16(4): p. 513-5.

23. Kerbeshian, J. and L. Burd, Asperger’s syndrome and Tourette syndrome: the case of the pinball wizard. Br J Psychiatry, 1986. 148: p. 731-6.

24. Harvey, W.T. and P. Salvato, “Lyme disease”: ancient engine of an unrecognized Borreliosis pandemic? Medical Hypotheses, 2003. 60(5): p. 742 -759.

25. Burgdorfer, W., Discovery of the Lyme disease spirochete and its relation to tick vectors. Yale J Biol Med, 1984. 57(4): p. 515-20.

26. Pokorny, P., [Incidence of the spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi in arthropods (Arthropoda) and antibodies in vertebrates (Vertebrata)]. Cesk Epidemiol Mikrobiol Imunol, 1989. 38(1): p. 52-60.

27. Burgdorfer, W., Vector/host relationships of the Lyme disease spirochete, Borrelia burgdorferi. Rheum Dis Clin North Am, 1989. 15(4): p. 775-87.

28. Burgdorfer, W., et al., Relationship of Borrelia burgdorferi to its arthropod vectors. Scand J Infect Dis Suppl, 1991. 77: p. 35-40.

29. Baranton, G., N. Marti Ras, and D. Postic, [Borrelia burgdorferi, taxonomy, pathogenicity and spread]. Ann Med Interne (Paris), 1998. 149(7): p. 455-8.

30. Williamson, P.K. and J.J. Calabro, Lyme disease–a review of the literature. Semin Arthritis Rheum, 1984. 13(3): p. 229-34.

31. Berger, B.W., O.J. Clemmensen, and A.B. Ackerman, Lyme disease is a spirochetosis. A review of the disease and evidence for its cause. Am J Dermatopathol, 1983. 5(2): p. 111-24.

Competing interests: None declared.

From the same thread :

Lyme Disease - Another Perspective of a Scientist-Patient

As a former HCV researcher and current Lyme patient, I am always surprised by new articles on the “Lyme Wars,” though I think I am beginning to detect a pattern in them. These articles are usually opinion pieces, and they often manage to gloss over most of the really interesting microbiology, both new and old, that’s been done on spirochetal infections. I can never understand why that is, but then scientists are always surprised when basic science is ignored for political reasons, which has been happening in the biological, climatological, and evolutionary fields lately. I suspect in the case of Lyme disease that dismissing the current science, as Ms. Tonks does by characterizing Lyme as “a simple bacterial infection”, has more to do with real estate values than it does with moral ones.

Dec

19

The Essential Treatment is basically

Body weight in pounds/10 = total daily consumption in grams, so
1 gram of Salt, and
1 gram of Vitamin C
for each 10 pounds of body weight.
Use pure salt (sodium chloride) without any additives such as
aluminum silica, or iodine

If you use powdered salt or Vitamin C be aware that
1 teaspoon (tsp) = 5 grams, thus
1 tablespoon (tbs) = 15 grams.

One should space out these into three or more doses each day.
For example, a 150 pound individual would swallow 15 grams
of each in total as
5 grams of each in the morning,
5 grams of each at midday and
5 grams of each in the evening.

Total daily consumption should not exceed
18 grams of each per day.

Drink lots of water.

High doses can be very hard on the stomach.
Experiment; start with lower doses, such as
3 grams each 5 times a day
to get your daily total.
Again, drink plenty of water.

Treatment protocol developed by individuals at lymephotos.com
From Here :

© 2006-2007 lymephotos.com

Dec

19

Anti-Biotics

December 19, 2007 | Leave a Comment

From Here :

The layperson’s guide to antibiotics.

What they are, how they work, when they will not work,

Extended information and links.

Dec

18

From Here :

While antimicrobial resistance predates the clinical use of antimicrobials, it is clear that medical and prescribing practices over the past half-century have encouraged resistance development and spread in human (and animal)pathogens, and thus compromised the use of many antimicrobials in the treatment of infectious diseases.

Despite the current focus on Gram-positive pathogens and mycobacteria, Gram-negative bacteria, particularly multiple antibiotic-resistant organisms, remain a major threat in infectious disease treatment.
In an era of decreasing microbial susceptibility to currently available antimicrobials, there is a pressing need to develop new agents and therapeutic strategies for the treatment of Gram-negative infectious diseases.
This review defines the problem of multidrug resistance in important Gram-negative human pathogens, and describes recent approaches to overcoming multidrug resistance in these organisms.

Dec

18

The consistent finding of numerous unexpected biologic agents at atypically high levels (some thought to be non-pathogens, others definitely pathogenic) strongly supports that an immune deficiency state exists in Morgellons patients.

Agents identified serologically include many zoonoses (intermittently and in low numbers) such as Borrelia (at least five species) and Babesia, a single recently found gram negative bacterium, most herpes viruses, some strongly activated such as VZV and HHV-6, several mycology species (esp. Tineas), and particularly in those we have labeled Morgellons patients, parasites (species will be elaborated following PCR sequencing).

Dec

18

Random Images

December 18, 2007 | Leave a Comment

picture-088.jpgpicture-097.jpgpicture-094.jpgpicture-082.jpgpicture-058.jpgpicture-090.jpgpicture-052.jpgpicture-065.jpgpicture-038.jpgpicture-027.jpg

Dec

18

Toxic Corn

December 18, 2007 | Leave a Comment

From Here :

In May 2007, Archives of Environmental Toxicology and Contamination published one of the first studies linking a commercialized GE crop to health problems in mammals.

The study, authored by researchers from the Committee for Independent Research and Information on Genetic Engineering (Comité de Recherche et d’Information Indépendantes sur le Génie Génétique-CRIIGen) re-analyzed safety tests from rat-feeding trials of a GE corn submitted by Monsanto to European regulatory authorities.

Despite Monsanto’s claim that the feeding trials showed no significant differences between the GE corn and conventional corn, the independentre-analysis of the results found abnormalities in the kidneys and liver as well asdifferences in growth rates between the two groups.Monsanto corn MON 863 is geneticallyengineered to produce an insecticide providing the plant with resistance to Western and Northern corn rootworms (Diabrotica spp.), pests endemic to Eastern and Central North America.

It belongs to a category of GE crops called Bt (as in Bt corn), because it produces a toxin similar to a protein—Cry3b1—produced by the natural bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt). Bt bacteria in small doses acts as a natural insecticide and has been used for decades by organic farmers to deal with sporadic infestations of certain agricultural pests. Monsanto hoped to confer these properties of resistance to MON863.

Genes to produce the insecticidal protein Cry3b1 as well as a gene conferring antibiotic resistance were introduced to a line of conventional (i.e., non-GE) corn, A634, by means of particle bombardment. MON863 differs from other Bt corn marketed in Canada (MON 810, Bt 11, Bt 176) in that these earlier varieties produced a slightly different toxin which targeted the European corn borer (Ostrinia nubilalis). MON863 was approved for unconfined release in Canada in March 2003.
This means that it can be grown anywhere in Canada where corn is normally grown.

Health Canada approved MON863 for human consumption two weeks later.

By the time MON863 received approval in Canada, warning signs were appearing across the Atlantic. In September 2002, experts at the French Genetic Engineering Commission began raising critical questions regarding the test data derived from Monsanto’s rat feeding study with MON863. German authorities similarly published warnings that the Cry3b1 protein possesses similarities to other toxins which were of high relevance to human health.

For the next two years, Greenpeace worked with independent researchers and activists in Europe to obtain the release of the original test studies so that they could be submitted to
independent analysis by a transparent body. Although Monsanto sought to maintain the results of the feeding trials as confidential, German authorities finally released the documents to Greenpeace in 2005.

Greenpeace published thesefindings and turned them over to CRIIGen for independent analysis. The results of the CRIIGen analysis were published in the Arizona-based, peer-reviewed
scientific journal Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology in May 2007.

Greenpeace Blog

Dec

15

From Here :
Isolated scalp involvement with pityriasis versicolor alba (pityrias versicolor albus capitis) in a patient from a dry, temperate region.

M Naseri MD and MR Namazi MD
Dermatology Online Journal 9(3): 17

From the Dermatology Department, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.

Abstract

Pityriasis versicolor (tinea versicolor) is a common superficial fungal infection of the skin involving the hyphal (filamentous) form of Pityrosporum orbiculare.
Clinical cutaneous infection is common in humid, tropical climates, but declines to less than 5 percent in temperate climates.
Isolated face or scalp involvement is rare.

We present a boy living in a temperate region who had sudden onset of scalp and hairline involvement with tinea versicolor.

forehedmalasezzia.jpg

Whitish discoloration of the skin near the hair margin due to pityriasis versicolor alba.
A 12-year-old boy with skin type IV who was living in a village with a dry, temperate climate was referred to our center for evaluation of asymptomatic skin discoloration present for 4 days. Skin examination revealed the presence of patchy and confluent areas of macular hypopigmentation, with scant scale, along the hair margin of the forehead and temple areas

With Wood’s lamp examination, the above areas as well as the whole scalp showed a pale-yellow fluorescence. A KOH preparation revealed the presence of hyphae and spores in a spaghetti-and-meatballs pattern. The patient’s problem was diagnosed as pityriasis versicolor alba.

Discussion

Pityriasis versicolor (tinea versicolor) is a common, chronic, superficial fungal infection of the skin due to the hyphal (filamentous) form of Malassezia furfur (synonym Pityrosporum orbiculare). Its incidence reaches 50 percent in humid, tropical climates, and declines to less than 5 percent in temperate climates. [1] The infection tends to flare during warm weather. [2] The color of the lesions varies from almost white to reddish-brown or fawn-colored. [3]

In dark-complexioned children, a severe, rapidly spreading, hypopigmented variant may occur, colorfully called pityriasis versicolor alba or achromia parasitica. [2] The cause of hypopigmentation is unclear. Ultrastructural studies have shown that affected skin has an abnormality of melanosome number and packaging, with hypopigmented areas demonstrating a decreased number of individually dispersed melanosomes. [2] Extracts of Malassezia furfur cultures contain C9-C11 dicarboxylic acids that may inhibit tyrosinase. [3]

The site most commonly affected by pityriasis versicolor is the upper trunk. Other parts of the body such as axillae, groins, and genitalia may also be involved. Isolated facial and scalp involvement, as occurred in our case, is rare and mainly occurs in tropical locations.

Isolated involvement of body areas with pityriasis versicolor alba may be misdiagnosed as vitiligo, especially when the lesions have only slight scale, which may not be noticed by the inexperienced physician. However, in tinea versicolor alba the history is usually of short duration and scale can usually be appreciated when the affected skin is stretched or firmly scraped. In addition, Wood’s lamp examination shows yellowish fluorescence only in pityriasis versicolor.

References
1. Ray TL. Candidiasis and other yeast infections. In: Principles and Practice of Dermatology, W.M. Sams and P.J. Lynch, eds., New York: Churchill Livingstone, 1990; 137-9.

2. Martin AG, Kobayashi GS. Yeast infections: Candidiasis, Pityriasis (Tinea) Versicolor. In: Fitzpatrick’s Dermatology in General Medicine, T.B Fitzpatrick, A.Z. Gisen, K. Wollf, I.M. Freedberg, K.F. Austen, eds., New York: McGraw-Hill, 1993; 2462-7.

3. Naazro-Porro M, Pass S. Identification of tyrosinase inhibitors in cultures of Pityrosporum. J Invest Dermatol 1978; 71: 205.

Dec

13

Malasezzia.sp

December 13, 2007 | Leave a Comment

From Here :

Yeasts of the genus Malassezia are unique among the fungal kingdom as the only species to form part of the normal human cutaneous commensal flora.
In addition, Malassezia species are able to cause several cutaneous diseases, systemic disease in suitably predisposed humans, and dermatitis in a wide range of animals.
Thus, they exist at the very interface between commensal and pathogen and, as such, their interaction with the human immune system is of great interest.

Dec

11

Pseudomonas.sp

December 11, 2007 | Leave a Comment

From Here :

The bacterium Pseudomonas flourescens has been modified with a number of different Cry delta-endotoxin genes from different subspecies of Bacillus thruingiensis (Bt)……

The Pseudomonas family are also a factor to consider in any discussion on Morgellon’s Disease.

Briefly, this is my experience.
I developed a nasty ear infection after swimming in a river in South West France in the Summer of 1997.
It took 2 years to clear the mess, and it moved from ear to ear, despite anti-biotics.
Since then, I have had ear problems with regularity and I found out recently, that the infection was Pseudomonas.sp.
However, I do not know which strain.

I do know though, that ear infections are a common problem for Morgellon’s sufferers.

Pseudomonas maltophilia
Pseudomonas Putida
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Pseudomonas Flourescens

Pseudomonads are important in the balance of nature and also in the economy of human affairs.
Pseudomonads are globally active in aerobic decomposition and biodegradation, and hence, they play a key role in the carbon cycle.
Pseudomonas species are renowned for their abilities to degrade compounds which are highly refractory to other organisms, including aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons, fatty acids, insecticides and other environmental pollutants.
Apparently, the only organic compounds that these pseudomonads can’t attack are teflon, styrofoam and one-carbon organic compounds (methane, methanol, formaldehyde, etc.).
Pseudomonads are also a regular component of microbial food spoilage in the field, in the market place, and in the home.

From Here :

Mucoid strains have a slime layer made up of alginate (a repeating exopolysaccharide of ManUA and GlcUA) that forms the matrix of the Pseudomonas biofilm.

Dec

11

T.mentagrophites

December 11, 2007 | Leave a Comment

From Here :

Diseases of keratinized areas of humans and animals

Hydrolysis of keratin by keratinases is an important aspect of fungal pathogenesis.

For dermatophytes to induce active infection, the arthroconidia lodging on the skin surface must be able to penetrate the stratum corneum.
According to the in vitro model presented by Aljabre et al. the pattern of dermatophyte growth on stratum corneum occurs in three stages, germination of arthroconidia, penetration of stratum corneum followed by formation of arthroconidia.
If the arthroconidia have a fastidious requirement for germination, then the chances for successful penetration and invasion of the skin tissues are drastically reduced. T. mentagrophytes is not fastidious and readily germinates in the presence of high humidity and nutrients provided by the stratum corneum.
This probably explains why fungal skin infections are higher in warm and humid conditions.

Hashimoto and Blumenthal found that activating conidia of T. mentagrophytes by holding them in distilled water at 28°C for 24h resulted in a significant increase in germination.

Epidemiologically this indicates that activated arthroconidia are highly infectious for normally hydrated skin.

Dec

11

Gold

December 11, 2007 | Leave a Comment

From Here :
ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITY OF GOLD COMPOUNDS

The implication of microbial infection as a causative agent in arthritis was the stimulus for the investigation of the antimicrobial properties of gold complexes.

The early work by Robert Koch, demonstrated, that gold compounds were active against the TB bacillus.

Subsequent extensive work in the 1930’s and 1940’s demonstrated that a variety of gold compounds were active against a broad spectrum of microorganisms.
Activity in in vitro test systems was demonstrated against both gram negative and gram positive bacteria,a number of strains of mycoplasma, and the protozoan Leishmania.

Gold complexes were able to modify the course of a number of in vivo infections in a variety of animal hosts.

There are indications that the anti-arthritic gold complexes may suppress H. pylori infections in the gastric mucosa,a causative agent for peptic ulcers, and that gold phosphine complexes in vitro are cytocidal towards Pseudomonas putida.

Dec

11

Frankincense

December 11, 2007 | Leave a Comment

From Here :

Frankincense resin is distilled by steam or CO2 to extract its precious essential oil, which is used extensively in modern aromatherapy.
This oil is rejuvenating to the skin, treating acne, bacterial and fungal infections, and to treat wounds and scars. Thus, it is used in cosmetics, soaps, and perfumes.
The University of Munich found the anti-inflammatory properties of frankincense very effective as a treatment for joint pain and arthritis.
The famous eleventh-century Arabian physician, Avicenna, recommended its cooling effects as a remedy for infections and illnesses that increase the body’s temperature. Greek and Roman physicians used Frankincense in the treatment of a great variety of diseases. Frankincense remedies appear in the Syriac Book of Medicine, ancient Muslim texts, and in Ayurvedic and Chinese medical writings.

Frankincense is also a natural insecticide and was used in ancient Egypt to fumigate wheat silos and repel wheat moths.
In Arabia, the smoke of burning frankincense resin is used to repel mosquitoes and sand flies. Researchers have found that burning frankincense indoors improves the acoustic properties of the room. Dioscorides described how the bark of the tree was put into water to attract fish into nets and traps.
In ancient Egypt the resin was a key ingredient for embalming their dead.

Dec

9

Myrrh

December 9, 2007 | Leave a Comment

From Here :

Fascioliasis is a zoonotic disease caused by Fasciola (a liver fluke that infects sheep, goats, and cattle), for which humans act as an accidental host.
Human fascioliasis is becoming an increasingly important problem in many countries, including Egypt, with increasing frequency in many governorates.

Outbreaks have occurred in other countries.

Myrrh is an oleo gum resin obtained from the stem of Commiphora molmol (family Burseraceae), a tree that grows innortheast Africa and the Arabian Peninsula.

The drug is chiefly collected in Somalia.

Much of the resin is obtained by collecting it from spontaneous exudation from the cracks and fissures that commonly form in the plant’s bark. Myrrh contains 7–17% volatile oil, 25–40% resin, 57–61% gum, and 3–4% impurities. Myrrh is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for food use (21 Code of Federal Registration–CFR 172.510) and was given generally recognized as safe (GRAS) status asa flavor ingredient (No. 2765) by the Flavor Extract Manufacturer’s Association (FEMA).12,13 The council of Europe included myrrh in the list of plants and parts thereof that are acceptablefor use in foods.

Because drugs that act on schistosomiasis may also act on other parasites, and because myrrh was found to be effective in the treatment of schistosomiasis (with a high cure rate and without side effects, we decided to try a myrrh-derived drug on patients with fascioliasis to see if it proved beneficial.
The present study was designed to investigate the efficacy of a new fasciolicide that may offer a new promising approach in the treatment of fascioliasis.

Dec

6

From Here :

Lyme disease (LD) is a seriously complex multi-system inflammatory disease that is triggered by the bacterial lipoproteins (BLPs) produced by the spiral-shaped bacteria called Borrelia. Borrelia are difficult to isolate, grow, and study in the laboratory. So, our technical knowledge of this pathogen is poor compared to our understanding of most bacteria that cause disease. Transmission of Borrelia occurs primarily through the bite of ticks. The disease affects every tissue and every major organ system in the body. Clinically, it can appear as a chronic arthalgia (joint pain), fibromyalgia (fibrous connective tissue and muscle pain), chronic fatigue, immune dysfunction and as neurological disease. LD may even be fatal in severe cases.

Dec

4

worm1.jpg
NEUROWORM© is a industrial-design neuro-nematode. From Here :

There are two sexes: a self-fertilizing hermaphrodite and a male. The adult essentially comprises a tube, the exterior cuticle, containing two smaller tubes, the pharynx and gut, and the reproductive system. Most of the volume of the worm-implantat is taken up by the reproductive system. Of the 324 somatic cells of the hermaphrodite some 300 are neurons. Neural structures include a battery of sense organs in the head which mediate responses to taste, smell, temperature, touch and do programmed medical jobs.

worm11.jpg

Dec

2

Keratin is one of the most abundant animal proteins on earth as it forms a part of the exoskeleton of reptiles, birds and mammals.
Among the microbes that cycle this protein in nature,keratinophilic fungi are very common and the most diverse.
During the course of evolution, many of the soil-associated keratinophilic fungi have adopted a pathogenic life cycle and are now potential agents of fungal diseases in humans and animals.

From Here :

With more here from Dr Fungus on the organisms that infect human hair, skin and nails.

The Tinea family are keratin degraders. Tinea’s are mentioned by the Morgellons Research Foundation as being a constituent part of Morgellons disease.

….The consistent finding of numerous unexpected biologic agents at atypically high levels (some thought to be non-pathogens, others definitely pathogenic) strongly supports that an immune deficiency state exists in Morgellons patients. Agents identified serologically include many zoonoses (intermittently and in low numbers) such as Borrelia (at least five species) and Babesia, a single recently found gram negative bacterium, most herpes viruses, some strongly activated such as VZV and HHV-6, several mycology species (esp. Tineas), and particularly in those we have labeled Morgellons patients, parasites (species will be elaborated following PCR sequencing).

From Here :

Dec

2

From Here :
Globally, Frogs are threatened with un-natural extinction by a Keratin degrading fungus.

Dec

2

From Here :
A very interesting Venezuelan site, with extraordinary images, used to illustrate the similarity between some tropical diseases and new emerging global illness.

Phaeohyphomycosis

A young man from the Venezuelan Andes presenting some dark foci in his face and neck which formed in several months. They increased in numbers, got larger and were covered by crusts.

More information on this illness from Dr Fungus……

phaeohyphomycosis.jpg

December 2007
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