Healing Lyme Disease Coinfections: Complementary and Holistic Treatments for Bartonella and Mycoplasma

305 Pages·2018·1.48 MB·English

by  Stephen Harrod Buhner

For Julie McIntyre,
whose caring for and dedication to her patients
is a constant inspiration to me.
And for everyone who has struggled with
either of these diseases—
there is hope,
don’t give up.
HEALING
LYME DISEASE
COINFECTIONS
“Bacteria outnumber us, outthink us, cooperate better than we do, and inhabit
a far wider range of ecological niches. Without them we would be dead, yet
many of them are lethal. For the past one hundred years we have waged war
on them, and we are losing. Stephen Harrod Buhner is not afraid. He is
paving a path into a future where we use simple tools to nourish cooperative
health. If you or anyone you love has ever had an infection, you need this
book. At times technical, at others dryly lyrical, it is sure to become a
gleaming guidepost to many who have resigned themselves to a lifetime of
distress and a trusted reference for health professionals wishing to assist
those with resistant and chronic infections.”
SUSUN S. WEED, AUTHOR OF HEALING WISE AND
MENOPAUSAL YEARS THE WISE WOMAN WAY
“Packed with information never before presented, Healing Lyme Disease
Coinfections is a not-to-be-missed treasure on the topic of Lyme disease.
While exploring numerous new therapeutic interventions, Buhner’s pure
intent and deep wisdom unfold before the reader, while his humorous style
lightens the journey. This book is a masterpiece that provides its readers with
life-changing information and is poised to become the reference book for the
ages.”
SCOTT FORSGREN, EDITOR AND FOUNDER OF
BETTERHEALTHGUY.COM
“Well rooted in the scientific literature and benefitting from a deeply
cultivated knowledge of herbalism, this exceptionally well-written book is an
empowering resource for those suffering from Lyme disease coinfections and
an essential reference for their clinicians.”
LAURIE REGAN, PH.D., N.D., DEAN OF CLASSICALCHINESE
MEDICINE AT NATIONAL COLLEGE OF NATURAL MEDICINE
AND COHOST OF TRUE NATURE RADIO
Contents
Title Page
Dedication
Epigraph
How to Use This Book and Who It Is For
IF YOU HAVE BARTONELLA OR MYCOPLASMA
IF YOU ARE A CLINICIAN
HOW I ARRIVED AT THE HERBAL PROTOCOLS IN THIS BOOK
Chapter 1: Emerging Diseases and Coinfections: The New Epidemics
COINFECTION DYNAMICS
TREATMENT DYNAMICS
Chapter 2: Mycoplasma: An Overview
THE DISEASES MYCOPLASMAS CAUSE
NUTRIENT SCAVENGING AND HOST SPECIFICITY
MYCOPLASMA AWARENESS: CONTAMINATION OF CELL LINES AND HIV
INCIDENCE OF INFECTION AND DURABILITY OF THE ORGANISMS
MYCOPLASMA TRANSMISSION BY INSECTS AND COMPANION ANIMALS
DIAGNOSIS
PHARMACEUTICAL TREATMENT
ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE
NONMONOTHERAPY INTERVENTIONS
Chapter 3: A Technical Look at Mycoplasma and Its Cytokine Cascade
MYCOPLASMAL INTERACTIONS WITH HOST CELLS
MYCOPLASMA GROUPING AND ENERGY PRODUCTION
MYCOPLASMA ENTRY INTO THE BODY: MECHANISMS OF INFECTION
THE CYTOKINE CASCADE
PLATELET STIMULATION AND EFFECTS ON THE BODY
INTRACELLULAR SEQUESTERING
PLASMINOGEN AND FIBRONECTIN BINDING DURING INFECTION
IMPACTS ON THE SYNOVIAL TISSUE
IMPACTS ON THE REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM DURING MYCOPLASMA INFECTION
IMPACTS ON THE BRAIN AND CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM
AVOIDING IMMUNE RESPONSE—ANTIGENIC VARIATION
CANCER STIMULATION
THE HEMOPLASMAS
AUTOIMMUNITY PROBLEMS DURING MYCOPLASMA INFECTION
TREATMENT
Chapter 4: The Mycoplasma Protocol: A Very Simple Overview
THE BASIC PROTOCOL
ADD TO THE BASIC PROTOCOL, BASED ON SYMPTOMS
Chapter 5: Natural Healing of Mycoplasma: In Depth
THE SEVEN THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND
THE NUTRIENTS TO REPLACE
PRIMARY CYTOKINE CASCADE INHIBITORS
SECONDARY CYTOKINE CASCADE INHIBITORS
PRIMARY ANTIBACTERIALS FOR MYCOPLASMA
SECONDARY ANTIBACTERIALS FOR MYCOPLASMA
RED BLOOD CELL PROTECTION
ENDOTHELIAL PROTECTION
LUNGS AND MUCOUS MEMBRANE PROTECTION
SUPPORTING MITOCHONDRIAL HEALTH AND FUNCTION
PROTECTING THE BRAIN
PROTECTING THE SPLEEN AND LYMPH SYSTEM
CARTILAGE, COLLAGEN, AND JOINT SUPPORT AND PROTECTION
ANXIETY
BRAIN FOG, CONFUSION
EPILEPSY
FATIGUE
PAIN
SLEEP DISORDERS
WEIGHT LOSS PROBLEMS
Chapter 6: Bartonella: An Overview
BARTONELLA, A FIRST LOOK
INFECTION RATES
WHAT BARTONELLA IS
TRANSMISSION DYNAMICS
GENETIC FLEXIBILITY AND EVOLUTION AMONG BARTONELLA
SYMPTOMS OF INFECTION
SYMPTOM SPECIFICS
BARTONELLA DIAGNOSIS
PHARMACEUTICAL TREATMENT
BARTONELLA AND HERXHEIMER REACTIONS
ABOUT BIOFILMS
WHAT THE ORGANISM DOES IN THE BODY
FACTORS THAT AFFECT THE SYMPTOM PICTURE
Chapter 7: A Technical Look at Bartonella and Its Cytokine Cascade
INITIAL INFECTION
CD34+ CELLS
IMPACTS OF BARTONELLA’S IL-8 PRODUCTION
BARTONELLA AND ENDOTHELIAL CELLS
THE BARTONELLA CYTOKINE CASCADE
SKIN AND CNS INFECTIONS
RED BLOOD CELL INFECTION
BARTONELLA USE OF HEME
LYMPH NODE, SPLEEN, LIVER, AND BONE MARROW INVOLVEMENT
HEALING BARTONELLA
Chapter 8: Natural Healing of Bartonella: The Core Protocol and an Extended Repertory
KEEP IN MIND
WHAT THE CORE PROTOCOL IS DESIGNED TO DO
THE CYTOKINE CASCADE
CYTOKINE-REDUCING HERBS AND SUPPLEMENTS
THE CORE PROTOCOL
A FINAL MATERIA MEDICA
Chapter 9: A Very Brief Look at Treating Simultaneous Mycoplasma and Bartonella
Coinfections: Some Final Considerations for Clinicians
Chapter 10: What the Future Holds
Appendix: Sources of Supply
Footnotes
Acronyms Used in This Book
Works Cited
Bibliography
About the Author
About Inner Traditions • Bear & Company
Copyright & Permissions
How to use this Book and Who it is for
This book is meant for two groups of people: 1) those who are suffering from a
difficult-to-treat bartonella or mycoplasma infection, and 2) clinicians who
themselves treat people with bartonella or mycoplasma.
IF YOU HAVE BARTONELLA OR MYCOPLASMA
This book is designed to help you understand the disease itself and as well to
understand some of the approaches that can be used to treat the disease and the
symptoms it causes.
Please understand that some of the book is fairly technical. That is for the
clinicians (or for you if you want to delve that deeply into it). You can skip the
really technical bits if you want. They are not necessary to understand in order to
treat either of these conditions effectively. In general, I think you will find the
overview chapters on both bartonellas and mycoplasmas useful. The deeper
technical look at the cytokine cascade and the minutiae of what the organisms do
in the body are not really necessary if you just want a good overview of the
bacteria.
The book also explores just how widespread these kinds of infections are.
And, as usual, the real figures are very different than what the Centers for
Disease Control (CDC) indicate—by a factor of anywhere from 100 to 1,000.
Both bartonellas and mycoplasmas are very common and there are many
millions of people in the United States, between one-tenth and one-third of the
population, who are asymptomatically infected. Treatment is often difficult and
many physicians don’t understand how to treat or diagnose these bacteria very
well, so this book also examines which antibiotics (and tests) research has found
useful (and which ones are not).
The book also contains an extensive look at the natural protocols that are
effective for each of the diseases. Please note: these protocols are designed to be
able to be used along with antibiotics. I don’t think you necessarily have to give
up either pharmaceuticals or natural medicines to find health. However, if you
have tried antibiotics and they have failed to help you, the protocols in this book
can be used all by themselves to treat both bartonellas and mycoplasmas.
Also, a note: the herbs and supplements in this book are not the only ones in
the world that will help. Please use the protocols outlined herein only as a
starting place, a guideline. Add anything that you feel will help you and delete
anything that you feel is not useful. Bacteria, when they enter a human body,
find a unique ecosystem in that particular person. Thus the disease is always
slightly different in every person. That means that a pharmaceutical or herb that
works for one person may not work or work as well for another. There is no one-
size-fits-all treatment for these particular organisms.
As well: if you have a very healthy immune system, you will probably need to
use smaller doses; if your immune system is severely depleted, you may need to
use larger doses. If you are very sensitive to outside substances, as some people
with Lyme, bartonella, and mycoplasma can be, then you might need to use very
tiny doses, that is, from one to five drops of tincture at a time. (This is true for
about 1 percent of the people with these infections.)
Please be conscious of how you respond to the medicines you take inside you.
If something disagrees with you, if you feel something is not right in how you are
responding to a medicine, stop taking it. Remember: you will always know
yourself better than any outside physician.
IF YOU ARE A CLINICIAN
I have gone into a lot of depth on both bartonella and mycoplasma organisms so
that you can begin to understand just how complex their actions in the body are.
It is my hope that Western herbal medicine can begin to emerge as a highly
sophisticated form of healing. To that end I have introduced the idea of thinking
about the synergies that exist between coinfections as well as the concept of
examining the kind of cytokine cascades bacteria create during infection. Each
stealth pathogen decreases the activity of certain parts of the human immune
system and activates others. So while some parts of the immune system become
less functional, others become overactive. The overactivity comes from the
initiation of unique cytokine cascades. Each stealth pathogen creates a different
kind, that is, they stimulate certain kinds of inflammation in the body, using the
body’s own immune response for their own ends. This is important to
understand when designing any kind of elegant, interventive treatment strategy.
If you know what is happening in the body, you don’t have to guess what to do