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New scan technique reveals brain inflammation associated with post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome -- ScienceDaily

Results of the study, published in Journal of Neuroinflammation, suggest new avenues for treating the long-term fatigue, pain, sleep disruption and "brain fog" associated with PTLDS, the researchers say. "There's been literature suggesting that patients with PTLDS have some chronic inflammation somewhere, but until now we weren't able to safely probe the brain itself to verify it," says Jennifer Coughlin, M.D., associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and one of the first authors of the study report. Lyme disease is a bacterial infection transmitted to humans through tick bites. An estimated 300,000 people in the U.S. are diagnosed with Lyme disease each year, and their infections can be successfully treated with antibiotics. Doctors diagnose PTLDS if treated patients report fatigue and brain fog for at least six months after treatment. Little is known about what causes PTLDS or how to treat it, and while studies have shown that people with PTLDS have elevated markers of inflammation -- such as the chemokine CCL19 -- in their bloodstreams, it has not been clear where that inflammation may be occurring. Over the last decade, Coughlin and her colleagues optimized a positron emission tomography (PET) imaging technique in which specially labeled molecules -- or radiotracers -- bind to a protein called translocator protein (TSPO). In the brain, TSPO is released primarily by two types of brain immune cells -- microglia and astrocytes -- so levels of TSPO are higher when brain inflammation is present.

Can You Cure Lyme disease? The Controversy Around Diagnosis and Treatment

In my experience, 18 months of ozone therapy was the magic bullet against Lyme disease. Ozone inactivates bacteria, viruses, fungi, yeast and protozoa by breaking through the cell wall which weakens the cell, making way for your own immune cells to move in and do their thing. It also uses extra oxygen to activate the immune system.[8] You’ll need a functional medicine doctor to put you on a program. If you’re frustrated by Lyme disease or any chronic illness, join the club. But, don’t stay for long. The best thing you can do is arm yourself with information and seek the guidance of medical professionals who are qualified and experienced in treating the tough stuff. It takes work, but you’ll come out on the other side stronger than ever.

Looking for a cure...

At first, fatigue, brain fog, and body aches made it hard to do my job some days; then every day felt like a battle with the flu. Constant acid reflux, bloating, gas, and constipation became an accepted part of life. Next came burning and tingling in my hands, rashes, joint and chest pain, heart palpitations, and poor sleep. But I kept working through it, for years, until I simply no longer could and I had to stop my medical practice. What ensued was a years-long journey of trying everything under the sun to overcome what turned out to be fibromyalgia and chronic Lyme Disease, both of which I blamed for all of my digestive symptoms. It made sense at the time—nausea and loss of appetite are common among Lyme sufferers, and half of people with fibromyalgia experience IBS symptoms. But after much research and personal trial and error, I realized that it wasn’t that simple. Instead, the same factors that left me susceptible to chronic illness were also to blame for my gut symptoms: Nothing would improve until I addressed those underlying causes. Since then, I’ve discovered that the majority of digestive health issues—including IBS, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), leaky gut, chronic constipation, food sensitivities and allergies, and more—can be traced back to the same four factors that were making me sick. I call them gut disruptors, and if you feel like you’ve tried everything to overcome your gut issues, getting to know them could be the secret to finally restoring your digestive and overall health.