Prepare yourself for a genuinely frightening Health Tip. I bought Bitten: The Secret History of Lyme Disease and Biological Weapons, by investigative reporter Kris Newby, this past Saturday at 10 am and finished it at 8 pm. It reads more like a thriller than non-fiction and is chilling in its implications.
First, some background: The tickborne infectious illness Lyme disease was first reported in 1975 among a cluster of children in Old Lyme, Connecticut. Joint pain was the predominant symptom and the condition was originally mistaken for juvenile rheumatoid arthritis.
Six years later, a research biologist, Willy Burgdorfer, whose specialty was tickborne disease, discovered that a bite from a deer tick that transmitted a specific bacterium of the Borrelia family was the cause of Lyme disease. The bacterium was named Borrelia Burgdorferi in his honor. (Today there are a slew of other tickborne illnesses in different bacterial families, some of which are quite dangerous.)
Burgdorfer was a Swiss citizen who had been invited to the US in 1951 to join a team that was developing vaccines and medications against diseases spread by insects. He was employed by the US Public Health Service (renamed the National Institutes of Health/NIH) at the Rocky Mountain Lab in Montana. Their goal was to create vaccines against the many diseases spread by insects to humans.
Burgdorfer also worked at Fort Detrick in Maryland, the US center for the development of biological warfare.
Ticks as weapons
However, in 1955 Burgdorfer’s job changed. From then until President Nixon signed a bill banning chemical and biological weapon development in 1969, Burgdorfer was very much involved in using ticks as weapons. He learned how to use hair-thin glass tubes to force feed numerous disease agents to ticks, diseases you’ve probably never heard of, like Q fever, leptospirosis, and typhus.
The lab could breed ticks by the millions. Frequently, researchers released tens of thousands of disease-free ticks tagged with radioactive markers like carbon-14 to determine how they spread through a population.
Because the first Lyme cases had been reported in such a relatively small area of the US, some epidemiologists felt this clustering had all the earmarks of a biological accident. And although biological weaponry had been banned six years earlier in 1969, Burgdorfer himself felt that the Lyme disease outbreak was somehow related to a bioweapons release, either by accident or via theft from the NIH by a foreign power.
Chilling note left after dying
When Burgdorfer died in 2014, among his papers was a sticky tag that read “I wondered why somebody didn’t do something. Then I realized that I am somebody.” He might have been a whistleblower, but when it was also revealed he had Swiss bank accounts with balances far exceeding his government salary, it was speculated that he’d been paid to remain silent.
A scenario like this sheds some light on facts that people with Lyme and the physicians trying to treat them ultimately discover for themselves.
—The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) deliberately undercounted the number of new Lyme cases for decades, calling it relatively uncommon at their estimated 30,000 new cases a year. Only recently was that number increased by a factor of ten: to 350,000 new cases annually compared to 268,000 new cases of breast cancer and 40,000 new cases of HIV, both far more generously funded than Lyme.
—Many infectious disease specialists confidently said that Lyme was easy to treat with two weeks of antibiotics. They completely denied the consequences of undertreatment and the chronic illness that might follow. They referred to chronic Lyme disease as a pseudo-illness and encouraged state medical boards to shut down the practices of physicians who test for chronic Lyme and treat it. The chronic Lyme Wikipedia article is clearly being written by the same people who write for Quackwatch.
—When we at WholeHealth Chicago began seeing so many patients with chronic Lyme disease, we were told stories of how they were disbelieved by other doctors and written off as neurotic. When I telephoned on old friend who had become an infectious disease specialist, he said, “David, there is simply no such thing,” adding “I’ll send you all of my ‘chronic Lyme’ patients.” Happily, we at WholeHealth Chicago have a team of practitioners to deal with the increasing numbers, but I’m constantly mystified as to why most physicians can’t care for people with chronic Lyme themselves.
—On the plus side, the first thoughtful and intelligent article on chronic Lyme coming out of a major medical center is this 2018 one from Harvard. I’ve waited for years for an article like this.
—The US government, either in a state of denial, or wanting to avoid adverse publicity, until very recently devoted almost no money to Lyme research.
—The 11,000-member Infectious Diseases Society of America remains adamant about the non-existence of chronic Lyme. Fortunately, the International Lyme and Associated Diseases (ILADS) group was created to provide educational meetings for Lyme-literate doctors and support for people with Lyme.
The clear takeaway from Bitten is that our current worldwide Lyme epidemic originated in US government laboratories, the organism named after a researcher whose specialty was using ticks as biological weapons.
As I mentioned in a recent Health Tip, the rapid increase in the infected tick population is attributed to climate change as described Mary Beth Pfeiffer’s recent book Lyme: The First Epidemic of Climate Change.
And finally, on a positive note, just six weeks ago, the CDC acknowledged that we’re all in serious trouble with tickborne illnesses. Let me assure you I was not surprised. After 44 years of government and professional denial you now have been “officially” warned.
Be well,
David Edelberg, MD
I was diag’d with Lyme in 1991 at 6 yo. After almost 6 month of treatment and multiple docs trying to say I had CP we got it under control (well my mom did). Now 34 I have severe pain daily. I was recommended to a phyc clinic last year citing (sever phyco-simatic condition) Finally my doc listened to me and ran a RA test that lit up like a xmas tree. Since im 34 and don’t have RA it is the imuno response that they are seeing. The inflammation in my body is so rampant I was told twice I have leukemia due to WBC and RBC numbers that reflected a direct diag. My doc is dumbfounded and put me on another (3rd in same number of years) round of Doxcy. I know this is the issue and have managed to convince some docs that this is real but most still tell me its Fybromiaga and brush me off. HELP
Phil
Hi Phil –
First and foremost, I’m so sorry to hear of all of this suffering. I certainly hope we can help. If you’re able to be seen at WHC, I recommend calling and scheduling with our nurse practitioner Katie McManigal. She’s immersed herself in studying how Lyme and chronic infections impact patients, their immune systems, and masquerade as conditions like RA and others. You can schedule with her by calling 773.296.6700.
Best,
Dr M
cliffmaurer
Hello dear fellow sufferer,
in Australia, the problem of skepticism
re- Lyme’s by GP’s continues..however, providentially,Alternative, functional medicine, gives great hope to sufferers of Lyme’s..
1).. Homeopathic LEDUM (1M), 5 pillules once a day, has really helped, plus a homeopathic balancing solution put together by the homeopath,via a diagnostic machine..(most homeopaths would know of it)..will most certainly
alleviate symptoms considerably.
2).. Food grade Bentonite clay will bind the free radicals, heavy metals and toxins and direct them out via the bowels,
3)..I find that Nascent Iodine (which crosses over the blood-brain barrier)is so important on many levels taken (always) with organic selenium(also found in Brazil nuts..not more than 2-3 a day) to protect the thyroid..; also,
4).. Mercury-free Omega 3’s, and
4)..Resveratrol from the Japanese knotweed, taken together with
5).. alpha R-Lipoc acid,and
6)..Magnesium L- Threonate-specifically designed to enter the brain,(Dr.Mercola’s brand is the best plus the most bang for your buck)
6)..Turmeric with black cracked pepper(which potentiates the medicinal curcumin in turmeric by
2000%), is a powerful anti Inflammatory, and panacea for so many ailments..
7)..Collagen/Elastin..- from your health food store,and
8)..Bone soup to help heal the gut (gut-brain connection )
9).. PROBIOTICS one with many strains, is crucial.(get it from your health store..from fridge)
10).. Plz. Think about a low EMF Far infrared Sauna, used simultaneously with 11)..magnesium chloride oil..
12)..Hemp seed oil
and a
13)..Healthy diet with good fats like olive oil, coconut oil, avocado, organic butter.eat NO unhealthy foods,no gluten, refined sugars..etc
14)..To bust open the biofilms to expose the bacterium, I take from time to time,SERRAPEPTASE a powerful protease tsken from the silkworm..250,000mg per capsule..take 3 capsules x three times a day for serious infestation, for a day or two, but ensuring that you’ve taken the Bentonite clay, to deal with the aftermath if the bacterial die-off.
But when you’re in crisis, concentrate on building your immune system..go on
17)..the anti
inflammatory diet.
God Bless !keep with the Lyme’s Forum online.
..Best wishes, Gail.
Gail koelmeyer
Hi Meg
95% of conventional doctors don’t believe chronic Lyme exists so they’ll never rx it
4% believe that oral antibiotics will cover just about all tick borne illnesses especial combined with ozone/UVB
1% are willing to use IV Rocephin for neurologicalLyme but it needs to be used daily
Dr E
Could you explain to me why doctors will not treat Lyme patients with IV Rocephin?
Meg Kelly
I lived in Alviso,California 1953 .
I was born in 1948 in Hanford, California.
I was a victim of Government chemical testing.I was in field in Alviso and given candy or tobacco by uniformed soldiers soldiers
Frank Brionez
The bacteria has been around for millions of years, but many think the loss of biodiversity has focused bacterial evolution on the human immune system. That combined with other toxins, man-made or mold, are overwhelming the immune system with inflammation and cellular damage that results in a host of overlapping symptoms and multiple diagnosis.
It might be helpful to describe common overlapping symptoms while highlighting more pathogen/toxin specific symptoms. I’ve got a bunch of them and am still trying to isolate Bartonella vs Lyme vs mycotoxin vs metal (yay?).
I wish there was more anonymous public health data and test information to help educate the public and their practitioners.
Thank you for starting your practice. It’s certainly helped me.
D Millett
Thank you for this informative article, Dr. Edelberg, and for treating my daughter, Kristen. I’m praying for a miracle for her. I’m extremely grateful for you and Whole Health Chicago. The articles that are posted on Facebook and Instagram by WHC are very important for me to keep up with the latest information on Lyme disease. I live so far away from my daughter and she doesn’t feel like talking much, so I appreciate everything you post. Thank you!
Semonne Strawbridge
This makes me mad and angry! I’ve struggled with chronic Lyme since 1981. No one could figure out what Was wrong untill 2013! Every day is a struggle and no treatment seems to be able to rid me of this. With all the info out there now, I can’t believe there is still denial!
Linda Silvasi Kelly