Expert: Dr. J. Shawn Leatherman - 5/24/2007

Question
Hi,  I have been sick for a long time and finally through my own research on the Internet found out I probably had Lyme disease.  By the time I found a doctor here that specializes in Lyme he found I had Lyme, Babesiosis, micoplasma pneumonia (which keeps recurring despite antibiotics) and staph and would have probably been dead in 2 weeks.  I have been two antibiotic combinations for the two years including 8 months of IV Rocephin.  Recently I was hospitalized with 3 kinds of infection and my hemoglobin had dropped to 3.5 and my iron count was 2 because of pernicious anemia.  My blood count is back up to 12 my iron is still only 5 but I am left totally drained and cannot keep my balance and am often totally disoriented or unable to finish a sentence.  I don't know what to do next. I have had blood in my urine for 2 weeks and 102 fever but my chiro says no more antibiotics they are doing more harm than good.  She has started doing muscle testing and so many things came back weak she started with taking out dairy and wheat and says my heart, thyroid and liver (no kidding) are testing weak.  This weekend I was too weak to walk on my own, had to be on O2 (son is a first responder) and had a seizure.  I just don't know what kind of treatment I should try now but going on more antibiotics just doesn't seem to be the right thing since I am so depleted. Babesiosis affects the nervous system and so I get terrible pain in my feet at night that keep me from sleeping despite pain meds, muscle relaxers and propping them up. It also causes anorexia and even though I know nutrition is important to getting better I can't eat more than a couple 100 calories a day if that, because of intestinal pain. I have lost 75# (which I needed with 2 years in bed and 1 year of weekly steroid injections for disc problems and asthma before I discovered it was Lyme and that depleted my immune system).  I know this is a lot to dump on you but I would like to get healthy, I am in my 40's and have 5 children and a wonderful husband that I feel I have let down.  Is there any kind of treatment that you would recommend as a place to start to even make my quality of life tolerable?  

Answer
Dear Tamara,

First of all, WOW!  your body is under a tremendous amount of metabolic stress right now and the key to starting your recovery is to start with the aspect of improving your nutritional intake and your caloric intake.  I know that you have been in a lot of pain, and intestinal disruption, but the body has to have fuel to repair and improve function.  Basic metabolic processes cannot go on without key nutrients and cofactors.

I agree with your chiropractor that the constant barrage of antibiotics is really taking a toll on your system, and they actually weaken your natural immune response as well.  Because of that it placed you in a state that is ripe for more infection...bacterial, viral and fungal, as a matter of fact I wouldn't be surprised if you have an underlying candida infection as well that has not been diagnosed yet.  this is common in immunocompromised people, and weakens your overall immune and healing response.  I also agree with eliminating the wheat, and most dairy (although I would recommend organic yogurt for the protein, easily assimilated calories, and the active bacterial colony forming units.  I would also eliminate all sodas, refined carbohydrates, and artificial sweeteners from your diet.  you need power foods such as nutrient dense vegetables and lean meats like chicken, turkey and fish.  An adequate protein intake is very important for immune system function, hormone function and production as well as maintaining energy levels and a healthy weight distribution.  This may sound paramount, but you have to start somewhere, and even if you only increase your caloric intake a little each day it will help.

Now, Pernicious anemia is caused by a lack of vitamin B12 in your system, and is usually the result of a problem in absorption through the intestine rather than a lack of B12 in the diet.  There is a protein in the stomach called intrinsic factor which binds to the B12 and carries it to the intestine to allow for absorption in the body.  If intrinsic factor is not being produced adequately, then you will develop the anemia condition.  The solution to this is B12 injections to bypass the digestive tract, or sublingual B12 tablets (dissolved under tongue...directly into the blood system).  This condition is considered an autoimmune problem, but is manageable.  Consequently, you should know that muscular weakness in the arms and legs as well as pain and tingling in the hands and feet are signs of pernicious anemia along with other neurological problems such as loss of appetite,clumsiness, pale lips+gums+tongue, bleeding inflamed tongue (glossitis), yellow eyes and skin (jaundice), shortness of breath, depression and confusion and dementia, headache and poor memory...B12 is very important for nervous tissue and transmission of nerve impulses.

Babesiosis, as I am sure you know is considered to be a form of Lymes disease, although it is less common than the traditional form caused by Borelia Burgdorferi. Although it is caused by a different organism, some of the effects are the same:  fever, chills, fatigue, headache, muscle pain, and anemia. So you can see that the conditions involved all have some overlap, and I am sure this is tough for your medical doctors to deal with due to the compounding variables involved.  I do know for a fact that antibiotics are considered the primary treatment, but again they lower your resistance to further infection and compromise your normal immune response.  Supplements such as bovine colostrum and co enzyme Q-10 have shown some promise in the upregulation of the immune system and have been indicated for sufferers of Lyme's disease to help alleviate the condition.

So bottom line is that you need metabolic and immune support, and the best way to do this is by getting the proper nutrients that you body needs to combat these problems.  The human body and its ailments are boil down to biochemical processes, there fore adding the proper nutrition (the substrates needed to drive these functions is the best advice I can offer you)...I have seen cancer patients get amazing results by bombarding their systems with high levels of antioxidant and by eliminating poor foods from their diets, and this has been documented by numerous medical professionals and scientific journals...it can work for you too.

I would recommend that you specifically eliminate sugar and refined foods.  Stick with fruits and vegetables, and lean meats.  No Wheat, no dairy other than yogurt, and I would also buy some probiotics at your local health food store and take them twice a day. (probiotics are good bacteria that will colonize your digestive tract thereby eliminating the sites that the bad bacteria, parasites, viruses and fungus can colonize...they are very important for normal digestion and immune building).  I would start juicing vegetable and fruits twice daily for the next few months...this will supply you with easily digestible nutrients that will also boost your body function.  juicing can be very tasty, be imaginative an create multiple combination...I recommend the VITAMIX blender to do this as it it the most powerful on the market, and will make the process easier. (yes it is expensive, but worth every penny...you can get them reconditioned for 50% off. Use the whole fruit or vegetable and puree...you don't want a juicer that separates the fluid from the pulp...you are wasting nutrients and fiber.  And lastly I would recommend that you get custom vitamins that you supplement with daily.

I know of a company that will send you a test kit to check your metabolic needs of oxidative stress, lowered immune resistance and lack of nutrient utilization by urinalysis.  They use an independent laboratory (metametrix) to perform the analysis and Douglass labs to produce the supplements.  Very top notch, and I use this testing with my patients.  If you would like more information on the testing and the products, email me though my website and I will get you all the necessary information.  this testing usually runs about $349.00, but I get it for my patients fro $99.00, so it is very affordable, and the custom nutrients cost about $2 a day.  Let me know if you would like to get more info.

Anyway, hope all this helps Tamara.  I wish you all the best in your recovery, but you are in for a long haul.  Stay positive and keep your head up as that has a lot to do with the healing process as well.  Good Luck.

Respectfully,
Dr. J. Shawn Leatherman
www.suncoasthealthcare.net
info@suncoasthealthcare.net