MycoplasmaOftenOverlookedInChronicLyme Disease

byScottForsgren ThoseofuswithchronicLymediseasearequitefamiliarwith thenamesofthebetterknownLymecoinfections.Babesia, Bartonella,andEhrlichiahavebecomeeverydaywords.As muchaswewouldliketoridourselvesoftheseillness producingpathogens,theyhavebecomeapartofourdaily struggletoregainasenseofhealthandwellness. Unfortunately,thesearenottheonlycoinfectionsseenin chronicLymedisease.Forsomereason,Mycoplasma infectionsarenotonlylesserknownbypatients,butseemingly oftenoverlookedbydoctorsaswell.Itisimportantforus,as patients,toeducateourselvesonthetopicofMycoplasmaand toaskourpractitionershowwearebeingevaluatedand treatedfortheseinfections. In1987,Dr.GarthNicolson,PhDwasaprofessoratthe UniversityofTexasatHoustonwhenhiswife,aninstructorat BaylorCollegeofMedicine,becameseriouslyillandnearly died.ShewasdiagnosedwithaMycoplasmainfection,treated, andlaterrecovered.Afewyearslater,theirdaughter,who hadservedintheGulfWar,returnedfromactivedutyquiteill.Notonlywasshesick,butthesymptomsthat sheexhibitedwereverysimilartothosethatDr.Nicolsonswifehadexpressedyearsearlier. Atthatpoint,Dr.Nicolsonhadtheideathathisdaughtersillnesscouldbetheresultofaninfectionand startedtoinvestigatehistheoryfurther.Ashisworkprogressed,helookedatBrucella,Borrelia,Ehrlichia, andotherchronicintracellularinfectionsthathavethepotentialtocauseillnessandpresentwith overlappingsignsandsymptoms.InGulfWarveteransthatwerebeingevaluated,approximately45%of thosethatwereillhadMycoplasmainfection.Itwasfoundthattheinfectionwasaparticulartypeof Mycoplasma,namelyapeculiarspeciescalledMycoplasmafermentans. VerylittlewasknownaboutthisparticularspeciesofMycoplasmaatthetimeexceptthattheArmedForces InstituteofPathologyandtheArmyhadbeendoingresearchontheorganism.Oncethislikelycausative agentofGulfWarIllness(GWI)hadbeenidentifiedinaboutonehalfoftheGWIcases,Dr.Nicolson recommendedthattheMycoplasmainfectedGulfWarveteransbetreatedwithDoxycycline.Hethenfound himselfthetargetofviscousattacksformakingtheconnectionbetweentheillnessandM.fermentans.Dr. Nicolsonsharedthateventalkingaboutthisorganismwashighlydiscouraged.Infact,untiltheGulfWar, themilitarysownmedicalschoolhadbeenteachingaboutthedangersofM.fermentansforyears.

PublicHealthAlert,v.4,no.7,2009

Background
JustyearsearlierinTexas,prisonsemergedinwhichmanyoftheinmatesandguardscamedownwith neurodegenerativeconditionsatratesthatwerefarfromordinary.InHuntsville,wherethreelargeState prisonsarefound,therewereabout70casesofALS,numerouscasesofMultipleSclerosis,andhighly unexpectednumbersofRheumatoidArthritiscases.Atthattime,thetermMysteryDiseasewasusedto identifytheunusualillnessesthatsomanyseemedtohaveacquired. Dr.Nicolsonstartedtestingprisonguardsandtheirfamilymembersandfoundthatveryhighnumbersof thesepeopleweretestingpositiveforMycoplasmafermentans.Furthermore,thisappearedtobea weaponizedversionoftheorganismcalledM.fermentansincognitus,aspecificstrainofMycoplasmathathad

1 MycoplasmaOftenOverlookedInChronicLymeDisease

beenalteredtocausemoreseveresymptoms,tobemorevirulent,andtobemoresurvivablethanthe naturallyoccurringM.fermentans.Dr.Nicolsonbelievedthatbiologicalweaponsexperimentshadbeen carriedoutoninmatesintheTexasprisonsystemforyearsinwhichhumanshadbeenusedasguineapigs. Astimeprogressed,theseillnessesdidnotremainconfinedtotheprisoners.Soonaftertheprisoners unknowinglybecameapartintheseexperiments,theprisonguardsbecameill.Theirillnessesgradually becamethoseoftheirfamilies.ItwasnotlongbeforetheseMycoplasmabasedillnessesbecameabroader partofthesurroundingHuntsville,Texaslandscape. TheTexasprisonersthatcamedownwithAmyotrophicLateralSclerosis(ALS)laterdied.Inthestateof Texasatthetime,thestatelawdictatedthatallprisonersthatdiedwerelatertobeautopsiedatUniversityof TexasatGalveston.However,thatwasnotwhatwashappeningtotheprisonerswhohaddiedasaresultof thishorrificexperimentationaccordingtoDr.Nicolson.Throughoneofhisformerstudentswhoatthetime wasresponsiblefortheautopsyserviceatUTGalveston,Dr.Nicolsonlearnedthatnoneofthebodieshad beensentthere.Dr.Nicolsonhaddiscoveredthatatleastsixprivateautopsiesaweekwerebeingperformed ondeceasedprisonersataUSArmybase.Thebodieswerethensenttoaprivatecrematoryatasecret locationincentralTexas.Additionally,prisonerrecordsweredestroyed.Allofthis,accordingtoDr. Nicolson,violatedstatelaw. Thoughmuchoftheevidenceofthisexperimentationhadbeendestroyed,adocumentwasfoundinthe basementofanAustinbuildingthatwasviewedasthesmokinggun.Thedocumentindicatedthatthe TexasPrisonBoard,BaylorCollegeofMedicine,andtheDepartmentofDefensewereallapartofthe experimentsinvolvingtheTexasprisonersexperimentsthatlaterresultedinthedeathofmanyofthe inmates.AccordingtoDr.Nicolson,someoftheexperimentsusedMycoplasmawhileothersutilizedvarious cocktailsofmicrobialagentssuchasMycoplasma,Brucella,andDNAvirusessuchasParvovirusB19.This projectlaterbecomethetopicofabookbyDr.NicolsonentitledProjectDayLily. Dr.NicolsonbelievesthatMycoplasmafermentansisanaturallyoccurringmicrobe.However,someofthe strainsthatexisttodayhavebeenweaponized.Dr.NicolsonsresearchfoundunusualgenesinM.fermentans incognitusthatwereconsistentwithaweaponizedformoftheorganism.Weaponzingofanorganismisdone inanattempttomakeagermmorepathogenic,immunosuppressive,resistanttoheatanddryness,andto increaseitssurvivalratesuchthatthegermcouldbeusedinvarioustypesofweapons.Geneswhichwere partoftheHIV1envelopegenewerefoundintheseMycoplasma.Thismeansthattheinfectionmaynotgive someoneHIV,butthatitmayresultinsomeofthedebilitatingsymptomsoftheHIVdisease.Indicatorsofa weaponizedorganismwereevidentintheprisonguardsinHuntsvilleaswellasinmilitarypersonnelthat werelikelyexposedtotheinfectionsboththroughmilitaryvaccinationsaswellasthroughweaponsusedin theGulfWar.

MycoplasmaisthenumberonecoinfectionobservedinLymediseasepatients
TheunfortunaterealityaccordingtoDr.Nicolsonisthatoncethesethingsgetout,youcantputthegenie backinthebottle.Oncethesegermshavebeenreleased,theyareairborneinfectionsthatslowlypenetrate intothepopulation.InthecaseofMycoplasmafermentans,Dr.Nicolsonbelievesthatthisisexactlywhat happened.ItmaybethisweaponizedformofMycoplasmathathasledtothesignificantincreasesin neurodegenerativeandautoimmunediseasesoverthelastseveralyears.Thosepatientswithweaponized strainsoftheseorganismsaregenerallyverysick.Theymayexperience6075signsandsymptomsandare evenatriskoftheirdiseasesbecomingfatal. InlookingatthesourceofinfectionintheGulfWarveteranswhowerecontractingMycoplasma,Dr.Nicolson suggeststhatvaccinationsappeartobethemostlikelymechanismthroughwhichtheveteransbecame infected.Manymilitarypersonnelthatlaterbecameillwerefarfromthebattlefieldsorhadreceivedthe vaccinationsandwereneverdeployed.However,biologicalweaponssprayerswereknowntohavebeen deployedbytheIraqisintheGulfWarandwereusedtospraythesandinIraqandKuwait.Gerald

2 MycoplasmaOftenOverlookedInChronicLymeDisease

Schumacher,aSpecialForcescolonelinchargeofbiologicalweaponsdetection,blewthewhistleonthisafter heretired.DuringtheGulfWar,hisgroupwasnotallowedtodeploytheirbiologicalweaponsdetectors whichledtoreportsthatnosuchweaponsweredetectedorused. TheIraqisreceivedagreatdealofassistanceonbiologicalwarfarefromtheUnitedStatesduringtheIran IraqConflict.BothchemicalandbiologicweaponsweregiventothemfromtheUnitedStates.AftertheGulf War,ratherthantakinginventoryoftheseweapons,theywereblownup.Dr.Nicolsonindicatesthatsomeof hispatientshavetakenvideosstandingnexttocrateswithHazardousMaterialstagsfromtheUnitedStates. Inthesamevideos,thecratesareopenedandweaponsareclearlystripedashavingoriginatedfromthe UnitedStatesandbeingbothchemicalandbiologicalweapons. TherewereclearindicatorsthatIraqhadoffensiveweaponsintheirarsenal.InKuwait,manypeoplehad becomequiteill.Itwasestimatedthat25%ofthepopulationaftertheGulfWarhadsignsandsymptoms whichmatchedthesymptomsofthoseinfectedwithweaponizedMycoplasma.Therewerealsoanumberof otherchemicalexposuresandthus,therewasneveraclearindicatorastowhetherornottheIraqiillnesses werecausedbybiologicorchemicalagents. WhenaskingDr.Nicolsonhowmuchhepersonallyhasbeenharassedforbringingmuchofthisinformation tolight,hesharedthatithasbeenahorrifictime.AfterDr.NicolsonexposedtheHuntsvilleprison experiments,theUniversityofTexaseducationalsystemattemptedtofirehimfromhistenuredandhighly respectedposition.Dr.NicolsonsharedthatatremendousamountofpressurewasputontheUniversityof Texassystemtoshuthimupandclosehislaboratory.Hewasthreatenedonanalmostdailybasiswith closinghislabashecontinuedtodohisresearchonMycoplasma.Thisbecameamajorsubjectinthebook ProjectDayLily.Fortunately,formanyofusstrugglingwithchronicillnesses,Dr.Nicolsonsexperienceand knowledgecontinuetobeabenefitinthatweunderstandsomuchmorethanweotherwisewouldaboutthis formidablefoecalledMycoplasma.

Symptoms
ThesignsandsymptomsofMycoplasmainfectionarehighlyvariableandthusitisnotuncommonfora diagnosistobeentirelymissed.Apartiallistofsymptomsincludeschronicfatigue,jointpain,intermittent fevers,headaches,coughing,nausea,gastrointestinalproblems,diarrhea,visualdisturbances,memoryloss, sleepdisturbances,skinrashes,jointstiffness,depression,irritability,congestion,nightsweats,lossof concentration,musclespasms,nervousness,anxiety,chestpain,breathingirregularities,balanceproblems, lightsensitivity,hairloss,problemswithurination,congestiveheartfailure,bloodpressureabnormalities, lymphnodepain,chemicalsensitivities,persistentcoughing,eyepain,floatersintheeyes,andmanyothers. OnDr.Nicolsonswebsiteathttp://www.immed.org,afulllistofsignsandsymptomsandanillnesssurvey formcanbefound. ItdoesnttakelongtoseethatthesymptomsofMycoplasmainfectionsareverysimilartothesymptomsof BorreliainfectionsinchronicLymedisease.Dr.Nicolsonhaslookedatsomeofthemorecommon neurodegenerativediseasesandtheinfectionsthatareassociatedwitheach.Mycoplasmaiscommonlyfound inpatientswithALS,MultipleSclerosis,Autism,ChronicFatigueSyndrome,RheumatoidArthritis,Chronic Asthma,Lymedisease,andmanyotherchronicdiseaseconditions.
Illness AmyotrophicLateralSclerosis(ALS) MultipleSclerosis(MS) AlzheimersDisease ParkinsonsDisease AutismSpectrumDisorders ChronicFatigueSyndrome InfectionsCommonlyObserved Mycoplasmafermentans(andotherspecies),Borreliaburgdorferi, HHV6,Chlamydiapneumoniae Chlamydiapneumoniae,Mycoplasmaspecies,Borreliaburgdorferi, HHV6andotherHerpesviruses Chlamydiapneumoniae,Borreliaburgdorferi,HSV1andotherHerpes viruses Helicobacterpylori,coronavirus,Mycoplasmaspecies Mycoplasmafermentans (andotherspecies),Chlamydiapneumoniae, HHV6,Borreliaburgdorferi Mycoplasmapneumoniae (andotherspecies),Chlamydiapneumoniae,

3 MycoplasmaOftenOverlookedInChronicLymeDisease

LymeDisease

ChronicillnessesandinfectionscommonlyobservedineachaccordingtotheworkofDr.GarthNicolson,PhD

Borreliaburgdorferi Borreliaburgdorferi,Mycoplasmafermentans(andotherspecies), Babesiaspecies,Bartonellaspecies,Ehrlichiaspecies

Characteristics
Mycoplasmaarepleomorphicbacteriawhichlackacellwallandasaresult,manyantibioticsarenoteffective againstthistypeofbacteria.Thereareover100knownspeciesofMycoplasma,butonlyahalfdozenorso areknowntobepathogenicinhumans.Thepathogenicspeciesareintracellularandmustentercellsto survive.Oncetheyareinsidethecells,theyarenotrecognizedbytheimmunesystemanditisdifficultto mountaneffectiveresponse. Theystimulatereactiveoxygenspecies(ROS)whichdamagecellmembranes.Theyreleasetoxinsintothe body.InfectedcellscanbestimulatedtoundergoprogrammedcelldeathwhichmayresultinALSorother severeneurologicalpresentations.90%ofALSpatientsevaluatedwerefoundtohaveMycoplasmainfections, whereasMycoplasmawasfoundin100%ofALSpatientswithGulfWarSyndrome,almostallofwhichwere weaponizedM.fermentansincognitus. Theyarethoughtofasborderlineanaerobesmeaningthattheygenerallypreferlowoxygenenvironments. Dr.Nicolsonhasfoundthatairlineemployeesaremuchmoresusceptibletothesetypesofinfectionsandthat symptomsworsenwithfrequentlongflightsatlowoxygentension.Mycoplasmaalsohavesome characteristicsofviruses. Mycoplasmatendtobeslowgrowinginfectionsandtheyareusuallytransmittedslowly.Dr.Nicolsonstates thatMycoplasmacanbesexuallytransmitted,buttheinfectionisusuallypassedthroughfarlessintimate contact.Mycoplasmacanbeobtainedthroughfluidexchange,anditiseasilytransmittedthroughtheair.In GulfWarveterans,thefirstpersonbesidestheveterantobecomeillwasthespouseandlater,othermembers ofthehouseholdalsobecameill.NoteveryoneisequallysusceptibletoMycoplasmainfections,especially thosewithstrongimmunesystemswhocanresistinfection. Asalreadydiscussed,Mycoplasmafermentansproducesnumeroussymptoms.Thoseinfectedarerarely foundtobeasymptomatic.InNorthAmerica,M.pneumoniaeisthemostcommonMycoplasmaseenin variousdiseases.InEurope,M.hominisisfarmoreprevalentandtheincidenceofM.fermentansismuch lowerthaninNorthAmerica. ThepotentialgeneticfactorsinvolvedinMycoplasmaillnessesarenotknown.Thosewithimmune deficienciesandotherillnesses,suchascancersanddegenerativediseases,areatfargreaterriskofinfection.

Prevalence
InonestudylookingatMycoplasmainpatientswithChronicFatigueSyndrome,Dr.Nicolsonhasobserved someinterestingpatternsinhisresearch.Generally,themajorityofCFSpatientshaveMycoplasmainfections. However,CFSpatientsinfectedwithBorreliaburgdorferi,thepunitiveagentinLymedisease,hadaneven higheroverallMycoplasmainfectionrate.Asmanyas75%ofLymediseasepatientsappeartohave Mycoplasmainfections,andyetMycoplasmaisoftenoverlookedinthediagnosisandtreatmentofchronic Lymedisease,neurodegenerativediseases,andmanyotherchronicillnesseslackingclearorigins. EvenmorestartlingwasthefindingthatofthatofthepatientsinfectedwithBorrelia,over50%ofthe patientshadtheM.fermentansinfection.Approximately23%carriedM.pneumoniae. ChronicFatiguepatientsthatdidnottestpositiveforBorreliahadmuchmoreofamixtureofvariousspecies ofMycoplasma.Only28%ofthegroupnotcoinfectedwithLymediseasehadtheM.fermentansinfection.In normal,healthycontrols,only1.7%werefoundtohaveM.fermentansandatatotalMycoplasmainfection rateof5%comparedtothe75%groupmentionedearlier.

4 MycoplasmaOftenOverlookedInChronicLymeDisease

Dr.NicolsonnotesthatthesefindingsareconsistentwiththefactthatitistheMycoplasmafermentansspecies thatismoreoftenisolatedintickscollectedfromtheenvironment.Thesametickthatservesasthevectorfor BorreliaburgdorferioftenalsotransmitsM.fermentanssimultaneously.Onceapatientismultiplyco infected,thedurationandseverityoftheirillnessbothincrease. Inhisexperience,Dr.NicolsonhasfoundthatMycoplasmaisthenumberoneLymecoinfection.Therate ofinfectionwithMycoplasmainpatientswithLymediseasesurpassesthatofBartonella(2540%)slightly andthatofBabesia(820%)significantly. AccordingtoDr.Nicolson,ahealthyimmunesystemcangenerallyclearM.pneumoniaeinfectionsthoughwill haveahardertimeeradicatingM.fermentansonitsown.Healthypeoplecanoftenholdtheseinfectionsin checkessentiallyhavingtheinfectionbutnotexpressingsymptoms.

IncidenceofVariousMicrobesinPatientswithLymeDiseaseG.L.Nicolson

Testing
Dr.NicolsonnotedthatMycoplasmainfectionsinchronicLymediseaseareoftenoverlookedbymostdoctors becausetheysimplydonttestforit.Hestatesthatthosethatdotestforitfindamuchhighernumberof infectedpatients.Dr.RichardHorowitz,MDinNewYorkfindsahighincidenceofM.fermentansaccordingto Dr.Nicolson. Sadly,however,evenifpatientsaretestedforMycoplasma,asimilarproblemexistshereastheonethat almostallLymedoctorsandpatientsareawareofnamelythatreliabletestsdonotexist.Dr.Nicolson notesthatoncealaboratorygetsareliabletestinplace,thelaboratoryisoftenshutdown.Thereareonlya fewlabsleftthattestforMycoplasmaasaresult. Intestingticksforvariousmicrobialspecies,Dr.NicolsonhasfoundaveryhighincidenceofMycoplasma fermentans.However,otherMycoplasmaspecieshavealsobeenfoundsuchasM.pneumoniaeandM.hominis. Theincidenceoftheseotherspeciesisfarlower.Farandaway,itistheM.fermentansspeciesthatisseen inticks,andthisprobablyreflectsthehighincidenceofM.fermentanscoinfectionsinLymedisease. Intermsoflaboratorytesting,Dr.NicolsongenerallyrecommendsViralImmunePathology,formerlyknown asRedLabs.HehasfoundthattheusefulnessofanygivenlabintestingforMycoplasmachangesregularly. Inthepast,Dr.NicolsonusedMedicalDiagnosticLaboratories(MDL)fortesting,butlaterheandother physiciansfoundthatthetestingwasnolongerreliable.Asaresult,henolongerrecommendsMDL. Dr.NicolsonfindsthatlaboratoriestestingforMycoplasmaarehighlyscrutinizedbyfederalagenciesandthat mayaffectthewaythelabstestandreportthistypeofinfection.

5 MycoplasmaOftenOverlookedInChronicLymeDisease

Autoimmunity
ThomasMcPhersonBrown,MDstudiedMycoplasmaattheRockefellerInstitutejustbeforeWorldWarII.He wasabletoisolatebacteriafromthejointfluidofapersonwithautoimmunearthritisandbelievedthatthe infectioncouldhavebeenthetriggerforherdisease.Atthetime,theorganismsweretoosmalltoidentify precisely,butitwaslaterdeterminedtobeMycoplasma. Eventhen,Dr.BrownbelievedthatMycoplasmawasverycommonandnoteasytoeradicate.Hesuggested usingtetracyclinedrugsasaneffectivetreatmentforthedisease.HelaterfoundthatDoxycyclineand MinocyclinewereeffectiveatdealingwithMycoplasma.Thoughhegarneredpraisefromhispatients,hewas generallyregardedbythemedicalcommunityasmisguidedandatroublemaker.Hediedin1989priorto beingfullyvindicated.Fortunately,hisworkwasvalidatedthroughanNIHsponsoredstudycalledMIRAor MinocyclineinRheumatoidArthritis. DuetomanyofthecharacteristicsofMycoplasma,theymayberesponsibleforthetriggeringofnumerous autoimmuneresponses.AsMycoplasmareplicatewithincellsandareeventuallyreleased,theycapture antigensfromthesurfaceofthehostcellandincorporatetheseantigensintotheirownmembranes.This makesitalmostimpossibleforthebodytotellthedifferencebetweengoodandbad,betweenhumanand microbe,orbetweenusandthem.Asaresult,theimmunesystemmaybegintorespondtotheseantigens nowincorporatedintothecellwallsofthebacteriaandcreateaconditionofselfattack,orautoimmunity. Themicroorganismscanproducemimicryantigensthatmimicthenaturalhostsurfaceantigensandtrigger animmuneresponsetotheseantigenswhichmayalsoresultinautoimmuneconditionsthroughcross reactivity.Additionally,Mycoplasmamaycausecelldeathofhostcellsthroughaprocessknownasapoptosis orprogrammedcelldeath.

Treatment
ThoughvariousstrainsofMycoplasmahavetheirownuniquecharacteristicsanddrugresponses,treatment tendstobequitesimilar.Thevariationsinthestrainsdonotappeartobeafactorinasuccessfultreatment response. Dr.Nicolsonsuggeststhatinvitrodifferenceshavebeenfoundbutthatitisnotpossibletoeasilyextrapolate thesefindingstoaninvivoenvironment.Variousfactorsincludingdrugtargeting,drugclearance,andthe abilityforthedrugtocrossintovariousbodycompartmentsareimportantconsiderationsintreatmentthat cannotbeexaminedinvitro. Dr.Nicolsonbelievesthat,likemanyothercoinfectionsofLymedisease,Mycoplasmacannotbefully eradicated,butthatonceinfected,treatmentbecomesanongoingmanagementapproach.Henotesthat thisisacommonlyunderstoodfactandthatthesameistrueofotherorganismssuchasChlamydiaand Borrelia.Mycoplasmahavetheabilitytogointoaquiescentphaseinintracellularlocationswithinthebody. Onceintheselocations,neitherantibioticsnortheimmunesystemcaneffectivelyreachorkilltheorganisms. ManypeoplerecoverfromMycoplasmainfectionsandarefineforyears.Theymaylaterhaveanincident involvingseveretraumaorothersignificantlifestressorandsymptomsfullyreappearwithinweeksto months. Dr.Nicolsonrecommendsthatthephysicianadoptaninitial6monthcourseoftreatmentwithnobreak followedbyseveral6weekon,2weekoffantibioticcycles.Candidateantibioticsinclude:Doxycycline, Ciprofloxacin(Cipro),Azithromycin(Zithromax),Minocycline,orClarithromycin(Biaxin).Henotesthat antibioticcombinationsmayberequiredifthereisalimitedresponsetosingledrug,andmostpatients requireswitchingantibioticsatleastonceduringtheirtreatment.Somepatientsmayfindtheadditionof Flagyltobeabenefittotreatment.

6 MycoplasmaOftenOverlookedInChronicLymeDisease

InGulfWarpatients,onceeffectivelytreated,themajorityofpatientsrecovered.Forcivilians,sixmonthsis theminimumrecommendedtreatmentlength,andsomepatientsrequiremuchlongertreatmentinorderto recover. GiventhatMycoplasmahavesomecharacteristicsofviruses,somephysicianshavesuggestedthatFamviror Ganciclovirmaybeaddedtotheantibiotictherapy. HerxheimerreactionsdooccurwhentreatingMycoplasmainfections.Tominimizethisdieoffeffectwhere thepatientgenerallyfeelsmuchworsewhileontreatment,Dr.Nicolsonadvisesusing50mgoralBenadryl taken30minutesbeforetheantibiotics.Healsofindsthatastrainedblendof1wholelemon,1cupfruitjuice, and1tablespoonofoliveoilcanbehelpful. ThoughDr.NicolsonbelievesthatantibioticsarethemosteffectiveapproachtotreatingMycoplasma infections,hehasfoundsomegoodnaturaloptions.IntermsofnaturalapproachestotreatingMycoplasma, RaintreeNutrition(http://www.raintree.com)hascreatedseveralproductsthatmaybequitehelpfulfor patients.TheseincludeRaintreeMyco,RaintreeAF,andRaintreeImmuneSupport. Dr.NicolsonhasseenevidencethatMycoplasmaspecifictransferfactorssuchasthosefromChisholmLabs andotherscanbebeneficialinsomepatients.Hesaysthatmanynaturaloptionshelpinsomepatients,but thathisexperiencehasbeenthattheantibiotictreatmentresultsinthebestoutcomes.Inmany,recovery requiresapushandpullbetweenconventionalandalternativetreatments. None of these treatments are a panacea. It takes a combination of things to resolve a patients symptoms. OneofthehallmarksignsofMycoplasmainfectionisfatigue.Theinfectionsleadtooxidationinthebodythat leadstodamageofthecellmembranes.Oxidationacceleratesthedamagetothelipidsincellmembranes whichimpactsmitochondrialfunction.Thisleadstolessenergyinthecellandultimatelytoafatiguingofthe largerorganismduetothefactthatthereislessenergytosupportnecessarycellularfunctions. Inpatientswherefatigueisduetocellmembranedamage,Dr.NicolsonhasfoundNTFactortobehighly beneficial.NTFactorreplacesthedamagedlipidsandhelpstorestoremitochondrialfunction.Often, fatiguethenresolvesorisreduced. Dr.NicolsonhasfoundthatoxidativetherapiessuchasozonecanbehelpfulinthefightagainstMycoplasma. However,henotesthatthisisgenerallypalliativeanddoesnotproducethesameresultsastheantibiotic therapyinthelongterm.Hefindsthattheoxidativetherapiesaregenerallymorecytostaticthancytotoxic. Hyperbaricoxygenmaybehelpfulbutsimilarlydoesnotappeartobeahighlyeffectivetreatmentinthe longerterm. Inothercountries,IVdripswithH2O2(hydrogenperoxide)havebeenusedwithsomebenefit,butDr. Nicolsonnotesthatthesetherapies,whilepotentiallyeffective,arehighlydangerousandnotadvised. IntherealmoffrequencymedicineandRifetherapy,Dr.Nicolsonbelievesthatthefrequenciesthatcouldbe usedtoaddressMycoplasmaaretoosimilartonormalcellularfrequencies.Thus,heisnotcertainthatRife therapyisaneffectivewaytoapproachtheproblem. Inthenutritionalrealm,Dr.Nicolsonfindsthatmanypatientswithchronicinfectionsareimmunosuppressed andthatpropernutritionisvital.Hecautionsagainstsmokinganddrinking.Hesuggestsavoidanceofsugars transfats,andallergenicfoods.Headvisespatientstoincreasetheirfruits,vegetables,andwholegrains. Somedietarywinnersinsupportingtheimmunesystemincludecruciferousvegetables,solublefiberbased foodssuchasprunesandbran,wheatgerm,yogurt,fish,andwholegrains.

7 MycoplasmaOftenOverlookedInChronicLymeDisease

Patientsareoftendepletedinkeyvitaminsandminerals.SupplementationwithBComplex,VitaminC, VitaminE,andCoQ10areoftenbeneficial.Mineralsareoftennecessary.Dr.Nicolsonnotes,however,that manypeoplehavepoorabsorptionandmayrequiresublingualorinjectableformsofthesenutrients.Amino acids,flaxseed,andfishoilscanprovideadditionalsupport,butthebestnutritionforcellmembranesisNT Factor. Manypatientswithchronicillnesseshaveatoxicbodyburdenofheavymetalssuchasmercury,lead, cadmium,andaluminum.Hair,stool,andurinetestingisavailablethroughlabslikeDoctorsData (http://www.doctorsdata.com)andGenovaDiagnostics(http://www.gdx.net).Dr.Nicolsonhasseenreports ofpositiveresultswithEDTAchelationsuppositoriesfromDetoxamin(http://www.detoxamin.com)andoral chelatorsfromLongevityPlus(http://www.longevityplus.com). Forpatientsusingantibiotics,beneficialgutfloraisoftendepressed.Supplementationwithahighquality probioticisimportant,butprobioticshavetobetakentwohoursorlongeraftertakingantibiotics.Natural immunesupportcanbehelpfulintheformofwheyproteins,transferfactors,orimmunesupportproducts suchasBeyondImmuniTfromLongevityPlus.

Biolfims
Dr.NicolsonbelievesthatbiofilmsareafactorinsuccessfullytreatingMycoplasmainfections.Incasesthat arerefractorytoantibiotics,biofilmsarelikelyamajorfactor. Inmenwithchronicrefractoryprostatitiswhichisinfectionbased,oneoftencannotbetreatedeffectively withantibiotics.However,whenDetoxamin(EDTA)orotheragentstoaddressthebiofilmsareused,itthen becomespossibletotreattheseinfectionswithtetracyclines.Patientsquicklyshowfunctionalincreasesand decreasesinpainothersymptoms.

Summary
InchronicLymedisease,itisoftendifficulttoknowwhichinfectionsareactuallyresponsibleforthe persistenceofillness.However,ingeneralterms,chronicintracellularinfectionsthatchangethemetabolism ofcellsandsuppressmitochondrialandotherfunctionswillleadtopatientsremaininginachronicallyill state.Dr.Nicolsonbelievesthattheseinfectionsmustbeaggressivelytreated.SimilartochronicLyme disease,thecurrentCDCorIDSArecommendationsforshorttermtreatmentofchronicinfectionsaresimply inadequate,hesays. Dr.Nicolsonhasfoundthatthereisahierarchyofsymptomsthatresolverelativelyquicklyandthosethat resolvemoreslowlywhentreatingMycoplasma.GutassociatedphenomenonsuchasIrritableBowel Syndrome(IBS)oftenresolvequickly.Othersystemicsignsandsymptomscanresolveinanintermediate periodoftimefrommanyweekstomanymonths.Symptomsassociatedwiththecentralandperipheral nervoussystemssuchasneuropathyandpainoftenresolvemuchmoreslowly.Skinsensitivityandburning sensationsmaytakemuchlongertoresolve.Mycoplasmainfectionsdoinvadenerves,andnerverelated symptomsareamongthemoredifficulttoresolve. Dr.NicolsonstatesWekeepseeingthesuppressionofinformationonMycoplasmaandsimilarintracellular bacterialinfections.TheworldofMycoplasmaparallelstheworldofchronicLymediseaseintermsofthe politicsinvolved.Physiciansarebeingpersecutedbytheirmedicalboardsasaresultofbadinformation.Itis importantforustodoeverythingwithinourpowertogetridofharmful,erroneousinformationaboutthese diseases.BothMycoplasmaandBorreliahavebeenmanipulatedforbiologicalweaponspurposesandasa result,botharepoliticallyincorrecttodiscuss,workon,ordoanythingabout.Untilthischanges,wewont seeanyrealprogress.

Resources ProfessorGarthL.NicolsonisthePresident,ChiefScientificOfficerandResearchProfessorattheInstitutefor MolecularMedicineinHuntingtonBeach,California.Bornin1943inLosAngeles,Dr.Nicolsonreceivedhis B.S.inChemistryfromUniversityofCaliforniaatLosAngelesin1965andhisPh.D.inBiochemistryandCell

8 MycoplasmaOftenOverlookedInChronicLymeDisease

BiologyfromtheUniversityofCaliforniaatSanDiegoin1970.ProfessorNicolsonhaspublishedover580 medicalandscientificpapers,edited15books,andservedontheEditorialBoardsof30medicalandscientific journals.HeisalsoaColonel(Honorary)oftheU.S.ArmySpecialForcesandaU.S.NavySEAL(Honorary)for hisworkonArmedForcesandveteransillnesses.MoreinformationonDr.Nicolsonsworkcanbefoundon hiswebsiteathttp://www.immed.org. ThebookProjectDayLilyisavailableathttp://www.projectdaylily.com/ ScottForsgrenistheeditorandfounderofBetterHealthGuy.comwhereheshareshistwelve yearjourneythroughachronicillnessonlydiagnosedasLymediseaseaftereightyearsof searchingforanswers.ScottcanbereachedatScott@BetterHealthGuy.com. AdditionalinformationonNTFactorcanbefoundathttp://www.ntfactor.com orhttp://www.researchednutritionals.com.

9 MycoplasmaOftenOverlookedInChronicLymeDisease