Gulf War Illness Cure-Mycoplasma-Missing Link

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Gulf War Illness Cure-Mycoplasma-Missing Link

 

 

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All Organic Food.com Gulf War Illness Cure-Mycoplasma

 

 

 

Gulf War Illness Cure

Mycoplasmas:The Missing Link in Fatiguing Illnesses

 

A darkfield microscope image (at 4000X) shows mycoplasma (bright

white objects) on the surface of a fiber, surrounded by clumped red blood cells

and platelets. This proliferation of mycoplasma may be a cause of the clumping

of the blood cells and the platelet aggregation. All are a product of the same

imbalanced blood ecology due to toxicity, infection, poor nutrient utilization,

etc., which result in a less than optimal pH (acid/alkaline) balance. In these

conditions, mycoplasma can continue to develop and directly cause further

problems on their own. [photo credits: top-Nulife Sciences, Petaluma, CA;

below-Mycoplasma Research Institute, Beverly Hills, FL]

 

 

 

 

 

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INTRODUCTION

 

[by Burton Linne] This undated report by Michael Guthrie,RPh, was

published in the September 2001 edition of Alternative Medicine magazine,

www.alternativemedicine.com and is viewable now in its original format on its

website. Best of its kind anywhere.

 

Here are the results of the Nicolsons' investigation into the disease that

short circuited their GWI stricken USAF noncom daughter's dream of becoming a

pilot. They found it. Moreover, they invented a new way to reliably detect

mycoplasmas. Their conclusions are dismal: no cure available today.

 

CONCLUSIONS

 

GWI is controllable but not curable. Likewise for other mycoplasma

infested infections such as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome CFS and Amytropic Lateral

Sclerosis ALS.

Spores are mycoplasma travel forms. The various strains of mycoplasmas all

travel about looking for new hosts as spores. As a spore, it cannot be affected

by antibiotics which deal with bacteria, nor virucides which deal with viruses.

Or fungicides which deal with fungi.

Therapy that greatly helped, but did not cure, their daughter consisted of

dietary controls to boost her immune systems and constant intake of very strong

antibiotics to catch the mycoplasmas wherever they appear in their bacterial

form—“long term antibiotics.” Ugh! Dreadful side effects.

 

ALTERNATIVE CONCLUSION

 

Shaped pure energy destroys pathogenic bacteria, all viruses, fungi, and

spores. Electromedicine, is now curing chronic degenerative diseases starting

with cancer. Zappers No pharmaceuticals! No side effects. Hardly any expense at

all. Will it cure GWI? No hard reports yet, but it is effective against Chronic

Fatigue Syndrome, Lyme Disease and ALS.

 

Buy a zapper from www.drclark.com. to cure yourself. A complete therapy

kit will also require an ozonator. And a parasite detox kit. And a couple of

books. Total investment will come to less than what it costs for a first office

visit and all the lab tests that will be ordered by a studiously ignorant

mainstream physician.

 

Study the other mycoplasma report on this site: Mycoplasma. Go 100%

organic food including your water. Get Hulda Regehr Clark's book: Cure for

Advanced Cancer— 1999 edition.Clark Biography

 

 

 

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Below: an electron micrograph of a mycoplasma in its classic

" doughnut " shape (120,000X).

These mysterious microorganisms can play a major role in a wide range of

diseases including rheumatoid arthritis, chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia

syndromes, multiple sclerosis, Gulf War Illness, Crohn's disease and other

inflammatory bowel diseases, diabetes and even aggressive cancers. Without

proper diagnosis and treatment of mycoplasma infections, curing these conditions

can be difficult or impossible.

 

 

 

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Staff Sergeant Sharron Nicolson, Crew Chief of an Army Blackhawk

helicopter, was happy to see everyone return safely from their last deep mission

into Iraqi territory. She and her unit would soon join the thousands of U.S.

military personnel headed home from the Gulf War, and Sharron was looking

forward to finishing her pilot training. But shortly after returning to the U.S.

in 1991, Sharron began experiencing constant fatigue, muscle and joint pain and

other debilitating symptoms similar to those associated with Chronic Fatigue

Syndrome (CFS). She found it impossible to meet the demands of flight school and

sadly realized her dream of a flying career was over.

 

 

When routine medical tests revealed no answers, Sharron started looking

for more help. At the time, she was unaware that over 50,000 soldiers had

returned from the Gulf War with similar symptoms. (This number has now grown to

over 100,000.) Fortunately, Sharron had the advantage of being the daughter of

two top researchers in molecular and cellular biology: Drs. Garth L. and Nancy

L. Nicolson.

 

At the time of Sharron's return home in the early 1990s, Garth Nicolson,

Ph.D., was an esteemed researcher and academic, holding the David Bruton Jr.

Chair in Cancer Research at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.

Nancy Nicolson, Ph.D., a former instructor in the Department of Immunology and

Microbiology at Baylor College of Medicine, was also a world-renowned molecular

biologist. The Nicolsons were compelled into action on behalf of their daughter

and other veterans whose disabling symptoms were being misdiagnosed as

post-traumatic stress disorder and/or other conditions.

 

The Nicolsons realized that Sharron was experiencing similar symptoms to

what Nancy had experienced years earlier. The cause of Nancy's pain and fatigue

had finally been diagnosed as an infection of invasive mycoplasmas. The

Nicolsons knew these little-known microscopic masters of hide-and-seek were

generally responsive to certain antibiotics. They put Sharron on a course of

doxycycline antibiotic therapy and she dramatically improved.

 

Word spread and members of other Airborne and Special Forces Units who had

similar symptoms began asking for assistance. The Nicolsons, anxious to help,

began researching what became known as Gulf War Illness (GWI). It did not take

long for them to realize that there was a significant overlap in the symptoms of

GWI, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), Fibromyalgia Syndrome (FMS) and other

conditions that fall under the umbrella term of“fatiguing illnesses.”

 

Mysterious parasites

 

Mycoplasmas are the smallest self-replicating organisms known to science.

Viruses are even smaller, but they lack the genetic machinery to self-replicate.

There are hundreds of types of mycoplasmas that can be found in plants, insects

and animals, but only a few can be found in the blood and tissues throughout the

human body. Not all mycoplasmas found in humans are pathogenic

(disease-causing).

 

Mycoplasmas have some of the simplest genomes among bacteria. The

best-known pathogenic mycoplasma, M. pneumoniae, the cause of " walking

pneumonia, " contains only 677 protein-coding gene sequences (by comparison, E.

colicontains about 4,000). Mycoplasmas do not contain the genes needed for amino

and fatty acid or vitamin synthesis; thus, they need to steal certain amino

acids, fats, vitamins and other nutrients from host cells in order to survive.

Simply put, they are parasitic bacteria. Garth Nicolson explains, " Once in the

cell, they steal lipids (fats) like cholesterol from the mitochondria, the

components of a cell that produces energy. This makes the mitochondria 'leaky,'

and they lose electrons. This is similar to a battery running down when the

insulation around the battery is removed. This may be why patients with

intracellular pathogenic mycoplasmas are almost always fatigued. They have run

their cellular batteries down, so that less high energy molecules are available,

and they are exhausted at the cellular level. "

 

Immune disruption

 

Mycoplasmas can also disrupt the normal orchestration and organization of

the host's immune system. They can cause lymphocytes (white blood cells that

bear the major responsibility of the immune system) to secrete inflammatory

cytokines (proteins that facilitate cell-to-cell communication), which leads to

swelling, inflammation and either stimulation or suppression of the immune

system.

 

Because pathogenic mycoplasmas leaving a cell they have infected can

incorporate much of the host's cell surface material into their own surface

structure, they can instigate an autoimmune response in which the immune system

starts attacking the host's own cells, a process that can result in severe

tissue damage and pain. Meanwhile, the mycoplasmas evade the immune system by

hiding inside host cells or fusing with the cellular membrane of the host cells.

Certain pathogenic mycoplasmas can also invade lymphocytes and disrupt their

functioning without provoking an immune response. Using a trick known as

" molecular mimicry, " mycoplasmas can even closely resemble host structures to

fool the immune system into thinking that they are normal host cells.

 

After invading host cells, mycoplasmas can trigger the release of

" reactive oxygen " free radicals that modify the RNA and DNA of the cells, an

event that can eventually lead to malignant transformation. This phenomenon has

been observed in a laboratory study in which benign (non-cancerous) cells

infected by mycoplasmas became irreversibly malignant (cancerous) after 18 cell

divisions. Dr. Nicolson has been working with two colleagues, Drs. Darryl See

and Ferre Akbarpour, of the Immune Institute in Huntington Beach. Their research

has found that nearly 90% of certain late-stage cancer patients show infection

with pathogenic mycoplasmas. These mycoplasmas appear to drive the progression

of cancer cells, making them more malignant and metastatic (capable of spreading

throughout the body).

 

Mycoplasmas can also invade the lining of blood vessels, where they appear

to facilitate the release of biochemicals that can cause vasculitis

(inflammation of blood vessels due to infection) and the formation of plaque

inside blood vessel wall surfaces.

 

Smart and slinky—Pleomorphic

 

Mycoplasmas are well equipped to play biological sleight-of-hand,

appearing then disappearing, changing shape, shuffling their surface components,

ducking into cells, then parading as normal citizens of the human flora dressed

in clothes stolen from the cells they invaded. They're elusive because they are

pleomorphic (structurally changing). They do not have rigid cell walls like most

bacteria; instead they possess fluid lipid (water-insoluble fats) outer

surfaces, and like tiny jellyfish, they can squeeze, bend and move into tight

spaces. They can also slide right through laboratory and hospital filters used

to produce or maintain sterility--making them one of the most common

contaminants in diagnostic laboratories and vaccine manufacturing. In one recent

study of vaccines, mycoplasmas were found to contaminate about 6% of commercial

vaccines.

A stained darkfield image of mycoplasma (white dots) attached to red

blood cell membranes.

 

 

Mycoplasma are pleomorphic; that is, they change forms. The short

string shapes are linked mycoplasma. In this form they are able to invade and

smother red blood cells. The shiny circles are red blood cells that still

contain hemoglobin; the circular, more collapsed shapes are red blood cells that

the parasitic mycoplasma have robbed of their nutrients.

 

 

M. arthriditis (100,000X), which, in animal studies, have been

shown to trigger and exacerbate rheumatoid arthritis.

 

 

 

These microorganisms have been quite successful in adapting to many

environments, infecting everything from insects to elephants, plants to people.

Generally, they are species-specific, but there appear to be many exceptions.

Garth Nicolson relates more than one case in which the pets of GWI or CFS

patients were exhibiting similar symptoms as their owners, and then tested

positive for the same mycoplasmas. No one knows for sure how contagious

mycoplasmas are, but it appears that transmission may occur among infected

people in close proximity for extended periods of time.

 

Not everyone who is exposed becomes sick. For example, when Nicolson

studied Gulf War veterans' families who became sick with symptoms similar to

GWI, he found that not every member of the family became sick, but those that

did become ill had the same infection as found in the sick veteran.

 

Detecting mycoplasmas

 

When the Nicolsons began to explore the connection between GWI and

mycoplasma, they first had to figure out how to screen people with GWI signs and

symptoms for the presence of these pathogens. This was easier said than done.

Since mycoplasmas are extremely small, change shape and lack rigid and

distinctive cell walls, they're impossible to find using conventional

microbiology techniques. They won't grow in a standard culture medium, and they

are not usually revealed by standard tests that look for antibodies (proteins

made by a white blood cell as a primary defense against foreign substances).

Some people do show antibody responses to certain mycoplasmas, but antibody

tests are still not specific enough to make a diagnosis.

 

Using a technique called nucleoprotein gene tracking developed by the

Nicolsons, they were able to identify mycoplasma genetic elements in white blood

cells of GWI patients. However, conventional Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)

tests performed by Army pathologists did not confirm the presence of mycoplasma

DNA.

 

Eventually, the Nicolsons developed a new PCR test based on techniques

used by forensic pathologists to test for DNA from crime scenes. This test

revealed that over 40% of the GWI patients were positive for “invasive”

mycoplasma (not mycoplasma in superficial sites such as nose, throat and

genitourinary tract).

 

The Nicolsons found mycoplasmas, especially M. fermentans, inside tissues

and in certain white blood cells—the very cells that are normally involved in

the destruction of pathogenic invaders. “Mycoplasmas are not found systemically

in most normal subjects—only a few percent of asymptomatic subjects have

evidence of mycoplasma in their blood. I don't consider oral mycoplasma, or

mycoplasma at other superficial sites to be evidence of an infection. It is more

likely simple bacterial colonization, and unless these mycoplasma invade the

epithelial cell layer (a thin layer of tissue that covers a surface or lines a

cavity), they are probably benign nonpathogenic residents,” explains Nicolson.

 

The researchers' results were significant and published in several

journals. Other investigators, especially those working with Gulf War Vets, were

able to duplicate the results, but the Nicolson's work was largely dismissed or

ignored by the Department of Defense. However, in February, 2000, psychiatrist

Lt. Col. Charles Engel, M.D., director of the Gulf War Illness Center at Walter

Reed Army Medical Center, presented pivotal information to a Chronic Fatigue

Syndrome (CFS) coordinating board at the National Institutes of Health.

A study conducted independently for the U.S. Departments of Defense and

Veterans Affairs demonstrated that approximately 40% of more than 1,600 GWI

patients were positive for mycoplasma infections, and 80% of those were positive

for M. fermentans. Lt. Col. Engel also stated that he felt that these infections

might also be an important cause of CFS. The study findings nearly duplicated

the figures that the Nicolsons had reported earlier: 45% positive for

mycoplasma; 80% with M. fermentans.

 

 

Currently, other prominent researchers are corroborating the role of

mycoplasmas in disease. The number of known conditions in which mycoplasmas play

a role is growing, thanks to advances in detection. Mycoplasmas are now said to

be contributors, or at least cofactors, in a number of conditions, including

CFS/ CFIDS, fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS), lupus, multiple sclerosis (MS),

psoriasis, scleroderma, Crohn's disease, solid cancers, leukemia, lymphoma,

 

Diagnostic Testing for Pathogenic Mycoplasmas

 

So what do you do if you suspect you are infected with mycoplasmas? You

should be tested by a certified clinical laboratory equipped with the

specialized molecular tests to find pathogenic mycoplasmas. You should also be

tested for other organisms, i.e., bacteria and viruses, associated with these

chronic diseases. The Nicolsons have developed a battery of tests for patients

suffering with the diseases mentioned in this article. These tests must be

ordered by your physician.

The Nicolsons maintain two websites. The website for the certified

reference laboratory, International Molecular Diagnostics, is www.imd-lab.com;

telephone 714-799-7177. On this website you will find additional information

about diagnostic testing and disease. The Institute for Molecular Medicine

website is www.immed.org. Here, you will find publications and documents on CFS,

FMS, autoimmune diseases and other chronic illnesses. Immediate fax-back

information is available 24-hours-a-day by calling 714-903-2900. Amyotrophic

Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), asthma, atypical

pneumonia, Sjogren's syndrome, interstitial cystitis, Alzheimer's and

cardiovascular diseases.

 

Mycoplasmas have also been associated with a variety of autoimmune

diseases that can cause definite changes in nerve conduction, demyelation (a

degenerative process that erodes away the myelin sheath that normally protects

nerve fibers) and sensitivity.

 

Dr. Nicolson says that the role of mycoplasmas in various illnesses and

diseases is now gradually being accepted, especially in those once

long-suspected as being " psychological. " Acceptance is due to the recognition

that symptoms cannot be explained solely by psychological criteria, and because

discrete clinical markers have been discovered. For example, the vasculitis

(inflammation of blood vessels) found in mycoplasma-positive patients correlates

with evidence of mycoplasma-induced abnormalities in blood cells and proteins

related to blood clotting.

 

 

Current mycoplasma research

 

Recently, Dr. Nicolson has focused on various autoimmune neurological

diseases such as ALS, MS, Lyme disease and others. For example, approximately

85% of patients with ALS ( " Lou Gehrig's disease " ) tested positive for systemic

mycoplasma infections, and most of these infections involve M. fermentans and/or

M. hominis.

 

Dr. Nicolson is working closely with Drs. See and Akbarpour on ALS, a

condition in which patients lose control of their motor and skeletal muscles

over a period of two to five years. Their research revealed that almost all ALS

patients have co-infections with a virus from the enterovirus family (a virus

related to the polio virus that replicates mostly in the gastrointestinal

tract)--and mycoplasmas. The three doctors have been conducting a clinical

treatment study of ALS utilizing antibiotics, antivirals and nerve growth

factors. They are seeing positive results so far, as measured by increases in

muscle strength.

 

Other illnesses often have multiple strains of mycoplasmas, or mycoplasmas

combined with co-infections of other bacteria or viruses. " In recent published

studies from our laboratory, most CFS and FMS patients had multiple mycoplasmal

infections. The number of different mycoplasmal species in these patients

increased with the number of years the patients were sick and with the severity

of their illness, " says Dr. Nicolson.

 

" We have found that when the few asymptomatic subjects have blood

mycoplasmal infections, they have only one species, versus when we examine

patients who are sick with various chronic illnesses, they usually have multiple

species of mycoplasmas and other infections such as the cytomegalo virus. In

Lyme disease, we often find mycoplasmal co-infections, most frequently, M.

fermentans, along with the Borrelia that causes it. This makes sense when you

consider that insects, such as the ticks that carry the Borrelia, also can carry

mycoplasmas. Dr. Eli Mordechai of Medical Diagnostics Lab of New Jersey has

exactly the same findings in Lyme disease patients. "

 

All the researchers above agree that long-term antibiotics must be

initiated to treat mycoplasmal infections. Additional strategies must be applied

to protect and strengthen the immune system and provide essential nutrients and

vitamins.

 

" We always try to use the least toxic approaches in working with

pathologies, so we use a lot of natural products, " Dr. See says. For example,

probiotics and non-denatured whey protein isolates are used to support the GI

tract--a combination that helps prevent overgrowth of undesirable

microorganisms. " However, " adds Dr. See, " in our experience, and in the

literature, we have found no other way to deal with mycoplasmas than fairly

long-term treatment with certain antibiotics. " Fortunately, the Nicolsons and

their colleagues have succeeded in helping many veterans and others infected

with mycoplasmas, but controversies surrounding their work and these mysterious

microorganisms still persist.

 

Says Dr. Nicolson, " Future efforts to explain and treat a variety of

chronic illnesses that currently have unknown etiologies (causes) will

undoubtedly focus more on chronic infections as underlying causes or as

opportunistic infections in immune-impaired patients. We have found that chronic

infections caused by mycoplasmas, viruses and other microorganisms cannot be

ignored, because these patients will remain ill and not recover from their

illnesses if these infections remain untreated. "

 

Additional information on mycoplasma treatment, yeast overgrowth,

nutrition, and treating multiple infections associated with mycoplasmas can be

found on the Institute for Molecular Medicine's website www.immed.org.

Michael Guthrie R.Ph. is a clinical pharmacist with hospital, business and

residential experience, who began researching scientifically validated

integrative medical approaches. For the last few years, he has worked as a

freelance medical writer and consultant involved in the development of print,

web and video for the integrative-medical community.

 

 

 

 

--

 

Mary Cassatt: At The Theatre— 1879

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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