Diagnosis and treatment of Babesia & other coinfections
If you have been treated for Lyme Disease but you’re still in pain, you may have MCIDS, or Multiple Chronic Infectious Disease Syndrome. Dr Richard Horowitz coined this term for patients presenting with symptoms of multiple chronic infections, many that don’t test positive with the standard tests. Challenges to the immune system include chronic inflammation, problems detoxifying heavy metals, sleep disorders which in turn exacerbate inflammation, and mitochondrial infections. Patients with multiple coinfections may have a suppressed immune system, and ultimately it is the inflammation that causes the problems.
Dr. Horowitz has treated almost 12,000 patients with Lyme Disease over the past twenty years. He has observed that most of his patients have had multiple infections, viruses and parasites and that for this reason, the standard of care recommended by the IDSA has been less than effective. Patients may have one or more coinfections such as Babesia, Erlichia, Bartonella, additional piroplasms which don’t test well with the standard testing. Some have hormonal disorders, nutritional and enzyme deficiencies, GI problems, autonomic nervous system disfunction and other symptom complexes.
To describe the challenge of treating a patient with MCIDS, Dr Horowitz uses the following analogy. “It’s like the patient has ten nails in their foot, and you pull out only one. They still have pain.” Doctors need to address all of the factors and overlapping symptoms.
Also, there are evidently different strains of Borrelia and Babesia that may not be detected with the ELISA or the Western Blot tests. Recent evidence suggests that new species of tick borne coinfections may be arising and may occur in regions of the US and worldwide. One tick bite can transmit a cesspool of multiple infections.
Here is an intriguing paper by Dr. Horowitz illustrating the interest in investigating Alternative Medicine to treat Lyme and coinfections that elude conventional Western medicine. Herbs, Hormones & Heavy Metals. (.pdf)
Dr. Richard Horowitz is the President of the International Lyme and Associated Disease Educational Foundation. He serves the Lyme community in multiple ways, primarily as an internist at the Hudson Valley Healing Arts Center, in Hyde Park, New York. In 2007, the Turn the Corner Foundation named him the Humanitarian of the Year for his ongoing work with chronic Lyme disease.
Dr. Horowitz has treated almost 12,000 patients with Lyme Disease over the past twenty years. He has observed that most of his patients have had multiple infections, viruses and parasites and that for this reason, the standard of care recommended by the IDSA has been less than effective. Patients may have one or more coinfections such as Babesia, Erlichia, Bartonella, additional piroplasms which don’t test well with the standard testing. Some have hormonal disorders, nutritional and enzyme deficiencies, GI problems, autonomic nervous system disfunction and other symptom complexes.
To describe the challenge of treating a patient with MCIDS, Dr Horowitz uses the following analogy. “It’s like the patient has ten nails in their foot, and you pull out only one. They still have pain.” Doctors need to address all of the factors and overlapping symptoms.
Also, there are evidently different strains of Borrelia and Babesia that may not be detected with the ELISA or the Western Blot tests. Recent evidence suggests that new species of tick borne coinfections may be arising and may occur in regions of the US and worldwide. One tick bite can transmit a cesspool of multiple infections.
Here is an intriguing paper by Dr. Horowitz illustrating the interest in investigating Alternative Medicine to treat Lyme and coinfections that elude conventional Western medicine. Herbs, Hormones & Heavy Metals. (.pdf)
Dr. Richard Horowitz is the President of the International Lyme and Associated Disease Educational Foundation. He serves the Lyme community in multiple ways, primarily as an internist at the Hudson Valley Healing Arts Center, in Hyde Park, New York. In 2007, the Turn the Corner Foundation named him the Humanitarian of the Year for his ongoing work with chronic Lyme disease.
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