Another Doctor AWAKENED to Morgellons

[BugSick]

Morgellons Disease -
Anything BUT 'Delusional'
Dr. Robert C. Bransfield, MD
6-3-7

Letters to the Editor

Psychiatric News June 1, 2007
Volume 42, Number 11, page 24
© 2007 American Psychiatric Association

I am pleased to see that in the December 15, 2006, issue, Psychiatric News drew attention to Morgellons disease and that the excellent article gave sound advice on communicating with delusional parasitosis patients. However, I would like to add comments about the distinction between Morgellons disease and delusional parasitosis.

I've evaluated and treated Morgellons patients, spoken with researchers and other clinicians who work with these patients, read the limited literature on the subject, and reviewed a database of 3,000 Morgellons patients. The Morgellons patients I have seen had surprisingly similar symptoms, with an abrupt onset, often following a toxic exposure. Before the onset of their illness, these patients' mental status appeared to be quite representative of the general population, and some (including physicians) were high-functioning professionals. The condition appears more common in nurses, teachers, and in family members in the same household, which suggests a contagious component.

After the onset of the illness, these patients report surprisingly similar symptoms. They have a combination of bizarre dermatological sy mptoms, cognit ive impairments, mood disturbances, and sometimes paranoia and suicide attempts in later stages of the illness.

Their symptoms are not compatible with schizophrenia, bipolar illness, substance abuse, or other recognized causes of delusions. When patients complain of fibers protruding from their skin, examination with a low-power digital microscope can visualize and photograph the presence or absence of these fibers. In addition, many Morgellons patients test positive for Lyme disease. The mental symptoms seen in Morgellons are similar to those of other chronic general medical illnesses with psychiatric manifestations, since the mental symptoms fluctuate in a pattern similar to that of the general medical symptoms; and this suggests that the mental symptoms are probably associated with immune and/or toxic effects upon the brain.

When these patients are treated with modest courses of antibiotics, their dermatological and psychiatric symptoms often show significant improvement. Without a thorough assessment, Morgellons patients are commonly given a diagnosis of delusional parasitosis, resulting in a delay in proper treatment. Whatever Morgellons is, it is something very different and unique and should be considered as a condition needing further study and possibly listed in the next edition of the DSM.

In summary, Morgellons disease and delusional parasitosis are two distinct clinical entities. Morgellons does not appear to be an imaginary or delusional illness and merits the research effort that we see with any other emerging and serious illness.

http://pn.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/c...2/11/24-b?etoc

[hilly]

Bugsick.. this is really good. Dr. Bransfield is clearly someone to be reckoned with. He's interested in the connection between Lymes and other tick-borne diseases and mental health. Has written books and appeared on TV , Radio etc etc... a good person to have on our side... Hilly x

[hummingbird]

Thanks for this post bugsick, it shows that progress is occurring.
hummingbird

[Elbom]

Originally Posted by BugSick

Morgellons Disease -
Anything BUT 'Delusional'
Dr. Robert C. Bransfield, MD
6-3-7

Letters to the Editor

Psychiatric News June 1, 2007
Volume 42, Number 11, page 24
© 2007 American Psychiatric Association

I am pleased to see that in the December 15, 2006, issue, Psychiatric News drew attention to Morgellons disease and that the excellent article gave sound advice on communicating with delusional parasitosis patients. However, I would like to add comments about the distinction between Morgellons disease and delusional parasitosis.

I've evaluated and treated Morgellons patients, spoken with researchers and other clinicians who work with these patients, read the limited literature on the subject, and reviewed a database of 3,000 Morgellons patients. The Morgellons patients I have seen had surprisingly similar symptoms, with an abrupt onset, often following a toxic exposure. Before the onset of their illness, these patients' mental status appeared to be quite representative of the general population, and some (including physicians) were high-functioning professionals. The condition appears more common in nurses, teachers, and in family members in the same household, which suggests a contagious component.

After the onset of the illness, these patients report surprisingly similar symptoms. They have a combination of bizarre dermatological sy mptoms, cognit ive impairments, mood disturbances, and sometimes paranoia and suicide attempts in later stages of the illness.

Their symptoms are not compatible with schizophrenia, bipolar illness, substance abuse, or other recognized causes of delusions. When patients complain of fibers protruding from their skin, examination with a low-power digital microscope can visualize and photograph the presence or absence of these fibers. In addition, many Morgellons patients test positive for Lyme disease. The mental symptoms seen in Morgellons are similar to those of other chronic general medical illnesses with psychiatric manifestations, since the mental symptoms fluctuate in a pattern similar to that of the general medical symptoms; and this suggests that the mental symptoms are probably associated with immune and/or toxic effects upon the brain.

When these patients are treated with modest courses of antibiotics, their dermatological and psychiatric symptoms often show significant improvement. Without a thorough assessment, Morgellons patients are commonly given a diagnosis of delusional parasitosis, resulting in a delay in proper treatment. Whatever Morgellons is, it is something very different and unique and should be considered as a condition needing further study and possibly listed in the next edition of the DSM.

In summary, Morgellons disease and delusional parasitosis are two distinct clinical entities. Morgellons does not appear to be an imaginary or delusional illness and merits the research effort that we see with any other emerging and serious illness.

http://pn.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/c...2/11/24-b?etoc

I offer you my sincere congratulations and my absolute delight in the interpretation of your analysis and findings Dr. Bransfield.
It is most refreshing to find a medical practitioner who has a vision as broad as yours would seem to be.
I have searched the world for the appropriate platform to address this disease and I have spent a great deal of time trying to find researchers and medical people with whom I can share my knowledge. (and who actually have the grace to believe me!)

Whether you believe it or not, I know a vast amount about this disease and I can confirm without any fear of contradiction that it is NOT delusional parasitosis but it does have a rather (almost) genius ability to confuse a sufferer into suggesting such a diagnosis. It is a completely seperate clinical entity and I offer the following extract pasted from a previous posting:
I live in South Africa and Morgellons is here too. It is widespread through all our rainbow population and I know this is so.
I too contracted this disease about 18 months ago and I know where, when, how and perhaps why... and I no longer have it.
I have initmately studied and documented this disease within my own body and I have witnessed the horror of it. Make no mistake, it is very real, it is pathalogically disturbing and it can be dramatically horrible depending on how developed it is within the body.
It manifests and develops at different rates in sufferers and some have external indications (such as lesions) and some do not. Lesions are not the only external indications. Please understand that the skin manifestations (lesions/sores) is not Morgellons as such, it is only a confirmation of infection!! Morgellons Disease is a highly contagious (at times) disease which affects every main organ (except the heart although the cardio-vascular system is affected as a whole) as well as ever major system within the body. It is a self-generating, self-sustaining affliction and I can directly relate to the vast majority of reported manifestations from across the world.
I am not delusional or psychotic but I am a very experienced engineer and technologist with an acute understanding of such things. Particularly Morgellons.
I have researched how it transmits, how it infects and how it behaves and what it does.

Here is a poem which I recently wrote to perhaps explain.....

I have seen the lesions and the fibers and I have studied them.
I have grown the hairs and shed the flakes and analyzed them.
I have felt the “bugs” and found them.
I have seen my friends and found it in them.
I have had the tubes and closed them.
I have coughed and squeezed the slime of them.
I have felt the filters and extracted them.
I have found the secrets and simplified them.
I have determined the complexes and ruined them.
I have plucked the roots and poisoned them.
I have understood the determinations and defeated them.
I exposed the defenses around them.
And finally I disposed of them.

There is no defined cure yet, no clear diagnosis and the methods of infection have not been determined.
But I do know them all...
I know a great deal about this thing called Morgellons....
Greetings from South Africa

[Franky]

BugSick slowly but surely doctors are coming out of the woodwork. Its going to take a long time, but the suffering people cant be ignored forever.

[lindalu]

El,
How did you get rid of it
Linda

[lindalu]

I am not going to say i found a morg reformend dr, although I did find a dr that offered me some concrete possible solutions. This dr is my friend's uncle and is in his late 70's, but sharp as a tack and not afraid to "deal with whatever". we had talked a week or so ago and I went in to see him today. As he had said before, he felt as if the original infections were never adequately/properly dealt with from the git-go. He felt as if they used too weak of antibiotics to "kill" what I had-which trhey originally said was staph. However, the fact that they undermedicated me with prolonged anti-biotics, just gave the fungal infection more ability to multiply and spread because the anti-biotics were slowly killing off the good bacteria that fight the fungus. He acknowledged the "pockets" or colonies" and said the lines, tunnels or burrows were a part of the infection spreading-- loooking for a new place to colonize. He basically said I needed what most of the protocols call for - anti-fungal and anti-biotic. I had just recently been told that my lab work showed no parasites. (? acuracy, but I have taken herbal parasitic cleansers for an extended period).
He then told me that one of the best things i can do in the areas of infection is to lather the area well with an antibacterial soap and to hold a very hot washcloth on it to open the pores. Then apply an anti-fungal topical while the pores are open to try and draw out as much as possible from the outside. He said the more that comes out the better.
He is the first dr that has made any sense since I started dealing with this. I did not bring up the M word though.
Linda

[BugSick]

The reason this disease stealth's lab work is because it is NANO technology.....

The lab tests they have used since the beginning of time is NO GOOD for NANO sized organisms.....

In Dr. Hildy's report she mentioned these were 1/150th the normal size of a virus......that is how NANO (made smaller) these things are....

My husband was told these designer bugs were (NANO'd or MADE SMALLER) so they would compact better......but that is where the huge mistake was made....

They took something found in nature that was safe and NANO'd them (made them smaller) and that is how these designer bugs are now VIRAL......they made them VIRAL when they reduced their size....

and NO PROPER TESTING was made available to the medical community to ensure these were NOT infecting the general population......

it is the lack of COMMUNICATION, lack of PROPER TESTING AVAILABLE and lack of TRAINING with the medical community to ensure the safety......THEY know exactly what has happened and best I can say is it is the BLUNDER OF THE CENTURY......spread by denial and ignorance....