Colds and Flu

[Jason]

Does anyone on this forum notice when there really bad with Morgellons that no matter what you do you can't catch a cold.

I went for months on end sitting near people and living with people that would have normally been very contagious but never caught the virus. Before the Morgellon/Lyme infection i was very prone to catching colds and flus.

What flagged my attention to this was a posting on one of the big Lyme disease websites where a large number of members were reporting difficulty in catching colds and flus. The theory was that the Lyme disease is triggering the immune system to such a high level that the virus doesn't stand too much chance. LLMD's had also backed up there suspicions but no scientific testing has been done to prove why.

Since taking antibiotics i have been getting better and believe it or not i caught a nasty cold over xmas, another thing these forum users discussed that when they went into a remission or a lesser stage of lymes symptoms they would go back to picking up colds and flus.

I find this very interesting because over the last year i do remember numerous work collegues and my fiance picking up colds and me being very confident that i wouldnt catch it!

What does everybody else experience?

[MELISSAJ]

When I went to CA to see Ginger when Dr. H's group sent new patients there, she said that my immune system was on automatic pilot fighting Lymes all those years. I suffered from lethargy more that anything else.

Also, when I took antibiotics initially, I got the "flu" every three weeks. They told me it was the herx. affect and not the flu. I still don't get sick and I'm off the meds after 10 months. I get a cough and cold for a day and everyone else gets it for weeks. This has been the case for years for me. When I did get sick, I often felt like a petri dish. This is nothing that I had thought of in my previous 39 years!!

Feel good
Melissa

[Jason]

Hi Melissa,

I agree with the flu like symptoms that you get in a herx reaction after taking antibiotics. But it still feels distinctly different to a bad cold where you get the scratchy sore throat and running nose etc etc.

My herx reactions feel like extremely deep muscle aches even deeper than i can remember from any flu i have had. Also experience a general fatigue and strong muscle twitching, its weird because i stopped the antibiotics for a few days at one point and it all went away.

I was extremely surprised when i actually caught a cold a few weeks ago hopefully it means me Lyme/Morgellons bacterial load is down!

[hilly]

I certainly do catch colds very very easily with my immune system so low... I only have to sit next to someone with a cold and mine starts that same evening and then rapidly developes into a chest infection just what happened to me before Christmas when I went to a practise for a carol concert and sat next to someone with a cold... I was ill with flu/bronchitis until after New Year :<( Milly

[2manyfibers]

While I was reading this thread, it occurred to me that it is quite possible that the use of antibiotics could play a role in people's susceptibility to catching colds and flu. Although it doesn't appear to be well known, antibiotics actually suppress the immune system (they don't "boost" the immune system but rather replace one of the normal functions of the immune system while impairing other functions). Antibiotics have no beneficial impact on viruses which cause colds and flu. Thus, when people are taking antibiotics, it seems quite logical that they could be making themselves more susceptible to catching colds and some influenzas. I don't know that this would be the case for the people posting here but it might be worth considering as part of the cause.

Another unintentional effect antibiotics can have on the human body is to impair the body's normal ability to absorb nutrients, partially by destroying the "gut flora" (beneficial bacteria) that helps the body process and absorb nutrients. As I've noted in several of my posts on nutrition and nutritional supplements, the body cannot produce all the proteins it needs (which include antibodies, T-cells, many hormones, collagens, keratins and others) without having all the nutrients required to produce these proteins (and of course the ongoing "ability" to process the nutrients when they are available).

I took the liberty of posting some information on the potential negative impacts that antibiotics can have on the body below. This information can be found in it's entirety at:

http://www.drlwilson.com/Articles/antibiotics.htm

Also, if anyone is interested, I started a thread several months ago on nutrients that are critical to the immune system and it can be found here (for people that may not have seen it at the time or found it from searching through the board):

http://www.morgellons-disease-resear...p?topic=2145.0

Here's the excerpt from the link on antibiotics above:

PROBLEMS WITH ANTIBIOTICS

The list of problems with antibiotics is quite long. Some are common and well known. Others are subtle but no less important. I have divided the adverse effects into nine categories:

1) Allergic Reactions. I used to worry every time I prescribed penicillin as an medical intern. It had been explained that every once in a while a patient would have a fatal allergic reaction to it, and that if I practiced medicine long enough someone would die in my office after a shot of penicillin. While this is uncommon, other allergic reactions to antibiotics occur frequently. Not only can the drug cause a reaction, but most antibiotics contain chemical colors, sugar and other additives that can trigger a reaction in sensitive individuals.

2. Destruction Of Beneficial Bowel Flora. Like pesticides, antibiotics kill good bugs along with the bad ones. Wide-spectrum antibiotics are notorious for this. The human intestine has a somewhat delicate ecology in which certain bugs help digest food, produce certain vitamins, and maintain a balance of organisms that prevents harmful bacteria and yeasts from multiplying.
Wide-spectrum antibiotics derange the normal ecology of the intestine. This can cause parasitic infection, vitamin deficiencies, loss of minerals through diarrhea, inflammation of the gut, malabsorption syndromes and development of food allergies due to defects in intestinal function.

3. Development Of Resistant Species Of Micro-organisms. An article in Science Magazine, August 1992, stated, "Doctors in hospitals and clinics around the world are losing the battle against an onslaught of new drug-resistant bacterial infections including staph, pneumonia, strep, tuberculosis, dysentery and other diseases that are costly and difficult, if not impossible, to treat".
Bacteria have a certain ability to mutate. Antibiotics kill bacteria that are susceptible to their action, but this leaves the field open for mutant strains to multiply even more. It is a case of survival of the fittest. The use of antibiotics actually encourages the development of the mutant, drug-resistant super-bacteria.

4. Immune Suppression. This may sound odd, as the purpose of antibiotics is presumably to help the immune system. However, evidence indicates that people treated with antibiotics have more repeat infections than those who are not treated. This is especially true of children whose ear infections are treated with antibiotics. Vitamin A and herbs are much more effective.
In fact, antibiotics do not aid the immune system. They replace one of its functions. Antibiotics act by inhibiting certain enzymatic processes of bacteria, and by changing mineral balances. Normal cells, however, are also affected. This may be one reason why antibiotics weaken the immune system. Other toxic effects of antibiotics, such as the effect upon the normal bowel flora, may also contribute to a weaker immune system.
The latest research on AIDS indicates that a risk factor for AIDS is an impaired immune system, which can be due to a history of repeated antibiotic use. Oops!

5. Overgrowth of Candida Albicans And Other More Dangerous Intestinal Flora. Normally, candida albicans, a common yeast, lives peacefully in our intestines and elsewhere, in harmony with other flora that keep the yeast in check. Take an antibiotic and all this changes. By suppressing the normal flora, candida takes over and problems begin. In its mild form the result is diarrhea or a yeast infection.
Far more serious is the growing problem of chronic muco-cutaneous yeast infection. This is described in books such as The Yeast Connection and The Yeast Syndrome. It is a major iatrogenic illness today, and a very debilitating and potentially fatal condition. One of the prime risk factors for chronic candida infection is repeated antibiotic use.
Even more dangerous is that antibiotic use opens the intestines to infection by other species of pathogenic or disease-causing bugs, parasites, yeasts and other types of organisms ranging from amebas to far more toxic ones that can cause all types of systemic damage, as well as damage to the intestinal lining and related areas.

6. Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. This is another 'new' health plague. It is associated with chronic viral illness and a weakened immune system. While its exact origins are not clear, one of the major risk factors for chronic fatigue syndrome is - you guessed it - repeated antibiotic use.

7. Nutrient Loss And Resulting Deficiency States. Nutrient loss from antibiotics is due in part to diarrhea, which causes a loss of essential minerals. Destruction of friendly bacteria in the intestines can also impair the synthesis of certain vitamins in the intestines. While not a major cause of malnutrition, antibiotic usage may be another factor contributing to poor nutrition and thus a weakened body chemistry.

8. Treating Effects, Not Causes. Antibiotics only address the end-stage result of a weakened body chemistry - bacterial invasion. The bacteria may only be there to "mop up" the biological debris that are present because the body is too weak to eliminate the poisons. Fever is one way the body burns up toxic substances. Providing it does not get out of hand, the infectious process can serve a useful purpose. Cutting short the process with antibiotics aborts the cleansing function of a fever and impairs long-term health.
Horse manure, you might say. No it is not. I know this because on tissue mineral tests, there are clear indicators of increased susceptibility to infections. The indicators are: 1) a low energy level, 2) a low sodium/potassium ratio, 3) toxic levels of mercury, copper, or cadmium, and 4) low zinc. In hundreds of cases, when these imbalances are corrected, the tendency for infections decreases drastically. In other words, healthy people do not get as many infections. Infections do not strike randomly. There is a logic to infections, and the underlying causes can be addressed.
This line of reasoning traces back to the famous debate between Pasteur and Beauchamp. Dr. Pasteur insisted that germs are the cause of disease. His colleague, Beauchamp, insisted that the health of the host was more important than the germs. On his death bed, Pasteur was said to have declared that Beauchamp was correct - "the host is everything, the germs are nothing". Orthodox medicine, however, embraced Pasteur's view, and ignored Beauchamp. It is time to focus more on the person, and less on the germs.

[Jo]

Jason, I can relate to your experience. Since my symptoms started 6 years ago, I've had two colds. The second cold came on a year ago - after some stress... and then BANG the morgs took hold. I can feel my lymph glands in my throat and under my arms being inflamed some days, so I know my immune system is recognizing some microbes as being bad. I think its important to keep exercising to 'push the crap out' (technical term).

Regarding antibiotics, since childhood, I've never needed them, until now. Has anyone beaten morgs without them??

Jo

[Kritters]

2manyfibers,
You are SO the best. Thanks for this very valuable information.
Kritts

[carla]

Hi 2many,
Just wanted to say that since I started taking the supplements,you recommended, I've not had a cold or flu.
Theres been two in the family since and I never caught them.
I used to be the first to catch anything.So Thanks
carla xxx

[tcmgpt13]

Thanks, 2mf, for the great discussion of why antibiotics, especially long term use, may not be that good for the body. What terrifies me about this illness is that the majority of folks who have what might be called remission (so far I cannot call it a cure) is the result of using antibiotics along with other medications. While I might try some of them short term (such as the dewormers or the antifungals) I am not willing to try antibiotics, to which I have had major reactions in the past. Doing a little research lately I am learning that most of them date from the late 1940's and many, although slightly different in chemical structure, are essentially related to the antibiotics to which I have had severe reactions. Therefore, if these would work for me, it would probably only be for a short time, not for the years being discussed for most of these antibiotics to treat lyme or morgellons. This is one place I entirely agree with the traditional Chinese medicine view of antibiotics (or most drugs for that matter). That view is that such drugs should be reserved for emergencies. The suppression of the immune system is something which also keeps me from seeking out their use in my own case. Most people who have lyme and/or morgellons already have a suppressed immune system and do not need further suppression of it.

Still I understand that using antibiotics is a personal decision for everyone. Not all doctors would agree with this view. So I am not saying that following a Western medicine protocol is wrong (in fact for many here it seems to be a good decision), but it is something which makes me personally hesitate. It also does frighten me a bit, as I do have a problem with molds, as well as antibiotics. While perhaps my problems with mold are not as severe as some, it is still not a good place to be when so far the answers are not the ones which would easily work for me.

Jo, I think lftipton says she has recovered from morgellons without the use of drugs. Her latest posts will reveal how she has found relief. Also I can say I am better than I was when I first got morgellons. I was very sick when this first started and this is why I know what caused my case. I had the help of a TCM herbalist who gave me strong TCM herbal teas and capsules. It was a real struggle as I was so sick. This was over two and a half years ago and I seem to keep improving, although it gets tiresome taking all these herbs and supplements. I am feeling much better than I did then and my brain fog seems to be gone except for those days I try to detoxify the heavy metals I also feel are in the background of morgellons and lyme along with other difficult to treat infections. As I lessen that load it seems to take away some of the food supply for the parasite portion of morgellons. My appetite is now normal and my energy is better too. BTW, following many of 2mf's nutritional suggestions for morgellons seems to be helping too.

[Kritters]

OMG
We are SO going to party when we get to the bottom of this.
I'm really serious.
These diseases have no idea who they are dealing with.
xoxo
Kritts