The Gut "Connections to Health & Disease"

Introduction

Dr. Jimenez, D.C., presents how Lyme disease can cause referred pain to the body in this 3-part series. Many environmental factors can cause numerous issues in the body that can lead to overlapping risk profile symptoms in the muscles and joints. In today’s presentation, we examine the different treatment protocols for Lyme disease. Part 1 looks at the body’s genes and looks at the right questions to ask. Part 2 looks at how Lyme disease is associated with chronic infections and how it affects the body. We mention our patients to certified medical providers that provide available therapy treatments for individuals suffering from chronic conditions associated with Lyme disease. We encourage each patient when it is appropriate by referring them to associated medical providers based on their diagnosis or needs. We understand and accept that education is a marvelous way when asking our providers’ crucial questions at the patient’s request and acknowledgment. Dr. Alex Jimenez, D.C., uses this information as an educational service. Disclaimer

The Biofilm In The Body

Dr. Alex Jimenez, D.C., presents: The elimination of all biofilms makes no more sense than trying to sterilize the gut. So biofilms are this adherent polysaccharide matrix. We like to think of it as a fruit cocktail jello. So you’ve got the jello and all the different pieces of fruit in there, and each other type of fruit might even be a different species of bacteria. And one of those bacteria can make penicillinase, and it can elaborate a cloud of penicillinase into the matrix, protecting even species that can’t make it. And we already talked about how these biofilms can be operant in probiotic colonization, but they are also part of several problematic infections.

So there are several strategies to modify biofilms, making them more porous to the immune system and antibiotics. So Lactoferrin is one, Colostrum, which contains Lactoferrin in a bunch of other products as well. Serum-derived bovine immune globulin is egg divide-derived immune globulin for your sensitive patients. Probiotics and prebiotics can have biofilm activity. And then enzymes, as we mentioned before, are a carbohydrate structure, and enzymes can break down that matrix and make it more porous. So can Xylitol and EDTA be strong anti-film actors and stevia?

Lyme Serology Test

Dr. Alex Jimenez, D.C., presents: So Lyme serology testing needs to be more sensitive for diagnosis, especially during the early or late stages. And we’ll see why in a minute. So the standard two-tiered test requires a screening test of either an ELISA test or an IFA and then a confirmation test of a Western blot. The International Lyme and Associated Disease Society or ILADS and others argue that this two-tiered test should be only for surveillance or research purposes but not for diagnosis in individuals. So here’s what that scheme looks like, you either get an EIA or an IFA, and if it’s positive or equivocal, you go onto a Western blot. If you’ve had symptoms for less than 30 days, you get both an IGM and an IGG. If you’ve had symptoms for more than 30 days, you only get an IGG. Now, there are special criteria for reading the Western blot. They require multiple positive bands depending on whether it’s an IGM or an IGG blot. If your screening test is negative and you’ve been sick for less than 30 days, you should be retested in, you know, at some recovery point. You should consider a different diagnosis if you have been sick for more than 30 days. And we are going to talk about why this scheme is problematic.

So it’s highly specific. This two-tiered test is 99 to hundred percent specific, but its sensitivity is rather poor, perhaps even lower than 50%. So, here’s the data on that. We see the number of patients in the study, the patients versus controls, and the sensitivity and specificity. We also see totals, and the total sensitivity was 46%, while the total specificity was 99%. So as a test, think about it; we all learned about appendicitis in med school. You must take out a few normal appendices to ensure you get all the bad ones. If you’re missing half of the Lyme disease cases, many people will go onto tertiary disease.

General Disclaimer *

The information herein is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional, licensed physician, and is not medical advice. We encourage you to make your own health care decisions based on your research and partnership with a qualified health care professional. Our information scope is limited to chiropractic, musculoskeletal, physical medicines, wellness, sensitive health issues, functional medicine articles, topics, and discussions. We provide and present clinical collaboration with specialists from a wide array of disciplines. Each specialist is governed by their professional scope of practice and their jurisdiction of licensure. We use functional health & wellness protocols to treat and support care for the injuries or disorders of the musculoskeletal system. Our videos, posts, topics, subjects, and insights cover clinical matters, issues, and topics that relate to and support, directly or indirectly, our clinical scope of practice.* Our office has made a reasonable attempt to provide supportive citations and has identified the relevant research study or studies supporting our posts. We provide copies of supporting research studies available to regulatory boards and the public upon request. We understand that we cover matters that require an additional explanation of how it may assist in a particular care plan or treatment protocol; therefore, to further discuss the subject matter above, please feel free to ask Dr. Alex Jimenez or contact us at 915-850-0900.

Dr. Alex Jimenez DC, MSACP, CCST, IFMCP*, CIFM*, ATN*

email: coach@elpasofunctionalmedicine.com

Licensed in: Texas & New Mexico*

Introduction

Dr. Jimenez, D.C., presents how chronic infections are associated with Lyme disease in this 3-part series. Many environmental factors often play a role in our health and wellness. In today’s presentation, we look at genes and how to answer the right questions. Part 12 looked at what Lyme disease does to the body. Part 3 looks at treatment protocols for Lyme disease. We mention our patients to certified medical providers that provide available therapy treatments for individuals suffering from chronic infections associated with Lyme disease. We encourage each patient when it is appropriate by referring them to associated medical providers based on their diagnosis or needs. We understand and accept that education is a marvelous way when asking our providers’ crucial questions at the patient’s request and acknowledgment. Dr. Alex Jimenez, D.C., uses this information as an educational service. Disclaimer

Chronic Infections

Dr. Alex Jimenez, D.C., presents: We will have an interesting, brief discussion about evidence of an atomic force micrograph of a borrelia burgdorferi biofilm. This is a talk about stealth pathology and chronic infection in general, and we are using Lyme as a backdrop, but this is far from a comprehensive course on Lyme disease. So, let’s dive in because we are going to learn a lot about stealth pathology and a lot about Lyme disease. How do you begin thinking about chronic occult infection and stealth pathology? It starts with the basic functional medicine model.

It would help if you dealt with the phenotype. You know, your genes are not your destiny. Well, your phenotype isn’t your destiny either because it’s malleable. And how do we change your phenotype by dealing with the exposome, internal exposome, lifestyle issues, air, water, food pollution, medications, environmental toxins, xenobiotics, those kinds of things? Other exposomes include internal metabolic byproducts, lipid peroxides, oxidative stress, protein addicts, inflammation, the microbiome, et cetera. And then cognitive thoughts, beliefs, fears, phobias, isolation stressors, et cetera. And these cognitive processes have profound effects on immune responses. And then, on top of that, you have to deal with the pathogen. You must understand the biology, life cycle, and genetics of the pathogen you’re dealing with. You must also understand the pathophysiology, stealth pathology, cooperation, biofilm production, and interactions with the host immune system. And it’s important to remember that we’re talking about chronic infection here, not acute infection.

Acute Infections

Dr. Alex Jimenez, D.C., presents: If your patient has an acute infection, like pneumonia or meningitis, get them on IV antibiotics immediately, and don’t wait for your functional medicine workup. So how do you even begin to think about this? Well, you start with a comprehensive physical exam and look carefully at the question, when was the last time your patient was truly well? We like to think of it like this. If wellness is a straight line at some point, it broke right at that place, right around there. This can happen several times, so it might have broken ten years ago. And they came along with this new normal, but it broke numerous times again. And so, at each of those breaks in the overall health, what happened? What were the antecedents? What were the triggers?

General Disclaimer *

The information herein is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional, licensed physician, and is not medical advice. We encourage you to make your own health care decisions based on your research and partnership with a qualified health care professional. Our information scope is limited to chiropractic, musculoskeletal, physical medicines, wellness, sensitive health issues, functional medicine articles, topics, and discussions. We provide and present clinical collaboration with specialists from a wide array of disciplines. Each specialist is governed by their professional scope of practice and their jurisdiction of licensure. We use functional health & wellness protocols to treat and support care for the injuries or disorders of the musculoskeletal system. Our videos, posts, topics, subjects, and insights cover clinical matters, issues, and topics that relate to and support, directly or indirectly, our clinical scope of practice.* Our office has made a reasonable attempt to provide supportive citations and has identified the relevant research study or studies supporting our posts. We provide copies of supporting research studies available to regulatory boards and the public upon request. We understand that we cover matters that require an additional explanation of how it may assist in a particular care plan or treatment protocol; therefore, to further discuss the subject matter above, please feel free to ask Dr. Alex Jimenez or contact us at 915-850-0900.

Dr. Alex Jimenez DC, MSACP, CCST, IFMCP*, CIFM*, ATN*

email: coach@elpasofunctionalmedicine.com

Licensed in: Texas & New Mexico*

Introduction

Dr. Jimenez, D.C., presents how different infections are associated with Lyme disease in this 3-part series. Many environmental factors often play a role in our health and wellness and can lead to overlapping risk profiles that can cause pain-like issues in the body. In today’s presentation, we examine how Lyme disease affects the body and how it correlates with genes. Part 1 looks at the body’s genes and looks at the right questions to ask. Part 3 looks at the treatment protocols for Lyme Disease. We mention our patients to certified medical providers that provide available therapy treatments for individuals suffering from chronic infections associated with Lyme disease. We encourage each patient when it is appropriate by referring them to associated medical providers based on their diagnosis or needs. We understand and accept that education is a marvelous way when asking our providers’ crucial questions at the patient’s request and acknowledgment. Dr. Alex Jimenez, D.C., uses this information as an educational service. Disclaimer

The Factors Associated With Viruses

So first, about 8% of the human DNA is made up of endogenous retroviruses, typically called human endogenous retroviruses. This means that DNA fragments from viruses pass from generation to generation. This idea of human endogenous retroviruses will be important in this presentation when we talk about how they can amplify inflammation. So we mentioned earlier that we’re colonized with or infected by Epstein-Barr pretty early in age. So here we are by age 15, and virtually everybody carries the Epstein-Barr virus. And this paper is a translational mini-review series on B-cell subsets in disease. They talk quite a bit about the Epstein -Barr virus as it has been a leading candidate as a trigger for several autoimmune diseases since its initial description of raised Epstein-Barr virus antibodies in 1971.

It’s a plausible candidate since it’s ubiquitous and establishes a lifelong dormant infection with continuous viral production due to reactivation. And this idea of reactivation is going to be important as we move forward as it can modulate the human immune system. Another key issue we will need to hold onto as we move forward. To that point, they also talk about a Trojan horse. So the Epstein-Barr virus can infect a B-cell, and B-cells can migrate across a blood-brain barrier by their normal nature. Once this infected B-cell crosses a blood-brain barrier, it can release these Epstein-Barr encoding RNAs, which is an inflammatory process. Our body doesn’t like foreign RNA floating around. That is the initiation, perhaps, of some demyelinating activity. They go over four specific ways. 

The first way is the molecular mimicry idea. So, molecular mimicry is the idea that you have an antibody that incidentally cross-reacts with your tissue. Then the second is these latent Epstein-Barr virus antigens could sustain the survival of autoreactive B-cells. And then Epstein-Barr infected can liberate these. Here are our human endogenous retroviruses in number three here. It activates these things leading to more inflammation and damage, which can correlate to muscle and joint pain. And then, finally, the Epstein-Barr itself continuously auto-activates or reactivates autoreactive B-cells. So making this the amplification feed-forward loop.

And by the way, Epstein-Barr has also been found in the inflamed gastrointestinal mucosa, including gastric and colonic, making it an interesting candidate for causative issues there as well. What about cytomegalovirus? Well, case reports of associated primary cytomegalovirus infection to the onset of autoimmune conditions. They’re certainly involved in allograft rejection and graft versus host disease. And they play a role in immunopathologies. And here is how that may occur. So, again, we see through various pathways and get the same molecular mimicry idea. We make an antibody against something that incidentally cross-reacts with our tissues. And, you know, why may that happen? One reason is that these bugs have co-evolved and may well have co-evolved camouflage, and that camouflage looks vaguely like us.

General Disclaimer *

The information herein is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional, licensed physician, and is not medical advice. We encourage you to make your own health care decisions based on your research and partnership with a qualified health care professional. Our information scope is limited to chiropractic, musculoskeletal, physical medicines, wellness, sensitive health issues, functional medicine articles, topics, and discussions. We provide and present clinical collaboration with specialists from a wide array of disciplines. Each specialist is governed by their professional scope of practice and their jurisdiction of licensure. We use functional health & wellness protocols to treat and support care for the injuries or disorders of the musculoskeletal system. Our videos, posts, topics, subjects, and insights cover clinical matters, issues, and topics that relate to and support, directly or indirectly, our clinical scope of practice.* Our office has made a reasonable attempt to provide supportive citations and has identified the relevant research study or studies supporting our posts. We provide copies of supporting research studies available to regulatory boards and the public upon request. We understand that we cover matters that require an additional explanation of how it may assist in a particular care plan or treatment protocol; therefore, to further discuss the subject matter above, please feel free to ask Dr. Alex Jimenez or contact us at 915-850-0900.

Dr. Alex Jimenez DC, MSACP, CCST, IFMCP*, CIFM*, ATN*

email: coach@elpasofunctionalmedicine.com

Licensed in: Texas & New Mexico*