Associated Risks

Various studies of human cancer tissue and reproductions in animal specimens have all concluded similar results. One study funded by the National Cancer Institute stated: ((“This analysis of published reports found a significant excess risk of SV40 associated with human primary brain cancers, malignant mesotheliomas, bone cancers, and NHL compared to control samples. Therefore, the major types of human malignancies associated with SV40 are the same as those induced by SV40 in animal models.”))

Though relief may be a common reaction for some who did not receive a polio vaccination during that 8yr period, it’s important to note that SV40 has been found in random samples of individuals including those who never received a polio vaccination during that period or who were born after that period. Therefore, SV40 is suspect as being sexually and maternally transmitted, though there is no conclusive evidence currently to determine route of transmission.

Infection Rates

Animal models have been used to show oncogenic capacity (the ability and amount of time taken to induce tumor development). The latent period of tumor development in hamsters infected with SV40 ranges from 3 months to more than a year. The frequency of tumor development in animals infected as newborns is over 90%. In older animals that percentage is reduced though the data does not specify how much. Nevertheless it does suggest that the age at the time of infection, the route of infection, and the duration of infection may be factors that influence the probability of malignancies caused by SV40.

How SV40 Causes Cancer

SV40, known as a DNA virus, binds to tumor suppressing proteins and changes the DNA sequence. With the suppressed anti-tumor gene these new mutant cells are able to reproduce uncontrollably, forming tumors.
SV-40’s Effect on the Cancer Surge

It is hard to say how much SV-40 has affected the surge of cancer cases that are rising at a concerning rate. Since little is known about how SV-40 activates within hosts nor the potency or transmission pathway of the virus and its different strains, its role in the current cancer epidemic is still being discovered. Despite having a lot to learn about SV-40, mounting evidence and the researchers behind it, are calling it an emergent human pathogen.

Previously classed as a tick-borne illness, it has now been established that ticks are not the only carriers of Lyme disease. Mice, biting flies, spiders and mosquitos are also known transmitters of Borrelia Burgdorferi, the bacterium responsible for a multi-system infection known as Lyme disease. Floating in a sea of controversy are Lyme’s striking resemblances to other diseases that raise questions. With ties connecting to many auto-immune and neurodegenerative disorders it bears a striking resemblance to one in particular- Multiple Sclerosis. Could Lyme and Multiple Sclerosis (MS) be the same disease?

Lyme Disease: The Chronic Problem

Lyme disease, an infection of the elusive bacteria, borrelia Burgdorferi, is overlooked in diagnoses due to the symptoms it shares with other well known, neurodegenerative illnesses, including many autoimmune diseases. Known for its ability to imitate these diseases, Lyme is notoriously misdiagnosed as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), Fibromyalgia, Multiple Sclerosis (MS), and Scleroderma just to name a few. “The Great Imitator” as it is sometimes called, is known to imitate over 100 different diseases without known causes or cures.

A more recent discovery that is now widely accepted within the medical community, is that chronic infection is lurking behind most or all chronic illness. Could an infection like Lyme disease be the common denominator in all the chronic diseases it is known to imitate? Further research on Lyme disease and its link to the world of chronic illness continues to shed light on a possible connection.

Multiple Sclerosis and Lyme Disease

Multiple Sclerosis, a disease affecting the central nervous system, shares remarkable similarities to a well-known neurological manifestation of Lyme, called neuroborralias. Symptoms of both are described as, numbness of the body, burning feet, weakness or paralyses of limbs, and encephalopathy or cognitive impairment. Occurring as “flare-ups” in both MS and Lyme, without any pattern of recurrance, symptoms are often triggered by a traumatic life event or when the immune system has been compromised.

More Evidence

Aside from the matching symptoms, patients diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis and patients with neuroborralias show similar patterns of white matter visible on brain scans. But, what may perhaps be the strongest link between MS and Lyme, are the geographical patterns discovered in epidemiology studies of Multiple Sclerosis. Results of the study revealed a significantly higher frequency in the occurrence of MS in areas farthest from the equator in the northern hemisphere. These occurrence patterns are consistent with Lyme endemic regions of the United States.

Diagnostic Challenges

The lack of definitive testing for both diseases presents challenges in accuracy. Both MS and Lyme lay the burden of diagnose on the physician. A collective review of a patients symptoms, tests and history, including a doctor’s past experience will determine the diagnoses. This is problematic however in cases of chronic Lyme. Plagued with controversy over its existence, chronic Lyme has “believers” and “non-believers”. Since most non-believers originated in the medical community, getting a chronic Lyme diagnosis could be impossible depending on the doctor. Doctors who follow the protocol set forth by organizations like the IDSA, and who deny the existence of chronic Lyme are unlikely to even consider chronic Lyme disease, much less diagnose it. These physicians will likely fall back on a Multiple Sclerosis diagnosis. This is especially true if the patient has previously been treated with a short course of antibiotics, the recommended treatment for the non-chronic form of Lyme disease.

Lyme Doctors Offer Hope For Lyme Sufferers

Dr. Franco, an NMD at Sunridge Medical, an alternative health and wellness clinic in Scottsdale, AZ said this, “Lyme disease is known for its elusiveness, if you’re not looking for it, you’re not going to find it. But, when a patient comes in with a chronic illness, it’s a good reason to start looking for some type of underlying infection. We see a lot of patients here previously diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis that end up having an infection with a particular Lyme expression.”

Could Lyme and MS be the Same Disease?

Considering what we know about the elusive nature of Lyme disease including the controversy surrounding it – It’s seems reasonable to accept the possibility that Lyme and MS are the same disease. While doctors look to sites like IDSA (Infectious Diseases Society of America) for Lyme information and treatment protocols, it’s becoming harder to ignore the patients whose symptoms are chronic. This pervasive denial is at the very least thought provoking, even telling, of Lyme’s possible connection to not only one, but many diseases