connection between mycoplasma infections and thyroid/ra

[Guest guest]

Click here: Arthritis and Joint Paint with Thyroid and Autoimmune Disease: An Interview with Brownstein, M.D. / Thyroid . I just thought you guys would find this article interesting, as I am on the minocin treatment (3x per week) for Rheumatoid arthritis and Hashimtos due to the fact that I have tested positive for mycoplasma infections (pneumonia) and its realy neat what he says in here about overcoming some thyroid diseases with the treatment theory of getting to the underlying infections first to treat illnesses.

Shomon: In your book, Overcoming Arthritis, you describe how certain infections may be at the root of both autoimmune diseases-including Hashimoto’s and Graves’ disease-and arthritic disorders. Can you tell us a little bit more about that concept? Brownstein, M.D.: In conventional medicine, there is no explanation for why autoimmune disorders (e.g., Rheumatoid Arthritis, Hashimotos’, Graves, Thyroiditis, etc) occur. If you don’t understand the cause of an illness, then how can you fashion an appropriate treatment regimen? My experience has shown that many individuals suffering from autoimmune illnesses often have an underlying infectious component. The idea of an infectious cause of arthritis has been around since 1899, when a form of arthritis in cattle was diagnosed as being caused by a bacterium. In humans, this idea was further developed in the 1930’s by a rheumatologist, Dr. Brown. Dr. Brown was able to isolate a bacterium, Mycoplasma Bacterium, from the joints of people suffering from rheumatoid arthritis. After isolating the bacteria, Dr. Brown began treating his patients with antibiotics directed against this bacterium, and he noticed an interesting phenomenon. His patients actually improved. At that time, people with rheumatoid arthritis did not improve with conventional medicine (which is similar to what happens today with rheumatoid arthritis patients treated with conventional medicine). When I read Dr. Brown’s research, I immediately began thinking about my patients who were suffering from autoimmune illnesses, including thyroid patients. I began testing my patients for bacterial infections 8 years ago, and I discovered a significant portion of these patients had signs of an infection. In the case of thyroid patients (i.e., those with Graves, Hashimotos’ or thyroiditis), the infection was located in the thyroid gland. In my experience, 80% of patients with autoimmune arthritic disorders (i.e., Rheumatoid arthritis, Lupus, Sjogren’s, etc) and approximately 70% of those with autoimmune thyroid disorders (i.e., Graves,’ Hashimotos’, thyroiditis) have signs of an infection. This made perfect sense to me. Perhaps these individuals had a bacterial infection (e.g., Mycoplasma) that the body was not able to clear. Mycoplasmas are a very small bacterium that can actually get inside of the cells of the body. Because of this, the immune system cells are unable to directly attack the bacteria. In order to rid the body of the bacteria, the immune system cells will often resort to attacking the body’s own tissue, which has been infected with the organism. In the example of thyroid infections, in order to get at the infection, the body will produce antibodies against its own thyroid gland. This would explain why the thyroid gland becomes inflamed in autoimmune thyroid illnesses, as well as why the body would produce antibodies against a particular gland. I believe this hypothesis holds true for many autoimmune disorders. Shomon: You talk about he use of antibiotics to tackle infectious aspects of these conditions. What type of antibiotic therapy have you found useful in your practice?

Brownstein, M.D.: I have been checking patients who have autoimmune illnesses for infections for years. When I isolate a particular bacterium, I will use very small amounts of an antibiotic that can effectively kill the bacterium. However, this is not like taking penicillin for a strep infection. The infections in an autoimmune illnesses are very deep in the tissues. The antibiotics cannot get directly at the infection. So, the antibiotics are not going to directly kill the bacterium, but, over time, will prevent the bacterium from reproducing.

By using nutritional support (i.e., vitamins, minerals, herbs) I have found very low doses of antibiotics can succeed in allowing the immune system to overcome the infection. In fact, I do not use the antibiotics every day. Usually 2- 3 days per week is sufficient. The bacterium that I most commonly isolate is Mycoplasma. The antibiotic that I have found the most successful are the tetracycline (or doxycycline) antibiotics, which effectively treat Mycoplasma infections. In my book, I talk about other infections that can occur, and treatments for such infections as well.

Shomon: Personally, I have been on a fairly constant course of doxycline for a number of months, and have found that if I stop taking it, a few days later, I start having a variety of achiness like symptoms, including knee and elbow pain, carpal tunnel, syndrome, forearm and shin pain, and flu-like total body aches. My doctor suspects an underlying infectious agent, but my herbalist is also working to try and eradicate that agent from my body. In a case like mine, how long can one stay on an antibiotic? I’m reluctant to stop, but my doctor and herbalist are both concerned about long-term use, due to antibiotic resistance, yeast over-growth and other side effects. Brownstein, M.D.: Those are excellent questions. I have many similar patients in my practice. I believe all of the autoimmune illnesses are related. As previously stated, I also believe there is an underlying infection in many of these illnesses. The illness will manifest in the weakest point of the body. In some cases, it is the thyroid gland; in others it is the joints of the body.

So, how long can one stay on an antibiotic? Dr. Brown, who treated patients successfully for 50 years, had some patients on low dose antibiotics for this entire time. He did not report side effects of yeast overgrowth and other common problems associated with antibiotics. I take many precautions to prevent this, including the use of probiotic supplements as well as the use of acupressure (NAET) to help prevent side effects. When you treat the whole body, you are able to use lower doses of antibiotics and the risk of adverse reactions is minimized. I have a Scleroderma patient who has been on various antibiotics for over 25 years (she was a patient of Dr. Brown) and she shows no signs of yeast problems or other side effects from the antibiotics. In fact, if she tries to stop the antibiotic, her Scleroderma symptoms worsen. The antibiotics can periodically be changed to prevent resistance problems from developing. I have had patients come off the antibiotics when the immune system fully recovers. I think every patient must be treated as a unique individual and each therapy must be tailored to that unique individual