After experiencing difficulty speaking during his nightly radio show, Charles McPhee was diagnosed with a bulbar (neck and throat) presentation of ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), or Lou Gehrig's disease, on June 23, 2006. After researching the possible causes of ALS, Charles decided to treat his ALS with a combination of antibiotics (ceftriaxone, Flagyl, azithromycin) and anti-protozoals (Mepron and Malarone). His rationale for using them is based on a recently documented link between ALS, Lyme Disease, and Babesia.
In a paper published October 22, 2006, Dr. David Martz of Colorado Springs, CO, outlined a harrowing journey through ALS... and back. He was diagnosed in April of 2003, and soon was unable to drive, dress himself, or walk. Over the next few months his health continued to deteriorate rapidly, and he was forced to retire from his medical practice. Eight months later, while bedridden and confined to a wheelchair, he learned from a friend who sent him a newspaper clipping that it was possible he really had been infected with Lyme disease, an infection commonly carried by ticks.
After 6 negative tests for Lyme (late-stage Lyme is notoriously difficult to detect in the human body), an antibiotic-provoked urinary PCR test in December, 2003, finally showed positive for Borrelia Burgdorferi (Bb), the spirochete bacteria that causes Lyme disease. During a visual scan of his blood, rings around his red blood cells were also detected, indicating a probable co-infection with Babesia microti, a malaria-like protozoa that is estimated to be transmitted in over 60% of Lyme infections.
Based on this new information, Dr. Martz began using a combination of antibiotics and anti-protozoals to treat his ALS. He noticed dramatic improvement in his symptoms. Within 12 weeks he was walking again without assistance, and in February, 2005, one year after initiating the antibiotic and anti-protozoal treatment, he was declared to be free of motor neuron disease by his neurologist, Steven A. Smith, M.D. That same month Dr. Martz was fully recovered and once again began treating Chonic Disease sufferers in private practice in Colorado Springs.
- Read the fascinating account of Dr. Martz's recovery from ALS here.
- Read Dr. Martz's Power Point presentation (in PDF) here.
- Read the ILADS Treatment Hints and Guidelines by Dr. Joseph Burrascano, here.
