Readers know that my own experience was having a SPECT scan that was read as early Alzheimer’s Disease during my last flare. Remission of CFS resulted from aggressively altering bacteria. A reader just posted me a new research articles that rings true to me — because CFS has been associated with walking pneumonia in me for almost 40 years (before CFS was known). This was likely Chlamydophila pneumoniae in my case. 

J Alzheimers Dis. 2014 Sep 2. [Epub ahead of print]

Bacterial Infection and Alzheimer’s Disease: A Meta-Analysis.

Abstract

The possibility of an infectious etiology for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) has been repeatedly postulated over the past three decades. We provide the first meta-analysis to address the relationship between bacterial infection and AD. Studies examining the association between AD and spirochetal bacteria or Chlamydophila pneumoniae (Cpn) were identified through a systematic search of the databases MEDLINE, EMBASE, PubMed, and Google Scholar. Data combined from 25 relevant, primarily case-control studies demonstrated a statistically significant association between AD and detectable evidence of infection of either bacterial group. We found over a ten-fold increased occurrence of AD when there is detectable evidence of spirochetal infection (OR: 10.61; 95% CI: 3.38-33.29) and over a four-fold increased occurrence of AD in a conservative risk estimate (OR 4.45; 95% CI: 2.33-8.52). We found over a five-fold increased occurrence of AD with Cpn infection (OR 5.66; 95% CI: 1.83-17.51). This study shows a strongly positive association between bacterial infection and AD. Further detailed investigation of the role of bacterial infection is warranted.

An earlier study reported “After the first report on the presence of Chlamydia pneumoniae (Cpn) in brains of patients with AD appeared in 1998, this bacterium has most often been implicated in AD pathogenesis. However, while some studies demonstrate a clear association between Cpn infection and AD, others have failed to confirm these findings.” [2010]

The association issue failure is the classic medical tunnel vision — believing that a single infection is responsible for a single condition.  My model is that an infection by “farming the gut” will cause similar sets of bacteria overgrowth that will result in the same symptoms being reported. 

Interesting also, that antibiotics are known to slow Alzheimer’s disease. http://www.webmd.com/alzheimers/news/20031009/antibiotics-may-slow-alzheimers 

Interesting that they are also the ones that have been effective for CFS – 

“a three-month course of the antibiotics doxycycline and rifampin“

While I had active CFS, I had a SPECT scan. The radiologist read the abnormal results as early Alzheimer. “Early” does not mean starting, but before the typical age of onset. At the same time, I was having severe memory issues (since disappeared).

In a recent New Scientist article, , I read how anti-tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) was being used successfully for slowing the progress of Alzheimer’s Disease.  I was not surprise because I was talking several anti-TNF-α supplements as part of my research approach.

• Histamines and Anticoagulants: Turmeric, Alpha Lipoic Acid reduced TNF
• Ashwagandha
• Boswellia
• Tulsi (Ocimum sanctum) [2014]
• Neem [many studies]

On the flip side, some foods like honey [2003] increases TNF.

Also, in my series on Crohn’s disease, many of the supplements listed were known to reduce TNF .

So if you have memory problems, you may wish to increase your anti-tnf supplements (and make sure that you check all of them to see if any increases TNF )

A reader has both diagnosis and asked me about any relationships and the complexities of treating both concurrently. I’m not a MD, but I am a tolerable researcher.

Co-Morbid Instances

My first observation is that getting numbers may be challenging because a myeloma diagnosis may disqualify many people from getting a CFS diagnosis. If the MD attributes some of the CFS symptoms to myeloma — then the CFS diagnosis cannot be done with the research definition (see symptoms in red below).

Myeloma impacts red blood cells which can result in low oxygen delivery which will cascade into symptoms also seen with hypercoagulation and thus CFS.

“Some problems (e.g., weakness, confusion and fatigue) may be due to anemia or hypercalcemia. Headache, visual changes and retinopathy may be the result of hyperviscosity of the blood depending on the properties of the paraprotein. Finally, there may be radicular pain, loss of bowel or bladder control (due to involvement of spinal cord leading to cord compression) or carpal tunnel syndrome and other neuropathies(due to infiltration of peripheral nerves by amyloid). It may give rise to paraplegia in late presenting cases.” From Wikipedia

WebMd says “Multiple myeloma is a blood disorder related to lymphoma and leukemia, because it usually arises in the bone marrow. There is no cure for multiple myeloma, but treatments are available that slow its progression.”

There is an increased risk of cancer with CFS,  CFS-Ireland gives a nice list of studies, and the original Incline Village outbreak had a high incidence of cancer.

Mechanism?

We know that many cancers are associated with a virus, we also know that virus can alter gut bacteria (effectively farm it to support the virus). There has not been (that I could find) a specific virus associated with Myeloma.

At this point, if you have an apparent double diagnosis I would suggest trying to verify that CFS is likely, to do this, I would strongly recommend:

• A SPECT (not MRI) scan — which should show major issues in 80% of cases
• A Microbiome analysis — which should show almost no E.Coli and the typical shifts seen with CFS
• Vitamin 1-25 (not the regular Vitamin D) – which should show very high levels

If you are not positive on at least 2 of the above 3, then the CFS diagnosis is probably (95%) false.

I have been seeing some friends improve significantly from lowering histamine levels.

The question arises, which probiotics/bacteria increase or lower histamine levels?

Histamine release are part of the herx effect and thus reducing the level may reduce the severity of herx.

This list may be important for those that are probiotic sensitive and/or salicylates sensitive — the reason for these sensitivity could be the histamine dimension (speculation). There are some DNA association reported between salicylates and histamines sensitivities.

In some cases, it appears that one strain increases histamines and a different strain decreases histamine (i.e. Lactobacillus casei)

• Increases
  •  Lactobacillus casei [2011]
  • Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus [2011]
  • Lactobacillus reuteri [2014] [2013] [2012]
  • Bacillus licheniformis A7 [2013]
  • Bacillus coagulans SL5 [2013]
  •  Morganella morganii [2013]
  • Pseudomonas aeruginosa[2012]
  •  Citrobacter koseri [2012]
  • Enterobacter spp [2012]
• No Impact
  • Lactobacillus acidophilus [2011]
  • Lactobacillus lactis subsp. lactis [2011] 
  • Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis [2011]
  • Lactobacillus plantarum [2011]
  • Lactobacillus sakei CRL1862 [2012]
  •  Lactobacillus plantarum Tensia[2012]
• Decreases
  • Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron [1999]
  • Bacteroides fragilis [1999]
  • Bifidobacterium adolescentis  [1999]
  • Escherichia coli  [1999]
  • Bifidobacterium infantis [2008]
  • Bifidobacterium longum [2008]
  •  Lactobacillus rhamnosus (L. rhamnosus) GG (LGG(®) [2011]
  •  L. rhamnosus Lc705 (Lc705) [2011]
  • Propionibacterium freudenreichii ssp. shermanii JS (PJS)  [2011]
  • Bifidobacterium animalis ssp. lactis Bb12 (Bb12) [2011]
  •  Lactobacillus casei [2012]
  • Lactobacillus plantarum K-1 [2011]