This is the state of the science regarding genomics and neuro-inflammation due to Lyme and Mold exposure. The premise is that the common presenting symptom of fatigue is caused by chronic inflammation, which can now be objectively measured and treated when due to a biotoxin exposure. This is breakthrough research and links inflammation, brain injury and underlying genomics. We are the only group in the world to publish these findings based on years of careful research. – Andrew Heyman, MD
We hear so much about genetics vs. genomics here at A4M/MMI, but the bottom line is that a huge leap was just made this month in our main mission. One of our leading faculty members, Andrew Heyman, MD who is also the Program Director of our Fellowship at George Washington University, just had his research published in The Internal Medicine Review’s October Issue.
Dr. Heyman along with another one of our expert faculty members, Dr. Richie Shoemaker, partnered in this research initiative and have worked tirelessly to gather this data. They are the only group in the world that has collected this amount of data in the chronic illness arena. As we continue to review the model of genomics, what is causing chronic disease – between genetics, DNA, RNA, etc. we have begun to become aware of an overlap with other conditions that we usually blame on lifestyle like obesity and diabetes, etc.
Is the presence of mold or moisture in our surroundings starting to shift our immune response?
Below we provide a summary on some exciting new insight into chronic diseases.
Inflammation Induced Chronic Fatiguing Illnesses: A steady march towards understanding mechanisms and identifying new biomarkers and therapies.
Ritchie C. Shoemaker1,4*, Andrew Heyman2, Annalaura Mancia3 and James C Ryan4
1Center for Research on Biotoxin-Associated Illnesses, Pocomoke, MD, USA
2Integrative Medicine, George Washington University, Washington DC, USA
3Department of Life Science and Biotechnology, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
4ProgeneDX, LLC, Deerfield Beach, FL USA
This breakthrough peer reviewed publication outlines the Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (CIRS), an evidence-based model of assessment and treatment of Chronic Fatigue utilizing objective biomarkers, structural Brain MRI and transcriptomics, and moves medicine away from a ‘symptom only’ approach to managing the fatigued patient. CIRS is a neuroregulatory-inflammatory disease process found in genetically susceptible patients (20% of US population), initiated by exposure to a biotoxin(s) such as a water damaged building, Lyme disease, ciguatera, pfistera and many more. A final common pathway of immune dysfunction ensues, including abnormal findings such as Transforming Growth Factor Beta (TGFb), Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide (VIP), Melanocyte Stimulating Hormone (MSH), split products of complement activation, Matrix Metalloproteinase (MMP9) and others now available for use as clinical diagnostics. In cases of cognitive decline, new technology for brain MRI analysis, NeuroQuant, can pick up small changes in brain structures consistently shown in CIRS.
This work is based upon two randomized controlled trials applying a specific series of assessments and treatments designed to restore normal health status by:
1) eliminating the exposure
2) resolving immune dysfunction
3) repairing damage to the central nervous system
The CIRS protocol finally gives the practitioner a clinical roadmap for some of their most complex patients presenting with fatigue, especially those suffering from Lyme disease. This article offers clear, concise guidance on the diagnostic and therapeutic approach to define both an initial infectious process and a subsequent inflammatory illness and outlines how genomic testing can determine predisposition to chronic stages of Lyme after acute illness through use of Next Generation Sequencing to bring transcriptomics to the Lyme community.
The goal of this important scientific work is to help practitioners reduce uncertainty in their management of the CIRS patient and to ensure a rigorous, evidence based assessment and treatment process is applied utilizing both conventional and Integrative treatment strategies. It represents a new era in clinical medicine by applying a novel language of neuroimmune and genomic profiling, in order to guide health providers in their treatment of Lyme disease, mold exposure and other biotoxins.
Future research will focus on refining the treatment protocol, determining the role of transcriptomics in chronic inflammatory processes and exploring the relationship and overlap between CIRS and other common conditions such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity, chronic pain syndromes, concussion and brain injury, and neurodegenerative disorders.
On Friday, December 15, 2017 during our 25th Annual A4M World Congress, Dr. Heyman will be lecturing at our VIP breakfast symposium titled See the Forest through the Trees: Protocols for Lyme Disease, where he will cover what can reduce symptoms, of Lyme, strengthen the immune system, and potentially treat the entire illness.
If you are interested in furthering your coverage of the treatment of Lyme and other chronic illnesses, Dr. Heyman and Dr. Shoemaker have a two part online advance course that we offer.