Treatment of Babesia

I just read that same article and, like you, I am so disheartened. She is also saying it needs to be treated for life. Oh, dear.

Patty

I read that article awhile back...and it is discouraging.


But, I know many people who have eradicated it....is it gone completely? I don't know, but they are symptom free.

There are many, many people who have healed from lyme and co's - and a lot of them had Babesia...

The jury is still out for me and my Babesia treatment. I am only taking Artemisinin and Cryptolepis...
I have done 5 rounds of Art...have a few more left to do.


Those statements aren't coming from LLMD's Dr. Horowitz and Dr. Jemsek...and I trust them.

Krimpet, I agree. We may never be completely free from all the little buggers, but on the other hand there are many out there who carry around these infections and will never know it because their bodies have a healthy enough immune system to keep them at bay.

That needs to be our goal. To keep them at bay so that we can live better then they do!

I believe that we need to try to put these kinds of articles in the back of our minds and look at the positive stories that are out there. People have gotten better without eradicating it completely and have gone on to live fulfilling lives doing all the things that bring them pleasure.

PeteZa said...
I totally believe that I have bart and babs. My feet felt like there was glass in them and it was so very painful to walk. My head pain, gasping for breath had to be babs. Houttuynia and cryptolepis were my go-to herbs. I am hopeful that they are in remission and scared at the same time.

Rooting for you all the way!!!

Babesia can be cured, it's just a matter of how badly the person is infected, what treatment (finally) works, and what all the patient is dealing with.

In 2013, I was finally free of my Babesia infection that I had carried who knows how long.

"In patients with underlying immunosuppression and persistent signs and symptoms, studies have shown an association between longer treatment duration and a positive outcome; therefore, treatment of these individuals should be continued for weeks or months until blood smears are negative for at least two weeks."
Now, I don't agree with the rest of their statements, as I've seen it to the contrary, but....

columbia-lyme.org/patients/tbd_babesia.html

I like this article, even though it's mainly about why we don't heal from Lyme, it also speaks to Babesia:
www.publichealthalert.org/the-18-reasons-lyme-treatments-fail-tick-borne-infection-medicine-for-the-new-millennium.html

And, here's an article showing that an infant was cured:
" The infant was treated successfully with a combination of oral azithromycin and atovaquone. This combination is an alternative to clindamycin and quinine for the treatment of children with babesiosis."
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17259886?dopt=AbstractPlus

This may be why some don't heal from Babesia:
"Immunocompromised people who are infected by B. microti are at risk of persistent relapsing illness. Such patients generally require antibabesial treatment for ⩾6 weeks to achieve cure, including 2 weeks after parasites are no longer detected on blood smear."
cid.oxfordjournals.org/content/46/3/370.long

And, a favorite of many, Dr. Horwitz:
"Babesia can suppress the immune system’s ability to clear other parasites, like intestinal parasites, so oftentimes we find associated intestinal parasites playing a role. Eva Sapi (University of New Haven) also found filaria organisms in ticks, and Doctor Stephen Fry of Arizona has discovered FL-1953 protomyxzoa, which genetically comprises up to eight different parasites. All of these parasites may be present simultaneously. "
lymeconnection.org/news_publications/meet_the_lyme_disease_experts.html/title/dr-richard-horowitz

Davidy don't be discouraged :) I barely have Babs symptoms yet have turned a positive IFA but a negative FISH/smear. Only thing i have is mild air hunger. It's worth trying at this point even if you're negative for it. It could really be hindering your recovery. I read somewhere that people who have Babesia can have up to 3 times more lyme due to the immunosuppression it causes. Don't know how true that is but anyways... these infections are synergistic and sterility is a pipe dream. No organism on this planet is sterile and these "pathogens" can be found in people and animals without overt "lyme" disease or "babesiosis". In other words, it's possibly more about healthy ecology than complete eradication. Ie an immune system that can keep things in check day to day. If you have babesia then treating it is going to help your lyme, and treating your lyme is going to help your babesia and so on. Because each organism facilitates immune dysfunction and the persistence of the others. Abx treatment is more about lowering the pathogen load to a more manageable level for your immune system than complete eradication. In fact, there is some speculation that antibiotics don't directly eradicate ANY infection, but do just this. You really shouldn't be any more worried about babesia than any other coinfection or borrelia itself. They are unique organisms that require unique treatment, but ultimately require a very similar way of approaching treatment. Your doctor wouldn't be doing this if they didn't think it could help and I know at least one person who claims treatment helped her Babesia.

Anyways, Babesia is not the only thing that might be hindering recover so don't get hung on it. What abx have you taken and what complementary therapy have you done? Things like biofilms and persisters can make treatment ineffective though usually they just facilitate relapse. Since you have no progress from which to relapse I think that's pretty suggestive that you have another dominant infection that isn't being covered by the current drug regimen. What other coinfections have you tested for?