Coast to Coast June 22 , 2006
Morgellons Disease
Morgellons or
Morgellons disease is a controversial name for an alleged polysymptomatic
syndrome characterized by the patient finding fibers on their skin, which they
believe are related to other symptoms, including intense itching, skin lesions,
as well as a wide range of other chronic symptoms. These symptoms are
occasionally accompanied by the belief in infestation by some unknown arthropod
or parasite. The term Morgellons is not in accepted use by the medical community
and the syndrome is widely held by the medical community to be a presentation of
delusional parasitosis. There is no agreed-upon physical cause, etiology,
diagnostic criteria or proven treatment. Pressure from patients, including
doctors and nurses who claim to have a host of difficult symptoms, resulted in
June 2006 in a statement from the federal Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention that it had begun organizing a committee for the purpose of
investigating Morgellons to determine whether it exists.
Morgellons & Red Rain Updates
During the first half of Thursday's show, reporter and editor for
Earthfiles. com,
Linda Moulton Howe provided updates on Morgellons disease and the red rain that
fell on Kerala, India.
The cause of Morgellons Disease
is currently a medical mystery.
Most individuals with this disease report disturbing crawling, stinging, and biting sensations, as well as non-healing skin lesions, which are associated with highly unusual structures. These structures can be described as fiber-like or filamentous, and are the most striking feature of this disease. In addition, patients report the presence of seed-like granules and black speck-like material associated with their skin.
www.morgellonsresearchfoundation.com
click for link:
Lyme Disease is often Associated with Morgellons Disease
What is Lyme Disease and How Can I Prevent Myself or
My Family From Getting "Lyme Disease " ?
... Additionally, the psychological and internal
physiological
effects are equally as devastating." - Morgellons patient
Morgellons lesions typically contain microscopic fibers
that sufferers say are an agony of painful itching and scarring.
Image courtesy Morgellons patient.
Symptoms of Morgellons Disease
The peripheral nervous system is often affected by this disease, but the most significant element of the infection, appears to be the effect on the central nervous sytem. Nearly all people with this illness report extreme difficulty with mental concentration and short term memory. Mood disorders, such as depression and Bipolar Disorder, are extremely common in this group of patients, affecting well over half of all individuals reporting symptoms of Morgellons Disease. Parents of children with Morgellons disease report that the majority of these children have ADHD, ODD, mood disorders, or autism. It is estimated that 65% of these children have some form of psychiatric illness, and 10% have an autism spectrum disorder.
Linda Moulton Howe provided several images to accompany her appearance on Thursday's program, including this photo showing magnified cells in the Kerala, India red rain water
Centers for Disease Control E-mail:
Dr. Douglas Bruckner of the Morgellons Research Foundation reported that the CDC is now launching a study of the disease. This is somewhat of a breakthrough, he noted, as in the past, patients have typically been diagnosed as having mental problems due to their symptoms (such as the sensation of bugs crawling on them).
The largest number of cases are in Texas, California and Florida, and Lyme Disease and environmental factors could be involved in triggering the ailment, he added.
Tulsa Doctors Examine Unknown "Stings" on Back
The map below shows the growth in reports of Morgellons Disease in the U.S.
The majority of individuals reporting symptoms of Morgellons Disease reside in California, Texas, and Florida.
www.morgellonsresearchfoundation.com
Distinct geographic "cluster" areas of this disease have been noted near Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Jose and San Diego in California - as well as near Houston, Dallas, Austin, and Round Rock in Texas.
Note: Although California represents 12% of the US population, 26% of all who have registered with the Morgellons Research Foundation reside in California.
Cases of this disease have been reported to this foundation by people living in all fifty states in the U.S.
Morgellons Research Foundation Com
www.morgellonsresearchfoundation.com