In the prior article, I began with a story about Little Johnny who turned into a different Johnny after an infection of some sort which left his parents searching for answers.  While the story is fictional (you can read in the prior article) it combines pieces of several stories by parents in our practice over the last several years.  We have seen children from a few years old to their late teens who developed very weird neuropsychiatric symptoms and were diagnosed by us or others as having PANS or PANDAS (Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Syndrome or Pediatric Autoimmune Syndrome Associated with Strep).  We have seen many of these children recover and return to regular life as a kid, once we identified the correct etiology and applied the right combination of therapies.

Identifying causes means considering infections mentioned in the conference talks:

Strep in one’s throat, in perianal skin, or in dysbiosis of the GI tract

Staphylococcal infection in the sinuses

Candida (yeast)

Mycoplasma pneumonia

Lyme (Borrelia Burgdorferi)

Bartonella bacteria (Cat Scratch Disease)

Epstein Barr virus (EBV, Mono)

Cytomegalovirus virus (CMV)

Human Herpes Virus 6 (HHV6, roseola)

Coxsackievirus

Parasites of many types

Toxins such as mold, synthetics, algae, and metals

While each of these triggers could take a few pages or more each to discuss specific therapies, we can mention a few therapies we use at Sanctuary and how we combine them with anti-inflammatories to reach successful outcomes.

We are using an herb called Houttuynia cordata (think petunia with an “h” when you are trying to say houttuynia). This Chinese herb demonstrates both anti-bacterial properties against Lyme and Bartonella as well as some anti-viral action as well.  It is even being researched for use against coronaviruses and other viruses.

We use a good bit of artemisinin for supporting Lyme therapy and parasite therapy.  This compound comes from Artemesia annua also known as “Sweet Annie” or “sweet wormwood”.  Researchers who found that this compound could effectively treat malaria received a Nobel Prize in medicine for their work.  We appreciate their contributions as it helps many recover from disease we treat in our office.

We employ Japanese Knotweed (Polygonum cuspidatum) as well for many conditions.  Besides its anti-inflammatory effects and brain plasticity benefits, it has demonstrated anti-viral and anti-Lyme effects.  In lower doses, its anti-inflammatory effects prevail while in higher doses, its anti-microbial effects prevail.

We are starting to use some Skullcap (Scutellaria) for its anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial effects.  There is evidence for its use in Lyme therapy and for viral, fungal, and other bacterial infections.

We sometimes add transfer factors.  These proteins derived from colostrum offer both immune stimulating and modulating properties.  In studies they appear to activate Natural Killer cells (NK) and lymphocytes. Different forms support immune responses to Lyme, EBV, HHV6, CMV, Chlamydia pneumonia, Tuberculosis, Herpes types 1 and 2, Cryptosporosis, E. coli, and chicken pox.

Besides attacking the microbes, the other modulation of the immune system involves turning down the inflammatory response.  Sometimes the inflammation greatly adds to the damage of the infection.  Being able to dampen the response without contributing to immune suppression allows the body to focus attention on the actual invader rather than spend a lot of resources on preventing collateral damage or repairing damage that occurs.  The list of immune modulators includes but is not limited to: Andrographis, Astragalus, Cats Claw (Uncaria), vitamin A, Vitamin D, Curcumin, Omega 3’s, and SPM Actives.

With these and other tools in our tool box, we see success in patients who have not responded to standard therapy offered by conventional medicine.  Attending conferences like MEDMAPS a few weeks ago helps sharpen our skills and deepen our knowledge so we can help our patients achieve healthier, more abundant lives.  Sometimes, the lectures simply deepen our current understanding and sometimes they extend our toolbox.  At other times, it is simply a wealth of references that we can use to share with others who question the benefits of natural therapies or functional medicine.  Regardless, the time away to focus on understanding our bodies and the diseases which affect them is never wasted.

References:

Houttuynia:

TNF-alpha inhibition:  Park

NFkB inhibition/anti-inflammatory: Lee, H. J., Seo, H. S., Kim, G. J., Jeon, C. Y., Park, J. H., Jang, B. H., Park, S. J., Shin, Y. C., & Ko, S. G. (2013). Houttuynia cordata Thunb inhibits the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines through inhibition of the NFκB signaling pathway in HMC-1 human mast cells. Molecular medicine reports, 8(3), 731–736. https://doi.org/10.3892/mmr.2013.1585

Anti-viral:

Hayashi, K., Kamiya, M., & Hayashi, T. (1995). Virucidal effects of the steam distillate from Houttuynia cordata and its components on HSV-1, influenza virus, and HIV. Planta medica, 61(3), 237–241. https://doi.org/10.1055/s-2006-958063

Yuan, H., Liu, L., Zhou, J., Zhang, T., Daily, J. W., & Park, S. (2022). Bioactive Components of Houttuynia cordata Thunb and Their Potential Mechanisms Against COVID-19 Using Network Pharmacology and Molecular Docking Approaches. Journal of medicinal food, 25(4), 355–366. https://doi.org/10.1089/jmf.2021.K.0144

 

Artemesinin:

Anti-Lyme:

Goc, A., & Rath, M. (2016). The anti-borreliae efficacy of phytochemicals and micronutrients: an update. Therapeutic advances in infectious disease, 3(3-4), 75–82. https://doi.org/10.1177/2049936116655502

 

Japanese Knotweed (resveratrol):

Anti-inflammatory:

Park, S. Y., Jin, M. L., Kang, N. J., Park, G., & Choi, Y. W. (2017). Anti-inflammatory effects of novel polygonum multiflorum compound via inhibiting NF-κB/MAPK and upregulating the Nrf2 pathways in LPS-stimulated microglia. Neuroscience letters, 651, 43–51. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neulet.2017.04.057

Anti-viral:

Lin, C. J., Lin, H. J., Chen, T. H., Hsu, Y. A., Liu, C. S., Hwang, G. Y., & Wan, L. (2015).  Polygonum cuspidatum and its active components inhibit replication of the influenza virus through toll-like receptor 9-induced interferon beta expression. PloS one, 10(2), e0117602.  https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0117602

Anti-Lyme:

Goc, A., & Rath, M. (2016). The anti-borreliae efficacy of phytochemicals and micronutrients: an update. Therapeutic advances in infectious disease, 3(3-4), 75–82. https://doi.org/10.1177/2049936116655502

Immune modulation:

Espinoza, J. L., Trung, L. Q., Inaoka, P. T., Yamada, K., An, D. T., Mizuno, S., Nakao, S., & Takami, A. (2017). The Repeated Administration of Resveratrol Has Measurable Effects on Circulating T-Cell Subsets in Humans. Oxidative medicine and cellular longevity, 2017, 6781872.  https://doi.org/10.1155/2017/6781872

Skullcap/Scuttelaria:

Anti-viral:

Błach-Olszewska, Z., Jatczak, B., Rak, A., Lorenc, M., Gulanowski, B., Drobna, A., & Lamer-Zarawska, E. (2008). Production of cytokines and stimulation of resistance to viral infection in human leukocytes by Scutellaria baicalensis flavones. Journal of interferon & cytokine research : the official journal of the International Society for Interferon and Cytokine Research, 28(9), 571–581. https://doi.org/10.1089/jir.2008.0125

Anti-Lyme:

Goc, A., & Rath, M. (2016). The anti-borreliae efficacy of phytochemicals and micronutrients: an update. Therapeutic advances in infectious disease, 3(3-4), 75–82. https://doi.org/10.1177/2049936116655502

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Sanctuary Functional Medicine, under the direction of Dr Eric Potter, IFMCP MD, provides functional medicine services to Nashville, Middle Tennessee and beyond. We frequently treat patients from Kentucky, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, Ohio, Indiana, and more... offering the hope of healthier more abundant lives to those with chronic illness.