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Chart 12: Methods/Assessment
Assessment of clinical outcome was based on the pain response of the patients, divided into four groups.

Group I – Excellent, positive outcome, patients whose pain was reduced 75% in 72 hours and may require minor over-the-counter pain medication.

Group II – Good, positive outcome, patients whose pain was reduced 75% within seven days and who may require minor pain control (aspirin).

Group III – Fair, positive outcome, patients with 50% reduction in pain, requiring a second procedure within 14 days.

Group IV – Poor, negative outcome, patients with less than 50% reduction in pain after 14 days and with a second antimicrobial protocol.

Chart 13: Outcome from Open Clinical Study
The overall outcome results – 42 patients:

Group I – positive outcome, excellent, ten patients, 23.8%.

Group II – positive outcome, good, 26 patients, 61.9%.

Group III – fair outcome, four patients, 9.5%.

Group IV – poor outcome, two patients, 4.8%.

Total positive response 95.23%.

Figure 12 (12KB .pdf) shows the above results in graph form.

DETECTION OF FUNGUS FROM BLOOD SAMPLES

Non-culture methods now being developed and evaluated for mycotic infections include High Resolution Blood Morphology (HRBM™), polymerase chain reaction (PCR), galactomannan antigenemia, Western blot to detect antibodies, and other methods to detect the fungal metabolites D-arabinitol and (1,3)-beta-D-glucan. Sample preparation for PCR from blood specimens depends on fractionation of peripheral blood, its pre-incubation in blood culture broth, or a total DNA method that does not rely on fractionation or pre-incubation. A pilot study indicated that PCR tests on blood specimens were positive at least once in patients with confirmed invasive aspergillosis. Produced by most general of pathogenic fungi, (1,3)-beta-D-glucan can be detected in plasma by the "G-test."¹⁰⁶ High Resolution Microscopy, PCR, and the G-test are the most reliable. Antibody detection is the least reliable, giving significantly false, negative results.^77,123

The PCR method was capable of detecting a wide range of medically important fungi from clinical specimens. The test is based on the detection of certain ribosomal RNA genes shared by most fungi. The lower limit of detection was 1 pg (picogram) of Candida albicans genomic DNA. A 687-bp (base-pair) product was amplified successfully by PCR from all 78 strains of 25 medically important fungal species, including Candida, Hansenula, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Cryptococcus neoformans, Trichosporon beigelii, Malassezia furfur, Pneumosystis carinii, Aspergillus sp., and Penicillium sp. Detection by PCR of fungus in clinical samples including blood, cerebrospinal fluid, and sputum appeared to be a more sensitive diagnostic method for fungal infections than a conventional blood culture technique.¹⁰⁷

In a two-year study, 121 patients admitted to the University Hospital of Innsbruck, Germany, for cancer chemotherapy, without clinical signs of fungal infection, were screened for Aspergillus. In 23% of these patients, Aspergillus was detected by the PCR method. Positive PCR results became negative shortly after antifungal treatment was begun.¹⁰⁸

Diagnosing the invasion of deep organs by Candida has been difficult for two reasons. First, patients may have extensive Candida infections of several deep organs, yet have negative blood cultures. Second, the meaning of a positive blood culture for Candida has been questioned, especially during the early years of the organism's emergence as a pathogen. There is a crucial need for an accurate, cost-effective test more sensitive than blood cultures for diagnosing Candida infections of deep organs. Inevitably, however, invasive candidiasis will develop in some patients who will die before they test positive.¹³¹ This demonstrates that the blood culture test alone is both unreliable and insensitive.

THERAPY

Broad-Base Antimicrobial Infusion
The broad-spectrum, anti-microbial protocol developed by the Bradford Research Institute is presented. This ongoing, investigative protocol consists of three sequential intravenous infusions designed for anti-microbial, anti-oxidant, immune-stimulating, and anti-inflammatory properties. This protocol should be considered for individuals with symptoms associated with systemic microbial overload, including fungal, bacterial, viral, and mycoplasmal. Benadryl, as an antihistamine, was administered to minimize the microbial die-off reactions. The pain of fibromyalgia patients is greatly diminished in a majority of patients within 12 hours of administration.

Aerobic Exercise
A controlled clinical study included 27 fibromyalgia patients (25 female, two male) who performed 12 weeks of jogging, walking, cycling, or swimming following a given schedule. Twelve sedentary fibromyalgia patients (11 female, one male) served as controls. Patients trained for an average of 25 minutes, two to three times a week. Pain parameters remained unchanged in the control group, but in the training group, the mean number of positive tender points, the mean pain threshold of the gluteal tender point, and the painful body condition deteriorated in only two patients but improved in 17. These results suggest a positive effect of aerobic endurance on fitness and well-being in fibromyalgia patients.²⁹ It has been demonstrated, using American Biologics' chemoluminescence Redox Probe that exercise is an efficient method to oxidize the blood.¹²⁴

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