Dr. Simon Yu, MD
Have you ever had periodontal surgery for gum disease? It is so unpleasant that Canadian dentist Murray Vimy calls it oral circumcision—a bad Canadian joke, I guess. The initial oral surgery results appear favorable, but the benefits usually do not last very long unless you can correct the underlying problems. Dentists often blame the patient for poor oral hygiene: not flossing enough and not brushing properly. “The mouth is the mirror of all disease,” according to Sir William Osler, one of the original founders of Johns Hopkins. Current Western medical education was shaped by his teaching, but this wisdom somehow got lost in the specialization of medical professions, and the importance of the dental/oral cavity has been ignored.
Dental infections and periodontal gum disease reflect systemic disease from eating a processed Western industrial diet, according to Dr. Western Price’s classic book, Nutrition and Physical Degeneration. The prevalence of physical degenerative diseases such as skeletal malformations, including jaw/mandibular atrophy, caries, and tooth loss are due to periodontal infection. Today, medical doctors are busy taking care of patients with heart disease, rheumatism, kidney disease, Lyme, cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, IBS, and neurological problems like MS, Parkinson’s disease, and ALS. As physicians, we treat the disease based on symptoms, lab and diagnostic tests, and often get lost because proper dental evaluation as a cause of chronic illness is not a part of medical evaluation.
Canadian dentist Trevor Lyons published an important but underappreciated book, Introduction to Protozoa and Fungi in Periodontal Infection: A Manual of Microbiological Diagnosis and Nonsurgical Treatment, in 1989. He covers how and why dental pathogens are the culprit not only for dental infections, but for creating systemic infections and a multitude of chronic medical conditions. Simply put, advancing destructive periodontal disease involves oral protozoal parasites. This is confirmed by S. Fadhil Ali Malaa et al. in a 2022 article stating, “Trichomonas tenax (T. tenax) and Entamoeba gingivalis (E. gingivalis) are two oral protozoan parasites that are universal and found in patients with poor oral hygiene, as well as chronic and periodontal diseases.” I would add fungal Candida to that list.
Amoxicillin or Augmentin are typically prescribed by dentists, but they do not cover anaerobic infections or spirochete infections well. I have found a combination of doxycycline (or azithromycin), tinidazole and clindamycin, along with antifungal nystatin, cover much better the broad spectrum of dental infections, and also Lyme disease hiding under the teeth.
Bacterial infections may play a smaller part than originally thought in periodontal disease, while parasites and fungi play a larger part. Once established in the oral cavity, parasites become the dominant organism in the periodontal gum pocket. With no known enemies, they are the hidden kingmaker of most modern chronic “incurable” diseases. Simple gum and gingival inflammation and infections can transform into deep periodontitis, causing loss of teeth or deep jaw infection and unintended consequences from periodontal surgery, including root canals and dental implants, and eventual demise of your health.
Dr. John Coombs, MD, from Ottawa, noted that gingival treatment benefits patients with chronic fatigue, anxiety, depression, panic attack disorder, and rheumatism from E. gingivalis. For most health professionals, including dentists, the field of parasitology is not a well-known entity and oral parasites are not on the radar for differential diagnosis of chronic illnesses or medically unexplained symptoms. The beliefs that patients will not become infected with parasites because parasites are a third-world problem, and parasite infections only happen when inadequate hygiene practices are observed, are outdated – an unrealistic intellectual exercise. We are living in the setting of global migration, frequent travelling, and global warming—creating unique opportunities to spread parasite infections that we as medical and dental professionals are not prepared to deal with. See the many articles I have written on this subject in my books, Accidental Cure, and AcciDental Blow Up in Medicine.
Most parasites can ensure survival by having a resistant form as either cysts or eggs with complex life cycles and interaction with our good and not-so-friendly microbiomes. They have unique biological adaptations to the environment, follow moon cycles to hatch eggs, and may get assistance from bacteria to hatch eggs. It will take multiple cycles of different combinations of parasite, fungal and antibiotic medications that can last over a year while correcting one’s diet, nutrition, biological terrain, and metabolism. When you get rid of one dominant parasite, less dominant parasites will arise. The patient will have to go through treatment of many layers for smaller parasites, fungi, single-celled protozoal parasites like Entamoeba, intracellular parasites, bacteria, and viruses. Parasites are masters of deception, using camouflage, hiding, confusion with antigenic variations or coinfections; they engage in counter-defense by disabling the host’s immune response.
E. gingivalis and Actinomyces species are known to cause inflammation and necrosis in the female genital tract, cause havoc via destructive periodontal lesions, and cause fatigue, headaches, foul smelling breath (halitosis), and frequent flu-like infections. Entamoeba ingests red blood cells and white blood cells, sucking out the cell contents, often resembling a multinucleated giant cell (think of lymphoma), per Lyons. They also go after fatty tissues like brain and breast tissue. T. tenax is another common oral protozoal parasite and is associated with female vaginal foul-smelling discharge and itching, or painful urination. These parasites often harbor bacteria and viruses, even Legionella bacteria. Entamoeba histolytica is a close cousin of E. gingivalis and is associated with intestinal problems. Entamoeba produce and store toxins within their bodies and release them to control their environment.
When these parasites die, they release enzymes (elastase) and biotoxins into the tissues, which results in further necrosis, destruction, and gum bleeding. This provides a source of food for the succeeding wave of invading daughter cells and perpetuates the cycle of infection. The white blood count (WBC) outnumbers Entamoeba by a 100:1 ratio and triggers WBC to produce and release elastase, destroying its own soft tissues and triggering autoimmune responses. E. gingivalis is the epitome of parasites since the parasite commands the host to destroy its own tissues in order to promote blood flow cells for the supply for the sole purpose of feeding the invading organism. Think of how many cancerous cells’ behaviors are like metabolic parasites, and often respond to antiparasitics, antifungals, and antibiotics. See my article with Dr. Frederick (Tim) Guilford, “Antiparasitic and Antifungal Medications for Targeting Cancer Cells Literature Review and Case Studies.”
Candida will not colonize unless there has been a preexisting protozoal or bacterial infection. Left untreated, the protozoa may ultimately be suppressed by the presence of fungi and mycotoxins. Candida can switch forms, known as “dimorphic”: from a long filament called hyphae to yeast, and release fungal toxins. It can transform into spores if the environment becomes unfavorable for it and turn into thick-walled cells that look swollen, called chlamydospores. This is a disseminating form, often a silent infectious stage. When eliminating oral parasites, Candida is the most frequent organism to overgrow and create superinfection. It is important to treat parasites and fungus concurrently and in alternating sequences, while correcting the biological terrain with diet, nutrition, and detoxification.
Even the act of chewing can send showers of bacteria and parasites into the bloodstream. Living with oral parasites and fungus may be like living with a ticking time bomb. Defuse this biological dental bomb from creating a chain reaction of explosive inflammatory reaction. Start by treating intestinal GI tract-related large parasites first with medications like ivermectin, parental pamoate and praziquantel; next treat dental parasites and fungi with doxycycline, tinidazole, and nystatin. Follow with fluconazole and itraconazole to cover deep fungal infections. Reinfection is very common; change your toothbrush frequently, don’t forget daily oil pulling with sunflower seed oil, and brush with salt and baking soda.
Here are two case studies. First, a 60-year-old physician with adrenal burnout, breast cancer, Lyme, and dental infections; for more details see my article. AMA testing showed disturbances on the Triple Warmer (TW) meridian, which corresponds to the endocrine system – adrenal, thyroid, and reproductive glands that produce hormones that regulate metabolism, growth and development, tissue function, sexual function, reproduction, sleep, and mood. An oral DNA test on her extracted infected tooth was positive, with multiple pathogens including Entamoeba, and a Lyme panel showed Borrelia, Babesia, Bartonella, and other coinfections hiding in the tooth.
Second, a 57-year-old with ALS. His oral DNA and Lyme panel reveal Borrelia and various infections in a former wisdom tooth cavitation site.
In summary, I have briefly reviewed and hopefully renewed interest in Dr. Trevor Lyons’ lifetime work and his landmark book.
Good news: hold off on oral circumcision or periodontal surgery just yet. Instead of relying on periodontal surgery and antibiotics to control periodontal disease, combine antibiotics with antiparasitic and antifungal medications, oil pulling and proper brushing, and improve your diet and nutrition.
Dental DNA testing is now available, and it confirms Dr. Lyons’ findings about dental-medical connections for chronic fatigue, thyroid and adrenal hormone imbalance, cancer, Lyme, neurological diseases, and much more. It is time to connect the dots between dental and chronic, mysterious medical problems. Acupuncture meridian assessment (AMA) can help connect the dots by detecting the subtle energy disturbances described in ancient civilizations called acupuncture meridians. Oral circumcision is optional. Dr. Lyons’ book is out of print but posted on the internet.
Published June 17, 2023
About the Author
Dr. Simon Yu, MD, is a board-certified internist. He practices internal medicine with an emphasis on integrative medicine to use the best each has to offer. For more articles and information about integrative medicine, patient success stories and Dr. Yu’s books, visit his website at www.preventionandhealing.com or call Prevention and Healing, Inc., 314-432-7802. Dr. Yu teaches Acupuncture Meridian Assessment (AMA) seminars to physicians, dentists, and prescribing health professionals in April and June of each year, with an advanced training for AMA graduates in August.