#92 Tania Dempsey, MD: All About Vector Borne Diseases

Agenda: 

1.     What is Lyme Disease? What are the co-infections? 

2.     What is special or unique about these infections' vs any other infection, like the common cold? 

3.     Talk to us about the testing for these organisms. Why is it so confusing? Is there actually accurate testing?

a.     Borrelia: FISH for all (but not available for all) but for: borrelia, borrelia genus for cousins, TBRF borrelia myomoti, hermensi, found in other regions

b.     Babesi: FISH with all the strains or just otocoli

c.     Bartonella henselae: FISH. At least 46-48 species, 13 can infect humans, only bits of testing. 

d.     T-Lab for FISH. Igenex also does some FISH testing. 

e.     To fill other holes: Vibrant TBP, Galaxy specific for bartonella

4.     Talk to us about treatment. Let’s start with antibiotics & then move outwards- what’s the approach here with antibiotics? 

a.     Are antibiotics always needed? 

b.     Do anti-viral for anti-fungal have a role here? 

c.     What about ancillary treatments like disulfiram? Are there others like this? 

d.     What about mitochondrial supports, detox, and binders? 

e.     What about nutritional supports? 

f.      What about diet, lifestyle & the mind? 

5.     Where does chronic Lyme sit in the pantheon of other chronic infections like Long-COVID & EBV & Strep with PANS/ PANDAS? How much does treatment overlap for these diseases? 

6.     How much do environment (personal microbiome, community, environmental toxicity) & genetics contribute to the risk for developing or persisting chronic infections? How do you best like to assess or treat this? 

7.     Let’s talk politics for a moment: Why won’t many conventional clinicians recognize or treat chronic Lyme? 

8.     What’s up & coming in the Lyme world research & education-wise? Tell us about ILADS! 

9.     Where can folks find you & more about your practice? 

 https://drtaniadempsey.com/

Bio: Dr. Tania Dempsey, MD, ABIHM is a world-renowned expert in complex, multisystem diseases. As founder of the AIM Center of Personalized Medicine, in Purchase, NY, Dr. Dempsey uses functional and integrative medicine to get to the root cause(s) of illness and to help find the path to optimum health. Her extensive knowledge and experience with Mast Cell Activation Syndrome, Mold, and Lyme and other Vector-Borne Diseases, has propelled her to the forefront of the medical community as a recognized and trusted speaker, researcher, advocate, and physician. 

Dr. Dempsey is Board-Certified in Internal Medicine and Integrative and Holistic Medicine. She received her MD degree from The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and her BS degree from Cornell University. She completed her Internal Medicine Residency at NYU Medical Center. 

She was recently elected to the Board of Directors of ILADS (International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society). She is also a member of the U.S. ME/CFS Clinician Coalition, the American Academy of Ozonotherapy, and ISSWSH (International Society for the Study of Women’s Sexual Health). 

She is an accomplished international speaker, writer and thought leader and has 8 peer-reviewed articles in the medical literature. Her latest endeavor is cohosting the new podcast, Mast Cell Matters.

At the heart of Dr. Dempsey’s work is a commitment to patients who’ve long gone unheard.