Morgellons a Proactive Imminence

By: Jim Tew

For many of us, Morgellons is becoming “old hat,” something that we have had to deal with; for many it is a new frightening nightmare. Regardless we all started somewhere with our research and we all have experienced the fright, fear, dread, concern, of this sickness on numerous levels when we first discovered we have an affliction that has no cure. Morgellons is a war; it is not a battle.

Many of us have sought medical attention, some still are, and some are in the beginning stages of trying to find a doctor who understands. In December 2008, CDC mailed letters to state medical associations, in case they and their members have received inquiries about this condition, in order to provide an update about CDC’s activities. Letter from CDC to medical association

It is surprising how many doctors have never heard of Morgellons. Doctors are still learning.  Some must be scared too.  Daily I hear about how the medical society has mistreated Morgellons victims adding insult to injury.  So many sufferers eventually get labeled as having Delusions of parasitosis (DOP). For those of you who feel you need to try to convince your doctors that you are not DOP, I thought I would enclose a link with this letter which you can download to take to your medical providers.

http://www.cdc.gov/unexplaineddermopathy/investigation.html#why_kaiser)

In the beginning we all seem to have some sort of “allergic reaction” to something. Doctors are diagnosing Morgellons as some sort of rash, dermatitis, impetigo, hives, prickly heat, folliculitis, bed bug bites, and SCABIES.

The beginning symptoms are similar to scabies. In fact, some people may even have scabies which then turns into something else.

Do I have scabies?

Scabies occurs when the Sarcoptes scabiei mite burrows under your skin.

This photo shows someone with scabies on her hand, after six days’ development:

According to the CDC’s page on scabies, the symptoms are:

• Pimple-like irritations, burrows or rash of the skin, especially the webbing between the fingers; the skin folds on the wrist, elbow, or knee; the penis, the breast, or shoulder blades.
• Intense itching, especially at night and over most of the body.
• Sores on the body caused by scratching. These sores can sometimes become infected with bacteria.

According to my research, traditional scabies never goes above the neck.  How about all of you who have this in your scalp?  My question to doctors who blanketly diagnose the symptoms as scabies, is how do you know it’s scabies?

Sometimes, you may need one of the following tests to confirm the diagnosis:

• Skin scrapings. Your doctor collects material from the itchy area by applying a drop of mineral oil or other liquid to the skin and then scraping the area with a scalpel. He or she then examines the scrapings under a microscope to look for scabies mites, eggs, egg casings, or feces. This is the most common test used to diagnose scabies.
• Ink test or ink burrow test. Your doctor strokes a washable felt-tip pen across the itchy areas. The surface ink is wiped off with water or an alcohol swab. Any burrows present will absorb the ink and be seen as a dark line.
• Skin biopsy/punch biopsy. A skin sample (punch biopsy or shave biopsy) may be helpful in diagnosing difficult-to-diagnose conditions. Skin biopsy is rarely used.
• Needle extraction of the mite. On rare occasions, a needle is used to remove a mite from the burrow. The mite is placed on a slide and examined under a microscope.(http://health.yahoo.com/skinconditions-diagnosis/scabies-exams-and-tests/healthwise–hw171938.html)

Then you get prescribed the pesticide permethrin, to which the bugs seem to be immune. According to Agency data, (EPA)  approximately 2 million pounds of permethrin are applied annually to agricultural, residential and public health uses sites.  The majority of permethrin, over 70%, is used in non-agricultural settings; 55% is applied by professionals, 41% is applied by homeowners on residential areas, and 4% is applied on mosquito abatement areas. No wonder the mites are resistant.