About the Author

Dr. Katherine Poehlmann is the author of the recently published book: Rheumatoid Arthritis: The Infection Connection {Targeting and Treating the Cause of Chronic Illness}. This book describes the causes and antibiotic treatment of microbe-caused rheumatic diseases. In writing this book she has spent three years studying and correlating data on infectious organisms and chronic diseases. Her ongoing research includes examination of the link between Chlamydia and atherosclerosis. The slow-growing plaques clog arteries, resulting in unnecessarily high death rates from heart attacks and strokes among the elderly.

She is a professional researcher and a systems engineer with a magna cum laude degree in mathematics from Immaculate Heart College and an MBA from the University of Redlands with emphasis on technology management. She has authored more than a dozen scientific reports on space technology, defense policy analysis, and aircraft logistics.

Using her research skills, honed at the RAND Corporation as a senior analyst from 1984-1994, Katherine earned a Ph.D. in Health Science in 1997 after two years of intensive study. The goal was to find the cause of her own debilitating case of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) that developed in both of her ankles soon after a fall down stairs in 1993. She was told that RA was incurable, and that she would “just have to live with it.” She saw that the usual course of treatment involved using powerful prescription drugs with harmful side effects. These medications only masked painful RA symptoms but did not target the root cause of her RA condition. She was determined to find a cure, if one existed.

A turning point in her life was learning of the groundbreaking work by Dr. Thomas McPherson Brown in the 1940s that identified bacterial infection as an important factor in rheumatic disease. Her doctoral dissertation was the foundation for this book, significantly updated to include cutting edge advances in microbial infection research and more comprehensive coverage of chronic illnesses besides RA. Her self-help book is written for the lay person with a high school education, although Appendix II is written by a medical doctor for doctors so that they can clearly understand Dr. Brown’s low dose, long term antibiotic protocol and its application for their patients.

Dr. Poehlmann progressed from being “25% disabled,” as determined by four board-certified physicians and rheumatologists, to being completely ambulatory and pain-free within eight months, using the techniques described in this book. She also became a certified hypnotherapist in order to learn self-hypnosis techniques for stress control and pain management and teach them to others. She was honored by the Torrance Cultural Arts Commission in April 2004 with the Excellence in Literary Arts Award.

Since recovery from RA, she has visited archeological sites in Tibet, Chile, Easter Island, Malta, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand and has hiked over sections of the Great Wall and Silk Route sites in China. Dr. Poehlmann lives in Torrance, CA and lectures widely on health topics. She waives speaker fees for community organizations (e.g., Kiwanis), support groups, and library-sponsored events. All book profits after expenses are donated to infection research.

Her right brain (creative) talents include stand-up comedy (most recent performance at the Hollywood Improv on October 2, 2005) and jewelry design (see www.AdornAgain.com ).

Chronology: How This Book Came to Be

1993: fell down hotel stairs on a business trip, tore ligaments in both ankles

§ Boston emergency room treatment consisted of ibuprofen, air casts

§ California Worker’s Comp doctor will authorize time off for rest and healing

§ pain, inflammation, swelling, fatigue persist for weeks

1994: Rheumatologist diagnoses Rheumatoid Arthritis, prescribes Naprosyn

· symptoms persist, doctor prescribes Relafen

· symptoms persist, doctor prescribes Voltaren, confirms RA with MRI test

· cannot walk, stand, or drive without pain; overwhelming fatigue – result: lost office job

· start researching my own case, discover Dr. Brown’s book The Road Back

· ask rheumatologist to try tetracycline regimen, but he refuses

· seek a second opinion, but rheumatologist favors powerful prescription drugs

· seek a third opinion, but prominent sports injury doctor suggests bone fusion surgery

· seek a fourth opinion, but rheumatologist favors powerful prescription drugs

· locate alternative source for oxytetracycline, notify family doctor of intent to start regimen

1995: following Dr. Brown’s regimen, sees great relief in the first month; doctor authorizes regimen

physically unable to attend classes, enroll in PhD distance learning program (Clayton College of Natural Health)

begin gathering research data for dissertation

1995-7: complete PhD program, publish dissertation “RA: The Infection Connection”

reviewers are Drs Baseman and Tully, renowned names in infection research

eight months after starting antibiotic regimen, symptoms are gone – in full remission!

’99-2000: decide to publish dissertation as self-help book, update research

2000-01: write first draft, hire two editors, revise per their suggestions

10/2001: send draft to formal medical reviewers:

Dr. Joseph Mercola, D.O., owner of the most-visited natural health website in the U.S.

Dr. Garth Nicolson, Nobel Prize nominee in cell microbiology

Dr. Harold Clark, microbiologist and lab manager for Dr. Thomas McPherson Brown

Dr. Peter Okada, M.D., gerontologist and internist

also obtain reviews by web-active, RA-oriented support group leaders

12/01-3/02: incorporate all reviewers’ comments, revise, publish in March 2002

create website to describe book, share ongoing research

establish Amazon.com as sales channel; 5-star reviews collected

establish Baker & Taylor as distributor

3/02-8/02: book sells out in July, order second printing (2000)

highly successful marketing tours to FL, OH, CT, CA, OR, WA

Amazon orders increase, libraries order for main library and branches

participate in conference on degenerative diseases, book sells out

Canadian-based foundation’s members order in quantity

marketing at health fairs, BEA and ALA book fairs, six U.S. regional book fairs

5-star reviews from Midwest Book Review, several chronic illness foundations, Dr. Gabe Mirkin

9/02: publish article for Journal of Degenerative Diseases, put on website along with ongoing research

10/02: book offered on international Amazon sites: Canada, Germany, France, Japan, UK

1/03: book sells out again, schedule third printing (6000 books)

accepted by Barnes & Noble and Borders for distribution through chain stores

sports clinic in WA adds book to “Arthritis Package”

begin radio and TV interviews on health topics, series of U.S. book promotion tours

3/03: finalist in Foreword Magazine’s 2002 Book of the Year Contest (against Mayo Clinic, Johns Hopkins); awards announced at Book Expo America 2003

ongoing: lecture circuit, radio talk shows, book signings; author of health articles for newspapers, journals featured speaker at Aug 2004 Mycoplasma medical conference in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada book promotion tours to MI, OH, WI; planned tours for 2005 to Chicago (Autoimmunity Research Foundation), NY, NJ, PA, CO, OR, WA.

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