Lyme Disease Natural Medicine

Lyme disease history

Lyme disease was named after the East Coast town of Lyme, Connecticut, where the disease was first identified in 1975. The disease was first referred to as Lyme arthritis due to the presentation of atypical arthritic symptoms. By 1977, the black-legged tick, also known as the deer tick, was linked to transmission of this disease.

In 1982, William Burgdorfer, PhD, discovered the bacterium responsible for the infection and named it Borrelia burgdorferi.

How Lyme disease is transmitted

Lyme bacteria are released into your blood from the bite of an infected tick. In most cases, the tick must be attached for 24-36 hours or more before the Lyme disease bacterium can be transmitted. In other cases Lyme disease (LD) can be transmitted through other vectors such as mosquitos, mites, spiders and fleas. This may be the reason so few Lyme sufferers recall being bitten by a tick.

Bulls-eye rash of Lyme disease

Classically fifty percent of people report a characteristic skin rash called erythema migrans (a bulls-eye rash) after being bitten. In others there is no rash at all. Sometimes there can be a transient type rash that doesn’t quite look like a bulls-eye rash but nonetheless is present on the skin for a brief time period and may even go unnoticed. This rash may be accompanied by chills and fever.

Lyme bacteria (BB)

Borrelia burgdorferi (BB) is the bacteria that is transmitted into your body after a tick bite or infection.  This bacteria (BB) is a spirochete, which means that its corkscrew-shaped.  This shape allows it to burrow into and hide in a variety of your body’s tissues, allowing it to evade the immune system.  This is why it causes such wide-ranging multisystem involvement. BB also has a cousin called Treponema pallidum another spirochete bacterium that causes syphilis. In fact, they look very similar under a microscope and seem to cause similar symptoms in humans.

Lyme disease symptoms

Typical symptoms of Lyme disease include fever, chills, headache, fatigue, vision problems, muscle aches, and joint pain. If left untreated, the infection can spread to multiple joints, the heart, and the nervous system. Quite frequently it’s the fatigue, muscle and joint pain that will typically lead you to your doctor’s office. Unfortunately, Lyme disease is typically misdiagnosed as arthritis or fibromyalgia.

Lyme – the invisible illness

Many patients who battle Lyme disease appear healthy, and have normal blood work, which is why LD has been called “the invisible illness.” Lyme patients often look fine but their body feels terrible. This will often lead the patient down the road of seeing multiple doctors in hopes to find a solution to their illness.

Lyme disease can mimic other disorders such as multiple sclerosis, arthritis, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, ALS and Alzheimer’s disease. In fact the disease may progress for many years before being properly diagnosed and treated.

Lyme disease testing

Although some, not all cases of Lyme disease produce clear-cut antibody results. Testing for Lyme antibodies too early in the course of illness (e.g., when a rash first appears) will not detect the infection in 50% of the cases.  If there is a positive antibody response, a more careful (Western blot) test is used to discern B. burgdorferi infection from cross-reacting antibodies; however, this test has only 44.6% sensitivity.

Polymerase chain reaction or PCR testing is also available for the testing of Lyme. Essentially this test is much more sensitive and specific for Lyme as it isolates and amplifies the DNA associated with Lyme as well as any co-infections (Babesia, Bartonella, Ehrlichiosis, Anaplasmosis and Rickettsia).

Problems with Lyme disease

Why are people so sick and why is the incidence of this disease becoming so prevalent? Why don’t antibiotics fully cure people who have this disease?

The Lyme bacterium, Borrelia burgdorferi (BB) can become stealth and hard to kill.  It has been found in three forms: Spirochetes, cysts and cell wall deficient forms. The spirochete is like a corkscrew, it can borrow into almost anything including red and white blood cells and hide inside them. Here they are safe from your immune system.  The cystic formation is when the organism produces an impenetrable shield around itself and becomes resistant to your immune system as well as antibiotics that are used in treatment. It’s like BB is wearing a bullet proof vest and noting can penetrate it.  The cell wall deficient form is invisible to your immune system because it has no identifying protein to flag your immune system into action.

Lyme disease treatment outline

There’s a lot that goes into the treatment of Lyme disease. With advanced detection methods we are able to glimpse what’s occurring in the body. With immune system markers we’re able to track and monitor therapeutic procedures to some extent.  With nutritional biochemistry we are able to rebuild the broken constitution that the body has taken on.

1. Everyone who has tested positive for Lyme should be treated with antibiotics first.
2. Anyone who tested negative but had a bulls-eye rash and history of chills with a bite from a vector source; i.e. tick, flea, cat, mouse, mouse droppings, flea droppings – should also have antibiotic treatment first.
3. Once you’ve had antibiotic treatment or not, it is time to build up your immune system and restore your constitution through nutrition and natural medicine, especially if you are still somewhat symptomatic (fatigue, migrating joint pain, flu like symptoms).
4. Through specific and pointed herbal biological medicine, an attempt to eradicate this infection by implementing a Trojan horse protocol (THP). THP is attacking the organism when it’s off guard from antibiotics and has no resistance or defences to herbal medicine.
5. Supporting detoxification pathways is an integral part of treatment and Lyme toxin eradication.
6. Applying nutritional therapy through diet and supplements to support nutrient deficiencies from the disease itself. This helps the body heal faster. Protein/nitrogen balance is also calculated to support the immune system as a whole so the body may be able to fully recover efficiently.
7. Evaluating for leaky gut and the effects of Lyme disease on the GI tract.  The GI is where most of your immune system is housed – at least 70-75%.  Any disruption to this system will only hinder a full recovery from Lyme.
8. Making sure inflammatory markers such as HS-CRP or Cardio CRP are normal
9. Lifestyle coaching – Lyme disease can affect almost every aspect of your life if the disease is not contained.  Applying various strategies to help you recover and also help your family/support system understand and identify how best to support you.

Lyme literate doctors

Understanding the workings of Lyme disease is imperative and it is a speciality.  The majority of mainstream doctors have an idea of how to treat Lyme disease, however once the antibiotic treatment ends there is usually nothing more that they can do.

What I have noticed as I am in the loop of Lyme, is that Lyme literate doctors can be expensive and testing can be expensive.  What most docs don’t realize is that most Lyme disease patients are unable to work,  have a debilitating illness and are financially unstable because of it.

We make all of our cases attainable and affordable so that everyone can experience healthcare the way it should be.  If you are serious and want the help that you deserve I encourage you to call today and schedule a case review with me.  401.942.6967