Lyme disease is the fastest spreading vector-borne illness in this country. The CDC now estimates that there are 300,000 new cases of Lyme disease occurring every year, a nearly 10 fold increase in what was earlier thought. Now it has been discovered that ticks are not the only carriers of the Lyme bacteria, but so are mosquitoes, mites, and other insects. There is now research that shows that breast milk, semen, and other bodily fluids carry it as well. Which means that the infection may be contagious to a certain degree.
Joint pain and stiffness, rashes, fatigue, neurological problems, heart problems are all symptoms of Lyme disease, but usually occur years after the initial infection. Blood tests for Lyme disease are often inconclusive, which means it is often misdiagnosed as rheumatoid arthritis, MS, chronic fatigue, or other autoimmune diseases. Conventional treatment involves copious amounts of antibiotics and usually do not work for people with chronic cases. So how is a person to know if they have Lyme disease and what are some safe and effective ways of treating it?
What are the Common Symptoms of Lyme Disease?
Some cases of Lyme’s disease do start after a tick bite with the tell tale circular rash, that expands over weeks and is accompanied by fever, headache, body aches, and fatigue. However, in many chronic Lyme’s disease cases, people did not get this rash, or even remember having an insect bite. The below are common symptoms of Lyme disease as it sinks deeper into the body,
- Arthritis. Painful joints that last a few days to a few months. The arthritis can shift from one joint to another; the knee is most commonly affected and usually one or a few joints are affected at any given time. Some people develop chronic arthritis.
- Neurological symptoms. Lyme disease can also affect the nervous system, causing symptoms such as stiff neck and severe headache, numbness, pain or weakness in the limbs, or poor coordination. More subtle changes such as memory loss, difficulty with concentration, and a change in mood or sleeping habits have also been associated with Lyme disease. These symptoms often last for weeks or months and may recur.
- Chronic Fatigue. Lyme disease can also present as severe fatigue or anemia. Or general aches and malaise.
What makes Lyme Disease hard to treat by Conventional Means?
Generally people realize they have Lyme disease years after infection. During these latent years, the Lyme infection mixes with other parasites and yeasts in the body, and settles in to areas that heavy metal, radiation, or chemical toxins lie, such as the nervous system. From there, they burrow into difficult to reach areas, and develop a biofilm around their system, making them hard to kill. As the immune system breaks down, the Lyme disease proliferates. Antibiotics against the Lyme bacteria at that point have little effect.
What is the Nutritional Analysis Approach?
Generally in working with patients who have a Lyme’s diagnosis, I have found that the health issues they are having are due to heavy metal or radiation toxicity. From the nutritional analysis perspective, pathogens such as yeasts, parasites, spirochetes, etc. proliferate because they are attracted to these toxins and even chelate, or incorporate some of these toxins into their body.
This is why so many people see no improvement, or feel worse from taking antibiotics for Lyme’s. When the Lyme’s organisms die, they let loose the heavy metals or radiation that they have chelated, and this creates a whole other set of symptoms. Opportunistic yeast, or parasites, take its place if the heavy metals/radiation is still there. This is why western doctors often find themselves prescribing round after round of antibiotics, all to no avail.
So how does one get rid of Lyme’s? Generally I find out what are the underlying toxicities ands put a person on a customized heavy metal or radiation detox program. This will allow us to sweep away the excess toxins, and stop the proliferation of the spirochetes. From there, we focus on adding in immune enhancers, and biofilm dissolvers, through herbs, enzymes, or homoepathic remedies, so the body is able to fight the infection. We do this slowly, because as these pathogens die off, they release more heavy metals/radiation. So it is important to make sure we are still detoxing the body of those toxins. Little by little, the body is able to reduce its Lyme count, without sending in other yeasts or parasites to protect itself.
The process can take several months to a few years, however, people generally start seeing improvement within a month. I encourage people who have Lyme or the symptoms listed earlier to come check out this method. It is gentle, side effect free, and in the long run is the best way of regaining and maintaining health.
