Lyme Disease: What it is and Natural Treatments

Lyme disease is a bacterial infection transmitted by ticks that can cause serious health issues if left untreated. Here’s an in-depth look at Lyme disease symptoms, diagnosis, and natural ways to treat it.

What is Lyme Disease?

Lyme disease is an infection caused by the bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi. It is transmitted to humans through the bite of blacklegged ticks infected with the bacteria.

Lyme disease was first identified in the 1970s in Lyme, Connecticut when a cluster of children were diagnosed with arthritis. It was eventually discovered the same bacterial infection caused the kids’ joint pain and swelling.

Today, Lyme disease is the most common vector-borne illness in the United States with over 476,000 new cases each year. Let’s take a closer look at the transmission, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment options for Lyme disease.

Lyme Disease Transmission

Lyme bacteria live in the digestive tract of ticks. The ticks become infected with Lyme disease when feeding on small mammals like mice or squirrels who carry the bacteria.

The ticks then transmit the Lyme bacteria to humans and other animals through bites. A tick must be attached to the skin for 36-48 hours to cause infection.

Common symptoms of a tick bite include a red bump or rash around the bite area. It’s important to check your skin and remove any attached ticks promptly to avoid infection. Using tick repellent, wearing long sleeves and pants in wooded areas, and doing full body checks after potential tick exposure can prevent Lyme disease.

What Does Lyme Disease Do?

If a tick transmits Lyme bacteria, the infection starts locally at the site of the tick bite. It can then spread through the bloodstream to affect the entire body.

Lyme disease impacts the:

– Skin – causing a characteristic bullseye shaped rash
– Joints – leading to pain and swelling
– Nervous system – resulting in facial palsy or nerve pain
– Heart – disturbing heart rhythm

Some of the common early symptoms of an untreated Lyme infection include:

– Fatigue
– Chills and fever
– Stiff neck
– Headache
– Muscle and joint aches
– Swollen lymph nodes

Weeks to months later, the second stage of Lyme disease may emerge even without treatment. Symptoms at this stage can include:

– Nervous system issues like numbness, tingling, and paralysis of the facial muscles
– Irregular heartbeat and dizziness
– Recurring joint swelling and stiffness
– Cognitive problems such as memory issues and brain fog

Lyme disease can be effectively treated with antibiotics, especially when caught early. Delaying treatment allows the bacteria to spread and often leads to persisting or recurring symptoms even after the initial infection clears.

Let’s look closer at how Lyme disease is diagnosed.

Lyme Disease Diagnosis

Doctors diagnose Lyme disease based on symptoms, medical history, and lab testing. They will ask about potential tick bites, rashes, or time spent in wooded areas where Lyme disease is common.

Early diagnosis relies on the characteristic Lyme disease rash called erythema migrans. This slowly expanding bullseye rash occurs in 70-80% of infections, starting at the site of the tick bite. However, not all rashes at the tick bite site are due to Lyme disease.

Lab tests help confirm a diagnosis by detecting antibodies produced in response to the Lyme bacteria. These include:

– Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) – screens for Lyme antibodies in the blood
– Western blot – looks for specific Lyme antibodies and is used to confirm ELISA results

However, antibody levels can take 3-6 weeks to reach detectable levels. Early in the infection or after antibiotic treatment they may not be present. This makes Lyme disease notoriously difficult to test for.

Doctors may treat for Lyme disease based on symptoms for suspected cases with negative antibody tests. It is important to monitor symptoms and communicate with your doctor so Lyme disease is caught and treated early.

Lyme Disease Treatment

Conventional treatment for Lyme disease involves antibiotics like doxycycline, amoxicillin, or cefuroxime. When caught early, most cases can be resolved with 2-4 weeks of antibiotics.

However, up to 20% of people continue to have symptoms after standard antibiotic treatment for Lyme disease. This condition is called post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome (PTLDS) or chronic Lyme disease.

Why does Lyme disease sometimes persist? Research suggests several possible reasons:

– The Lyme bacteria go dormant, allowing them to hide from antibiotics
– Lyme bacteria form protective biofilms antibiotics cannot penetrate
– The infection triggers an autoimmune reaction that continues even after bacteria are cleared
– Lyme bacteria hide out in collagen rich tissues like joints, evading antibiotics
– The immune system overreacts and causes its own nerve and tissue damage

Repeated or long-term antibiotic use has risks and side effects. For difficult to treat Lyme disease, natural therapies can be used alongside or after antibiotics.

Let’s look at the best natural options for addressing Lyme disease and PTLDS symptoms.

Natural Treatments for Lyme Disease

A comprehensive integrative approach combining antibiotics, nutrition, supplements and detoxification offers the best chance of full recovery from persistent Lyme disease.

Some of the top natural strategies to treat Lyme disease include:

1. Herbal Therapy

Herbs offer a range of anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, and immune modulating effects to address Lyme disease. Important herbs to consider:

– Japanese knotweed – contains resveratrol that disables Lyme biofilm
– Cat’s claw – enhances immune function and fights infection
– Andrographis – decreases Lyme bacteria growth and load
– Sarsaparilla – reduces Lyme joint pain and inflammation
– Teasel root – lessons Lyme neuropathy symptoms
– Astragalus – improves immune response to pathogens

Taking these herbs together in a Lyme disease formula provides synergistic benefits. Work with an herbalist to find the right mix for you.

2. Bee Venom Therapy

Bee venom contains anti-bacterial peptides called melittin that can kill Lyme bacteria. Studies show bee venom has strong activity against Borrelia burgdorferi.

Bee venom therapy is administered by trained practitioners using live bee stings or injectable venom. Precautions are needed for those with allergies. But research indicates bee venom therapy holds promise for Lyme disease.

3. Essential Oils

Essential oils from herbs like oregano, cinnamon bark, clove, and thyme have natural antimicrobial effects against bacteria. Applying essential oils topically to the tick bite site or mixing with a carrier oil for transdermal absorption may help prevent Lyme infection after a tick bite.

Once infected, regular use of antimicrobial essential oils may penetrate Lyme biofilms and reach hidden bacteria not killed by antibiotics alone. However, more research is needed to confirm their efficacy.

4. Hyperthermia

Raising body temperature is emerging as an effective treatment for Lyme disease. Hyperthermia treatments like saunas, hot baths, and therapeutic heating pads can kill Borrelia through fever-like temperatures.

Hyperthermia weakens biofilm defenses and may allow antibiotics to work better. A 2015 review found hyperthermia therapy resulted in symptom improvements for 68-73% of people with Lyme disease.

5. Ozone & Oxidative Therapies

Ozone delivered via injection, insufflation, or topically damages Lyme cell membranes and biofilms through oxidation. Hydrogen peroxide and ultraviolet blood irradiation also use oxidation to kill Lyme bacteria.

Oxidative approaches help eliminate Lyme disease persisting after standard antibiotic treatment. Studies report oxidative therapies lead to a 45-100% remission rate in chronic Lyme disease.

Nutritional & Lifestyle Factors for Lyme Disease

Good nutrition and smart lifestyle habits support the immune system to keep Lyme disease from getting a foothold.

Key strategies include:

– Eat a diet high in antioxidant fruits and vegetables to reduce inflammation and oxidative stress. Or follow an anti-inflammatory protocol like the autoimmune paleo diet.

– Avoid sugar, refined carbs, alcohol and processed foods to prevent exacerbating symptoms.

– Correct any vitamin or mineral deficiencies like low vitamin D or B vitamins that impair immunity.

– Reduce stress through yoga, meditation, or forest bathing. Chronic stress inhibits immune function.

– Use infrared saunas to kill bacteria through sweating and improve detoxification.

– Try anti-inflammatory supplements like curcumin, omega-3s, and glutathione.

– Get regular exercise appropriate for your current condition to improve blood flow, oxygenation, and toxin elimination.

A proactive, multi-faceted approach offers the best chance of recovering health after Lyme disease. Work with an integrative physician to find the right combination of treatments for your situation.

The Bottom Line on Lyme Disease and Natural Treatments

Lyme disease is a bacterial infection spread by ticks that can cause serious symptoms if left untreated. Diagnosis is based on the bullseye rash, Lyme antibody tests, and symptoms involving the skin, joints, nervous system, and heart.

While antibiotics are an important part of Lyme treatment, natural therapies can address cases that persist after standard antibiotic protocols. Beneficial natural options include herbal remedies, bee venom therapy, essential oils, hyperthermia, ozone therapy and oxidative treatments.

Good nutrition, stress management, detoxification, and anti-inflammatory supplements also support healing from Lyme disease. Combining conventional antibiotics with these alternative treatments provides the most complete Lyme disease recovery plan.

If you suspect Lyme disease based on symptoms or have been diagnosed with chronic Lyme, don’t give up hope. Integrative medicine offers many options to regain health and vitality.

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