Integrative Manual Therapy for Lyme Disease and Immune Deficiency
H
aving grown up in Connecticut, there was frequent mention of Lyme disease. Today, it is a wide-
spread epidemic. Lyme disease is well known as the most common tick-borne illness in this country. Typical symptoms of this disease include fatigue, achiness, headaches, joint pain, digestive symp- toms, and neurologic issues such as mus- cle weakness. At the heart of Lyme disease is im-
mune deficiency. Immune deficiency is very prevalent in our culture today. It is a primary cause of many childhood and adult illnesses. The best treatment for im- mune deficiency is prevention—maintain- ing an optimally healthy immune system.
Challenges with Traditional Therapy
Traditional intervention for Lyme disease includes antibiotic therapy. Antibiotic therapy has been shown to be effective in reducing Lyme disease. However, the chal- lenges with antibiotic therapy are multiple. If the person is not undergoing any kind of nutritional wellness, they could be left sig-
nificantly depleted following this course of treatment. The antibiotics target not only the Borrellia bacteria involved in Lyme disease, but in fact, all bacteria, including the important flora in our gut—the ‘good bacteria.’ Without the good bacteria in our gut, we are susceptible to other types of infection. Additionally, whereas the treat- ment combats the bacterial infection as- sociated with the Lyme disease, it often leaves the person with resultant signs and symptoms. Often, even with a complimen- tary nutritional program of ‘probiotics’ and other products aimed at augmenting the health of the digestive tract and immune system, the person still experiences dis- comfort and weakness.
Co-Infections
Did you know that one tick can transmit multiple infections? The concept of ‘co- infection’ is growing in popularity among the medical community. Whereas Lyme disease was originally thought to be lim- ited to the Borrellia bacteria, there is a growing body of knowledge correlating Lyme disease symptoms and viral infec- tions or even parasite infections. In these scenarios, the tick would transmit another type of bacteria, a virus or even a parasite into the person’s body. Antibiotics are inef- fective for viruses and parasites. In these individuals, they often experience con- tinued weakness, joint pain, mental clar-
ity loss, and many more prolonged symp- toms following the antibiotic therapy. With these types of co-infections, it is typically a longer road to recovery.
Integrative Manual Therapy & the Integrated Systems Approach
A missing component to the traditional treatment for Lyme disease as well as a compliment to any alternative treatment program is Integrative Manual Therapy (IMT). IMT has been used for many years to support the immune system in individu- als dealing with immune related issues such as Lyme disease. IMT may be used to address many core issues at the heart of immune deficiency. IMT practitioners follow the Integrated Systems Approach, a concept developed by Sharon Weiselfish- Giammatteo, PhD, PT, IMT,C, the founder of IMT, over thirty years ago. The Integrat- ed Systems Approach demonstrates that the body is comprised of multiple systems such as the muscular system, the skeletal system, the circulatory system, the nervous system, as well as the immune system. When a person exhibits a specific symp- tom, it is often manifested by underlying dysfunction in one of these systems. Let’s illustrate an example. Consider a
person with a frozen shoulder syndrome. This person would have pain at the shoul- der, limited movement, and weakness of the arm. Very likely, they would be holding
22
June 2010
www.naturalnutmeg.com
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