New Haven found that a startling 90% of ticks carried Lyme disease and 30% carried Babesia microti.
Treatment of Lyme Disease
The best treatment for acute Lyme disease is antibiotics. The standard of care in the United States is 3 weeks of one antibiotic and this is reported to cure Lyme disease. Unfortunately, this common assertion is inaccurate and contradictory to almost all scientific research done on Lyme disease. Research shows that the Lyme spirochete has many mechanisms by which it can hide from your immune system and live despite high doses of multiple antibiotics. There are several distinct forms of the spirochete, each of which requires a different type of treatment; unfortunately most doctors are only taught about one form. This means that many people who are treated for acute Lyme disease will be undertreated and go on to develop chronic symptoms. Borrelia lives outside of cells and inside of cells. Some forms of Borrelia have cell walls and others do not. When exposed to a threat, such as antibiotics or herbs, the Bor- relia spirochete can roll up into a protective ball called a cyst and remain dormant. Cysts generally open up to reproduce about once
a month, however they have been reported to lie dormant in test tubes for 10 months or more before opening back up to become a fully active spirochete. Borrelia can kill white blood cells (immune cells that are at- tempting to protect you from the spirochete) and cover itself with their proteins; the body now views the spirochete as if it were a white blood cell, effectively cloaking it from your immune system. One of the other ways Borrelia evades your immune system is called a biofilm. A biofilm is formed when many spirochetes group together and create a thick, gelatinous coating over themselves. We need to use antibiotic doses 1000 times higher than usual doses in order to penetrate biofilms. Since this is not practical or safe, we have had to come up with other methods of treatment to break up biofilms. Patients who present with long-standing untreated or under-treated Lyme disease have several different treatment options. They may be treated with multiple different antibiotics, multiple different herbals or a combination of antibiotics and herbs. Lyme disease significantly changes how all the body’s systems function, so patients with chronic Lyme disease often have many other problems that must be addressed. Some of the most common conditions that are induced by or worsened by Lyme disease in- clude heavy metal toxicity, vitamin and min- eral imbalances, and hormone imbalances, including thyroid and adrenal dysfunction. It has been my experience that Lyme disease is not only the new “Great Imita- tor,” but also that it is the “Great Instigator.” Lyme has a tendency to create all sorts of other problems and then hide in one of its dormant forms. Patients are left with many different symptoms that seem unrelated. They often are diagnosed with fibromyal- gia, chronic fatigue syndrome and even a somatization disorder (a fancy way of saying all your symptoms are in your head). I have found that Lyme disease severely impacts
one’s vitality. Many affected patients have little or no reserves remaining. Minor insults result in tremendous flares of symptoms and suffering. It is crucial for physicians seeing patients with Lyme disease to look at them as individuals who have multiple different stressors affecting them rather than focusing solely on Lyme disease.
Looking Beyond Borrelia
There are many toxins outside our bod- ies that are exerting negative forces upon us. If we are to remain healthy we must exert a force that is equal to or greater than those forces in response. When our bodies are in balance with all the things that are push- ing in on us, we are able to maintain a state of health. When the force applied on us is too great, a state of imbalance results. Over that last thirty or so years, the amount of toxins bombarding our bodies has increased exponentially. On a day to day basis we are exposed to so many toxins that we are barely able to maintain a state of balance and health. Infection with Borrelia commonly initiates a domino effect and our once good health seems to fall apart nearly overnight. When I evaluate patients I always apply
the Chronic Toxin Overload model. This con- cept allows us to look at each person as a unique individual and fully evaluate the role of all the different toxins that are impacting him or her on a daily basis. It also helps us remember that the symptoms a patient is experiencing are the result of all the tox- ins they are exposed to in addition to their unique genetic makeup. Each patient needs to be treated as an individual who responds to insults on their health in a manner that is unique to them. This approach to diagnosis and treatment is rarely seen in conventional medicine because it requires spending time with patients, getting to know each one as an individual, and creating an individualized treatment plan.
14 Natural Nutmeg
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