PREVENTION
By Kathleen Riley, ND and Ceylon Cicero, ND Lyme Disease: The Great Debate
mazingly the debate continues. Is Lyme disease simply an acute illness that only requires 3 weeks of antibiotics to as little as a single dose of antibiotics or can it persist for years to decades? Decades of experience has convinced many practitio- ners that Lyme disease can be both acute and chronic. There are some who believe that Lyme disease is an acute infection easily diagnosed and treated and chronic infection is rare or non-existent (IDSA-the Infectious Diseases Society of America). While others have a broader view on the illness, believing that individualized care and treatment for each patient based on the particular presenta- tion of the illness is the only approach to take (ILADS- International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society). If you pull a tick or a nymph (baby tick) off, do yourself a favor and treat the area of the bite immediately with a drawing salve, send the tick in for testing and watch carefully for symptoms. If appropri- ate, due to the classic symptoms of headache, joint aches/swelling, Bell’s Palsy, positive Lyme Antibodies or a bull’s eye rash get treated immediately and save yourself the aggravation and distress of many people who are suffering from a diminished quality of life for years or decades. What if you have not felt well for months or years and never
A
discovered a tick bite? Remember these nymphs are only this “.” large, about the size of a period. They are easy to miss, yet are very effective in transmitting Borrelia and co-infections including Babesia, Anaplasma, Mycoplasma, Ehrlichia, Bartonella, and other pathogens. Diagnosing Lyme can be challenging because the tests typically available are often unreliable. Lucky is the patient who is sick and has a positive laboratory test, and is working with a practi- tioner who will continue to treat until symptoms are gone. There are laboratory tests available, not covered by insurance, which tend to be more reliable, but are often financially prohibitive for some pa- tients. Utilizing applied kinesiology (AK) assessment in conjunction with history, physical exam, and labs can often shed light on why someone is continuing to suffer an impaired quality of life.
Lyme Disease Case Histories
We have an example of a case of a teacher from Rhode Island seen in the office with a past history of tick bites from many walks in the woods with his dogs. Symptoms include: impaired cognition, frequent severe headaches, fatigue onset of 1 ½ years continuing to get worse, now he needs a nap after work even though his partner needs help with their young children. All labs were negative. Physi- cal exam was unremarkable. AK assessment showed central nervous system (CNS), thymus, adrenal, liver/ gall bladder, stomach, small intestines, large intestines and musculoskeletal imbalances. Since
24 Natural Nutmeg April 2013
CNS came up as the bodies’ primary priority, the initial concentra- tion of treatment was to that system in order to start unraveling the case.
Many patients come in to the office already treated or cur- rently on antibiotics and still symptomatic. I have heard patients say “the pain has been relieved but, the fatigue, nothing touches the fatigue”, or the brain fog, or any number of symptoms that pres- ent. The Naturopathic medical approach often has an advantage in these situations because we treat the whole person. To successfully treat Lyme it is necessary to support the patient’s physical, mental, emotional, and energetic systems. Treatment does not always follow that order either. The system with the most acute symptoms dictates the direction you proceed in. If there are significant neurological symptoms, the brain must first be supported or you risk the infection setting up and going deeper into the brain. Some patients have been on multiple pharmaceuticals or undertreated for so long that they need to physically rebuild with proper nutrition, rest, and energetic therapies, i.e. acupuncture, Bowen therapy, Reiki, before further eradication of Lyme or co-infections can be accomplished. Careful detoxification is also important when it comes to Lyme. If you are killing off the pathogen it must be removed from the body quickly. Here is a case of necessary rebuilding before being able to
achieve a cure: A 17 y/o female presented to the office with border- line anorexia, poor diet, joint pain and debilitating headaches onset 2 years ago. Western Blot positive on labs. Patient was unresponsive to antibiotics. This patient needed counseling to address the anorexia. Mineral analysis and vitamin analysis were run to demonstrate the actual deficiencies. This patient was worked with for several months to get her strong enough to start using nosodes to wake up her im- mune system. Nosodes are homeopathic combinations that help the white blood cells to recognize which disease it needs to locate and eradicate.
Using organ liquescence mixtures we are able to gradually strengthen digestion, liver, and kidney assimilation and detox. Combined counseling and Flower Essence therapy were given to address the anorexic tendencies and PTSD from being a teen that was unable to participate socially due to debilitating joint pains and headaches. Once she was strong enough and able to tolerate the strong botanical combinations necessary to kill off persistent Lyme and co-infections her life turned around. Now years later she is enjoying a happy and productive quality life. The mind is very powerful and important and must be carefully watched and protected throughout the course of the disease.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44