What You Need To Know About Lyme Disease

Lyme Disease is the most common vector-borne disease in the US and is known as "The Great Imitator”, due to its ability to manifest in a variety of ways and mimic other illnesses. It can become debilitating if not detected and treated properly, which can be challenging, but is possible!

What is Lyme Disease?

Lyme Disease is caused by the spiral-shaped bacteria, Borrelia Burgdorferi. It’s most often transmitted to humans through black-legged ticks, but experts suggest it may be transmitted through other biting bugs and is also seen in babies of infected mothers. Lyme disease can be acute or chronic, which differ in both presentation and method of treatment. There are three forms of Borrelia: cell wall, cystic and intracellular.

Signs of Lyme Infection

It's believed that the tell-tale sign of Lyme Disease is the Erythema Migrans (EM) rash, or the bulls-eye rash, but this isn't always true. According to experts, the presentation of the EM rash only occurs in approximately 50% or less of cases, so absence of a rash following a tick bite doesn’t necessarily mean you’re in the clear. However, one can assume the EM rash as a positive indicator of Lyme.

Acute Lyme Symptoms

• cold and flu symptoms

• sore throat

• body aches

• headache

• fever

Chronic Lyme Symptoms

Chronic symptoms can vary greatly in both intensity and display and may not appear for a few months or longer after transmission. Lyme has an affinity for the central nervous system and will often create issues there. According to Dr. Horowitz, the disease can mimic a variety of other illness, such as Multiple Sclerosis (MS), Lupus and other autoimmune diseases, depending on where the bacteria lives within the body. Symptoms may also present in a cyclical manner.

Symptoms can include, but are not limited to:

• chronic pain, especially migrating pain

• moderate to severe joint pain, weakness or swelling

• muscle pain, cramping or twitching

• poor immunity

• mental and emotional illness

• insomnia

• headaches

• memory problems

• tingling, numbness, buzzing, twitching, burning in extremities

• loss of motor control

• blurry or double vision

• difficulty with speech or writing

• digestive issues, food sensitivities, abdominal pain

• multiple chemical sensitivities

• cardiovascular issues

• heart palpitations

• buzzing or ringing ears

• hormone imbalances

• facial paralysis

• motion sickness or vertigo

• sexual dysfunction

• bladder dysfunction

The Problem With Lyme Testing

Testing for Lyme Disease is tricky, as the majority of tests available are inaccurate, frequently resulting in false negatives. One reason for this is that the bacteria is only in the blood stream when migrating, making it hard to pick up on blood tests. Additionally, antibodies may not always be present if the immune system is not actively fighting the disease.

Few companies provide more accurate Lyme testing, including: IGeneX and Armin Labs.

The Problem with Antibiotic Therapies for Chronic Lyme Disease

In the initial stages, antibiotics are important and most effective. General treatment is a 3 week course of antibiotics. Some Lyme Doctors (LLMDs) use antibiotics and other drugs in conjunction with natural therapies, while some practitioners use natural therapies alone. But generally, there are a few big problems with using antibiotics alone in the later stages of Lyme Disease.

1. After the 72-hour period, antibiotics are generally not as effective.

2. Borrelia B. creates biofilms, essentially like a bomb shelter, protecting it from antibiotics and the body's own immune system, rendering many treatments ineffective. Fortunately, certain herbs may degrade them.

3. Long-term antibiotic use majorly disrupts the gut microbiota, suppressing immunity, which must be strong to fight infection.

Lyme Co-Infections

Ticks often carry other infections, such as viral, parasitic and bacterial infections, which can be transferred at the same time. Common co-infections include: Epstein-Barr Virus, Babesia, Bartonella and Ehrlichiosis.

Part 2 will be all about Lyme Disease prevention! I’ll also touch on proper tick removal and the next steps if you do suspect Lyme.

Asher Kleiber

Registered Holistic Nutritionist™

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Sources:

Why Can't I Get Better: Solving the Mystery of Lyme and Chronic Disease by Dr. Richard Horowitz, MD