Can You Heal From Lyme Disease

Stage : Early Disseminated Lyme Disease

If stage 1 Lyme disease remains undiagnosed and untreated, it can progress to stage 2, or early disseminated, Lyme disease. This stage occurs 312 weeks after the initial tick bite.

The term disseminated indicates that the bacteria have spread throughout the body. At this stage, the infection may affect the following tissues:

• the skin
• nervous system
• heart

A person who has progressed to stage 2 Lyme disease may develop new symptoms alongside those from stage 1. These new symptoms may include:

• new rashes across the body
• conjunctivitis or vision problems
• poor memory and concentration

What To Do When Serologic Testing Is Negative But Lyme Is Still Suspected

The problems with the conventional two-tier testing strategy for Lyme disease have initiated the development of new tests from independent labs intended to offer higher sensitivity and specificity.

As the first step in the diagnosis of Lyme, we often recommend serologic tests, including the ELISA, the Western Blot, and the Immunoblot. This new test is more sensitive than the Western Blot and is designed to take its place.38 Serologic Lyme tests can be done through Stony Brook University, Quest, LabCorp, or IGeneX.

If serologic tests come back negative and Lyme is still strongly suspected, we may recommend molecular testing such as the test offered by Global Lyme Diagnostics. The GLD tests antibodies to B. burgdorferi outer surface proteins, expanding the number of species and strains that can be detected.

We may also recommend Elispot T cell activation tests. These tests are run by labs such as InfectoLab and Armin Laboratories, and look at T cell activation for the pathogens. This may be a better indicator of current or recent infection and lead to a more accurate diagnosis.

However, it is important to remember that the testing for Lyme and other tickborne pathogens is still far from perfect, and we always focus on your individual case and symptoms. Lyme disease is primarily a clinical diagnosis and the tests are used as supportive aids.

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Learn the Stages of Lyme Disease Lyme disease occurs in three stages. The medical need for vaccination against Lyme disease is steadily increasing as the geographic footprint of the disease widens. Early localized early disseminated and late disseminated. Refer to Herxheimer Die-off Reaction.

Topics range from personal experience with Lyme and co-infections to physician advice about different treatments the history of Lyme disease how Lyme can affect the brain and. Kathrin Jansen senior vice president and head of vaccine RD at Pfizer said. However the stages can overlap and not all patients go through all three. For some with chronic Lyme disease a cure does not occur.

About 90 of the time when antibiotics are started or changed during a treatment a person will initially worsen. Patients whove gone through treatment will often say your symptoms get worse before they get better One of the reasons for this is something called a Jarisch-Herxheimer reaction. This special issue offers excerpts of 12 important Lyme-related books.

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What Does This Mean

If Lyme can relapse, does this mean that youll always have it? No, I dont believe so. My personal take on this is that the truth lies somewhere in the middle of the two extremes. Lets dig a little deeper!

Theory A: If youve treated Lyme, then you should never relapse.

People who adhere to this school of thought believe that if you have a relapse of Lyme symptoms that you arent healed and your treatment hasnt worked. The reason I dont like this approach is that its all or nothing thinking. It treats health and recovery as binary you are either sick or well. The truth is that healing is not linear. Its full of ups, downs, bends and twists. This viewpoint also neglects the fact that after a years long infection ravages your body, you need time to repair the damage caused. You may also have secondary conditions that need addressing, such as autoimmune disease.

Healing is a dance between the mind, body & spirit. Chronic illness affects all aspects of our human being. In my personal journey, Ive often reached a plateau in my physical healing because I was being called to address mindsets that were holding me in a place of illness. Once I had worked on those mindsets, I was able to begin progressing with physical healing once more. Similarly, I would reach points in my journey where I needed to address my spiritual health, and in particular energetic blockages that were holding me in sickness.

Theory B: You can never heal Lyme Disease you can only achieve remission.

Has Niaid Looked At Whether Infection Persists After Antibiotic Therapy

Several recent studies suggest that B. burgdorferi may persist in animals after antibiotic therapy. In one study, NIAID-supported scientists found that remnants of B. burgdorferi remained in mice after antibiotic treatment. Another team of NIAID-supported investigators found that intact B. burgdorferi persist in nonhuman primates after antibiotic treatment. It was not possible to culture these bacteria and it is not clear whether they are infectious. More recent work by Hodzic et al. replicated the earlier finding of persisting DNA but non-cultivatable B. burgdorferi after antibiotic treatment using a mouse model. In 2017, scientists at the Tulane National Primate Research Centers, funded in part by an NIH research resources grant, reported evidence of persistent and metabolically active B. burgdorferi after antibiotic treatment in rhesus macaques.

In a first-of-its-kind study for Lyme disease, NIAID-supported researchers have used live, disease-free ticks to see if Lyme disease bacteria can be detected in people who continue to experience symptoms such as fatigue or arthritis after completing antibiotic therapy). This study remains underway.

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The Lyme Disease Conundrum

Why is Lyme so hard to detect and recover from, even after antibiotics? Here are three main theories:

Problem 1: The Lyme bacterium is a survivor

Lyme bacteria knows how to stay alive inside its host. It suppresses the immune system, which allows it to survive and multiply. Lyme also seems to have the ability to cloak itself, making itself invisible to our immune system. In fact, Borrelia is so smart that some research suggests that when it senses its being attacked, it can go into a dormant state, allowing it to live and survive against the onslaught of antibiotics. Other studies suggest that Borrelia can actually mutate its own genes to make it resistant to antibiotics.

Problem 2: Diagnosis is tricky

Only about half of all Lyme patients actually remember getting a tick bite. Plus, the classic bulls-eye rash that people associate with Lyme may not appear in all cases, or may appear somewhere the victim never sees, such as on the scalp, hidden by hair. Some research suggests that conventional Lyme tests may not be sensitive enough to make an accurate diagnosis, especially during the later stages of disease. False-negative results are also common.

Problem 3: Conventional treatment may not be sufficient

Herbs For Lyme Disease Treatment

Herbs have been used as a medicinal treatment for thousands of years. Many people have turned to herbal remedies to help provide relief from Lyme disease when antibiotics didn’t completely help eliminate symptoms.

One research study found that a combination of doxycycline and baicalein provides additional healing benefits. According to a 2020 laboratory study, seven herbal medicines have been shown to kill B. burgdorferi in test tubes:

• Cryptolepis sanguinolenta
• Scutellaria baicalensis

Garlic has antibacterial effects and may help prevent tick bites. One study determined that people who took garlic supplements reported fewer tick bites than the placebo group. Garlic essential oil has been shown to eliminate the bacterium that causes Lyme disease.

Garlic can interact with certain medications, so speak with your healthcare provider before using it to prevent or treat Lyme disease.

Steviaa natural sweetener and sugar substitute derived from the leaves of the Stevia rebaudiana plantmay be effective in treating Lyme disease. A study published in the European Journal of Microbiology and Immunology discovered that stevia extracts are more effective in killing Lyme disease bacterium in the lab than the standard antibiotics.

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Q: Im Achy And Tired All The Time Could I Have Lyme Disease

The answer is yes. When a patient comes into my clinic for the first time, I take down their clinical history. If I suspect tick-borne disease, I ask if theyve been exposed to ticks or tick habitats. Have they observed any rashes?

The typical Lyme rash expands and is ring-like, usually not itchy or painful. If its under a persons hairline, between the toes, or on the back of the body, it may not be noticed. However, at least 21% of Lyme patients, and probably more than 50%, never see a tick or a rash.

Early Lyme patients present with flu-like symptoms. Tick bites and resulting symptoms often occur in the summer, but in my California practice, Lyme season may overlap with the fall/winter flu season, confusing the diagnostic picture.

Next, I do a complete physical exam, with an emphasis on neurological deficits, such as loss of balance, tremors, facial asymmetry , and asymmetric reflexes. Then, I ask about the progression of their symptoms over time.

In the first few months of Lyme disease, patients often experience malaise, fatigue, mild-to-severe headaches, nerve pain or tingling in the hands or feet, all in a relapsing-remitting course. In other words, the symptoms wax and wane.

If Lyme is diagnosed four or more months after symptom onset, the picture of the disease is different and variable. The longer between infection and diagnosis, the higher likelihood that more bodily systems have been invaded.

Is There A Treatment For Lyme Disease

Traditional approaches to Lyme disease include to treat the infection with borrelia with the use of antibiotics. Most experts agree that 2-4 weeks of antibiotic therapy is indicated for acute Lyme disease, or immediately after infection. Many advocate up to 9 months of antibiotic therapy, even though there are no studies supporting long-term antibiotic use.4 This method is based on the germ theory i.e. that if the germ is killed then the host will recover. However antibiotics will wipe out the bad bacteria as well as the good bacteria leaving your microbiome severely unbalanced and most importantly your immune system weak. In addition the initial symptoms of Lyme disease are flu-like so often go undetected until they become chronic. The CDC and IDSA5 , do not recommend antibiotic treatment unless you have an official diagnosis of Lyme disease.

An integrative approach focuses on strengthening the body to allow the bodys innate healing capacities to thrive. My 5 Step Plan not only is focused on healing Lyme disease but also creating long term wellness and not another disease to deal with down the road potentially from the treatment methods.

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How Do I Remove A Tick

You should know how to remove a tick just in case one lands on you or a friend. To be safe, remove the tick as soon as possible.

If you find a tick:

• Use tweezers to grasp the tick firmly at its head or mouth, next to your skin.
• Pull firmly and steadily on the tick until it lets go of the skin. If part of the tick stays in your skin, don’t worry. It will eventually come out. But call your doctor if you notice any irritation in the area or symptoms of Lyme disease.
• Swab the bite site with alcohol.

Note: Don’t use petroleum jelly or a lit match to kill a tick. They won’t get the tick off your skin quickly enough, and may just cause it to burrow deeper into your skin.

Who You Really Are

Almost a decade later, with Lyme in my distant past, I see everything so clearly. Wellbeing comes down to this simple rule: You must become who you really are. You must follow your own path. There are elusive cures everywhere but your cure will always be unique. No one gives you the magic formula or the key to reveal it.

What we need to remind ourselves is that we are always right where we need to be.

Lyme disease patients now ask me the hardest questions Ive ever had to answer. Now that you know what you know, could you have healed without antibiotics? Without stem cells? What would you say to someone who is just starting?

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Can Lyme Disease Be Cured

Early Lyme disease is treated with antibiotics such as doxycycline, amoxicillin, or cefuroxime axetil. When treated early, Lyme disease can be cured and most patients will recover completely.

Even when treated in later stages, most patients will respond well to antibiotics, though there may be some chronic damage to the nervous system or joints.

Lyme disease is an illness transmitted to humans via tick bites, from infected ticks of the genus Ixodes . The tick bite spreads the germ that causes Lyme disease to humans .

The type of tick that carries Lyme disease feeds on deer and mice, and can only infect a human if it remains attached to a person for at least a day and a half.

My Experience Of A Lyme Relapse

Earlier this year, I caught a nasty virus . It was a long, gruelling illness which led to me being in bed for 5 weeks, followed by months of slow recovery. About 5 months after falling ill, I started to notice an aggressive resurgence of old Lyme symptoms. I was having a relapse.

I immediately kicked off my old treatment protocol using my ESP101, treating once per week. And to my surprise, I started experiencing awful herx reactions again. However, it only took me two months of treatment to get back on track.

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What’s The Best Way To Prevent A Tick Bite

Ticks can’t fly or jump. But they live in shrubs and bushes and can grab onto you when you pass by. To avoid getting bitten:

• Wear pants and socks in areas with lots of trees and when you touch fallen leaves.
• Wear a tick repellent on your skin and clothing that has DEET, lemon oil, or eucalyptus.
• For even more protection, use the chemical permethrin on clothing and camping gear.
• Shower within 2 hours after coming inside. Look for ticks on your skin, and wash ticks out of your hair.
• Put your clothing and any exposed gear into a hot dryer to kill whatever pests might be on them.

How do you know if you’ve been bitten?

Since ticks are so small, you’ve got to have pretty good eyes to see them.

If you have a small, red bump on your skin that looks like a mosquito bite, it could be a tick bite. If it goes away in a few days, itâs not a problem. Remember, a tick bite doesnât necessarily mean you have Lyme disease.

If you notice a rash in the shape of a bull’s-eye, you might have a tick bite. Talk to your doctor about treatment.

If you have an allergic reaction to ticks, you’ll notice a bite right away.

What Can You Do If You Do Get A Tick Bite

If you do get a tick bite, be sure and take care of the wound properly. The CDC gives guidelines on how to properly remove a tick here. To be on the safe side, I recommend placing in in a plastic bag and send it off for testing, you can google in your local area labs that do this type of testing or call your local doctors office. Once your remove the tick you can apply lavender essential oil to the bite every 5 minutes for half an hour. If you notice any flu-like symptoms or a bulls eye rash follow up quickly with your integrative health care team.

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Ongoing Symptoms Of Lyme Disease

A few people who are diagnosed and treated for Lyme disease continue to have symptoms, like tiredness, aches and loss of energy, that can last for years.

These symptoms are often compared to fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome.

It’s not clear why this happens to some people and not others. This means there’s also no agreed treatment.

Speak to a doctor if your symptoms come back, or do not improve, after treatment with antibiotics.

The doctor may be able to offer you further support if needed, such as:

• referral for a care needs assessment
• telling your employer, school or higher education institution that you require a gradual return to activities
• communicating with children and families’ social care

Page last reviewed: 05 July 2021 Next review due: 05 July 2024

What If I Don’t Feel Better After Treatment

If you’re treated for Lyme disease and don’t feel better after youve finished your treatment, talk to your doctor. He or she may recommend a longer course of antibiotics or may be able to prescribe another medication to help with symptoms like joint or muscle pain.

You might also want to seek a second opinion, especially if your Lyme disease diagnosis was not initially confirmed via a two-step blood test. If your body has not responded to antibiotics, its possible that something else besides the bacteria that causes Lyme disease is making you sick. In 2017, for example, the CDC reported on a woman who was given antibiotics and herbal remedies to treat her chronic Lyme disease, when she actually hadand eventually died fromamyotrophic lateral sclerosis .

Even if you do recover completely from a Lyme disease diagnosis, your immune system may continue making antibodies to fight Lyme disease bacteria for months or even years after the infection is gone. Those antibodies wont protect you from getting a second Lyme disease infection, however, so be sure to take steps to protect yourself from ticks in the future.

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