Administering Effective Lyme Treatments
Conventional medicine views Lyme disease treatment as an easy and straightforward proposition, a dose of antibiotics and you’re cured. Though this may work in the earliest stage of the disease, it is when Lyme goes undiagnosed or mistreated and allowed to get to a chronic state when treatment becomes more difficult.
Lyme disease will often be accompanied by co-infections which work in synergy with borrelia to exacerbate symptoms making the disease difficult to treat. Lyme disease also has the unique ability to bypass the body’s blood-brain barrier, a barrier which typically prevents foreign invaders from affecting the brain, allowing the disease to enter the nervous system accounting for Lyme’s many complex neurological symptoms. Antibiotic treatment protocols alone do not account for this invasion of the body’s nervous system through the blood-brain barrier and therefore are not likely to have lasting results. To effectively treat chronic Lyme disease, antibiotics need to also move past the blood-brain barrier .
Borrelia Attacking Neurons in the Brain
Purify Your System Of Toxins
A toxic environment impedes recovery from any illness. And unfortunately, chronic systemic inflammation and neurological inflammation can compromise detoxification and waste removal processes in the brain and body even further.
Toxic substances can enter the body by three routes oral, respiration, and skin so step one is minimizing the inflow. To reduce oral toxins, avoid processed food products, and eat a fresh, whole food diet weighted toward vegetables . Clean water is also key, and is as simple as installing a water filter.
Regularly changing your HVAC air filters and placing free-standing HEPA filters in rooms where you spend the majority of your time can go a long way toward improving indoor air quality. Breathing fresh air in natural places as often as possible can also promote healing.
As for your skin, adopting a practice of using only natural skin care products allows you to avoid a surprising number of toxic substances commonly found in commercial skin care products. The same goes for household cleaning supplies. The Environmental Working Group is a great resource for finding toxin-free consumer products.
Supplements that support detoxification in the body include activated B vitamins for enhanced methylation , and glutathione, NAC, and alpha lipoic acid to support cellular functions and detoxification. Dandelion and milk thistle protect the liver and stimulate bile flow, which is essential for removing toxic substances from the body.
Neurological Complications Of Lyme Disease
The NINDS supports research on Lyme disease. Current areas of interest include improving diagnostic tests and developing more effective treatments. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases , the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases , and the National Center for Research Resources , all parts of the National Institutes of Health , also support research on Lyme disease.
Lyme disease is caused by a bacterial organism that is transmitted to humans via the bite of an infected tick. Most people with Lyme disease develop a characteristic skin rash around the area of the bite. The rash may feel hot to the touch, and vary in size, shape, and color, but it will often have a “bull’s eye” appearance . However, there are those who will not develop the rash, which can make Lyme disease hard to diagnose because its symptoms and signs mimic those of many other diseases.
Anywhere from 7 to 14 days following an infected tick’s bite, the first stage of Lyme disease may begin with flu-like symptoms such as fever, chills, swollen lymph nodes, headaches, fatigue, muscle aches, and joint pain.
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Neurobehavioral Changes Without Cns Infection
The controversy about nervous system Lyme disease actually relates to 3 other disorders often included under the same rubricdisorders that are actually neurobiological but not neurologic . Unfortunately, the inappropriate attribution of these symptoms to nervous system infection immediately terrifies patients, who often become convinced they are suffering from an irreversible and devastating brain disorder.
Cerebral Vasculitis Resulting From Lyme Borreliosis
There are no controlled studies on the treatment of very rare cerebral vasculitis resulting from Lyme borreliosis. Case reports, case series and narrative reviews have reported that early antibiotic treatment with ceftriaxone and/or doxycycline has very good results , , , , , , . Several authors administer steroids in addition to antibiotics , , , . Despite antibiotic and steroid administration, clinical stabilization was achieved in 2 casuistics only after a subsequent immunosuppressive cyclophosphamide treatment two cases involving the basilar artery were lethal , . In summary, in the case of cerebral vasculitis due to Lyme borreliosis, the earliest possible antibiotic treatment is in the foreground whether the addition of steroids and/or prophylactic platelet function inhibition with ASA 100mg, in analogy to the recommendations in autoimmune mediated cerebral vasculitis, results in an advantage is unclear .
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Treatment Of Acute Neuroborreliosis
In acute Lyme neuroborreliosis, treatment needs to be directed at the bacterial infection. Administering the antibiotic ceftriaxone intravenously for 14 days has proven to be effective at treating the bacteria in the central nervous system. Blood levels of oral antibiotics or herbal formulas may not reach high enough concentrations to treat central nervous system infections effectively.
Pans/pandas And Lyme Disease
PANDAS an acronym for pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorder associated with streptococcal infections. It was first recognized in 1998 and characterized by a group of neurological symptoms following a strep infection. In PANDAS, the antibodies formed against strep also attack neuronal receptors in the brain leading to repetitive behavior, decreased concentration, decreased social engagement, aggression/rage, anxiety, insomnia, and phobias.
In the past 20 years since PANDAS was first recognized, other infections were identified as causing anti-neuronal antibodies that produce similar symptoms. In one study, 60% of patients with late-stage Lyme disease tested positive for anti-neuronal antibodies. Other published research has identified a protein on Borrelia that has a similar structure as strep, suggesting antibodies similar to strep can be triggered by Lyme disease and manifest similarly to PANDAS.
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Unexplained Pain And Other Sensations
Some people with Lyme may have sharp rib and chest pains that send them to the emergency room, suspecting a heart problem 00090-7/abstract%20″ rel=”nofollow”> 27).
When no problem is found, after the usual testing, the ER diagnosis is noted as an unidentified musculoskeletal cause.
You can also have strange sensations like skin tingling or crawling, or numbness or itchiness 00090-7/abstract%20″ rel=”nofollow”> 27).
Other symptoms have to do with cranial nerves.
- Ear-ringing . Tinnitus can be a nuisance, especially at bedtime when it seems to get louder as youre trying to fall asleep. About 10 percent of people with Lyme experience this (
- Hearing loss. One study reported that 15 percent of Lyme patients experienced loss of hearing .
- Jaw pain or toothaches that are not related to actual tooth decay or infection.
Summary:
What Is Late Lyme Disease
Lyme disease, also known as Lyme borreliosis, is caused by an infection with the bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi. This bacteria is disseminated through tick bites. Infected ticks usually bite small mammals, who do not develop any kind of infection from the bacteria. When humans are exposed to B. Burgdorferi from a tick bite, however, they can develop Lyme disease.
People who work outside or spend time in woodland areas, where there is greater potential for exposure to tick bites, are most at risk of infection.
Lyme disease is a condition which progresses in stages:
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Treating Lyme Neuroborreliosis In Children
Recommendations for treating children and adults
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Antibiotic treatment should be carried out in the case of Lyme neuroborreliosis with inflammatory cerebrospinal fluid syndrome .
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In the case of a possible Lyme neuroborreliosis , antibiotic treatment may be considered after a thorough differential diagnosis and if there is no evidence of another disease.
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Antibiotic treatment should take place over a period of 14 days or 1421 days .
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Reference is made to the S2k Guideline Cutaneous Lyme Borreliosis for the treatment of polyneuropathy associated with acrodermatitis chronica atrophicans .
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If a distally symmetrical polyneuropathy is suspected as a manifestation of Lyme neuroborreliosis without accompanying ACA , the same procedure recommended for possible Lyme neuroborreliosis can be used.
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Cerebral vasculitis resulting from Lyme borreliosis should be treated with antibiotics in accordance with the recommendations for late Lyme neuroborreliosis.
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Analogous to the recommendations for cerebral vasculitis of another aetiology , the additional administration of steroids and/or 100 mg/d of ASS can be considered for cerebral vasculitis resulting from Lyme borreliosis.
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In addition to antibiotic treatment, symptoms should also be treated .
Recommendation for choosing antibiotics for children and adults
Recommendations for monitoring the treatment of children and adults
What Is Lyme Disease
Lyme disease is a bacterial infection transmitted to humans by the bite of certain black-legged ticks, although fewer than 50 percent of all Lyme disease patients recall a tick bite.
Typical symptoms include fever, headache, and fatigue. Lyme disease can also lead to neurological symptoms, including loss of function in arms and legs. According to experts, standard diagnostic methods fail to discover as many as 40 percent of cases of Lyme disease.
At times, Lyme disease is misdiagnosed as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or multiple sclerosis.
Most cases of Lyme disease can be treated successfully with antibiotics over several weeks. While some people with long-term Lyme disease take antibiotics over an extended course of time, most physicians do not consider it to be a chronic infection.
According to published medical literature, many individuals diagnosed as having chronic Lyme disease demonstrate no evidence of prior infection. In fact, only 37 percent of patients in one referral center had current or previous infection with B. burgdorferi as the explanation for their symptoms.
There are reports that hyperbaric oxygen and bee venom have been effective for some in treating symptoms of the disease. A number people with chronic Lyme disease have traveled abroad for expensive, unauthorized stem cell therapies.
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Symptoms Following Treatment: Post
4.3.1 Diagnostic criteria
PTLDS is a syndrome that has not yet been scientifically defined and therefore not uniformly accepted. It is to be diagnostically differentiated from confirmed late manifestations of Lyme borreliosis, symptoms caused by the persistence of reproducing pathogens, and symptoms caused by partial recovery.
In the case of Lyme neuroborreliosis, objective neurological deficits and inflammatory changes in the cerebrospinal fluid usually respond well to antibiotic treatment , , , , , . However, some patients are reported to have developed non-specific symptoms of fatigue, paraesthesia, muscle and joint pain as well as concentration and memory issues despite antibiotic treatment , , , . If the non-specific symptoms last more than 6 months, some authors refer to this as post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome , . Predictors for the development of fatigue 30 months after treatment have been described as the delayed onset of antibiotic treatment, severe neurological symptoms before treatment, and incomplete regression of neurological symptoms 4 months after treatment .
4.3.2 Frequency
In a non-systematic review, it was reported that 020% of patients being treated for Lyme borreliosis with antibiotics had symptoms of so-called PTLDS after treatment of Lyme neuroborreliosis the percentage was between 5 and 54% .
4.3.3 Subjective symptoms in case-control studies
4.3.4 Neuropsychological symptoms in case-control studies
4.3.5 Studies on antibiotic treatment
Summary
What Are The Signs And Symptoms Of Stage 3 Lyme Disease
Late or chronic Lyme disease refers to manifestations that occur months to years after the initial infection, sometimes after a period of latency. Signs and symptoms of chronic Lyme disease are primarily rheumatologic and neurologic. Acrodermatitis chronica atrophicans, the cutaneous feature of late-stage Lyme disease, is found almost exclusively in European patients.
Most patients presenting with late disease do not have a history of erythema migrans, because the rash typically leads to earlier treatment, which prevents the development of late disease. However, other manifestations of the disease may coexist or may have occurred in the past. Thus, a history of Bell palsy, aseptic meningitis, arthritis, acral paresthesias or dysesthesias , or cognitive dysfunction may be diagnostically useful.
Maladaptive host responses can lead to a variety of syndromes in stage 3, as follows :
- Postinfectious Lyme arthritis Massive inflammatory synovial proliferation, usually in a knee
- Posttreatment Lyme disease syndrome Pain, neurocognitive impairment, fatigue
- Autoimmune joint disease Rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, or peripheral spondyloarthropathy
- Autoimmune neurologic disease Chronic idiopathic demyelinating polyneuropathy
Lyme arthritis is the hallmark of stage 3 Lyme disease. It tends to involve large joints . Arthritis must be differentiated from arthralgia, which is common in early disease.
References
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Lyme Disease Therapy Available In Chadds Ford Pennsylvania
If you have more questions or concerns about Lyme Disease or the available treatment methods, reach out to the specialists at the Hope Brain and Body Recovery Center for more information. Call our offices to speak with a representative from our team or schedule a consultation online today!
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The Experience Of Lyme Disease
In our book, Conquering Lyme Disease: Science Bridges the Great Divide, we review several of the key features of Lyme disease that can make the experience of this illness so challenging, including:
- The politically charged climate
- The protean nature of manifestations of the illness
- The waxing and waning course of symptoms
- The psychological ramifications of having an “invisible” chronic illness and the experience of invalidation
- The challenge of having a disease that affects the brain and sensory system
- The impact of uncertainty surrounding diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis
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Intrathecal Antibody Synthesis Borrelia
3.4.1 Overview
In most patients with Lyme neuroborreliosis the suspected clinical diagnosis can be confirmed by detecting Borrelia-specific intrathecal antibody synthesis related to inflammatory changes in their cerebrospinal fluid , , , . The production of specific intrathecal antibodies is detected by determining the Borrelia-specific CSF/serum antibody index , , .
3.4.2 Determination method
Methods used to determine the AI should take into account the blood/CSF barrier function, as otherwise false negative results may be produced . The determination of the antibody index according to Reiber is a proven method that is recommended , , , . The following formula is used to calculate the Borrelia-specific AI : Antibody index =
If intrathecal immunoglobulin synthesis is present in the Reiber diagram , the total IgG ratio must be replaced by the Q-Lim ratio . In this case: Antibody index =
A value of =1.5 is recommended as the cut-off for a positive AI, unless otherwise evaluated , , , previously recommended higher limit values of 2.0 are considered less sensitive when a reliable test performance can be ensured . Quantitative measuring methods are usually used to determine the AI and are implemented in commercial, EDP-supported systems .
It is important to note that there can be considerable fluctuations in the determination of AI . Hence antibody testing and AI determination should be conducted in accredited microbiology laboratories.
Summary
Recommendations
Vertigo And Severe Balance Instability As Symptoms Of Lyme Diseaseliterature Review And Case Report
- 1Balance Disorders Unit, Department of Otolaryngology, Medical University of Lodz, The Norbert Barlicki Memorial Teaching Hospital, Lodz, Poland
- 2Nofer Institute of Occupational Medicine, Balance Disorders Unit, Department of Audiology and Phoniatrics, Lodz, Poland
- 3Department of Infectious Diseases and Hepatology, Medical University of Lodz, Lodz, Poland
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Why And How Lyme Disease And Tbrf Affect Mental Health
Lyme disease and TBRF can wreak havoc on a patients mental health in the following ways:
- Direct effects As with syphilis, the bacteria that causes Lyme disease and TBRF can invade the central nervous system and cause neurological and psychiatric symptoms that are organic in origin. This is what doctors call neurological Lyme disease or Lyme neuroborreliosis.
- Indirect effects The discomforts and challenges of living with and/or being treated for Lyme disease or TBRF can lead to anxiety, depression, and other mental health conditions that are not necessarily caused by the bacteria, but are indirectly caused or exacerbated .
Of course, these effects are not either/or, but rather can coexist and compound one another. Learn more about each below.
Treating Neurological Lyme Disease
Though neurological and psychiatric symptoms can be reduced with antibiotic treatment, emotional and cognitive problems arising from late-stage or chronic Lyme often call for a broader range of interventions. This includes lifestyle changes in such areas as diet, exercise, and environment.
Again, its worth reiterating that the longer an infection goes undetected, the harder it is to treat, and the more likely it is that symptoms will require multi-pronged, multi-system interventions besides antibiotics alone.
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The Misdiagnosis Of Chronic Lyme Disease
Many patients referred for Lyme disease are ultimately found to have a rheumatologic or neurologic diagnosis. Rheumatologic diagnoses commonly misdiagnosed as Lyme disease include osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, degenerative diseases of the spine, and spondyloarthropathies.,, Some patients are found to have neurologic diseases, including multiple sclerosis, demyelinating diseases, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, neuropathies, and dementia. Some CLD advocates have argued that these various conditions are simply manifestations of Lyme disease,, but these hypotheses are untenable. Lyme disease is transmitted quite focally, and there is no epidemiologic evidence that these alternative diagnoses cluster in regions with high Lyme disease transmission. There has been no association between diagnoses such as multiple sclerosis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or rheumatoid arthritis and antecedent Lyme disease, these diagnoses do not arise concurrently with other recognized manifestations of disseminated Lyme disease , and there is no quality evidence associating any of these diagnoses with seroconversion to B burgdorferi. Although there can certainly be clinical overlap between Lyme disease and other conditions, objective findings and studies will generally allow them to be differentiated.