Herbal Medicine For Lyme Disease

Complementary And Alternative Therapies

You should never treat Lyme disease with complementary therapies alone. Anyone who has Lyme disease needs to take antibiotics to cure the disease and avoid complications. Lyme disease does affect many parts of your body, so including complementary therapies along with standard treatment may help.

Some people believe they have long-lasting complications from Lyme disease. Using CAM therapies to treat these long-lasting complications is controversial. Conventional doctors believing that CAM practitioners may be attributing too many random symptoms to Lyme disease. Make sure you see reputable doctors, whether conventional or CAM practitioners, and educate yourself so that you can be your own advocate.

Always tell all of your doctors about the herbs and supplements you are using or considering using.

Nutrition and SupplementsHerbs

The use of herbs is a time-honored approach to strengthening the body and treating disease. Herbs, however, can trigger side effects and interact with other herbs, supplements, or medications. For these reasons, you should take herbs with care, under the supervision of a health care provider. Some helpful herbs include:

Homeopathy

In some cases, such as Lyme disease, a professional homeopath may prescribe specific remedies without considering the individual’s constitutional state. Such remedies for Lyme disease include:

• Arsenicum album
• Thuja

Botanicals And Essential Oils

Botanical medicines are foundational interventions in the functional medicine approach to Lyme disease. There are many botanical protocols available for Lyme disease however, it can be confusing trying to determine which protocol and products to use. At CCFM, we have extensive experience using botanical protocols for Lyme and can create a protocol that is customized to your specific needs. Some of the botanical protocols and companies we use for the botanical treatment of Lyme include the Buhner Protocol, Byron White Formulas, Beyond Balance, and Nutramedix.

Herbalist Stephen Harrod Buhner, a pioneer in the use of botanical medicines for Lyme disease, has developed a botanical protocol that we use with many of our Lyme patients at CCFM. The protocol is centered around several keystone herbs, including Japanese Knotweed, Cats Claw, and Andrographis. Botanicals that can be added to the core protocol, based on the patients needs, include Astragalus and Smilax Buhner recommends Astragalus as a preventative measure for those who live in Lyme endemic areas. You can learn more about Stephens protocol in his book Healing Lyme: Natural Healing and Prevention of Lyme Borreliosis and Its Coinfections.

Some of the botanicals with anti-Borrelia activity include:

• Cryptolepis sanguinolenta
• Cinnamon bark essential oil
• Clove essential oil

Certain essential oils also demonstrate anti-Borrelia activity 3, including:

Antibiotics

Disulfiram

Dapsone

Methylene Blue

Acupuncture For Lyme Disease Ancient Chinese Natural Treatment For Lyme Disease

Acupuncture is one of the natural cures for Lyme disease, and it offers another option for those who do not want to spend the rest of their lives on heavy and potentially addictive drugs.

The philosophy of acupuncture for Lyme disease is simple. Your body naturally wants to protect itself from infections and pathogens. Therefore, when your body comes in contact with one of them, it distracts it into less critical areas of your body.

This means that when you develop an illness, your body tries to move the illness away from your heart or lungs, causing it to settle in other parts of your body such as your joints and blood. It is one of the causes of chronic joint pain as a result of Lyme disease.

If Lyme disease is not completely cleared from your body, it can remain dormant, leading to relapse and persistent pain. Acupuncture for Lyme disease is used to reduce the inflammation in your body that is causing pain and provide lasting relief.

Acupuncture for Lyme disease causes your body to produce all of the good things it is supposed to produce under normal, healthy operating conditions that keep your body strong, healthy and functioning at its best. Things like natural anti-inflammatory drugs, pain relievers, and your bodys immune cells. But not only does it get all of these good things into your bloodstream, but it also opens up the flow of blood to areas that arent working the way they should, so all of those good things get where they need to be.

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What Is Lyme Disease

Lyme disease is triggered by an infection brought on by bacteria called Borrelia burgdorferi. You may start out feeling like you’ve woken up with a bad case of the flu. But, if time goes on, and the condition is left untreated, you could wind up experiencing a lot of long-term effects.

The Borrelia burgdorferi bacterial species that infects a person with Lyme is of the spirochete class. Spirochetes are flexible spirally microbes that actually dig holes in your tissue. The Lyme disease symptoms that arise are due to an inflammatory process.

Most cases of Lyme can be cured, but some people continue having symptoms even after antibiotic treatment. This is known as post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome or chronic Lyme disease.

Tips On How To Cure Lyme Disease Naturally

The following tips can help your body fight off Lyme disease as part of your treatment plan. Lyme should never go untreated, so the following tips alone will not cure Lyme. Incorporate the following into your daily routine during treatment:

• Rest a lot. Your body is at battle right now and the fatigue is often for a reason. You need to slow down and rest when you feel tired. If you like exercise, switch to low-impact exercise likeYoga. Healing is hard work and your body will thank you.
• Stay positive. Positive thoughts are very healing. You will feel better soon if you stick with your treatment plan. Try to meditate and focus on feeling better. Talk to someone who understands Lyme disease. Try to do something for yourself every day.

Again, using natural remedies for Lyme disease is an important decision for you and your doctor to make together. It is always important to discuss any use of herbs with your doctor to avoid any drug interactions or unwanted effects on other health conditions.

A word about antibiotics:

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Lyme Disease Herbalists & Their Protocol

Many of the plant tinctures, capsules and powders offered by Beneficial Botanicals have been recommended by herbalists listed below to treat Lyme Disease and associated co-infections.

STEPHEN H. BUHNER is a renowned author and herbalist, having consulted hundreds of people who have Lyme disease. His work has been profiled in The New York Times, CNN, Good Morning America and other media throughout North America and Europe. Since October 2006, Stephen has tirelessly answered hundreds of questions from those following his herbal protocol through his Q & A column outlining his protocol for the core herbs to treat Lyme disease.

BOOKS BY STEPHEN H. BUHNERHerbs for Hepatitis C and the Liver Sacred Plant Medicine: The Wisdom in Native American Herbalism The Secret Teachings of Plants: The Intelligence of the Heart in the Direct Perception of Nature The Lost Language of Plants: The Ecological Importance of Plant Medicines for Life on Earth

Beneficial Botanicals offers supplemental information on the role of Japanese Knotweed with some important excerpts from Stephen H. Buhners books.

BOOKS BY MATTHEW WOODSeven Herbs, Plants as Teachers Vitalism, The History of Herbalism, Homeopathy, and Flower Essences The Practice of Traditional Western Herbalism The Earthwise Herbal, A Complete Guide to New World Medicinal Plants The Earthwise Herbal Repertory: The Definitive Practitioners Guide

BOOKS BY WOLF D. STORL & MATTHEW WOODHealing Lyme Naturally

Lyme Disease In Canada

Lyme disease is an infectious disease caused by the Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria. This bacterium can be spread to humans and animals through the bite of infected blacklegged ticks and western blacklegged ticks. Infection by the bacteria can lead to human illness. Lyme disease is one of several illnesses which can be spread by ticks, also called tick-borne diseases.

Lyme disease usually results in a skin lesion called an erythema migrans rashFootnote i and non-specific symptoms including fatigue, fever, headache, and muscle and joint pains. If left untreated, it can disseminate through the bloodstream and affect other parts of the body. Patients with late infection may develop arthritis , and, less commonly, neuropathy . While Lyme disease is rarely fatal, there have been recorded deaths as a result of Lyme carditis .Reference 1Reference 2 Lyme disease may be missed or misdiagnosed, resulting in increased risk for serious illness. It is therefore important to identify, diagnose, and treat Lyme disease in its early phases.Reference 3

Box 1: Lyme Disease by the Numbers, 2009-2019

• 10,152 human cases of Lyme disease have been reported in Canada since 2009.
• Between 2009 and 2019, the annual number of reported cases of Lyme disease in Canada increased 18 times from 144 to 2,636 cases.
• In Canada, 95% of reported human Lyme disease cases were from, Ontario, Quebec, and Nova Scotia.

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Holistic Treatment For Lyme Disease

Holistic treatment for Lyme disease involves a unique variety of different modalities, including intravenous therapy to treat the infection while supporting the immune system and reducing symptoms. Many herbal protocols, including Chinese herbs, are clinically effective in natural cures for Lyme disease. Acupuncture can be used to stimulate blood flow and relieve pain. An adequate diet and a good detox protocol can minimize the symptoms that occur as a result of death from infection.

Below is some natural treatment for Lyme disease that can help patients who have had no success with standard antibiotic treatment or want to try something more:

The Best Supplements For Lyme Disease

by Lyme Mexico | Mar 8, 2022 | Alternative Treatments |

Lyme disease is well-known for the inflammatory responses it creates in the body. This happens anytime the body senses a foreign bacterium. Inflammation is used as a defense mechanism. It seeks, finds, and destroys the enemy. Unfortunately, with Lyme disease, it is not always that simple.

When inflammation is constantly present in your body, you can experience swelling, soreness, tenderness, and chronic pain in every area of the body. Lyme bacteria are very good at hiding in your bloodstream and going dormant to avoid detection. This puts inflammation on a continual hunt for bacteria but without success.

Treatment for Lyme disease typically consists of antibiotics.

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Top 5 Natural Remedies For Lyme Disease

We’ve talked about the importance of antibiotics when it comes to this condition, but there is something many people don’t know they should also be doingsupporting their immune system. They don’t know because medical professionals rarely tell them.

You have to salvage your immune system and build up tissue again. This is one of the best things you can do during recovery. These five natural remedies for Lyme disease will help you do it.

Five Herbal Medicines Potent Against Tick

Research supported by Bay Area Lyme Foundation points to need for more effective treatments compared to currently utilized treatments for tick-borne infections

TellMed Strategies

PORTOLA VALLEY, CA, March 9, 2021 — Bay Area Lyme Foundation, a leading sponsor of Lyme disease research in the U.S., today announced the publication of new data finding that five herbal medicines had potent activity compared to commonly-used antibiotics in test tubes against Babesia duncani, a malaria-like parasite found on the West Coast of the U.S. that causes the disease babesiosis. Published in the journal Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology, the laboratory study was funded in part by the Bay Area Lyme Foundation. Collaborating researchers were from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, California Center for Functional Medicine, and FOCUS Health Group, Naturopathic.

“This research is particularly important as babesiosis is a significant emerging health risk. Due to limited therapeutics and a rise in treatment resistance, current treatment options for this disease are inadequate and many patients rely on herbal therapies for which there is only anecdotal evidence of efficacy,” said co-author Sunjya K. Schweig, MD, Founder and Director, California Center for Functional Medicine and Scientific Advisory Board Member, Bay Area Lyme Foundation, who has also studied herbal treatments for Lyme disease.

Journal

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Thermotherapy/use Of The Infrared Sauna

Since Lyme bacteria appear to be extremely sensitive to heat, many naturalists recommend infrared sauna therapy. While the heat doesnt always kill the bacteria, it helps deactivate them, resulting in fewer symptoms in people with Lyme.

Infrared sauna therapy is one of the natural cures for Lyme disease that is also useful for detoxifying the body. The skin is the largest organ in the body, and sauna sweating is one of the most effective detoxification methods. While we can all benefit from a detoxifying sweat from time to time, skin detoxification is especially beneficial for people with Lyme, whose liver and kidneys are exposed to high levels of toxicity that are often associated with chronic infections.

B Antifungals For Prevention:

Use either the supplement or prescription medicine. You do not need to use both together.

Supplement:

• Herbal Combination 2 pills 2 times a day. Common herbs found individually or mixed together include: Pau D’arco, caprylic acid, rosemary oil, thyme oil, garlic, and grapefruit seed extract.

Prescription Medicine:

• Nystatin 500,000 IU 2 pills 2 times a day.

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Post Lyme Disease Syndrome

It is important to note that when Lyme disease remains persistent after early antibiotic intervention, it often indicates an underlying issue, including: weakened immunity, a wide-spread bacterial infection, mold exposure, or parasites. Post Lyme Disease Syndrome is when the initial Borrelia burgdorferi infection becomes chronic and causes continuing symptoms for many months or even years. These are the instances where antibiotic treatment has failed or the infection was left untreated. When this happens, it leads to a significantly lower quality of life for the patient. Ideally, prevention is key. But if you have developed Lyme disease and the antibiotic protocol was unsuccessful, several medicinal herbs are available that can help you to heal.

Cleansing With Burbur And Parsley

Burbur has been around for a long time and is an amazing herb in the efforts of detoxification. Originating in Peru, it is known to be an internal cleanser and greatly helps detoxify the liver, kidneys, blood, and lymphatic system. Bonus benefits include: anti-microbial, anti-viral, anti-parasitic, anti-tumor, anti-inflammatory, along with many other positive benefits! This herb is a MUST!

Parsley extract is also a good detoxifier. In my opinion, the Burbur is better, but the Parsley is good also. Some people take them both!

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How To Ensure The Best Herbs For Lyme Disease Do Their Job

Half of a successful natural Lyme disease treatment is to effectively prevent immune reactions. In order to keep the immune system from firing in an excess manner with cytokine reactions, mast cell activation syndrome reactions and histamine reactions, we need to get the immune system to quiet down and keep it quiet.

In order to prevent immune reactions, we need to prevent pathogenic excitement. One important aspect of a natural Lyme disease treatment that prevents immune reactions , is to adhere to the Lyme disease diet. Lyme disease pathogens are like a fire in the body. When we spritz a campfire with the slightest spritz of alcohol, the fire flares. The same thing goes for infections. When we eat the slightest amount of the wrong thing, the infections get excited. When the bugs get excited, the immune system senses this and then turns on in a hyperactive manner. When the immune system becomes hyperactive, symptoms occur. When symptoms occur, treatment results are limited at best. That said, we want to prevent pathogenic excitement. Adhering to the Lyme disease diet helps prevent and lessen symptoms and better assures the effectiveness of the Lyme disease treatment.

Lyme Disease Natural Treatment Safety

If you decide to explore natural treatments for Lyme disease, talk to your doctor about the risks beforehand. Natural treatments, just like traditional treatments, can still be toxic or dangerous. But in combination with medical treatment, a complementary approach might improve health.

For example, a product called bismacine contains an injectable form of bismuth. This is a type of metal thats a common ingredient in some digestive aids. But bismacine contains a higher dose of bismuth thats injectable. Injecting a high dose of bismuth can cause bismuth poisoning, which can lead to heart and kidney failure.

Other natural treatments may interact with other medications or supplements you take. Your doctor can help you confirm whether any medications you currently take will interact with treatment youre interested in trying.

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Mic Values Of The Active Natural Product Extracts

Because the activity of antibiotics against non-growing B. burgdorferi is not always correlated with their activity against growing bacteria , we therefore determined the MICs of these natural product extracts against the replicating B. burgdorferi as described previously . The MIC values of some natural product extracts such as Artemisia annua, Juglans nigra, Uncaria tomentosa were quite high for growing B. burgdorferi, despite their strong activity against the non-growing stationary phase B. burgdorferi cells . On the other hand, the top two active natural product extracts Cryptolepis sanguinolenta and Polygonum cuspidatum showed strong activity against the growing B. burgdorferi with a low MIC and also non-growing stationary phase B. burgdorferi .

If You Are Becoming More Allergic With Treatment

Chronic infections can trigger excessive allergic reactions to food, prescription and natural medicines, and to the environment. If this is your problem, consider using supplements, diet, and medicines for Mast Cell Activation Syndrome. For more information, read Mast Cell Activation Syndrome & Lyme.

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