Wednesday, March 27, 2024

How Do You Treat Lyme Disease Naturally

Must read

Treatment Round #: A More Holistic Approach To Managing My Lyme Symptoms

How to Treat Lyme Disease Naturally

When I began searching for a more holistic approach to Lyme treatment, I quickly became overwhelmed by the sheer number of herbal protocols, supplement regimens, and other therapies that people swore by. And while many people had clearly had success with a DIY supplement approach, I knew I needed a doctor to guide me through the process. So I found a local, highly recommended holistic M.D. with extensive experience treating patients with Lyme and other difficult-to-treat chronic diseases. Upon my first appointment, she was kind, knowledgeable, and reassured me that we’d keep trying different options until something workedbecause no single natural Lyme protocol works for everyone .

To start, she put me on a supplement protocol to help cover all my bases and give my body and immune system the basic tools it needed to start working more efficiently. This consisted of a high-quality multivitamin , a probiotic, a multi-mineral, fish oil, curcumin, and magnesium. None of these immediately led to game-changing results, but based on everything I know about the science-backed perks of these nutrients, I was confident they were helping support my body. After about a month, we added an herbal supplement called Cat’s Claw to stimulate white blood cells and support immune system functioning, along with my doc’s favorite supplement for combating Lyme, monolaurin.

Natural Remedies To Tame The Fires

Eating a healthy diet, living in a clean environment, learning to live around stress, and staying active are all very important for keeping cells in your body healthy. However, the chemical substances in plants defined as herbs can take that protection to the next level. Taking herbs can give you the advantage that you need to overcome chronic inflammation and return to a normal life.

Plants must protect their cells from a wide range of stress factors: damaging free radicals, physical stress from harsh weather, toxic substances, harmful radiation, insects, invasive fungi, parasites, and, last but not least, every variety of microbe.

Plants do this with their own natural chemistry. In fact, plants are the most sophisticated chemists on the planet. The chemical substances that plants use to solve problems and protect cells are called phytochemicals.

Mushrooms, which are technically fungi, also have to deal with similar stress factors as plant. They also produce a wide range of protective substances that mirror the protective properties of phytochemicals found in plants.

When we consume plant phytochemicals, the benefits are transferred to us. The three primary things that phytochemicals do for us:

  • Reduce inflammation: By protecting our cells from harmful stress factors such as free radicals and toxic substances, cell turnover is reduced, along with the destructive inflammation that comes with it. This lessens the immune systems workload so it can better do its job.
  • Oxygen And Reactive Oxygen Species

    Oxygen therapy was marketed to patients for treatment of Lyme disease primarily in 3 forms: hyperbaric oxygen, ozone, and hydrogen peroxide. Hyperbaric oxygen is administered using hyperbaric oxygen chambers and was promoted as having salutary effects on the immune response to B. burgdorferi infection . Alternatively, some practices promoted using chemically reactive oxygen species, including ozone therapy and/or intravenous infusion of hydrogen peroxide. Ozone can be generated from atmospheric oxygen and administered in several forms. These include intravenous administration of an ozonated solution, ingestion of ozonated water, ozonation and reinfusion of blood, administration of ozonated oils, and rectal or vaginal insufflation with gaseous ozone .

    Also Check: Is There A Definitive Test For Lyme Disease

    Essential Oils From Garlic And Other Herbs Kill Lyme Disease Bacterium

    Oils from garlic and several other common herbs and medicinal plants show strong activity against the bacterium that causes Lyme disease, according to a study by researchers at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. These oils may be especially useful in alleviating Lyme symptoms that persist despite standard antibiotic treatment, the study also suggests.

    The study, published October 16 in the journal Antibiotics, included lab-dish tests of 35 essential oils–oils that are pressed from plants or their fruits and contain the plant’s main fragrance, or “essence.” The Bloomberg School researchers found that 10 of these, including oils from garlic cloves, myrrh trees, thyme leaves, cinnamon bark, allspice berries and cumin seeds, showed strong killing activity against dormant and slow-growing “persister” forms of the Lyme disease bacterium.

    “We found that these essential oils were even better at killing the ‘persister’ forms of Lyme bacteria than standard Lyme antibiotics,” says study senior author Ying Zhang, MD, PhD, professor in the Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology at the Bloomberg School.

    Oils from thyme leaves, cumin seeds and amyris wood also performed well, as did cinnamaldehyde, the fragrant main ingredient of cinnamon bark oil.

    “At this stage these essential oils look very promising as candidate treatments for persistent Lyme infection, but ultimately we need properly designed clinical trials,” he says.

    Stevia Shown To Kill Borrelia Burgdorferi:

    Treating Lyme Disease Naturally With Bio

    Recent studies have revealed evidence that whole leaf stevia extract may be effective at killing the spirochetes Borrelia Burgdorferi, the bacteria responsible for Lyme disease . The study showed that exposing the bacteria to stevia leaf extract eliminated Lyme disease, even when the bacteria was in its dormant form.

    While more studies are still needed before stevia leaf extract becomes a prescribed natural cure for Lyme disease, that doesnt mean it isnt worth trying at home along with some of the many other natural remedies discussed. It is important to know that pure stevia leaf extract is different from powdered stevia in the supermarket. You can however purchase pure stevia leaf extract in supplement form.

    Don’t Miss: Joint Pain After Lyme Disease

    Alternative & Holistic Treatment For Lyme Disease:

    Alternative and holistic treatment for Lyme disease may include any of the natural treatment protocols and therapies as listed above. As mentioned previously, the conventional way of treating Acute or Early-Stage Lyme Disease is through antibiotics. However, some people cant use pharmaceutical antibiotics, chose not to use antibiotics or find them ineffective.

    Herbs for lyme disease treatment include herbal antimicrobials such as teasel root and cats claw which have long been used in Chinese Medicine for their multiple health benefits. Teasel root is often used as an antimicrobial to strengthen kidney and liver function and cats claw has powerful ant-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. The Cowden Herbal Protocol and Buhner Protocol use medicinal herbs to treat Lyme disease holistically.

    Homeopathic treatment for Lyme disease include Hypericum Perforatum which is used in the treatment of nerve pain, depression and as a natural antibiotic, and Arsenicum Album which is often used in treating digestive disorders including mucosal inflammation.

    For further information on Alternative, Holistic and the Natural Treatment of Lyme Disease, please read our page HERE: https://www.lymediseaseadvice.com/natural-treatment-for-lyme-disease/

    Dietary and nutritional changes are also effective in the treatment of Lyme disease and we have prepared a Lyme Disease Diet to get you stared HERE:

    Botanical And Natural Medicines

    A panel of natural product extracts: Polygonum cuspidatum, Cryptolepis sanguinolenta, Artemisia annua, Juglans nigra, Uncaria tomentosa, Scutellaria baicalensis, Stevia rebaudiana, Cistus incanus, Andrographis paniculata, Ashwagandha somnifera, Dipsacus fullonum rad, grapefruit seed extract, LL37, monolaurin, colloidal silver, and relevant solvent controls were identified. The botanical medicines or natural products were chosen based on anecdotal clinical usage and preclinical data from the literature. Primary criteria for selecting compounds for the present study included agents that had shown significant anti-borrelial effects in previous studies, have favorable safety profiles and can be absorbed systemically. Additional criteria for selecting compounds included anecdotal reports from patients and/or providers, anti-biofilm effects and ability to cross the blood brain barrier.

    Read Also: How To Treat Late Stage Lyme Disease

    What Are Alternative Treatments For Lyme Disease

    Alternative treatments for Lyme disease include a variety of medicines. Some of the more common types used are Homeopathy and herbal medicines. The main goal of these treatments is to stop the spread of the bacteria from other parts of the body to the brain, heart, and other organs.

    Lyme disease can be an incredibly debilitating disease if its not treated early on. In many cases, people do not get treatment at all and end up suffering from chronic problems throughout their lives.

    My Long Road To A Lyme Diagnosis

    Treating a Dog with Lyme Disease

    I could write a freakin’ book about my pre-diagnosis Lyme experience. Not to sound dramatic, but it was basically a nightmare playing out in slow motion. For your own sanity, I’ll give you the condensed version.

    Personally, I don’t remember a tick bite, and like many Lyme sufferers, I never got the bull’s-eye rash or flu-like symptoms so often touted as “classic” signs of Lyme disease. Instead, my whole ordeal began with a sharp, stinging sensation in my left ankle after a day of walking in New York City, where I’d just begun my first “big girl” job. It hurt, but I didn’t think much of it, and about a week later I was told I had tendinitis that would resolve relatively quickly. But then my other ankle started to hurt, and after a few months, the pain extended to the bottoms of my feet, my knees, and even my arms. Sometimes it would feel like electric currents were running through my toes when I stood up. After a while, I began to question my tendinitis diagnosis, but after about five “second opinions” and countless tests , doctors had no real explanation for what was going on. In the words of one of my least favorite doctors, “There’s nothing else I can do for you.”

    Also Check: Will My Dog Die From Lyme Disease

    How To Spot And Remove Ticks

    If you find a tick attached to your body, carefully pull it out using tweezers. Dont squeeze too hard because this could hurt the animal. If theres any doubt about whether the tick has been removed completely, leave it where it was until someone else removes it.

    You should check yourself regularly for ticks while walking through woodland, especially at dusk and dawn. Youll need to keep looking down so you dont miss any ticks.

    What Is Post Treatment Lyme Disease

    Post Treatment Lyme Disease represents a research subset of patients who remain significantly ill 6 months or more following standard antibiotic therapy for Lyme disease. PTLD is characterized by a constellation of symptoms that includes severe fatigue, musculoskeletal pain, sleep disturbance, depression, and cognitive problems such as difficulty with short-term memory, speed of thinking, or multi-tasking. In the absence of a direct diagnostic biomarker blood test, PTLD has been difficult to define by physicians, and its existence has been controversial. However, our clinical research shows that meticulous patient evaluation when used alongside appropriate diagnostic testing can reliably identify patients with a history of previously treated Lyme disease who display the typical symptom patterns of PTLD.

    Read Also: Lyme Nephritis Symptoms In Dogs

    Healthy Vs Weak Cells

    How all this plays out is a function of the health of cells as much as the aggressiveness of the bacteria: Cells that are weak from being chronically stressed are more vulnerable to invasion by bacteria.

    A healthy person with healthy cells who is bitten by a tick may not have much in the way of acute symptoms and may never develop chronic symptoms. It doesnt mean, however, that the bacteria have been eradicated from the body. They can stay dormant in tissues for a lifetime.

    All it takes is a shift in the health of cells for dormant bacteria to surface and invade more cells. The immune system scrambles to keep a lid on things as bacteria erupt and infect other cells. Dead cells break apart and create debris. Macrophages secrete acid and free radicals to break down debris. Reinforcements are called in. More acid. More free radicals. More collateral damage. More debris. Flow of nutrients and oxygen is obstructed and cells are weakened even further.

    The invasion intensifies as more cells are infected. Along with inflicting injury to cells in tissues, bacteria infect and kill WBCs. In addition, bacteria throw the immune system off balance by disrupting the cytokines the immune system uses to coordinate the resistance. As the process spirals out of control, the immune system loses the capacity to keep microbes in check.

    Before long, tissues throughout the body start to look like a war zone. Cells suffer. Symptoms result. It becomes a never-ending cycle of misery.

    How Lyme Disease Spreads

    Pin on Health: Disease/Syndromes/

    Lyme bacteria are parasitic organisms, as many bacteria are. They need a host to live in. And because they cant make all the nutrients they need themselves, they scavenge them from their hosts. Most of what they need can be found in collagen tissues. So, once they enter the animal host, they begin breaking down collagen tissues into a kind of soup in order to feed. Its where they break down those tissues that important.

    • Joints = Lyme arthritis
    • Heart = Lyme carditis
    • Central nervous system = neurological Lyme with associated brain fog, difficulty thinking and remembering, tremors, facial paralysis, loss of limb function and so on.

    This is the secret to understanding the disease and how to treat it.

    RELATED: New FDA warnings about flea& tick products

    Also Check: Unusual Symptoms Of Lyme Disease

    Antimicrobial Treatments For Lyme Disease

    The conventional medical approach to Lyme disease treatment in adults is a ten to 21-day course of the antibiotic doxycycline.1 However, a growing body of research shows that this treatment is insufficient, if not completely ineffective, for cases of chronic Lyme disease. Functional medicine offers a far more comprehensive approach to the antimicrobial treatment of Lyme disease. Read on to learn about the types of antimicrobial treatment options available, and how they can be combined for optimal effect.

    Lyme Disease Treatment: 2 Herbal Compounds May Beat Antibiotics

    Lyme disease transmitted via tick bite affects thousands of people in the United States and around the world. Currently, doctors use antibiotics to treat it, but could plant-based remedies be more effective?

    Lyme disease is an infectious disease caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi .

    The disease spreads to humans through the bite of a tick that carries the bacterium, and it affects an estimated each year in the U.S. alone.

    Currently, healthcare professionals choose between three antibiotics in the treatment of Lyme disease. These are doxycycline, cefuroxime, and amoxicillin.

    Sometimes, however, antibiotics are not effective in eradicating all traces of B. burgdorferi from the system, which means that the disease can persist.

    When this happens, bacterial cells that have developed antibiotic resistance can continue to proliferate. These are known as persister cells .

    Because of this, researchers have been looking into alternative modes of fighting the bacterium, and their first line of inquiry has focused on natural remedies.

    In 2018, an in vitro study suggested that 10 plant-derived essential oils could help fight off B. burgdorferi.

    Now, researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, MD, and from the California Center for Functional Medicine and Focus Health in Berkeley, have conducted a new study that has led them to believe that two specific plants may lead to more effective therapies against Lyme disease.

    Also Check: Lyme Literate Doctors In Nh

    Less Common Signs And Symptoms

    Some patients experience no early signs or symptoms of Lyme disease. Others dont notice any rashes until they start developing later signs and symptoms. In rare cases, some people who contract Lyme disease never show any sign of having had the disease.

    If youve been bitten by a tick and have symptoms

    • Muscle soreness
    • Fluid buildup under the skin
    • Skin rashes
    • Treatment

    Antibiotics treat early Lyme disease effectively. If left alone, however, the infection will progress into late-stage Lyme disease. Left untreated, late-stage Lyme disease can lead to serious complications including arthritis, heart damage and neurological disorders.

    To prevent progression to later stages of Lyme disease, antibiotics must be taken promptly when you first notice any sign or symptom of the disease.

    Early Signs And Symptoms Of Lyme Disease

    How to cure chronic Lyme Disease Naturally with herbs PANDAS

    In the first stage, called early localized infection, people often feel tired and weak. This could be because their immune system has been weakened by the infection. People also might experience flu-like symptoms such as fever, chills, headache, muscle aches, fatigue, sore throat, swollen glands, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, cough, chest pain, shortness of breath, confusion, memory loss, vision problems, numbness or tingling around your mouth or tongue, difficulty swallowing, joint pain, stiff neck, backache, abdominal discomfort, constipation, changes in bowel habits, and/or painful urination. These symptoms usually last less than three weeks.

    Recommended Reading: Lyme Disease And Weight Loss

    Improve The Cellular Protection And Function:

    The third way on how to treat Lyme disease naturally that I want to introduce to you is improving the cellular protection. The reason may be that Lyme bacterial and viruses as well as parasites can attack your immune system and weaken your cells. Therefore, in order to boost the cellular function and protection, you should add these nutrients into your diet.

    Consume foods which are high in B-complex vitamins because they can help to fight against infections and improve your health. Especially, it is important for patients with Lyme disease to consume vitamin B6.

    Another nutrient to boost cellular function and neurological health is omega-3 fatty acids. This nutrient has high anti-inflammatory properties. Therefore, it is the good idea for you to consume fish regularly or take supplements of 1,000 mg of fish oil daily.

    Magnesium is effective nutrient on how to treat Lyme disease because it can help to boost cellular function. So, you should consider adding turmeric in your food in order to not only strengthen your flavor but also alleviate inflammation.

    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.

    Also Check: Lyme Disease Treated With Antibiotics

    More articles

    Popular Articles