Understanding The Acute Inflammatory Response
Suppose youre walking barefoot in the yard one summer day and accidentally step on a sharp piece of glass hidden in the grass. Pain alerts you to the injury and you stop to assess the situation. If the wound isnt deep, youre up to date on your tetanus vaccination, and a rinse in the sink reveals no foreign objects in the wound, you place a bandage over the area, and youre back on your way.
Swelling occurs because blood vessels dilate to allow an influx of WBCs and flush the area with fluid. Macrophages and arriving WBCs engulf debris, foreign matter, and microbes that have entered through the open wound, and destroy the material with potent free radicals and hypochlorous acid. Its a noxious process that causes collateral damage to normal cells, but its part of the healing process.
Once the injury is contained and the mess is cleaned up, WBCs migrate out of the area. Surviving cells repair damage from the injury and the inflammatory process itself. Gradually evidence of the injury disappears like nothing had ever happened.
How To Identify Lyme Disease The Diagnosis
As many signs and symptoms of Lyme disease are also found in other diseases, the Lyme disease can be hard to diagnose. Ticks can also spread other diseases.
In case, Lyme disease rash does not appear on your body then a Lyme literate doctor can ask you questions like whether youve been outdoors in the summer?
Or, the doctor may ask something similar to this.
Moreover, Lyme disease blood tests help to identify antibodies to the bacteria and can help confirm or rule out the diagnosis. These tests show better results and are more reliable, a few weeks after an infection because your body has had time to produce antibodies to fight against Lyme disease.
Those tests include:
Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay Test
This test, also widely known as ELISA, is commonly used to detect Lyme disease. You cannot completely rely on this test because sometimes it provides false-positive results. Also, this test might not report correct results during the early stage of the disease. Still, the rash appearance is distinctive enough that a doctor can diagnose without further testing in people who live in ticks infested areas that transmit Lyme disease.
Western Blot Test
If a positive result on the ELISA screening test, then the Western Blot Test is usually administered to confirm the diagnosis. In this two-step approach, this test detects antibodies to various B. burgdorferi proteins.
Tip: Did you know sciatica can be a result of Lyme Disease?
Invasive Weed Mighty Botanical
Native to East Asia, Japan, Korea, and China, Japanese Knotweed is considered by many to be an invasive weed as it grows quickly and is exceptionally hardy. Be that as it may, it is also a mighty medicinal herb. Known to help prevent and treat a number of health disorders, this is one botanical that should be on your radar. Due to its exceptional healing properties, I have included it in my new Eastern Blend tincture.
Used for centuries throughout Asia, Japanese Knotweed is beneficial for cardiovascular health, reducing the risk of cancer, improving cognitive function, lowering blood pressure, and healing metabolic syndrome3. Additionally, it is often used medicinally for coughs, colds, and respiratory disease. Many have found it to be an effective treatment for Lyme disease as well. Japanese Knotweed is particularly high in resveratrol, a compound with an impressive track record of health benefits.
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About The Plant What Does Japanese Knotweed Look Like
Native to Eastern Asia, Japanese knot weed can grow to a height of 2-3 meters in the UK. It has flecked bamboo-like green and purple speckled hollow stems, arching branches and broad green shield-shaped leaves of up to 12cm long.
In late summer, small clusters of creamy white flowers appear at the tips of the stems. The rhizomes are modified plants that can stretch up to 7 meters from the parent plant and to a depth of 3 meters.
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:
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Foundation Formula Is The Crucial Piece Of The Custom
Foundation Formula is ideal for all levels of exposure to Lyme Disease bacteria. It is perfect for those who may be at greater risk for contracting the bacteria by helping to maintain a body that is able to resist the infection. It treats infections that have already occurred through its antimicrobial and immune-boosting properties.
I included some of my favorite herbs in Foundation Formula. Lets review how they can help you!
Andrographis is the top anti-Lyme herb. It has anti-microbial, anti-inflammation, anti-parasitic, and anti-viral properties, which means it goes after Lyme , co-infections , parasites, and even viruses like Epstein-Barr . It aids in digestion, promotes detoxification, protects tissues, and promotes regeneration of damaged liver cells.
Japanese Knotweed is an excellent source of Resveratrol, a super powerful antioxidant. This herb works at the DNA level to block Lyme bacteria from invading the immune system. It is neuro-protective, an advantageous property as Lyme bacteria like to invade the nervous system, and also protects the cardiovascular system which is commonly compromised by co-infections Bartonella and Babesia.
Not only does Cats Claw work against Lyme bacteria, but it also blocks the Herxheimer reaction that occurs from the endotoxins that are released from the dying bacteria. Cats Claw also protects connective tissues which are commonly damaged by Lyme bacteria.
Lets break down this formula and the powerful herbs it contains!
Cowden Protocol For Dogs
The Cowden Protocol was developed by Dr. William Lee Cowden, MD initially for the treatment of late-stage Borrelia and Lyme co-infections. Since the protocol helps to resolve the majority of the root causes of most patients symptoms in humans, it can also be used to treat post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome and many other chronic health conditions of unclear cause in dogs as well.
The Cowden Protocol utilizes 15 different products including 8 microbial defense herbals that are taken in rotation.
The majority of the protocol is administered through herbal tinctures, whereby drops of the treatment are mixed in water before ingesting, and it is easy to put these drops in your dogs water dish as long as you make certain your pet drinks all of it.
In regards to dosing for a dog, below are guidelines:
- Large dogs would take about ½ of the human dose
- Medium dogs would take about ¼ of the human dose
- Small dogs would take 1/10 of the human dose
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Swap The Sad Diet For Anti
When it comes to managing inflammation, diet is the perfect place to start. The foods you choose to eat can either help or hinder your recovery from Lyme disease by impacting your bodys inflammatory burden. The Standard American Diet, rich in refined carbohydrates and industrial seed oils, increases the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines, immune molecules that trigger an inflammatory response. Many of the same pro-inflammatory cytokines triggered by the SAD diet are also triggered by Lyme disease and other tick borne infections.1 The SAD diet is also associated with an impaired immune response, which is the last thing you want when youre battling an infection.2 Other food groups, such as gluten and dairy, can also trigger inflammation and are best avoided by people with Lyme disease.
Conversely, eating an anti-inflammatory, nutrient-dense diet can accelerate your recovery process and create a foundation for long-term health. At CCFM, we recommend that most patients begin a Paleo Reset Diet. This diet is designed to reduce inflammation and improve digestion, energy, blood sugar control, and body weight. The Paleo Reset Diet is centered around the following foods:
- Non-starchy vegetables ideally 6-8 cups of vegetables across the color spectrum
- Whole fruits
- GAPS diet
- Gluten free diet
- Elimination and reintroduction diet
Incorporate Anti-Inflammatory Foods
Keeping Cells Free Of Debris
You depend on your immune system to keep the spaces between cells free of debris so that they get good flow. Specialized immune cells, called macrophages, constantly patrol your tissues searching for debris they are the garbage collectors of the immune system. Macrophages engulf debris from dead cells and then break it down with strong acid and potent free radicals.
This process is happening in the body all the timeyou couldnt survive without it. As long as the collection of debris doesnt exceed the capacity of the immune system to clean it up, you never know its happening. Its deemed inflammation only when accumulation of debris from cell turnover is greater than the immune system can process.
Tissues congested with debris stresses cells. When cells suffer, you feel it as symptoms. The type of symptoms depend on the types and location of cells that are suffering. Symptoms associated with inflammation can be transient and localized when cell injury is finite, such as with an acute injury, or chronic and systemic when cell injury is ongoing, such as with chronic Lyme disease or really any chronic illness.
Lets take a look at inflammation in more detail, particularly chronic inflammation as it impacts people with Lyme disease, along with the best ways to quash it.
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Lyme Disease In The Equine
Lyme disease has been recognized for about 40 to 50 years. It is now the most commonly reported tick-borne illness in the United States and Europe and it is found in Asia and Australia. Since LD can be found in so many locations, it should be considered as part of a rule out list when a diagnosis is not clear.
The OrganismThe Lyme spirochete is a mobile, corkscrew-shaped bacteria. The life cycle involves the deer tick or black-legged tick in the East Coast region, with other tick species involved in other places. Contrary to popular belief, deer are not the only host for the infected tick as the different tick species prefer different hosts. Many small mammals are part of the host cycle, from the white-footed mouse to the chipmunk, hedgehog, squirrels and rats, along with humans and dogs. Fleas, spiders, mosquitoes and mites are also possible parts of the life cycle, although the available research has not defined their exact role.
The tiny nymph stage ticks are the source of most infections while the adult tick, which is a little larger and easier to see, may be less important but potentially infective.
AntibioticsAntibiotics are useful especially in the freshly diagnosed horses. Repeated bouts of antibiotics or use for two to three months or more usually produces resistance and is detrimental. It is better to change to herbs and keep the spirochete guessing. The use of antibiotics does suppress the immune system in the gut, so the rest of the plan needs to support it.
Stages Of Lyme Disease
Lyme disease is divided into two stages:
Stage 1: Early localized Lyme disease
It might present as a flu-like illness such as:
Most commonly Rashes appear on the body that sometimes shaped like a bulls eye
Stage 2: Late persistent Lyme disease
If a person will ignore early signs of Lyme disease, then it can get worse and can last from months to years.
Signs and symptoms of untreated Lyme disease include:
Severe headaches,
Facial paralysis, for example, Bells palsy
Intermittent muscle, joint, tendon, and bone aches
Heart disorders such as abnormal heartbeat, heart palpitations, commonly known as Lyme carditis
Arthritis with extreme joint pain, stiffness, and swelling, particularly common in knees and least common in other joints such as wrists, elbows, and ankle,
Common Neurological disorders e.g. tingling/itching in feet or hands, paralysis or numbness, nerve pain, dizziness, faintness, any mental confusion or not able to think clearly, memory loss, inflammation of the spinal cord and brain.
Tip: Muscle pain is different from the nerve pain and bone pain.
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Can I Give My Dog Resveratrol Reasons To Use
Japanese knotweed has a number of potential applications for your dog, even if research is tenuous, and that makes it an exciting addition to your herbal toolkit if you exercise care.
It carries benefits for treating Lyme disease, for instance, and has been reported to have an effect in dogs with cancer. It also packs an anti-aging punch in human beings thanks to an ability to stimulate the SIRT1 gene, so there may be some reason to hope that it carries the same application in dogs.
Most herbal retailers have supplements with Japanese knotweed and resveratrol available in some capacity and can inform you as to the side effects and potential usages for your family member. Some have even suggested using the whole root, although application data is limited.
References:Herbs for Pets by M.L. Wulff-Tilford and G.L. Tilford, Natural Remedies for Dogs and Cats by CJ Puotinen
Inflammation Mitochondria And Disease
Moreover, resveratrol also assists in the prevention and treatment of many chronic diseases related to inflammation, including: cancer, obesity, cardiovascular disease, neurodegeneration, and diabetes. The team believes that the high antioxidant content of resveratrol contributes to this anti-inflammatory action.
Resveratrol also improves brain mitochondria function. A study published in Molecular Neurobiology2 found that the compound reduces mitochondrial impairment in the brain associated with neuroinflammation, cell death, and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimers and dementia.
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Is Lyme Disease Contagious
There is no evidence to suggest that Lyme disease is contagious, and it cannot be transmitted from person to person.
To date, a person has not got infected from touching a person who is suffering from Lyme disease.
Now lets talk about Japanese knotweed. Then I will explain to you the role of Japanese knotweed root in treating Lyme disease.
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.
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Reproduction Of Japanese Knotweed
Reproduction in Japanese knot weed requires male and female plants . However, Japanese knot weed is an extraordinary example of alien invasive plant species that is derived from the same mother plant.
In total biomass terms, this clone is probably the largest female in the world. In Swansea alone, the infestation of Japanese knot weed approximately weighs 62,000 tonnes, which equals to 400 blue whales.
Is Japanese Knotweed Poisonous To Dogs
Despite this limited evidence, there is some anecdotal evidence to suggest that a small dosage of resveratrol in the range of five to seven milligrams per 30 pounds of body weight daily should do the trick. Exceeding this dosage is not wise until further research is done, but the small dosage should help you safely assess the viability of this herbal treatment for your four-legged family member.
We recommend a trusted tincture like shown above from Montana Farmacy. Keep in mind that this formula contains alcohol and some dogs dont tolerate alcohol well. You can work around this problem by diluting the recommended dose with equal amounts of hot, filtered water or working up to the recommended dosage.
It can be difficult to convert from milligrams to milliliters, etc. Its often recommended to simply convert the human dosage into a canine dosage by doing the following. Example: If your dog is 30 pounds, divide 30 by 150. This breaks down to 0.2 or 20%. So, youd give your dog 20% of the human dosage.
Montana Farmacys recommended dosage for humans is 30-40 drops 3 times a day. You need 20 percent of say 40 drops three times daily. Take 120 divided by 20 which gives you 24 drops for your 30 pound dog daily. **THIS WAS NOT CONVERTED USING THE 7 mg PER 30 POUNDS.
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