How I Cured My Lyme Disease
As a fellow Lyme warrior myself, I have made it my mission as a physician to make sure my patients understand how Lyme develops and becomes a chronic infection, how to make their body inhospitable to the infection, how to bolster the bodys innate ability to heal itself, and ways to weave both conventional and natural medicine interventions together in order to fully recover from this destructive inflammatory infection. With all of that said, here is a summary of my advice.
What To Expect At Your Provider’s Office
Lyme disease can be hard to diagnose because many of its symptoms look like those of other illnesses, and there is no definitive lab test for Lyme disease. About 20% of people with Lyme disease do not get a rash. Tell your doctor if you think you may have been bitten by a tick. Your doctor may order these tests:
- ELISA test, which detects antibodies to the bacteria that causes Lyme disease. This test may result in false positives.
- Western blot test, which detects antibodies to proteins of the bacteria
- Polymerase chain reaction , which detects bacteria in joint fluid and is used for people who may have Lyme arthritis.
Natural Remedies For Lyme Disease
Lyme disease is a bacterial infection caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi. It is spread through the bite of infected ticks.
Ticks are very small, and their biteswhich can occur anywhere on the bodyare usually painless, so you may not immediately be aware that you have been bitten. In most cases, the tick must be attached to the body for 24 hours before Lyme disease is transmitted.
The signs and symptoms of Lyme disease usually start within three to 30 days after youve been bitten by an infected tick. Many people experience flu-like symptoms after being bitten, while more serious symptoms show up weeks after the bite. Early signs and symptoms of Lyme disease include:
- Swollen lymph nodes
If left untreated, symptoms can worsen to include Bells palsy , severe headaches, muscle, joint, and tendon pain, cardiac problems, and neurological disorders.
Most cases of Lyme disease can be managed and treated with two to three weeks of antibiotics. Depending on the severity of your symptoms and how long after the bite you were diagnosed, you may need a longer course of antibiotics to clear up the infection. Many people turn to natural remedies to help treat Lyme disease.
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Other Natural Treatments For Lyme Disease
The treatments discussed above are only some of the natural treatments that claim to treat Lyme disease. According to a 2015 study looking at the alternative treatments found during an Internet search, other natural treatments people use for Lyme disease include:
- saunas and steam rooms
The investigators noted that theres no research backing up these treatments, any many dont have a logical rationale behind them.
When Inflammation Becomes Chronic
Imagine if the acute inflammatory process was going on in tissues throughout your body and it never resolved. Thats exactly what happens with the chronic inflammation associated with chronic Lyme disease.
The driving force is bacteria invading cells. Its not an all-out invasion like you would find with an acute infection, such as pneumonia, however. Its an insidious migration of bacteria into tissues throughout the body in the brain, heart, joints, muscles, kidneys, intestines, everywhere.
When Lyme bacteria enter the bloodstream from a tick bite, WBCs gobble up the bacteria in an attempt to get rid of them. The bacteria, however, have sophisticated ways of staying alive inside the WBCs. Instead of eradicating the bacteria, the WBCs unintentionally become transport vehicles to distribute bacteria to tissues throughout the body.
On arrival, the bacteria surface and infect other cells. Its not as much a deluge of invasion as it is a random sprinkling. Tissues throughout the body become peppered with cells that have been infected with bacteria.
The Lyme bacteria, Borrelia burgdorferi, are intracellular, which means they infect and live inside cells. The cells provide nutrients to make new bacteria as well as protection from the immune system. Once the bacteria have used up the resources a cell has to offer, they surface and infect other cells.
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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.
About The Author Dr Hinchey
In addition to naturally treating patients with complex illness stemming from underlying tick-borne disease atTAO in Connecticut, Dr. Myriah Hinchey createdLymeCore Botanicals to provide quality clean and effective herbal formulas for Lyme disease and other tick-borne infections, and is highly active in sourcing, testing, and overseeing production of the herbal formulas she uses to treat her patients.
Dr. Hinchey also foundedLymeBytes, a multimedia company dedicated to educating patients and other practitioners about Lyme disease and tick-borne illness and focuses on bringing Patients, Practitioners and Resources together for healing Lyme disease.
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The Lyme Protocol That Works
Ill bet someone is going to ask why I dont mention colloidal silver. I dont think its good for you, Ive never found it particularly helpful, and I just dont trust it. But to each their own you can find tons of very intelligent naturopaths who are much more educated than I am who will vehemently disagree with me on colloidal silver. And, the key to killing off Lyme with supplements, like with antibiotics, you need to use more than one. Youve got to attack from every angle you can or else they build up immunity. The good news is that natural remedies affords many more options with fewer if any side effects and in my experience , a much better success rate. Like, 100%.
Now heres the bad news. Actually, its not bad news, but it sure sounds like it to most people at first. You may not be able to kill the Lyme any time soon. I recommend a plethora of supplements with differing properties to attack any and all pathogenic bacteria, but you will never eradicate systemic pathogenic disease completely with supplements alone. And even with a perfect diet and all the best supplements, it takes time! A few of these Lyme-bacteria bastards, and other pathogens, will survive anything and everything you do to it at first. Dont think that just because you are symptom free that your body has rid itself of all virulent infection. It doesnt work that way.
Supplements Chronic Lyme Patients Need To Know
When seeking treatment for Lyme disease, most chronic Lyme patients understand the need to take a number of supportive substances to help them repair damage from the bacteria, stave off further infection and to improve cellular function and protection. The bacteria attacks healthy cells and weakens ones bodily defenses, and without some kind of supportive measures imbalances can occur.
We polled a number of chronic Lyme patients across the country and asked them to reveal the contents of their personal medicine cabinets. Please note this is not meant to be a comprehensive list. This is a compilation of supplements our polled patients thought were important for others to know. Here is what we found:
1. Vitamin D3: There are two different forms of vitamin D: vitamins D-2 and D-3. Vitamin D-2, or ergocalciferol, is the form made by mushrooms from exposure to sunlight. Vitamin D-3, or cholecalciferol, is the type thats made in your skin. Vitamin D3 works to naturally boost an individuals immunity and works to regulate inflammation. Taking about 5,000 IUs daily, especially if vitamin D deficient is highly beneficial. However, taking extremely high doses can cause adverse side effects, so patients should pay attention to their daily dosage levels.
Many of the above supplements have been combined together in an affordable supplement powder especially designed for Lyme patients. .
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When We Think About Why Lyme Disease So Easily Takes Over The Human Body We See That Inflammation Plays A Huge Role
If the body is constantly putting out fires from everyday exposure to events or substances that cause inflammation , it has a much harder time when a real threat enters the body.
We have to focus on creating a foundation for health, which is simple but sometimes hard to implement in modern life. Rather than subscribing to a particular diet or detox to achieve this goal, I instead recommend returning to the basics. Eat food in its original unprocessed form. Limit sugar and alcohol intake. Drink fresh, filtered water as often as possible. Move your body. Create a healthy sleep schedule and take time during your day for short mental health breaks. Prioritize stress-relieving activities that bring you joy and peace. If it is too overwhelming to implement all these at once, work on one aspect of health at a time, and build upon that. Its never too late to start improving your bodys resilience.
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Evaluation Of Natural Products For Their Activity Against B Burgdorferi Stationary Phase Cultures
B. burgdorferi B31 was cultured for 7 days in microaerophilic incubator as stationary phase cultures . To evaluate potential anti-persister activity of the natural products, their stocks and their control solvents were added to 100 L of the B. burgdorferi stationary phase culture in 96-well plates to obtain the desired concentrations. The botanical medicines and natural product extracts were tested with the concentration of 1, 0.5, and 0.25% antibiotics of daptomycin, doxycycline, and cefuroxime were used as controls at a final concentration of 5 g/ml. All the tests mentioned above were run in triplicate. The microtiter plates were sealed and incubated at 33°C without shaking for 7 days with 5% CO2.
Prevention Is Stronger Than Just Cure
The use of adaptogenic and lymphatic herbs, especially in our stressful lives, is key to prevention of illness. Especially when an infection of any sort is present, the endocrine and lymph systems of our bodies work especially hard to keep us in balance. Adaptogens are a category of herbs that support and nourish the endocrine system and help our bodies and spirits adapt to the impact of stress and mitigate stress responses. The lymphatic system is responsible for moving dead and dying cells, bacteria and viruses from our bodies. They keep things moving in the right direction. Not all adaptogenic and lymphatic herbs are equal in their actions. The importance of knowing your body, what it needs and how it responds can not be over emphasized. A combination of analytics along with a feeling sense will serve one extremely well.
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Lymes Conventional Standard Of Care
The conventional treatment involves antibiotic therapy and specialized care for heart and neurological manifestations. Most cases of Lyme disease can be treated successfully with a few weeks of antibiotics. However, many people do not improve with standard treatment and may struggle with symptoms and complications of Lyme for several years.
How Herbal Supplements Can Help
The best way to gain the level of phytochemical protection you need to help your immune system win the internal battle against invasive microbes is to take herbal supplements specifically, standardized botanical extracts.
Standardized botanical extracts take herbal supplements to the next level. Theyre made with wild plants or plants that have been cultivated to enhance their phytochemical content and are grown in an environment that doesnt introduce unwanted chemical toxins. The extraction process also yields the greatest concentration and the widest spectrum of phytochemicals in the plant. And the final product is standardized to a concentration of one or several key phytochemicals in the plant, so you know what youre getting.
Below are a few of my favorite herbs for mitigating the systemic chronic inflammation associated with chronic Lyme disease. Though all of the herbs have value in suppressing microbes and reducing inflammation, three of the herbs mentioned below Japanese knotweed, cats claw, and Chinese skullcap were found in a 2020 study from Johns Hopkins University to have greater activity against Borrelia burgdorferi than the antibiotics, doxycycline and azithromycin.
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My Personal Catalog Of Herbs For Healing
Using herbs for healing Lyme disease is a huge focus in my healing journey, but herbs have so many wonderful uses! My use of herbal remedies focuses on chronic Lyme, tendon health, and hormones so many of the herbs youll find on this site are amazing for these issues. But, herbs are multi-functional, and each herb has multiple uses so the same herbs I use for brain fog can help someone else with having more energy!
- Ashwagandha for Lyme and hormones
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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Brain Fog Concentration And Memory Problems
Herbs to start with are Gotu kola or Ginkgo biloba. Combine this with additional supplementation with coenzyme Q10, magnesium, omega 3 acids, taurine and vitamin B complex.
Note that in the Therapy Planner there are other herbs listed for brain fog problems, yet these are herbs that are helpful for other symptoms e.g.
ATP Fuel is recommended for brain fog and chronic fatigue.
Lion’s mane is recommended for brain fog and neurological symptoms.
Rhodiola rosae is a very good adaptogen recommended for brain fog, chronic fatigue and excessive stress.
Does Reducing Inflammation Promote Healing
In my personal experience, reducing inflammation has been the crux of my healing journey theres no healing without a reduction of inflammation.
For me, herbs and whole foods are the best supplements for reducing inflammation. The amount of healing Ive experienced since changing my diet to a high fiber, higher protein, low carb, whole foods, and herb-heavy diet has been amazing. And while it sounds like Im stringent with my diet, Im really not I love sweets and still eat out on occasion, but Ive drastically cut back on both of these things, make sure I get my herbal mixes daily, and do small things to increase my whole foods and fiber intake .
Learning how to reduce inflammation in the body can be a daunting task, but taking small steps, such as adding minor additions into your current diet while limiting trigger foods, is an easy way to move in the right direction towards healing.
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