WHAT IS LYME DISEASE – OSTEOPATHIC SOLUTIONS!

Tick Arachnid Parasite Insect

Infected deer-ticks and Nymphals can be carriers of Lyme disease. It is estimated that only ~3% of ticks are active carriers: depending on climate, season and the endemic areas. Transmission occurs in most cases with a tick-bite after a delay of 3-25 days. Three out of four infected person experience, sometimes, a homogeneous red rash and/or erythema chronicum migrans (EM). Also called bulls-eye: Two red 2 inch – 4-inch circles (not to be confused with ringworm). This is not an allergic reaction; it is an actual skin infection. The Western world distinctively confirms a clinical diagnosis (pathognomonic) without further diagnosis.

The risk of Lyme disease infection increases when the tick is attached or engorged to the host. It takes more than 24 hours for the bacteria to travel through the parasite’s saliva into the dermis. Immediate discovery of a deer tick attached and removed will not require any treatment. A deer tick removed before 24 hours past, with a single dose of doxycycline taken within 72 hours, significantly reduces the risk of infection.

Some patients do not remember being bitten and do not experience any primary symptoms. Initially, the Borellia bacteria infection is painless, starting with a mild headache, fever and fatigue, soon followed by an expanding rash including EM that, if untreated, can lead to more serious symptoms involving the joints, heart and central nervous system resulting in mental disability and difficult to treat. However, prolonged long-term antibiotic treatment for Lyme disease is not recommended since modern science does not recognize chronic Lyme disease.

Sucking Castor Bean Tick, Ixodes Ricinus

The Borellia bacteria can be traced over 20 million years back. Lyme disease is named after Old Lyme, Connecticut; wherein 1975, the first cases were identified, but the cause was a mystery until 1981 when entomologist Willy Burgdorfer identified the tick connection.

Because of deforestation and urban expansion, the likelihood of vector-borne illness has dramatically increased. Indirect contact with ticks through farm animals and in-house-access pets also add to the chance of transmission. Precautionary measurements like repellents or suitable clothing for humans and impregnated collars and/or shampoos for animals (head, neck, ears) are very effective. Vaccination for pets living in affected areas is an important step. Check yourself, check each other.

The tick injects through a feeding-bite the spirochete bacteria (B. burgdorferi) into the carrier tissue, a substance that disrupts immune response by blocking neutrophils leading to a benign inflammatory reaction. The spirochete, aided by the attachment of the host protease plasmin (responsible for the dissolution of blood clots), multiplies outward within the dermis (red rings) and eventually spreads within the bloodstream to joints, musculoskeletal and nervous system where their presents give rise to a variety of symptoms of disseminated disease.

The spirally coiled bacteria can hide in the extracellular matrix, avoiding immune response. They secret toxins specifically attractive to fatty tissue like nerve cells (brain), triggering apoptosis and contributing to neuro dysfunction. At this stage, white matter pathology can disrupt grey matter connections, resulting in deficits in attention, memory loss, sleeplessness, and increased pain (psychologically and physiologically).

Antibiotic-resistant Bacteria

The Borellia avoids human auto-immune response by mimicking normal parts of the body’s tissue. Rarely, some chronic reactions persist after correct antibiotic (ABX) treatment was administered to eliminate the spirochetes from the body: An in vitro study published in July 2014 showed that front-line antibiotics doxycycline and amoxicillin are ineffective in eradicating persister populations (multi-drug tolerance), which may contribute to symptoms post-treatment. 

Other drug candidates have a higher potential for eradicating and preventing Lyme Disease (LD) long-term symptoms. This theory could explain why chronic arthritis persists even after antibiotic therapy.

Late infection or untreated (undiagnosed) Lyme disease can disseminate into symptomatic cardiac disease, arthritis and meningitis and require intravenous administration of ceftriaxone or the second round of one to four weeks of antibiotic treatment.

Treating LD with antibiotics only is often not sufficient because the treatment course is either too short and the spirochete is not eradicated, or a co-infection with, i.e., babesiosis (malaria) or Rocky Mountain Fever can manifest the LD to become chronic. Modern Western medicine is still baffled by the complexity of chronic LD from cognitive problems to brought spectrum consequential malaise. This dilemma clearly demonstrates why modern medicine struggles with the “one-for-all” approach.

Conventional medicine aggressively targets anti-pathogens with heavy antibiotics (ABX). There are already variations of ABX-LD resistant bacteria documented. As an initial immediate action – when suspecting or diagnosing Borellia infection – a fusion of science-based treatment together with a confirmed alternative approach elevates the recovery chance and guarantees the best outcome when treating LD. From a Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) perspective, a patient with the above-described symptom patterns is equally managed as one would restore health to individuals troubled with rheumatoid-like arthritis vasculitis, syphilis and leptospirosis, which are spirochete bacteria diseases.

Fibromyalgia is commonly associated with any of these symptoms. The basic treatment is heat-clearing, damp-drying and tissue-toxic resolving methods. The phytopharmacological information for these remedies is well recognized in many libraries by respected ancient and current practitioners and tested on thousands of patients without adverse side effects.

We have current scientific DNA and blind-study results supporting that these herbal remedies, minerals, and techniques will benefit patients if the ingredients are cultivated, harvested and stored correctly. Today, integrative holistic medicine is an equally science-tested, respected, and valuable tool in disease prevention and restoring well-being. Each person should be treated accordingly to their circumstances and specific condition to restore harmony and balance. Unlike a general Western approach, the individualized TCM treatment respects specific criteria to reduce the cause of heat, restore correct liquid balance, sufficient mineral absorption, and clear the body and mind of toxicity.

I can’t respond in this blog with a “one-for-all” general message that could aid anyone with LD on the road to recovery. I have developed a daily powder mushroom mix loaded with beta-glucans (contact me), polysaccharides and psilocybin, to add to your drink, helping to balance liver health, spleen function and keep your blood circulation strong and clean. Today, most people respect that they cannot drink alcohol while taking heavy antibiotics and need to replenish probiotic acidophilus… TCM has various effective treatment methods that can benefit you during the ABX treatment and restore health thereafter: You need to consult your specific case with your medical physician and include a TCM practitioner.

The best suggestion is a preventative approach – but at this point in my blog – it possibly sounds patronizing. If you are LD affected, currently consume painkillers, and struggle to restore sleep, cope with fibromyalgia, with a sense of low energy, I can assure you that a TCM inclusive regiment will benefit you. You must be ready to change the way you eat and change your daily routine. Learn about the power of mushroom extracts, like copsin produced by medicinal mushroom is responsible for this antibiotic effect.

I am in the process of re-writing my cookbook with specifically focusing on food choices to treat chronic disease and body-mind balancing recipes.

I hope this blog clears the general negative hype and unnecessary fear most people experience when first confronted with stories about “deadly” Lyme Disease or “crazy-making” ticks… It’s just a fraction of living alongside nature on this magical planet.

TCMchef raphael