If you’re suffering from chronic fatigue, pain, insomnia, abdominal issues or migrating symptoms that seem cyclical, Lyme disease might be the cause. With more than 300,000 new cases yearly in the U.S., some experts consider Lyme to be one of the most serious epidemics of our time.
Lyme disease is caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi, which is released into the blood through the bite of an infected tick or other insect. Fewer than half of new cases involve the presence of the bull’s-eye rash distinctive to Lyme, and initially the symptoms are flu like: headache, dizziness, fever, fatigue, and achy muscles.
As it progresses, Borrelia’s corkscrew shape allows it to burrow into various body tissues, causing widely varying symptoms, depending on which organ it is inhabiting. It typically has one or more co-infections, the most common of which are Babesia, Bartonella, Erhlichia and FL1953. Borrelia may also live in biofilm, germs surrounded by a slimy substance that is difficult to dissipate, which explains why treatment tends to be lengthy and recurrence of symptoms occurs.
Lyme disease can progress and linger for more than a decade and produce debilitating symptoms, including extreme fatigue, memory loss, muscle spasms, intermittent paralysis and vague neurological symptoms, like a buzzing feeling in the head or a crawling feeling under the skin. Known as “the great imitator,” Lyme mimics many other disorders, including multiple sclerosis, arthritis, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, ALS, ADHD, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, fibromyalgia, lupus and more.
Despite debilitating symptoms, most Lyme patients have “normal” blood test results, because conventional tests rely on the presence of antibodies as evidence of infection, yet, cells infected with Lyme do not function properly and produce antibodies. This is called “the Lyme paradox,” as treatment must be administered first so an immune reaction can be launched and antibodies can be detected.
Many of the 100 strains of Borrelia have become antibiotic resistant, so long-term use of pharmaceuticals typically does not resolve Lyme, but disrupts gut flora and exposes the body to other pathogens and accompanying issues, such as candida overgrowth and dysbiosis. A gentler, more effective way to combat Lyme is with alternative treatment protocols, which might include ozone treatments; reducing exposure to microwave and wireless technologies (EMFs); addressing emotional and issues; reducing heavy metal load and ridding infections with targeted and cycled enzyme and herbal antimicrobial protocols; and addressing nutritional needs. Some studies show that herbal antimicrobial protocols are effective in improving the condition of 70 to 80 percent of advanced Lyme patients in four to six months, after the patients failed to improve on multiple courses of antibiotics.