Babesia
Babesia is an intracellular parasite, meaning it burrows into the red blood cells and hides from the immune system there. It replicates inside and eventually causes the RBC to burst open, causing autoimmune hemolytic anemia, where RBC count drops because they are being destroyed faster than they can be produced because of the presence of a parasite. Air hunger is a common symptom of Babesiosis because the RBC are supposed to carry oxygen to all of the cells of the body.
The first human case was discovered in the US in 1969 and it has now been identified in Europe and Asia as well. Just like the malaria parasite comes from mosquitos, Babesia is transmitted to humans via ticks. This parasite can be transferred congenitally from mother to fetus as well as through blood transfusion. According to a lecture by Lyme expert Dr. Cowden, donated blood in the United States is NOT screened for Lyme or any of the co-infections before it is given to the recipient! The CDC even admits to this! (2)
One of the Most Common Co-Infections of Lyme
Babesia is one of the most common co-infections when it comes to Lyme disease. It is reported that nearly 40% of people infected with Borrelia are also infected with Babesia (1), potentially causing big problems for people who already have overwhelmed immune systems, and requiring a longer time to get better than just Lyme alone (3).
Symptoms You May Experience:
Fever
Chills
Fatigue
Body aches
More specific to Babesia, a person may be diagnosed with anemia (due to the RBCs breaking down too quickly), recurrent pink eye (conjunctivitis), jaundice, enlarged liver or spleen, low blood pressure, and potentially heart problems in later stages, as this muscle requires huge amounts of oxygen and the infection can cause small blood clots inside of blood vessels. Other telltale signs of Babesiosis include dark urine, mood swings, and especially “air hunger” or feeling like you cannot get enough oxygen no matter how you breathe. Babesiosis leads to chronic fatigue due to oxygen deprivation of all the body cells.
The symptoms of a Babesia infection can be similar to a Bartonella infection. If you are trying to address one pathogen the treatment may not work, as Babesia is a parasite and Bartonella is bacteria. So if addressing one is not working to reduce symptoms, that is a sign that you may need to address the other!
Depending on your level of health at the time you get infected, you may have different outcomes. Those who are immunocompromised (suppressed or autoimmune), with other co-infections of Lyme as mentioned yesterday, the elderly, or those with pre-existing blood conditions may experience more severe symptoms than someone who is otherwise healthy when bitten. People with co-infections generally have more severe symptoms than only having Lyme alone (3). Having prior exposure to heavy metals, mold, or pre-existing parasitic infections also plays a major role in how your body reacts to Babesia.
Testing for Babesia
Traditional lab tests for Babesia include antibody testing as well as blood smear testing. I use DNA Connexions or Vibrant Labs in my clinic, as they use PCR dna testing to look for the presence of Babesia. In my experience, these tests are more accurate than traditional testing and provide less false negatives, once again, the same issue is seen here as with Borrelia. Stealth pathogens can hide inside the body’s cells and biofilms, going unrecognized by the immune system. If no antibodies are created, traditional medical blood testing will show up as a false negative, to the dismay of a patient who is suffering from all of these symptoms! Using clinical symptom history is the most cost-effective method to assess Babesia, as the infection has several of those telltale symptoms as state above.
Working With Babesia
If Babesia is detected, conventional treatment is anti-parasitic pharmaceuticals like azithromycin, atovaquone, and or clindamycin. All of these are known to have possibly side effects such as diarrhea, tinnitus, and hearing loss (4), in addition to the fact that parasites can become resistant to them over time (5).
In my clinical experience, the best approach to addressing Babesia is a holistic program that includes strengthening the immune system and opening the drainage and detox pathways, in addition to adding herbal killers to specifically target the Babesia. This will help minimize uncomfortable die-off symptoms and help you stick to your program without adding extra stress to your already-struggling system.
Anti-parasitic herbal blends like IS-BAB by CellCore are effective natural means of killing Babesia infections. Herbs that can be helpful for boosting immune system function include adaptogenic mushrooms like cordyceps and reishi, rhodiola, and eleuthero. Herbs that are known to reduce the Babesia parasitic load include artemisia, berberine from goldenseal or Oregon grape root, cryptolepis, cat’s claw, noni morinda, neem, and yarrow.
(1) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26613664
(2)https://www.cdc.gov/…/babesiosis/resources/babesiosis_polic…
(3) https://jamanetwork.com/journa…/jama/article-abstract/403174
(4)https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJM200011163432004
(5) https://academic.oup.com/cid/article/50/3/381/394919