Lyme Disease: Our Approach
What is Lyme Disease?
Lyme disease is the most common vector-borne disease in the United States with an estimated amount of over 300,000 new cases per year that are detectable via conventional testing. This disease is caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi. This bacterial strain is typically transferred to humans from the bite of an infected tick, but researchers are currently seeing new evidence that shows that Lyme disease can be transmitted by other vectors including mites, fleas, mosquitos, as well as sexual transmission and from mother to baby. It is the most undiagnosed and misunderstood chronic illness in the United States.
Due to the countless amount of symptoms that Lyme disease may present, it is often referred to as “the great imitator” or “the great mimicker” as it displays itself in an array of mysteriously vast and generalized symptoms that can be misunderstood and misdiagnosed. Testing for Lyme disease as well as its co-infections is infamously known for being inaccurate, so most practitioners rely heavily on diagnosis through a patient’s symptomatology. Since Lyme disease is caused by a spirochete, a corkscrew-like bacteria, it burrows into the mucous membranes, joints, muscles, organs, etc. in the body, making it harder to detect via blood testing. It is also pleomorphic, meaning that it can change shape, hide in biofilms, and lie dormant until threatened by other infections, toxicities, and stressors.
Click here to read our article on Lyme disease symptoms!
Click here to read our article on Lyme disease in children!
What Makes Testing & Treating Lyme Disease so Difficult?
When getting bit by a Lyme-infected tick, symptoms may not occur immediately (a major reason why lyme disease cases are missed). If a person has poor immunity, they may never have a positive Lyme result on paper. However, progressive labs such as Igenex and Vibrant Labs are our preferable labs for Lyme testing.
Oftentimes, antibiotics such as doxycycline is prescribed for those who test positive for Lyme disease; however, studies show that “10 to 20% of [antibiotic] treated patients may have lingering symptoms of fatigue, musculoskeletal pains, disrupted sleep, and lack of customary mental functions.” This percentage is estimated to be much higher due to lack of positive Lyme disease testing (ELISA, Western Blot).
Lyme disease is also difficult to treat due to other underlying infections and toxicities such as parasites, molds, heavy metals, viruses, etc. A major reason why many people do not see progress when treating Lyme disease is due to the avoidance of treating these infections/toxicities and incorrectly doing the “order of operations” (drainage > parasites > mold/metals > Lyme/Lyme co-infections > viruses > rebuild).
How Do I Treat Lyme Disease?
A diagnosis with Lyme disease can cause fear, uncertainty, and confusion. There is not a lot of conventional information about it (aside from the belief that a short course of antibiotics will cure it). The most common symptom of Lyme disease is severe muscle and joint pain that migrates around the body. For many clinical diagnoses, you must have evidence of erythema migrans (a bullseye rash), but truthfully MANY people do not exhibit this symptom or muscle/joint pain.
We address your drainage pathways and address any potential mold toxicities. Drainage pathways include the colon, kidneys, liver, lymphatic system, skin, and cells. If these pathways are stagnant or clogged, the body will continue to hold onto harmful pathogens and toxins that will prohibit the body from healing.
Do you have difficulty sweating?
Do you have 1 or less bowel movements per day?
Do you have swelling, inflammation, or water retention?
Do you frequently wake up in the middle of the night (1-4am)?
Do you have acne, eczema, and/or rashes?
Do you experience fatigue, brain fog, and/or sound/light sensitivities?
If you answered yes to any of these questions one or more of your drainage pathways are stagnant. If one part of this funnel is not functioning optimally, other parts will clog and back up, and the toxins that your body is attempting to clear will be pushed into the bloodstream, creating even more symptoms.
Drainage is different from detox. Drainage is a process that happens naturally when unwanted pathogens/toxins invade the body while detoxing is the process of actively killing, binding, pushing, and/or sweating out pathogens/toxins. You cannot properly detox without functional drainage pathways; otherwise, you may go backwards in your healing journey. A common mistake people make when attempting to heal from Lyme disease is not addressing these important pathways. Ways to open your drainage pathways include:
Colon: Cellcore’s Bowel Mover, Magnesium, Coffee Enemas + Binders, Hydration
Kidneys: Cellcore’s Kidney and Liver Support, Red Light Therapy, Hydration
Liver: TUDCA, Castor Oil Packs, Glutathione, Bitters, Coffee Enemas
Lymphatic System: Cellcore’s LymphActiv, Exercise, Massage, Gua Sha
Skin: Dry Brushing, Sweating / Infrared Sauna, Using Non-Toxic Products
Mold and Lyme often go hand-in-hand. Mold often worsens Lyme disease symptoms and makes the body unable to fully heal from Lyme. Not only does mold exposure make a person more susceptible to Lyme disease by lowering immune function, it can make chronic Lyme nearly impossible to resolve. Likewise, having chronic Lyme disease can make a person more susceptible to the negative consequences of mold exposure. If one person in a family living in a moldy home has Lyme disease, all the other members of the household may not experience any symptoms of mold toxicity; however, the person with lowered immunity due to Lyme will likely suffer exponentially in the moldy environment.
Click here to read our article on mold and Lyme disease!
Another toxicity that worsens Lyme disease symptoms is a heavy metal toxicity. Heavy metals attract pathogens to invade the body. Heavy metals are often addressed prior to detoxing Lyme disease and after detoxing Lyme as heavy metals are a complex toxicity to address. They are known to cause significant neurological symptoms, muscle weakness, and fatigue.
Click here to read our article on heavy metals!
Once drainage pathways and mold exposure are addressed, detoxification of parasites is the next step. Parasites are an extremely undiagnosed infection. They want to stay inside you and reproduce, so it is unlikely that they would come out in every stool sample. More likely than not, you will not eliminate microscopic or recognizable parasites through stool when you are infected.
Click here to read our article on parasitic infections!
It is crucial to understand Lyme disease prior to killing it. You cannot simply kill Lyme, you must prepare the body to ensure that the body’s terrain is strong enough to eradicate it. You cannot heal from Lyme disease with a “kill, kill, kill” mentality, or else extreme die-off reactions may happen and you may become more ill. Working with a skilled practitioner is key to healing from this complex infection.
After parasites are addressed, detoxing Lyme/Lyme co-infections is next. In our practice we utilize the following supplements to combat Lyme disease (Borrelia burgdorferi and/or Borrelia mayonii):
IS-BORR by Cellcorre Biosciences
IS-BOOST by Cellcore Biosciences
A-L Complex by Bryon White
Cistus Tea by BioPure
Additionally, combating Lyme co-infections is key to healing. A few supplements we recommend include:
IS-BART by Cellcore Biosciences
IS-BAB by Cellcore Biosciences
A-MYCO by Bryon White
Additional supplements and/or different supplements may be in your protocol as everyone is bioindividual with different infections, toxicities, genetics, exposures, and health histories!
What Do I Do After Treating Lyme Disease?
After healing from Lyme disease it is time to rebuild the body. Fueling the body with vitamins/minerals, maintaining a healthy diet, limiting mold exposure, addressing potential stealth dental infections, taking binders when needed, and maintaining healthy drainage pathways is key to health after Lyme!
Lyme significantly damages the body — especially in the nervous system. Working on regulating the autonomic nervous system through vagus nerve exercises may be helpful to you! Oftentimes, Lyme patients are in a constant state of “fight-or-flight.” This can be helped with the help of mitochondrial support, “retraining” the limbic system, processing emotional traumas.
Additionally, Lyme may have caused leaky gut, food sensitivities, and/or histamine intolerances. If this is the case, then rebuilding the gut and healing the gut lining is key for you. Other lingering damages may be addressed once you are in the rebuilding phase! Ultimately, working with a skilled practitioner is crucial when healing from these complex issues. We are here to help you!
If you believe you are dealing with chronic illness, please contact a functional provider. Dr. Jaban Moore, a functional medicine provider, can help you if you are experiencing chronic symptoms.
Please reach out if you are interested in taking your health back! You can give our office a call at (816) 889-9801.
References:
https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/27/2/20-2731_article
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC266646/?page=1
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1586/14787210.2015.1081056
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4258916/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2682960/
https://academic.oup.com/cid/article/33/6/780/328918
https://www.nejm.org/doi/10.1056/NEJMe1502350
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6287027/