(See end of article to get a Free Phone Consultation with Dr. Kline to discuss your health concerns)

Lyme disease is perhaps the most undiagnosed and misdiagnosed disease of our time . . . and that’s saying a lot!  Like many ailments conventional medicine looks at Lyme in a very restricted sense, both from the point-of-view of cause, as well as treatment, while an increasing number of natural health care practitioners have a much broader viewpoint of the disease.  Lyme disease is complicated and can be hard to understand.  My purpose in this article is to condense and simplify the best information I have found on the history, symptoms, cause, transmission, diagnosis, and treatment of this condition.

HISTORY OF LYME DISEASE

Lyme disease, also known as Lyme Borreliosis, is an infectious disease named after the town of Lyme, Connecticut, which had a significant outbreak of the condition in 1975.  Though presumed to be caused by a tick bite, the cause was not known until 1981 when Borrelia burdorferi was identified by Willy Burgdorfer, Ph.D. Since the 1990’s a number of holistically oriented doctors, including Dietrich Klinghardt, M.D. of Bellevue, Washington and William Lee Cowden, M.D. of Ft. Worth, Texas, have expanded the view of what Lyme is and how to treat it.  Nick Harris, Ph.D., President of IgenX, Inc., a research and testing lab in Palo Alto, California states:

If it weren’t for AIDS, Lyme would be the number one infectious disease in the United States and Western Europe.¹

SYMPTOMS OF LYME

Name a symptom — that’s about what it gets down to, since Lyme can mimic symptoms of over 350 diseases! Authorities suggest that almost any ill-health symptom may be related to underlying Lyme disease.  The most common early, acute symptoms of Lyme resemble flu – fatigue, achy muscles and joints, fever, chills, stiff neck, swollen glands, and headache.  But here’s a more extensive list, according to lymenet.org:

• Jaw – pain or chewing difficulty
• Bladder – frequent or painful urination, plus repeated urinary tract infections
• Lung – respiratory infection, cough, asthma, pneumonia
• Ear – pain, hearing loss, ringing, noise sensitivity
• Eyes – inflammatory pain, light sensitivity, scleritis, drooping eyelid, conjunctivitis, blurring, double vision
• Throat – sore throat, swollen glands, cough, hoarseness, difficulty swallowing
• Neurological – headaches, facial paralysis, seizures, meningitis, stiff neck, burning, tingling or prickling sensations, loss of reflexes or coordination, MS-like symptoms
• Stomach – pain, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting , abdominal cramps, anorexia
• Heart – weakness, dizziness, irregular heart-beat, myocarditis, pericarditis, palpitations, heart block, enlarged heart, fainting, inflammation of muscle or membrane, shortness of breath, chest pain
• Joint – arthralgias or arthritis, muscle inflammation and pain
• Other Organs – liver infection, elevated liver enzymes, enlarged spleen, swollen testicles, irregular or ceased menses
• Neuropsychiatric – mood swings, irritability, poor concentration, cognitive loss, memory loss, loss of appetite, mental deterioration, depression, disorientation, sleep disturbance
• Pregnancy – miscarriage, premature birth, birth defects, stillbirth
• Skin – single or multiple rash, hives

CAUSE & TRANSMISSION

Lyme disease is caused by gram-negative spirochetal bacteria from the genus Borrelia.  Borrelia burgdorferi (Bb) is the main cause in North America, while Borrelia afzelii and Borrelia garinii are the most common causative organisms in Eurasia.  Other possible species that may cause the infection include B. bissettii and B. valaisiana.

Though there is pretty widespread agreement on the bacterial cause, transmission of the organism is another issue.  Here we have a contrast between the conventional and alternative medicine views.  From the conventional viewpoint one only gets Lyme disease from the bite of an infected tick.  Alternative practitioners take a much more expansive view of the condition, however.  Charles Ray Jones, M.D. of New Haven, Connecticut, a specialist in pediatric Lyme disease, notes:

Of the more than 5000 children I’ve treated, 240 have been born with the disease.  Twelve children who’ve been breast-fed have subsequently developed Lyme.  Bb can be transmitted transplacentally, even with in vitro fertilization; I’ve seen eight children infected in this way.  People who come to me from Asia with the classic Lyme rash have been infected by fleas and gnats.²

Gregory Bach, D.O. has documented transmission through semen, noting that Bb is “a brother” to the syphilis spirochete bacteria due to genetic similarities.  He typically treats a Lyme patient’s spouse, noting that otherwise they will pass it back and forth sexually.³  Katrina Tang, M.D. of the Century Clinic in Reno, notes:

Transmission may also occur via blood transfusion and through the bite of mosquitoes or other insects.⁴

Recalling Michael Crichton’s famous quote in Jurassic Park that “Life will always find a way,” I think it’s wise to not limit the possibilities for Lyme transmission.

CO-INFECTIONS

Unfortunately Lyme disease is about more than just the Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria.  There are also “co-infections” of other organisms typically involved.  The most common are Babesia, Ehrlichia, and Bartonella.  Various parasites may also be involved, such as roundworms, tapeworms, threadworms, giardia, and amoebas.  Various molds and other fungal organisms are generally involved as well.

DIAGNOSIS OF LYME DISEASE

Diagnosis of Lyme gets a little sticky on several levels.  No matter what your perspective on the disease, due to the large number of other diseases it can look like, it’s hard to diagnose.  This problem is complicated by what I would call the “conventional view” of Lyme versus the “alternative view” of Lyme.  The conventional medicine view sees Lyme as a rare condition, except for in certain areas of the Northeast or Upper Midwest.  So, if you don’t live in one of those two areas, a doctor is probably not even going to consider Lyme.  In this view those who contract the disease will have a tick bite (known or unknown) followed by a “bulls-eye” rash (Erythma migrans).  However, the leading alternative physicians specializing in the disease state that the rash only appears in 30 – 40% of their infected patients.⁵

Due to the difficulty in culturing the bacteria involved in the disease, blood tests are usually just a back-up confirmation of a diagnosis based on symptoms, rather than a means of primary diagnosis.  Western blot and ELISA (enzyme linked immunosorbent assay) are the most common antibody tests run.  But here’s the rub:  Dr. Harris of IgenX labs notes that only 60 – 70% of the people with Lyme ever show positive on the antibody test.  Other doctors note only 50% of their Lyme patients testing positive on the standard blood tests.  The pleomorphic (shape changing) nature of Bb explains this phenomenon:  Bb can change from a spiral to a filament, cyst, granule, hooked rod, or to an elbow appearance – all of which are “cell wall deficient” and therefore produce no antibody response.

A new diagnostic test developed by JoAnne Whitaker, MD and Lida Mattman, Ph.D. offers some promise, though.  The Rapid Identification of Bb (RIBb) test uses a fluorescent antibody stain specific for Bb to detect the bacteria.  One of the advantages of this test is speed – it gives results in 20 to 30 minutes.  Unlike the other blood tests which are looking for antibodies, RIBb is looking for the actual Bb organism in a way similar to the diagnosis of tuberculosis.

Dr. Cowden also uses muscle testing and electrodermal testing, as we do at Pacific Health Center.  For some time we have been checking a group of “Lyme Stressors” on clients with our Limbic Stress Assessment (LSA) screening.    Understand that we do not diagnose Lyme disease or any other disease for that matter.  Our testing provokes the body with a “digital signature” of an item (in this case various Borrelia and other organisms related to Lyme) and measures the body’s reaction by changes in electrical skin resistance.  While a positive reaction on the LSA test could correspond with an active Lyme infection, it could also reflect previous exposure or just a sensitivity to the organism – what I call a “what would happen if you were exposed” test.  At the very least the LSA test we do is a starting point for either ruling out a likely problem with Lyme or indicating further pursuit is appropriate.

CONVENTIONAL TREATMENT

Just as the view of diagnosis diverges between conventional and alternative medicine practitioners, so does the treatment.  Early stage Lyme is treated with various antibiotics.  Intravenous antibiotics are often done, particularly with later stage Lyme.  Unfortunately, many Lyme sufferers go into a chronic form of the disease where prolonged antibiotic therapy is often not helpful.   This extensive antibiotic treatment, of course, destroys one’s beneficial intestinal bacteria, produce systemic candidiasis (yeast overgrowth) and all the symptoms that accompany that condition, not to mention depressed immunity – the last thing you need with Lyme disease!

ALTERNATIVE TREATMENT

From my perspective, even many alternative practitioners miss the point in slipping back into the conventional “germs cause disease, so we’ll kill germs” model of thinking.  It’s easy to still subscribe to a germ theory approach to a disease like Lyme, but just to use natural remedies instead of drugs for the task at hand.  Albeit that’s a step in the right direction, but I think we need to think deeper about correcting causes, rather than just treating symptoms, even if we are using more natural means of treating those symptoms.

I ponder the question of why lots of people (some say 25% of the population) carries the Bb bacteria, yet not everyone is symptomatic with the disease.  Can there be any other reason than the vitality of a given person’s immune system?  Isn’t that what it always comes back to?  Therefore, the main task of attacking Lyme disease must begin with building up the body – correcting  nutrient deficiencies, food sensitivities, environmental sensitivities, and especially detoxification.  In other words, the Lyme client needs the same basic testing and program that we do with every other client.

But having said that, there are specific products that are normally very helpful for this specific condition, such as the following herbs and homeopathics:

HERBAL SUPPLEMENTS

1.       Samento – This is a special form of a Peruvian rain forest herb called Cat’s Claw (Uncaria tomentosa and Uncaria gulanensis).  This herb normally contains Tetracyclic Oxindole Alkaloids (TOA’s) which adversely affect the nervous system.  Samento is TOA-free, thus making it a powerful antimicrobial that is a powerful immune system stimulant.  Samento comes in both a liquid extract and a capsule form, both of which are available from Pacific Health Center.

2.       Other Herbs – There are several other antimicrobial herbal supplements made by the same company as Samento which may be useful with Lyme, including Banderol and Mora.  As always, which product to use is determined by individual testing.

HOMEOPATHIC REMEDIES

1.       Series Therapy – Probably the best homeopathic approach uses a “series” of homeopathic dilutions of Borrelia burgdorferi, where one vial is taken per week until the series of ten vials is taken.

2.       Homochords – This refers to a multi-potency homeopathic of the same remedy, in this case Borrelia burgdorferi.  By putting multiple potencies in one bottle the body can take the potency it needs, which will change as the body goes through a healing process.

3.       Other Homeopathics – We also use several other Lyme homeopathics that use homeopathic Bb along with supporting ingredients.

Though there are a number of supplements that have proven themselves effective with Lyme disease, I don’t believe in a “boilerplate” program, but rather an individualized approach to determine which remedies will have the optimum impact.

To get a FREE 30-Minute PHONE CONSULTATION ($80 value) with Dr. Kline to discuss your health concerns, with no obligation, click on the link below:

CLICK HERE FOR FREE PHONE CONSULTATION

Better Health Update is published by Pacific Health Center, PO Box 857, Sahuarita, AZ 85629, providing remote “virtual health screening” appointments anywhere in the world.  Phone (800) 255-4246.  E-Mail: drkline@pacifichealthcenter.com. Monte Kline, Ph.D., Author. Reproduction Prohibited.

DISCLAIMER:  The information contained in this publication is for educational purposes only.  It is not intended to diagnose illness nor prescribe treatment.  Rather, this material  is designed to be used in cooperation with your nutritionally-oriented health professional to deal with your personal health problems.  Should you use this information on your own, you are prescribing for yourself, which is your constitutional right, but neither the author nor publisher assume responsibility.