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It is not uncommon for Lyme patients who undergo a chronic Lyme disease treatment with a 2-4-week course of antibiotics to have ongoing symptoms of fatigue with joint and muscle pain and significant brain fog when they finish treatment, which may last for 6 months. For the lucky ones, the symptoms do go away.
However, for the unlucky, a more complex and devastating array of symptoms may last for years, that include neurological and autoimmune symptoms resembling MS, Fibromyalgia, Lupus, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and Parkinson’s, rheumatoid arthritis, cardiac problems, joint pains, nerve pain, depression, loss of short-term memory, awful brain fog, impaired cognitive ability and much more.This is called “chronic Lyme disease,” or “Post-Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome” (PTLDS). The precise cause of Chronic Lyme Disease / PTLDS is not known yet. Many experts believe that ongoing symptoms are the result of long-term damage to healthy tissues that was caused by:
Most of the terrible symptoms associated with chronic Lyme are caused by the biotoxins, endotoxins and neurotoxins released by Borrelia and its many co-infections, which destroy muscle and nerve fibers.
These toxins also induce an over-reaction of our immune system which over-produces a flood of inflammatory cytokines which cause systemic and chronic painful and inflammation. This chronic inflammation also damages our endocrine (hormone) and central nervous systems resulting in imbalances in brain chemistry, mood changes, anxiety, insomnia and depression.
Note: Humans have an “endocannabinoid system” which is designed to combat over inflamed immune system. This endocannabinoid system is activated by CBD.Long term damage by infections is not unique to chronic Lyme disease. Other infections and their subsequent diseases are known to create similar long-term damage caused by an over-active immune system including:
When a particular antibiotic is not working well, physicians sometimes look to add additional antibiotics that are “synergistic” with each other. Meaning that they work together but in different ways to amplify the bactericidal / killing efficiency of the infection. The problem with this strategy is twofold:
Reasons to choose an Integrative Medical approach which combines: Antibiotics + Herbs + Hyperbaric oxygen + Ozone therapy
The four pillars of the ideal chronic Lyme disease treatment strategy:
Not just animals, but also plants must contend with all sorts of microbial pathogens, such as bacteria, viruses, protozoa, and fungi.
However, plants do not have an immune system, so instead they produce a sophisticated and extensive array of chemicals that defend them from microbial attack. A single medicinal herb can contain dozens of chemicals that combat microbes in many different ways.
Consequently, unlike synthetic antibiotics that work in only one-way, pathogenic microbes cannot develop resistance to these natural medicinal herbs… even when exposed to long term use. Therefore, medicinal herbs are perfectly suited for combatting stealthy microbes that cause chronic illness like Borrelia.Herbs also offer “synergistic” anti-microbial effects, by operating in slightly different ways from one another. However, unlike antibiotics, given that bacteria are not able to develop resistance to herbs, using multiple herbs simultaneously amplifies their ability to kill the microbes without any negative consequences. As a matter of fact, this is the preferred way to prescribe the chronic Lyme disease treatment.
Over millions of years of evolving together with plants, humans have explored the medicinal characteristics of thousands of plants and have naturally selected the ones that provide medicinal benefits. Obviously, these medicinal herbs contain chemicals that are complimentary to the biochemistry of humans. Consequently, they are tolerated well by most people for short and long periods of use.Lastly, herbs are known to be protective of all organ systems in the human body. Cardiovascular, nervous, liver, kidneys, urogenital systems, etc. Remarkably, herbs also help balance hormones, especially adrenal functions that are so critical in our physiology’s ability to heal. Herbs are an essential component of detoxification regimens, as well as combating stress and fatigue.
Here is a list of some of the more commonly utilized medicinal Herbs used in chronic Lyme disease treatment.
As you research Integrative Practices that are available to help you, you will undoubtedly be hearing about some of these.Purging biotoxins out of your body – The Herxheimer / Herx reaction
As covered earlier in this article, biotoxins, mycotoxins, neurotoxins that are released from the Lyme Borrelia, as well as the many co-infections that accompany chronic Lyme disease, are the main cause of the systemic inflammation that result in the worst of chronic Lyme symptoms. Tissue damage, organ damage, nerve damage, sever brain fog and cognitive degeneration are all due to these toxins.
Also, when these invading microbes are killed, either by antibiotics, ozone or the various naturopathic therapies that we have covered in this article, the fragments of the cellular membranes called endotoxins (Lipopolysaccharides) of these microbes cause a huge inflammatory reaction in our bodies. This inflammatory reaction is often called the “die-off” reaction, also known as the Herxheimer (Herx) reaction. Patients experience this as a severe flu-like episode that can be extremely miserable.
Therefore, two key elements of healing from Lyme must include:
Note: Our physiology is engineered with a very robust detox system referred to as “metabolic detox”. Within the liver, this system filters toxins out of our blood and chemically processes the toxins for removal (excretion) from our body though the intestines as stool (poop) or through the kidneys into our urine.
Therefore, to support our body’s ability to get rid of all these Lyme related toxins, we must support the liver functions that process the toxins, and the intestines that “bind” the toxins for excretion.
EBOO /F can be performed when very serious Lyme disease symptoms present themselves. These include neurological diseases, immunological reactions, co-infections or a severe heavy metal load due to a genetic inability to remove them from the body
Essentially, the the blood will be “cleansed” via a specific dialyzer (filter) to extract pathogens such as bacteria, heavy metals, or autoimmune complexes. EBOO /F will allow the chronic Lyme disease patient’s immune system to function more efficiently.The blood brain barrier is a complex of specialized membranes that protect our brain and spine from invasion by microbes and toxins.
However, as you know, Borrelia can infect our cells and hide within them as an intercellular parasite. As such, they can find their way across the blood brain barrier, and infect our brains.
Therefore, a comprehensive protocol for treating chronic Lyme disease in our central nervous system must take this into consideration.
As covered earlier in this article, Borrelia and other microbes can produce a biofilm gel in which they can hide protected from our immune cells and antibiotics.
Therefore, an effective chronic Lyme disease treatment must provide the means by which these biofilms are dissolved away, exposing the infecting microbes to our natural and medicinal defenses.Its simple. As the toxins are flushed out of your body, and systemic inflammation is reduced, your pain will be reduced, as will the attendant anxiety, insomnia and depression. Therefore, as much as possible, avoid using narcotics, because:
Atomic force microscopy of a developing Borrelia burgdorferi biofilm on a solid surface.
When anti-microbial treatments work well, whether antibiotic or herbal, the microbes die by the billions. Consequently, debris from these dead microbial cells flood our physiology, to which our immune system reacts. This reaction is called a Herxheimer or Herx die-off reaction… and feels like a terrible flu.
In a die-off reaction, toxins comprised of proteins and lipopolysaccharides from cellular debris stimulate our immune system to release a flood of inflammatory cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor alpha, interleukin-6, and interleukin-8. These cytokines are the cause of terrible flu like symptoms.
Furthermore, as many of the Lyme disease symptoms are caused by inflammation, some of the Lyme symptoms might actually get worse during a Herx reaction, such as fatigue, brain-fog, muscle and nerve pain, chills and sweats, and difficulty with memory and thinking.For those who want a deeper dive into the clinical science of Lyme, the following website is up to date and very helpful:
For more information on Co-infections and the release of toxins see: Chronic Lyme Disease Complex and Its Commonly Undiagnosed Primary and Secondary Co-infections.
Note: Neither of these resources cover the use of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy, Ozone Treatment, Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy or the use of gene regulating herbs such as CBD for chronic Lyme disease treatment.“Hi my name is Angie. I’m a nurse from Scottsdale Arizona. In 2015, after a trip to the Amazon, I contracted Lyme Disease. That triggered a series of events that forever changed my life.
The very first time we did the blood cleaning you could see the debris coming out of my blood. I know what blood looks like, I’m a nurse, I know what its supposed to look like. When I saw that gunk coming out I was so happy to see the stuff coming out but more importantly as soon as I was done I felt significantly better. I could breathe, I could take a deep breath, it was incredible.
My body has been able to recover 1000%. It was nothing short of a miracle.”“My name is Randy and I contracted Lyme disease about 2 to 3 years ago. I was mountain biking and picked up a tick and contracted Lyme and I’ve been suffering with the symptoms ever since.
I’ve tried probably every imaginable healing modality, I mean, every treatment for Lyme disease there is. I believe in ozone because at the end of the day it reduces my symptoms. I feel like I have definitely better energy. The treatment has allowed me to back to some of the things I was doing prior to the Lyme.
I can see that the ozone therapy is making a difference and I am working towards healing.”A. Yes! Ozone is a great way to treat viruses, Lyme Borrelia, candida, mold and other chronic infections for a number of reasons.
A. There is evidence that Lyme Borrelia can be carried by insects other than tics. HOWEVER, as far as we know, it has not been proven that these other insects can transmit Lyme disease.
A. All sorts of additional opportunistic infections are associated with Lyme Disease. The combination of which causes all kinds of inflammatory toxins to be released into your body. This is what is causing the joint pain. Your physiology’s natural anti-inflammatory system is activated by CBD. This will will help with the joint pain. It may take 3-4 weeks before you start noticing a reduction in pain. You may also need to experiment with dosing, amount and how many times a day, to find your optimal relief.
A. Let’s take a step back for those who are reading this and don’t have your foundational knowledge. Many of the dreadful symptoms of Lyme disease are produced by endotoxins / biotoxins released by Lyme and other co-infecting bacteria, rather than the bacteria themselves.
Many of the devastating symptoms of Lyme are caused by these poisons and your immune system’s reaction to them…. As a result, this toxic cocktail must be eliminated from your system by a detoxification process. The natural detoxification pathways of our bodies involve a series of biochemical events that convert biotoxins into less harmful chemicals that may be eliminated from our bodies more easily, either through the liver or the kidneys.
One of these critical metabolic steps is “methylation,” which is regulated by the MthFr gene. Anyone with a faulty MthFr gene will have a diminished ability to methylate and eliminate poisons. Among the many crucial metabolic activities that require methylation is the formation of glutathione. Glutathione is the body’s most significant antioxidant and also plays a key role in detoxification… and methylation is a necessary stage in your physiology’s ability to produce Glutathione.
Surprisingly, a range of abnormalities in this gene are fairly widespread, affecting up to 30% of the population.
Now, let’s get back to your predicament. You are correct… your faulty MthFr gene will result in a lower ability to produce methylation reactions, which will hinder your ability to detoxify and heal from Lyme disease.
However, even if you have a deficient MthFr gene, there are a variety of natural formulations that can boost your methylation capacity and stimulate your detox pathways, compensating for your defective MthFr gene! There are also several easy things you should do to avoid exacerbating your methylation deficiency. Rather than going into depth here, I’ve included a link to a wonderful essay that provides a high-level review of the most relevant points.
Go to http://healevate.com/what-is-your-mthfr-gene/.
A. The therapeutic effects of ozone are cumulative, therefore, in the beginning, a series of high dose ozone therapy treatments in rapid succession is ideal. Each patient will require a different number of treatments depending on the severity of their disease and symptoms. A treatment protocol may look like this… 3 high dose ozone therapy treatments per week for 4-6 weeks. We want to kill the invading pathogens and not let them gain any ground.
As symptoms abate the treatments can be reduced significantly until the patient is feeling strong, vital and healthy.
It is also imperative to combine the high dose ozone therapy with a detox protocol. This protocol needs to support all three phases of physiological detoxification to make sure you are able to heal from all the endotoxins and biotoxins that come with chronic Lyme disease.
Finally, the amount of ozone needed depends on the amount of damage that needs to be healed. Neurological damage requiring the most.
A. This is a tricker question to answer than most might imagine. The bacteria Borrelia is what causes Lyme. If you are able to detect and treat the infection with the right antibiotics early enough, this will usually eradicate the infection. Thus, you would be cured.
However, Lyme is typically not easily detected and presents with many confusing symptoms. It is often misdiagnosed as some other disease and consequently goes untreated or improperly treated. This causes the infection to become more complicated and harder to treat. The good news is that ozone therapy is emerging as remarkably effective and critically important in healing patients from Lyme when used as part of an Integrative Medical approach.
Everything on our website comes from from reputable publications, books and scientific journals, most of which are available on PubMed and other government websites. These include Meta-Analysis’, Randomized Controlled Trials, Clinical Trials, Systematic Reviews, Books and Documents. We encourage you to read the science, in order to separate fact from fiction, so that you can arrive at a full understanding of what is best for your body. We would be honored to be a part of that educational journey with you.
AMA Regenerative Medicine & Skincare | 1570 Brookhollow Dr., Santa Ana, CA 92705 | 6310 San Vicente Blvd STE 285, Los Angeles, CA, 90048 Disclaimer: though everything on our website comes directly from reputable publications and scientific journals; and though thousands of these articles are available on official government websites (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov), they have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and the FDA has not certified, endorsed or approved any of the scientific findings as methods of treating or diagnosing any diseases or illnesses.
