With tick season upon us, it is an opportune time to take a look at the dreaded illness known as Lyme Disease. It is important to state that not every tick bite results in Lyme disease. However, Nick Harris, Ph.D. (President of IgeneX, Inc.) indicates that Lyme would be the top infectious disease in the US and Western Europe if it were not for AIDS.

Exploring this mysterious disease …

Lyme is a spirochete known as Borrelia Burgdorferi (Bb), but the disease is more than a simple infection. It quickly escalates into a complex condition that consists of chronic co-infections, which are usually parasitic (such as Babesia and Ehrlichia). Animal studies have shown that, within a week of being infected, a victim can have this spirochete deeply embedded in tendons, muscles, the heart, and it even crosses the blood/brain barrier. Studies are showing, too, that children can be born with the disease because it crosses the placenta.

The disease can be carried by ticks, fleas, mosquitoes, and mites. The challenge with Lyme is that there is much misunderstanding about it and some difficulty with testing for it. The first test typically done is the Western Blot antibody test, which is not positive immediately after Bb exposure, and only 60 – 70 percent of people show antibodies to Bb. So Lyme disease often ends up being a clinical diagnosis. There are, however, two tests being developed that may help this situation. They are Electrodermal Screening and Darkfield Microscopy. And what about the infamous “bulls eye” rash? Statistics show that only 30 – 40 percent of cases show this rash, and even more startling – only about 10 percent of children reveal the rash.

So how do you arm yourself against this complex disease?

The best approach may be to balance conventional and alternative medicine when dealing with a tick bite and the possible Lyme infection. We offer here the alternative method but be sure to also contact your medical doctor for advice.

First, no matter what type of tick you may find embedded in your skin, immediately take a slice of garlic and secure it tightly over the bite with a bandaid or duct tape for at least 24 hours to take advantage of garlic’s natural ability to draw out bacteria.  If it is a Lyme’s carrying tick, this step alone can save you months or even years of trouble.

Next, since Bb is a bacterium, it lives on sugar. The most important thing you can do dietarily — for any, and all infections — is to avoid SUGAR! Sugar (and depending on the severity of the infection, this includes all fruit sugar) feeds these bugs and allows them to reproduce.

Studies show that keeping your salivary pH between 6.7 and 7.0 is good buffer against infections. Certain dietary minerals can raise your pH level; reducing stress can also help in this regard. You can check your pH by picking up litmus paper at our local clinics or your natural health food store.

Take an anti-inflammatory eicosanoid, such as fish oil and borage seed oil, along with a good whole-food multivitamin/mineral formula, CoQ10, Carnitine, and, possibly, an herbal anti-fungal supplement. Through our Designed Clinical Nutrition, we also typically find an underlying heavy metal or other toxin in the body when a person is fighting Lyme’s. If this is the case for you or someone you know, your healing may be halted or moving very slowly until this underlying toxicity issue is handled.

As always, contact us so we can help you with the proper nutritional/supplement plan. We are here to help you!  Remember, supplements and herbs are not FDA-regulated and using the wrong ones (or the wrong forms) can be detrimental to effective treatment.

Acupuncture, chiropractic, physical therapy, and biofeedback have also been proven to help the nervous system function at its best, and this would be of great necessity if you are fighting a Lyme infection.  If you need a referral for the right practitioner, again, we are here to help.

Although detection, understanding, and treatment of Lyme disease remain a bit frustrating, advances are being made. Contact us if you, or someone you know, needs help to beat this illness.

Interested in learning more about Lyme disease and potentially life-saving methods of dealing with Lyme disease and related health conditions? We highly encourage you to attend Dr. Jay’s THIRD and FREE Lyme summit featuring our very own Dr. Jerod Bergman as a guest speaker. To register for this event, please click HERE.