A Look into Lyme Disease

Chances are that you or someone you know is affected by Lyme Disease. According to the
Center of Disease Control (CDC), 300,000 Americans are diagnosed with Lyme disease each year.
Shockingly, medical experts believe that there are likely hundreds of thousands of people who have
Lyme disease and arent aware they are infected- Yikes! 96 percent of Lyme cases reported to the CDC
occur in 14 states- most of which are located in the Northeast and upper Midwest.
It is common knowledge that deer ticks are carriers of Lyme. Did you know that the bacteria
that cause Lyme are actually found on the bodies of Deer and then transferred to ticks while they feed
on the animals? While it is true that the majority of Lyme cases are caused by bites from deer ticks,
known as the black-legged tick, it has more recently been found that other types of ticks and insects
(including mosquitoes and even spiders or fleas, can also transfer the disease).
So, what actually causes Lyme? It is a bacterium known as Borrelia burgdorferi. This is a
certain classification of bacteria, known as a spirochete. Pearl Sites, Founder of Hawthorn Institute in
Southern Oregon, discusses how spirochetes are tricky microorganisms! She describes how the
spirochete is a unique type of bacterium- normally, bacteria are coated with micro-polysaccharides, but
the spirochete is coated with lipoproteins. Why is this of importance? Well, these lipoproteins allow
the genetics of the bacterium to code for different proteins- by the time our immune systems have
identified the invader (done through protein recognition) and go to alert other immune cells, the
bacterium has already changed its protein- this makes it unidentifiable! Think of it like a shape-shifter.
Spirochetes are also tricky because they are able to enter into a cyst state; this allows the bacteria to go
dormant. They literally turn themselves inside out- with the smooth side on the outside and the
proteins on the inside, the immune system doesnt even recognize that there is an invader in the body.
Borrelia burgdorferi is also able to escape immune recognition by binding to sites in our bodys
extracellular matrix. Because of this affinity, the bacterium has strong affinities for our meninges,
bladder wall, collagen tissue and nerve tissue. Pearl also talks about how this is the most sophisticated
bacterium that we know of!
Due to the sophistication of Borrelia burgdoferi, Lyme is able to affect every cell in our body.
Here are some of the signs and symptoms of Lyme Disease:
About 70-80% of people with Lyme will develop what is called a bulls eye rash- this appears as a
red ring around a clear area with a red center;
Flu-like symptoms, including: fever, chills, fatigue, neck and joint pain/muscle aches, trouble
sleeping;
Chronic fatigue and insomnia;
Digestive upset/nausea and loss of appetite;
Joint pain/aches- according to the CDC, about 30 percent of people with Lyme develop
symptoms of arthritis;
Mood changes- increased depression, anxiety, fatigue; and,
Cognitive imbalances- ringing in ears, loss of memory, brain fog, and trouble focusing.
Diagnosis and Treatment
According to Dr. Axe, Healthcare providers often have a difficult time diagnosing Lyme disease
because many of its symptoms are similar to those of other infectious or autoimmune illnessesSeveral
tests are now available(S)ome experts, however, feel that this testing has flaws and is not always
conclusive (https://draxe.com/natural-strategies-to-cure-lyme-disease/). He discusses how the most
common treatment for Lyme is antibiotics- a combination of amoxicillin, cefuroxime axetil or
doxycycline antibiotics for 2-4 weeks. Unfortunately not everyone responds well to this treatment,
especially if the Lyme has already spread through the central nervous system. The sooner one catches
the disease, the more likely treatment will be successful. Dr. Axe is conscious of how we need good

bacteria in our guts in order to have strong immunity. He says, The best way to overcome chronic
Lyme disease is by naturally boosting your immune system, lowering inflammation and managing the
root causes of your symptoms. Your body can overcome Lyme for good only once you control the
inflammatory responses its triggeringIn addition to consuming probiotic-rich foods, I recommend
supplementing with probiotics with at least 8 strains and 50 billion units daily. I believe this is the
most important factor in destroying Lyme (https://draxe.com/natural-strategies-to-cure-lymedisease/).
Prevention
As we can see, we cannot always rely on antibiotics as a cure to Lyme disease. Like Dr. Aviva Romm
says, The best way to treat Lyme disease is prevention (http://avivaromm.com/avoid-lyme-disease ).
According to Columbia University Medical Center, not everyone who tests positive for the bacteria that
causes Lyme will experience Lyme symptoms. Wondering how its possible that one person can have
Lyme and show no symptoms and yet others can have chronic symptoms that can be crippling at times?
The bottom line is that everyone is hosting a range of different viruses, bad bacteria, fungus and even
cancer cells in their body at any given point in time; whats really important is how strong your immunity
is at keeping these invaders at bay (https://draxe.com/natural-strategies-to-cure-lyme-disease/).
Along with improving your immune system through healthy diet, probiotics, and adequate relaxation
and sleep, here are some other tips to prevent contracting Lyme:
Use natural bug spray (such as one with an essential oils base).
Wear long pants, long sleeves, and high socks to limit exposure of your skin to ticks while out in
the woods; wearing light colored clothing is also helpful, as you can spot the ticks more clearly.
Always tick check yourself! It can be helpful to have another person check behind your ears and
neck. Ticks often like to embed in the crevasses/warmer areas of the body. They can be
anywhere, so be sure to do a full scan.
If you do find a tick, here is what Dr. Romm advises us to do:
If it hasnt bitten into your skin, remove it with your finger and flush it down the toilet- make
sure there is no way it can get back on you! Be vigilant with tick checks, as if there is one, there
may be more.
If the tick has latched on: If available, use tweezers or small forceps to grasp the tick as close to
the skin surface as possible. In the absence of tweezers, use paper or cloth to protect the
fingers during tick extraction. Pull straight up gently, but firmly, using steady pressure. Do not
jerk or twist. Do not squeeze, crush or puncture the body of the ticks, since its fluids may
contain infectious agents. Disinfect the skin thoroughly after removing the tick and wash hands
with soap and water. If sections of the mouthparts of the tick remain in the skin, they should be
left alone as they will normally expel spontaneously. After the tick removal and the skin
cleansing, the person bitten (or the parents) should observe the areacomponents of tick saliva
can cause redness that should not be confused with erythema migrans (EM) or the classic bullseye rash (http://avivaromm.com/avoid-lyme-disease).
Some other things to keep in mind:
There is still much we are learning about this disease. While it is not common knowledge, it is
now known that Lyme disease can be transmitted sexually and through blood contact. Ticks generally
transmit Lyme when they are in their nymph stage, meaning that they are extremely small- due to this,
the ticks that cause Lyme are rarely found on the body. Ticks generally need to latch on for 24-36 hours
in order to transmit Lyme.
Do your best to prevent! Good self-care and probiotics can support you!

WORKS CITED:
Galland, M.D. Leo. "Fighting Back Against Lyme Disease." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com,
n.d. Web. 15 Aug. 2016.
"How to Handle Tick Bites & Avoid Lyme Disease - Aviva Romm." Aviva Romm. N.p., 2015. Web. 15 Aug.
2016.
"Lyme Disease: Can Probiotic Bacteria Help?" All Body Ecology Articles Lyme Disease Can Probiotic
Bacteria Help Comments. N.p., 2014. Web. 15 Aug. 2016.
"Lyme Disease Prevention Tips Ways to Naturally Treat." Dr Axe. N.p., 2013. Web. 15 Aug. 2016.
"Lyme Disease, Probiotics, and Enzymes." PHA. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Aug. 2016.