Quick Facts About Lyme Disease

Lyme Disease is initiated by a spiral-shaped bacteria (spirochete) called Borrelia burgdorferi, but the actual disease always involves loss of the body's control of several different "co-infections" of virtually every microbial class, i.e., viral, mycoplasmal, fungal, parasitic.

Toxins from the bacteria are actually the primary cause of all of your symptoms!

· Lifelong optimal health can be achieved even if every single Lyme spirochete in your body has not been killed.

· It is well recognized that the best natural or pharmaceutical antibiotics can at best only kill 85% of the target bacteria in the body.

· Antibiotics may do more harm than good. Antibiotics can activate bacteriophages (viruses) that infect the Lyme spirochetes and insert their toxin-generating genes into the bacterial chromosomes. These viruses can turn basically harmless bacterium into killers through this genetic sequencing of toxins by causing the bacteria to produce greateramounts of neurotoxins (nervous system poisons).

· The allopathic philosophy of medicine (antibiotics, etc.) often predisposes one to Post-Lyme Syndrome (PLS).

· After prolonged illness a person would not likely be symptom-free or truly healthy even if it were possible to kill every spirochete, because restoring health requires more than killing the bacteria.

· It is possible to have Lyme spirochetes and yet never manifest any symptoms.

· The unique symptoms experienced by an individual are from the microbes revealing a person's weakest, and therefore most vulnerable, areas in the body.

· High-powered microscopes have revealed that our bodies are a soup of innumerable and greatly unrecognized microbes. There are 20 times more microbes than cells in your body. Another way of saying this is that 90% of the cells in your body are microbes.

· A Herxheimer reaction (herx) is a sign of a poor treatment plan and is unnecessary. A herx greatly increases the toxic load on the body; at its worst it can kill an illness weakened patient outright. A herx can temporarily or permanently disable the body,mind, and spirit.

· The sustained restoration of the optimal function and integrity of the body, mind, and spirit will naturally resolve any infection.

· No microbe can replicate at will or unchecked in a healthy body.

· A component in your blood called albumin is six times stronger than penicillin as a bacteriostatic (preventing microbial replication).

· Until the patient's body can maintain microbial balance without the help of medications, the patient will never reach the point of not needing the medications.

· Some of the best research facility laboratories report that they have rarely found any person's blood to be completely clear of spirochetes, even after every type of longterm natural or pharmaceutical intervention.

· Tick bites are not the only way to get Lyme Disease Less than half the people diagnosed with Lyme Disease ever have a bulls-eye rash.

Lyme Disease - Ayurvedic Herbal Treatment

Lyme disease is a bacterial infection caused by a bacterium known as spirochete, which is spread by tick bites. Lyme disease is described in 3 phases: the early localized disease with skin inflammation; early disseminated disease with heart and nervous system involvement, including nerve palsies and meningitis; and late disease featuring motor and sensory nerve damage, brain inflammation and arthritis.

The Ayurvedic treatment of Lyme disease is aimed at treating the symptoms, preventing complications and boosting the immune status of the body. Medicines like Mahamanjishthadi-Qadha, Gandhak-Rasayan, Sukshma-Triphala, Chandraprabha-Vati and Panch-Tikta-Ghrut-Guggulu can be used to treat the early localized disease involving skin inflammation. These medicines can also eliminate the bacteria from the body. This disease causes inflammation of the heart muscle, resulting in arrhythmia or abnormal heart rhythm, and heart failure. Medicines like Bruhat-Vat-Chintamani, Maha-Vat-Vidhwans-Ras, Ekang-Veer-Ras and Tapyadi-Loh can be used to prevent and treat arrhythmia. Inflammation of the heart muscle can be treated using medicines like Triphala-Guggulu, Punarnavadi-Guggulu, Arjunarishta, Dashmoolarishta, Saarivasav, Nimba (Azadirachta indica), Patol (Tricosanthe dioica), Amalaki (Emblica officinalis), Haritaki (Terminalia chebula), Draksha (Vitis vinifera), Musta (Cyperus rotundus) and Kutaj (Holarrhina antidysentrica).

Involvement of the nervous system can be treated using medicines like Kaishor-Guggulu, Tapyadi-Loh, Ekang-Veer-Ras, Bruhat-Vat-Chintamani, Maha-Vat-Vidhvans-Ras, Vishtinduk-Vati, Yashtimadhuk (Glycerrhiza glabra), Nirgundi (Vitex negundo), Shalparni (Desmodium gangeticum) and Prushnaparni (Uraria picta). Involvement of the joints can be treated using medicines like Yograj-Guggulu, Maha-Yograj-Guggulu, Gokshuradi-Guggulu, Maha-Rasnadi-Guggulu, Rasna (Pluchea lanceolata), Nirgundi, Guduchi (Tinospora cordifolia), Deodar (Cedrus deodara), Vishwa (Zinziber officinalis) and Erandmool (Ricinus communis).

Symptoms resulting from this disease sometimes persist even after eradication of the Lyme bacterium. This is usually because of an ongoing auto-immune response in the body and is treated using medicines like Tulsi (Ocimum sanctum), Bhrungraj (Eclipta alba), Shatavari (Asparagus racemosus), Mandukparni (Centella asiatica), Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera), Bala (Sida cordifolia), Abhrak-Bhasma, Suvarna-Bhasma and Suvarna-Malini-Vasant.

Since Lyme disease is transmitted by ticks attaching to the body, it is important to use protective clothing and adopt other techniques for the prevention and avoidance of tick bites while staying in, or visiting tick areas. Adequate hygiene should be maintained in order to prevent transmission of this disease.

A Powerful Combination For Healing Chronic Lyme Disease

Did you play hide and go seek as a child?

The kids in our neighborhood would hide in the most unusual places. Some of the other kids hid so well that I could never find them.

Lyme disease plays hide and seek too.And it hides in places where antibiotics could never find it.

And if you can't find it, how can you eliminate it from your body?

Chronic Lyme disease can be very difficult to eliminate from the body

Lyme disease is caused by a spiral sharped bacteria called, Borrelia burgdorferi.Spiral shaped bacteria are also referred to as spirochetes. Just like the kids that you could never find during hide and go seek, the Lyme bacteria burrows in hard to get to places in your body. Some experts say it can go into your nervous system, your brain, and in your joints.

Lyme disease can be very painful

You get this disease when an infected deer tick bites you and transmits the bacteria into your blood stream. You may have flu like symptoms and a bulls eye rash when you contract this bacteria. The main symptoms are joint pain, fatigue, and mental fogginess. People who have this infection for years report a loss of coordination and motor function because of the damage to their brain. Standard treatment for this infection is to take antibiotics. However they cannot always eliminate these bacteria from your body.

Antibiotics have difficulty finding Lyme in these places

Your joints are very difficult places for antibiotics to reach because of a lack of blood vessels. Your also have a barrier which prevents chemicals in the blood from entering the brain.

If antibiotics kill only some of the bacteria, then some of them will just remain hidden until the coast is clear. When this happens, people feel better at first. A few weeks later their old symptoms come right back. Not only can these bugs hide, they are impervious to antibiotics when they are in different life stages.

Lyme bacteria are harder to eliminate in their different life stages

Some antibiotics are effective only when the bacteria are in the spirochete stage. Only one antibiotic is believed to kill the bacteria in cyst form. In a hostile environment, the bacteria will remain in cyst form until conditions are more favorable. Even if you are on antibiotics for years, you can have bacteria lying dormant in your body. They can play other tricks to avoid detection.

Lyme bacteria are also shape shifters

They have another trick which helps them to hide. They are able to make changes on the surface which make them less vulnerable to antibiotics. A chronic Lyme infection can be very dangerous for your long term health.

If antibiotics cannot eliminate Lyme disease from your system, what else can help you?

These herbs kill the Lyme bug

Some Lyme patients combine antibiotics with Chinese herbal treatment. There is a powerful combination of Chinese herbs that will kill the Lyme bacteria in the laboratory and also in live patients. These herbs are proven effective in people with chronic Lyme disease. These herbs have properties that increase your chance of clearing chronic Lyme disease than taking antibiotics alone.

Chinese herbs go where antibiotics cannot

This set of herbs can enter places like joints and the brain where antibiotics have difficulty entering into. There are certain herbs that deliver anti-Lyme herbs into the nervous system and into hard to access joints. This combination is more effective the longer you take the formula.

Cure rates as high as 97% in clinical studies of similar infections

Recent clinical studies in China have shown a rate of curing a spirochete infection called leptospirosis with Chinese herbs as high as 97%. This infection is similar to the Lyme bacteria. The longer you take these herbs, the greater are your chances of ridding Lyme disease from your body.

The herbal regimen for eliminating Lyme disease is a minimum of eight weeks

In order to catch any bacteria that are in an invulnerable stage, patients are put on herbs every day for at least eight weeks. This is to overlap the Lyme bacteria lifecycle which is approximately six weeks. There are six herbs that are the base formula for the regimen:

Anti-Spirochete Mixture (This herbal formula is originally published in an article by Dr. Subhuti Dharmananda titled, "LYME DISEASE: Treatment with Chinese Herbs.)

* Smilax

* Ching-hao

* Forsythia

* Hu-chang

* Andrographis

* Lonicera stem

Patients are encouraged to take their herbs three times a day to maintain a high level of potency in their system. Additional western herbs like Cats Claw help to increase your rate of success. There are other treatments that help Lyme patients to recover.

Detoxifying heavy metals and other toxins helps relieve Lyme induced fatigue

Many Lyme patients have been shown to have high levels of mercury and other metals and toxins. By eliminating these toxins along with treatment, you see a decrease in their fatigue and mental fogginess. Detoxification foot baths are very effective for removing these toxins. Other treatments like acupuncture help too.

Joint pain and swelling get addressed with acupuncture

Acupuncture helps to decrease the pain and swelling in your joints. Many Lyme patients also have significant improvements in their range of motion. Other side effects of Lyme disease also get better.

Treatment helps you to sleep better

Many Lyme patients suffer from insomnia due to pain and the infection disrupting their sleep patterns. As their infection is reduced, these patients naturally sleep better as their pain and fatigue decreases. Also, they feel healthier and happier when their body is not fighting against a disease it is struggling to kill. Changes in your diet can provide relief, too.

Eliminating dairy, wheat, and sugar starves the Lyme bacteria

These bacteria feed off of the nutrients in your system especially sugars in your blood stream. If you reduce or eliminate foods that raise your blood sugars like sweets, dairy, and carbohydrates, then the Lyme bugs have less to feed off of. You need a powerful strategy which works against the many defenses of these bacteria.

In order to find the hidden Lyme bugs, you need a comprehensive approach

Adding Chinese herbs, acupuncture, and detoxification to your Lyme treatment program greatly enhances the success of curing your infection for good. Modifying your diet helps to provide less food in your blood for these bugs. Just like someone who knows where all the hiding places are, Chinese herbs can help to eliminate those stubborn Lyme bacteria from your system.

Tick-Borne Disease

Ticks are parasites that can transmit debilitating diseases to humans and animals. Disease transmission occurs through tick bites. In the United States, ticks cause a number of diseases including Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Colorado tick fever, babesiosis, ehrlichiosis, and tick paralysis.

Lyme disease is transmitted by white-footed mice to ticks, when the ticks feed on them. Ticks, in turn, pass on the disease to humans. This disease is primarily caused by deer ticks. The infection is transmitted only if the tick has been attached to the host for thirty-six to forty-eight hours. Early symptoms include an expanding “bull’s eye” rash, fever, fatigue, headache, stiff neck, facial palsy, joint pains, and numbness. Late-stage symptoms include arthritis, numbness, temporary memory loss, confusion, and lack of concentration.

Ehrlichiosis is primarily transmitted by the Lone Star tick. Its symptoms include fever, headache, muscle and joint pains, and vomiting. A rash may or may not appear. Babesiosis is generally transmitted by the deer tick. Its symptoms include fatigue, discomfort, fever, headache, and muscle pain. This disease can prove fatal if it is not treated immediately.

Rocky Mountain spotted fever is caused by several species of ticks, and its symptoms include rash, high fever, and flu-like symptoms. If this disease is ignored or not treated properly, it can cause death. Colorado tick fever is primarily caused by the Rocky Mountain wood tick. It is also characterized by a rash, high fever, and flu-like symptoms. In severe cases, bleeding or heart problems may occur.

Tick paralysis is caused by several species of ticks. Its early signs are fatigue and numbness. It can lead to convulsions and facial paralysis, and if untreated it can even cause death. Unlike treatment for other tick borne diseases, treatment for tick paralysis is very simple, involving only the complete removal of the tick.

Individuals visiting or inhabiting tick-prone areas can prevent tick bites by taking some simple precautions. These precautions include regularly mowing lawn grass, clearing leaves and bush, treating pets and their environments with tick-killing pesticide, wearing light-colored clothes and enclosed shoes, and treating clothes with repellent before wearing them.

However, there is no reason to panic if a tick is found attached to the skin of a host. It must be carefully removed with tweezers or a commercial tick removal tool and preserved in a sealed container or bag. It is also necessary to watch out for symptoms of tick-borne disease for about a month and seek medical help immediately if any symptoms appear. All tick-borne diseases can be cured easily if treated in their early stages.

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Animals, Humans, and Lyme Disease

You may think that the transmission of Lyme disease is very simple – you get it from a deer tick bite. That information is essentially true, and if you just want to avoid Lyme disease, that’s all you really need to know. What goes on in the woods, however, is interesting, and it helps to explain why Lyme disease is spreading and becoming more common.

Lyme transmission starts with the White-footed mouse, a common forest creature that carries Borrelia burgdorferi, the organism responsible for Lyme disease. In the most common scenario, newly hatched larval Ixodes sp. ticks feed on the mice and become infected with the organism. The ticks then develop through a nymphal stage to an adult tick, feeding on other hosts as they get older.

At both the nymph and adult stage, ticks are found clinging to the tall grasses in open forests and forest edges, the same type of environment favored by White-tailed Deer. When a deer wanders by, the ticks climb on and take another blood meal. If it’s a human that wanders by, or a dog, a raccoon, or even a bird, the tick is not fussy – deer ticks will readily feed on all of these hosts as well as other warm blooded animals.

Borrelia burgdorferi gets passed on to the new host as the tick feeds. Many animals aren’t affected by the organism and their immune systems simply kill it. White-tailed deer and some bird species are among the lucky animals that don’t get Lyme disease. Humans, however, can suffer a long and debilitating illness.

Deer are responsible for supporting large numbers of ticks; one deer can have hundreds of ticks feeding on it at any one time. Anyone who has driven the roads of North Eastern North America at dusk and dawn in the summer months knows that the White-tailed deer population is booming like never before. Deer graze by the roadsides and wander into cities and gardens. Lots of deer means lots of ticks, and deer in human communities means Lyme transmission to humans.

Deer don’t spread Lyme disease over large geographical distances however – birds do that. When a deer tick bites a bird, two things can happen: if the bird is already infected, having been bitten by an infected tick somewhere else, the new tick becomes infected and can spread the organism to other hosts. If the tick is already infected and the bird is not, the organism gets passed the other way, and because ticks take days to finish their meal, both tick and bird can be many miles away from their starting point before the tick drops off. Both can now continue to Lyme transmission. Migrating birds are thought to have spread B. burgdorferi to many new locales.

A final factor to consider is global warming. Warmer climates have opened up new territory for deer ticks, and they are now surviving and reproducing in areas where they were previously unable to withstand cold winter temperatures. Thus, ticks carried in on migrating birds are more and more likely to survive the trip.

Rosemary Drisdelle is a freelance writer focusing on technical and science writing and creative non-fiction. She writes about birds for Suite101.com. She also writes a blog about parasites and people.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rosemary_Drisdelle

The Symptoms And Understanding Of Lyme Disease

Although once thought to be a form of arthritis that attacks children, lyme disease is actually a condition in which a bacterial infection has gotten into your blood stream. Unlike other types of conditions that have similar symptoms, lyme disease is transmitted to you by a dear tick. It was first discovered in 1975 when a group of children that was unreasonably large seemed to be suffering from arthritis. That led doctors to do a bit of unearthing and found that it was actually a bacterial infection that had caused the outbreak.

The bad news is that lyme disease is no longer found in just that one town of Lyme, Connecticut. Today, it is found in nearly every state in the United States with a concentration in New York, Minnesota, New Jersey and in Wisconsin. The disease has spread world wide as well as spreading into other types of animals. Not only can you get it from deer, but also from skunks, foxes, mice, moles, squirrels and horses (to name a few.) These conditions are most commonly found in animals that are in wooded areas or in grassy fields.

What Are The Symptoms?

Anyone that is exposed to these conditions can actually be put in dangers way of getting lyme disease. It is essential, then, that you understand the symptoms that it brings out. The tell tale sign of lyme disease is that of a rash, but not just any rash. This rash usually starts out with a small red spot where the tick has bitten. It then grows and expands significantly over the next days or even weeks. Usually, it will form a circle or a triangular shape on your skin. Sometimes, there is a red ring that is surrounding an area that is clear at the very center of the bite mark. This is called an erythma migrans and it affects at least 70 percent of those that will end up with lyme disease.

Other symptoms are also evident. If you are not treated by a doctor for your condition, you can develop conditions in which you have flare ups of arthritis like conditions. Your joints can become swollen and painful. Sometimes this will last for days, other times for months at at ime. It doesn’t have to be the same joint affected each time either. About 15 percent of patients that have lyme disease end up with this symptom. Yet another symptom is that of an attack of the nervous system. Here, you can experience other illnesses like meningitis or even temporary paralysis of facila muscles. Limbs and the circulatory system can become weakened or lessened in their abilities.

What is common is the fact that individuals will experience some pain that seems to be that of arthritis. Although lyme disease has been mistaken in the past for arthritis, don’t make this mistake. The symptoms and conditions of this condition can worsen, severely and can leave you with a lot of pain and eventually the breakdown of joints.

Greg Marsh is an acclaimed writer on medical matters, and has written extensively on the subjects of Rheumatoid Arthritis, Rheumatology and Rheumatism.

You can read more of Greg’s articles about Rheumatoid Arthritis at http://www.whugu.com

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