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Treating Lyme Disease Naturally.
by Cindee Gardner, Ph.D., HD (RHom), D. Hom., C. Hom.
Lyme disease is the most common tick-borne disease in the United States, and is one of the fastest growing infectious diseases in the United States. It is generating an enormous amount of controversy within the orthodox medical community, who remain divided over whether Lyme disease can become a chronic disease with reoccurring symptoms or whether patients who complain of reoccurring Lyme-like symptoms are not infected with another type of illness, such as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. There is also much controversy surrounding how often a Lyme sufferer will display the telltale rash (erythema migrans), a painless, “ bull's-eye” shaped blotch on the skin the size of a silver dollar. Naturally, these splits in the orthodox medical community have led to divergent diagnosis and treatment of Lyme disease, with the real loser being the patient showing Lyme-like symptoms. These patients are often trapped between opposing medical opinions. Indeed, the severity and treatment of Lyme disease is often complicated due to late diagnosis, failure of antibiotic treatment, and immune suppression in the patient (sometimes resulting from inappropriate treatment with steroids).
Thankfully, the Homeopathic community remains united over the treatment of Lyme disease, mainly due to the different philosophy that homeopaths use to treat disease. Homeopathy is a system of medicine that diagnoses illness by using the symptoms of a patient to treat the whole body. In other words, no matter what label the orthodox system decides to put on a particular collection of symptoms at a particular time- Lyme disease, chronic fatigue syndrome, multiple sclerosis, whatever- the homeopathic response is to treat the whole person, using the symptoms as the guideposts. That is not to say the orthodox diagnosis is unimportant; homeopathic nosodes, which are part of any good treatment program, are made from molecules of the organism causing the infection. But this does underscore one of the primary advantages of using homeopathy, that where Western medicine is constantly in flux as its doctors bicker and reclassify and prescribe and withdraw different treatments to “cure” a disease (and of course all Western medicines classify a “cure” being when the particular disease that they are fighting against is suppressed back into the system, without taking account for how the true illness- an individual's weak immune system- may reappear by attacking a different organ), homeopathy takes the long view, working with the patient to improve the overall performance of their immune over time. Using a combination of well-chosen Homeopathics, medicinal herbs, vitamins, and other health enhancing products can stimulate the immune response and strengthen the organs affected by the disease. This results in a true cure: a complete restoration of health!
What is Lyme Disease?
Lyme disease was first recognized in the US in Lyme, Connecticut, where physicians were treating an unusually large number of cases of what was first thought to be Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis. Medical investigators eventually found that the condition was actually caused by a bacterial infection, Spirochete, which is transmitted when a deer tick sticking to human skin for more than 12 hours. Because the ticks are so hard to find, often in larval stage only as big as a poppy seed, they were attaching to children hiking in wooded areas around the Lyme area and going unnoticed. Since that time, other species of tick have been found to also carry the bacteria- in Europe, the sheep tick, and in Texas, the lone star tick- that can bring about different symptoms in persons who are affected. Generally, however, the early symptoms (which typically appear 7-14 days after transmission) include: skin rash, headache, fever, stiff neck, fatigue, muscle aches, facial paralysis, sore throat, and sinus infection. In chronic cases, symptoms can include: intermittent or chronic arthalgias, cloudy thinking or confusion, severe fatigue, sleep disturbances, heart problems, conjunctivitis, full paralysis, neuralgia, lymphocytic meningitis, Bell's palsy, and panic attacks.
The orthodox response to Lyme disease is to treat an infected person with a heavy dose of oral antibiotics, such as doxyxycline, axetil, amoxicillin, and cefuroximine, as well as giving injections of penicillin and ceftriaxone. Of course-as orthodox treatments are known to do-those treatments often produce unpleasant side effects, including: nausea, diarrhea, sun sensitivity, vaginal yeast infections, rash, glossitis, and abdominal pain. Many patients have explained to me that these types of high dose antibacterial treatment can be almost as painful as the disease. Also, because of the aforementioned split in the orthodox medical system concerning the existence of a chronic form of Lyme disease (I am certain it exists, by the way) many times a doctor will declare his patient cured of Lyme disease and then when the same symptoms reappear a month later re-diagnose the patient with chronic fatigue syndrome. This doesn't sound like much of a “cure” to me.
In the alternative, the homeopathic community has had great success in treating both acute and chronic Lyme disease through a variety of homeopathics, herbs, supplements, and other therapies. Noteworthy among these therapies is heat therapy, which is a method of treatment where a patient raises their core body temperature to 101.5-102 twice per day for 15 to 20 minutes. Patients can accomplish this rise using a sauna, hot tub, steam bath, or through hot baths with diaphoretic tea. Also important is the proper use of Homeopathic nosodes, miasmatic remedies, pathological or symptom relief remedies and, after the person is in good health, a constitutional remedy to enhance their immune system.
Proper case management is the key to treating Lyme disease effectively. Case management is actually much more than just choosing a remedy and sending someone home. It involves first, a careful analysis of the progression of the disease, to treat the symptoms that are present at the time of the initial analysis as well as to help the patient prevent future pathology. This results in every case being individually repertorized and chosen for the particular person and their specific symptoms. In most cases, however, if the person knows that they were bitten by a tick, and they are also showing the telltale circular rash, I tend to first attack the disease with the Borrellia nosode or a nosode culled from the particular tick that the person contacted. After that I will use specific remedies that work best in the earlier stages of the disorder. Some of the Homeopathic Remedies that I have used successfully in my practice are Sepia, Sulphur, Tellurium, Ledum, Syphilynum, Carcinocin, Kalmia, Arnica, Rhod, Bryonia, Gelsemium, Rhus Tx., Arsenicum, Apis, Hypericum, Ruta, Symphytum, Silica, Cimic, Arg. Nit., Mercury, Colch, Pulsatilla, Lac Caninium, and Thuja. I know other Homeopathic Doctors who have had success using other remedies as well. Remember, proper case management uses a “totality of the symptoms” approach for treatment, which can only be accomplished by an experienced practitioner. In the later or chronic stages of Lyme's disease, I would include (along with the appropriate nosode therapy mentioned above) a miasmatic remedy to work through genetic weaknesses, using the health history of the patient as a guide. Then I would follow that remedy with the remedies that fits the person's individual symptoms.
I have found that using Homeopathic remedies in conjunction with corresponding herb combinations can greatly accelerate the immune response of a person infected with Lyme's disease. Herbs are great at helping the body keep its terrain less habitable for harmful bacteria and viruses. Unlike orthodox drugs, that are relatively simple mixtures, herbs contain hundreds of complex constituents that bacteria and viruses cannot become easily resistant to. To even further lessen the chance of the bacteria evolving, I recommend changing the dosages of the Homeopathics and the herbs on a monthly basis. In many instances this has accelerated the healing process at a much faster rate than using the same homeopathic remedies and dosages over an extended period.
Let me give a practical example of adding combination herbs to accelerate the healing process. A patient who showed severe, chronic Lyme symptoms was repertorized as having Cimicifuga or Arnica as his chief remedies. To those remedies I added herbs that also help with the same specific symptoms as the remedies that treated his chief complaint, here a chronic aching and soreness, such as Ashwangha, Black Cohosh, Wood Betony, and Kava. Or, for a person suffering from Bells Palsy as a result of a tick bite, I suggested use of the remedy Causticum during the protocol, and specific antispasmodic herbs like Melilotis, and Prickly Ash Bark as the treatment progressed.
It's important to treat all facets of the disease: the etiology of the bite, the patient's pain and suffering, and the weakness of the patient's overall immune system. Students of Homeopathy need to look further into the case than just the symptoms that are currently present, and to learn the normal progression of the disease. They also need to have access to the proper acute remedies and herbs. Much like the homeopathics, the herbs should be carefully chosen according to the case. Because no two cases are exactly the same, no two people should receive the same protocol. One exception to this general rule is that I always use a product called Super Aloe Vera Juice (that can be purchased online at archeusonline.com), which acts as an excellent detoxifier, antibacterial, and antiviral in almost every case. I also always encourage my clients to make good dietary choices and to use stress reduction techniques, so that they have every opportunity to eradicate the disorder and to enhance immunity.
I believe that the body can heal itself of any disorder if given the proper stimulus. Lyme disease is no exception. It makes sense to try an approach that will work with your immune system, like homeopathy, instead of against it. Never settle for being told that a disease is incurable. Get empowered, and get well!
Dr. Cindee Gardner is a Homeopathic Doctor, Molecular Biologist, Herbalist and Nutritional Counselor with over twenty-five years experience helping others heal themselves. Email and Phone appointments are available by appointment.
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