Homeopathy Supplements

Homeopathy can be used to treat a wide range of chronic conditions.  This holistic treatment has been shown to have positive effects on widespread infections including Lyme disease.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has warned that Lyme disease is the fastest growing vector-borne disease in North America.  The majority of Lyme disease cases are located in just 12 high risk areas which include Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania and Maine.  The only state that has not seen any reports of Lyme disease in North America is Montana.

Homeopathic Diagnosis

Homeopathic practitioners endeavor to create a full picture of a patient’s health.  This will encompass diet, lifestyle and general feelings of well being.  Both conventional and holistic healthcare advisors face a number of difficulties when diagnosing Lyme disease.  The symptoms can be vague and in many cases patients do not realize they may have been exposed to the ticks that carry the Lyme infection.  There are also no reliable scientific testing procedures in place for confirming Lyme disease. This can lead to many cases of incorrect diagnosis, both in terms of over and under diagnosis of Lyme disease.

The main benefit of the homeopathic treatment process is that it does not rely on the confirming the presence of Lyme disease absolutely.  Instead this method presents an initial diagnosis and then records how the condition has manifested in the individual patient.   By charting the history of illness the homeopathic practitioner can understand how the disease is affecting the body and how to tackle the symptoms appropriately.  Conventional medicine recommends only one treatment scheme (a short term course of antibiotics) to treat all Lyme patient sufferers, regardless of symptoms.  Homeopathic treatments however are highly personalized and can show some positive effects within just a few days.

Treatment

Unlike the conventional medical community Homeopathic practitioners remain united over the treatment of Lyme disease.  This unified front shows an inspiring faith in the healing system which cannot fail to impress patients. Once the individual manifestation of the condition has been identified then the practitioner will rely on accepted treatment methods to manage symptoms and work towards a cure.  Many of these treatments will work to support and boost the immune system and strengthen the patients own natural defenses against the Lyme infection.  Conventional medical experts are also beginning to see the benefits of assisting the immune system to fight widespread infections naturally.  Each homeopathic treatment will be slightly different but typically treatments used to combat this condition including Sepia, Sulphur, Tellurium, Syphilynum, Ledum, Carcinocin, Arnica, Rhus Tx, Arsenicum, Apis, Hypericum, Ruta and Silica.  There are also a wide number of other homeopathic treatments that can be used with success against Lyme disease.

Hypericum can be used to treat Lyme Disease

As well as homeopathic supplement treatments homeopathic practitioners can recommend a number of other treatments to work on overall health and well being.  These can include herbal supplements, diet, heat therapies (raising the body temperature to inhibit bacterial growth) and stress reduction techniques.

Homeopathic treatments work on overall health and well being.  They tackle not just the condition itself but also any weaknesses in the body’s system that could be contributing to ill health.  Many Lyme disease patients have responded well to homeopathic treatments and this could be worth investigating if you are not happy with conventional treatments.

Lyme disease is a prevalent modern disease and is difficult to treat because the symptoms can be very generalised, which can lead to problems with misdiagnose. Lyme disease is caused by the Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria and this presents another set of difficulties when it comes to treatment as this is a spiral-shaped bacterium that can mutate and hide in the body, rendering traditional short-term antibiotic treatments ineffective.

Experts are continually looking into new forms of treatment for virulent infections diseases such as Lyme disease and a number of new anti-microbial therapies have been discovered which can have some beneficial effects.

Spiral-shaped Borrelia burgdorferi

Hyperthermia

Many types of bacteria such as Borrelia burgdorferi can only survive in certain temperatures. Perfect environments are provided by warm blooded mammals and this is one of the reasons why this bacterium thrives so well in the human body. Tests have revealed that using heat treatments can increase the effectiveness of short-term antibiotic treatments. Raising the body temperature using hot showers or baths for 20-30 minutes every day has been shown to weaken the Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria and make it more susceptible to eradication by antibiotics. An additional benefit of raising body temperature is that it causes the peripheral circulation to dilate and this increases the absorption of drugs such as antibiotics in the body, allowing it to penetrate deep tissue and ensure that drugs can reach all the infected areas. Hyperthermia treatments are thought to increase the effectiveness of antibiotic therapy against infectious diseases such as Lyme disease by as much as 16 times.

Rife Machine

Rife machines emit different frequencies of energy that can penetrate deep into the tissues of the body and cause the spiral-shaped Borrelia bacterium to resonate. This can be so disruptive to the Borrelia that it can actually damage the integrity of the cells and weaken the bacteria so that it cannot reproduce. Rife machines can also kill harmful microbes outright and this is an effective method for eradicating problem infections such as Lyme disease that can be resistant to antibiotic treatments. Rife machines do have a very similar effect to microwaves, although the energy levels emitted are not harmful. These machines have not yet been approved by the FDA and are also quite expensive (around $1,000 each) and this is the main reason why Rife machines are not more widespread for the treatment of Lyme disease.

Beck Electrification

This is another machine that is used to disrupt the integrity of harmful microbes such as Borrelia, causing them to weaken and die. This machine emits low voltage electricity waves and as well as eradicating microbes has also been shown to improve antibiotic absorption in the body increasing the effective of this treatment to eradiate Lyme disease.

Side Effects

Although anti-microbial treatments can be successful at eradicating Lyme disease they can cause a number of side effects including the Jarisch-Herxheimer reaction (herx) reaction. This occurs several days after treatment and causes symptoms to increase significantly. This can last for as long as two weeks into the treatment regime and has to be monitored carefully to avoid any unnecessary suffering for the patient.

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Early spring is a high risk time for Lyme disease as the ticks that transmit this condition start feeding voraciously in preparation for their breeding season. If you are traveling through tick habitats then you will need to take extra precautions against tick bites, as Lyme disease is an unpleasant condition that can have a number of long lasting symptoms.

Adult Male Deer Tick

Co-Infections

As well as the bacteria that causes Lyme disease ticks can also carry a number of other nasty pathogens. This means that a high number of Lyme disease sufferers could also be infected with additional pathogens. These can complicate treatment and result in much more serious symptoms. The main co-infections that can be transmitted alongside Lyme disease include the parasitic infection Babesiosis and the bacterial infections of Ehrlichiosis (HME or HGE) and Bartonellosis. Experts believe that as many as two thirds of all patients with Lyme disease may have these additional infections as well, many of which will remain undiagnosed.

Dr. Harriet Kotsoris, Medical Director at the Lyme disease research group ‘Time For Lyme’ warns both patients and healthcare advisors about these co-infections:

“Patients infected with Lyme disease are at risk of developing one or more co-infections, tick-borne illnesses that can worsen the severity and/or the duration of Lyme symptoms”

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reported that Lyme disease cases rose in 2008 by as much as 28% to over 35,000 reported cases and cases of co-infection are also on the rise.

Adult Female Deer Tick

Treating Co-infections

Many co-infections cannot be treated with the standard antibiotics that are used to treat Lyme disease. Co-infections such as Babesiosis require completely different medications and protocols than Lyme disease and so they must be independently diagnosed and treated separately.

However not much is really about understood about co-infections and there are many disagreements in the health profession on how to best approach this issue. Some healthcare providers believe the antibiotics used to treat the primary Lyme disease infection will also clear up any co-infections that may exist. However many experts advise that because of the different natures of the co-infections a wider scope of antibiotic treatment should be prescribed following an independent diagnosis of each infection.

Diagnosing Co-Infections

It can be difficult diagnosing Lyme disease and co-infections. Traditional methods such as PCRs and serologies can only test for certain species of pathogens (many tick-borne pathogens still remain unidentified). Standard blood analysis is successful only in the first two weeks of the infection and most patients do not actually seek medical help until several weeks after the initial infection. To diagnose Lyme disease and co-infections a series of tests needs to be carried out over a period of time, as it can take as up to four months for infections such as Bartonellosis to manifest and as long as eight months for Babesiosis to appear.

Successful diagnosis of Lyme disease and co-infections must also be based on the history and symptoms of the patient, as the testing is not always reliable.

Blacklegged Tick

Ticks can carry a number of unpleasant diseases including West Nile virus and Lyme disease and they are prevalent in many parts of America.  Humans can come into contact with ticks in key habitat areas such as woodland edges and long grasses, and they can also cross into urban districts and rural properties lying close to wild land areas.

Insect Repellents

There is no 100% way to prevent tick bites, but there are many insect repellents available that have been designed to work against ticks.  These can help to reduce the risks of getting bitten by these creatures.  There are many different types of insect repellent available and these often contain potential harmful chemicals so should be used with caution.  You should always check the manufacturer’s instructions before applying any insect repellent.  Types of insect repellent approved by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) include:

• DEET – this is one of the most widely used insect repellents and can help to prevent tick bites.  This chemical is used in a number of products such as sprays, liquids and lotions.
• Picaridin – this is also effective on ticks and many people prefer it to DEET because it has virtually no odour.
• Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus – this is a plant-based repellent which is not as effective as DEET and Picaridin but can give some protection against tick bites.
• Permethrin – this repellent is commonly applied to camping equipment, clothing and shoes to repel insects, and is not used directly on the skin.

How do Insect Repellents Work?

Ticks feed on the blood of mammals such as deer, rabbits and mice, and can also be attracted to warm blooded humans as well.  Insects are attracted by certain chemical scents in our breath and sweat and insect repellents work to mask these scents.  Some insect repellents also contain active insecticides to kill biting insects such as permethrin.

Using Insect Repellents

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advises that anyone working or travelling on foot through high risk tick zones such as woodland edges and grasslands uses insect repellent to help prevent tick bites and also bites from other insects that carry diseases such as mosquitoes.

If you are going to be spending a long time outdoors then check the concentration of the active ingredient in the inset repellent product.  The higher the concentration the longer the repellent will last.  For example a product with 5% DEET will last around an hour after application, but a product with over 20% of DEET will remain effective for about 5 hours. 

When you use strong chemicals such as insect repellents you do need to make sure you follow the manufacturer’s instructions and do not apply the product to cut or broken skin.  You should also wash the insect repellent off with soap and water when you return home.  You should never use products containing DEET on children younger than 2 months old.  Always store insect repellent out of direct sunlight and away from the reach of young children.

Lyme disease is not a new condition, and it is thought that the bacterium which causes this disease has actually been around since the Ice Age. However the first recorded reference to a condition similar to Lyme disease was back in 1883 in Breslau, Germany. A physician at the time, Alfred Buchwald, recorded some medical notes relating to a skin disorder, and the description was very similar to those skin rashes now associated with modern Lyme disease cases. Also a presentation made to the Swedish Society of Dermatology in 1909 by the physician Arvid Afzelius reported a skin condition that presented circular expanding lesions, which is now known as erythema migrans, a key characteristic of Lyme disease. Afzelius researched this condition extensively and when he published his work some years later he concluded that the condition was linked to the bite of ticks.

Sign post warning of key tick area

Records of symptoms that relate closely to Lyme disease are prevalent throughout the early 20th century, and these included joint problems, and links between the classic erythema migrans rash and neurological and psychiatric problems. By the middle of the century physicians began using antibiotics to treat these Lyme disease related symptoms successfully.

Why is it called Lyme Disease?

Many people mistakenly believe Lyme disease did not appear until the 1970’s, and this is because this was the first time that the symptoms that had been prevalent for many years (such as the erythema migrans rash) were conclusively linked to the bites of ticks. The actual term ‘Lyme disease’ was not used until 1975, and this resulted from an investigation carried out in Lyme, Connecticut. Researchers were looking into an unusually high number of arthritis cases in children and discovered that the majority of them lived and played in wooded areas which were key tick habitats. They also discovered that the children had suffered from skin rashes prior to developing the arthritis and that many of them also recalled being bitten by ticks. This conclusive link to ticks and certain common symptoms led to the condition being name after the area as ‘Lyme disease’.

Although the link between tick bites and Lyme disease was proved in the 1970’s, the presence of the bacteria named Borrelia burgdorferi was not discovered until a few years later, when an entomologist called Willy Burgdorfer, MD, Ph.D (National Institutes of Health) was conducting tests on tick species which included the genus Ixodes. Burgdorfer discovered a spirochetes (a type of thin, spiral shaped bacteria) present in the tick’s body, which was later found to be the cause of Lyme disease and was named Borrelia burgdorferi after him.

Further Research

Research into Lyme disease is still ongoing, and a large body of evidence has been collated since the discovery on the Borrelia burgdorferi spirochetes, which provides more information on how this bacterium infects the host system. Currently Lyme disease is treated with short term antibiotics, but there is compelling evidence to show that Borrelia burgdorferi can disguise itself and literally ‘hide’ from antibiotics, and so can remain in the body long after treatment has finished. Although chronic Lyme disease is not recognized by leading health authorities such as the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA), there is a large body of evidence from real life cases which shows that this can affect patients with long term symptoms, despite the recommended antibiotic treatments.

Prevention is better than the cure when it comes to Lyme disease, as this prevalent tick-borne condition can be difficult to diagnose and treat and can lead to some unpleasant and potentially harmful long term symptoms.

Experts have identified a number of strategies that have been shown to reduce tick abundance and therefore help to reduce the spread of Lyme disease, but there are currently no state-wide measures in place to deal with this growing problem.

Deer Population Control

Reducing the numbers of deer populations in high risk Lyme disease zones is a controversial strategy, but in many areas these animals are seen as one of the prime carriers of the infected ticks. This has been shown to be a potentially effective strategy as can be seen by examples such as Monhegan Island, Maine.  Here the populations of white tailed deer were totally eliminated during 1999 and 2000, and by 2004 no blacklegged ticks were found at all on the rodents on the island.  However it has not been shown conclusively that these techniques can have a significant effect on reducing the numbers of infected ticks in non-isolated areas such as mainland USA.

White Tailed Deer

Host-Target Methods

A more humane and potentially more effective method is currently being trialed, and this is called host-targeting.  This involves setting up deer feeding stations that are equipped with applicators that dispense pesticides, and also baited devices that can kill ticks feeding on rodents such as rats, mice and shrews, which are also prime carriers of infected ticks.  Host-targeted methods have performed well in testing, and initial trials have shown that the using pesticide treatments at deer feeding stations reduced populations of the known carriers of Lyme disease, the blacklegged tick ((Ixodes scapularis), by as much as 69%.  Rodent baited pesticide devices also showed well in the trials, and were also effective at reducing populations of blacklegged ticks.

Pesticides

Pesticides, in particular acaricides (targeted at the Acari group which includes mites and ticks), have been used effectively to suppress tick populations in residential areas.  This works well in combination with efforts to remove brush, dense landscaping, leaf litter and woodpiles around domestic dwellings, and in general open up areas to reduce habitats for both ticks and the prey they feed on such as deer and rodents.  The pesticides cyfluthrin, deltamethrin and carbaryl have been shown to be particularly effective at killing the nymph stage of the blacklegged ticks (Ixodes scapularis), but homeowners are not always willing to use pesticides heavily around their own properties.  There are also some concerns that pesticides could be overused and this could affect fragile ecosystems.

Landscape Management

Landscape management practices can also be used to reduce tick abundance, and strategic one year intervals of controlled wild grassland and brush burning were found to reduce the populations of tick adults and larvae significantly.  Burnings scheduled for the spring time were found to be particularly effective.

There is no way of completely eliminating the presence of ticks in wild and residential environments, but there are a number of strategies available that could help to significantly reduce tick abundance, and help to in turn reduce the risks of Lyme disease being passed to humans and domestic animals.

If you spend a lot to time in areas with a high risk of ticks and other biting insects then you should learn as much as you can about how to prevent these insects from attacking you, as not only can this result in painful and irritating bites but many insects can also carry harmful pathogens that cause nasty diseases, such as the tick-borne condition Lyme disease.

Prevent Tick Bites

Tall grass and woodland boundary

Prevention is better than the cure when it comes to tick-borne diseases, and although these old fashioned tick prevention measures are not guaranteed, they can help you to prevent tick bites when you are moving through high risk areas such as dense undergrowth and tall grass at forest and woodland boundaries:
• Clothing – ticks lay in wait for their prey in low level grass and undergrowth, and most people pick up ticks around their feet, ankles and lower legs. Ticks need a soft, safe place to feed from and will typically grab onto your trousers or legs as you brush past, and then crawl up your clothing to find a more secure area to bite you from such as the backs of your knees or your stomach and lower torso. By making sure you wear long trousers with the hems tucked into thick socks you can prevent ticks from finding easy places to bite you, and if you wear light colored clothing when you return home or get back to your car you can quickly check for any ticks that have clung onto you and brush them off before they find a vulnerable spot to bite you. It is also a good idea to wear long sleeved tops as well and gloves if you are gardening or clearing brush in high risk tick areas, and always wash your clothes and footwear as soon as possible when you get home just in case  there are any ticks still lurking.
• Avoid Long Grass – ticks mostly feed from small mammals such as mice, rabbits and deer, and will target key areas where these animals live and feed such as long grass and dense undergrowth. Therefore if you are going out hiking try and avoid moving through these high risk areas if at all possible, and stick to clear open ground where it is less likely feeding ticks will be present.
• Insect repellent – if you do need to go into high risk areas an added measure of protection can be offered by treating your clothes with an insect repellant such as citron oil, and a more modern equivalent would be a chemical such as permethrin, however these treatments are not guaranteed to work and toxic chemicals should not be used regularly close to the skin, as the long term exposure risks are not yet fully understood.

New Research into Old Fashioned Remedies

For centuries the American Beautyberry (Callicarpa americana) has been used in northeastern Mississippi by farm workers to repel ticks and prevent tick-borne disease, and recent research from the US Department of Agriculture’s main scientific research unit, the Agricultural Research Service (ARS), has revealed that there could actually be some scientific evidence to back up the effectiveness of this old fashioned tick prevention remedy.

American Beautyberry (Callicarpa Americana)

Researchers tested the American Beautyberry plant and found that compounds released from the crushed leaves actually repelled biting insects such as mosquitoes and ticks in clinical tests. Two compounds in particular, callicarpenal and intermedeol, were isolated as being effective against the blacklegged tick (which carries a number of diseases including Lyme disease). Although this research is still only in the early stages, researchers believe that the compounds isolated from the American Beautyberry could prove to be important substances in the fight against tick-borne disease in the future.

Not all ticks carry the Borrelia burgdorferi bacterium responsible for Lyme disease, and if you live in, or intend to travel through an area with a risk of Lyme disease it is important you understand which species of ticks are potentially harmful so that if you do get bitten you can take the appropriate action. 

Ixodes scapularis - The Deer Tick

Deer Ticks

Those ticks that primarily carry the Borrelia burgdorferi bacterium are blacklegged ticks (Ixodes scapularis), also known as deer or bear ticks, and these are very small when they are not engorged (around the size of a pinhead), and when they have fed they swell to around the size of the tip of a pen.  The female is slightly larger and reddish brown and the male darker brown in color, and they are very difficult to spot on household pets.  Deer ticks live in the woodland and forest in dense, cool underground, leaf litter and brush and feed mainly on mammals such as rodents and deer, and because they predominantly live on the woodland edges and in densely landscaped residential areas they can regularly come into contact with humans.  Deer ticks wait near ground level for passing prey, and can latch onto your feet, legs and ankles as you brush past, crawling upwards until they find a spot to bite you.  Lyme disease can be treated with oral or injected antibiotics, and early diagnosis and treatment is essential as this disease can cause serious complications such as Lyme arthritis and problems with the heart and nervous system.

Western blacklegged Ticks

Western blacklegged ticks (Ixodes Pacificus) are physically very similar to the blacklegged deer tick, and are also known to carry the Borrelia burgdorferi bacterium that causes Lyme disease and are found in the same kinds of habitats and also throughout more open grasslands.

Rhipicephalus Sanguineus - The Brown Dog Tick

Brown Dog Ticks

Brown Dog ticks (Rhipicephalus Sanguineus) are a slightly larger species and are much easier to spot, and when they are engorged they form a visible, grey/green color blob, about the size of a fingernail.  They are not known for carrying the Borrelia burgdorferi bacterium, but they can transmit Ehrlichiosis to both pets and humans, which can cause fever, fatigue and lameness. Ehrlichiosis can be treated with antibiotics, and it is important to diagnose the condition early as it can cause serious blood related problems in vulnerable people such as young children and older adults.  Brown dog ticks can be found in grassy and wooded areas and anywhere dogs are kept including kennels and barns.

Dermacentor variabilis - The American Dog Tick

American Dog Ticks

American Dog ticks (Dermacentor variabilis) do not carry the Borrelia burgdorferi bacterium, but they can transmit other diseases to both pets and humans such as Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (RMSF), which is caused by the Rickettsia rickettsii bacterium, and symptoms include fever, nausea, vomiting, and severe headaches, and this can be treated effectively with antibiotics. American dog ticks can be found in grassy areas, meadows and woodland.

Amblyomma Americanum - The Lone Star Tick

Lone Star Ticks

Lone Star ticks (Amblyomma Americanum)  are also known as seed ticks, and are similar in size to dog ticks but they have a distinctive white blob on their backs.  There is some debate over whether or not Lone star ticks carry the Borrelia burgdorferi bacterium, but they have been confirmed as carriers for Ehrlichiosis and RMSF.  Lone star ticks live mostly in wooded areas with ground cover and brush, and are also found along creeks and rivers

Cheers to Dr. Mehmet Oz for bringing more badly needed attention to Lyme disease on the “Oprah & Friends Radio Show” on Wed. November 26th.

The acclaimed Dr. Oz who often appears on “Oprah” conducted an interview with filmmaker Andy Abrahams Wilson who made the film “Under Our Skin:  The Untold Story of Lyme Disease” and reporter Kathy Fowler.

Unfortunately Lyme Disease is still very misunderstood and often not diagnosed early which is very critical for effective treatment. It is amazing how many Doctors don’t know anything about Lyme Disease with many Doctors actually claiming that chronic Lyme Disease does not exist.

Most people who are infected with Lyme Disease also have one or more co-infections. If you have been diagnosed with Lyme Disease it is very important that you are tested for other co-infections that can often tag along with the Lyme. These co-infections are other bacterium, viruses and protozoan parasites such as Babesiosis, Bartonella, Ehrlichiosis, Mycoplasma, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Colorado Tick Fever, Tularemia , Powassan encephalitis and others. It is very important to test for these as treatment will often be different depending on what type of co-infection one has.

Current consensus is that co-infections need to be treated first in order to successfully treat Lyme Disease as treatment of Lyme Disease becomes more complicated when there are co-infections present. Often treatment of Lyme is more successful when co-infections are first eliminated. Many Lyme Disease researchers now believe that co-infections are one of the reasons why some people do not respond to Lyme Disease treatment.