Lyme Disease
Have you ever heard about Borreliosis or Lyme Disease?
If not, then perhaps, it is time that you should learn more about it, because its presence became much more common in a last two decades. If you struggle with unusual symptoms and you can’t get to the bottom of it, this information may be of interest to you.
This disease seems to cause many problems to a growing number of population worldwide.
The uniqueness of this disease is that a bacteria, Borrelia Burgdorferi (usually carried by ticks), which is principally involved in Lyme Disease, causes a multi-systemic and multi-symptomatic illness (check here to see how Lyme Disease can mimic other disease symptoms), depending what body part/system has been targeted. Like syphilis, Lyme disease may have a latency period of months to years before symptoms of late infection emerge.
The challenges associated with Lyme Disease are based on the fact that it is very difficult to diagnose, and because of that many people who have strange neurological symptoms may not even be aware that they carry bacteria Borrelia and other co-infections.
In our centre we do not diagnose Lyme Disease, however, our LBA/Dark Field Blood Test can often prove to be helpful to spot Borrelia Burgdorferi (in its spirochete form) in the blood. If this spirochete is not visible, it does not mean that the issue is not there, because spirochetes can hide and morph to other forms, which is difficult to identify using LBA. Other test may need to be carried.
Here are the most important facts about Lyme Disease:
- Lyme Disease can be very hard to diagnose and may present a confusing picture. Additionally, 50% of people with documented Lyme do not have a history of tick bite or rash.
- Lyme Disease is today’s “modern masquerader” and can masquerade as arthritis, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, Bell’s palsy, Multiple Sclerosis, ALS, Alzheimer’s, neurological disorders or psychiatric disorders, especially in the later stages. Lyme Disease presents in a variety of ways. (list of 300 Medical Conditions related to Lyme Borreliosis can be seen here)
- Lyme Disease is the most common vector-borne infection in the USA and Europe.
- Co-infections and other opportunistic chronic infections such as Bartonella, Babesia, Erlichia, Candida, parasites and Epstein-Bar virus, Herpes virus are often found co-existing with Lyme Disease. The presence of co-infection with these organisms points to probable infection with the Lyme spirochete as well. If these co-infections are left untreated, their continued presence increases morbidity and may prevent successful treatment of Lyme disease.
- Lyme Disease can hide from the immune system and its patrolling white cells and may not show up on a common diagnostic Lyme tests.
How Does It Spread?
Lyme disease is transmitted by an infected tick. The bite is usually not painful and can easily be missed. Transmission of the spirochete appears to require the tick to feed at least 12-24 hours (4).
It can also be passed through sexual contact and kissing, (just like STDs)
From infected mother to a child through placenta,
From infected animals
Signs and Symptoms of Lyme Disease
Stages Of Infection
Within the first few weeks after skin infection, B. burgdorferi may disseminate to the CNS where it may remain quietly for months to years before producing symptoms (23). Because approximately one-third of infected patients do not recall the tick bite or rash and because the flu-like symptoms are nonspecific and may be mild, patients may not realize that they are infected until long after the initial bite.
Neurologic problems, which occur in 15%-40% of patients, may be the presenting symptom. Early on, patients may experience headaches without any signs of inflammation in the CSF. Shortly thereafter, patients may develop meningitis, cranial neuritis, and motor or sensory radiculitis. With meningitis, symptoms may include recurrent severe headaches, stiff neck, photophobia, and, less commonly, nausea and vomiting. At this stage, objective signs are commonly present in the CSF (see the section on CNS laboratory tests).
In less than half of the patients with meningitis, a mild encephalitis develops that is characterized by fluctuating disturbances of mood, concentration, memory, and sleep. Cranial neuritis, such as Bell’s palsy, occurs in 5%-10% of patients with neurologic Lyme disease. Other signs of peripheral nerve involvement include sensory or motor radiculoneuropathies; objective abnormalities may be evident on nerve conduction studies. Symptoms of peripheral neuropathy typically include sharp shooting pains, areas of numbness, paresthesias, weakness, or fasciculations.
Later-stage illness (months to years after infection) generally affects the joints, eyes, skin, or CNS. Arthritic involvement begins with migratory arthralgias and, in 60% of untreated patients, develops into an inflammatory arthritis, typically affecting the large inflammatory arthritis, typically affecting the large joints, such as the knee. Ophthalmologic involvement may consist of localized inflammation such as uveitis, iritis, or optic neuritis.
Under Our Skin – Extended Trailer
Natural Support Treatment options for Borreliosis – Lyme Disease (for more info click here)
Lyme Autism Link (read more here)
A typical Neurologic Manifestations of Lyme Disease
Case reports, have linked a variety of neurologic syndromes to late Lyme disease; these include blindness, progressive dementias, seizure disorders, strokes, Guillain-Barre syndrome, and progressive demyelinating-like syndromes mimicking multiple sclerosis.
Lyme disease is a multisystemic illness that can affect the central nervous system (CNS), causing neurologic and psychiatric symptoms.
Up to 40% of patients with Lyme disease develop neurologic involvement of either the peripheral or central nervous system. Dissemination to the CNS can occur within the first few weeks after skin infection. Early signs include meningitis, encephalitis, cranial neuritis, and radiculoneuropathies. Later, encephalomyelitis and encephalopathy may occur.
A broad range of psychiatric reactions have been associated with Lyme disease, including paranoia, dementia, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, panic attacks, major depression, anorexia nervosa, and obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Depressive states among patients with late Lyme disease are fairly common, ranging across studies from 26% to 66%. The microbiology of Borrelia burgdorferi sheds light on why Lyme disease can be relapsing and remitting and why it can be refractory to normal immune surveillance and standard antibiotic regimens.
Lyme encephalopathy, primarily manifested by disturbances in memory, mood, and sleep, is a common late neurologic manifestation of Lyme disease.
Ref.: Memory impairment and depression in patients with Lyme encephalopathy (source: Neurology July 1992 vol. 42 no. 7 1263)
Dr. Eva Sapi – Bacterial Biofilms and Lyme Disease (YouTube)
Biotoxins are the thing that makes us sick. Antibiotics as a solution is naive. Bugs in biofilms are not visible to current diagnostic tools. They still give you the buzzing, the numbness, and other symptoms though because they are still producing their biotoxins even while deeply concealed in protective biofilms.”
– quote from Dr. Klinghardt, MD, PhD, specializing in Lyme disease and Autism and ASD
Lyme Disease Associated with Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (for more info click here)
Lyme Disease – possible factor in some cases of Autistic children (for more info click here)
Natural Support Treatment options for Borreliosis – Lyme Disease (for more info click here)