By Toni Eatros, MS, Dipl Ac, AP
Every day, more and more people are labeled with the Lyme Disease diagnosis. If you or a loved one has already received this diagnosis, you know what a tumultuous road it can be to try and regain your health. Often, there are glimpses of hope, then suddenly a huge flare up of symptoms that can completely shut down your ability to just get out of bed every day. Activities of daily living can become a huge struggle. Depression can creep in after years or decades of suffering from nerve, muscle and joint pain, fatigue, digestive issues, twitching, spasm, brain fog, memory loss, and the list goes on and on.
What if the mainstream theory of Lyme Disease being caused by a bacteria, Borrelia burgdorferi, is incorrect? What if Lyme isn’t caused by a tick bite? What if the symptoms that make up the Lyme Disease diagnosis are really caused by a virus? Is this just crazy thinking? Maybe not.
Borrelia burgdorferi is a normal part of our environment that is carried by every human and every animal on the planet. This bacteria is harmless. At least 60% of the population will test positive for this bacteria, and a good majority of these people are completely healthy, exhibiting no symptoms of Lyme, whatsoever. So, testing for this bacteria, in order to give the Lyme Diagnosis, is going down the wrong path.
Frequently, in my clinic I watch my Lyme Disease patients go on round after round of antibiotics. These people often get a glimpse of hope with each round, but always end up crashing and their symptoms become worse each time. Over the years, they slide further back into the despair that has become their lives. However, if Lyme Disease is actually caused by a virus, it makes sense why the antibiotics are ineffective and why people get worse. The antibiotics are actually food for the virus, which makes the virus stronger and replicate faster. The viruses associated with Lyme include Epstein-Barr, cytomegalovirus, and various strains of the herpes virus. If a person also has a high level of toxic heavy metals in their system, likely their symptoms will be even more severe. Heavy metals are also another favorite food of these viruses.
These viruses are usually contracted years or decades prior to the onset of the Lyme symptoms. Your immune system drives the virus into a dormant state, where it hides in the liver, spleen, small intestine, central nervous system or other areas where the immune system can’t detect it. One day, you will undergo some sort of prolonged stress or trigger that allows the virus to come out of hiding and attack your system when your immune defenses are down.
The Most Common Lyme Triggers: (usually one or more of these events occur within 3-12 months prior to the onset of your symptoms)
• Mold
• Mercury-based dental amalgam fillings
(do not remove these all at the same time)
• Mercury toxicity, passed down from previous
generations and from eating seafood
• Pesticides and herbicides
• Insecticides in the home
• Death in the family
• Broken heart
• Serving in the role of care-giver to a sick loved one
• Spider bite
• Bee sting
• Prescription medications such as antibiotics and
benzodiazepines
• Over prescribed medications
• Recreational drug use
• Financial stress
• Physical injuries
• Swimming in water contaminated with algae
and bacteria
• Swimming in water contaminated with runoff of
heavy metals and other toxins
• Professional carpet cleaning
• Fresh pain
• Insomnia
• Tick bite (this is a trigger, not the cause)
When your immune system is low from the stress of one of the above incidents, the virus attacks. Now your immune system is completely overwhelmed, from the stress and the virus, so you are now wide open to contracting one or more cofactor infections. These co-infections are simultaneous infections, not the cause of Lyme.
Cofactors of Lyme
• Streptococcus A and B
• E. coli
• Mycoplasma pneumonia
• H. pylori
• Chlamoydophila pneumonia
• Toxic molds
• Candida
Testing for Lyme is completely unreliable. As mentioned earlier, the standard Lyme tests are looking for the Borrelia burgdorferi infection, which is mistakenly called the cause of Lyme. Since this test isn’t testing for the correct cause, this test is completely irrelevant and often comes back as a false positive. Testing for the viruses can be tricky and is also unreliable. The best way to determine if you have a viral infection causing Lyme symptoms is to focus on your history and symptom profile. If you have experienced one of the triggers listed above and you are experiencing those symptoms, there is a good chance that you re suffering from one of the viruses that create Lyme symptoms.
If symptoms are caused by a virus and not a bacteria, the treatment protocol needs to change to address the virus. Treatment takes a long time, so patience is critical. You may not be able to kill all of the virus, but you should be able to force the viral infection back into the dormant state where it is rendered harmless. The time it takes to heal is dependent on a variety of factors, such as how aggressive the virus you have is, if you have taken antibiotics recently, if you have heavy metal toxicity and how far along you are in the disease process. It will likely take between 6 months and 2 years to completely heal. You have the ability to heal and your body wants to heal. You just need to provide the body with what it needs to do this and eliminate the harmful elements that are making your symptoms worse.
At Acupuncture and Natural Health Solutions, we work to help people suffering from Lyme Disease finally heal. We have treatment plans that incorporate acupuncture, healing foods, herbs and supplements to build up your immune system and help to kill the virus. We also work to detoxify heavy metals if they are present, using healing foods and herbs and not using invasive chelation therapy. We also work to clear your body of the toxic viral byproducts that accompany a viral infection. And last, but not least, we work to boost your mood and decrease feelings of depression and anxiety. If this approach resonates with you. If you have been on the antibiotic rollercoaster for years or decades and find yourself worsening year after year, schedule an appointment now and let us show you a different approach to regaining your health. You can call, 239-260-4566 or schedule online at www.acupuncturesolutionsonline.com. We look forward to meeting you and helping you regain your quality of life and independence.
Acupuncture & Natural Health Solutions
239-260-4566
www.acupuncturesolutionsonline.com