By Gregory Powell


The underlying etiology of Lyme disease are spirochetes that are transmitted by vector ticks. The disease is also spread by sharing blood and blood products. Since it is highly contagious, once the member of a household has been diagnosed to have the disease, other persons in the household should also be screened and treated. The conventional treatment involves antibiotics but other treatments are now being tried as well. We will explore some of these alternative Lyme therapies.

Oral antibiotics are administered over some weeks or months. Those commonly used include amoxicillin, cefuroxime and doxycycline. Penicillin and ceftriaxone may be administered for the severe cases. Side effects that may be encountered with the antibiotics include abdominal pain, nausea, diarrhea and rash. When used for a prolonged period of time, it may lead to autoimmune conditions.

Homeopathy s one of the alternative treatment options that one may benefit from. Practitioners who offer this form of treatment make their diagnosis by considering the symptomatic pattern of the illness. The therapy is focused on achieving the wellness of the whole body. An intensive therapy phase is provided to eliminate as much as 75% of the symptoms. This is then followed by a chronic phase (usually once a year) to take care of flare ups.

Proper diet is key to recovery. Persons diagnosed with the disease should drink as much water as possible (minimum of eight glasses per day). Water helps greatly with the process of detoxification and expedites healing. Legumes should be increased to two or three servings every day. They have the benefit of removing toxins from the intestines and their expulsion from the digestive tract.

Probiotics are effective in the prevention and treatment of yeast infections. 10 billion live cultures taken an hour before antibiotics helps is the usual prevention dosage. In case of an active infection, the dosage should be increased to 20 billion cultures. Herbal medicine may also be used for the same. The common types of herbal medicine include garlic, thyme oil, caprilic oil and rosemary oil among others.

Antioxidants help to reduce oxidative stress and to enhance antibiotic activity. Green tea and curcumin have particularly high levels of antioxidants. 500mg of curcumin is available as pill that is taken three times a day. In addition to its antioxidant properties, curcumin also helps to lower the concentration of cytokines whole concentration is greatly raised in the disease. Lowering this cytokines helps to reduce the risk of autoimmune conditions.

Taking part in regular physical exercise expedites the healing process. Increased oxygen supply to body tissues destroys the bacteria. The exercise should ideally de undertaken a few minutes before or after administration of drugs. A minimum of 8 hours of sleep per night has been shown to be beneficial.

There are several co-infections that are usually seen together with Lyme disease. These have been to be more aggressive than the primary infection in some cases. Treatment should also be directed towards the elimination of such infections. Babesia is one of the commonest and affects up to 66% of those with the condition. It is manifested through neurological deficiencies. There are many herbal combinations that have been used successfully.




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