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U.S. GOVERNMENT agencies and scientifically-honest researchers agree – Lyme disease is the “illness with a thousand faces.”
“The Great Imitator” ravages patients with at least 39 symptoms that make the infection difficult to diagnose.
The similarity of Lyme symptoms to those caused by lupus, lymphatic cancer, multiple sclerosis, chronic fatigue syndrome, HIV-AIDS, fibromyalgia, depression and other serious illnesses vexes doctors.
Those who haven’t kept up with developments in Lyme research often write their patients off as hypochondriacs.
They put them on anti-depressants or send them to see a psychiatrist, claiming Lyme is “rare” and “not in this part of the country,” even though skyrocketing numbers of infections have been documented in every state.
Other doctors believe their patients are sick, but refuse to believe they have Lyme.
They order up test after expensive test for AIDS, lupus, cancers, tuberculosis and more, seemingly unaware that the United States is in the throes of a hidden epidemic that may affect as many as 150 million people.
That’s the frightening projection from a computer model developed by Lyme specialists in Texas who say it’s possible half the population carries latent Lyme that could be triggered at any time by trauma, stress or an unrelated sickness.
Here, from medical journals, newspapers, magazines, and clinical and epidemiological studies, are prime symptoms of the illness. Treatment options follow.
1. Rash at bite site or other sites
2. Muscle twitching of the face or other areas
3. Unexplained fevers, sweats, chills
4. Headache
5. Fatigue
6. Neck creaks and cracks, neck stiffness
7. Unexplained weight change (loss or gain)
8. Tingling, numbness, burning, stabbing sensations
9. Unexplained hair loss
10. Facial paralysis
11. Swollen glands
12. Eyes/vision: loss of vision, double, blurry, pain, increased floaters
13. Sore throat
14. Ears/hearing: buzzing, ringing, ear pain
15. Testicular pain/pelvic pain
16. Dizziness, poor balance
17. Increased motion sickness
18. Unexplained menstrual irregularity light-headedness, wooziness, difficulty walking
19. Unexplained milk production (lactation)
20. Tremors
21. Irritable bladder or bladder dysfunction
22. Disturbed sleep
23. Sexual dysfunction or loss of libido
24. Confusion, difficulty in thinking
25. Upset stomach or change in bowel function
26. Difficulty with concentration or reading
27. Chest pain or rib soreness
28. Forgetfulness, poor short-term memory
29. Shortness of breath, cough
30. Difficulty with speech
31. Heart palpitations, pulse skips, heart block
32. Joint pain or swelling
33. Mood swings, irritability, depression
34. Stiffness of the joints, neck or back
35. Heart murmur or valve prolapse
36. Muscle pain or cramps
37. Exaggerated or worse hangover from alcohol
38. Rash at bite site or other site
READER ADVISORY: If you have symptoms or think you have Lyme Disease, ask your doctor for a blood test. Testing isn’t definitive, but it can help you and your doctor to arrive at a clinical diagnosis and suggest treatment for Lyme.
Treatment Options
Pharmaceutically, the Centers for Disease Control and other federal agencies make it clear that broad spectrum anti-biotics such as Doxycyline are indicated in the treatment of Lyme.
Herbally, holistic doctors recommend various supplements, as you might imagine, based on the patient’s general health and needs.
When using herbs, 90- to 100-day regimens are the norm herbally, although longer treatments aren’t unheard of. Discuss with your doctor so you won’t be disappointed – relief can be slow in coming.
Anti-biotic treatment will last anywhere from three weeks to several months or even years, depending on variables that include age, length of sickness and also factors that are, to date, unknown.
Long-term oral and intravenous anti-biotics are often necessary to successfully treat stubborn cases of the disease.
Not all patients get well with anti-biotic treatments, which is why many turn to herbal therapies, either for use in conjunction with anti-biotics or alone.
Regardless of the therapy you choose, early diagnosis and aggressive treatment can prevent many of the severe and debilitating complications of Lyme disease, the CDC and Lyme specialists agree.
Additional “home remedy” and self-help techniques have helped Lyme patients get well faster.
Derek Clontz, who has interviewed hundreds of patients, doctors and others on the front lines of the Lyme epidemic, says successful patients report that they:
1. Drink lots of water: 84 ounces a day filtered or steam distilled.
5. Exercise 30 to 60 minutes a day – working up a sweat if their physical condition allows it.
6. Body-brush morning and night, a process that exfoliates and conditions the skin – the body’s “third kidney” – helping with the elimination of dead bacteria and toxins. It’s good for circulation, too.
7. Meditate and pray to reduce extreme stress and keep a positive attitude.
8. Eat fresh, whole, living foods while eliminating all the processed food possible.
The self-help techniques are simple, says Clontz, and they make good sense. Prayer and meditation, “in almost every case” are a prime therapeutic ingredients, she adds, and Lyme patients are using them “to very good effect.”
Commonsense Advisory: Report is presented for your information and is not to be construed as medical advice. Neither the publisher nor the writer makes any claims that antibiotic prescriptions or herbal supplements will treat or cure Lyme disease. If you are seriously ill or think you might be, consult a qualified health professional before you attempt to diagnose or treat yourself.
