Lyme Disease: You May Need More Than Just Antibiotics for Care If Symptoms Didn’t Improve

When people think of Lyme Disease, they think of tick bites, fevers, being ill and going to the Doctor for antibiotics; that is the gist in the conventional healthcare world and pretty darn effective (for a straight forward acute situation with obvious symptoms and a high load of transfer that made them “sick from the get go”). And if a person feels like a million bucks after the conventional care that actually tested, found it and treated, that is great!

But what if a person doesn’t feel great after antibiotics for Lyme?…..Or they weren’t tested? Or the test didn’t accurate reflect the full situation because even the CDC says the ELISA and Western Blot don’t capture all cases?

This is the hard truth for many who have been diagnosed (or yet to be found & diagnosed) with “Lyme.” Side note: the term “Lyme” can have a few meanings: most usually mean Lyme Borreliosis (from one of the borrelia species), but people will also say the term “Lyme” when referring to other types of bacterias, protozoans or viruses that you will often hear called “lyme coinfections.”

Antibiotics are the mainstay for conventional treatment after the conventional test actually finds it (and I do agree with patients seeking medical evaluation if they suspect Acute Lyme Disease and have yet to be diagnosed – they likely need prescription antibiotics!).

In the same breath, nutrition, wellness & health restoration is another layer to healthcare that we can get into with this vector borne topic. Sometimes, nutrition & lifestyle related care is what helps the patient get out of the woods.

What is Lyme Disease?

Some basics: Lyme disease is the most common vector-borne disease in the United States. It is often used as an umbrella term for multiple vectorborne issues. Lyme disease is caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi, which typically comes from the bite of an infected tick, but multiple sources say it can come from other vectors, be spread sexually, and spread from mother to baby.

Lyme Disease is tricky!

Symptoms of it are “non-specific” meaning symptoms could point to a million things and Lyme Disease sometimes gets overlooked for many reasons. The obvious bullseye circle bite plus fever often alerts a practitioner to rule out or confirm this, but the bulleyes doesn’t show (or patient isn’t aware of it) in all situations so its not always a straight forward diagnosis. Some tests are known for high false negatives. Plus many feel fine with the initial transmission as maybe it was a low load or their immune system at the time of bite could handle the microbes.

Conventional Testing for Lyme disease

Bloodwork is the mainstay when it comes to diagnosing Lyme Disease. However, bloodwork is notoriously known for showing false negatives, so Doctors should also rely heavily on diagnosis through a patient’s symptomatology when it comes to Lyme Disease. Lyme can be hard to be picked up via conventional blood testing as it can burrow in other places in the body or “hide” in biofilms, or not enough detectable antibodies are present at the exact time of the blood draw.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) points out that patients tested during the first few weeks of illness often test negative, because there’s not enough antibodies in the bloodstream to be detected. The ELISA and Western blot can miss up to 60% of well-defined Lyme disease cases.

Functional Testing: Tickborne Testing

Functional/Integrative Practitioners often use other tests, like the Tickborne 1.0 or 2.0, or Igenex testing (can self order again) which detects Lyme Disease and other tickborne diseases through both antigen and PCR detection of microorganisms. The Tickborne Diseases panel tests for IgG and IgM antibodies for Borreliosis/Lyme Disease, plus it tests for other co-infection(s) and opportunistic infections with other tickborne illnesses, and detection of DNA of the species causing these infections. The test can also detect lower level of antibodies compared to ELISA-Enhanced IgM for early detection.

What are Lyme co-infections?

A co-infection is a simultaneous infection by two or more pathogen species – meaning a human has two infections going on at once. A person with Lyme Disease who also has co-infections (very common) generally experiences symptoms for a while and has a longer recovery. Ticks don’t just carry Borrelia, but can also carry Bartonella and Babesia which are common coinfections.

Symptoms of Lyme Disease CAN include the following (which can present immediately or can show up weeks later):

• “Bullseye” rash
• Fever
• Headache
• Fatigue
• Joint pain
• Swollen lymph nodes
• Irregular heartbeats
• Nervous system manifestations
• Hair loss on the scalp
• Weight loss resistance
• Light sensitivity

Conventional Treatment of Lyme Disease:

Antibiotics (often multiple at a time) like doxycycline are prescribed for those who are diagnosed by a Doctor with Lyme disease.

But why do some patients still have lingering symptoms and report not feeling better even after antibiotics?

Here is one study that indicates that these bacterial cells can lie dormant and become persistent and difficult to treat when not identified in the acute phase. As stated above, sometimes the patient is just fine after transmission; it is often a series of events (living in toxic indoor mold, poor diet, stress) that cause the pathogen to come out of dormancy.

Other things can also contribute to a person not feeling great even post antibiotics: The totality of Lyme Disease plus other underlying infections, toxicities, and stressors can lead to a patient still feeling poorly. This is often the straw that breaks the camel’s back that leads to the patient pushing for more answers EVEN AFTER antibiotic treatment.

Post-Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome

Even after conventional treatment, According to the Cleveland Clinic, “some people (estimated at 5% to 15%) may experience lingering fatigue, achiness or headaches.” This is known as Post-Treatment Lyme disease syndrome (PTLDS). PTLDS typically won’t respond to additional antibiotics anyways. This is where Functional/Integrative healthcare usually takes the reigns.

Do still need to initially see your doctor for medical evaluation and likely antibiotics or antimicrobials first and foremost? Yes! This is a time and place where conventional medicine shines! But if you are still not feeling great after antibiotics, there are other considerations and actions you can take.

SO WHAT ELSE COULD BE GOING ON and WHY DON’T YOU FEEL MUCH BETTER?

Lyme disease is tricky as its often not just the infection from the Borrelia bacteria;

• There may be some bacteria or microscopic parasite lying dormant OR hiding behind biofilms
• Intestinal parasites that have not yet been found lowering immunity
• Mycotoxin bioaccumulation or full on CIRS (from mold exposure) lowering immunity.
  • Check your house for clinically significant levels of mold with an at home ERMI Kit 1 at home test. If score is above a 5 which just tells us the house has too much, you need mold inspection to find the WHERE and WHY and then remediation.
• Heavy metal bioaccumulation (tap water, aluminum foil, deodorant) worsening mitochondrial health
• Virus presence like the EBV virus reactivated
• Poor diet
• Nutrient deficiencies as seen in bloodwork (low zinc, low vitamin A, low vitamin D, low glutathione, low CoQ10, etc.)

Functional Nutrition offers alternative ways to handle PTLDS by focusing on optimizing immune function, reducing inflammation, supporting the body’s natural healing processes, & addressing underlying concerns as shown in the list above. Reclaiming a PTLDS patient’s health can happen via utilizing therapeutic dietary interventions, and evidence-based supplementation.

This is general Functional/Integrative Nutrition guidance on the next set of things to pursue with PTLDS and in this order:

• Open drainage pathways – see below for more details but basically peeing, pooping, perspiring well
• Getting a GIMAP stool test done to see consequences and potential contributors of underlying gut dysbiosis, that is common in those with PTLDS
• Antiparasitic use (Parasites are extremely common but not commonly tested for or treated. And truth be told, conventional testing doesn’t always find them in stool studies anyways as they want to stay inside you and reproduce; they also wreak havoc on health in a variety of ways. Here is good article from University of Chicago Medicine)
• Use of binders to help mycotoxins leave the body and/or heavy metal detoxification if this is also an issue. This can help improve mitochondrial dysfunction that is caused from the totality of toxins and hits to the body.
• Long term correcting nutrient deficiencies to enhance phase 1 and phase 2 liver detoxification
• Eating a Mediterranean based diet to help decrease inflammation

What does “open drainage pathways” mean?

Kind of like it sounds – to drain things from the body that aren’t supposed to be there or should leave- and ideally things are flowing well from each link in the chain. The colon is the first major link when it comes to drainage, and then the kidneys and liver, next the lymphatic system, skin, and at the top – the cells.

If there is stagnation in any link in the chain, the “assembly line” of the body is backed up. If you aren’t pooping regularly to the tune of 1 to 3 soft yet formed stools per day, this is a problem and a barrier to normal metabolic detoxification. The body works best when it is efficiently and effectively able to rid itself of harmful pathogens and toxins. Check out my ~2 hour long online program called Discerningly Detoxing. I explain all of this step by step in great detail.

Note that drainage and detox are not the same thing:

• Drainage is the flowing process through the pathways of the toxin(s) leaving and ways that support this
• Detox is the actual pulling, killing, binding, of pathogens/toxins

In ideal health situations, the body does this well, but in not ideal health scenarios which is most Americans, the body needs support and proper nutrition to best facilitate this innate process.

Specific examples of ways to support open drainage pathways at various levels in the body:

• Colon related:
  • Magnesium & adequate fiber are helpful for bowel regularity which is main exit mode. Consider getting a GIMAP too for further nutrition related insight to the gut microbiome and rebalance as needed
• Kidney related:
  • Dehydration can be problematic for drainage, so staying hydrated is important. Red Light Therapy is another effective strategy too
• Liver related:
  • TUDCA supplement, Castor Oil Packing topically over the liver, Liposomal Glutathione for antioxidant support, Milk thistle supplementation, correcting nutrient deficiencies -all of these assists in phase 1 and phase 2 liver detoxification
• Lymphatic System related:
  • Exercise – especially ones that involve rebounding and jumping/trampoline, Massage -specifically lymphatic drainage massage, Gua Sha, hydration
• Skin related: Dry Brushing, Sweating / Infrared Sauna
• Cellular level: Mitochondrial support includes adequate sleep, anti-inflammatory diet, minimizing stress, addressing vitamin deficiencies, red light therapy, blocking or reducing EMF exposure

In short, when patients are pooping, peeing, sweating, sleeping, eating healthy – drainage pathways are being addressed and now is a good time to start pulling toxins and killing off pathogens/parasites/coinfections/mycotoxins/heavy metals.

Detoxification is a huge topic to succinctly try to tackle in a short blog – click here to read about my detoxification online program that outlines the phases of liver detoxification.

In short, what are other potential key players to “detox from” when it comes to PTLDS ?

Other toxins like mycotoxins or heavy metal bioaccumulation, and other co-infections can make a person more susceptible to PTLDS by lowering immune function and/or it can making it hard for symptoms to fully resolve. Heavy metals and mycotoxins also invite and encourage overgrowth of pathogens (like candida and parasites) which is just another layer of health chaos.

Detoxification: what can you do from a nutrition, lifestyle and supplementation perspective to address PTLDS and other potential overgrowths, toxins and co-infections?

• Using antiparasitics
  • So common around the world and prescribed annually to patients by Physicians in various countries; it is a next great step!
• Binders:
  • There are lots of options here: MCP, zeolites, activated charcoal, humic and fulvic acid are all binders that are studied – and I go into these details in my metabolic detoxification Discerningly Detoxing course as this is a huge topic. Prescription cholestyramine is often recommended in the CIRS community with reports that it is best at halting enterohepatic circulation
• Correcting nutrient deficiencies
  • This enhances the livers ability to detoxify and ship out some toxins into the bile and then the stool. Work with your healthcare team to screen for and correct with supplements as this area needs to be individualized.

Addressing Microorganisms Post Antibiotic Treatment

After parasites are eliminated and binders have been used over the course of 1-4 months (can be longer too), targeting chronic Borrelia/Bartonella/Babesia (elevated IgG levels) is the next step. There are multiple programs and protocols out there that get heavily debated. Cellcore’s IS-BORR/IS-BART/IS-BAB are nutraceuticals that are another effective intervention I recommend to patients. IS-BORR contains Cat’s Claw, which is anti-inflammatory and has immune-modulating properties. There are multiple other protocols out there too like “Return Healthy” available on Fullscript at 15% off and free shipping.

Tying it all together:

I realize this is a lot of information. I wish it wasn’t so multilayered, but for those struggling with chronic issues, we often have to use multiple tools in the toolkit to get healthier. I think of the most simple, straightforward protocols to follow are by Return Healthy on Fullscript and by Cellcore. Both have simplified, multi month start to finish kit that address the majority of what I highlighted in this blog. The multi month step by step kit is available only through Cellcore Practitioners at this website (My Cellcore Practitioner Code is 2FQLrpNb gives you access to the website).

After talking with your doctor, consider comprehensive protocol which includes the majority of aspects as described above.

Ongoing Nutrition Guidelines for PTLDS:

Following a Mediterranean diet, preventing nutrient deficiencies and “fixing” them if they come up, and a continued focus on ways to support metabolic detoxification are all important areas related to nutrition that help a person with PTLDS.

GIMAP Testing:

Note that Lyme Disease (and other co-infections) may have contributed to intestinal permeability and/or histamine intolerances. If this is the case, gut health support is key for you. This could involve strain specific probiotics, antimicrobials, glutamine, etc. depending upon your GIMAP results. I highly recommend getting a GIMAP test done to gather data on the biomarkers and then addressing the results.

I can help you navigate these holistic strategies and provide Medical Nutrition Therapy if you have already accessed your Physician for conventional treatment for Lyme Disease, but still not feeling your best and not sure where to turn.

We can focus on health restoration which is not a diagnosis, but focusing on optimizing your health.

References:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2682960

https://academic.oup.com/cid/article/33/6/780/328918

https://www.nejm.org/doi/10.1056/NEJMe1502350

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6287027

https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/27/2/20-2731_article

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC266646/?page=1

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1586/14787210.2015.1081056

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4258916

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