As the weather gets warmer, we enjoy more time outdoors. With warm weather comes more exposure to tick bites, which can lead to Lyme Disease. Lyme disease is a bacterial infection of Borrellia burgdorferi, a spirochete bacterium that can take many shapes once it infects humans.

The typical sign from a tick bite would be a ” bulls eye” rash accompanied with fever and pain. However, this really isn’t the best indicator to prove that you have been bitten by a tick. In fact, most people may not have any visible symptoms at all. This is why Lyme disease can be so difficult to diagnose and treat.

Lyme disease is very complex. It can be categorized as an acute illness to some, but a long term, chronic, debilitating illness for many others. In addition to Lyme disease, these ticks can also transmit other co-infections. These organisms known as Anaplasma, Bartonella, Babesia, Mycoplasma, Rickettsia and Ehrlichia, are often worse than Lyme disease itself and can cause long-term autoimmune disorders if left untreated.
Symptoms of Lyme include:

Joint pain
Fevers
Extreme chronic fatigue
Weakness
Autoimmune disorders such as Multiple sclerosis
Neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease
Brain fog or cognitive impairment
Gastrointestinal issues
Food allergies/ sensitivities
Chemical sensitivities
Malabsorption
Paralysis
Arthritis

One reason why Lyme is on the rise may be due to climate change. Unusually warm temperatures don’t allow ticks to die off in cold winter months. Another reason may be because of an overpopulation of certain infected hosts that are rapidly spreading the bacteria that causes Lyme to other insects and animals. In the past 30 years or so, it is believed that Lyme carrying hosts have become much more aggressive and stronger. This just makes things so much more complicated.

Seeking treatment immediately is extremely important and crucial to the recovery process. Lyme disease can be treated and you can recover fully from it. It’s also important to address immune disruptors, as well.
Lyme can be treated with many useful therapies such as:

Antibiotic therapy – short term
Herbal antimicrobials
Nutritional Supplements for immune boosting
IV therapy
Low dose immunotherapy
Diet and lifestyle

I want to stress the importance of diet and lifestyle. Following an alkaline diet is key. Microbes do not like to live in alkaline environments, therefore it’s very beneficial to focus on eating foods that are alkalizing. This helps tremendously in recovering from Lyme and co-infections. I find my patients do very well with individualized food plans, based on their specific cases. I incorporate stress reduction programs into treatment plans, as well. Getting proper sleep is critical to recovery, as Lyme disease tends to disrupt the sleep cycle and interferes with the time our bodies need to heal.
After all, it is these lifestyle adjustments that will only encourage beneficial, long-term habits.