Lyme Disease is Unique

lyme disease outdoors

WHY is LYME DISEASE SUCH an UNIQUE DISEASE?

Lyme disease is unique.  Why is that?  What makes Lyme disease different from the vast majority of other diseases?

Lyme disease is unique, first of all, because of the consequences of not treating it early.  It is VERY important to be diagnosed quickly if you are bitten by a Bb (Burrelia Burdorferi=Lyme) infected tick.  If you go on the proper antibiotics within the first couple of months, they will get rid of any Bb or co-infections, but once they get a foothold, they are very difficult to get rid of.Unfortunately, very few doctors are what we call “Lyme Literate Doctors” or LLMDs.  They are NOT educated to recognize the early symptoms, and many of them will not even recognize the tell tale “bull’s eye” or  Erythema chronicum migrans  (EM) rash that a small percentage of infected people get in the earliest stages of the infection.  This rash guarantees, without any further testing, that the cause is Bb, and can be immediately and quickly treated with antibiotics and eradicated usually within three to six weeks.

backpacking lyme disease

Other doctors that have a bit of knowledge of the disease are taught that unless the rash is present, the person does not have LD (Lyme Disease).  This is what is presently claimed on the Wikipedia website, is absolutely false, and it is my opinion that the truth is being deliberately suppressed and withheld from doctors.  The more this disease is studied by sound research, the lower the percentage goes for those LD infected patients who display the EM rash.

In Canada, it is more likely to pick up Lyme Disease in southern Ontario and east than it is to get it here in Gibsons, BC, but it is possible to get it virtually anywhere in Canada that birds fly or pets move on vacation.  The BCCDC has posted warnings here since 2006, but the greatest occurrence of Lyme in Canada is in Ontario and east.  Something like 50% of the ticks collected in New York state up at the Canada-US border are infected, meaning they must be virtually the same in Canada in that area.

The so-called “Lyme” bacterium is unique

Bb (Burrelia Burgdorfori or Lyme) is a very unique and intriguing spirochete.  It has no ordinary protein cell walls, but has a perimeter of fatty acids, then cilia that help it move, then another layer of fatty acids.  It is not understood how the cilia can propel it inside these layers.

It also is a spirochete, or spiral shaped, which, along with its unusual fatty acid, rather than protein “casing” gives it the ability to move through the walls of blood vessels into surrounding tissue, organs, and even into the spinal column and eventually the brain.

lyme backcountry hiker

Once in the tissue and organs, many of the spirochetes become indefinitely dormant, forming cysts.  This continues as long as the blood is loaded with active Bb.

Once antibiotic therapy is begun, the active Bb in the blood stream are killed off.  If they are completely killed off, you begin to feel well, again.  The first thing you notice is a return of some of your energy.

Then, however, once the therapy terminates, some of the cysts can reactivate, reenter the blood stream, and the process begins again.  This is one of the reasons it takes so long to cure someone who has been sick for a while.  All the cysts must be eradicated to have a full cure.

Biofilm

Another recent discovery (within the last five years) is something called a “biofilm.”  This is an incredibly intriguing shield that the bacteria form right in the blood vessels when attacked by antibodies or antibiotics.  Lyme is unique compared to most known bacteria, because Bb bacteria form colonies on the sides of the blood vessels. They produce a film over these colonies that shields them from antibodies and antibiotics.

Certain antibiotics can penetrate the biofilm, but they are destroyed in the process.  This is why it is usually necessary to treat Lyme disease with multiple antibiotics if it is not caught in the first month or so.

I was also put on several non antibiotic extracts that have been shown to attack both the cyst coatings and this biofilm.  These products are easier on the body than antibiotics, but I still had to be on three antibiotics in very high doses.  It is imperative to go for regular liver tests when on antibiotic therapy like this, and also to take a very strong probiotic (not “over-the-counter.”  I buy a very specific brand online.)

lyme disease outdoors
Image by Hermann Traub on Pixabay.com

Ongoing research

I have done a LOT of research on this disease in the last 10 + years, so if you or anyone you know is suffering from this disease, or even a mysterious, multi-symptom chronic condition, contact me here or by email.  It’s very likely that I have the information you need to at least get started in the right direction.  Also, pass this on to your own health care provider.  Doctors want to see people get well, but they are generally very under-educated on this disease.

Beware!

To date, February 13, 2020, after fighting this monster since 2007, I have met a lot of people with Lyme disease.  Lyme disease is unique.  I have not met even one person who has had a permanent cure, if the disease wasn’t properly diagnosed and treated early.

I have met many people who have triumphantly claimed to have been cured.  Unfortunately, all of them, that is, those who had an accurate diagnosis of Lyme disease, have had it reoccur.

So far, no one knows how to actually cure Lyme disease, if it has gone beyond the acute stage.  That’s what makes Lyme unique.  That’s also what makes it critical to get an early diagnosis and treatment.

Beware of anyone trying to sell you a cure for Lyme disease.  There are a lot of people who either don’t know what they’re talking about, or who just plain have no conscience and who prey on sick people who are desperate.

The good news

Even with long term or chronic Lyme disease, it’s possible to have a reasonable quality of life.  It’s frustrating to have to keep on fighting, but it doesn’t have to stop you from enjoying life.

If you’re suffering and wondering how to keep on going, reach out.  I know what you’re going through and have quite a bit of information.  Somebody somewhere will be able to help you!

 

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