Natural Treatment for Lyme Disease: are antibiotics really necessary?
I am asked frequently whether it is possible to recover from Lyme disease without the use of antibiotics. It’s a great question, but unfortunately not one for which I have a definitive answer. Rather, my answer is “sometimes”. I wish I could tell people that of course they can treat their Lyme disease 100% naturally and have great outcomes every time, but that is just not realistic.
I definitely have patients who I work with without the use of antibiotics, where herbal antimicrobials and immune support, coupled with dietary changes and other supportive nutritional supplements have recovered them to the point where they are back out in their lives, either completely symptom free or at 90-95% of their normal (pre-Lyme) level of functioning. I love these cases as they really reinforce the power of natural medicine, and show us that God has instilled healing properties in the plants He has given us.
More often than not, when patients opt for all-natural treatment, I select a variety of modalities to cover as many bases as possible. An example is to combine the immune-supportive properties of transfer factors (both general and Lyme-specific), with herbal antimicrobials (teasel, cats claw, olive leaf, etc), with Lyme-specific homeopathic remedies, and as I said, base all of that on a solid foundation of good nutrition. We want to address the infection from several directions at once to maximize the impact and our success. Supporting detoxification and digestive support are important here.
If we need to step it up another notch, then I start considering other therapies such as hyperbaric oxygen (HBOT). HBOT is a great way to improve oxygen flow to the cells, accelerating the cellular healing and regeneration. It also has antimicrobial action as the bugs do not survive well in that high saturation of oxygen. It helps regenerate neurological function, and sweeps the body of other microbes such as viruses and mycoplasma. I love HBOT, and I wish it wasn’t so time and money intensive so that more patients could access it.
If HBOT is not an option, another approach is to engage some kind of Rife or frequency based therapy. This is not something I can specifically offer or prescribe, however patients seek out information through other Lyme sufferers and internet forums, and can make their own decisions about the different machines that are available.
Then, alas, there are cases where quite simply antibiotics are necessary. I wish it wasn’t so, but it is. Some people just can’t get sufficient recovery without these medications, and antibiotics offer relief that other more natural therapies can’t give. I honestly think that the majority of Lyme patients require antibiotic treatment somewhere along the way in their treatment path. Of course, I always vote for naturopathic support in conjunction with the meds, and nutrition is equally if not even more important here. But the bottom line is that in many cases, the medications are a necessary part of treatment.
There are a number of factors that determine whether a patient might respond well only to natural treatments. Duration of illness is one as well as severity of symptoms. Obviously a more recent case that hasn’t gone as “deep” into the body will likely respond better. Also, I have had better success treating naturally in cases where there is less neurological involvement. Arthritic-type Lyme seems to respond better to herbs and nutrient therapy, in part I believe because there are several great natural remedies for calming inflammation, which causes a lot of the pain, and minerals such as magnesium can offset a lot of muscle aching, cramping and twitching.
So can Lyme disease be treated naturally? Sometimes. My general philosophy is to start out with natural agents, building up to meds if the patient is not responding adequately. At least then we’ve laid a solid foundation of support and started doing some bug-killing before the medications come along, and have set up detox pathways to function better and handle medications and die-off better. In medicine this is called the “therapeutic order” – start with the least invasive therapy and work up in strength and invasiveness as needed.
Another important part of this puzzle is making sure other issues are being adequately addressed such as hormone imbalance, heavy metal toxicity, thyroid issues and food intolerances. Sometimes if Lyme symptoms are not resolving there is a tendency to get more and more aggressive with medications, adding new ones and increasing doses, when the problem may not be coming from the Lyme disease at all, and may be helped with something completely different such as gluten avoidance or chelation therapy.
Of course, Lyme disease is complicated. There is no answer that is right for everyone, and the thing that might be right for an individual today may not be right for them six months from now. A lot of the answers come from listening carefully to what the body is saying, and not being afraid to make adjustments along the way as needed. Whether natural treatments or antibiotics are used, a multi-system, multi-factorial approach is the key to recovery from Lyme disease. We need to treat the person, not the disease.
Related Articles
-
Dr. Nicola’s Approach to Lyme Disease
Lyme disease is a complex and multi-factorial illness, and subsequently there is no straight-forward, one-size-fits-all approach to treating it. Dr Nicola adopts a comprehensive approach, blending western medicine with traditional naturopathic therapies. She is not opposed to the use of long-term antibiotic regimens in many cases, and in fact, supports and manages these protocols for many of her patients. However, Dr. Nicola goes further to incorporate natural therapies such as immune support, detoxification support, hormone balancing, preventive anti-fungal regimens, digestive […]
[Continue Reading] -
My Journey Into Lyme Disease Treatment
For several years now, I have been treating Lyme disease using both conventional and naturopathic protocols. My journey into Lyme disease work started out with a passion for working with autistic children. Trained in DAN! (Defeat Autism Now) protocols, I worked alongside Kurt Woeller, D.O. at Stillpoint Center in Temecula, CA, also working as a consultant for New Beginnings Nutritionals, and as an outreach physician for Great Plains Laboratory. During my work with autistic-spectrum kids, I started consulting with their […]
[Continue Reading] -
Naturopathic Approaches to Lyme Disease Treatment
NATUROPATHIC APPROACHES TO LYME DISEASE TREATMENT By Nicola McFadzean, N.D. Naturopathic medicine is a system of medicine that utilizes natural therapies such as herbal medicine and homeopathy, along with diet and lifestyle changes. The philosophy underlying naturopathic medicine is to treat the underlying cause of disease, to treat the person holistically, and to start treatment using least invasive therapies first, working up the therapeutic order as necessary. Naturopathic medicine is well placed to assist patients with chronic Lyme disease. While […]
[Continue Reading] -
Natural Healthcare
San Diego Naturopathic Medicine Our Philosophy At RestorMedicine we believe in finding and treating the cause of illness and not just the symptoms. We believe in treating the whole person – physical, mental, emotional and spiritual – an in educating and empowering our patients to participate in their own healing process RestorMedicine provides naturopathic care for: Lyme Disease Autistic-Spectrum Disorders CFS & Fibromyalgia Chronic Pain Weight Management Issues Male and Female Hormone Imbalance Adrenals Thyroid PMS Menopause Depression and Anxiety […]
[Continue Reading] -
Lyme Disease Protocols
This protocol was put together by Dr. Nicola drawing on a number of information sources as well as her own clinical experience. The actual remedies selected, as well as testing done to assess underlying stressors on the body, will vary according to the individual. Please do not take this as medical advice. This protocol is for educational purposes only. Work with your own doctor, or make an appointment with Dr. Nicola, to have a full evaluation and an individually tailored […]
[Continue Reading]
Design. SEO. Hosting.
I have had a blood test and it is suspicious for Lyme. I’ve waited three months and have an appt. with a Lyme literate Dr. this coming Wed. I am so scared because he only takes cash or check and is $250/hr. will I be able to even pay for any kind of treatment. I do have insurance but I fear the company will drop me if they find out about the Lyme.
my son has had lyme since 09 maybe ealier than that. he completed 2 months of iv anit biotic. towards the end of treatment he was starting to feel better. after the iv was taken out he felt better for about 2 weeks. he now is back to where he started. his main problem is the brain and joints and terrible headaches. they have him back on oral anit biotics but we thought that didn’t cross the blood brain barrier. i really feel at this point no one knows how to get rid of this awful disease. we paid 15,000. for this treatment and he is just the same. what do you do next.?? i really don’t know. we want to try natural now but who knows?
I think I’ve had lyme disease for most of my life ever since the age of 23 been getting really bad I’m now 31 and have always panned it off as not stretching enough. Never got tested researched a good deal lately, no health insurance, could pay for it but after reading some of the previous posts about antibiotics not always working, wanna try and step up the natural approach even more. I notice my breath is really shallow too, I constantly stretch and most of the time it doesn’t really help the mornings are relentless. I eat very clean virtually no meat, dairy, breads, flour, ect. lemon water with baking soda. I would feel like a god if i didn’t have my chronic aces and pains! Maybe a water oxygenator I think i remember reading about one of those having profound healing effects. May the divine help all who has this horrible plague
BikerBenny,
If you have shallow breathing, then you might suspect a co-infection of Babesia along with the Lyme. One dead giveaway of Babesia is sweating at night, somewhat vivid/intense dreams and shallow breathing or air hunger. Babesia is a parasitic infection of your red blood cells similar to malaria, often transmitted with Lyme. Herb Artemisia helps with that, take a ton for 120 days (the life of the red blood cells + 30 days)
Hi, My name is ZKathy and Im 50 yrs. old. I was diagnosed with lymes almost 2 yrs. ago. I took an antibiotic for 30 days but it didnt seem to help. I was recently diagnosed with LBBB which is left branch Bundle block which unfortunatly means the left electrical side of my heart no longer works. I think this happened due to having Lymes. Im not sure hopw long I even had it before I got diagnosed. The last 7 months I have had this feeling of strangulation or squeezing in my neck and finally read today that this could also be another sign of Lymes. I feeled completely doomed. I dont think I will ever get better now. Its attacking my body and theres nothing I can do. Or is there? Im looking into all natural cures but Im scared now. I think its already too progressed. Anybody out there who can give me some advice?
Hi Kathy! From what I have read, 30 days of antibiotics may not be enough, especially if you were in the later disseminated stage of Lyme Disease. The 30 day antibiotic treatment is usually completed in the very earliest stages of Lyme Disease, immediately after the tick bite. When there are more severe symptoms, such as arthritis, neurological involvement, etc., it is common to be treated with a combination of IV antibiotics, and thereafter, treatment often continues with heavy doses of oral antibiotics for six months or more. Do you have an LLMD? As I understand it, it is most important to be under the care and supervision of a good LLMD as it is such a complex disease, and there are many types of blood tests necessary to monitor your disease, progress, effects of treatment with antibiotics. sometimes adjusting dosages or types of antibiotics, etc. There are many foods/supplements/spices/herbs with natural antiobiotic/anti-fungal/anti-viral properties that you can introduce into your diet, as well as eliminating gluten, dairy, and sugar. This all helps, but antibiotic therapy seems to be vital in most all cases, particularly in later cases of disseminated/chronic Lyme. I really hope you can find a great Doctor to help you. There is alot of support out there as there are a variety of Lyme Support groups on the internet and facebook. Best of luck to you, Kathy xo
Any support groups in Australia? Need to talk to someone…..on my own and a widow
Seeing a doctor in about a months time….hopefully I can get some help. Don’t know if I can afford treatment. I’m 67 years old and was bitten by a tick 6 months ago.Many symptoms like poor balance,severe Eye sensitivity and severe anxiety. thyroid trouble Last weeks I started to get bad neck pain and arthrites that seem to wonder all over my body.
perhaps it’s to late for me because of my age
May
if you’re having trouble with the natural approach and it’s not working, i might suggest looking into gut dysbiosis or ‘leaky gut’. i have been having tremendous success since my gut has started to heal. it’s not quick or easy, but it’s working. together with treatments for lyme complex. i’m actually starting to think i might get my life back.
i only suggest this to you because of the overwhelming comments regarding people taking round after round of expensive antibiotics and getting sicker and sicker. this is what happened to me. and at this juncture, i strongly suspect that i’ve had a leaky gut for some time. this is simply the natural progression of events. as my gut heals the “infections” go away more and more often, and my energy, brain, and strength are returning. the pain is fading now. my life was over so i’m grateful for every day that things stay good. sooooo grateful that the strain on my adrenals is being relieved, that my sleep patterns and cortisol and hormone levels are returning to normal. personally, the vertigo was the worst for me out of everything. ok, maybe the depression.
anyway, i hope this helps someone
Hi…I woke up one morning in May with this feeling of vibrations thru my body. But after a minute it went away and I thought it was just a dream. But it then continued and intensified every day and I had no idea what this bizzare thing was. Someone mentioned possible Lyme Disease so I asked to be tested. Test came back negative. Whew! Then came this unbelievable fatigue, Asked to be tested again….tested negative. Felt vibrations thru whole body now when awake. Add now brain fog. Made appointment with Infectious Disease Doctor and when she saw my test result negative she cancelled the appointment. Had an appointment with a neurologist that I had to wait 2 months for and when I went there he was not there so they gave me another appointment that I have to wait another whole month for. In the meantime my symptoms are severe. I look online for help cause no one else will. Im 65 years old and I want to try to get some of my life back. I shouldn’t have to be thrown away cause of my age. I would love to try the Rife Machine and Ozone too. But I have no money, social security only pays my rent. I have nothing left to even pay my electric and have a shut off notice. I cant keep food in the house even. But I don’t know what to do. Doctors wont help me so I want to help myself. What does a person do when they need help and have no money to get it? Just die? I don’t want to.
Oh Im sorry I forgot to mention that I did have a Western Blot test done that did come back positive.
(sadly).