How To Treat Chronic Fatigue From Lyme Disease

How Do You Know If You Have Lyme Disease

The first thing many practitioners recommend a blood test for Lyme disease is controversial. Thats because blood tests for Lyme disease dont actually look for the bacteria that causes Lyme disease, Borrelia burgdorferi. Instead, they look for antibodies to the bacteria. There are problems with this:

• If youre tested right away, you may not yet have developed enough antibodies for the test to detect.
• Many people who had a Lyme infection in the past carry antibodies for years afterward. Yet they have no active infection.

You need to be cautious because there are a lot of false negatives that happen through this standard testing. If youre told that you dont have Lyme disease but intuitively you feel that its an issue for you and youre having symptoms that are unexplained maybe youre having neurological issues or memory issues, or youre having lots of unexplained joint pain and fatigue you really need to seek a naturopathic physician who works with a lab that provides more specific testing that looks at the cofactors and other ways of evaluating if Lyme actually is an issue for you.

Lyme Disease /chronic Infections

We offer specialty testing that can identify possible exposure to the bacteria as well as infection. For many patients who are searching for a diagnosis to explain their symptoms, Laboratory testing can be an important aid in the diagnosis of Lyme disease.

Proper use and interpretation of laboratory tests requires physicians that understand these tests and have specialized training, and the underlying likelihood that you have the disease. Many doctors simply do not have this level of understanding. At Advance Health Integrative Medicine we are now able to provide you with real answers that you have been searching for.

While we offer cutting edge testing modalities for the identification of Lyme disease as well as integrative customized treatment plans to help restore immune balance and a healthy state to the body, we do this with great attention to the individual as a whole not simply targeting a disease while ignoring the entirety of the individual it is in. One of the main things to keep in mind when addressing Lyme and other chronic infections is the crucial role of immune health in the ability to heal the body and prevent infection and resulting illness.

One of the most important factors in treating chronic infections, Lyme disease and many other diseases is the human microbiome that each of us harbors as important as our individual genome it is referred to as our second genome.

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Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Essentials Of Diagnosis And Management

• Alison C. BestedAffiliations
• Lily ChuCorrespondenceCorrespondence: Address to Lily Chu, MD, MSHS, Independent Consultant, 16 Lorton Ave, Unit 4, Burlingame, CA 94010.
• Nancy G. KlimasAffiliationsInstitute for Neuro Immune Medicine, Dr Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine, Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale, FL
• Jose G. MontoyaAffiliationsDr Jack S. Remington Laboratory for Specialty Diagnostics, Palo Alto Medical Foundation Research Institute, Palo Alto, CA
• Irma R. ReyAffiliationsInstitute for Neuro Immune Medicine, Dr Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine, Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale, FL

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The Name Matters: Lyme Fibromyalgia Or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Many people with Lyme disease are incorrectly diagnosed as having fibromyalgia or chronic fatigue syndrome. In my Seattle practice, before I became a Lyme disease physician, my main focus was treating fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome. In 2004 one of my patients asked for Lyme disease testing. Her pcr test for Lyme came back positive. This got me thinking that others in my practice could have Lyme disease too. So I tested everyone in my practice for Lyme that had a diagnosis of fibromyalgia and/or chronic fatigue syndrome. I discovered that 30 percent of my patients actually had Lyme disease causing their problems.

Virology Of Epstein Barr

Epstein-Barris is a DNA virus that multiplies within the nucleus of its host cells. It infects both B-cells and epithelial cells, establishing latent infections in the B’s and actually multiplying in the epithelial cells. Infected persons are then likely to produce virions , carry and produce EBV-specific antibody and harbor latently infected memory B-cells. It is particularly adept at avoiding immune system defenses.

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Where Are Ticks Found

Ticks are found throughout the UK and in other parts of Europe and North America. There are a high number of ticks in the Scottish Highlands.

They can be found in any areas with deep or overgrown plants where they have access to animals to feed on.

They’re common in woodland and moorland areas, but can also be found in gardens or parks.

What Is Lyme Disease

Lyme disease is caused by a specific spirochete bacteria, Borrelia burgdorferi. It often coexists with coinfections such as Babesia, Bartonella, Ehrlichia, and others. Deer ticks carry these pathogens and transmit them to humans when the tick bites us.

Lyme disease and its coinfections are quite common, especially in the Northeast and Midwest of the U.S. According to the CDC, Lyme disease exists throughout the country. The south and along the West Coast see the next highest prevalence.

Acute infection can cause symptoms of a rash, fatigue, joint pain, headaches, brain fog, fever, night sweats, and more. This infection is typically treated with antibiotics and resolves completely within weeks.

Several factors that make CLD a bit mysterious to the medical community. The nonspecific symptoms and the lack of reliable testing for anything but acute infection are all obstacles to proper treatment. The inconsistent presence of a rash at the onset also confuses things.

Of course, we dont dispute the fact that acute Lyme disease exists. But for Chronic Lyme Disease, its another story.

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Nadh And Ubiquinol: Vital Co

Energy production cannot occur without the co-enzyme nutrients NADH and ubiquinone/ubiquinol . NADH is a form of vitamin B-3 that is so important to life that every cell in the human body makes it. The highest concentrations of NADH can be found in the heart, brain and muscles because these tissues demand more energy than any other body parts. Interestingly, it seems that in Lyme disease these are the tissues most compromised by the inflammationsuggesting a role for NADH in supporting energy production.

In one study involving 58 patients suffering from a variety of typical fatigue illnesses such as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Lyme Disease, Fibromyalgia and Gulf War illness, there was a 30.7% reduction in overall fatigue within 60 days of NADH treatment.

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Complete Natural Solution For Afs And Chronic Lyme Disease

Natural approaches and compounds need to be carefully considered and directed towards restoring the optimum NEM stress response and adrenal function. Here are some key goals and tips:

The above is by no means a complete list. The recovery blueprint of each person has to be customized in accordance with their individual state and sensitivity. Close monitoring is needed since the bodys state will change continuously throughout the recovery process. Some setbacks are normal, but with proper supervision, crashes can be avoided, and a soft landing can usually be achieved. Overly aggressive natural therapies must be avoided to prevent triggering adrenal crashes and crises that can worsen the overall clinical picture. Using stimulants and energy boosters are ill advised. While they may have positive effects in the short-term, the body soon runs into problems. An overzealous short gun approach to nutritional supplementation can also make matters worse. The right doses, often very small and graded, are needed for those who are extremely weak.

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Has Niaid Looked At Whether Infection Persists After Antibiotic Therapy

Several recent studies suggest that B. burgdorferi may persist in animals after antibiotic therapy. In one study, NIAID-supported scientists found that remnants of B. burgdorferi remained in mice after antibiotic treatment. Another team of NIAID-supported investigators found that intact B. burgdorferi persist in nonhuman primates after antibiotic treatment. It was not possible to culture these bacteria and it is not clear whether they are infectious. More recent work by Hodzic et al. replicated the earlier finding of persisting DNA but non-cultivatable B. burgdorferi after antibiotic treatment using a mouse model. In 2017, scientists at the Tulane National Primate Research Centers, funded in part by an NIH research resources grant, reported evidence of persistent and metabolically active B. burgdorferi after antibiotic treatment in rhesus macaques.

In a first-of-its-kind study for Lyme disease, NIAID-supported researchers have used live, disease-free ticks to see if Lyme disease bacteria can be detected in people who continue to experience symptoms such as fatigue or arthritis after completing antibiotic therapy). This study remains underway.

Setting The Stage For Chronic Inflammation

Though the immune system plays a key role in protecting cells of the body from microbe invasion, the health of cells is also a major player. When cells become chronically stressed, they are more susceptible to being invaded by intracellular bacteria and other microbes. There are five primary categories of factors that weaken cells and set the stage for the chronic inflammation associated with Lyme disease.

#1. Poor diet

When cells arent fed properly, they cant function properly. Processed foods sourced from grains, beans, and grain-fed meat are overloaded with raw carbohydrates and refined fats that disrupt cellular functions. On the other hand, theyre deficient in the nutrients that cells need to function properly. Poorly nourished cells cant properly defend themselves against microbes.

#2. A toxic environment

In the modern world, chronic exposure to low levels of toxic substances and free radicals in food, water, and air is hard to avoid. The list includes man-made toxins associated with petroleum products, free-radicals in processed food, and natural toxins such as mold. In addition, the acid and free radicals associated with inflammation are highly toxic to cells. Toxic substances disrupt cellular processes, damage internal working parts of the cells, and weaken cell membranes. Weakened cells are more vulnerable to microbe invasion.

#3. Chronic stress

#4. Physical stress

#5. Microbes

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The Numbers On Chronic Lyme

Because Lyme disease is commonly missed or misdiagnosed, statistics vary on how many Lyme patients go on to experience chronic symptoms. The following research nonetheless paints a basic picture of the problem.

• An estimated 5-20% of patients may have chronic symptoms after getting Lyme disease, according to the Columbia University Irving Medical Center.
• The treatment failure rate for chronic Lyme disease patients was estimated at 26-50% in 2004, compared to 16-39% for early Lyme patients, according to Lymedisease.org.
• Up to 15-40% of late-stage Lyme patients develop neurological disorders, which are responsible for many common symptoms of chronic Lyme disease.

Experts dont know for sure why some people experience persistent symptoms, even with treatment. However, some believe the Lyme infection may trigger an auto-immune response that manifests in the chronic symptoms detailed below.

Lyme Disease And Fatigue

byJennifer Crystalon January 21, 2022

The severity of fatigue that comes with Lyme and other tick-borne illnesses can be difficult to describe because Lyme disease fatigue is a whole different story

When I was sick with COVID-19 in 2020, I continued working despite my mild fatigue, shortness of breath, low-grade fever, loss of taste and smell, and persistent cough. Though these symptoms were no walk in the park, they werent completely debilitating. For some COVID-19 patients, symptoms have rendered them bedridden, hospitalized, or worse. I was lucky not only to survive early COVID-19, but to have a moderate case.

For me, the fatigue of COVID-19 was nothing compared to the fatigue of Lyme disease. Lyme disease fatigue has become the barometer by which I measure all other fatigue, whether its general tiredness or illness-related. The severity of fatigue that comes with Lyme and other tick-borne illnesses can be difficult to describe, because fatigue can be defined many ways. It can mean muscle soreness after a workout, burnout after a long week, or yawns that come when you just didnt sleep well. Fatigue can also mean general malaise from the pandemic, or sleepiness from any number of stressors. Then theres feeling like your head is spinning after staying up all night finishing an assignment or tending to a crying baby.

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Commonalities Between Lyme Disease And Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

As you can see from the bullet points above, Lyme disease and chronic fatigue syndrome share several of the same symptoms. These can include, fatigue, headaches, muscle pain, joint pain brain fog, and more. Although they are different diseases in that, Lyme is a bacterium, and chronic fatigue syndrome is thought to be caused by a viral infection or even stress, they can produce similar symptoms in the body.

Because both diseases are similar, it can make differentiating between the two difficult sometimes especially due to that fact that theres no one single test for chronic fatigue syndrome and Lyme disease tests can also give a false negative.

If you have a chronic fatigue syndrome diagnosis it may be prudent to test for Lyme disease also in order to rule that in or out. According to the CDC, there are 476,000 new cases of Lyme disease each year in the United States. And not all people with Lyme disease get the classic bullseye rash, which can lead to a longer diagnosis time frame, which then allows the bacteria to grow, leading to more symptoms, including many that overlap chronic fatigue syndrome symptoms.

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Treatment For Erythema Migrans

People treated with appropriate antibiotics in the early stages of Lyme disease usually recover rapidly and completely. Early diagnosis and proper antibiotic treatment of Lyme disease can help prevent late Lyme disease.

Treatment regimens listed in the following table are for the erythema migrans rash, the most common manifestation of early Lyme disease. These regimens may need to be adjusted depending on a persons age, medical history, underlying health conditions, pregnancy status, or allergies. Consult an infectious disease specialist regarding individual patient treatment decisions.

*When different durations of antibiotics are shown to be effective for the treatment of Lyme disease, the shorter duration is preferred to minimize unnecessary antibiotics that might result in adverse effects, including infectious diarrhea and antimicrobial resistance.

NOTE:For people intolerant of amoxicillin, doxycycline, and cefuroxime, the macrolide azithromycin may be used, although it is less effective. People treated with azithromycin should be closely monitored to ensure that symptoms resolve.

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What Causes Chronic Lyme Disease

The CDC says 10% to 20% of people treated for Lyme disease develop ongoing symptoms. These can include fatigue, joint and muscle pain, and thinking problems. The symptoms can last more than 6 months.

No one knows what causes chronic Lyme disease. One theory is the infection damages tissues or alters the immune system.

Some pain experts think the immune systemâs reaction to the Lyme infection causes changes that increase pain sensations and contribute to fatigue and poor sleep.

More research is underway.

No matter the cause, the symptoms are real. But most patients get better over time.

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by Lyme Mexico | Apr 20, 2022 | Symptoms |

Lyme disease is the fifth most reported noticeable disease. However, it is also one of the most underreported diseases in America due to misdiagnoses and faulty test materials. Currently, there are over 476,000 reports of Lyme disease annually, but many reports suggest that number should be much higher. This means hundreds of thousands of people may be suffering the debilitating symptoms of Lyme disease every day. One of the most concerning symptoms is fatigue. Everyone gets tired after a long day at work or after going to the gym for a workout. At night, you fall asleep quickly and wake up refreshed. This is entirely different than Lyme disease fatigue.

Will Long Covid Research Provide Answers For Poorly Understood Diseases Like Me/cfs

In 1983, Rivka Solomon was 21 and attending the University of Massachusetts Boston when she and her two roommates came down with infectious mononucleosis, or mono. Her roommates recovered within a couple of weeks. She never did.

Following her infection, she could barely get out of bed or stand up to brush her teeth. She was so sick she had to pull out of the university. This went on for a year until she went into what she describes as a relatively spontaneous quasi-remission. For several years, she was well enough to go to school, travel, work, and sometimes even exercise. But even during this respite, she constantly dragged a lingering exhaustion with her, and at unpredictable times she would find herself bedridden for days on end, never knowing when the debilitating fatigue would lift.

She was in graduate school in Washington, D.C., studying for her masters degree when she was hit by a second infection, pneumonia. She pushed through the fatigue to finish her schoolingand then she collapsed. Nobody told us back then, because nobody knew, that the primary thing you shouldnt do when you have a post-infectious chronic illness is push through, Solomon says. After graduation, she crawled back home to New England. This was in 1993. She has been in or near bed ever since.

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Holistic Medicine And Lyme Disease

A holistic medicine practitioner offers treatments that address the root of the problem. Suppose the doctor finds that your chronic fatigue is caused by Lyme disease. In that case, they will recommend an integrative approach to your health issues.

At Premier Health and Holistic Medicine, Dr. Robin Ridinger creates holistic treatment plans for Lyme disease and the chronic fatigue it can cause. With many options available, Dr. Ridinger customizes her recommendations to meet your unique, individual needs.