Archive for the ‘Lyme’ Category

Why is Lyme Disease So Hard to Treat?

https://globallymealliance.org/why-is-lyme-disease-so-hard-to-treat/

FEBRUARY 28, 2020

why-is-lyme-so-hard-to-treat_gla-blog

FOR MANY LYME DISEASE PATIENTS, THE BACTERIA SEEM TO OUTSMART ANTIBIOTIC TREATMENT. WHY?

It’s a hotly debated topic, and one that is still not completely understood – what causes the persistent symptoms in many Lyme disease patients?  Why is it that 10-20% of patients, after early diagnosis and treatment with antibiotics, continue to face long-term, chronic, even debilitating, symptoms including joint or muscular pain, fatigue, and/or neurocognitive problems? And why do patients diagnosed later in their disease often have a more difficult time finding an effective treatment? Key possible culprits, persister bacteria, are under investigation, and researchers are uncovering their fascinating and diverse array of adaptive abilities, with the goal of one day eradicating them and more effectively helping patients.

LYING IN WAIT

Borrelia burgdorferi, the spirochete bacteria that cause Lyme disease, have an elaborate lifecycle, critical for their own day-to-day survival. They have evolved adaptations to multiple, sometimes harsh, environments – moving from bloodmeal-source host animals to ticks, repeating the cycle back into host animals, and sometimes into humans. Persistence is an essential and multi-faceted strategy that B. burgdorferi and other bacteria use to survive and adapt to their highly varied environments.

Unfortunately, these same adaptive abilities may also provide B. burgdorferi the ability to survive an onslaught of antibiotics. In vitro (in culture), treatment with antibiotics kills off most cells, but a small number survive because they adapt to have a new superpower – they are tolerant (although not resistant) to an aggressive antibiotic challenge. Their strategy is to lie dormant during an onslaught of antibiotics, changing their protein composition and shape. When the conditions are just right, and the antibiotics are cleared from the host’s system, they can then transform back into mobile spirochete form (thus giving them the freedom to resurge and multiply). GLA-funded research by Kim Lewis and his team at Northeastern University as well as research by GLA-funded Ying Zhang and his group at Johns Hopkins University revealed this amazing strategy. Their teams independently confirmed the existence in culture of dormant, persister B. burgdorferi, providing evidence that these persisters arise during antibiotic treatment and transform back into mobile spirochetes post-treatment. Whether this phenomenon occurs in patients remains to be shown, but it suggests a way to explain why antibiotic treatment is inadequate in a sizeable proportion of patients.

Interestingly, persistence is not unique to B. burgdorferi. The bacteria that cause other chronic diseases (e.g., tuberculosis, syphilis and leprosy) also form persisters.

A MASTER OF DISGUISE

How do persisters survive harsh conditions such as antibiotic treatment? For one, they have an altered gene expression profile, producing key proteins which allow them to live in the presence of antibiotics. Throughout its life cycle, B. burgdorferi is a master chameleon, transforming itself from its corkscrew-shaped spirochete form into a variety of shapes, such as round (metacyclic), L-form bacteria, spore-like granules or cysts, and then back again into spirochetes. These different forms can impact diagnosis. For example, there is some limited evidence that B. burgdorferi takes on L-forms in spinal fluid, which could impact methods used for screening when a case of neuroborreliosis (a neurological manifestation of Lyme disease) is suspected, for example.

Borrelia bacteria in the blood
Borrelia bacteria in the blood

B. burgdorferi, similarly to other bacteria, may also transform itself into biofilms, which are a complex aggregate of bacteria with a protective slimy mucus layer surrounding it. Studies by Kim Lewis provided evidence of biofilms contributing to persistence in other diseases, such as Cystic Fibrosis and oral thrush. However, there is only minimal in vitro evidence in the case of B. burgdorferi, which is limited in usefulness until more research is done, and further studies will illuminate whether biofilm forms of B. burgdorferi exist in patients.

Yet another strategy used by the wily B. burgdorferi and other bacteria is to invade host cells. For example, the bacterium that causes tuberculosis (TB), Mycobacterium tuberculosis, can exist in a dormant persister state in TB lesions, which necessitates much longer antibiotic treatment in patients than is seen in vitro. Some preliminary findings suggested that in cultured neurons, glial cells, macrophages, and skin keratinocytes, atypical and cystic B. burgdorferi have been found.

PROMISING RESEARCH

Researchers have had very limited success in cultivating replicating B. burgdorferi directly from animals or humans post-antibiotic treatment, which is part of the difficulty in doing experiments on persisters. There is some indirect evidence of persisters from multiple studies in animals (mice, dogs, monkeys) infected with B. burgdorferi and treated with antibiotics. For example, using a mouse model of Lyme disease, after one month of antibiotic treatment, researchers isolated B. burgdorferi DNA and detected non-dividing but infectious spirochetes.

Researchers have also been able to isolate live B. burgdorferi from animals using ‘xenodiagnostic ticks’, in which uninfected ticks feed from an infected animal or human and become infected after feeding. This offers proof that the host was infected with B. burgdorferi. In a study with infected animals who exhibited a clear resurgence of bacteria following antibiotic treatment, B. burgdorferi was then isolated using xenodiagnostic ticks, a strong indication that these are persisters.

When B. burgdorferi-infected nonhuman primates were treated with antibiotics, bacteria were also recovered from multiple tissues, suggesting that bacteria could survive. Signs of inflammation in and around these tissues were also observed.

In an exciting 2019 study, Ying Zhang and team isolated slow-growth forms of B. burgdorferi (including biofilm-like, round body and spirochetes) from culture and compared mice inoculated with these slow-growing forms versus mice inoculated with fast-growing spirochetal B. burgdorferi. The slow-growth persister B. burgdorferi were not only more tolerant to the standard Lyme disease antibiotic treatment with doxycycline or ceftriaxone but they were also associated with more severe arthritis in mice than the fast-growing spirochete form. However, a cocktail of antibiotics – Daptomycin, Doxycycline and Ceftriaxone – did successfully eradicate the infection in the mice infected with slow-growing persisters. Human studies modeled after these would be helpful in understanding the disease course, especially the response to antibiotics.

In other studies, different cocktails of antibiotics, as well as essential oils, have been successful in eradicating B. burgdorferi in vitro. Disulfiram, a drug used for treating alcoholism, has been shown to be extremely effective in eradicating many forms of B. burgdorferi in vitro and in mice, and in a small study in humans.

Despite all these promising results in culture and in animals, trials in humans have not advanced well. Based on research done to date, researchers cannot confirm or exclude that live persisters are present in antibiotic-treated patients who have persistent symptoms (i.e., patients with post-treatment Lyme disease symptoms). One large part of the problem is the shortage of confirmed Lyme disease patients for clinical trials, as many patients lack concrete clinical (serological) evidence of having Lyme disease. In three separate clinical trials, only 4% of 5457 patients made it through the screening process to enter a trial.

Altogether, some critical groundwork has been established in the study of persisters.  However, studies surrounding persisters are still in early stages, and their connection to ongoing symptoms of post-treatment Lyme and chronic Lyme still warrant more confirmation and extended studies. There is a great need for evidence-based research conducted at all levels of research involving persisters, from in vitro studies through clinical trials. Supporting these efforts calls for improved diagnostics and detection methods for persisters, and an incremental move into larger-scale human studies which confirm the presence of live persisters and explore treatment options. GLA is optimistic that with future studies, there will be new breakthroughs in this very important area.

By Global Lyme Alliance and Dana Barberio, M.S., Scientific/Medical Writer and Principal, Edge Bioscience Communications

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Category:

Lyme, research, Treatment

Spirochetes in Sputum of Chronic Lyme Patient

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/spirochaetes-sputum-patient-chronic-lyme-borreliosis-peter-kemp/

Spirochaetes in the Sputum of a patient with chronic Lyme borreliosis

Peter Kemp

Private researcher at Private borreliosis research
No alt text provided for this image

INTRODUCTION. Over the past 15 years since I joined support groups for patients with Lyme disease, an occasional and recurring topic of discussion has been breathing problems. These include a chronic cough and what some have described as having symptoms like persistent low-grade pneumonia. My recent microscopy study of sputum demonstrates the presence of significant numbers of spirochaetes showing varied morphology.

METHODS. Various methods to prepare slides were used. The simplest and a fairly effective method involves putting a small sample on a microscope slide with an added drop of DI water or saline. Wait a few seconds for the sample to absorb as much water as possible. This is carefully squashed with a 50mm glass coverslip until the sample spreads and becomes thin enough for high-power darkfield microscopy. Alternative 1. With the sample in a suitable sample collection tube with a cap, an equal volume of DI water or normal saline is added and the tube is shaken. This rapidly achieves full hydration of the sample which reduces its viscosity and improves handling. Once thinned, the sample can be centrifuged to eliminate bubbles. Alternative 2. Add to the sample an equal volume of: N-Acetyl L Cysteine 100mg/ml DI water or normal saline. Agitate vigorously and leave for a few minutes then centrifuge to eliminate bubbles. This is very effective for thinning the sample and is a first-stage in preparing a sputum sample for PCR.

RESULTS. Micrographs of the results can be seen here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/76898309@N08/albums/72157713091911953 The album of micrographs includes standard darkfield imaging of plain samples, giemsa stained and acridine orange stained samples. The latter includes matched pairs of filtered/unfiltered fields of view. The final set of compilation pictures demonstrate spirochaetes in varied forms, from cysts (curled into a ball inside a membrane) and partially open cysts, to fully formed spirochaetes.

For original unedited photos please contact me with the filename.

Peter Kemp. February 2020

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**Comment**

The species of borrelia has yet to be determined as well as viability.  Stay tuned.

Category:

Lyme, research

Tipping Point: The Resistance is Gaining in the Lyme Wars

https://www.forbes.com/sites/marybethpfeiffer/2020/02/26/tipping-point-the-resistance-is-gaining-in-the-lyme-wars/

Tipping Point: The Resistance Is Gaining In The Lyme Wars

Mary Beth PfeifferContributor
I am a fire-in-the-belly country journalist who found a scandal in my backyard and wrote a book on it, “Lyme: The First Epidemic of Climate Change.” Government and medicine have systematically failed to diagnose, treat or prevent a spreading plague of ticks. And they know it.
For two decades, Lyme disease has had dueling identities.

A burgeoning epidemic wrought by ticks. A raging controversy over why patients stay sick — and what to do for them.

Now, however, the medical model that spawned the Lyme Wars – enshrined in treatment guidelines that say short-course antibiotics are curative — is yielding to a more nuanced picture.

This new image is of a disease that outwits antibiotics and immune systems; is plagued by diagnostic failures, and is capable of inflicting lasting damage. It is an image that challenges the picture of medical certainty that has long been Lyme…. (See link for article)

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**Comment**

This article will catch you up to speed on the latest research being done.

Best quote:

“Obviously there’s recognition that things are sticking around – whether it’s DNA, proteins or organisms that don’t grow,” referring to the failure to culture residual bacteria. “There’s been some overall change in opinion. It had been dismissed out of hand. Now very good scientists (he named two, from Yale and Tufts) are studying this phenomenon. There’s something going on there.”   Alan Barbour

While Pfieffer and I disagree about climate change causing the proliferation of ticks and the diseases they carry, I respect the fact she has brought attention to the plight of Lyme/MSIDS patients.  But, facts are facts even if they are inconvenient:

For more: https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/11/07/ticks-on-the-move-due-to-migrating-birds-and-photoperiod-not-climate-change/

For an excellent interview with John Scott:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2017/08/14/canadian-tick-expert-climate-change-is-not-behind-lyme-disease/ (He also explains the bogus Lyme vaccine as well)

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2016/01/20/polar-vorticks/  Ticks alive in 3 degrees under snow cover.

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/06/07/ticks-on-beaches/  Ticks on blazing hot beaches.

Ticks will be the last species on the planet.  They can survive nearly everything.

Category:

Activism, Lyme

Study: CDC’s 2-tier Lyme Testing Inaccurate in More than 70% of Cases

https://www.lymedisease.org/study-cdcs-two-tier-lyme-testing-was-inaccurate-in-more-than-70-of-cases/

Study: CDC’s two-tier Lyme testing was inaccurate in more than 70% of cases

BALF Lyme Biobank

According to a new study, the CDC’s standard two-tier testing for Lyme disease failed to accurately diagnose more than 70% of blood samples from individuals with an erythema migrans rash greater than 5 centimeters across.

Additional findings showed that Lyme disease also occurred in individuals with no rash, and those with rashes smaller than 5 cm.

This is significant, because patients with symptoms of Lyme disease are often denied proper diagnosis and treatment based on the CDC’s two-tier testing protocol.

Furthermore, EM rashes less than 5 cm are often disregarded in reporting Lyme disease cases.

The study highlights the unreliability of current diagnostic testing for Lyme disease and underscores the need for more research. Samples for the study came from the Lyme Disease Biobank.

Press release from Bay Area Lyme Foundation:

Bay Area Lyme Foundation, a leading sponsor of Lyme disease research in the U.S., announces results published in the Journal of Clinical Microbiology, a journal of the American Society for Microbiology, that point to limitations of currently available diagnostic tests for early-stage Lyme disease, and highlight the need for more research toward improved diagnostics and treatments.

Among the findings, the Centers for Disease Control’s standard two-tier testing algorithm (STTTA) for Lyme disease failed to accurately diagnose 71% of blood samples from individuals presenting with a Lyme rash, also known as an erythema migrans, greater than 5 cm in endemic areas.

These samples are part of the Lyme Disease Biobank (LDB), which was founded to catalyze new research in the understanding, diagnosis and treatment of Lyme disease and other tick-borne infections. Samples are available for research use through an application process to scientists who already work in tick-borne infections as well as those new to the field.

“For an epidemic like Lyme disease that is growing at such an alarming rate, there needs to be more research, greater understanding, better diagnostics, and improved treatments,” said Charles Chiu, MD, PhD, Professor of Laboratory Medicine and Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, University of California, San Francisco, and Bay Area Lyme Foundation scientific advisory board member, who is currently using samples from the Lyme Disease Biobank for his research.

No accurate test

“This study draws attention to the fact that we simply don’t have an accurate test for Lyme disease at present, and this is exactly why clinicians still need to rely on their knowledge of the signs and symptoms of early Lyme disease to diagnose patients and provide prompt treatment.”

These findings also reinforce that Lyme disease does occur in individuals who do not have a erythema migrans, and those with rashes smaller than 5 cm.

Samples that were laboratory confirmed for Lyme disease (N=82) were more likely to be enrolled with a Lyme rash (83%) and more likely to present with a Lyme rash greater than 5 cm (74%). However, 26% of laboratory confirmed Lyme disease did not present with a Lyme rash greater than 5 cm, including 9% enrolled as having a Lyme rash smaller than 5 cm and 17% enrolled without any skin manifestation.

Hard to get diagnosed without a rash

“Patients who do not exhibit a rash likely face the greatest challenges in being diagnosed – not only because many healthcare providers specifically look for this sign to diagnose patients, but because the lack of a rash correlated to less likelihood of an accurate serology test, according to this study,” added Dr. Chiu.

Currently comprised of samples from more than 800 participants, the Lyme Disease Biobank utilized 550 patient and control samples (298 cases and 252 controls) collected from 2014 through 2018 for this study.

Each sample was tested using both a first tier ELISA and second tier immunoblot (i.e., western blot), and the STTTA was applied. Assays were also performed to detect the presence of tick-borne pathogens (polymerase chain reaction (PCR)), and a subset of samples was evaluated by culture.

Of the 298 cases enrolled with signs and symptoms of Lyme disease, only 28% were identified as positive for Lyme disease through these methods, or a modified two-tier testing algorithm, consisting of two positive ELISAs in patients with Lyme rash (erythema migrans) greater than 5 cm. This collection highlights and reinforces the known limitations of STTTA testing in early Lyme disease.

Limitations of available tools

“This study highlights the limitations of available tools for all healthcare providers whose patients may be infected with Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacteria that causes Lyme disease. Our hope is that healthcare providers will consider these findings when evaluating patients with signs and symptoms of early Lyme disease,” said Liz Horn, PhD MBI, the study’s lead author and principal investigator for Lyme Disease Biobank.

“Our original goal was to characterize the samples we were making available to investigators working on new diagnostics for Lyme disease. We didn’t expect to find such large inaccuracies in current laboratory tests that support clinical decision-making.”

According to findings, participants presenting with a Lyme rash greater than 5 cm were more likely to be positive by any serologic test.

For samples taken while patients were experiencing signs and symptoms of early Lyme disease, a positive ELISA was found in 38-43% of patients with Lyme rashes larger than 5 cm, 17-35% of patients with rashes smaller than 5 cm, and 15-27% of patients without a rash, while 5-11% of controls also received a positive ELISA (ranges represent percent positive using different first-tier tests). For the second tier immunoblots, more cases were positive for IgM than IgG (as would be expected for early Lyme disease).

“We are thrilled to see the Lyme Disease Biobank helping to uncover the critical challenges facing patients and physicians as well as the urgent need for more accurate Lyme disease diagnostics,” said Alex Cohen, President and Co-founder of the Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation, whose funding has been instrumental in the rapid expansion of the Lyme Disease Biobank over the past four years.

Currently, there are 50 research projects that rely on Lyme Disease Biobank samples.

About Lyme Disease Biobank

The Lyme Disease Biobank (LDB), a program of the Bay Area Lyme Foundation, is a non-profit organization working to accelerate research of Lyme disease and other tick-borne infections. With a collection of biological samples from more than 800 participants, including serum, blood, urine and tissue, LDB provides much-needed samples to researchers working to better understand tick-borne diseases and develop improved tests and therapeutics. Blood and urine samples are collected from the Northeast and Upper Midwest areas of the U.S., as well as the San Francisco area and, now, San Diego, and tissue samples are collected throughout the U.S.

Healthcare providers, and patients interested in donating blood, urine or tissue samples can learn more here.

Researchers interested in obtaining samples should visit www.lymebiobank.org or contact info@lymebiobank.org.

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**Comment**

This is even worse than previously thought.

Although, Dr. Sin Lee found testing missed nearly 86% of patients:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/01/16/2-tier-lyme-testing-missed-85-7-of-patients-milford-hospital/

I think we can safely say the tests suck.

 

Category:

Lyme, research, Testing

The Gut-Lyme Connection (And How to Fix Both Naturally)

https://www.uprootinglyme.com/gut-lyme-connection/

The Gut-Lyme Connection (and how to fix both naturally)

By

Creating gut health is one of the two foundational pillars of holistic Lyme treatment.  It goes hand in hand with detoxification, the other pillar of successful holistic treatment.  Without these two systems working at the highest level possible, recovering from Lyme (or other complex chronic) disease will be slow-going to say the least.

Yet together, when functioning optimally, these two systems create the conditions inside the body that empower it to fight off infections and heal.

Once these aspects of treatment are fully in place, you are far better equipped to handle antimicrobial regimens and successfully implement other aspects of treatment that will propel your healing forward.

The Gut is the Center of Health & Healing Power

In many ways, the gut is central to the health of the entire being.  In Lyme and other multi-infection disease syndromes, it is also a crucial battleground where the struggle between the Lyme and our immune system is fought.

Chronic Lyme is intimately related to the following 4 issues:

  1. Weakened immunity
  2. Diminished cellular function
  3. Systemic infection
  4. Toxicity

Gut health impacts all of these.  The degree to which a person’s gut is functioning optimally impacts all of these conditions either positively or negatively.

Gut-Associated Lymphoid Tissue

The gut houses the GALT, or Gut-Associated Lymphoid tissue which comprises approximately 80% of the immune system and 70% of lymphocytes, including those all-important Natural Killer cells, so it is home to our primary line of defense against infection.

This fact really speaks to how much the GI tract functions to keep harmful elements from entering into the body, and why it’s so devastating when these tissues are compromised.

What makes the difference between a quiet daily co-existence with bacteria, fungi, viruses and rogue cells – versus the explosion of full-blown disease – is your immune system, and by association, gut health.

Nutrient Transformation & Absorption

The gut is responsible for nutrient transformation and absorption so  that the entire body may receive nourishment and building blocks for physical strength, energy, cellular fuel, and tissue repair.

In the face of Lyme-Borreliosis and other infections, the body needs the support of high-level nutrition.  It needs to be able to effectively make use of what is being ingested so that the cells have the resources to function properly, clean house and repair.  This requires a healthy functioning gut!

The Gut is our 2nd (or 3rd) Brain

Following the heart and the brain, the gut is highly innervated by the nervous system.  It is compromised by a tense or inflamed nervous system, and strengthened by a peaceful, flowing nervous system.  The gut-brain axis is a 2-way street, therefore psychological or other nervous system stress has a major impact on GI function and motility.

Meanwhile, the microbiota and gut function heavily impacts mood and cognition because, to give just 1 of many examples, 95% of serotonin is produced in the gut.

The gut microbiome has systemic effects and is involved in regulation of the heart, liver, brain, prostate, kidney, lung, pancreas, and inflammation.  Changes in the gut microbiome have been implicated in diseases from obesity to infections to cancer.

Restoration of a healthy gut microbiome is another aspect of whole body health.

The Gut & Emotions

From the traditional Chinese perspective, the gut is the center of our personal universe.  It is governed by the Spleen (an organ readily damaged by Babesia and Bartonella), and directly relates to our ability to think, absorb nutrients, discern what we should let in versus what we should keep out (on all levels of our being), and our ability to create energy, among other things.

The gut is the seat of all feeling. It is where many aspects of being are interwoven – the microbiome, the digestive system, immune function, the nervous system, the emotional body and the mental body.

Poor Gut Health + Lyme Disease = Downward Spiral

The GI system can become an ongoing source of inflammation, perpetual dysbiosis, and weakness that extends out to all other parts and systems of the body.

It is very common among modern people that the GI tract is a place of stagnation, fermentation, bacterial overgrowth, and becomes an enormous source of toxicity and inflammation.

Add a diet that contributes further to inflammation (high carb, high sugar and/or high in inflammatory fats), and it’s easy to see how the disease-causing bacteria quickly gain an upper hand within our bodies.

Ultimately we can see that the gut is both a major source of – and a foremost solution for – inflammation in tick-borne disease. 

Furthermore, the gut is a dynamic organ – it can be damaged and it can be healed!

5-Part Plan to Heal GI Weakness & Heal Chronic Lyme

  •  Utilize supplements to restore gut functionality & ease symptoms. 

Digestive symptoms are uncomfortable and potentially embarrassing at best, and completely debilitating at worst.  Bloating, gas or constipation, can make one’s entire being feel blocked and sluggish. Chronic diarrhea can inhibit a person’s ability to leave home or attend meetings without concern that they will have an accident if they can’t get to the bathroom in a hurry.  Nausea, vomiting, and stomach pains can make eating a good diet virtually impossible.

There are some good natural stop-gap measures for GI symptoms such as betaine HCl, pancreatic enzymes, bile salts, and soothing herbs that serve to both support proper functioning and alleviate symptoms until the deeper causes of dysfunction are fully dealth with.

  • Move stagnant food and waste matter.  

Stagnation of food, waste, mucus and gas inside the GI tract is very common, and it is what creates an ideal breeding ground for pathogenic bacteria.  Food and waste stagnation leads to lots of uncomfortable symptoms and the progression of GI diseases.

Clearing stagnation also allows gut healing treatments to work better, so you don’t want to skip this step.  Examples of ways to do this include regular colonics or enemas, the use of herbal laxatives, laxative foods, supplements such as magnesium, and consuming less solid food overall.

  • Address malabsorption and nutrient deficiencies.

When your digestive system is weak, you don’t digest and break down your food well.  This leads to mal-absorption of nutrients, which in turn leads to a weakening of the entire body, including the vital and sense organs, the muscles and joints, immune system, hormones, and all the tissues and cells. The body can’t operate properly without the enzymes, nutrients, and building blocks that it has to acquire from food.

Addressing know nutrient deficiencies with supplementation is important, as is juicing and utilizing superfoods in your diet in easy to absorb forms (think liquid food!) to help replace what is lacking.

  • Eliminate all food allergens and sensitivities.

When your food is not fully digested and broken down in the small intestine or if it is triggering an immune response,  proteins from undigested food can pass into the colon and cause irritation and inflammation. This irritation and inflammation can cause pain, spasm, mucus in the stool, and diarrhea.  Over time this compromises the delicate lining of the small and large intestine, which is only 1 cell thick.

As the gut membrane is compromised and breaks open in places, toxic waste and other inflammatory particles can seep into the bloodstream and massively increase the level of inflammation in the body. This is why the gut can be a major source of inflammation that accelerates degeneration and disease processes including Lyme, and also increases pain levels throughout the body.

In order to heal gut problems + Lyme disease, it is very important to eliminate all allergenic foods, at least until the final stages of healing when some foods can be re-introduced and improved tolerance and digestibility is likely.

  •  Eliminate infections and correct dysbiosis.  

This is about both getting the microbiome back into a healthy proportion where the health-promoting and neutral bacteria are dominant over the potentially pathogenic microbes.

We start with treating active infections that are wreaking havoc in the gut and system as a whole, such as yeast, parasites, Lyme, CMV and more.

These protocols need to be targeted to the specific organisms that are known or suspected to be plaguing the body.  We utilize a multi-pronged anti-microbial approach that includes herbs such as Chinese scutellaria, olive leaf and black walnut hull; liposomal essential oils such as oregano, clove and fennel, and biofilm-busters to eradicate these infections.

For more:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/12/16/the-root-of-autoimmune-disease-can-be-found-in-the-gut/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/12/28/what-are-the-pros-of-probiotics/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/12/26/settle-your-stomach-with-digestive-health-supplements/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/04/04/the-importance-of-gut-health-to-healing-from-chronic-illnesses-podcast-dr-jill-carnahan/

Category:

diet and nutrition, Gut Health, Herbs, Lyme, Supplements, Treatment