Are you experiencing joint pain, fatigue, and muscle difficulties? These are common symptoms of Lyme disease.
Lyme disease is a microbial bacterial infection most commonly acquired from the bite of an infected black-legged tick. Symptoms typically begin between three and thirty days after the bite and include rash, headaches, joint pain, swollen lymph nodes, fatigue and other flu-like symptoms.
It’s common for people to be completely unaware they have been bitten, because ticks can be as tiny as a poppy seed. Often, they naturally fall off before the symptoms begin, leaving patients bewildered as to why they are feeling so ill. If it’s left untreated, Lyme disease can develop into a chronic condition, involving a myriad of body systems and tissues that can significantly diminish quality of life.
How does Lyme Disease Affect the Body?
Lyme disease can be difficult to diagnose and even more difficult to treat. Corkscrew-shaped microbes, which are both stealthy and opportunistic, burrow deep inside the body’s tissue where they can hide out undetected by testing and remain virtually unaffected by antibiotics.
Antibiotic therapy may be helpful for clearing microbes in the first two weeks following a tick bite, giving the immune system the upper hand. However, it likely will not eradicate all the microbes. Once these tiny insurgents reach the muscles and organs, powerful antibiotics can become counterproductive.
This is because prolonged use of antibiotics can cause microbes to develop hard, cyst-like shells that serve as non-penetrable bunkers, shielding them from extinction. Additionally, harsh antibiotics can disrupt healthy gut flora, which further hinders the body’s natural immune response.
Why is Lyme Disease So Serious?
Unlike other infections, Lyme disease does not seek to dominate by sheer force, overwhelming the host with its great numbers of invaders. Instead, it creates a tug of war with the immune system. It doesn’t take a large number of microbes to wreak havoc on your health.
Generally speaking, this disease progresses not because the microbe is winning as its army increases, but because the chronic tug-of-war with the immune system accelerates the breakdown of tissues, making you more susceptible to other diseases. They can even lie dormant deep tissue until a disruption in immunity creates the right conditions for them flourish and cause symptoms to flare.
When Lyme disease reaches a chronic stage, it’s challenging to overcome because of the accumulated damage that must be reversed. While Lyme disease is seldom fatal, it can have an enormous effect on your quality of life, causing symptoms such as severe fatigue, arthritic pain, nerve damage, impaired memory, cognitive difficulties and even cardiovascular irregularities.
Winning the War Against Lyme Disease
Lyme disease is different for every individual. The severity of symptoms is highly dependent on your immune response and your overall health. This includes factors such as diet, stress, sleep, and fitness.
When you’re seeking treatment for Lyme disease, it’s important to look for a doctor who takes a holistic approach. Here at Premier Health and Holistic Medicine, Dr. Robin Ridinger has spent years studying the intricacies of Lyme disease diagnosis and treatment. She has discovered that the best line of defense against Lyme disease is to fortify a healthy immune system. To that end, she takes the time needed to creates a personalized treatment plan that restores the health of each person from the ground up.
There is Hope if You Have Lyme Disease
People with a healthy immune system have fewer symptoms and rarely progress into a state of chronic Lyme disease. Once the immune system fires up to its full capacity, it starts producing antibodies that suppress and completely destroy the microbes. Our goal at Premier Health and Holistic Medicine is to help you achieve optimal wellness by stimulating your body’s natural ability to heal itself.
