Lyme disease is exactly how I got in this field in the first place. When I was in my teens, I was diagnosed with Lyme disease. I had severe joint pain, fatigue, and anxiety. The conventional therapies did not work for me, so I went on a quest to find my own protocol. This consisted of dietary intervention, sleep, movement, and stress management. After years of lifestyle modification and mental adjustments, I healed myself.

Causes of Lyme Disease

Yes, you may have been bitten by a tic, but this is not the cause. The cause is always a weakened immune system. Many people get bitten by tics and nothing happens to a little later in life do to a weakened immune system from lifestyle. This is because the Borrelia bacteria is still in your system, but a healthy immune system will keep it in check. When the body gets out if balance, then problems occur.

Conventional Therapy

conventional therapy generally consists of antibiotics. This can be effective in the case of acute Lyme, when the bite had happened recently, but not chronic, when you’ve had the disease a long time. Even if the antibiotics work for acute Lyme, lifestyle modification is still needed because the bacteria does not leave the system completely, and can reemerge with a weakened immune system.

A Holistic Approach

Lyme disease is known as a stealth infection, which means that it hides out in the body and can not easily be detected. Because of this, we need to take a multimodal approach. Addressing sleep, nutrition, movement, stress management, and key supplements. There are key supplements that work for Lyme, but should be personalized to each individual. There are 3 main ones that are required for most. These are Japanese knot weed, andrographis, and cats claw. These break down the bacteria over time and strengthen the immune system. There’s al lot more information on supplements for Lyme symptoms here. Sleep is critical for building your over all immune system. If your not sleeping well, you can’t heal. far as nutrition goes, it will always be personalized to the individual. That being said there are some basic principals to follow: eat real food, organic, local seasonal, according to genetics and ancestry.  I understand some people can’t exercise with Lyme, but it’s critical that you move. This is important for movement of the lymphatic system, which transports immune cells throughout the whole body. Taking a walk, or having a light movement practice is important. Stress in access can impair the immune system do to a hormone called cortisol;. We need stress in small amount, but chronic stress will make it very difficult tor recover. Meditation, yoga, and breath work are some of may practice you can do to destress. Iv’e written about these in more depth here.

The Mind

There is something in science called  the placebo effect. This is used for clinical trials as the control. Patients are given nothing, but they believe they’re receiving treatments. When the patients believe they’re receiving treatment, they get better an average of 33% of the time. This is the power of our minds. Something less talked about is the nocebo effect, which is the opposite of the placebo. This is when your given a negative injunction, whether it’s 6 months to live, or an incurable disease. Immediate fear arises and your body responds accordingly. The thing that you believe that will happen will largely influence the outcome. You have the power to be well, but that power starts in our mind. Listening to inspiration, going on a spiritual journey will strengthen our resolve. You got this.