Today’s topic: Lyme disease treatment.
It is hard to imagine that a simple tick bite can cause something as severe as Lyme disease. Lyme disease has many symptoms, including fever, numbness, and rashes.
However, if left untreated, the disease can damage the nervous system, joints, and muscles. Thankfully, Lyme disease is treatable with antibiotics.
Some home remedies can also help fight this condition. Want to know more about Lyme disease and its treatment?
Here is your 101 guide.
What Is Lyme Disease?
Lyme disease is caused by infection with the bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi and Borrelia mayonii. These bacteria enter our bloodstream when infected deer ticks bite us.
The history of this disease goes back to 1975, when it got its name from Lyme, Connecticut, where the symptoms were first observed. At that time, doctors diagnosed children in Lyme and two neighboring towns with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis.
Researchers discovered that a sudden outbreak of deer ticks caused the increase in juvenile rheumatoid arthritis.
In recent years, the number of deer ticks has increased suddenly due to climate change and other factors. The northeastern part of the USA now has more trees planted, boosting the number of deer in that region.
Further, with successful wildlife management, the number of deer in the US has also increased dramatically, and these ticks pick up the bacteria that causes Lyme disease from deer and mice.
In addition, global climate change is a major reason for the increase in ticks in the USA. So, we need to pay closer attention to the causes, symptoms, prevention, and treatment of the disease than ever before.
Which Ticks Cause Lyme Disease?
Infected deer ticks, or black-legged ticks, transmit Lyme disease through Borrelia burgdorferi and Borrelia mayonii bacteria.
These ticks attach and crawl all over your body. As they feed on your skin and bite you, the bacteria enter your bloodstream and cause Lyme disease.
What Are The Stages Of Lyme Disease?
Lyme disease has three stages, and symptoms change at each stage. These stages are early localized Lyme, early disseminated Lyme, and Late disseminated Lyme.
Early Localized Lyme
The early localized Lyme stage starts within three days to one month after tick bites. At this stage, you may have circular, bull’s-eye rashes in red, purple, or pink. The rash is usually about 2 inches in diameter.
However, you may not develop a rash with Lyme disease. So, watch for other symptoms like fever, chills, sore throat, headache, and swollen lymph nodes.
Early Disseminated Lyme
At this stage, the symptoms are more severe and very similar to the common flu. You may face weakness, numbness in arms and legs, faster heartbeats, chest pain, and rashes.
One alarming condition at this stage is facial paralysis. Your face may droop on one side or both sides because of facial paralysis.
Late Disseminated Lyme
Lyme disease can enter this stage after a few weeks, months, or years of deer tick bites. Symptoms at this stage include arthritis, confusion, sleep disorders, inflammation in the brain and spine, headaches, and confusion.
What Are The Symptoms Of Lyme Disease?
Not everyone affected by Lyme disease experiences or notices the symptoms at the same time. Signs or symptoms may appear as early as three days after the bite, or the disease may show symptoms months after the tick bite or bacterial infection.
The most common symptom of Lyme disease is a red, circular, or “bull’s-eye” rash. However, some people may not have the rash or may not notice it if it is not visible on the body. Those rashes are not itchy.
Other symptoms of this tick-borne disease are:
- Fever
- Mild to severe headache
- Weakness
- Tingling in hands and feet
- Pain in muscles and joints, especially severe knee pain
- Chills
- Swollen lymph nodes
- Numbness
- Visual problems
- Swelling of joints
How Can I Identify Lyme Disease Rashes?
In Lyme disease, rashes can appear on your skin as early as one month. Some people also develop these rashes 3-4 months after being bitten by ticks.
The rashes can be flat or raised and mostly red. However, they can also be purple or pink.
You can have round Lyme disease rashes or rashes looking like a bull’s-eye. Usually, the rashes are about 2 inches across at first but can grow to 12 inches.
In Lyme disease, rashes can appear anywhere on your body, and they are most visible on lighter skin. So, if you have a darker skin tone, early detection can be difficult, as those rashes may look like normal bruise marks.
Why Is Lyme Disease A Serious Health Concern?
Lyme disease is one of the most popular health concerns in the United States according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
This disease, caused by tick bites and the transmission of Borrelia burgdorferi and Borrelia mayonii bacteria, can cause health problems ranging from minor to severe.
Along with the common symptoms like fever, rashes, and fatigue, Lyme disease can lead to cardiac, nervous, and joint problems. In addition, the ticks spreading Lyme disease can transmit other tick-borne diseases.
Leaving Lyme disease untreated causes severe headaches and neck stiffness. The severer conditions caused by delayed/no treatment of Lyme disease are irregular heartbeats, rashes all across your body, arthritis, and joint pain and swelling, especially severe knee pain.
Neurologic Lyme Disease: The Most Severe Consequence of Lyme Disease
However, the most severe consequence of Lyme Disease is neurologic Lyme Disease. This condition severely damages the peripheral and central nervous systems.
Common symptoms of neurologic Lyme disease include numbness, inflammation in the spinal cord and brain, droopiness in your face (facial paralysis/Bell’s Palsy), and tingling in the hands and feet.
You may also have visual issues and severe body pain. You may also experience meningitis symptoms like neck stiffness, fever, and a severe headache.
If you experience any of these symptoms and have been in a bushy or tick-infested area lately, consult your doctor immediately.
Delaying or skipping medical treatment increases the impact and severity of the disease.
Long-Term Effects Of Lyme Disease
Antibiotics successfully cure most people affected by Lyme disease. However, around 10% of patients fail to recover completely and suffer from long-term effects or post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome (PTLDS).
Even after extensive treatment of Lyme disease, these people can still suffer from joint pain, visual problems, fatigue, muscle pain, memory loss, etc.
These post-treatment symptoms, or long-term effects, are hard to diagnose because they overlap with many other health conditions. At the same time, there is no blood test for proper diagnosis.
So, it is difficult to establish and find the reasons behind these symptoms occurring much later.
Many people try to put these symptoms under the umbrella term of Chronic Lyme disease, but the term is very confusing. Experts believe that when people have Lyme disease, their bodies keep fighting the disease even after it is cured, and thus it takes the form of an autoimmune disease.
Nonetheless, if you want to get a course in the treatment of this disease or a prognosis, you need to understand how chronic Lyme disease is different from the post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome (PTLDS).
Post-Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome
I have already covered the symptoms of PTLDS, and the worst part of these symptoms is that they don’t go away with further administration of antibiotics. These adverse effects only go away with time, and up to 5-15% of people with Lyme disease fall prey to this condition.
However, by no means does the post treatment Lyme disease syndrome indicate that the infection is still there. Usually, PTLDS symptoms go away within a span of six months or so.
Chronic Lyme Disease
Chronic Lyme disease will have similar symptoms to PTLDS, but Chronic Lyme disease treatment is possible with the administration of additional antibiotics.
Who Needs More Treatment For Lyme Disease?
Traditionally, boys up to age 15 and men aged between 40-60 need more treatment for Lyme disease. However, anyone who spends a lot of time outdoors can get bitten by deer ticks and develop Lyme disease.
Outdoor activities that make you more prone to Lyme disease include golfing, camping, hiking, gardening, or even a walk in the woods.
From Justin Bieber to Shania Twain and Bela Hadid, all these celebs have dealt with this disease.
How Is Lyme Disease Diagnosed?
If you experience symptoms of Lyme disease and consult a doctor, they will diagnose you based on your recent visits to tick-infested areas. They will also ask you for a blood test.
However, the blood test will not show “positive results” for Lyme disease if it’s done within one or two weeks of infestation. The antibodies start becoming visible/active in your blood after at least four to six days.
The Centers for Disease Control recommends a two-step blood test to diagnose Lyme Disease. Once the blood sample is drawn, it will be used for the blood test in two stages.
There are multiple possibilities. See the table below to learn how the diagnosis is made.
| Findings In The First Test | The 2nd Step Of Blood Test** |
|---|---|
| Negative | No need to do a second test. |
| Equivocal/Indeterminate (Neither positive nor negative) | The same sample goes for a second test. |
| Positive | The same sample goes for a second test. |
**If the results of both blood tests are positive or equivocal/indeterminate, you will be diagnosed as a Lyme disease positive case.
The diagnosis of Lyme disease is also done through enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) tests.
How To Prevent Lyme Disease?
Before I get into the treatment of Lyme disease, I want to share some preventive measures for this disease.
Tick bites are hardly felt because, unlike mosquito bites, you don’t feel any sensation when a tick bites you. And in Lyme Disease, many people do not have those rashes, which are the most prominent indicators.
Nonetheless, here are the things you need to do to prevent tick bites causing Lyme disease.
Dos For Lyme Disease Prevention
- Wear light-colored clothes for easier tick detection.
- Take the middle of the trail to avoid direct contact with vegetation along the trail sides.
- Wear long trousers/jeans and tuck them inside your socks to prevent tick infestation.
- Use DEET insect repellent to reduce ticks in infested areas.
- Check your bare body and clothes thoroughly to find and remove ticks. This is crucial to remove ticks from your body and kill them. If you keep the ticks alive for more than 24 hours by feeding on your skin, they will spread.
- Use a piece of washing cloth or a buff to scrub ticks off your body. Ticks roam your body before biting or feeding on your skin.
- If you have a pet, consult a veterinarian for tick management and removal from your pet’s body.
Don’ts For Lyme Disease Prevention
- Roam in brushy areas or spaces with long, overgrown grass.
- Forgetting to check yourself and your kids after coming home from outdoor activities in woods or grassy areas.
- Wear shorts while going hiking.
Effective Lyme Disease Treatment
Antibiotics treat early-stage and chronic Lyme disease. Antibiotics used to treat Lyme disease and its symptoms, or Lyme disease treatment antibiotics, include amoxicillin, doxycycline, and cefuroxime. These antibiotics are administered orally or intravenously.
Doctors may prescribe you some other medications based on the symptoms you are having in Lyme disease. For example, doctors may prescribe you some pain relievers if you have severe muscle or joint pain.
Similarly, if you have developed cardiac or neurological health conditions due to Lyme disease, your physician will suggest dedicated medicines to alleviate these problems.
Unfortunately, the symptoms related to post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome or PTLDS have no treatment. Antibiotics don’t work on these symptoms.
Lyme Disease Natural Treatment
Some gentler, natural methods can help with Lyme disease treatment. These treatments become more effective in fighting post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome, which cannot be cured with antibiotics.
Again, these methods are free of major side effects and can promote faster recovery when combined with medications.
Here are some natural methods for Lyme disease treatment at different stages.
Taking Micronutrients To Boost Immunity
Lyme disease happens when bacteria infest our bloodstream. That is why improving the immune system of our bodies can help to promote faster relief from Lyme disease. Certain micronutrients help increase our bodies’ immune strength.
Some most essential micronutrients for improving the immunity power of our bodies are:
- Vitamins C and B1
- Turmeric
- Magnesium
- Garlic
- Cat’s Claw
- Fish oil, etc.
Using Essential Oils
Some essential oils made from plant extracts can remove B. burgdorferi bacteria, which enter our bloodstream to cause Lyme disease. These essential oils are clove bud, oregano, and cinnamon bark. However, more clinical trials and testing are needed to support using these essential oils to treat Lyme disease.
Chelation Therapy
Chelation therapy is used for the removal of metal toxicity from our bloodstream, and many people suggest it as a natural Lyme disease treatment. However, there is no strong medical evidence to support the efficacy of chelation therapy in curing infection in the blood.
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy
A 2014 Taiwanese case study introduced hyperbaric oxygen therapy as a natural Lyme disease treatment. In that study, hyperbaric oxygen therapy completely cured a Lyme disease patient who no longer responded to traditional antibiotics.
During hyperbaric oxygen therapy, the patient enters a specialized room or chamber where high pressure delivers 100% oxygen.
Some Plant-Based Medicines Are Showing Promises
A report published in Medical News Today has discussed the efficacy of plant-based medicines in curing Lyme disease. Quinine and knotweed are being proposed as the most effective plant-based medicines for Lyme disease treatment.
Dr. Sunjya Schweig, the co-author of the research paper proposing the use of these plant medicines for Lyme disease treatment, says,
“Many thousands of Lyme patients today, especially those with later-stage symptoms who have not been effectively treated, are in great need of efficacious, accessible treatment options.”
How Quinine And Knotweed Are Tested And Why They Will Work
In the study, the researchers took as many as fourteen plant extracts to test for Lyme disease treatment. If “lyme disease treatment doxycycline” is still what you are searching for, you probably now have some alternatives, as all the plant extracts are tested against cefuroxime and doxycycline.
Among all the plant extracts tested, the Japanese Knotweed and Ghanaian quinine emerged as the most effective Lyme disease treatment alternatives.
Cryptolepine makes Ghanaian quinine highly effective. For many years, medical practitioners have used this alkaloid to treat malaria, tuberculosis, septicemia, and hepatitis.
On the other hand, the Japanese knotweed comes with the goodness of resveratrol, which is an antioxidant and very effective for improved cardiac and brain health.
Another co-author of the study, Ying Zhang, says,
“This study provides the first convincing evidence that some of the herbs used by patients, such as Cryptolepis, black walnut, sweet wormwood, cat’s claw, and Japanese knotweed, have potent activity against Lyme disease bacteria, especially the dormant persister forms, which are not killed by the current Lyme antibiotics.”
Were These Extracts Successful In Killing Bacteria?
Yes, Japanese knotweed and Ghanaian quinine successfully removed bacteria in the first week. These plant-based extracts stopped the rapid increase of the bacteria when tested on laboratory plates.
The concentrations were present in very low (around 0.3-0.5%), and yet these could show effective results.
A single 7-day treatment with 1% Ghanaian quinine extract completely eliminated all traces of bacteria on the laboratory plate
Best of all, the eliminated bacteria did not come back. These plant-based medications can be especially effective when antibiotics don’t eliminate the long-term effects of Lyme disease.
There is no denial that the increasing cases of Lyme disease and its long-term effects need some effective alternative methods of treatment. Many patients and doctors are looking for remedial methods that can complement or improve the efficacy of traditional Lyme disease treatment with antibiotics.
Early-stage studies require more preclinical trials and research to establish efficacy. Therefore, visit a medical practitioner immediately if you experience Lyme disease symptoms after possible tick exposure.
Leaving Lyme disease untreated allows symptoms to become severe and pose life-threatening risks.
Is Lyme Disease Dangerous?
Yes, Lyme disease is definitely dangerous, considering around 10% of affected people develop long-term symptoms and have to deal with a deteriorated way of living. Though that percentage may seem small, about half a million residents of the USA develop long-term effects of this disease each year.
To make things worse, the long-term symptoms of Lyme disease do not go away with antibiotics that are otherwise very effective for the treatment of Lyme disease.
Further, the symptoms of Lyme disease will be severe if not treated on time, and it can cause blurry vision, loss of memory, confusion, and deteriorated cognitive skills, to say the least.
However, if you delay or ignore the treatment of Lyme disease, your muscles, joints, cardiac, and neurological systems will be at greater risk. Over time, this disease can cause irregular heartbeats, facial paralysis, and inflammation of the brain and spinal cord.
So, it is always important to follow preventive measures for Lyme disease. If you have been outdoors in areas with tick infestations and notice symptoms of Lyme disease, consult a physician immediately.
The most common symptom of Lyme disease is a circular, or “bull’s-eye,” rash. But unfortunately, not everyone with Lyme disease develops rashes, and because these rashes aren’t itchy, they may go unnoticed if they appear on less visible body parts.
In addition, these rashes become prominently visible on lighter skin. So, if you have a darker complexion, identifying those rashes will be difficult.
Why Is Lyme Disease Curable?
Lyme disease is curable because proven, effective medicines treat it. Antibiotics like amoxicillin, doxycycline, and cefuroxime can treat this disease.
Certain natural remedies, like taking micronutrients and using essential oils, may help speed recovery from Lyme disease. Further, several ongoing studies are exploring alternative treatment methods for this bacterial disease.
However, if Lyme disease causes long-term effects like dizziness, cardiac and nervous system problems, and muscle and joint pain, these antibiotics cannot cure it.
Alternative methods like treatment in hyperbaric oxygen chambers, taking immunity-boosting supplements, and chelation therapy may help in such conditions.
Lyme Disease Treatment Takeaway: What To Keep In Mind
Lyme disease occurs when deer tick bites transmit Borrelia burgdorferi and Borrelia mayonii bacteria into the bloodstream. This disease is treated with antibiotics.
Most patients suffering from this health condition get cured. However, about 10% of patients develop long-term effects. These long-term effects can further stop you from leading a healthy life.
So, if you do extensive outdoor activities and live in an area with a history of tick infestation, you need to be extremely careful with preventive measures.
Wear long-sleeved clothes and full trousers during outdoor activities, and be particular about pest and tick control. Use DEET repellents to help prevent ticks, and wash your body and clothes properly after coming home from outdoor activities in bushy or grassy areas.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Kissing, touching, or having intercourse cannot transmit Lyme disease to another person. However, a pregnant mother can transmit Lyme disease to the placenta.
Lyme disease is also not contagious. Transmission or contamination can only happen when a person with Lyme disease donates blood for transfusion into someone else’s body or donates an organ.
That said, preventive measures and hygiene are very important in preventing Lyme disease. Tick-infested, bushy, or grassy areas pose a high risk for Lyme disease. Leaving your body and clothes unwashed after outdoor activities makes it easier for ticks to infect you.
No, you cannot live with untreated Lyme disease. When symptoms start, you may have a fever, headache, rashes, neck stiffness, etc.
Leaving Lyme disease untreated will damage your body’s nervous and cardiac systems. You must consult a medical practitioner to prevent this serious internal damage.
| Disclaimer: This article is for informational and educational purposes only and does not substitute for professional medical advice. Reading this content does not create a doctor-patient relationship. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider for medical concerns and never delay seeking professional advice based on what you read here. |
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