If you live in the upper Midwest or northeast United States, tick bites can be a common occurrence. In most cases, they cause minor skin irritation for a few days and then disappear. In some cases, deer ticks transmit Lyme disease, named for the Connecticut city where the disorder was first diagnosed in 1975. Lyme disease is generally curable with antibiotic treatment, although untreated cases can sometimes turn into a chronic disorder. Some practitioners who specialize in Lyme treatment advocate dietary treatment in conjunction with medical treatment.
Traditional Treatment
Transmission of the spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi through a deer tick bite takes several days of skin attachment. Treating early stage Lyme disease immediately with oral antibiotics such as doxycycline or amoxicillin for 14 to 21 days normally clears the infection in all but around 5 percent of cases, according to Brown University. If the disease progresses, intravenous antibiotics are used for a period of up to 28 days. Anti-inflammatory medications can reduce the pain and joint swelling of Lyme arthritis. Antidepressants may be prescribed to reduce emotional symptoms and stress that may occur in Lyme disease sufferers.
Diet Recommendations
Some Lyme advocates suggest that following a low-carbohydrate diet that eliminates refined sugars and limits complex carbohydrates may reduce the inflammation that causes chronic Lyme symptoms. Lyme pioneer Dr. Joseph Burrascano Jr. also recommends no alcohol or coffee. Dietary supplements used by doctors who specialize in Lyme treatment include high-dose vitamin therapy and anti-inflammatory supplements such as fish oil and borage seed oil.
Alternative Treatments
Additional treatments not endorsed by traditional medical groups include acupuncture, hyperthermia to increase body temperature, which may increase antibiotic effectiveness against the spirochete, Rife treatment, which emits electronic energy that kills the organism, and Beck electrification, low level electrical stimulation to destroy the microbes and increase antibiotic effectiveness.
Controversies
The controversy over the existence of chronic Lyme disease pits traditional medicine against advocacy groups composed of people with the disease and the few "Lyme-literate" doctors willing to use unconventional treatments to ease their symptoms. For Lyme-literate doctors, long-term therapy is a mainstay of treatment for chronic long-standing Lyme disease, which may also require alternative therapies.
References
- Autoimmunity Research Foundation: Lyme Disease; Scott Taylor, D.V.M.; 2004
- Chronic Lyme Disease: Diagnostic Hints and Treatment Guidelines for Lyme and Other Tick-Borne Diseases; Joseph Burrascano, M.D.; November 2002
- Rhinebeck Health Center: The Integrative Treatment of Lyme Disease; Steven J. Bock, MD; 2005
- Brown University: Lyme Disease; 2005
- IDSA: Special Review Panel Unanimously Upholds Lyme Treatment Guidelines; April 2010
