Antibiotics are the number 1 in treatment for Lyme disease. However, this disease is highly complex. Supportive treatment, including the use of specyfic herbs and probiotics, and sometimes rehabilitation, is necessary due to the side effects of the disease. Supportive treatment of Lyme disease with herbs is increasingly recommended because it helps patients recover.
According to the recommendations of the Polish Society of Epidemiology and Doctors of Infectious Diseases, treatment of Lyme disease lasts at least 14 to 28 days and is based mainly on antibiotic therapy. However, patients often struggle with the disease, its complications and consequences for several to several dozen years. Therefore, supportive treatment is necessary.
Lyme disease affects everyone, regardless of age or gender. The Agency for Health Technology Assessment and Tariffs has collected data that show the share of different age groups in the incidence of Lyme disease in individual voivodeship in Poland. Data for 2018 are presented in the chart below:
Source: Agency for Health Technology Assessment and Tariff System, Department of Health Technology Assessment: Prevention of tick-borne diseases (Lyme disease). Report no .: OT.423.7.2019. Warsaw, May 2020 (https://bipold.aotm.gov.pl/assets/files/ppz/2020/RPT/2%20BIP%20RAPORT_zalec_techn_art_48aa_choroby_odkleszczowe_borelioza.pdf)
Lyme disease is a complex disease that is difficult to diagnose. Due to the varied symptoms, it is often confused with other diseases. The most common symptoms of Lyme disease include:
- fever,
- general weakness of the body,
- muscle aches,
- root pain,
- arthritis,
- enlargement of the lymph nodes,
- inflammation of the heart
- erythema,
- inflammation of the retina and choroid.
How to cure Lyme disease?
Unfortunately, there is still no single, simple answer to this question. Treatment of Lyme disease is difficult and requires an individual approach in each case. There is no one universal and effective antibiotic that would be able to fight the disease, and there is no one universal method of treatment that will guarantee recovery for every patient.
In the case of Lyme disease, comprehensive treatment is important. Equally important are:
- removal of Borrelia burgdorferi with antibiotics,
- reconstruction of the disturbed microbiome with probiotics,
- supporting the body with herbs,
- other methods supporting treatment.
Treatment of Lyme disease requires a lot of persistence, determination, patience and regularity.
Treatment of Lyme disease with herbs – what you should keep in mind?
Effective methods of treating Lyme disease are constantly being developed. The recommended antibiotics are not always effective, and patients feel troublesome ailments even after the end of antibiotic therapy. That is why other, effective methods supporting the treatment of Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases are being developed.
One of the methods of supportive treatment of Lyme disease and co-infections is phytotherapy. It is a treatment using the health-promoting properties of herbs. Active ingredients contained in herbs affect the body comprehensively. Thanks to their numerous properties, they alleviate the symptoms of Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases. Supporting the treatment of Lyme disease with herbs involves the use of various herbal compositions that have a wide range of effects, including:
- CLEANSING
- ANTI-INFLAMMATORY
- STIMULATING THE IMMUNE SYSTEM
- URINATORS
- ANTIOXIDANT
One of the most famous and leading researchers of Lyme disease is the phytotherapist Stephen Harrod Buhner. He developed the Buhner protocol based on herbal therapy, incl. with the use of vilcacora, Siberian ginseng and Japanese knotweed. Other herbal treatments for Lyme disease are Liposomal Protocols by phytotherapist Jan Oruba, Herbal Protocol by Dr. Różański, and the Cowden Protocol.
What herbs for Lyme disease? Effective support in the treatment of Lyme disease with herbs
There is a lot of scientific work that studies the effect of various herbs and their active ingredients on the effectiveness in the treatment of Lyme disease. Among the herbs that have anti-inflammatory properties, enhance immunity and activate the excretion of bacterial neurotoxins of Lyme disease spirochetes involve including:
- curcuma,
- ginger,
- garlic,
- Siberian ginseng,
- Angelica archangelica,
- black pepper,
- oregano,
- moringa,
- vilcacora,
- rockrose,
- wild teasel,
- knotweed,
- hawthorn,
- elderberry,
- field horsetail,
- devil’s claw.
Real-life
On the blog Reach for nature, we can read: „To sum up, this is how I lived – cyclically for several years: pain, flu-like symptoms, exhaustion, allergies, hepatitis … The symptoms went away and came back. Visible improvement was only 3 years ago after diets and fasts, for example fruit and vegetables, and herbs. (…) My treatment is currently based on a raw diet, herbs such as wilcacora, oregano and vitamins (C, B12, D). I cannot and do not want to decide to repeat antibiotic therapy due to mycosis and the condition of the liver”.
The history of people who have been struggling with Lyme disease for years, often has one thing in common – the lack of effective antibiotic tratment. As a result, additional and complementary treatments are being developed. Dr. Ritchie Shoemaker, a specialist in Lyme disease, writes: „Antibiotics work by fighting Borrelia spirochetes, but not by fighting the neurotoxins they produce, which circulate throughout the body and cause inflammatory responses (e.g., muscle and bone pain, neurological deficits, and endocrine). Therefore, a cleansing therapy should be used to remove circulating neurotoxins”.
ProbioBorelio
ECO Probiotic plant extracts Jedrzej’s Herbs ProbioBorelio is a two-component food supplement with a complementary composition. It is a combination of live and active probiotic bacteria in liquid form together with 16 organic herbal extracts. The composition of herbs and probiotic bacteria has been especially selected with a view to strengthening and regenerating the body in Lyme disease.
Please visit our website and learn more about food supplement ProbioBorelio (https://www.living-food.pl/en/produkt/our-brands/jedrzejs-herbs-en/eco-probiotic-plant-extracts-jedrzejs-herbs-probioborelio/).
Please remember that the treatment of Lyme disease with herbs, as well as the use of herbs in the treatment of other tick-borne diseases is a supportive therapy. Herbs also have indications and contraindications for use, and may interact with medications. Therefore, the use of herbs in the treatment of Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases should be consulted with a doctor.
Lyme disease is a difficult and complex disease that requires individual management in the case of each patient. Depending on the stage of the disease, a different treatment is recommended. Supportive treatment of Lyme disease with herbs is one of the basic and necessary elements at every stage of the disease.
References:
- Agencja Oceny Technologii Medycznych i Taryfikacji, Wydział Oceny Technologii Medycznych: Profilaktyka chorób odkleszczowych (borelioza). Raport nr: OT.423.7.2019. Warszawa, maj 2020 https://bipold.aotm.gov.pl/assets/files/ppz/2020/RPT/2%20BIP%20RAPORT_zalec_techn_art_48aa_choroby_odkleszczowe_borelioza.pdf.
- Agnieszka Godek: Nowoczesne metody leczenia boreliozy z koinfekcją (antybiotyki, żywienie). Medycyna Rodzinna 2014, 3: 147-151 http://agnieszkagodek.ionic.pl/images/publikacje/nowoczesne_metody_mr_2014_03.pdf.
- Dariusz Krzyczmanik, Halina Sińczuk-Walczak, Tomasz Wittczak, Aleksandra Cyran, Cezary Pałczyński, Jolanta Walusiak-Skorupa: BORELIOZA W PRAKTYCE LEKARZA MEDYCYNY PRACY. Medycyna Pracy 2012, 63(4): 483-492.
- Hofhuis A, van de Kassteele J, Sprong H, van den Wijngaard CC, Harms MG, Fonville M, et al. (2017) Predicting the risk of Lyme borreliosis after a tick bite, using a structural equation model. PLoS ONE 12(7): e0181807.
- http://www.pteilchz.org.pl/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/borelioza_z_lyme_2018.pdf
- https://siegnijdonatury.pl/index.php/2017/08/14/objawy-boreliozy-i-moja-historia-choroby/
- https://zdrowie.radiozet.pl/Choroby/Choroby-zakazne/Borelioza-naukowcy-juz-wiedza-ktore-ziola-dzialaja
- John J Halperin: Chronic Lyme disease: misconceptions and challenges for patient management. Infection and Drug Resistance 2015, 8: 119-128
