Lyme Disease takes its toll on many bodily systems & processes. Whereas most of the symptoms suffered with Lyme Disease are down to *inflammation*, the body’s inability to bounce back is often due to your body being unable to generate a ‘normal’ response.
Any good Lyme Disease treatment protocol should include practices aimed at rebuilding and supporting those compromised systems. Without this element, your treatment is likely to be more uncomfortable and long-lived than it should be. This is the pillar that provides structure and support to your healing, and is the second step in the four pillar approach.
The Pillars
- Reduce Inflammation
- Rebuild & Support
- Detox (coming 15th April)
- Kill Bacteria (coming 16th April)
The Second Pillar of Healing Lyme: Rebuild & Support
Have you ever put up a tent without using poles or pegs?
Because rebuilding & supporting what Lyme has damaged is just like the poles and pegs of that tent. It provides the framework that your body needs to heal Lyme. And when you don’t give your protocol this framework, healing Lyme is complicated by constantly having to battle against your own body.
Have you been discouraged by herx reactions that seem to last weeks? Do you have worsening quality of life despite a consistent protocol? (Excluding the first six months of rifing Lyme – which are generally tough). If the answer is yes, then it’s time to look at how you can support your body outside of killing bacteria.
Aiding lymphatic drainage prepares your body for getting through a herxheimer reaction. Helping your body rebuild collagen means that you can reduce some of the physical changes in your joints. Getting a good sleep routine again aids your body in dealing with the symptoms of chronic fatigue. The list goes on.
Why Is It So Important?
Lyme Disease treatment can be as bad, if not worse, than Lyme Disease itself. This is because of the dreaded *herxheimer reaction*. When spirochetes die, the cell membrane ruptures. This releases their cell contents into your body, which is a type of endotoxin. (The same thing happens with all spirochaetal infections, including syphilis).
These endotoxins then flood your tissues and set off a massive inflammatory response. This is an unavoidable part of healing Lyme. It’s a miserable, but necessary, part of healing. Whilst many people claim that you can avoid herx reactions completely, I would instead question how effective a treatment can be without triggering a biologically proven reaction.
Unfortunately, along with causing ongoing *inflammation* in the body, Lyme scavenges nutrients from your tissues and slows down many of your bodily systems. However, these are things that you can do something about, giving yourself an easier time when the herxing starts.
Replacing What's Been Lost
Borrelia needs nutrients in order to live & reproduce – which is all it cares about. As a bacteria, it lacks the metabolic pathways necessary for making these nutrients itself so it takes what it needs from your body. This is achieved in two ways. Firstly, Borrelia hijacks your own cells and ‘steals’ nutrients (that is a huge oversimlifcation). Secondly, the bacteria secretes inflammatory cytokines to break down your collagenous tissue into a sort of ‘soup’ which it can then absorb.
Anyone who tells you to avoid certain foods, supplements or even the sun to ‘starve’ the Borellia quite simply doesn’t understand how Borellia works. It will obtain what it needs to survive from your tissues, and starving yourself of vital nutrients will ultimately make your quality of life much worse, and possibly cause the Borrelia to start attacking different tissues.
However, there’s no need to go overboard and begin taking a long list of herbs and supplements. A good quality multivitamin along with some additional vitamin C & vitamin D is an excellent starting point. (Here’s a list of my top 10 supplements for Lyme). Additional needs can be addressed as you go through treatment, but you don’t need to take dozens of supplements every day unless your doctor tells you to. Remember, the symptoms from Lyme are primarily caused by your own immune response to the bacteria, rather than the bacteria or what it does.
The Great Slow Down
With Lyme Disease your body is overwhelmed. Your immune system is on high alert, you may even possibly be suffering with autoimmunity, and everything becomes sluggish. That’s due to a range of factors – the disease itself, lack of movement, poor sleep, depression & anxiety, secondary conditions etc.
Aiming to Rebuild & Support your body includes helping to get some of those sluggish systems working a bit more efficiently. Not only will it help you to feel a little better, but it gives your body the space and support it needs to handle herxing.
How to Heal Lyme: Rebuild & Support
So now we know: rebuilding and supporting your body includes replacing what’s been lost to the infection and gently helping your bodily systems to work more efficiently.
Herbal Options
The Joints
There are many wonderful herbal options that are gentle, inexpensive & helpful to your body during Lyme treatment. For collagen loss, an oral collagen supplement can be useful in helping your body rebuild lost collagen in the joints and skin. MSM (methylsulfonylmethane) is sulfur-containing compound which is found naturally in plants, and has been proven to reduce joint pain. It inhibits collagen breakdown, which is especially important in Lyme Disease.
The Gut
A good probiotic is a must for people with Lyme, along with a balanced diet that suits your own body. This is because your gut is so important for overall health. Not only is your gut an important part of your detox capability, a healthy array of gut bacteria help to reduce gastrointestinal symptoms associated with Lyme. Your gut is also responsible for creating most of the serotonin you need, meaning that it plays a huge role in mental health as well.
The Lymphatic & Detox Systems
Keeping your lymphatic system running smoothly is another important aspect to consider. Your lymphatic system is responsible for removing the bacterial waste, filtering it and sending it for excretion. A Red Root tincture (at least 1:3 strength) is a wonderful lymphatic tonic which can be used when you’re herxing or you have swollen glands.
Aiding the liver is another good practice. When herxing, Milk Thistle tones & strengthens the liver, as well as protecting the cells of the liver from damage.
The Central Nervous System
If you have a neurological presentation of Lyme, it’s important that you visit your doctor for scans and nerve conduction tests. This will show if there are any lesions present and treatment can begin if so.
Thankfully, many people with Lyme don’t end up with measurable nervous system damage – but that doesn’t make the symtpoms any less bearable. An excellent herbal addition to your protocol is ALA (Alpha Lipoic Acid) has been shown to help reduce pain, tingling and prickling sensations – known as neuropathy. It’s an antioxidant that is found naturally in some foods as well as being made by your body. However, remember when we were talking about how Borrelia hijacks your cellular metabolic pathways? ALA production suffers in Lyme, making this a useful addition to your protocol.
Lifestyle Options
One of the most significant things that Lyme Disease takes away from you is movement. The human body is designed to move, and being sedentary causes all sorts of issues to build up. But how can you get moving when you have Lyme? By throwing out all your expectations of what exercise looks like and focusing solely on gentle movement.
The lymphatic system doesn’t have a pump in the same way that the cardiovascular system does (namely, the heart). Lymph moves around the body and relies solely on your muscle contractions to move to and from lymph nodes. Lack of movement stagnates this process, hindering your body’s ability to detox.
Holistic Options
In Traditional Chinese Medicine the concept of Qi describes the flow of energy around the body. This is an important factor to consider when looking to rebuild and support what Lyme has damaged. I have personally benefitted greatly from acupuncture on my healing journey, and I recommend it to all who are open to it. It aims to restore unhindered flow of life force, which is useful as illness causes blockages. Remember, healing Lyme is about more than just the physical.
The Four Pillars of Healing Lyme: Rebuild & Support
And there you have it. The most forgotten aspect of healing Lyme, yet one of the most important pillars. Neglecting to focus on rebuilding what Lyme has damaged is like trying to put a tent up without poles and pegs. It provides the structure and support your body needs to get on with the real work of healing Lyme.
