LYME DISEASE
WHEN IT COMES TO LISTS OF favourite creatures, nobody rates ticks very highly. You'll never see them listed in glossy brochures that boast about the wildlife that graces a particular natural area of grassland or forest.
But you can be sure that, wherever warm-blooded animals thrive, ticks are likely to prosper as well. And depending on your location, some of these ticks are likely to be Ixodes scapularis, the deer tick. Deer ticks spread Lyme disease when a specific bacterium infects them. The tick bites you, the bacteria enter your bloodstream, and you're exposed to a long-term disease that can take years to become full-blown. Lyme disease causes a multitude of symptoms, including neurological problems, cardiac problems and arthritis. It's enough to make an avid hiker stay home and watch television instead.
Lyme disease is one of those illnesses to which it is easy to underreact and overreact. It's difficult to diagnose because the symptoms are not only vague, but also similar to those of other diseases, especially the flu. Moreover, there are no definitive labouratory tests for Lyme disease. The disorder progresses in three seemingly unrelated stages.
The first appears as a bull's-eye rash
three days to four weeks after the tick bite. The rash may be accompanied
by headache, fever, chills and a feeling of tiredness. One key to diagnosis
is noticing both the rash and the flu-like symptoms at the same time.
The second stage, which begins weeks to months later, brings pain in the
joints and muscles, along with meningitis, irregular heartbeat or inflammation
of the sac surrounding the heart. When this stage occurs, the victim may
have forgotten the first stage. Finally, months or even years later, the
third stage begins. It's characterised by more severe problems affecting
the skin, nervous system and joints.
As frightening as all this is, Lyme disease
is usually over-diagnosed. Full treatment is often given to any patient suspected
of having Lyme disease because the full-blown symptoms are so serious. Although
this is an effective means of prevention, it results in the overuse of antibiotics.
It may also mean doctors are missing other serious health problems because
they're prepared to see only Lyme disease.
If you suspect you have Lyme disease, be safe and see a practitioner experienced
in diagnosing and appropriately treating this condition.
There are no researched
herbal treatments for Lyme disease, but Dr James A. Duke, botanical medicine
proponent and author of The Green Pharmacy, suggests using herbs that boost
the immune system along with antibiotics, or taking just the herbs if you're
not certain the bite was from a deer tick.
If you do take antibiotics, you will certainly need to replenish the beneficial
bacteria that help your body digest food and fight off less harmful 'bugs'.
So if your doctor prescribes antibiotics, eat yogurt containing active cultures
or take a probiotic supplement containing Lactobacillus acidophilus and/or
Bifidobacterium bifidum. Take these supplements as directed on the label.
Thwarting Ticks and Lyme Disease
If you don't get bitten, you don't get Lyme disease. Here are some simple
ways to keep ticks away.
* Wear appropriate clothing when you go outdoors. Roll socks over the cuffs of
long pants; tuck in your shirt and button the cuffs of long-sleeved shirts. This
keep ticks from having access to the skin. And, even if you hate chemical repellents,
you can spray the clothing that covers your ankles and calves.
* Do a tick check once you're indoors. After returning home, trade tick checks
with a parther. Generally, ticks must feed for 24 to 48 hours to pass on the
infection, so you are safe if you find the little bloodsuckers right away.
* Pluck them properly. To remove a tick from your skin, use a tweezers to grab
its head, not its body, and pull steadily.
BITING BACK WITH NUTRIENTS
The following supplements may help you recover from an encounter with Lyme disease,
actual or probable. They are also good for overall health.
Essential fatty acids. Plant sources include evening primrose oil, blackcurrant seed oil, borage oil and flaxseed oil. These oils can benefit many symptoms associated with Lyme disease, including fatigue, arthritis, heart disease and neurological problems. Typical dosage: 1,400 to 3,000 milligrams per day of evening primrose oil, blackcurrant seed oil or borage oil, or, less expensive, 2 tablespoons of flaxseed oil per day.
Coenzyme Q10. Also called ubiquinone, this enzyme is an antioxidant and immune stimulant. It may improve stamina and general well-being. Typical dosage: 60 to 200 milligrams per day, divided into two doses if you are not a vegetarian. (Because coenzyme Q,0 is present in high amounts in vegetables, vegetarians already get enough.)
B-complex vitamins. These vitamins are necessary for efficient nerve and immune function. Vegetarians in particular may want to take a B-complex supplement to treat the neurological symptoms of Lyme disease. Typical dosage: one to two 50-milligram B-complex capsules per day. Make sure they include 50 milligrams of thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, 8 6 and pantothenic acid, plus 50 micrograms of B,2 and biotin and 100 micrograms of folic acid.
Magnesium. This mineral is an important component of many cellular functions, including energy production. Typical dosage: 400 milligrams per day.
DRUG TREATMENT
Drug treatment for Lyme disease consists of high doses of antibiotics, usually tetracycline or penicillin. Sometimes such antibiotics are used - although with much controversy - to prevent the development of Lyme disease when a person knows she or he has been bitten by a deer tick. Most doctors are concerned that antibiotic-resistant strains of the bacteria that cause Lyme disease may develop because of the overuse of these antibiotics.
Penicillin side effects include decreases in some types of white blood cells. In children they can include kidney inflammation, bleeding, rashes and changes in blood pH. Tetracycline side effects may include deformities in growing bones, localised allergic reactions, nausea and vomiting, diarrhoea, liver and kidney damage, bleeding, increased sun sensitivity in fair-skinned people, dizziness and vertigo.
HERBAL REMEDIES
Liquorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra)
According to Dr Duke, liquorice contains the most antibacterial isoflavonoid
compounds of any herb. He recommends it highly for bacterial conditions such
as Lyme disease. Typical dosage: 5,000 to 6,000 milligrams of the dried,
powdered root in capsules per day; or 1 to 2 cups of tea per day (simmer
1 teaspoon of dried, chopped root in 1/4 litre of hot water for 30 minutes).
Caution: do not use for more than six weeks unless under the supervision
of a qualified practitioner. Not for use by those with heart disease, liver
disease or high blood pressure, or by women who are pregnant.
Garlic (Allium
sativum)
This bulb yields odoriferous oils, most notably allicin, that offer proven
antibiotic activity against a wide range of bacteria and fungi. The oils
have not been tested specifically against the bacteria causing Lyme disease,
however. Typical dosage: Dr Duke suggests capsules equivalent to 1,200 milligrams
of fresh garlic per day.
Echinacea (Echinacea angustifolia, E. pallida, E. purpurea)
The root of this purple wildflower is the most well-known immunestimulating
herb. It can be taken along with garlic. Most herbalists recommend starting
echinacea at the first sign of any symptoms and taking it frequently until
symptoms have subsided, for up to eight weeks at a time. Typical dosage:
400 to 800 milligrams in capsules per day (when Dr Duke suspected he had
Lyme disease, he took capsules to equal 2,700 milligrams per day); or 60
drops of tincture three times per day.
THE NOT-QUITE VACCINE
At the time of this writing, a vaccine against Lyme disease had just been
approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration - but the committee's
approval was guarded. Many unanswered questions remain about the vaccine.
Its long-term effectiveness and side effects are unknown, as are its safety
and effectiveness for children.
Of most concern to some experts is the danger that vaccinated people will become complacent in their efforts to avoid tick bites. This puts those people at greater risk of other tick-borne diseases, including ehrlichiosis, babesiosis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever and tularaemia - all of which are serious or life-threatening.
The new vaccines also require
three injections over the span of a year to reach a 92 per cent effectiveness
rate. It's likely that research into different and better vaccines will continue.
