Lyme Disease + Co-Infections
As Naturopathic Doctors, we support your body through Lyme Disease and co-infection treatment to get you back to wellness.
Lyme Disease and co-infections are often misdiagnosed conditions. We provide lab testing and integrative treatment for these conditions, so you can get back to living life.
About Lyme
Disease
Lyme disease is a chronic and insidious infection caused by various species of Borrelia bacteria. Borrelia are spiral shaped “spirochete” bacteria which burrow into its host’s tissues and may cause lasting symptoms and detrimental effects to the immune system. Transmission of this bacteria may be via tick bite. Borreliosis can also be transmitted in-utero to a child via the blood-placental barrier if the mother is infected.
At the site of the bite, a patient may experience a red bullseye or target shaped rash known as Erythema Migrans (EM). Not every patient infected with Borrelia bacteria will notice this reaction.
Acute Lyme disease symptoms usually manifest as fever/flu-like symptoms, neck stiffness, joint pain, fatigue, body aches and swollen glands.
Symptoms
Chronic Lyme disease symptoms may include:
- Chronic fatigue
- Migratory joint pain
- Body aches
- Fibromyalgia symptoms
- Neurologic symptoms such as numbness/tingling, loss of function, partial facial paralysis (Bell’s Palsy), tremor, shooting pains
- Memory loss
- Brain fog and headaches
- Mood changes such as depression or anxiety
- Relapsing fevers
- Chest pain and tachychardia
- Onset of an autoimmune disease
- PANS symptoms (OCD, tic disorder, anxiety, behavioural regression)
About
Bacterial Co-Infections
Ticks may also carry additional bacteria. A single tick bite could infect an individual with multiple co-infections. Co-infections may also be transmitted in-utero via the blood-placental barrier, therefore a careful history of the mother is important when testing and diagnosing the child.
Bartonella
- Transmitted via tick to humans
- Transmitted via flea to cats, and to humans via cat scratch or cat bite
- Transmitted in-utero from mom to fetus
- Hallmark symptoms include:
- Anxiety
- Irritability, Rages and psychiatric symptoms
- PANS symptoms
- Chronic joint and muscle inflammation
- Skin mottling
- Brain fog and ice-pick headache
- Photophobia
- Pain behind the eyes
- Urinary symptoms: frequency, urgency, bladder irritation
- Red/purple striations on the skin
- Purple/blue discoloration to the hands/feet
Anaplasma and Ehrlichia
- Transmitted via tick to humans
- Transmitted in-utero from mom to fetus
- Hallmark symptoms include:
- Flu like symptoms
- Joint and muscle pain
- Symptoms manifest similarly to chronic Lyme disease
- PANS symptoms
Babesia
- Babesia is a prioplasm infection similar to malaria
- Transmitted via tick to humans
- Transmitted in-utero from mom to fetus
- Hallmark symptoms include:
- Fever/chills
- Night sweats
- Nausea/vomiting
- Loss of appetite
- Chronic muscle pain
- PANS symptoms
- Hallucinations
- Petechial skin rash (small red dots/burst blood vessels)
Rickettsia
- Transmitted via tick to humans
- Transmitted in-utero from mom to fetus
- Hallmark symptoms include:
- Fever
- Flu-like symptoms
- Headache
- Muscle aches
- Fatigue
- Chest pain
- Rash (Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever)
Testing + Support
Tests
The following tests may be warranted, depending on the case:
- Lyme Disease Panels
- ImmunoBlot IgM/IgG
- IFA Screen IgM/IgG/IgA
- Lyme PCR serum/whole blood
- Western Blot IgM/IgG
- 31kDa Epitope IgM/IgG
- Borrelia EliSpot and B. miyamotoi Elispot
- Co-Infection Panels
- Bartonella henselae IFA IgM/IgG
- Bartonella FISH
- Bartonella PCR whole blood
- Babesia microti/duncani IFA IgM/IgG
- Babesia FISH
- Babesia PCR Panel
- Anaplasma IFA IgM/IgG
- Anaplasma PCR whole blood
- Ehrlichia IFA IgM/IgG
- Ehrlichia PCR whole blood
- Rickettsia rickettsii/typhi IFA IgG
- Rickettsia PCR panel
- Elispot testing for co-infections
- Tick Borne Relapsing Fever Panels
- TBRF ImmunoBlot IgM/IgG
- TBRF PCR serum/whole blood
- CD 57 Testing
- Immunology (IgG + IgG subclasses, IgE, IgA, IgM)
- Complete Blood Count w/ White Blood Cell Differential
- Inflammatory Markers (ESR/CRP)
- Autoimmune Markers
- Comprehensive Stool Analysis
- Viral Titers
- Chlamydia pneumoniae IgA/IgG ELISA, Elispot
- Mycoplasma pneumonia IgM/IgG/IgA, Elispot
- Mycotoxin testing for mold exposure
- Candida testing via blood (Candida IgG) or stool to assess for chronic Candidiasis (Yeast)
Support
Naturopathic treatment strategies for Chronic Lyme Disease and other Co-infections are unique to the needs of each patient.