Lyme disease alters your immune system. When your body detects the Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria associated with Lyme disease, it sends out the first wave of immune responses to kill them. Immune responses can include inflammation to fight bacteria. For most bacteria, the first wave works. But Lyme bacteria are smart and often reappear after the immune responses have faded.
When the bacteria reappears, another wave of inflammation, or immune response, is sent to all body parts showing signs of bacteria.
Because Lyme bacteria are good at hiding in the bloodstream, this process of activating inflammation can continue for days, weeks, months, and years. Your immune system becomes ineffective at fighting off infections over time. Lyme disease becomes chronic, and you experience the negative symptoms that make it hard to function.
Immune boosting treatments can help in the battle against Lyme disease. By focusing on strengthening your immune system, you are teaching your body how to heal itself. Below are nine ways to boost the Lyme disease immune system.
1. Get Good Sleep Every Night
Sleep is essential for a healthy immune system. Cytokines that regulate the immune system are released in higher amounts during sleep. If you aren’t getting a good night’s sleep, you aren’t getting the right amount of cytokines needed to fight off infections.
This means your immune system cannot prevent Lyme bacteria from spreading throughout your body.
2. Hyperthermia
Fever is another way your body’s immune system fights infections. As your body temperature rises, immune responses like cytokines and shock proteins are activated into battle. The problem is that you may not have a fever with Lyme disease. That’s when hyperthermia, a procedure often used to treat cancer. It is when a doctor aids your body in producing an artificial fever that will signal your immune system to start fighting infection. The procedure is safe and controlled by the doctor.
3. Dietary Changes
Life is not always fair, like when the food and drinks you consume hinder your immune system. But it’s true. Some foods encourage Lyme disease to spread in the body, and food and beverages limit Lyme disease.
Sugary, high carbohydrate foods, also known as junk food, encourage inflammation. Sugar, in all forms, is a culprit for many inflammatory diseases. It’s essential to control how much sugar you add to your daily diet. Avoid red meat, refined carbohydrates, sodas, and fried foods.
There are many anti-inflammatory foods you can substitute. All plant-based fruits and vegetables can reduce inflammation and help your immune system function properly. Fish, nuts, leafy greens, olive oil, and water are anti-inflammation superstars.
4. Lifestyle Changes
As mentioned above, sleep is vital for boosting your immune system naturally. There are other lifestyle changes you can implement that do the same thing. You can start participating in stress-reduction activities like meditation or prayer and exercise.
Working with a Lyme-literate doctor or counselor to create a lifestyle change plan allows you to brainstorm with professionals the best ways to enhance your immune system. Likely, their first recommendations will be to eliminate bad habits like smoking, drinking alcohol, and using drugs.
5. IV Vitamin Therapy
When you have Lyme disease, your body can become deprived of nutrients needed for a healthy immune system. Lyme literate doctors can replace lost vitamins and nutrients with intravenous therapy or IV vitamin therapy.
This technique sends nutrients directly into your bloodstream, where Lyme bacteria reside. Nutrient options often include Vitamin C megadoses, silver, and anti-microbials. Your doctor may also want to include Vitamin D, Zinc, B Complex, curcumin, and selenium in your IV therapy based on your lab work.
Another IV treatment used to boost the immune system is called Intravenous Immunoglobulin Therapy or IVG.
6. Intravenous Immunoglobulin Therapy (IVIG)
Your body makes antibodies as an immune response to fight off infections. Lyme disease weakens the immune system, making it unable to produce antibodies. There isn’t a way to make your body produce more or better antibodies. However, you can get healthy antibodies from donors.
With IVG, your doctor will use an IV to send healthy antibodies into your bloodstream so they can go to work fighting off Lyme bacteria.
7. Supplements
Today, there are many supplements created to boost your immune system. With so many options, it can be challenging to make the right choice. Supplements are often mass-produced to meet the needs of the mass market. That’s why your Lyme literate doctor must recommend the right supplements based on your unique immune system. They can also recommend the best brands with evidence-based results on the effectiveness of their products.
8. Regenerative Stem Cell Therapy
To boost the immune system, regenerative stem cell therapies are given after you receive other immune-boosting treatments. It’s a follow-up therapy that increases the success of other treatments. This may be because stem cells can transform into different cells in the body.
Stem cells travel to damaged areas in the body, divide, and replicate to form more stem cells that can then travel to other damaged areas. Regenerative stem cell therapy makes an excellent treatment for those in remission from Lyme disease because it strengthens the immune system long after the infection is eliminated.
9. Reduce Stress
This final tip may seem difficult with busy schedules and personal demands. That doesn’t make it less important, though. Stress damages the immune system. Stress reduction provides many immune-boosting benefits to fight Lyme infections.
Laughter is an immediate stress reliever. When you laugh, endorphins and other happy chemicals are released in your brain that reduce stress. So, watch your favorite comedy, tell jokes with friends, or listen to a funny podcast. Do what you can to add more laughter into your life.
Other ways to reduce stress include cutting out, limiting, or changing the things that cause major stress. If you’re in a bad relationship, it may be time to exit. If you hate your job, find a new one.
Final Thought
There is nothing more important right now than getting healthy. Make yourself a priority!