Lyme disease is well-known for the inflammatory responses it creates in the body. This happens anytime the body senses a foreign bacterium. Inflammation is used as a defense mechanism. It seeks, finds, and destroys the enemy. Unfortunately, with Lyme disease, it is not always that simple.
When inflammation is constantly present in your body, you can experience swelling, soreness, tenderness, and chronic pain in every area of the body. Lyme bacteria are very good at hiding in your bloodstream and going dormant to avoid detection. This puts inflammation on a continual hunt for bacteria but without success.
Treatment for Lyme disease typically consists of antibiotics.
Antibacterial Treatments for Lyme Disease
If you are diagnosed with Lyme disease soon after contracting it, there is a high chance of success with antibiotic treatment. Most doctors prescribe the most vital type of antibiotics, like doxycycline, for two weeks.
Not everyone is diagnosed with Lyme disease early, however. Some go months or years getting misdiagnosed by doctors who are not specialists in Lyme disease. Because the tests approved to diagnose Lyme disease are often inaccurate, it becomes even more of a problem.
The longer Lyme bacteria remain in your bloodstream; they will continue to multiply and travel to new areas in the body. When this happens, antibiotics alone may not work. In cases such as these, supplements for Lyme disease can be beneficial.
What Are Supplements?
Although the Food and Drug Administration does not have the authority to inspect and review dietary supplements, they admit some can benefit your health.
Supplements contain minerals, vitamins, amino acids, and more known to improve health. Because the number of vitamins and nutrients far outweighs the amount you can consume through eating natural foods each day, you must find other ways to get the essentials.
Different supplements have different purposes. For example, calcium strengthens bones. Vitamin D helps the body process calcium, so you get the full effects. Folic acid supports making DNA and new cell growth. This is extremely important for women who are pregnant. Thiamine supports energy metabolism and nerve functioning.
Many supplements help reduce or eliminate inflammation in the body. Because Lyme disease is an inflammatory disease, supplements are needed to give the immune system a boost to do a better job at fighting Lyme bacteria.
Anti-Inflammatory Supplements for Lyme Disease
Supplement use for someone with Lyme disease aims to reduce inflammation and reduce swelling, pain, and other symptoms that make it hard to function. Below is a list of supplements, herbs, botanicals, and more explicitly used for Lyme disease.
Turmeric and Curcumin
Turmeric is a spice, with curcumin being the main ingredient. Both reduce inflammation by inhibiting the chemicals that produce inflammation. Lyme disease symptoms mimic the flu, especially in the early stages. They have been used for centuries as medicine to treat skin rashes and relieve flu-like symptoms.
Turmeric and curcumin also reduce fatigue, improve cognitive functioning, and reduce neurological symptoms like tingling. It does this by acting as an antioxidant, preventing the growth of damaging free radical cells.
Fish Oil
Omega fatty acids found in certain fish are great at reducing inflammation caused by Lyme disease. They have eicosanoids that inhibit enzymes responsible for inflammation. The most beneficial are the omega-3s and omega-six fish oils.
You can get omega fatty acids by eating wild-caught fish two or three times a week, in nuts and oils such as coconut and olive. There are excellent supplements you can purchase from your Lyme-literate doctor.
Glutathione
Glutathione plays a significant role in limiting and inhibiting Lyme bacteria through the immune response system. It takes certain amino acids, vitamins, and minerals to produce glutathione. The most important are selenium, magnesium, vitamin C, and vitamin E. Eating foods rich in these elements can be complemented with supplements suggested by your doctor.
Essential Oils
Essential oils have antibacterial components that can eliminate infections such as Lyme disease. It is recommended the oils be applied on a rotation to break down the infection in layers. Recommended essential oils include marjoram, cinnamon bark, tangerine, oregano, geranium, and frankincense.
Others include garlic, cumin, myrrh, thyme, and lemon eucalyptus. While many others, these are the top essential oils proven in research studies to fight Lyme disease.
Plant Extracts
Researchers compared antibiotics to plant extracts and found interesting results, with some extracts producing better results. Quinine and knotweed have antioxidants and alkaloids used to fight bacteria in many well-known diseases, including malaria and hepatitis.
Along with knotweed and quinine, the plant extracts that work better than antibiotics include black walnut, sweet wormwood, and cat’s claw.
When researchers tested quinone in lab dishes, it only took one week to destroy Lyme bacteria.
Additional Supplements to Treat Lyme Disease
A few other supplements deserve to be mentioned in the fight against Lyme disease. For example, choline is part of the vitamin B group. When compared in studies, those who took choline had 20% lower inflammation than those who did not.
Other supplements to mention include:
- DHA, an omega-3 fatty acid
- Vitamin B12
- Methionine
- Cysteine
- Glycine
- Vitamin D
Vitamin D levels are found to be low in people with Lyme disease. You can take supplements because you can’t spend your whole day in the sun, which is one way to absorb it. Vitamin D has many uses, but Lyme disease helps your body better absorb other supplements. It can also boost your mood and increase your energy levels.
Vitamin D promotes quicker healing, reduces the risk of infections, boosts the immune system, and improves cognition.
Final Note
When taking supplements for Lyme disease, you must follow an anti-inflammatory diet. If you take supplements while eating unhealthy foods, the supplements may not have a positive effect. However, reducing sugar, gluten, and dairy intake will help you get the most benefits from every supplement.
A great example of a treatment clinic outside the United States, Canada, and the UK to discuss supplements with is the Lyme Mexico Clinic. Call them to find out how you can benefit from their services.
Check This Out!
Dr. Morales has written a piece about Lyme in Mexico in this book titled, Lyme Disease: Medical Myopia & the Hidden Global Pandemic, by author and neuropsychiatrist, Dr. Bernard Raxien.