Do Lyme Disease & Autoimmunity have a a connection?
Recently I read about scientists finding Borrellia Borgdoferia in the brains of
patients who had died of MS. This made me question the connection between Lyme Disease & Autoimmunity and how it relates to me and my family.
Bb is a member of the family of spirochete bacterial known to cause Lyme Disease. Tick bites are the primary means of transmission of Lyme disease.
My mom died of complications of MS about 6 weeks ago. She was told there is no cure for autoimmunity only treatment. I know everyone dies, but years of the pain and disability that followed my Mom’s diagnosis was put into question by this information.
Could any of her suffering have been prevented with Lyme treatment? Over 300,000 people were diagnosed with Lyme disease last year. Add up the number of people who don’t get diagnosed and who don’t complete or respond to treatment. The sheer numbers of people potentially subject to chronic Lyme or post Lyme complications churns in my brain.
Lyme is a tough disease that can ravage a life. It also has been implicated in ALS, Alzheimer’s, ADHD and many more conditions. Both Lyme Disease & Autoimmunity cause serious life altering, life shortening effects. While there isn’t any consensus in the scientific community, there are a significant group of doctors and researchers and mounting data and evidence, that Lyme and Autoimmunity have a relationship.
First I suppose it could be coincidence. Borellia has been around a long time and is present in many people who never show significant symptoms. So it could be present in MS and other autoimmune disease patients too. I am not big on these type of coincidences…..
Second is the possibility of misdiagnosis. Because of the difficulty in getting an accurate diagnosis of Lyme disease & Autoimmunity and other tick borne illnesses, there are times when the diagnosis is missed. A person has a collection of symptoms that fit under several different names. Lyme disease and autoimmunity have a huge overlap in symptoms. What ever the diagnosis, the name triggers treatment approaches and protocols. So it is uber important to work with your health care team to get the tests you need and clarity about what is going on.
Third the bacterial infection is one of a number of factors that can confuse and irritate the immune sytem, until it starts to attack the self. Genetic Susceptibility, Detox Elimination Pathway Overload, Intestinal Permeability, aka Leaky Gut, Chronic Stress, and Chronic Infection are the prime factors that overwhelm immune systems and drive autoimmunity. Many people have Lyme disease for months or years before treatment. Chronic Lyme slides right in as an ongoing infection. This can be a factor in autoimmunity.
Chronic Lyme does a dance in the body and if the genetics and lifestyle factors support it whoosh, autoimmunity can manifest. The specifics of the attack are a result of the individuals susceptibility. Joint attack might be later labeled at RA and nervous system attack labeled as MS. I know if Lyme disease is one factor in the disease, it is one factor in the solution.
The clearest connection between Lyme Disease & Autoimmunity is the self care approach to help heal them both. Functional medicine looks at and treats the causes of autoimmunity to help patients recover. Functional Medicine and Ayurvedic Doctors strongly suggest a multi-pronged approach to treat autoimmunity. Lyme specialist doctors work to rebuild health. Both work at the same base level to help patients better fight infection, repair damage and heal. There is a lot of overlap in the suggestions and they are similar to the lifestyle protocol I followed to help heal.
Help for Healing and Rebuilding from Lyme Disease & Autoimmunity
- Manifest Gut Health Heal Leaky Gut and rebuild biome (community of supportive bacteria), using supplements and living foods.
- Migrate to high nutrient Eating. Eliminate common causes of inflammation, add nutrient dense foods. Eat seasonally, for my body type and appetite.
- Move more. Make movement part of your daily routine
- Minimize Toxins. Unload elimination pathways.
- Mandate Sleep. Prioritize getting to bed early for restful sleep.
- Meet life from a spiritual perspective. Meditate, use affirmations and appreciation to up level to a healthier vibration.
Simple steps that can really help.
Many people are working on health and healing for both autoimmunity and Lyme Disease. It is important to be proactive and engage with the learning. Bring what you think can help into your life.
Please join me and many fine teachers for Healing Autoimmunity on June 7, 2016. Share this with anyone who might need or benefit from the information. This free online audio summit is a great resource. Click this Link for info on all the details.