Chinese medicine & Lyme Disease
As a healthcare provider I feel obligated to inform patients about this enormously important public health concern. Chinese herbal medicine and acupuncture have important roles in the management and recovery from tick borne diseases.
Chinese medicine – an ancient medicine for ancient infections
Evidence of Lyme disease dating back to 5,300 years ago has been recently discovered… and interestingly a primitive type of acupuncture may have also been used. Chinese medicine has been around for thousands of years as well. Acupuncture and herbal approaches to healing are truly time tested.
Chinese herbal management of these conditions has been rediscovered and formulas developed by Dr. Heiner Fruehauf. I encourage you to peruse his following articles about these treatment approaches. Unlike the harsh approach of antibiotics (“anti-life”), these formulas create an environment that supports your energy and immune system as well as addressing the underlying infections.
Driving Out Demons and Snakes: Gu Syndrome
In each case, I will work with you to develop a plan designed to address your situation and help support you as you work towards healing. If you are on antibiotics/antimalarials, I will gladly work with you and your prescribing provider to coordinate your care as the herbal program can be designed to work with the other medicines you are taking.
Persistent Symptoms Even after Antibiotics?
Patients may have a full recovery when the infection is caught early on, but some people continue to experience symptoms that persist after the completion of antibiotics. There is evidence that antibiotics can serve to create other forms of the bacteria (protecting themselves using a biofilm environment) and therefore not fully clearing the infections. For those patients whose infections weren’t caught early on, symptoms are often more severe and generally take longer to resolve.
Chinese medicine is a wonderful supportive system that can help patients recover whether it is a new (acute) infection or one that has been there for a long time (chronic). Consider acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine for help with these commonly persistent symptoms: fatigue, muscle aches, shooting pain and numbness, foggy headed sensation (‘Lyme fog’), etc. Treatment with antibiotics and antimalarials can be hard on the body, often causing digestive problems. Acupuncture can help with indigestion, gas, nausea, diarrhea and/or constipation.
Building a Strong Immune System
The immune system needs to work hard at clearing infections. Acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine can be great additions to your overall approach to supporting your immune system as you recover from tick borne diseases too. Although the antibiotics/antimalarials that are generally prescribed may reduce the bacteria/parasites in the bloodstream, ultimately you need a strong immune system to clear the infection from all the tissues. The Chinese herbal approach supports your immune system and does so without the harsh effects of antibiotics. Acupuncture has also been shown by scientists at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute to improve immune function in patients receiving chemotherapy.
Check out these other pages to learn more:
