We highly prioritize our pursuit of continuing education at the Institute for Restorative Health. In fact, it is one of our core values. One way we uphold this value is by continuously researching Lyme and other chronic diseases. In my most recent review of Lyme research, I found a study that was published only late last year in the journal Scientific Reports. This new study provides evidence to the mainstream medical community of a discovery that has been well known to those of us in the natural health community for many years.
“Lyme Disease is more than an infection of one microbe.”
It is refreshing to hear this statement coming out in the mainstream, possibly creating a significant shift in the way doctors treat Lyme Disease and paving the way for insurance reimbursement of additional choices in medical treatments. Hopefully even more studies will surface proving the idea that there is a correlation between Lyme and other chronic illnesses such as fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, Hashimotos, and other autoimmune conditions.
This study, out of Finland, included 432 blood samples from suspected European and US Lyme Disease candidates. They searched the sample population for seventeen different microbes, looking for not only Borrelia burgdorferi (the microbe thought to be the only reason for Lyme Disease), but other species of Borrelia. Included in their search was the species of Babesia, Bartonella, Ehrlichia, Rickettsia, Chlamydia, Mycoplasma, Cytomegalovirus, Epstein-Barr virus, Coxsackievirus and Human Parvo.
So, what did they find?
It was discovered that 65% of the samples tested positive for two or more of the aforementioned microbes. This result is groundbreaking in the world of Allopathic medicine, as it was previously thought that merely one microbe, Borrelia burgdorferi, was the culprit. Of even greater importance, this study found that of all microbes present, there was not one microbe more dominant than another. This study states that while the average microbial incident rate fluctuates, one microbe was never higher than the others – all hovered around 30-40%.
What does this mean? Of the microbial soup inside the chronically ill person, the medical world previously thought one microbe caused it all. This study now shows that you are more likely to have more than two microbes present and that all present microbes are equally represented in the system. This astonishing result shows that the perfectly designed human body is working hard at creating balance out of chaos.
What does this new discovery do for the chronic Lyme patient?
Undoubtedly, a finding like this introduces the option of new medications to try. Instead of only prescribing one medication for one problem, they will likely now suggest using four or five medications for this same problem. The real problem is they are still missing the underlying root causes of your chronic illness. It is not a microbe, nor numerous microbes; it never has been. Rather it is the body’s inability to deal with these microbes.
With all this research going toward which medication is indicated for what microbe, it misses the real questions. “What is creating a hospitable environment for these microbes to thrive in the bio-terrain and the gut microbiome? How do we create balance in the autonomic nervous system?” These questions remain medically unanswered, even with the knowledge of what microbes are present in the blood.
The professionals in the natural health community, who attend to the chronically ill, have known for years that we are dealing with so much more than just a named bacteria or virus. In fact, I have personally seen people from all over the world with named diseases such as Chronic Lyme, Chronic Neuro-Lyme, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Alpha-gal Syndrome, Multiple Sclerosis, Fibromyalgia, PCOS, Ehrlichiosis, Tick Associated Poly Organic Syndrome – so many names I feel overwhelmed with the alphabet soup. I have even asked myself the question, “Does the name of a disease help us, after all?” My personal answer may shock you.
Many years ago, after seeking one specialist after another, my wife and I were naively excited when the MD told us the great news. Her disease had a name. It was Lyme, and according to the CDC, it would only require a 2-3-week cycle of antibiotics for all her symptoms to subside. I now know how crazy it was to believe that there was one cause, or one cure, for what was obviously more complex than we could ever imagine. In essence, the name of the disease did nothing but give us a word to hate, a name to blame for all the plans we were constantly forced to cancel, and every dream we consistently postponed.
I tell my patients that if you find yourself with a doctor that says he or she understands all there is to know about Lyme, you should politely get up, shake their hand, and walk out the door. In our combined decades of working with chronically ill patients across the world, I can tell you that no one will ever realize the full spectrum of this condition. As soon as you believe you have mastered the topic, there is an inevitable humbling around the corner escorted by a barrage of new, dumbfounding information.
Because of this, the doctors at the Institute for Restorative Health, avidly take on the research of subjects like Lyme Disease, autoimmune conditions, epigenetic nutrition, autonomic balance and many others in order to innovate and find new ways to combat chronic illnesses. We apply the lastest evidenced based science to our signature BioRestorative MethodTM which encompasses 6 aspects of the body. Check out our testimonial page to read what our patients have to say about partnering with us on their healing journey.
To find out if our BioRestorativeTM Method is right for you, contact hello@irestorehealth.com today for a free consultation with our Patient Services Coordinator.
REFERENCES
1. Garg K, Meriläinen L, Franz O, et al. Evaluating polymicrobial immune
responses in patients suffering from tick-borne diseases. Scientific Reports.
2018 Oct 29; 8(1): 15932. doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-34393-9
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6206025/
