Dr. Verma-Dzik is the owner and founder of Ridgefield-based Fairfield Naturopathic Health. A board-certified Naturopathic Physician, Dr. Verma is also a certified medical acupuncturist who practices holistic medicine in the treatment of acute and chronic health conditions.
In this week’s segment, Dr. Verma talks about treating and preventing Lyme disease.
Lyme disease has become somewhat of an epidemic in our neck of the woods. Tonight at WCSU, the 12th Annual Lyme Connection Patient Conference will take place featuring renowned tick-borne disease experts.
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the cases of diseases from ticks have doubled. This does not include cases that have been missed and unreported. In Connecticut, the number of cases reported is more than 36,000. Even more frightening are the many organisms a single tick bite can transmit that go into hiding. Not only do people become infected with Borrelia burgdorferi, but but they usually contract other microbes, such as Bartonella and Ehrlichia, through one single tick bite. It takes just 15 minutes for an attached tick to transmit Powassan virus.
I have seen videos at lectures where the corkscrew-shaped Borrelia would travel through the bloodstream, penetrate the blood vessel, and disappear somewhere in the body. It literally goes hiding in the joints, brain, the heart and other organs, so neither antibiotics nor our immune system can fight it.
One of the places these dangerous microbes hide is in our very own gut microbiome. This further supports why it is vital to keep our guts healthy and our flora balanced, especially since 70-80% of our immune system is in the gut.
The best-noted course of action to combat a tick bite is a full round of antibiotics as soon as possible after the bite has been discovered. Early detection and treatment ensures recovery.
Unfortunately, we are not always able to detect the tick or the bite and end up developing severe symptoms when it’s too late. The symptoms that occur can go far beyond that of a fever and joint pain. They can be so severe and debilitating causing terrible headaches, poor sleep, changes in mood, brain fog, ringing in the ears, abdominal pain, numbness and tingling in the hands and feet, the list goes on. For some who have been treated immediately with antibiotics, they can develop Post-Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome, where symptoms of Lyme can persist for more than six months.
Once the point of chronic Lyme has been reached, what does one do?
Medicinal herbs contain hundreds of biochemical constituents that fight microbial infections. Herbs provide strong anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial effects that work with our own immune system to fight infection without destroying our gut’s microbiome. Herbal medicine not only will help alleviate symptoms associated with Lyme, but they also work to fight infections. When taking herbal medicines to treat Lyme and the associated symptoms, there are many combinations that can be taken to provide relief and healing.
Some herbs that are helpful to begin treatment with include Andrographis, Cat’s Claw, Eleutherococcus, and Japanese Knotweed. There are many more herbs that can be taken to treat the microbes and symptoms associated with Lyme, even neurological.
When I treat patients with Lyme, do I not only focus on combating the microbes they have been infected with, but I also focus on building their immune system, and, of course treating the gut, the core of what we as Naturopathic Physicians do.
To accomplish this, along with herbs, consuming a healthy anti-inflammatory diet, getting good quality sleep, exercise, and decreasing stress will help our body’s natural ability to heal. I love reiki mushrooms - they are one of my favorite herbs when it comes to enhancing the immune system. Taking probiotics, consuming fermented foods, kefir and kombucha are important in maintaining or re-establishing a healthy gut flora. Furthermore, it is extremely necessary to address MTHFR in order for a patient to be able to recover from Lyme.
How do you prevent Lyme?
Keep covered when going through the woods, avoid walking through brush and long grass, frequent tick checks while you are outdoors, removing clothes and showering immediately after being outside, and using tick repellant sprays.
Natural sprays containing essential oils are very effective. A few that have been recognized by the CDC are cedar, peppermint, thyme, and rosemary. I have one that I have created that offers protection without the toxic side effects. My family and I also take Astragalus, an immune enhancing herb that is very helpful for viral, and bacterial infections, as well as allergies, which I mentioned in my last article.
Not all patients can take antibiotics and respond to conventional medicine. Although alternative therapies are very successful in treating Lyme (as well as many other conditions) receiving proper treatment is important.
With alternative, Naturopathic medicine, there is still hope and a chance to live a happy and normal life.
Dr. Veena Verma-Dzik, ND, FIAMA has an office at 20 Prospect Street inside Susi Laura Massage in Ridgefield, Connecticut. Visit here website here.