Lyme Disease & Tickborne Co-Infections
“Tickborne diseases have more than doubled in 13 years and are 77% of all vector-borne disease reports.”
-Vibrant Wellness
At Zimmermann Modern Wellness, we specialize in diagnosing and treating chronic Lyme and its complications in a manner that optimizes the biological terrain and minimizes adverse effects for our patients.
What is Lyme
Disease?
Lyme disease is a vector borne illness most commonly caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi transmitted via the bite of a black legged tick also known as the deer tick. While this infection may be acute, many positive infections will persist into chronic cases despite conventional treatment.
Bullseye Rash?
Many cases of acute and chronic Lyme never find an embedded tick due their small size. Additionally, in up to 30% of positive Lyme cases, a bullseye rash does not appear.
Lyme Symptoms
Due to the wide range of symptoms that can resemble other
conditions, many cases of Lyme go misdiagnosed and untreated.
FEVER & CHILLS
MUSCLE ACHES
JOINT PAIN
FATIGUE
HEADACHES
SWOLLEN LYMPH
GI Distress
Brain Fog
Dizziness
Chronic Lyme
Acute Lyme and tickborne infections can develop into chronic cases if left -un or improperly treated. Unfortunately, the standard treatment for Lyme infection with a course of antibiotics is often ineffective! This is due to the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi’s growing resistance to antibiotics. Further, this bacterium is incredibly resilient and has developed several mechanisms to effectively evade the body’s immune system and antibiotics. When the Lyme bacterium feels threatened, it can curl up into a ball or a cyst. In this form, the bacterium is protected with a slimy coat called a biofilm, in which antibiotics and immune cells cannot penetrate. Additionally, the Lyme bacterium can bind to and hide within joint proteins, escaping immune surveillance.
This state of Lyme disease can result in chronic, debilitating symptoms and systemic complications. These complications can include:
- Chronic Fatigue
- Chronic Pain/ Fibromyalgia
- Neurological Issues
- Cognitive Difficulties/ Brain Fog
- Heart Problems
- Arthritis
- Facial Paralysis/ “Bell’s Palsy”
- Muscular Weakness
- Migraines
- Shortness of Breath
- Anxiety/ Depression
What are Tickborne Co-Infections?
Oftentimes the ticks that carry the Lyme bacterium are a host to several other bacteria, parasites, and viruses. Thus, it is common to be infected with multiple pathogens from a single tick bite. These co-infections often increase the severity and duration of illness.
Bartonella
Babesia
Anaplasma
Ehrlichia
Rickettsia
Powassan virus
epstein barr virus
cytomegalovirus
hhv6
Diagnosing Lyme:
Testing
Most non-Lyme literate practitioners, if they suspect Lyme disease, will order the ELISA or Western Blot. Unfortunately, both of these labs only test for antibodies to one strain of Lyme bacterium, Borrelia burgdorferi. These tests thus miss cases of Lyme caused by the other strains of Borrelia such as mayonii, afzelii, miyamotoi, amongst others. Further, these two labs do not test for any of the tickborne co-infections. As such, it has been reported that these two labs can miss up to 60% of positive Lyme cases. Not good! Fortunately, there are many advanced Lyme and tickborne co-infection labs available on the market today.
At Zimmermann Modern Wellness, we utilize the latest and most accurate Lyme and tickborne labs to ensure proper diagnosis for our patients. Some of these labs include:
- Vibrant America (Tickborne 1.0 & 2.0)
- IGENEX
- MDL
- RGCC labs
- PCR testing
- Bioresonance testing
- CD57 counts
Treating Lyme:
The ZMW Difference
At ZMW, we apply a holistic approach in treating chronic Lyme and tickborne illness. Oftentimes, Lyme is just one piece of the puzzle. Mold exposure, gut issues, chronic viral infections - all can be lingering under the surface in many chronic Lyme cases. By examining our patients’ entire bio-terrain, we can get a clearer picture. Once the root causes are identified, we can formulate a strategic treatment plan that addresses not only the Lyme, but the other imbalances within the terrain that are weakening the overall immune system. Our method not only effectively treats Lyme and tickborne co-infections, but also optimizes the internal landscape to prevent future re-occurrence.
Why We Don’t Use Prolonged Antibiotics.
While a course of antibiotics in acute Lyme cases may be beneficial, prolonged usage of antibiotics often proves to be ineffective and detrimental. Recent research has found that the Lyme bacterium has developed mechanisms to evade antibiotics, becoming antibiotic resistant. Additionally, prolonged antibiotics can wreak havoc on the body’s microbiome, which plays a critical role in the immune system.
What Does Optimizing the Terrain Mean?
The body’s terrain consists of trillions of bacteria, viruses, fungal species, etc. When the terrain fosters a greater amount of beneficial species, the immune system is robust and healthy. However, when too many pathogenic species gain hold, the immune system struggles to maintain control and weakens over time. Optimizing the terrain entails eliminating harmful species such as Lyme, while bolstering beneficial microbes to restore optimal balance.
Our Treatment Superstars
Supportive Oligonucleotide Therapy is a revolutionary treatment that targets Lyme and tickborne co-infections by creating short DNA or RNA segments that bind to and disable the Lyme bacterium. This unique therapy is showing great promise in treating unresponsive chronic Lyme.
Ozone therapy, the infusion of extra oxygen into the bloodstream, is a potent tool for combating resistant infections. In a hyper-oxygenated environment, pathogens like Lyme are inactivated. Then the immune system can come in and clean up debris.
Methylene Blue is a synthetic dye that has shown great promise in treating Lyme and tickborne co-infections due to its wide antimicrobial actions. Additionally, it optimizes mitochondrial health, restoring energy levels.
Nano silver delivers millions of medical grade silver nano-particles into the bloodstream. These silver particles are magnetically drawn to the Lyme bacterium. Once these particles make contact, they disrupt the bacterium’s cell membrane, lysing the cell. Unlike colloidal silver, nano silver cannot accumulate in the body.
Sequences of amino acids, peptides are the fundamental building blocks of proteins that carry out numerous bodily functions. Certain peptides that can be supplemented modulate the immune system, which can be greatly beneficial in cases of chronic infection.
Unlike antibiotics, herbal medicines contain multiple biochemical constituents, making resistance more difficult for the Lyme bacterium. Herbs can break down biofilms, target the Lyme bacterium, and assist with cellular regeneration.
Are you ready to begin your journey to wellness and feel your best?
Reach out to our team at Zimmermann Modern Wellness to get your personalized treatment plan today.