Lyme disease: Recognize and Treat it
Posted by: Marcelle
Ticks and Lyme Disease
Lyme disease and ticks in the Ottawa area are a serious issue. As we head into August, our blog is all about cottage days, restfulness and awareness – so it’s the perfect time for a post about ticks! (Plus, we’ve got a handy tick-tool for you to use.) Unfortunately many people don’t ever realize they’ve been bitten by a tick, miss the the telltale rash, and ultimately end up with a “mystery illness” that destroys their lives. So, in today’s post, you’ll learn how to become proactive around tick bites.
Tick bites don’t sting, and can easily go unnoticed. But the impact of getting the disease is devastating. From unremitting fatigue to aches and pains, headaches and much more, this disease becomes very hard to diagnose and treat. Avril Lavigne recently came out publicly about her diagnosis of Lyme disease, and she is still working to recover many months later.
First: Know The Basics
- The black legged tick MAY carry the bacteria that causes Lyme disease.
- The tick takes a few hours of sucking your blood before you become infected.
- If you find a red round rash, like a bullseye and ring around it, go to the nearest emergency room for treatment. Visit Web MD site for pictures of this
- Signs of Lyme disease are rash, fatigue, chills, fever, headache, muscle and joint pain, and swollen lymph nodes at the earlier stage.
- Chronic Lyme disease symptoms can include: severe joint pain, meningitis, Bells’ palsy, numbness or weakness of your extremities, heart problems, eye problems, hepatitis (inflammation of the liver), severe fatigue.
Want to learn more? Click here for more information about Lyme disease.
Second: Get Proactive
- When walking in the bush or anywhere with long grass, wear long legged trousers and socks. Don’t give the tick an opportunity to latch on.
- Wear tick repellant. You can spray your clothing and your skin, and there are natural options for this, so you don’t necessarily need to get a harsh spray. At our office, we have a product called Solvarome, which is a pain reliever and natural bug repellent option.
- Tie back long hair.
- Check your pets for ticks, especially when they come into your home.
- There is something called a “Tick Key” that is very effective at removing ticks, and quite inexpensive to purchase. You can find these at places such as Lee Valley. It’s easy to put in your purse or wallet to carry around. It works on pets too.
- Save the tick to be tested by your doctor. Better safe and aware than sorry.
But what if you do somehow get Lyme disease? Here are options to consider.
Medical treatments, when they believe you have Lyme Disease, consists of antibiotics. If choosing antibiotics for treatment, make sure you support your enzymatic system and restore your intestinal flora. This will help in preventing further chronic disease developing as a result of the treatment impact. That’s an important tip too often not considered when it comes to the option of antibiotics.
Natural treatments can also be effective for Lyme disease. Through herbal and homeopathic remedies you can suppress the microbes and restore the gut function, decrease the inflammation and oxidative stress, boost the immune system and support the detoxification. All these steps are needed for you to recover well.
Dr. Robert Abell has developed a great protocol for Lyme disease through Gemmotherapy, which is a natural therapy using the buds of plants, which we use in our office. Learn more here about Gemmotherapy.
Do you have more questions about Lyme disease or tick season, and natural approaches? Leave them in the comments and we’ll do our best to answer! Also, we’ll be rounding up our cottage posts for the next edition of the Green Leaf, so sign up for your copy.
Want to meet with Marcelle or Tony? They want to meet you too ;
Awakening Potentials is a health & lifestyle practice coupling the chiropractic, methylation, supplementation, energy system and a deep understanding of how our bodies are wired into our emotions. Come say hi with our initial two-consultation offer.