First entry for my musings about Lyme disease...definitely not my last.

Photo thanks to IDSA

I don't claim to have all the answers.  The only thing making me a Lyme disease expert is being the mother of two children battling Lyme disease.  This journey has given me much learning and some sort of expertise in knowing how to face the battle, if that makes sense.  I don't have all the ins and outs and answers to the many many questions that arise.  But I have a solid base of understanding to draw from and I huge support group with answers I may not have.

This journey I have been on since 2009 when my daughter was first diagnosed, has lead me to become an Energy Practitioner and I am starting a new branch as a Lyme Coach.  People have come to me for years with questions about Lyme and I am eager to share my learning and experiences to help those in the trenches become victorious over their battle with Lyme and other chronic illnesses.

So with that brief background, today's thoughts or musings are around the notion that Lyme is an autoimmune disease or disorder.  My gut says this is a fallacy.  Why? It takes on many of the characteristics of an autoimmune disorder.  That is true.  But many of the autoimmune diseases can be controlled by diet, exercise, sleep and stress control.  I know this because I have had my own battle with mono and the epsteinbar virus since I was a teenager.  So what makes Lyme different?  Lyme is a bacteria.  It's bacterial cause is the nasty Borrelia burgodorferi and is transmitted to humans through simply put, deer ticks.  If you are one of the lucky ones, 30% of the infected population, to get a rash and act on it, Lyme is curable and a simple catch.  If you are not the battle of diagnosis alone can be a long and difficult one, which gets mixed up in the mass of autoimmune disease.

So again, the difference is that if Lyme were solely an autoimmune disease, it could be easily managed by diet, exercise, sleep and stress control.  However, it is not.   Without proper treatment it will get worse and worse.  A true Lyme diagnosis will require antibiotics and other homeopathic treatments to get rid of the bacteria and other co-infections.  Without the antibiotics the Borrelia will continue to multiply and thrive.  My personal belief is if you can get better without a full Lyme protocol then, it probably wasn't a correct Lyme diagnosis.

Last thought, remember Lyme is known as "the great imitator".  It will take on characteristics of many different disorders depending on the individuals weakness or genetic disposition.  However, this doesn't mean it is that disorder.  A great example of that is Kris Khristofferson's diagnosis of Alzheimer's, a devastating disease.  However, when put on a Lyme treatment he was able to make a full recovery from the memory loss.  Amazing story!  Kris Kristofferson's Lyme Story