May 9, 2023
May 09, 2023 - /PressAdvantage/ - The Center for Occupational & Environmental Medicine, a functional, integrative, and environmental medicine clinic is educating patients on the causes, symptoms, and treatments of Lyme disease.
Lyme disease is an infection caused by Borrelia Burgdorferi, a spirochete bacterium carried by deer ticks and transmitted to humans through a bite. When the bacterium invades the bloodstream, it causes inflammation in various bodily systems starting with the skin and later spreading to the joints, nervous system, and even other organs of the body. According to Dr. Stephen Elliott, from COEM, in the later stages, Lyme can adversely impact the heart, short-circuiting the heart’s electrical system (atrioventricular block) and causing a variety of symptoms including lightheadedness, palpitations, shortness of breath, and fatigue.
One of the most common illnesses in the United States, it can cause several long-term effects including arthritis and complications such as Meningitis, Encephalitis, Cranial Neuritis, Radiculoneuritis, Encephalopathy, and Neuropsychiatric Lyme disease.
Many Lyme-related symptoms (e.g, fatigue, joint pain, headaches, neuropathy, rashes) can be caused by so many other things, because of which it has come to be called “The Great Imposter.” As a result, Lyme is frequently missed — or mis-diagnosed — early on, resulting in further progression of the disease and wider dissemination throughout the body.
Patients experience symptoms in three stages. In the localized early (acute) stage, patients may complain of solid red or bull’s-eye rash, usually at the site of the bite, swelling of lymph glands near the tick bite, generalized achiness, and headaches.
During the early disseminated stage, symptoms include two or more rashes not at the site of the bite, migrating pains in joints/tendons, headaches, stiff, aching neck, facial palsy (facial paralysis similar to bell’s palsy), tingling or numbness in extremities, multiple enlarged lymph glands, abnormal pulse, sore throat, changes in vision, fever of 100 to 102 F, and severe fatigue.
Finally, during the late stage of a Lyme disease infection, patients report conditions such as arthritis (pain/swelling) of one or two large joints, disabling neurological disorders (disorientation; confusion; dizziness; short-term memory loss; inability to concentrate, finish sentences or follow conversations; mental “fog”), and numbness in arms/hands or legs/feet.
Dr. William Weirs from COEM talks about the several options available for treating Lyme disease by saying, “Here at COEM, we believe in providing holistic treatments that combine the use of conventional allopathic treatments along with the best environmental, functional, and integrative therapies available right now. So, we may recommend the accepted pharmaceutical treatments for LD including Doxycycline, Tetracycline, penicillin, intravenous antibiotics, and NSAIDs. Along with these medications, we also recommend probiotic supplements, friendly bacteria that reduce the side effects of the aforementioned antibiotics, and beta-glucan, a fiber that stimulates the immune system. We also suggest a combination of herbs including garlic and Essaic.”
In its blog post on the topic, COEM warns readers that many of the conventional tests for Lyme disease miss detection in a large percentage of cases. For example, the Elisa test misses 35 percent of culture-proven Lyme disease and tests for none of the co-infections while the Western Blot often misses 20 to 30 percent of culture-proven Lyme disease. While more accurate tests are available, none are completely accurate and it often comes down to the physician’s clinical judgment to begin treatment.
At COEM, the clinicians have found that no one treatment protocol works best for everyone. Each person has unique symptoms and requires a very specific treatment plan. Some patients do not want to use antibiotics and one approach can be the Cowden Protocol, which is a comprehensive program using powerful, sequentially applied herbal remedies is highly effective in treating Lyme disease. The program eliminates not only the Borrelia organism but also the equally troublesome co-infections from other organisms.
The conventional approach simply using antibiotics may work work well if Lyme is caught early, but Lyme is rarely caught in early. Once established, the conventional antibiotic approach may be helpful, but is rarely sufficient. Used alone, it frequently triggers a variety of unintended complications and adverse reactions.
Dr. Weirs talks about the clinic’s preferred Lyme disease treatment by saying, “At most medical providers, patients who have tested positive for Lyme disease are put on a regimen of multiple antibiotics for an extended period. From our experience, though it is an effective treatment option, we have found that the Cowden herbal regimen can be a better match for environmentally sensitive patients. The non-drug program is more tolerable to patients who might experience a slew of side effects from the conventional treatment methodology. Since our focus has always been on examining the genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors that influence a patient’s health, for a holistic recovery, we strongly recommend an integrative approach for treating Lyme disease.” There is no quick fix. Treating Lyme takes time.
Get in touch with COEM at (843) 572-1600 to schedule an appointment. Readers are also urged to check out the blog post by visiting https://coem.com/blog/lyme-disease-symptoms-causes-treatment/.
###
For more information about Center for Occupational & Environmental Medicine, contact the company here:
Center for Occupational & Environmental Medicine
Center for Occupational & Environmental Medicine
843-572-1600
[email protected]
7510 NORTH FOREST DR
NORTH CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA 29420
ReleaseID: 60060143
A watchdog has raised concerns after too many primary school children were found to be falling behind in reading, writing and maths.
A proposal to increase waste processing and HGV movements at a major recycling site is among the latest planning applications submitted to a council.
Political analyst Brit Hume on Wednesday evening said rising inflation and higher costs of living are hurting the Trump administration ahead of the midterms, as the Republican Party fights to maintain control in Congress. “This business with prices is just killing the administration,” Hume said on Fox News's “Special Report with Bret Baier.” He referenced...
Trivia buffs, test your knowledge with today’s interactive superquiz.
A closed restaurant could become a new nanobrewery, serving beers from locally produced ingredients, after plans were submitted.
A school facing a parent protest has hit back at critics of its new rules, saying “some people struggle with change”.
This month, the president threatened to halt a broad swath of trade if interest rates were not cut, a possibility he resurfaced on Wednesday.
The 24-year-old woman has been charged with concealing her son’s birth by disposing of his body.
The Federal Reserve’s first increase to interest rates since July 2023 comes less than two months before the midterm elections.
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) unveiled its long-awaited “innovation exemption” Thursday, a new order aimed at clearing the way for tokenized stock trading in the U.S. The order creates a pair of five-year exemptions. The first exempts platforms that host tokenized stock trading from the commission’s definition of an exchange, while the second exempts...
Many countries blunted the most painful effects of the energy shock from the war in Iran. But prices remain elevated and risks are multiplying.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Thursday welcomed Canada’s invitation to join the European Union as its first associate member. “A Canada-EU alliance would create a beacon for other democracies,” Carney said during his speech before the European Parliament. “An alliance not defined by what we oppose but about what we are for: freedom, solidarity,...
It will soon be getting darker earlier on in the day
Corrie's Tina O'Brien has been seen showing her actress daughter her support as she prepares to launch her next move
A family have been left devastated by the death of a much-loved mum-of-three aged just 30.
A petition has been launched to secure a high-level debate on the fallout from the masked protests which crippled the country’s busiest port.
Noah Woods died after going missing
'It remains true to say that the Army let our daughter down very badly'
An unmarked police car was involved in a collision on the M20 while on it’s way to a fatal crash.
The baby boy's remains were discovered by a builder wrapped in a 1910 newspaper, with an inquest hearing that the cause of death remains a mystery
WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of people applying for unemployment benefits dropped sharply last week, another sign that layoffs remain rare and most Americans enjoy job security. The Labor Department reported Thursday that jobless claims slid to 196,000, the fewest since mid-July and down from 206,000 the week before. The four-week average of claims, which...
The messages between the Corrie and Emmerdale stars camefollowing the revelation of a previously unseen scene between the pair
President Trump said Wednesday the European Union inviting Canada to join as an associate member could amount to a “hostile act,” threatening tariffs or a trade embargo against the bloc. “If they do that, if I think it’s at all a hostile act, I will put very serious tariffs or stop trading with Europe,” Trump...
A construction company working on a new council-built flat development has teamed up with a local charity to help others.
Wigan council has tightened the regulation of shared homes but the applicant claims that previously the conversion 'would have been classed as permitted development'
The former bar and music venue lies within the cobbled streets of the town's Nelson Square conservation area
Bolton councillors have been inundated with complaints from residents about failed or delayed pick ups
Jonathan Wilson has been put behind bars after counter-terror police found the items at his Macclesfield house
The Most Rev Sarah Mullally is facing calls to apologise after she presented the prize for 'Reconciliation and Interfaith Cooperation' to Tahir Ashrafi.
The station in Eastney, Portsmouth, has now not been in active use since September 10, it has emerged. The RNLI said it has taken measures to ensure the safety of the city's waters.
Princess Andre defiantly responded to the criticism as she backed a new campaign
Mr Brandram's family claimed there was no forensic evidence linking the 44-year-old banker to the 2017 incident in which a jogger shoved a woman headfirst into the path of an oncoming bus.
Donald Zieben-Hood, the man accused of murdering his husband, Jacob Zieben-Hood, was all smiles in court on Wednesday. He also sported new facial hair and a fresh haircut.
The tributes were placed next to the wooden fence of the play area after police announced they had found the body of a child in a nearby pond in Brantham, Suffolk.
They're offering the opposite of a late night city centre gig
Macklemore, aka Benjamin Haggerty, was dropped from Sheeran's tour after he delivered a politically motivated speech in support of Palestinians.
Carney is addressing the European Parliament after Trump suggested that allowing Canada to become an associate EU member could be a 'hostile act.'
Ivan Jennings discussed putting poisonous mushrooms in the food of Jews and Muslims, a court heard
Officials confirmed today a man who died trying to cross a swollen creek an hour's drive south of Barcelona during storms last night was British.
Judith Blackmore, from Beverley in East Riding of Yorkshire, never disclosed she was in a relationship when she applied for and received benefits and reduced council tax for over six years.
YOUR NEWS, OUR NETWORK.
Do you have Great News you want to tell the world?
Be it updates about your business or your community, you can make sure that it’s heard by submitting your story to our network reaching hundreds of news sites across 6 verticals.