Relieve Chronic Lyme Disease with Cryotherapy
Lyme disease is caused by a bacterium, Borrelia burgdorferi, that’s transmitted to humans through a bite from an infected black-legged or deer tick. Symptoms can occur anywhere from 3 to 30 days after the bite, and symptoms can be wide-ranging, depending on the stage of the infection.
The chances you might get Lyme disease from a tick bite depend on the kind of tick, where you were when the bite occurred, and how long the tick was attached to you, according to the CDC. Black-legged ticks must be attached to you for at least 24 hours to transmit Lyme disease.
Symptoms of Lyme Disease
Early signs and symptoms of Lyme disease include fever, chills, headache, fatigue, muscle and joint pain, and swollen lymph nodes. In about 70% to 80% of infections, a rash is seen. About 30% of those rashes have a “bull’s-eye” appearance, but most do not. The rash gradually expands over days and can reach about 12 inches across, according to the CDC. It may feel warm to the touch, but it rarely itches or is painful, and it can appear on any part of the body.
As infection progresses, symptoms can include:
- Severe headache or neck stiffness
- Additional rashes on other areas of the body
- Arthritis with severe joint pain and swelling, particularly in the knees
- Loss of muscle tone or “drooping” on one or both sides of the face.
- Heart palpitation or an irregular heartbeat
- Inflammation of the brain and spinal cord
- Shooting pains, numbness, or tingling in the hands or feet
Diagnosis of Lyme Disease
Doctors diagnose Lyme disease based on symptoms and a history of tick exposure. Two-step blood tests are helpful, the CDC says, if used correctly. However, the accuracy of the test depends on the disease stage; in the first few weeks of infection, the test may be negative because antibodies take time to develop. If the tick is available, it is also possible to test it directly for Lyme infection.
If caught early, antibiotics such as amoxicillin and tetracycline are used, usually for 10-21 days, says CDC epidemiologist Paul Mead, MD. Other antibiotics that may be used include cefuroxime and doxycycline. If Lyme disease is treated early in the infection stage, a full recovery is likely.
Chronic Lyme Disease
Problems occur with chronic Lyme infection when the disease goes undetected and untreated in the long term. Chronic Lyme infection is often misdiagnosed as chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, MS, depression, and other disorders.
Chronic Lyme infection causes symptoms to occur in the long term and can be extremely debilitating, leading to negative lifestyle changes. People with chronic Lyme infection often cannot work, experience neurological symptoms, and suffer permanent damage to their health. These extremely negative side effects occur because chronic Lyme infection leads to chronic inflammation.
Inflammation is the body’s immune response to injury or a foreign invader, like a virus or bacteria. In the case of an undetected or undiagnosed Lyme infection, the body perpetually attempts to eradicate the bacteria by activating inflammation. Specifically, the immune system activates pro-inflammatory cytokines (biochemicals) in the blood, leading to inflammation throughout the body: in the joints, brain, organs, and all soft tissues. If the immune system isn’t strong or sophisticated enough to eradicate the Lyme bacteria, the infection will linger, and so will the systemic inflammation.
Even if Lyme disease is effectively treated in the early phase, the bacteria can remain dormant in the body for years, resurfacing during periods of stress or immune system compromise. In this case, chronic inflammation is also a problem because the body continually responds to the presence of bacterial proteins by triggering inflammation.
Long-term, chronic inflammation is what leads to the most serious, debilitating side effects of Lyme disease. Brain fog, neurological complications, extreme pain, and stiffness throughout the body—these are now all linked to the chronic inflammation caused by chronic Lyme infection. On a more indirect level, organs such as the heart, kidneys, lungs, and brain can be affected by inflammation. Inflammation in the hypothalamus can reduce its function, resulting in hormonal imbalances as well.
Specifically, one inflammatory cytokine activated by the immune system in response to Lyme infection, IL-6, can damage the nervous system over time, leading to permanent neurological problems.
During periods of high stress, poor eating and sleeping habits, and toxins such as heavy metals can weaken the immune system. Infections that were always kept in check — such as Lyme — take advantage of this and get their foot in the door. Symptoms begin to appear, and in some cases, 3 weeks of doxycycline can shut them down for good. For others, the immune system is too far gone, and/or the Lyme bacteria have had ample time to embed themselves into locations within the body that antibiotics simply can’t touch – chronic Lyme disease takes hold.
As these antigens course through the bloodstream, toll receptors on the surface of white blood cells, such as macrophages, pick up the presence of the antigens and identify them as a threat – the innate immune response begins. These cells now release what are known as cytokines — which are the immune system’s chemical messengers — in order to let everyone else know what’s going on and elicit a response from other immune cells. These cytokines can be pro-inflammatory and are the biochemicals that activate and then sustain inflammation.
Treat Lyme By Reducing Inflammatory Cytokines?
Instead of just killing the Lyme bacteria, a treatment protocol’s primary goal should be to reduce and shut down inflammatory cytokines. In the book “Healing Lyme”, master herbalist Stephen Buhner advocates reduction of inflammatory cytokines as the most effective and long-term solution for chronic Lyme disease symptoms. (2)
The body releases cytokines in response to antigens produced by Lyme bacteria. By consistently shutting down the body’s inflammatory cytokines — the inflammatory response to Lyme and its antigens — you’re limiting the resources the Lyme bacteria need to thrive and survive. This results, according to Stephen Buhner, in either remission of the disease, a complete cessation of symptoms, or a considerable reduction in Lyme symptoms.
How To Reduce Lyme-Driven Inflammation with Cryotherapy
Whole-body cryotherapy has been shown to reduce the levels of the most potent inflammatory cytokines driving the chronic Lyme symptom process. IL-6 has been identified as the driver for chronic Lyme inflammation. Research conducted in Italy tested athletes and intensive whole-body cryotherapy. Using whole-body cryotherapy resulted in an increase in the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 and a decrease in the pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-2 and IL-8. (4). An additional study out of Poland tested the response of obese men to 10 whole-body cryotherapy treatments. The study found that concentrations of the pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-6 fell by nearly 20 percent. Additionally, another measure of chronic inflammation, TNFa, dropped 4.3-fold compared to controls. Anti-inflammatory cytokines, including IL-10, were shown to increase following whole-body cryotherapy exposure. (5)
Whole-body cryotherapy can be used to suppress Lyme-related inflammation that causes chronic symptoms. Chronic Lyme clients experience significant reductions in pain, joint stiffness, immobility, and brain fog. Cryotherapy has been shown to effectively reduce inflammation at the cellular level in all organs and body tissues. Food sensitivities, sleep disruptions, and neuropathies have all improved through the use of cryotherapy for Lyme.
It is important to note that acute Lyme disease must be treated with antibiotics to eradicate the infection. Whole-body cryotherapy cannot treat acute Lyme disease, but it can suppress inflammation associated with chronic Lyme disease and prevent permanent damage to organs and tissues.
Chill Cryotherapy also recommends using an infrared sauna to help detoxify Lyme antigens. Infrared sauna works very well in conjunction with cryotherapy—we recommend 30 to 40 minutes of infrared sauna followed by whole body cryotherapy. Infrared sauna is vasodilatory and promotes the mobilization of toxins (including Lyme antigens) from cells; cryotherapy then vasoconstricts blood vessels, which effectively evacuates these mobilized toxins through the lymphatic and other elimination systems.
Chill Cryotherapy offers Lyme clients a significant discount on unlimited monthly whole body cryotherapy treatments. In our experience, consistent, intensive cryotherapy treatments can significantly reduce Lyme symptoms. More cryotherapy leads to better results!!
Resources
- Shoemaker, Dr. Ritchie, MD. “Inflammation Responses and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.” YouTube. YouTube, 10 Oct. 2014. Web. 29 Jan. 2016.
- Buhner, Stephen Harrod. Healing Lyme: Natural Healing of Lyme Borreliosis and the Coinfections Chlamydia and Spotted Fever Rickettsiosis. White River Junction: Chelsea Green, 2016. Print.
- Horowitz, Dr. Richard I., MD. Why Can’t I Get Better? Solving the Mystery of Lyme and Chronic Disease. New York: St. Martin’s, 2013. Print.
- Effects of whole-body cryotherapy on serum mediators of inflammation and serum muscle enzymes in athletes. Journal of Thermal Biology. Giuseppe Banfi a,b, Gianluca Melegati a,c, Alessandra Barassi d, Giada Dogliotti e, Gianvico Melzi d’Eril d, Benoît Dugué f, Massimiliano M. Corsi
- Whole-body cryostimulation as an effective method of reducing low-grade inflammation in obese men
- Ewa Ziemann, Robert A. Olek, Tomasz Grzywacz, Jędrzej Antosiewicz, Sylwester Kujach, Marcin Łuszczyk, Mirosław Smaruj, Ewelina Śledziewska , Radosław Laskowski The Journal of Physiological Sciences September 2013, Volume 63, Issue 5, pp 333-343 First online: 07 June 2013