Lyme Disease Program | Annalisa Brown, L.Ac, Dipl. Ac
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Feel Like yourself again

LYME & OTHER TICK-BORNE DISEASES

  • Traveled recently or spent time in wooded or grassy areas?

  • Have you not felt like yourself ever since?

  • Been through antibiotics and still not back to normal?

  • Frustrated with doctors telling you that nothing is wrong?

  • Are you watching others recover from a tick-borne illness and wondering why you are not?

  • Have you been diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue, depression or even Fibromyalgia and wonder if there is more to it than that?

 

Lyme Disease has become one of the fastest growing health crises in the world.  Thought to be localized around Lyme, CT from where it got it’s common name, Lyme in fact is showing up on every continent except for Antarctica.  Lyme refers to an infection of the bacterial spirochete borrelia burgdorferi which are corkscrew shaped bacteria.  This shape makes them particularly motile so they travel to all parts of the body and are quite good at hiding.  Fewer than 50% of Lyme Sufferers recall even getting bitten, and not all get the tell-tale bulls-eye rash.

 

Standard medical tests, the ELISA and Western Blot only have about a 40% success rate and often give false positives. As they are just looking for the Borrelia spirochete, the test is quite narrow. Our system looks at your whole body and story and we both help kill the sources of infection as well as strengthen the terrain of your body so that you can go back to being the strong healthy person you were before.  Lyme Disease is mostly a clinical diagnosis, testing, even spinal taps, are not always conclusive. *However, going to your doctor should still be your first step.  Antibiotics are an important first line of defense and are most effective if taken within two weeks of initial infection and are taken for a minimum of 21 days.  30 days is optimal

 

IF YOU THINK YOU HAVE A TICK-BORNE ILLNESS, IF YOU DEVELOPED A SERIES OF SYMPTOMS RELATIVELY SUDDENLY OR OVER A FEW WEEKS OR MONTHS, START BY TAKING THE Horowitz Lyme Quiz, AND GOING TO YOUR DOCTOR. (Click on the underlined link for the quiz in MS Excel which will add up your score automatically)

 

Typical early signs/symptoms: a rash - often but not always looking like a 'bulls-eye' and flu-like illness without respiratory symptoms.

Many recover from the illness after the antibiotics and simply come to me to repair the damage to the gut as a result - an easy fix with herbal remedies, so please do not avoid the antibiotics for this reason.  Some people however, develop complications which turn these Lyme symptoms into a chronic condition, and that is where this medicine can come in and help.

Chinese medicine has been treating chronic parasitic/bacterial/spirochetal/viral infections for thousands of years. The botanicals in the remedies we use are being studied extensively throughout the world. In fact one of them, Qing Hao was the basis of the 2015 Nobel prize for its use as an antimalarial agent. These remedies are used both concurrently with antibiotics at the initial stage of exposure as well as during the chronic stages. They seek out remnants of the infection that hide in the body. Together with acupuncture and Qigong (breathing and movement therapies) this program helps dredge out hidden bacteria, break up biofilm and strengthen the immune system so that you can fight the symptoms associated with Lyme and other tick-borne diseases.

 

I use specialized formulas extensively researched and developed by a Chinese medical scholar and clinician, Dr. Heiner Fruehof.  Dr. Fruehof's quality controls involve proper and sustainable growing conditions, as well as lab testing to ensure maximum efficacy with no fillers or by-products. The formulas include much studied anti-parasitics, antibacterial and anti-viral agents, in addition to balancing herbs to strengthen your body's natural ability to fight these symptoms-to get your immune system strong and make your body inhospitable to the infection.  What this program offers is a way to support the terrain of your body, so that you do not suffer from the symptoms associated with Lyme or other vector-borne illnesses.  If you are interested in a more academic interview with Dr. Fruehauf and his study of parasitic infections, it can be found here.

Proper stress control is absolutely essential in order to strengthen your system and allow your body to both recover and take control back. Acupuncture can help with pain, insomnia and stress reduction. Qigong is a movement and breath-based practice which helps the body both release tension and strengthen individual systems, particularly lung capacity and cardiac function.

Combining these modalities is essential to the uniqueness and success of this program.

 

COMMON DIGESTIVE SYMPTOMS:

  • Sudden changes in bowel movements including:

  • Chronic diarrhea/loose stool

  • Chronic constipation

  • Explosive bowel movements

  • Abdominal bloating

  • Abdominal cramping

  • Abdominal pain

  • Nausea

  • Intestinal bleeding and/or pus

  • Sudden appetite changes

  • Peculiar food cravings

 

COMMON PHYSICAL/MENTAL SYMPTOMS:

  • Flu-like symptoms WITHOUT a respiratory component

  • Muscle soreness

  • Muscle heaviness

  • Muscle weakness

  • Wandering pain

  • Sensations of heat

  • Cold night sweats

  • Aversion to bright light

  • Twitching

  • Ear Ringing

  • Sensitvity to smell

  • Depression

  • Flaring anger/rage

  • Unpredictable emotions

  • Insomnia

  • General sense of muddledness & confusion

  • Memory issues

  • General fatigue/exhaustion

  • Chaotic thought patterns

  • Visual/Auditory hallucinations

  • Feeling like you're a different person suddenly

 

You may not have all of the above symptoms, but when something is wrong, you know it..

 

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