7 Strategies to Tackle Lyme Disease

Treating Lyme disease involves diagnosis followed by treatment with a Functional Medicine

practitioner. As I’ve mentioned, this can become a challenging trial-and-error process that requires patience and effort.

As you work with your practitioner to eliminate Lyme disease, consider implementing the following seven strategies to help you become an effective soil farmer.

1. Eat real food. The key here involves removing the bad stuff like processed foods and sugar and incorporating more good stuff like protein, healthy fats, and plenty of anti-inflammatory omega 3-rich foods like wild fish. You can grab plenty of my favorite healthy recipes here.
2. Supplement smartly. A host of nutrients, including herbs, can help with Lyme. These include immune-boosting herbs including cordycep, reishi, and maitake mushrooms that help kill off bad bacteria, as well as immune-boosting vitamin D, anti-inflammatory curcumin (found in turmeric), and magnesium. I strongly encourage you to work with a Functional Medicine practitioner to customize these and other supplements, which you can find in my store.
3. Repopulate. While I believe they are absolutely crucial to treat Lyme, antibiotics kill off all bacteria (good and bad). After you’ve zapped them, you want to repopulate with good bacteria. Eat probiotic-rich fermented vegetables like sauerkraut and kimchi.  And supplement with a high-dose, multi-strain probiotic.
4. Address food sensitivities. Gluten, dairy, and other food sensitivities can increase inflammation, weaken your immune system, and worsen Lyme disease symptoms. Eliminate these foods for three weeks and see if your symptoms improve. The Blood Sugar Solution 10-Day Detox Diet provides an easy-to-implement plan that removes food sensitivities, sugar, and processed foods to help your body heal quickly.
5. Get good sleep. Studies show that sleep disturbances and chronic fatigue are prevalent with Lyme disease. Sleep deprivation has numerous ramifications, including reduced levels of your feel-good hormone serotonin (I frequently see this with patients) and diminished immunity, giving pathogens more leeway to ramp up. Get 19 of my top sleep tips here.
6. Control stress. Chronic stress can crash your immune system and exacerbate Lyme disease symptoms. Whether you do yoga, deep breathing, or meditation, find something you can consistently do to lower stress levels. Many Lyme disease patients find my UltraCalm CDideal to melt away stress and anxiety.
7. Reduce your toxic load. These include heavy metals and pesticides, which have a broad range of negative effects on human biology; they damage the nervous and immune systems and contribute to diabesity. If you suspect metal or other toxicity, please work with your Functional Medicine doctor to develop a customized detoxification plan.

The right strategies, combined with working with a Functional Medicine practitioner can help address Lyme. The healing process can become frustrating and sometimes seemingly insurmountable, but with time, effort, and a focus on a whole-system, integrative approach with the right practitioner, you can tackle it. I’ve seen patients have miraculous recoveries, especially when we diagnose and tackle Lyme in the early stages.

http://drhyman.com/blog/2015/10/09/7-strategies-to-tackle-lyme-disease/?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_campaign=39add8a0ac-Newsletter_1011_15_lymedisease927_2015&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_07a277e311-39add8a0ac-102459329&mc_cid=39add8a0ac&mc_eid=4238cd6d36