(NaturalHealth365) The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that around 30,000 people are diagnosed with Lyme disease in the United States each year.  Yet, many integrative healthcare providers warn that hundreds of thousands remain untreated without a diagnosis.

It is believed that the disease is caused by bacteria called Borrelia burgdorferi, which is spread by infected blacklegged (or deer) ticks. Left untreated, Lyme disease will progress quickly through three stages, and will have devastating effects on the body, including causing neurological and psychological problems, paralysis, eye problems and chronic fatigue.

But, is Lyme disease truly an epidemic caused only by ticks? Why does every person bitten by an infected tick not go on to develop Lyme disease symptoms? What role might the immune system play in whether a person succumbs to this disease or fights it off?

Let’s begin by looking at why the Lyme disease diagnosis has become so common.

Lyme disease – a “junk-drawer diagnosis”

In 1977, researchers from Yale declared that they had discovered a new disease: Lyme-Borreliosis.

They believed that within a few weeks of being bitten by an infected tick, certain people would get this disease and develop neurological, cardiac or arthritic symptoms, but that these patients could be treated successfully with antibiotics.

As the decades passed, Lyme disease became a “junk-drawer diagnosis” of choice for many medical professionals, covering everything from chronic fatigue syndrome to fibromyalgia. As a result, Lyme disease is both over-diagnosed and over-treated.

Why do only certain people get sick?

The Paracelsus Clinic in Switzerland specializes in successfully treating patients with advanced Lyme disease symptoms, where traditional treatment with antibiotics has offered no relief. Drs. Frank Pleus and Thomas Rau of the clinic believe that many patients do not respond to antibiotic treatment because it does not address the underlying causes of their health problems. They assert that Lyme disease is not the sole cause of their health issues, but is simply a “coincidental infection which can be detected with a lab test.”

Check out this video (below) featuring Dr. Rau: (it’s quite interesting)

They back up their argument by pointing out that while 90 percent of forest workers in Switzerland test positive for Lyme disease, most of these men show no symptoms and are in excellent health. This clearly illustrates the fact that a Borrelia infection per se does not necessarily automatically lead to poor health. The secret lies in the fact that these forest workers have extremely strong immune systems.

The doctors at Paracelsus believe that Lyme disease is not actually a distinct disease, but rather a group of symptoms.

While a Borrelia infection may be present, the patient may in fact be infected with several other diseases, too. People with compromised immunity are prey to all infections, including Borrelia, and for these patients no amount of antibiotic treatment will successfully heal the body.

More is needed.

Exposing the underlying causes

When patients arrive at the Paracelsus clinic they are tested to determine what is causing their weakened immune systems. This includes tests to determine toxicity, exposure to heavy metals, viral infections, imbalances of what the doctors refer to as their “inner metabolic milieu,” adrenal fatigue and bacterial infections.

Dr. Rau has determined that the presence of viral infections – particularly cytomegalia and chlamydia – as well as exposure to toxins and heavy metals, are the most likely culprits causing a weakened immune system, and therefore the group of symptoms commonly referred to as “Lyme disease.”

Interestingly, Dr. Rau’s investigations have also confirmed that certain vaccines, including those for hepatitis B, the flu and tick-borne meningoencephalitis, are co-factors in the development of this disease.

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References:

https://www.paracelsus.com/biological-medicine/lyme-and-chronic-infections/lyme-disease
https://www.cdc.gov/lyme/transmission/index.html