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Pediatric Lyme Disease Foundation

By DPG John Gridley
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There are many different types of Lyme Disease bacteria, and possibly even other types of bacteria capable of establishing infection in the body that mimic Lyme Disease bacteria.
Each type of bacteria may be susceptible to completely different methods of antibacterial therapy. Current Lyme Disease tests do not offer 100 percent accurate results. In fact, the accuracy of Lyme Disease tests may be as poor as 50 percent. Therefore, determining exactly what is causing symptoms is part science and part speculation. So, people who think they have Lyme Disease may in fact have some other problem that requires different treatment.
Different people, with different body chemistries and different genetic constitutions, may respond differently to chronic infection. Biochemical changes in the body as a result of infection most likely vary significantly between individuals. Therefore, the appropriate biochemical interventions may also vary.
Concomitant health problems in people suffering from Lyme Disease are most certainly different. For example, some Lyme Disease sufferers are also affected by obesity or diabetes. Others may have mercury poisoning or co-infections. These variations in accompanying health disorders change the way people respond and react to various treatments.
The people affected by Lyme Disease live in different climates and environments. Some people live in brand new houses at high elevation. Others live in older houses at lower elevations. Variations in climate and living environment mean very significant differences in nutrients and toxins to which the body is exposed. There is more oxygen available at lower elevations, and less at higher elevations. Newer homes expose people to different synthetic toxins than older homes. Some homes are infested with toxic mold, while others are not. These environmental variations quite possibly have a profound effect on how Lyme Disease manifests, and consequently, the treatment that works best.
Co-infections, such as Ehrlichia, Babesia, and Bartonella, can have a tremendous impact on the overall disease picture. Resent research has shown that up to 90 percent of people infected with Borrelia Burgdorferi (the causative Lyme Disease bacteria) may also be harboring co-infections, which may have been acquired at the time of the tick bite along with Borrelia Burgdorferi (ticks are hosts to many types of pathogenic microbes, not just one). Since the recovery process stagnates if co-infections are not detected and treated, it is critical that every Lyme Disease sufferer address co-infections, please do not miss this important point.
These are only a few examples of variables that can lead to differing responses to Lyme Disease treatment. So the bottom line is that what works for one person does not always work for another. So if you get bit by a tick, go to the doctor and demand a blood test, safety first is always the best course. Learn from yesterday, live for today, and hope for tomorrow.
Thank you all for taking the time to care and share.
 


Column Posted on Web Site October 25, 2015

 
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