Natural Alternatives for Chronic Lyme, Pain, and Functional Disorders

Chronic conditions don’t happen overnight and neither does a cure. There is no magic bullet and no substitute for taking control of your health, becoming an
educated patient, & doing the work – you must make getting well your job. Patients often find their way to acupuncture for chronic health issues after they have exhausted conventional medical interventions and found no relief. I have been treating this sort of patient for ten years. One of the biggest difficulties these patients face is the cultural belief that there is a pill or quick fix out there just waiting to be discovered that will make them well.

Some of these patients suffer from conditions that orthodox medicine often fails to recognize – including Iatrogenic Disease (issues caused by prescription drugs or doctor’s treatments) or the fallout from chronic stealth infections such as lyme and other tick-borne infections whose symptoms linger even after the prescribed antibiotic treatment – some call this ‘chronic lyme’ or ‘post-lyme treatment syndrome’. The chronic lyme debate is controversial and divisive. Patients suffering from iatrogenic events or chronic lyme, through no fault of their own, are forced to contend with the politics and denial about their condition on top of their medical issues . . . and these are among the most difficult conditions to help patients with. After being injured myself by a prescription antibiotic and also contracting lyme disease from a tick bite, this issue has become personal for me . . . and, out of necessity, I have taken it on as my job.

Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine is based upon the Taoist philosophical tradition. Spiritual traditions are concerned with optimal living – and often employ a physical discipline (such as yoga, or tai chi), dietary practices and meditative practices to ‘prod’ themselves along the road towards enlightenment. This approach also applies to patients with chronic conditions. A good practitioner is a guide providing direction and the tools to put their patients back on a path towards wellbeing.

This sort of healing tradition employs a different strategy from what most patients are used to. Rather than attacking individual symptoms we support the bodies ability to heal itself. Strategies to help such patients may include herbs that decrease inflammation, support different organ functions, boost the immune system and some that have antimicrobial actions for gut health. Also, giving the body co-factors that support the cellular energy making process may support healing. Acupuncture helps many pain conditions and can be curative for trigger point induced pain and dysfunction. These are all strategies that I have had to employ in my own journey back to health – this is personal with me and I’m passionate about learning all I can and sharing with my patients to help them on their journey.