Abstract:
Lyme Disease affects 475,000 Americans each year (CDC,2021). It originated in Lyme, Connecticut, and expanded to other parts of the globe (Hout, 2018). In Europe, it is considered one of the top vector-borne diseases (Wijngaard etal., 2017) and is continuing to spread to countries previously not affected (Stone et al., 2017). Many patients present chronic sequelae such as fatigue, pain, neurological impairment, thyroid, and heart problems (Jamal et al., 2017) which are often life-changing and debilitating. The Borrelia burgdorferi is proficient at forming biofilms that have a protective matrix (Sapi et al., 2019). It has been shown that doxycycline, cefuroxime, and amoxicillin are effective in treating the growing spirochete but not in treating the biofilms and microcolonies (Feng et al., 2017). Terms used for symptoms that continue after treatment are Chronic Lyme, which is the belief that these symptoms are from an ongoing presence of the bacteria and Post Lyme Disease Syndrome which is considered a destabilizing mechanism in the body from the initial infection. In seeking a greater understanding an autopsy study found Borrelia burdorferi in the brain, heart, liver, and kidney tissues of someone infected 16 years prior (Sapi, et al., 2019). Since it hides in the tissues it may be causing ongoing symptomology that is undetected. Most agree that early antibiotic treatment is highly effective but a substantial number of those treated experience life-altering changes that can continue for many years or for life (Bobe et al., 2021). Some say 20% of treated Lyme patients continue with symptoms, others state this number is low (Cameron et al., 2014). There are other herbal Lyme protocols that have helped a small percentage of people after one or two years but many still continue to present with symptoms. Clinical histories indicate that Phoenix Rising, an herbal formula that this author created, has the potential to aid in symptoms of pain, fatigue and brain fog in a shorter time period.
