Homeopathic Lyme Disease Evaluation and Treatment

By Todd A. Hoover, MD

Lyme Disease is a common disorder surrounded by intense controversy with potentially

devastating effects for those affected. Given the tendency of this disease to enter a
chronic state, chances are high that most physicians will encounter patients suffering
from Lyme disease related symptoms over long periods of time. Chronic Lyme
symptoms can represent significant therapeutic challenges and Homeopathic medicine
may be a very useful tool for recovery in these patients.

Homeopathic medicine was built on the experimental premises of Samuel Hahnemann,

MD (1755-1843). As a physician, toxicologist, and chemist, Hahnemann was keenly
interested in how to treat patients in the least toxic manner possible. Given that Mercury
and Arsenic were in widespread therapeutic use at that time, one can easily understand
his desire for increased safety. While medicines have become much safer over time,
there are still large numbers of patients who die each year as a result of treatment.
Hahnemann’s contributions to safe therapeutics may be more important now than ever.

Hahnemann was part of the Vitalist philosophical movement of his time. Vitalism is
based on the concept that some dynamic, energetic force drives the human organism
toward homeostasis and health. Vitalism presumes that the whole person is more than
just the sum of the parts, but an active, dynamic system that acts in an evolutionarily
advanced process to maintain health. Human Beings have immensely complex genetics
and our adaptive mechanisms are highly individual. Homeopathy is built on the principal
that the Individual with the disorder needs to be treated, not just the disease.

Clinically, Lyme Disease is a perfect example of the individual nature of human response
to the same disease organism. Many patients may become infected with Lyme disease,
but each has a different history. The stress of Borellia burgdorferi is the same, but the
response of the individual varies to a significant extent. Why do some patients seem to
get a mild version of primary disease, while others show up with Bell’s Palsy? Why do
only certain patients develop Cardiac related disease? Individual susceptibility and
adaptive response determines the character of the disease in each patient. This
individual response represents the individual’s strain to restore health; and the individual
will put forth the best possible effort to balance the health as the first response.
Homeopathic treatment is aimed at stimulating this effort of the body to restore health.

Homeopathic medicines are highly diluted forms of plant, mineral and animal
substances. These compounds have been studied in test subjects and patients over
many years to determine the exact and full extent of the medicine. Once a full profile of
all of the actions of the drug is known, the remedy is used to treat patients. A trained
homeopath evaluates a patient to determine exactly how the body is trying to defend
itself against a force that has created an imbalance. Once this total, whole body
response to the disease is understood, the appropriate Homeopathic medicine can be
selected to stimulate the person to overcome the disease and restore health.
Therapy for Lyme disease is primarily based upon the chemical destruction of bacteria
using various doses and types of antibiotics. I will not expand on the controversial
subject of dosing of antibiotics, or duration of therapy as that has been covered
extensively by other authors. What is of considerable interest, though, is why some
patients seem to recover so easily with a minimal course of antibiotics, while others
seem to never recover fully despite years of ever increasing levels of treatment.

Homeopathically, this can be viewed as a type of battle between the bacteria and the
human adaptive response, including primarily the immune system. While antibiotics can
kill bacteria in the body, typically it is thought that the invading organisms can only be
removed completely with the help of a functional immune system. Our experience with
AIDS patients gives clear insight into how impotent antibiotics can be without the
assistance of our immune reaction.

Simply put, Chronic Lyme patients frequently are treated over and over again with ever
higher levels of antibiotics only to relapse with symptoms shortly after the completion of
therapy. The hope is that a more powerful drug will cure, but in reality what is required is
a more complete and successful immune response. Homeopathic treatment is aimed at
the stimulation of the total body response to an imbalance, including the immune system
which is intimately tied to the psychological and endocrine and nervous systems. So
more than bigger guns from the outside, perhaps Chronic Lyme is best addressed by a
stronger response on the inside (one that was supported by the appropriate
Homeopathic medicine).

Let us look at several cases.

A 15 year old girl presents with a history of Chronic Lyme Disease.

Initial symptoms 2 years prior to first visit began with:
• Expanding red rash on chest
• Severe Headache as if bursting
• Screaming with the pain
• Fever to 105°
• Red Face
• Fighting and erratic during the fever
• Cramping and Vomiting

She tested positive for Lyme Disease and was treated successfully with antibiotics both
orally and intravenous for over 3 months.

Over the past 6 months, she has developed:

• Abrupt onset of recurrence
• Headache, Stiff Neck, High Fever, Weakness, Stomach pain
• Behavior change since the fever (irritable to the point of rage)
• Headaches every other day (pounding quality, worse in afternoon)
• Abrupt episodes of nausea every week
Taking the symptoms of the initial presentation along with the recurrence, a fairly clear
homeopathic picture of the medicine Belladonna emerges. Whether this represents a
recurrence, a chronic Lyme state, a new infection, or an unassociated disorder is
unclear. Homeopathically this differentiation is not critical. A stress has been presented
to the individual with clear initial diagnosis of Lyme Disease. A pattern of response is
well established and recurring. All symptoms were very consistent with the medicine
and so the patient was treated with Belladonna 200c as a single dose.

Over the next 2 months, the headaches and nausea resolved, fever has not recurred
and moods have returned to normal. Following the patient over the next year, there was
one recurrence of symptoms with associated ear pain and Belladonna was repeated with
similar success and a much quicker response. The patient has been very healthy for the
past year.

Our next case is a 44 year old woman who was previously very healthy prior to two
separate episodes of Lyme Disease. Each episode was verified with appropriate blood
tests. Antibiotics were given both orally and intravenously intermittently over one year.
Initially, the antibiotics were very helpful; but over time, the effectiveness has been less
and less. The initial symptom was primarily severe fatigue with the positive test. Over
the next 3 years, she developed progressively severe fatigue, twitching muscles,
frequent urination, dizziness, tingling / numbness in the extremities, insomnia and ringing
in the ears.

She was treated with antibiotics for an additional 8 months with the diagnosis of Chronic
Lyme Disease (Neurological). All symptoms improved except the insomnia. One year
after this treatment, she was re-infected with Lyme Disease with a typical EM rash and
positive blood test. Antibiotics were given for another 2-3 months, but she developed
fungal infections of the oropharynx, skin rashes and rectal bleeding.

On first presentation to my office she complained of:

• Fatigue
• Memory loss
• Muscle aches
• Ringing in Ears
• Tingling through whole body
• Joint pains
• Memory weakness
• Digestive Disturbances (indigestion, bloating, diarrhea)
• Hurried
• Racing thoughts / thoughts intruding
• Anxiety of Health
• Sharp pains moving here and there
• Sleepless from palpitations
• Memory weak due to excess thoughts
• Craving sweets
She had a myriad of symptoms that were presented in a rapid and scattered fashion with
much underlying anxiety. Careful analysis of symptoms led to the prescription Argentum
Nitricum 200c given in a single dose. Over the next 3 months all symptoms resolved
very well. I have followed the patient over the next 4 years needing to repeat the
remedy only on one occasion for milder constellation of similar symptoms.

These chronic cases have been presented in their skeletonized form. A Homeopathic
practitioner will generally take 1-2 hours in carefully reviewing all signs and symptoms of
the individual. Due to the highly individual nature of the treatment, different patients will
need different treatments and is best done by a well trained Homeopath. Homeopathic
treatment tends to be more effective in younger, more vital individuals when the disease
is less deep in the system and of less duration. In other words, the stronger you are, the
more likely a stimulus will result in your body rallying to recover. Homeopathic
medicines are in highly diluted forms and will not interfere or interact with other drug
therapies.

Some authors have suggested the use of various Homeopathic medicines in early
Primary Lyme disease or as prophylaxis to tick bites. The two primary remedies used
are Ledum pallustre which is a remedy which has been shown useful in diseases that
result from insect bites and Lyme disease nosode prepared from Borellia burgdorferi.
No studies have been conducted to determine if using this style of treatment has any
effect. On the other hand, a single dose of Ledum pallustre 30c strength is unlikely to
cause any side effect due to its dilute nature, and therefore could be considered along
with prophylactic antibiotics in these situations.

Previously Published: Homeopathy Today

Additional information on Homeopathic Medicine and Optimal Wellness
available from Todd A. Hoover, MD, DHt 610 667-2138