Taking an Integrative Approach to Lyme Disease

Nature’s dirty needle. That’s how Lyme disease researchers and physicians like Andrew Heyman, MD, MHSA, refer to the ticks that have spread the bacterium, Borrelia burgdorferi, throughout the northeastern, mid-Atlantic, and north-central United States. Earlier this month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that illnesses from mosquito, tick, and flea bites have tripled, with more than 640,000 cases reported during the 13 years from 2004 through 2016. During that time period, nine new germs spread by mosquitoes and ticks were discovered or introduced into the United States. Lyme disease is a complex illness whose diagnosis and treatment requires a deeper understanding than just the characteristics of the infection, says Heyman. It is an often misdiagnosed, misunderstood disease that behaves in ways that makes it very difficult for standard tests to identify correctly. Dr. Heyman, an internationally recognized expert in Integrative Medicine and the Medical Director of the Integrative Medicine Program at The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, is a ‘last resort’ practitioner for patients with this multi-system illness. His attributes his aptitude for finding answers to puzzling patient presentations to his background in Traditional Chinese Medicine combined with his conventional medicine training. Three Lyme disease takeways from Dr. Heyman: 1.) Other biotoxin exposures, such as mold, can mimic Lyme disease and therefore increase the difficulty of obtaining an accurate diagnosis. 2.) The body's reaction to a Lyme infection is a genetically mediated, Neuro-inflammatory response that can persist in about 20 percent of patients, even long after the infection has been treated. 3.) The consequences of chronic inflammation due to Lyme disease can be devastating, including organ injury - especially to the brain and nervous system more broadly - and even induce persistent, aberrant gene expression, leading to loss of normal cell functioning. ◘ Related Content ◘ Transcript ◘ This podcast features the song “Follow Your Dreams” (http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Scott_Holmes/Corporate__Motivational_Music/Follow_your_Dreams_1918) by Scott Holmes, available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial (01https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) license. ◘ Disclaimer: The content and information shared in GW Integrative Medicine is for educational purposes only and should not be taken as medical advice. The views and opinions expressed in GW Integrative Medicine represent the opinions of the host(s) and their guest(s). For medical advice, diagnosis, and/or treatment, please consult a medical professional.