Lyme disease is a complex and often misdiagnosed tick-borne illness. Caused by the bacteria Borrelia, Lyme Disease can present a wide range of life-altering symptoms like fatigue, joint pain, systemic inflammation, and neurological and cognitive dysfunction. It may be easy to brush it off as low risk because we don’t have many ticks in the Pacific Northwest, but there have been cases of Lyme Disease in every st
ate in the country. Mainstream treatment usually involves antibiotics, and many patients with persistent or chronic Lyme are finding relief by adding alternative treatments like Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy.
Symptoms and Stages of Lyme Disease
Lyme Disease is known as the great imitator and can show up in a wide array of symptoms, depending on the stage and severity:
Stage 1 (Usually 3-30 days after a tick bite)
- Rash
- Headache
- Fever
- Joint and muscle pain
Stage 2
- Rash spreads to other parts of the body
- Neck pain
- Muscle weakness in the face
- Heart palpitation
- Hand and foot numbness
- Vision impairment
Stage 3
- Increase in symptoms from Stage 1 or 2
- Arthritis
- Skin discoloration
The earlier Lyme Disease is detected, the easier it is to treat. If you’ve traveled to a region where ticks are prevalent or you’ve found one on you and noticed symptoms, following up with your doctor can help prevent adverse long-term outcomes.
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy in a Nutshell
We’ve been writing quite a bit about the benefits of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT), and if you haven’t read any of our previous blogs yet, you can check them out here. In short, HBOT is a treatment involving breathing oxygen in a pressurized chamber. Your body absorbs the excess oxygen into cells, creating an environment that promotes healing and suppresses the growth of harmful bacteria.
When the cells have access to the oxygen that supports healing and growth, benefits include:
- Reduced inflammation
- Improved circulation
- Cell repair and growth
- Resistance against infections
- Improved brain function
How HBOT Can Help with Lyme Disease
1. Inhibits the growth of bacteria
One of the hallmarks of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy is its ability to fight infection by creating an environment where anaerobic bacteria cannot thrive. Anaerobic bacteria like Borrelia (Lyme Disease) love to hang out in low-oxygen environments. When extra oxygen floods into the body through HBOT, bacteria don’t survive or reproduce. By inhibiting the growth of Borrelia bacteria, the body has a chance to heal, recover, and repair damaged cells.
2. Supports Your Immune System
Lyme Disease takes a toll on your immune system, leading to dysfunction and dysregulation. When the immune system isn’t working properly, the capacity to fight off infection is compromised, making recovery extremely difficult. HBOT supports the growth of white blood cells and reduces inflammation, allowing the immune system to respond effectively and combat infection.
When it comes to chronic or long-standing illnesses, the immune system never has a chance to rest. It fights every day, and over time, it becomes fatigued. It only takes so many years for the immune system to weaken from the constant battle. Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy is like calling a life raft when the immune system has been treading water for years to stay afloat.
3. Improves Neurological Function
Symptoms like headaches, memory issues, vertigo, anxiety, and depression can all be undesirable effects of Lyme Disease. Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy delivers oxygen to brain tissue, protecting neurological function and treating other conditions like traumatic brain injuries and strokes. The extra oxygen supports tissue repair, which improves clarity and reduces brain fog caused by chronic inflammation that occurs with the disease.
5. Supports Your Lyme Treatment
The first line of treatment for Lyme Disease is antibiotics. Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy has been shown to have a synergistic effect on antibiotics, i.e. it helps these medications do their bacteria-killing job more effectively. This, alongside the improved ability to fight and clean up infections, helps support any Lyme treatments. Remember, HBOT is not a modality that will cure any disease or infection on its own and is meant to be used as a supportive modality for your body while undergoing some of these intense treatments.
Is HBOT the Missing Piece?
Due to the complex nature of Lyme Disease, it often requires multiple treatment methods to restore function in the body. Antibiotics are vital, but many patients find that Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy is the missing piece because it targets the root cause of Lyme on many levels: anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, and regenerative. Because oxygen is absorbed into the whole system and travels throughout the body, it can find its way into places that are difficult for antibiotics to reach, like the brain and the immune system. Patients who have added HBOT to their treatment experience relief in symptoms more quickly with longer-lasting results than with antibiotics alone.
Research on HBOT for Lyme Disease is still in its infancy, so there is some debate about what type of treatment protocols are most effective. The answer may lie in the severity of your case and what you hope to achieve. Whether the goal is to kill bacteria, improve immune function to fight off infection, reduce inflammation to boost your body’s regenerative response, or just feel better, HBOT can be a supportive tool in your Lyme Disease treatment.
At this time, there is no cure for Lyme Disease. Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy provides some hope for patients who struggle with the challenges of Lyme. If you’ve been diagnosed with Lyme and want to experience the healing benefits of HBOT, go here to schedule a consult with us at Ikigai!
