Imagine that you are at a symphony per­formance. As you listen, the conductor weakens and can no longer coordinate the musicians. The band no longer plays like an interconnected whole, but be­comes a discordant collection of sounds. This describes the current epidemic of chronic illnesses such as Lyme disease. The conductor represents the human I, our core strength, which is weakening in many people today.

Physiologically speaking, this means the protective, self-regulating systems that help our immune system distinguish between self and not-self are being weakened from many directions: devitalized foods and soil, heavy metals toxicity, overuse of pharmaceuticals like antibiotics, chemicals, vaccinations, family emotional dysfunctions, and early over-intellectual education.

Whereas in earlier generations the immune system fought acute infections with fever and inflammation, today chronic infections like Lyme disease now grow and stay with us because of an inner premature hardening of soul/spiritual life manifested as an inner tissue rigidity in our biochemistry and physiology, induced by combinations of the above contributing factors.

Lyme disease is an infection with the spirochete (a bacteria-like microorganism) called Borrelia burgdorferi. It can be acute with a rash; subacute, with joint pains and flu symptoms, or chronic, with neurotoxic symptoms, multiple organ imbalances, and immune system suppression. The chronic state is becoming epidemic.

Many illnesses, such as multiple sclerosis, are often Lyme infections. The Lyme spirochete can be passed to humans via deer ticks and many other common insects. Traditional lab tests like Western blot often do not detect this infection, and other tests are required.

There are often other co-existing infections with Lyme, such as Babesia, a parasite that like malaria lives inside our red blood cells; Ehrlichia, which affects the white blood cells; mycoplasma, and herpes viruses such as Epstein-Barr. These infectious microorganisms have learned how to turn off our own immune functions. They can hide inside cells, change their shape, turn invisible to the immune cells. These current infections are much more penetrating and damaging to our bodies and our spirits than earlier infections.

Successful treatment involves addressing multiple levels simultaneously. Biochemically, while antibiotics can be helpful in acute infections, they do not help us heal chronic Lyme, and can often worsen our terrain.

Good nutrition with mineral and omega three oils repletion; herbs such as teasel root, garlic, cat's claw, and Ar­temisinin; injectable bee venom therapy; and oxidative therapies, can be very helpful.

Energetically, acupuncture, homeopathy, anthroposophical medicine, microcurrent, color and sound therapies are often included in programs.

As with most chronic illness, the deeper emotional issues call to be addressed and healed, such as with family constellation work. Stress on more subtle emotional and spiritual levels, if too strong to bear, will go down to the next vibratory level and manifest in physical biochemical and physiological dysfunctions and lead to symptoms.

Of course, therapies that strengthen the I, the inner spirit, such as therapeutic eurythmy, essential oils, and meditation, need to be an integral part.

We need to steer a middle path of healing. In this path we recognize and address the terrain imbalances and infec­tious organism overgrowth, while at the same time we disengage ourselves from the fear-of-disease thinking that keeps us in fight-or-flight mode, which sup­presses healing.

Lyme disease and its co-infections represent a deep altering of the relationship between bacteria and humans—a change in relationship from coexistence to adversarial. This reflects medical thinking for the last half century or more. Until we change this, such infections will continue to plague us and worsen. They are a reminder that healing is a lifelong process, not an end result, and that healing is not merely personal but also social and cultural.

Robert Zieve, M.D. practices homeopathy, anthroposophical medicine, European bio­logical medicine and nutrition in Prescott, AZ. Visit www.consciousmedicine.com.

References:
American Academy of Neural Therapy, at (425)­462-1777 to order notebook and tapes from Conference on Treating Lyme and Co-Infec­tions, December 2002

www.bowenresearch.com (lab)

www.igenex.com (lab)

www.neuraltherapy.com (bee venom therapy)

dave@holgerness.com (microbes in chronic illness)

www.lymenet.org (antibiotic schedules)