THE CHRONIC LYME DISEASE SYNDROME

Websites and books discuss Lyme disease as a cause of long term symptoms and disability. It has been postulated that the Lyme infection persists after the acute condition resolves. The bug continues to be active, wrecking havoc. Fatigue, cognitive impairment, and pain are the most common expressions of this syndrome. Patients have reported maladies affecting virtually every organ and system in the body. Some disabilities, like respiratory problems, are more common after COVID than after Lyme exposure. 

A chronic Lyme Syndrome has never been proven to exist. Borrelia Burgdorferi (the name of the Lyme spirochete that is transmitted by a tick bite) is rarely cultured or even found in electron microscope studies. 

This chronic syndrome is most likely an infection – very possibly Lyme – which has been cleared by the immune system.  However, the immune activation became chronic, causing a self-sustaining autoimmune process. This scenario is common and well-established medically. 

The blood test for Lyme is problematic.  It is not definitive proof, like a culture.  If positive, it only means you have been exposed to this organism, not that it is active in your body. Or even that it was ever active.  It may be a false positive, which can happen for several reasons.  Resolved infections can have significant titers of antibody to the organism.  Many people suffer chronic symptoms which are attributed to Lyme even when the test is negative.

The symptoms of the so-called Chronic Lyme Disease Syndrome are similar to those found in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Long-Haul Covid, the weakness and fatigue that follow surgery or trauma, depression, the aftermath of a stroke or heart attack, and sleep deprivation. These problems also appear after momentous life events, including moving to a new home, changing jobs, personal loss, and other triggers.

The term “After-Illness” concisely describes the occurrence of these chronically disabling syndromes that follow an initiating event. The similarity of symptoms and the timing of onset strongly suggest common etiological factors. The underlying pathology is depletion of cellular reserve, giving rise to susceptibility to chronic illness. Biological and chemical deficiencies on the cellular level lead to functional impairments in the organs. They also contribute to a weakened resistance.

Time and the stresses of life diminish the levels of vitamins and minerals in the cells. These substances are necessary for optimal cellular health and vigor. As they are consumed without adequate replacement, cellular depletion and consequent deterioration ensues. Sustainable replenishment requires a very high intake of micronutrients, much higher than available in a normal diet. 

Vitamins and minerals serve different needs depending on their levels in the blood or in the tissues. In the serum, they regulate organ function.  For example, proper heart and other muscle performance rely upon a normal serum calcium level. Too little has immediate serious consequences. Intracellular calcium levels affect health in a more insidious manner, not clinically noticeable until markedly depleted. This state of severely diminished bone calcium is known as osteoporosis, with its attendant fracture risks. 

All vitamins and minerals similarly impact health differently in the cell or in the blood.  

The study of osteoporosis reveals that the blood level is sustained, even though the bone concentration falls. Several hormonal systems actively assure stability of calcium concentration in the circulation. On the other hand, there is no natural mechanism to prevent osteoporosis (low calcium in the bone tissue). From an evolutionary perspective, preventing illnesses of old age has no relevance. 

Using osteoporosis as a model, it is reasonable to conclude that tissues levels of all the vitamins and minerals fall. This tendency sets the stage for poor health, like the development of SOCS or other after-illnesses. 

The food supply does not meet this need for micronutrient sustenance. The evolutionary imperative of preserving our species developed to allow humans to procreate, not to live long. Thus, stocking the cells to delay cellular aging was not needed. An ideal diet, however that may be defined, falls far short of the cellular need for micronutrients. This has been extensively studied in the case of osteoporosis. That is why supplements of calcium and vitamin D are recommended. The doses advised require 2 pills a day, or 3 glasses of skim milk daily for prevention, beginning during the teenage years.

We require a much broader range of comparably high doses of all the micronutrients if we hope to avoid susceptibility to after-illness.

Trying to supply the quantities of vitamins and minerals needed to maintain cellular vitality in the face of life’s barriers is a prodigious expectation. Food alone simply does not contain the needed quantities of these substances.  

Sustaining and supporting the entire range of cellular micronutrients is a bigger problem. I have recommended a 6-a-day vitamin and mineral supplement. These pills should be taken in divided doses, 2 or 3 times a day. Do not take 6 pills of a one-a-day supplement, because you could get Vitamin and other toxicities. In my practice, I have successfully prescribed a supplement called Basic Preventive 5, manufactured by Douglas Laboratories. They offer several similar versions of this nutrient combination.

It may seem like a lot to take.  Maintaining cellular integrity requires a lot. Mitigating progressive loss of vitality, increasing resistance to disease, effectively recovering from trauma, and slowing the aging process are all subject to personal intervention. Micronutrient supplementation in high doses is a key ingredient to sustaining life.

To summarize: All after-illnesses share the same foundational etiology: cellular deterioration caused by internal malnutrition. The consistency of symptoms, lack of objective findings, onset and progression of the disease, and observing a favorable response to vitamin/mineral supplements in my medical practice are common features of the after-illness. This is a unifying explanation for a mysterious disease. For prevention and therapy, high dose micronutrient supplementation is a crucial part of the answer.