With the new panic over the Zika virus, I thought it appropriate timing to share my knowledge (and experience) with Lyme Disease and West Nile, other organisms that can cause neurological and late-term illness, very similar to the mysterious Zika Virus.
One problem with these sneaky viruses and bacteria is that you can get infected unknowingly, have no or few symptoms, and go through life unaffected until the natural aging process starts to lower immunity, or a long-term stress event occurs. Once the immune system is compromised, symptoms may start to appear, but they will be masked as any number of other issues.
Most often, chronic Lyme Disease symptoms will be subtle, like fatigue (who doesn't suffer from that?), headaches, joint and muscle pain, inability to concentrate or remember simple things, anxiety and anger, mood swings.
Because most doctors don't think about checking blood serum for Lyme, (and even if they do it may not show up), symptoms get chalked up to normal aging, menopause, stress, and get diagnosed as chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, depression, Parkinson's disease, and a myriad of other auto-immune diseases. The problem is, especially with Lyme, it will slowly destroy your nervous system until it does irreversible damage. It is a neurological bacterium, affecting the brain and nervous system. It can be diagnosed through clinical information (like Parkinson's Disease, which it mimics) and muscle testing.
West Nile Virus, which is carried by over sixty species of mosquitoes, according to the CDC, acts very similar, with headache being a major symptom since it can cause encephalitis. So little is known about West Nile that it is rarely reported and it seems there's very little being done about it. There is no treatment and antivirals do not work (webmd.com). If struck with WNV, it is unlikely that you would know that West Nile is the culprit. It presents as a common bug, but many holistic doctors have found that it stays in the body forever, inhabiting its host, potentially causing neurological and immune system problems later.
In my case, I knew something was very wrong when I had a serious, rapid change in my eyesight, constant headaches and facial twitching. I found a specialist who determined it was, in fact, Lyme and West Nile. I had observed numerous Lyme patients at clinics over the years and many were wheelchair-bound, with facial paralysis; most were misdiagnosed with muscular dystrophy, ALS, and Parkinson's Disease. Lyme can cause strokes, bell's palsy and many other tragic, permanent ailments if left untreated. I witnessed a proper diagnosis of chronic Lyme disease change those lives completely. Most of them were out of their wheelchairs and living again, crying tears of joy at the miracle they'd experienced.
I feel I dodged a bullet -- had my diagnosis come any later, I may have suffered irreparable damage. I tried intravenous pharmaceutical antibiotics and antivirals for two weeks at my doctor's suggestion (and against my instincts), to no avail. Once I started natural treatments of Ultraviolet Blood Irradiation, http://drsubi.com, interchanged with intravenous silver, vitamin C, glutathione, and ozone therapy; homeopathies and supplements, I recovered and both went dormant, http://www.FLIMC.com. I endured four months of nearly daily IVs, but it worked. Lyme and West Nile will never leave their host now -- they are a part of my DNA and RNA, but as long as I stay healthy, they cannot take over -- I won't let them!
There are approximately 300,000 people newly affected with Lyme annually, http://lymedisease.org. This doesn't count the chronic life-long suffers that get diagnosed many years later. And it is not simply limited to certain states -- it is now throughout the U.S. and eighty countries http://www.lymediseaseassociation.org. It usually comes from a nymph tic, about the size of a poppy seed, so one can see how it goes unnoticed. Scientists are also linking the spread of Lyme with mosquitos, and West Nile to tics.
About 42,000 people are on record as having been infected with West Nile (reported cases, mine will go unreported due to the late diagnosis) in the US since 1999, nearly half of them had or have infections to the brain and spinal cord, and 1700 have died, http://cdc.gov.
Zika symptoms include fever, rash, joint pain and red eyes, fatigue and a general sense of having the flu. It's very easy to think nothing of it and never receive a diagnosis. There is no treatment or vaccine. It is associated with Guillain-Barre Syndrome, and paralysis, and is sexually transmitted. I fear this virus, which was discovered in 1947, will continue to evolve and the fallout will be years in the making. And, just like Lyme Disease and West Nile, the virus may lay dormant in the system and create havoc at a later date.
Because I already host two lovely bug-borne illnesses, I will be extra diligent about being outside this season when the mosquitoes are at their worst and will slather on layer after layer of natural repellent -- those who spend time with me will smell me before they see me. I will be a walking potpourri of lemon, mint, eucalyptus, oregano, clove, rosemary, tea tree, cedar, lavender and witch hazel. So much for the expensive eau de parfum in the cabinet!
If you suspect for one tiny second that you may have one of these insect-borne diseases, get tested right away while it will still show up. Though there is not much that can be done, it will be useful information if exaggerated yet seemingly normal symptoms, crop up later. If you do get a diagnosis, try to find a holistic clinic and heed the doctor's advice for the best course of treatment. Thanks to UBI, other IVs, and NIS/NET, I am healthy today and know how to stay that way if I get the slightest inkling that one of them is trying to invade my inner sanctuary.
"You are your only advocate. If you think something is going wrong within you, it probably is. Do not be brushed off and sent away as another case of 'normal aging.'" K.D. Sadler
- Resoucres:
- webmd.com
- http://drsubi.com
- http://www.FLIMC.com
- http://lymedisease.org
- http://www.lymediseaseassociation.org
- http://cdc.gov
- lifeworkswellnesscenter.com
- Book: Viral Immunity J.E. Williams, OMD (One of the BEST books EVER written about viruses, bacteria, immunity, and holistic treatments, see book section)
