What was to be called Lyme Disease was not made apparent until 1975. It was then that a group of 39 children in Lyme, Connecticut, all got what was thought to be rheumatoid arthritis. Under further analysis the likelihood of this occurrence was considered statistically suspect and in 1982 the correct cause was found. It was discovered that Lyme Disease was caused by the bite of an infected tick. Deer ticks that were infected with the spirochete organism Borrelia burgdorferi were responsible for the joint symptoms experienced by the children.
Lyme Disease initially causes achiness and and can cause a distinctive “bulls-eye” rash at the bite site in about 50% of the cases. Other symptoms mimic those of chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, multiple sclerosis, heart disease and a number of neurological conditions. Fifty percent of patients may manifest psychological disease, behavioral disorders, chronic depression, eating disorders, mood swings and panic attacks. Lyme Disease is often called the “Great Imposter” because of its many, many manifestations.
The main treatment is a course of antibiotics to eliminate the infectious organism. However, once Lyme Disease takes over, chronic inflammation also becomes a major problem. Initially inflammation is an acute response by the body and is in fact a natural healing reaction. For example, swelling is a natural reaction by the body when trauma has occurred to an area of tissue. What becomes a problem is when the swelling does not subside. Once chronic inflammation gets a foothold, it itself becomes a perpetuator and cause of many other conditions that allow the original disorder, in this case Lyme Disease, to become even more deep rooted. It has been said that inflammation “boils” the pot of potential disease manifestations. In fact medicine today is very concerned with chronic inflammation and its impact on all tissues.
Chronic inflammation leads to a dysfunction of the detoxification pathways in the body. The primary cause of this dysfunction is the over acidification of the body’s fluids and organs. It has been well established that the Phase I and Phase II detoxification enzymatic pathways in the liver, our primary detoxification mechanisms, are heavily compromised by chronic acidosis. The solution is to alkalinize the body by changing our diet and our source of drinking water. According to Dr. Allen Anderson, who suffered from Lyme Disease himself, the most important step in Lyme Disease treatment is to counter the chronic low grade inflammation present. And according to Kenneth Singleton, M.D., M.P.H. in his book Lyme Disease Solution, treatment involves three “core” components. The first core component is antibiotics. The second core component is what he calls the “Lyme Inflammation Diet”. He goes on to state; “The overall goal is to alkalinize the patient by eliminating acid foods such as sugar, coffee, most meat, chocolate and most grains. Most of the beverages in the Standard American Diet are highly acid, such as sodas, diet sodas, sport drinks and R/O (reverse osmosis) water. A much better choice is alkaline ionized water with a pH of 9 or greater. Along with diet and alkaline water, nutritional supplements are important depending upon the needs of the patients. The third core component in Lyme treatment is complementary and alternative therapies such as counseling, prayer, meditation and hyperbaric oxygen therapy.”
Expanding on one of Dr. Singleton’s points about alkaline ionized water, it is our position at Life Ionizers that everyone should drink the best water available. In our opinion that water would be alkaline, electron rich and microclustered, as is natural glacial water. For more information about water ionizer machines by Life Ionizers, please visit www.LifeIonizers.com or call 1-800-578-5939.
Yours pHor Better Health,
Dr. Peter L. Kopko, D.C.
Chief Science Advisor
Life Ionizers