Can Spiders and Mites Spread Lyme Disease?

In a word, yes. Since 2009, I’ve worked as a pest control consultant specializing in mite eradication. In the last eight years, thousands of mite customers have shared their heartbreaking stories with me. In the beginning, I wondered why a significant number of callers reported flu like symptoms such as nausea, brain fog , muscle aches, extreme fatigue, muscle spasms and loss of motor control. Back then, the reigning theory was that such people were suffering from delusional parasitosis—the mistaken belief that parasites have infested the body. Accompanying flu like symptoms were sometimes explained as further manifestations of a delusional mind.

 

Thankfully, this ugly and unfair tendency to doubt mite victims has changed dramatically in the last eight years. Lyme researchers agree that mites can carry Borrelia burgdorferi—the dreaded corkscrew-shaped bacterium associated with Lyme Disease. An increasing number of mainstream doctors are refusing to see mite patients in their office—a sign that they don’t believe all mite cases are fictional.

 

To be clear, not every person battling a mite infestation will come down with Lyme disease, just like most folks who are bitten by mosquitoes won’t come down with the Zika virus. It all depends on whether or not the mites you’ve encountered are carriers. States with the highest number of confirmed Lyme cases include Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts and Minnesota. Deer ticks are still the most common Lyme carriers.

 

If you begin to experience flu like symptoms while battling a spider or mite infestation, ask your doctor for a Lyme test immediately. He or she may prescribe traditional antibiotics such as doxycycline, amoxicillin or cefuroxime for a period of 14 to 21 days. Beware that many holistic doctors frown upon the extended use of antibiotics because they kill off good bacteria, which can lead to the colonization of other pathogenic organisms unrelated to Lyme. I recommend maintaining a healthy relationship with a holistic doctor as well as a mainstream medial doctor. By employing specific organic health protocols, many chronically afflicted people have been able to feel healthy again!

 

Diet and Supplementation for Lyme Disease

Not surprisingly, the diet advice for Lyme Disease is very similar to the nutritional advice given to people suffering from a wide range of bacterial and viral diseases.

• Avoid sugars at all costs. That includes the natural sugars present in fruit, honey and maple syrup. Sugar feeds all types of bacteria and parasites—both internal and external. It doesn’t matter if you’re sick with Lyme or healthy as a horse. Sugar is bad news for the body. Many researchers now believe that sugar feeds cancer cells, but that’s a whole different topic altogether.
• Avoid bread, pasta, rice, corn and starchy legumes such as kidney and lima beans. High carbohydrate foods turn to sugar during digestion. The same goes for “healthy” grains such as quinoa, couscous, amaranth, buckwheat and millet. Avoid them!
• Strive for a high protein diet loaded with eggs, chicken, turkey and low mercury fish such as wild caught salmon, tilapia or cod. Limit the consumption of red meat to once or twice a week, and try not to consume giant portions of steak or hamburger in one sitting. An acceptable portion of red meat is about the size of a deck of cards. Note that pork is considered to be a “red meat,” but lean cuts of pork tenderloin can nutritionally match up fairly well to chicken.
• Consume a wide variety of low glycemic vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, Brussel sprouts, okra, asparagus, carrots, zucchini, cucumbers, celery, onions, spinach, cabbage and salad greens. Avoid overcooking vegetables to keep nutritional properties intact. Vitamins are essential in fighting disease.
• Avoid high glycemic vegetables such as beets, potatoes and sweet potatoes. Despite studies that show sweet potatoes may play a role in regulating blood sugar, they’re still loaded with carbs. One medium sweet potato contains about 6 grams of sugar and 26 total grams of carbohydrates. If you currently consume sweet potatoes for the beta-carotene, you can get your daily supply from carrots and high quality vitamin supplements instead.
• Make a solid commitment to drink mostly water. Coffee, soda and alcohol damage the lining of the stomach, allowing toxins and food particles to escape into the blood stream. Alcohol turns to sugar during digestion and feeds pathogenic bacteria as effectively as table sugar. Now may be a good time to browse the herbal tea section in your grocery store. Access to a wide range of flavors may be helpful in curbing acute cravings for unhealthy drinks.

 

Ten Powerful Natural Antibiotics to Battle Lyme Disease, Parasites and a wide range of Bacterial and Viral Infections

 

• Properly Fermented Sauerkraut: Sauerkraut is one of the most probiotic-rich foods known to man. Think of it like Drano for the human pipeline. Healthy strains of bacteria invade the digestive tract like wildfire, consuming excess sugars, bad bacteria and parasites along the way. The bad news is that sauerkraut is very high in sodium, making it a questionable choice for folks with heart problems and high blood pressure. Also beware that most of the commercial brands sold in grocery stores aren’t fermented the old fashioned way. Traditionally fermented organic sauerkraut can cost between $10 and $50 a jar. The cheapest price I’ve been able to find is $4.45 a jar. Visit an online store called the Thrive Market for wholesale prices on costly organic foods.
• Turmeric Curcumin: Turmeric is a standard spice available at most grocery stores, but it’s not very tasty when taken orally or mixed into hot drinks. Turmeric supplements are far more palatable and convenient. About 2,000 mg is the maximum amount of standardized turmeric curcumin that a healthy adult should take per day. If you have a preexisting health condition, obtain a doctor’s consent.
• Raw Garlic: According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, a healthy person may safely consume up to four cloves of garlic each day, with each glove weighing about a gram. Beware that garlic can thin the blood. If you’re currently taking blood thinners, consult a doctor before increasing your daily intake of garlic.
• Coconut Oil: The lauric acid in coconut oil is a natural destroyer of bacteria and candida. Look for organic brands that are labeled virgin, unrefined and cold pressed. “Virgin” means the oil is obtained from the first press of the fruit and not from dried coconut flakes or factory waste. “Unrefined” means that the oil is processed without bleach, chemicals or deodorizers. “Cold pressed” means that the oil wasn’t processed using a detrimental amount of heat.
• Coconut Milk: Whenever possible, choose an organic brand free of thickening agents such as guar gum or carrageenan. Since most store brands contain thickening agents and preservatives, you may be better off buying pure, organic coconut cream, which may be added to recipes or mixed with filtered water to create coconut milk.
• Ginger Tea, Green Tea and Rooibos Tea: These are three of the most powerful antioxidant teas associated with disease prevention. Ginger tea is often noted for fighting highly resistant bacterial infections such as MRSA. Rooibos Tea is purported to lower blood pressure. Many holistic doctors believe that Rooibos tea is even stronger than Green Tea. If taste is important to you, Rooibos tea will likely steal your heart. I find that it tastes curiously like black tea, only sweeter and less acidic. To further strengthen the antibiotic cocktail, add a teaspoon of coconut oil or a shot of pure, organic coconut cream. Sweeten with Stevia and a dash of cinnamon.
• Golden Milk: Coconut milk and turmeric can be combined to make a substance known as golden milk—a highly regarded health drink that is purported to fight disease and shorten the duration of colds. Add a dash of pepper to boost absorption. Various recipes for golden milk may be found on YouTube. Tell me about your favorite!
• Grapeseed Extract: A much better choice than drinking grape juice, which contains a whopping 36 grams of sugar per cup!
• Resveratrol: Reservatrol is a polyphenol compound found in red wine that has strong antioxidant properties and possible anticarcinogenic effects. It’s available in supplement form for those who can’t drink wine due to specific health conditions.
• Vitamin C: No other vitamin known to man is said to be more powerful in the fight against disease. Cancer patients are often told to ingest as much ascorbic acid as their bodies will take before reaching bowel tolerance. The more toxic you are, the more vitamin C your body will absorb and use. A healthy person can take anywhere from 4-15 grams (4,000-15,000 mg) of vitamin C in a 24 hour period without experiencing diarrhea symptoms, but a sick person can tolerate as much as 10-20 times more. Consult your doctor to develop a daily vitamin C protocol that’s right for your body.

 

A WORD TO COFFEE LOVERS: Despite studies that have shown coffee to be high in antioxidants, it’s known to damage the lining of the stomach, allowing toxins and food particles to circulate throughout the body. Coffee may also contain mold. For a warm and satisfying replacement, try Teeccino–a specially blended herbal tea that is formulated to taste like coffee.

 

A WORD TO VEGANS: If you’re used to a strict vegan lifestyle, consider adding eggs or small portions of low mercury fish back into your diet. Mite bites can result in some pretty nasty skin lesions that don’t always heal promptly. Animal protein is an important building block necessary for skin repair. To speed the healing of sores and wounds, look for supplements containing Bromelain, Rutin and Grapeseed Extract.

 

A WORD TO CARBOHYDRATE ADDICTS: Don’t stop following a low carb diet the moment you begin to feel better. Some of my clients have reported a resurgence of Lyme symptoms after long periods of wellness. Don’t look upon your new healthy eating routine as a “diet.” View it as a change in lifestyle. There will come a day when you can reintroduce many of your favorite foods in moderation, but returning to a high carbohydrate lifestyle is a gamble.