Lyme Disease Recovery Requires A Healthy Home Environment

Lyme disease is transmitted by common ticks, but it can be uncommonly difficult to diagnose and cure. That’s why any protocol addressing Lyme recovery underscores the need for maintaining a healthy home environment.

Summer is tick season in the southern Appalachians. Ask any outdoorsy neighbor, and they’ll tell you to keep an eye out for ticks.

At A Healthier Home, the black-legged tick is what we call a “vector.” In other words, it’s a pest that could lead to problems down the road. 

Carried by ticks, lyme disease is the United States’ most common vector-borne disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control. 

Lyme is transmitted to humans by ticks through a bacterium of the Borrelia genus. When a tick bite occurs, its symptoms may seem similar to other illnesses, including  fever, headache, and fatigue. But lyme is often accompanied by a tell-tale skin rash, erythema migrans. It may appear even if the tick is small and goes unnoticed.

Antibiotics are often considered the best recourse if a tick bite and lyme symptoms occur. However, holistic physicians and master herbalists are making great strides with herbal treatments which are designed to improve outcomes as a supplement to traditional treatments or as an ongoing regimen to relieve chronic lyme symptoms.

If left untreated, the lyme infection can spread to joints, the heart, and the nervous system. This ability to compromise the body’s symptoms causes healthiness challenges that are consistent with those of common immune-related diseases.

Though some western North Carolinians are fairly vigilant when camping, it would surprise others to know that ticks aren’t confined to the woods. They can find their way into our everyday life and living spaces without a lot of effort. 

If you garden, walk your dog, hike in the mountains, or enjoy yard work, it makes good, common sense to get into the habit of checking for ticks on yourself and your canine companion. To lower tick risk, use an insect repellant – with or without deet – that’s proven to be effective against ticks. Then, wash and dry clothes on a hot cycle to kill any hitchhikers. 

If, despite your best efforts, lyme has affected your physical health, the last thing your body needs is additional stressors, such as environmental sensitivities or toxins.

Four common stressors in the home environment which may tax the body’s immune and nervous system’s ability to detox include:

1. EMFs: Radio frequencies from wireless systems, microwaves, and other adverse sources of wavelength pollution are known to negatively impact the nervous system
2. Mold toxicity: Due to its symptomatology, lyme may be confused with mold toxicity. Mold, mildew and must negatively impact the immune system.
3. Particulates and allergens: Causes the immune response system to remain triggered, diminishing the body’s ability to heal
4. Heavy metals: Aging water systems and industrial pollutants mean that filtering heavy metals from drinking water remains a front line defense in the home environment.

To best support the individual’s recovery from lyme toxicity, it’s important to confirm the healthiness of the home environment. A qualified healthy home pro understands how environmental challenges in the home increase challenges in the recovery process. A focused, economical approach to solutions ensures that the home supports the health needs of recovery from lyme disease.