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Curious about lyme transmission

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Posted 12/10/2016 2:38 PM (GMT -5)
Thank you all for being so kind and welcoming right off the bat. I have lots of questions and feel so happy to be able to pick someone's brain about them.

I am genuinely curious about lyme disease transmission and wanted to hear some thoughts. There was a recent thread on sexual transmission and I wanted to delve a bit more.

Being newly diagnosed, I keep thinking "how is it that nearly everyone doesn't have lyme? Do they? Why does lyme affect people in such different ways?"

It seems like lyme would be very easy to catch- ticks at different life stages vary in size and can be so tiny that they're undetectable. Many folks have pets (sleep with them, let them kiss their faces, etc.), spend lots of time outdoors, or might have a partner with lyme.

If lyme can be passed through saliva (can it?) then couldn't people get it from sharing drinks, kissing, etc? confused

I guess I want to know how to keep from being re-infected or infecting others. How do we keep a level head about this? I struggle with health anxiety as it is and now find myself freaking out about lyme. It just feels overwhelming- like how do we know when we're better and keep it that way?

Lots of questions- pretty long-winded again, but just gonna put it all out there. Thank you for your insights.

Post Edited (aloha234) : 12/10/2016 12:41:03 PM (GMT-7)

Posted 12/10/2016 2:49 PM (GMT -5)
Our biggest obstacle to knowing these answers is there is not enough research going on to help us delve into this very deeply, and we don't have accurate enough testing to know for sure who may have Lyme and company and who doesn't.

So the best thing is to be just as cautious as you can. My hubby won't allow no kisses, and has never desired to use protection for sex, but he also wasn't infected by me. When he got infected, we had already been together for 15 years, so I seriously doubt that he got it from me - not to mention he had just been working outside and did get a couple of ticks. We discussed this in depth before we ever got married, because I didn't know what I had for sure back then (2000) and knew that he would be at risk. He absolutely refused to do anything to protect himself, even with my explaining that he could end up like me. I can't force him to protect himself completely, but we are doing okay. This may be a very unusual situation though.

I advise caution, at minimum. There is evidence that it *may* be an infection that can be picked up from saliva, tears, semen, vaginal secretions. It being passed through the placenta and through breast milk is pretty much proven (although it's not usually recognized), but that still doesn't mean that the child will have these infections.

One of the best things you can do in my opinion is heal, then stay on something like astragalus (per Buhner's protocols) to keep your immune function high enough to avoid infection, but if a person still gets infected, they can raise their dose immediately until they can verify if they are or not.

And this is a very real concern for most of us, so don't feel bad about asking!! We need better testing first, and better/more research before these questions can be answered though.
Posted 12/10/2016 3:37 PM (GMT -5)
I agree with Trav. There isn't the science that 100% concludes one thing or another with regard to transmission - other than for sure, ticks and I think also it has been scientifically shown that mosquitos can transmit it as well.

I think, it is your personal journey, for me, there is enough anecdotal evidence by families with lyme and Dr.'s who treat ALOT of lyme patients for me to conclude, for me, that it is plausible that it is transmitted sexually, and through the human fluids in which they have found live spirochetes (blood, tears, vaginal fluids, semen).

These organisms are ancient, they are adaptable, and to assume something CAN'T happen because the science doesn't exist YET to prove it, for me, is foolish.

But this is me.

I encourage you to do your own research and let google be your friend.

"how is lyme transmitted."

Read what you find, you'll find lots of different "stories".

Decide for yourself what resonates with you as true.
Posted 12/10/2016 3:42 PM (GMT -5)
I completely agree with Multifacetedme on this. It's more than worth protecting yourself and those you love. Mine is only one story against the many of whole families that are infected. I post more to say that just because it CAN happen doesn't mean it WILL happen. Neither of my kids were infected either and I didn't have any treatment at all while I was carrying them, and we shared lots of cups and 'bites' of food between us. We were of the lucky few most likely.

And I completely agree wholeheartedly with this:
"These organisms are ancient, they are adaptable, and to assume something CAN'T happen because the science doesn't exist YET to prove it, for me, is foolish."
Posted 12/11/2016 2:58 AM (GMT -5)
Thank you both for the comments. I'm interested to research more about astragalus. Seems like one heck of an herb from the little reading I've done. It seems to me like the best things to do are getting rid of current infections and focusing on boosting our immune system to ensure that it can fight what's thrown at it. We come across so many "bugs" each day that it's impossible to live life in a bubble. Traveler- it's good to hear that your kiddos weren't infected. I too have heard of whole families battling lyme. I suppose that's why it's such a mystery to me, why some folks are affected and others aren't.
Posted 12/11/2016 3:32 AM (GMT -5)
Borrelia infects white blood cells ...immune system cannot fight this imo i think it is beyond pandemic and is being spread by saliva...
Posted 12/11/2016 5:24 AM (GMT -5)
THe woman that did my live microscope analysis says she has seen borrelia in everything you can think of including ear wax and teeth. In fact she says she has a lot of patients that have lyme kicked up from oral surgery much like strep and staph.
Posted 12/11/2016 7:30 AM (GMT -5)
The one caution about using Astragalus is that if the person has a chronic Lyme infection, it may cause a massive herx, so it's always to be started with great care and at low doses. This way if the person herxes seriously, it can be controlled a bit easier.

Buhner suggests that a person wait for 6 months after successfully treating chronic Lyme before starting astragalus. This is because it actually can treat too aggressively, although he also admits that there are some that have chronic Lyme and can still use astragalus.

I was recently bit again (on the hip) and started having an increase in symptoms, so I upped my dose of astragalus to the 3,000 mgs a day (divided doses) and the symptoms reduced again fairly quickly. It's an herb I plan to never be without again.
Posted 12/11/2016 7:34 AM (GMT -5)
For me I defintetely have an intution everyone around me MAY be getting sick...hard to say but there is an intuition.
Posted 12/11/2016 9:33 AM (GMT -5)
My personal opinion is that almost everyone has antibodies to the bacteria BB (similar to virus EBV). And just because you make antibodies doesn't mean it's making you sick - just that you were exposed to it. My whole family tests positive and they are not sick. I am the only one that has neuro issues. But I was also bit by a dog 6 months prior which I believe was a tipping point or a new bacteria. BB is definitely a strain on the body though.

A good doctor should look beyond just a Lyme test for BB.

I think what is making people really sick is the coinfections, mold, metals, parasites, etc.

Post Edited (k07) : 12/11/2016 7:51:33 AM (GMT-7)

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