How To Treat Lyme Disease

By Etta Bowen


Treatment of lyme disease requires early intervention with the right antibiotics. It takes about a month for the symptoms to be diagnosed. The earliest signs include a rash characterized by a small bump around the area of the bite. This rash may develop on multiple areas on your body. It occurs in a bulls eye pattern with a red ring surrounding the clear area. The patient also experiences flue like symptoms of fever, fatigue, chills, aches and headache.

Advanced stages come with own symptoms. The bacteria are progressive in severity. Experts who understand how to treat lyme disease suggest that the symptoms will become more clear as days or weeks progress. In some cases, it takes up to a month.

Specific tests are conducted to ascertain the presence of the bacteria. The antibiotics should be administered as early as possible. This will lead to quick and complete recovery. Treatment is done through oral administration of antibiotics.

Adults and children who are 8 years and above are given doxycycline or amoxicillin. Cefuroxime is used to treat younger children as well as pregnant and breast feeding mothers. The recommended duration is 14 to 21 days. Some studies suggest that a regime lasting 10 to 14 days would still be effective.

If the disease has spread to the nervous system, an intravenous injection is recommended. The injection will be administered for 14 to 28 days in order to clear the bacteria. This is because of the difficulty of eliminating the bacteria in this area. When administered, you can expect such side effects as reduction in white blood cells count, diarrhea and the presence of antibiotic resistant micro organisms in the body.

Symptoms such as muscle aches and fatigue do not disappear after treatment in some cases. Antibiotics do not eliminate these symptoms either. Researchers attribute this phenomenon to the emergence of an autoimmune response. This scenario is being studied for further clarity.

Food and Drug Administration has warned against using Bismacine. This is an injectable compound commonly used by alternative practitioners. It contains high levels of bismuth, a harmful metal to the body. Its use in injections is said to be poisonous by exposing the patient to such conditions as heart ailments and kidney failure.

Measures that can be implemented to prevent attack include avoiding infested areas. These are areas with long grass, thick wood and bushes. When walking or working around such areas, use long sleeved pants and shirts to prevent bites on arms and legs.

The market has insect repellants that are helpful in reducing exposure. A higher concentration of DEET makes repellants more effective. They should not come into contact with the hands, mouth and eyes of children during application. There are pretreated cloths for use in the farm or permethrin may be applied locally.

Precaution should be taken to keep the yard tick free. This involves keeping woodpiles in the sun as well as clearing bushes. All pets and the entire living area should be disinfected on regular basis. A person who has had the disease is likely to catch it again. You should remove the tick as fast as possible using tweezers. Antiseptic should be applied on the bitten area.




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