Lyme Disease: “Gu” Syndrome or Lingering Pathogen in Chinese Medicine

Lyme disease is an infectious disease that is transmitted to humans by the bite of infected ticks with the bacteria of the Borrelia type. In most cases, in order for the bacteria to spread, the tick must be attached anywhere from around 36 to 48 hours. Lyme disease most usually develops during hot spring and summer days.

It has been estimated that children between the ages of 5 and 10 and adults older than 50 years are at the greatest risk of getting diagnosed with Lyme disease.

Pathology

This disease tends to affect the nervous system, the heart, the skin, and the musculoskeletal system. One of the earliest signs of an infection is a Lyme disease rash.

Testing of Lyme Disease:

There are few tests available for Lyme disease. The most common test is the test for an antibody (ELISA), which is intended to recognize antibodies for the Lyme pathogen. This test is not always accurate and occasionally fails to identify the disease.

The direct blood culture test can identify the Borrelia; however, there is only one laboratory in the US and the results show no significant data about the test’s effectiveness and accuracy.

The third one is called Elispot (lymphocyte transformation test (LTT). This test measures specific T-lymphocytes that are responsive to Borrelia burgdorferi. There are two other tests: the antigen test and the polymerase chain reaction (PCR), which are useful too.

Western Medicine Treatment for Lyme disease

The most common Lyme disease treatment used during the early and later stages of the infection is antibiotic therapy. This usually includes a daily dose of amoxicillin or doxycycline for up to 14 days. Erythromycin or cefuroxime may also be used, depending on the stage of the infection. When a patient does not respond well to a prescribed antibiotic, another antibiotic may be used. There is a rising concern over antibiotic resistance that physicians need to keep in mind during the prescription of these medications.

Jarisch-Herxheimer reaction is possible when antibiotics are used to treat Lyme disease. It is sometimes only called Herxing or Herxheimer. The reaction causes skin rashes, a high temperature, and shaking chills.

Chronic Lyme Disease: A Complex Issue

In most cases, the disease can be treated with antibiotics, which will clear up all symptoms in 2 to 3 weeks. Unfortunately, about 10 to 20 percent of patients will develop a so-called chronic Lyme disease. Chronic Lyme affects joints and the nervous system and causes arthritis and neurological conditions. Patients experience chronic fatigue, brain fog, numbness of feet and hands, headaches, and mood and sleep problems. The chronic stage of Lyme disease always has been a challenge for doctors because the blood culture test doesn’t show the presence of the bacteria, and the other tests such as ELISA are not always accurate. However, recent research from Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health sheds light on this problem. Doctor Zhang, a professor in the Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology at the Bloomberg School, and his team found that the stressful condition can cause the bacteria to get into the “ stationary phase” when the Borrelia “freezes” and doesn’t grow as fast as during it’s normal phase. The scientists who made a discovery also found that this “slow” form of the bacteria causes more problems to the patient in terms of pain and disfunction, and it also tolerant to the regular antibiotics. According to Science Daily , Dr Zhang also suggests that the treatment might be more efficient if few antibiotics are combined together. Although these findings were found on mice only, he and his team are planning to conduct a clinical study on patients too.

Chinese Medicine: Gu Syndrome and Lingering Pathogen

According to Heiner Fruehauf, the founding professor at the College of Classical Chinese Medicine, Portland, Oregon, Lyme disease has been described in ancient medical texts and can be classified as Gu syndrome. As per Heiner, the term “Gu” relates to severe and chronic illness, associated with chronic infections. That illness makes your body “empty” as a some “dark” forces hollow you inside out. As a matter of fact, “Gu ” is very often linked to different types of chronic infections caused by pathogenic microorganisms such as viruses, bacteria, fungi, or parasites. These microorganisms affect multiple body systems, especially the digestive and nervous systems. Human immunodeficiency, herpes, Epstein-Barr or Coxsackie virus, spirochetes and many other exotic pathogens cause various forms of the disease. In traditional Chinese medicine, these pathogens are called “lingering” or “lurking” pathogens. This name is given because these pathogens are “hidden” “deep” inside your body and slowly exerting body’s recourses.  These pathogens, or “toxins” (“Du” in Chinese language), affect multiple organs and systems in the body, causing joint pain and inflammation, digestive issues and neurological and mental health problems.

There are many specific symptoms related to GU syndrome or to the lingering pathogen, such as:

• extreme fatigue
• sleep problems
• anxiety
• depression
• body and joints aches
• stomach pain and bloating
• food sensitivity and allergies
• abnormal sweating
• eye pain
• hallucinations
• headaches
• brain fog
• sensitivity to temperature

Besides the Lyme disease, Gu syndrome also can be related to auto-immune disorders, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome or any chronic infections that are associated with these symptoms.

In the treatment of Lyme disease, traditional Chinese medicine implements a strategy to expel the lingering pathogenic factor and strengthen the body’s own resources and the immune system. To find out if herbal plants are useful to fight Borrelia burgdorferi, the mentioned above professor Zhang from Johns Hopkins University, and his colleagues decided to investigate the effect of 14 plants in laboratory studies. According to the journal Frontiers in Medicine, where the study was published, the extracts of seven herbs were more effective than antibiotics. Whereas the African Ghanaian quinine (Cryptolepis sanguinolenta) appears to be a most potential plant, the four others—sweet wormwood (Artemisia annua),  Japanese knotweed (Polygonum cuspidatum), Chinese skullcap (Scutellaria baicalensis) and the black walnut (Juglans nigra)—are from Chinese Materia Medica and also showed to effectively supress the spirochete. Despite the fact that no human study has been done yet, these herbs have been used by Chinese doctors to fight “heat toxins” and pathogens for millennia.

Take sweet wormwood (Artemisia annua), for example. This herb has been used in China for chronic fever and malaria for over 2000 years. In the last century, artemisin—the active ingredient of this plant—played a significant role in a fight against malaria and the Nobel Prize was awarded for its discovery in 2015. Artemisin has shown his activity against Lyme bacteria in earlier laboratory studies in the past. In this study, it also shows that even in a low dosage the sweet wormwood works better than some antibiotics. This may be due to the fact that other components of the herb other that artemisin also suppress the Borrelia burgdorferi in it’s stationary phase. Although using only one potential chemical ingredient-artemisin  is definitely convenient, taking the whole plant in a traditional way and combining it with other herbs in an herbal recipe minimises chances for bug resistance. In a malaria treatment, tolerance to artemisin created a significant problem, whereas this is not the case when the whole plant was used. The herb is safe, but taking excessive amounts of wormwood can cause nausea and abdominal discomfort.

Chinese skullcap (Scutellaria baicalensis) is another herb that has anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties and has been used to treat infections for more than 2000 of years. Baicalein, a type of flavonoid, has an antibiotic-like activity against a wide range of bugs, including Borrelia. This herb also appears to be safe.

The art of traditional Chinese prescription, as well as a Chinese diagnosis, is a very unique and not easily learned skill. As a matter of fact, Chinese medicine does not claim to treat or cure Lyme disease but rather establishes optimal body function by removing or minimizing the negative effect of the lingering “toxic” pathogen, reducing severity of symptoms and improving the function of the immune system. The traditional prescription, or herbal formula in other words, contains from 8 to 16 herbs and occasionally more, depending of the severity of the condition. That combination eliminates resistance to the herbs and addresses multiple patients’ complaints related to digestion, and musculoskeletal or neurological functions. It prevents the development of unwanted reactions to the treatment. The prescription also needs to be changed according to the symptoms, because patients’ conditions change during the course of treatment. The treatment is long and takes at least six months and up to one year. Symptoms improve slowly, and patients gain their lives back gradually with ups and downs on the road; therefore, it requires patience and there are complaints with the treatment plan. Herxheimer reaction is possible but doesn’t happen often. Diet is also extremely important. Patients have to avoid cold, uncooked meals including dairy products, sugar, fatty meat, refined carbohydrates, white flour and alcohol. Cooked vegetables, non-sticky rice, grains, mushrooms, non-fatty meat, seafood and fish are preferable. This diet is coming from traditional Chinese medicine theory about foods and medicine.

Sunrise Neuro-Acupuncture Integrative Clinic is an acupuncture and Chinese medicine clinic in Westboro, Ottawa. If you are  interested to receive more information about Chinese Medicine Treatment plan for Lyme disease, please contact as at : 613-853-9099.