Specific Health Concern >> Lyme Disease and Cancer

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In this video, Dr. Huntoon discusses Lyme Disease and how to avoid developing Chronic Lyme Disease.

Dr. Huntoon has quite extensive experience in resolving Lyme in hundreds of practice members. His unique 3 step approach has helped everyone he has treated for this difficult diagnosis.

Lyme Disease does not have to become a life sentence and we are here to address the Lyme you have without all the antibiotics and resultant side-effects.

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Lyme Disease and Cancer: Is There A Connection?

Lyme Disease and Cancer: Is There a Connection?

By Ty Bollinger

According to a groundbreaking article published by Dr. Dino Prato, Founder of the Envita Medical Center and his team titled “Cancer and Infectious Causes” in 2014, there is clear, reliable, scientific evidence to indicate that at least 25% of all infections lead to cancer.^{1, 2}

In fact, Dr. Prato believes this number may be even higher, based on his own personal experiences of treating cancer patients for nearly two decades at Envita. It’s important to know what these infections are and how to treat them properly.

How Do Infections Promote Cancer Formation?

Most of us already know that some viral and bacterial infections can lead to cancer. For instance, infection with the bacteria Helicobacter pylori can cause ulcers in the lining of our stomach or the upper part of our small intestine – and sometimes lead to stomach cancer.

Similarly, human papillomavirus (HPV) infections can cause cervical cancer, and Epstein Barr virus (EBV) infections can cause Hodgkin’s Lymphoma – a type of cancer in immune cells known as B lymphocytes or B cells, whose job is to make antibodies that help protect our body from bacteria and viruses.

You see, infections do three things that help cancer.^{1, 2}

First, they weaken our immune system, increasing our body’s susceptibility to cancer.
Second, they can cause dramatic changes (known as mutations) in the DNA inside our cells, causing protective cellular mechanisms such as programmed cell death, or apoptosis, to go haywire and pave the way for cancer cells to form and multiply.
Finally, infections are always accompanied by high levels of inflammation, which has been shown to help the growth and spread of cancer.

In other words, viral and bacterial infections promote cancer in multiple ways.

Therefore, treating any infections that are present, thereby reducing our body’s level of inflammation and restoring our immune system to its full capacity, is likely to be an effective method of cancer prevention as well as cancer treatment, ensuring longer remissions and a better quality of life for cancer patients.

According to Dr. Prato, a “surprisingly high number” of patients with late-stage cancer also test positive for Lyme disease and other co-infections.

What Do We Know About Lyme Disease?

Lyme disease is the most common tick-borne illness in North America and Europe. It is a multi-stage disease that causes symptoms ranging from rash, fever, chills, and body aches to joint swelling, weakness, and temporary paralysis.^{3, 4, 5}

In the U.S., Lyme disease is caused by the bacteria known as Borrelia burgdorferi, which is very closely related to the bacteria that causes syphilis, and is transmitted mainly by deer ticks. In Europe and Asia, other Borrelia species cause Lyme.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Lyme disease is the fastest growing vector-borne infectious disease in the U.S. today, with an estimated incidence of upwards of 300,000 cases every year.

Unfortunately, deer ticks carry other infections along with Lyme disease, including Rocky Mountain spotted fever and human babesiosis, a rare microscopic parasite that infects red blood cells.

Lyme disease is often known as “the great imitator”, because symptomatically it appears very similar to many other disorders, including arthritis, chronic fatigue syndrome, multiple sclerosis (MS), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and Alzheimer’s disease.⁶

Although complete recovery is seen if patients with early-stage disease receive timely and suitable treatment, some patients keep having lingering symptoms long after the original infection has apparently been cleared.

In fact, some health experts feel that Lyme is a chronic and persistent disease for which the word “cure” is not realistic.⁵

The Curious – and Scary – Case of Dr. Neil Spector

According to Dr. Neil Spector, whose long-undiagnosed Lyme disease resulted in irreversible heart failure and ultimately required him to have a heart transplant surgery, Lyme disease is the infectious disease equivalent of cancer.⁷

Dr. Spector, an Associate Professor at Duke University School of Medicine and Director of Developmental Therapeutics at the Duke Cancer Institute, explains:

We don’t talk about cancer as just one disease anymore, and we should stop talking about Lyme this way. There are so many strains and co-infections. When you’re bitten by a tick, you can get five or ten different infections at the same time.”

There are other eerie similarities between Lyme disease and cancer, according to Dr. Spector. In fact, there have been several instances in which patients diagnosed with chronic Lyme disease turned out to have cancer instead.⁸

Just like cancer cells, B. burgdorferi has developed many sophisticated strategies to evade our immune system and resist antibiotic therapy. For instance, these bacteria change their shape just like cancer cells to protect themselves, become more mobile, more invasive, and so on.

burgdorferibacteria also create so-called “biofilms”, which are considered to be resistant to antibiotics. Biofilms are colonies of microbes, mainly bacteria, which can form anywhere there is moisture and a surface – these include inner surfaces in our body.⁹

Biofilms can cause illness by damaging the surfaces to which they’re attached. Once a biofilm becomes large enough, it disperses, allowing its inhabitants to spread to other surfaces. Bacteria in our body are constantly trying to form new biofilms, and our immune system is constantly breaking them down.

Lyme and its co-infections severely depress our immune system, thereby allowing biofilms to also grow and spread unchecked. Additionally, B. burgdorferi grows very slowly, in present at very low levels in the body, can dig deep into our cartilage and brain tissue, and can live inside our cells. All of these properties enhance this bacteria’s resistance to antibiotics.

Last but not least, both cancer cells and B. burgdorferi thrive on sugar. Therefore, novel treatment strategies in which cancer patients are starved of carbs for several days and then given glucose substitutes that cancer cells cannot use, starving them to death, might also work against Lyme disease.

Coming back to Dr. Spector, his symptoms began with random, unexplained incidents of heart palpitations. Next, he experienced “brain fog” that lasted for 3 weeks, which went away spontaneously without any treatment. He also had an episode of severe arthritis, which again disappeared on its own after 24 hours.

During this time, his arrhythmias got worse and more complex. He also remembers being extremely fatigued, having burning in his heels, and night terrors.

Unfortunately, his experience is far from unique. Patients with chronic Lyme disease consistently report significantly lower health quality, more bad mental and physical health days, a significant symptom disease burden, and greater limitations on their activity levels and ability to work, relative even to patients with other chronic diseases.¹⁰

How Does Lyme Disease Promote Cancer Formation?

According to Dr. Prato, patients with Lyme disease are likely to be susceptible to cancer as it can directly or indirectly promote all three of the deadly mechanisms that help cancer formation and growth:^{1, 2}

#1 – Inflammation

Lyme disease – and the many viral, fungal, parasitic, and bacterial infections that tend to be passed along with it by ticks – cause inflammation levels to rise in our body by releasing multiple toxins, thereby helping cancer cells to grow and spread. These toxins further act to shut down our body’s defense mechanisms, making us more susceptible to cancer. Inflammation also increases oxidative stress, damaging our body’s cells and DNA, again potentially resulting in cancer.

#2 – Immune System Suppression

Lyme and its co-infections can severely depress our immune system, making our body more susceptible to viral infections which can cause cancer-promoting alterations in our cellular DNA. Lyme disease and its co-infections also place a huge burden on our immune system, compromising it and making our body susceptible to opportunistic infections that further depress our immune system.

Normally, a healthy immune system identifies and destroys countless cancer cells in our body every day, usually before they get a chance to reproduce. However, when our immune system is compromised by Lyme and its partner infections, it becomes unable to rid our body of these abnormally growing cells.

#3 – Mutations in Cellular DNA

Viruses infiltrate cells and insert their own RNA to reprogram cells and make them a factory for creating more viruses. This takeover of cellular genes by a virus can potentially result in the cell becoming cancerous.

It’s fairly common for people to have long-lasting viral infections that are suppressed by a healthy immune system and remain undetected, with no signs or symptoms. However, once the immune system becomes suppressed by Lyme disease, these viruses become active.

In summary, Lyme is a complicated disease that is usually accompanied by multiple other dangerous infections, all of which can contribute to cancer formation via all three possible mechanisms – suppressing the immune system, causing mutations in cellular DNA, and inflammation.

Proper identification of Lyme disease and its associated co-infections, reduction of inflammation levels, and restoration of the immune system to full activity can help lower the very real risk of cancer posed by these deadly, chronic diseases.

Have you been affected by Lyme disease? We understand that it can be a very difficult experience. Please comment below and tell us more about what you’ve found most helpful in healing.

Article Summary

Infections do three things that help cancer grow:
1. Weaken the immune system
2. DNA mutations
3. Raise inflammation levels
Lyme disease is the most common tick-borne illness in North America and Europe.
Lyme disease is known as “the great imitator”, because symptomatically it appears very similar to many other disorders.
Lyme disease promotes cancer formation through:
1. Inflammation
2. Immune System Suppression
3. Mutations in Cellular DNA

[+] Sources and References

Symptoms

The most common symptoms of lyme disease are

fever,
headache,
fatigue, and
a characteristic skin rash called erythema migrans.

This will most commonly begin at the site of a tick bite after a delay of 3-30 days, and will gradually expand to be about 12 inches across.

Later symptoms include

further rashes,
arthritis with severe joint pain,
facial palsy,
intermittent pain,
heart palpitations,
dizziness,
shortness of breath,
nerve pain,
shooting pains,
numbness,
tingling in the hands or feet, and
problems with short term memory.

If you experience any of these symptoms after a tick bite you should see your Doctor immediately.

Causes

Cause

Lyme disease is an infection caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi. It is transmitted to humans through the bite of infected black-legged ticks. In the majority of cases, your medical doctor will recommend a course of oral antibiotics. This will eliminate the symptoms of the Lyme and will probably drive the Lyme deeper into your system, only to come out later in a different area and affect you in a different way. This is the Standard of Care if you go the Traditional Medical way.

Traditional Medical Treatment Options and Diagnosis

For early Lyme disease, a short course of oral antibiotics such as doxycycline or amoxicillin is suppressive in the majority of the cases.

In more complicated cases, Lyme disease can usually be successfully suppressed with 3 to 4 weeks of antibiotic therapy. The complications of this form of treatment of Dysbiosis, Leaky Gut and will create other health concerns over time. And these issues will not surface for several months after the therapy is over. And both you and your doctor will not relate the new symptoms to the antibiotic therapy and both of you will think it is a new problem.

In patients who have non-specific symptoms after being treated for Lyme disease, and no evidence of active infection (patients with Post Lyme Disease Syndrome or PLDS), studies have shown that more antibiotic therapy is not helpful and can be dangerous.

Dr. Huntoon's Alternative Medical Treatment Options

Dr. Huntoon has quite extensive experience in resolving Lyme, both Acute and Chronic Lyme, in hundreds of practice members. His unique 3 step approach has helped everyone he has treated for this difficult diagnosis.

Having this condition is not fun at all. Being motivated to look for non-conventional forms of treatment is warranted. Working with a Holistic Chiropractor can offer benefits, as using a well-rounded, multifaceted approach to address all the imbalances within the person related to Chronic Lyme Disease (CLD) is warranted. This has continuously demonstrated positive results when sticking to a treatment plan. Discussing what is involved and the time commitment necessary to having a full recovery is warranted.

Others have benefited by using Acupuncture, Homeopathy or Naturopathy when following the treatment guidelines set up by your practitioner and you. Discussing what is involved and the time commitment necessary to having a full recovery is warranted.

Additionally, consulting with a Holistic Chiropractor, Homeopath or Naturopath who has experience in treating the effects of the antibiotic therapy that results in a Yeast/Candidiasis imbalance is also important.

Making sure to discuss their success and experience in treating the Yeast/Candidiasis is vital before beginning any treatment when considering this form of care.
Finding one that will work with your medical doctor is necessary.
Making sure they also have the ability to treat the side-effects of any antibiotic therapy is important.
Proper follow-up during and after any medical treatment involved with antibiotics is vitally necessary, if you choose to recover your health from this condition.

The treatment to restore balance to your system may take at least 1 year to complete. This is absolute to restoring your health and preventing future Yeast/Candidiasis infections and other negative health consequences from the antibiotic therapy.

Has NIAID (National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases) looked at the potential benefits of long-term antibiotic therapy on PLDS?

Yes. In an effort to address the confusion regarding appropriate therapy, NIAID has funded three placebo-controlled clinical trials on the efficacy of prolonged antibiotic therapy for treating PLDS. The published results were subjected to rigorous statistical, editorial, and scientific peer review.

These trials were designed to ensure that several key parameters were addressed. The susceptibility of B.burgdorferi to the antibiotics used

The ability of the antibiotics used to both cross the blood-brain barrier and access the central nervous system and to persist at effective levels throughout the course of therapy The ability of the antibiotics used to kill bacteria living both outside and inside mammalian cells

The safety and welfare of patients enrolled in the trials

The first clinical trial, which included two multicenter studies, provided no evidence that extended antibiotic treatment is beneficial (New Engl J Med 345:85-92, 2001). In those studies, physicians examined long-term antibiotic therapy in patients with a well-documented history of previous Lyme disease but who reported persistent pain, fatigue, impaired cognitive function, or unexplained numbness. Those symptoms are common among people reporting PLDS.

Patients were treated with 30 days of an intravenous (IV) antibiotic followed by 60 days of an oral antibiotic.

These studies reinforced the evidence that patients reporting PLDS symptoms have a severe impairment in overall physical health and quality of life. However, results showed no benefit from prolonged antibiotic therapy when compared with placebo in treating those symptoms.

In another study, published in 2003, researchers examined the effect of 28 days of IV antibiotic compared with placebo in 55 patients reporting persistent, severe fatigue at least 6 months following treatment for laboratory-diagnosed Lyme disease. Patients were assessed for improvements in self-reported fatigue and cognitive function (Neurology 60:1923-30, 2003).

In that study, people receiving antibiotics did report a greater improvement in fatigue than those on placebo. However, no benefit to cognitive function was observed. In addition, six of the study individuals had serious adverse events associated with IV antibiotic use, four requiring hospitalization. Overall, the study authors concluded that additional antibiotic therapy for PLDS was not supported by the evidence.

More recently, a study supported by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke again showed that long-term antibiotic use for Lyme disease is not an effective strategy for cognitive improvement (Neurology 70(13):992-1003, 2008). Researchers compared clinical improvement following 10 weeks of IV ceftriaxone versus IV placebo. The patients were treated for Lyme disease and presented with objective memory impairment tests. In a complicated statistical model, the ceftriaxone group showed a slightly greater improvement at 12 weeks, but at 24 weeks, both the ceftriaxone and the placebo groups had improved similarly from baseline. In addition, adverse affects attributed to IV ceftriaxone occurred in 26 percent of patients. The authors conclude that because of the limited duration of the cognitive improvement and the risks involved, 10 weeks of IV ceftriaxone was not an effective strategy for cognitive improvement in these patients and more durable and safer treatment strategies are still needed.

If Long-term Antibiotic Therapy is Not Effective, Why Do Some People Report Improved Symptoms Following Such Treatment?

Carefully designed, placebo-controlled studies have failed to demonstrate that prolonged antibiotic therapy is beneficial. Although isolated success stories are always good to hear, such reports alone are not sufficient grounds to support a therapeutic approach.

A positive response to prolonged antibiotic therapy may be due to the placebo effect, which was reported as high as 40 percent in the studies described above.

I thought Antibiotics were Safe. If So, What is the Harm in Prescribing Them?

All medicines may have side effects, including antibiotics. Because few antibiotics are highly specific, they not only destroy "bad" bacteria but also kill many of the beneficial bacteria that inhabit the body. These good bacteria play a critical role in maintaining general health and preventing disease-causing organisms from establishing a foothold. Serious, potentially fatal antibiotic-associated infections remain a major concern in hospitals, and thus antibiotic use is monitored carefully. IV antibiotics, such as those sometimes promoted for treating symptoms attributed to CLD, require lines and catheters that present an avenue for dangerous secondary infections to take hold. Patients also risk negative and sometimes serious reactions to the antibiotics themselves. In the first studies described above, 25 percent of the patients in the treatment group experienced study-related adverse events (New Engl J Med 345:85-92, 2001). In the clinical trial looking at cognitive function, six patients experienced serious adverse events, four of whom required hospitalization (Neurology 60:1923-30, 2003). In the most recent trial for cognitive improvement, 26 percent of patients given IV therapy experienced adverse events compared with 7 percent for the IV placebo group (Neurology 70(13):992-1003, 2008).

In addition to personal safety concerns, unnecessary antibiotic use contributes to the serious, growing problem of antimicrobial resistance. Overuse of antibiotics has led to many bacteria developing resistance to the very drugs doctors once used to combat them.

Medicines Two Choices for You

What to Discuss with Your Doctor

If you experience rashes with:

severe joint pain,
facial palsy,
intermittent pain,
heart palpitations,
dizziness,
shortness of breath,
nerve pain,
shooting pains,
numbness,
tingling in the hands or feet, and
problems with short term memory;

you should see your Doctor immediately.

Prevention and Quick Tips

Dr. Huntoon has quite extensive experience in resolving Lyme in hundreds of practice members. His unique 3 step approach has helped everyone he has treated for this difficult diagnosis. Consider this before considering other forms of care. This will save you time, money and future health issues.

Consulting with a Holistic Chiropractor, Homeopath or Naturopath who has experience in treating both the Lyme Disease, the Borrelia Burgdorferi, as well as the effects of the antibiotic therapy that results in a Yeast / Candidiasis is absolutely necessary.

Making sure to discuss their success and experience in treating Yeast/Candidiasis is vital before beginning any treatment when considering this form of care.
Finding one that will work with your medical doctor is necessary.
Assuring they also have the ability to treat the side-effects of any antibiotic therapy is just as important as treating the Lyme itself.
Proper follow-up during and after any medical treatment involved with antibiotics is important.

The treatment to restore balance to your system may take at least 1 year to complete. This is vital to restoring your health and preventing future Yeast/Candidiasis infections.

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