Public awareness of the existence and significance of Chronic infections has improved immensely in the last decades. Patients, especially with immunological, psychiatric and behavioral problems that are responding poorly to standard Naturopathic and Allopathic treatments, are beginning to investigate the possibility of Lyme disease, or other infections.
However, numerous problems exist in the current investigation of chronic infections. Many conventional medical doctors remain ignorant of the potential contributing factor Lyme can play in many chronic diseases. There can often be a resistance to investigation of Lyme, or other chronic infections, as contributing factors toward one’s illness. Many patient advocacy organizations such as LymeHope, have formed, aiming to increase both physician and patient awareness of Lyme, and remedying this problem.
However, despite this newfound awareness, many barriers remain to proper diagnosis and treatment. As it stands, most testing done by conventional physicians in Canada is for Lyme disease, rather than the massive number of other chronic infections that potentially can affect health. Secondly, as recent research has demonstrated, the currently popular tests in Canada will only detect between 1.8% and 8.3% of cases. In other words, current lab testing will only diagnose between 1/12 to 1/58 patients with Lyme.
Assuming diagnosis has occurred, and was accurate, treatment remains a problem. The standard treatment (from what I have observed) seems to be a few weeks of antibiotics, and then an assumption of cure if the symptoms have even mildly improved. The idea of Lyme or any other infections lingering on in the body after this point is dismissed, and patients are often written off and their symptoms ignored afterwards.
There exists a movement of Physicians who disagree with this approach, calling themselves Lyme Literate Doctors. These Doctors acknowledge the reality of Chronic infection, but usually limit themselves to Lyme and similar infections, and often prescribe massive long term doses of oral and intravenous antibiotics. Not only does this approach often become exceedingly expensive, but I have not observed it to work in a large number of cases.
Naturopathic treatment of Lyme differs from this framework considerably. In my own practice, I will do a basic Naturopathic Physical exam to screen for several physical symptoms of Lyme disease on every new patient. If clinical history, physical exams and symptoms suggest a chronic infection, we may do one of several lab tests which can more accurately detect Lyme. These tests do not however detect many other chronic infections, and even given a negative result, the clinical picture may be so strong as to, in the absence of lab results, attempt a therapeutic trial of therapy for chronic infections.
My therapeutics are not based on killing the microorganisms, but upon stimulating the immune system to begin addressing the infection, rather than ignoring it. They consist of personalized Homeopathy, designed to aid the patients individual constitution in becoming healthier, specialized Homeopathic remedies that promote the bodies ability to deal with infections, weekly constitutional hydrotherapy to stimulate immunity, a personalized diet which maximizes the bodies ability to heal, several botanical medicines to increase the efficiency of the immune response (by decreasing biofilms for example). This approach has the benefit of avoiding the many side effects of antibiotics, and of working through the bodies’ own mechanisms of immunity and self regulation. This, in my observation, tends to leave patients stronger than they were before, not weaker, as many other infection therapies do, and has the additional benefit of being considerably more cost effective.
My program for adult chronic infections typically involves a single intake visit at $195 dollars, one or two Homeopathics, one or two herbal remedies, and weekly hydrotherapies at approximately $54 per session. Typically I estimate the program costs between $60 and $75 per week for three to six months.
In summary:
- Dr. Paul uses a clinical method to screen for potential Chronic infections on every patient
- Laboratory examinations may be performed, if indicated, which are far more accurate than those used in conventional medicine
- Therapies are used that stimulate the immune system to overcome the chronic infections, which typically cost $60-75 per week for three to six months
If you have any questions about this program please feel free to contact me, or to book in for a free 15 minute consultation to discuss if it is right for you.
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