What’s Lyme Disease?
Lyme Disease Symptoms
Treatment for Lyme Disease
Craniosacral Therapy

What’s Lyme Disease? 

Lyme disease is an illness, specifically a bacterial infection contracted from an infected tick’s bite. Lyme Disease can attack any organ in the body: brain, heart, muscles & joints, the nervous system and more. The initial symptom to surface is usually a red rash, appearing like a small bullseye on the skin. However this is not in all Lyme disease cases and as the infection spreads in its initial stage throughout the body the following symptoms might emerge:

• Fever, chills, sweats
• Headache, nausea, swollen lymph nodes
• Cognitive / neurological  impairment
• Body aches, joint pain, stiff neck
• Fatigue, poor sleep & mood issues
• Pregnant women risk passing the disease to the fetus and causing complications

Because numerous symptoms mimic the flu and other diseases, Lyme disease can be hard to diagnose and even the lab tests may not always produce a definitive answer. While treatment with antibiotics from your physician can sometimes help, often the after-effects of Lyme disease linger. Those unfamiliar with how Lyme Disease affects the body tend to assume a round of antibiotics expels it from the body.  Such is not the case as the original lyme disease infection symptoms can go dormant, only to resurface years later is referred to as Post-Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome (PTLDS).  

Research indicates many Lyme disease patients do not respond to antibiotic treatments and they continue on to develop Post-Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome (PTLDS), and experience neurological impairment, arthritis, cognitive deficits, neuropathy and multiple other persistent symptoms. Living with Post-Treatment Disease Syndrome can be devastating and debilitating inducing fibromyalgia, fatigue, headaches, joint pain, digestive issues, depression, among others.  This is where the holistic approach of chiropractic care and craniosacral therapy can offer patients the best possible outcomes and enjoy a higher quality of life

Lyme Disease Symptoms

Lyme disease can spread and produce a wide range of symptoms, all depending on the extent of infection, with common symptoms being:

• Nerve pain
• Severe headache, migraine & neck stiffness
• Rashes throughout the body
• Facial palsy
• Arthritis accompanied with severe joint pain & swelling, particularly in large joints such as the knees.
• Shooting pains, tingling in the hands & feet, numbness 
• Inflammation along the spinal cord and brain 
• Dizziness or shortness of breath
• Irregular heartbeat (heart palpitations)
• Intermittent soreness and pain in muscles, joints, tendons & bones
• Cognitive deficits (Memory decline)

Lyme disease symptoms cover a broad range of ailments and are not unique to Lyme disease alone. Symptoms rooted in lyme disease can manifest and mimic other chronic conditions like:

• Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
• Rheumatoid Arthritis & other inflammation in the body
• Lupus
• Multiple Sclerosis
• Autoimmune diseases
• Food allergies
• Neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s, ALS, Parkinson’s 
• Depression and anxiety
• Cognitive issues like memory loss, brain fog, inability to concentrate
• Headaches
• Fibromyalgia

Treatment for Lyme Disease in New York City

Lyme disease is the most common tick-borne infection in New York City and annual amount of Lyme disease cases in New York City peaked to a high of 1,090 in 2017.  In 2020 there were 712 confirmed and identified cases of Lyme disease in NYC, spread across all 5 boroughs with the most being in Brooklyn (40%) and Manhattan (34%).  Lyme disease spreads from the bite of an infected tick and cannot be spread from one person to another. Should you leave an infection untreated, it can spread to your joints, nervous system and heart.

Anyone coping with Lyme disease can benefit from considering how a combination of chiropractic care and craniosacral therapy can effectively bring immediate and long term relief.  These treatments help the body fight off Lyme Disease, other illnesses and revitalize the functioning of the body’s systems including the:

• central nervous system (which controls every cell & organ in the body)
• immune system
• digestive system (vagus nerve treatment)
• cardiovascular system
• lymphatic system
• endocrine system

I generally apply a unique and integrative approach to treating Lyme Disease combining chiropractic care with craniosacral therapy to address the root causes of the disease and support overall well-being. Craniosacral therapy alleviates symptoms of stiff neck, achiness, muscle & joint pain, reduce inflammation and headaches and promote healing.   By taking this comprehensive approach, they aim to not only relieve symptoms but also boost the immune system and promote long-term healing

Treating Lyme Disease with Craniosacral Therapy in New York City

Alternative medicine such as Craniosacral Therapy can relieve many of the symptoms of Lyme Disease, particularly when antibiotics have run their course.  The reality is many patients treated with antibiotics feel that while those antibiotics eliminated symptoms in the short term, they also may have driven the infection deeper into their system, surfacing down the line in different area and affecting them in a different way.  By addressing the root causes of the condition, chiropractic adjustments can help alleviate the short term symptoms and support the body’s natural healing processes to manage the disease for the long term. 

Craniosacral Therapy leverages and highlights the body’s natural ability and inclination to self heal. For this idea to be realized, proper alignment of the spine and musculoskeletal system in whole bust be achieved and maintained. The holistic approach to Lyme disease treatment focuses on the spine and nervous system to reduce inflammation, alleviate muscle and joint pain, and improve mobility.  

By returning the body to homeostasis or balance, chiropractic care can improve overall wellness and quality of life.  Unlike traditional antibiotic treatments, which tend to be short term symptom management solutions, chiropractic care takes a holistic approach to healing the entire body. By addressing the underlying imbalances that contribute to Lyme Disease with spinal adjustments, I apply a safe, gentle, and effective treatment in managing pain, reducing inflammation, and improving overall well-being. Outlined below are specific outcomes of craniosacral therapy for Lyme Disease:

Outcome	Description
Relieves pain	Craniosacral therapy reduces pain emanating from muscle tension, joint stiffness, & nerve compression.
Reduces inflammation	By correcting fluid flow, craniosacral therapy can trigger the central nervous system to better manage and alleviate inflammation in the body.
Supports immune system function	Craniosacral Therapy can stimulate the nervous system and improve immune system function, helping the body fight off infections like Lyme Disease.
Promotes natural healing	By improving the body’s natural healing processes, craniosacral therapy can help individuals with Lyme Disease recover more quickly and effectively.

Treating Lyme Disease with Craniosacral Therapy in New York City

Alternative medicine such as Craniosacral therapy involves applying a light touch to gently manipulate the joints of the skull, cranium and spine to treat ailments along with nearly every system of the body. Gentle hand (finger) palpitations targeted precisely at the right spot can release any blockages or restrictions of the craniosacral system thereby improving circulation, pressure, and flow of the cranial system’s cerebrospinal fluid. Robust uninhibited flow of cerebrospinal in and around the hollow spaces of the brain and spinal cord is vital as it provides them both with protection, nourishment, and waste removal.  In sum, craniosacral therapy reinvigorates the craniosacral system which in turn supports the central nervous system’s optimal functioning, achieving balance (homeostasis) within the body and enabling it to heal itself.  

The Tick-borne infection Lyme disease can cause a broad and varied spectrum of ailments ranging from joint and muscle ache, extremity pains, fatigue to headaches and other severe neurological problems – all of which are effectively treated with craniosacral therapy. Craniosacral therapy it can help manage the symptoms, particularly the 3 most debilitating which are:

1. Persistent Fatigue

Inability to fall and stay asleep, enjoy a deep sleep, are common Lyme disease complaints. Much of Craniosacral therapy centers on inducing deep relaxation and having the body release core tensions where breathing slows,  muscles soften,  and the heart rate decreases.   The downstream benefit from improved sleep is waking up feeling recharged, energetic and with mental clarity with a revitalized version of yourself ready to return to your best functioning throughout the day.  

It’s also worth noting that both Lyme disease and fibromyalgia symptoms can include fatigue, muscle pain, difficulty sleeping and concentrating, gastrointestinal complaints, headaches and more. The world-renowned Mayo Clinic determined fibromyalgia pain results from neurochemical imbalances in the central nervous system amplifying pain perception.  More specifically those coping with fibromyalgia have increased levels of neurotransmitters in their cerebrospinal fluid escalating central nervous system pain processing; and reduced levels of neurotransmitters in their cerebrospinal fluid known to lessen pain transmission.  Craniosacral therapy improves the pressure and circulation of the cerebrospinal fluid that lubricates the brain and spinal cord, all critical in fortifying the central nervous system’s ability to coordinate essential body systems (digestive, cardiovascular, lymphatic, immune) in self healing in response to a Lyme disease bacterial infection.   In sum, craniosacral therapy can resolve the fibromyalgia-like symptoms of Lyme disease in the same manner in which it treats fibromyalgia. 

2. Headaches

Research has shown headaches, either a tension-type headache or migraine, are part of most Lyme disease patients’ symptom profile. Once coupled with other lyme disease symptoms like fatigue, muscle and joint pain and the cumulative effect of lyme disease can be debilitating. Craniosacral therapy releases any tension in the area where soft tissue restrictions and muscle tension contribute to headaches in both the back of the head, and in the front (especially above and behind the eyes).  This tension carrying area is called the suboccipital area (immediately below the skull, where it joins the top of the spine) and is vulnerable to the increases in tension from the lack of rest and ongoing pain-spasm cycle.  A comprehensive discussion on how craniosacral therapy is effective in treating headaches accompanying Lyme disease, click here to visit my page on Migraine Headache Treatment.

3. Neuro-cognitive problems

Those with lyme disease commonly experience “brain fog” or difficulty focusing, concentrating or sustaining mental clarity.   This occurs frequently with chronic cases of Lyme disease and when the disease has reached the central nervous system. The Columbia University Lyme and Tick-Borne Diseases Research Center describes lyme disease cognitive deficits generally involve impaired verbal fluency in word or name retrieval, a decreased short-term memory and slower thinking. Craniosacral therapy improves the movement of cerebrospinal fluid that coats and nourishes the brain, spinal cord and central nervous system. Lyme disease can affect the rhythm and rate at which cerebrospinal fluid flows, resulting in a reduction in mental clarity and overall cognitive processing. Also, a part of the brain called the limbic system manages emotion and memory, regulating both our behavioral and emotional responses such as the stress response (fight or flight).  However overstimulation of the limbic system produces anxiety, ideal to awaken a dormant Lyme infection (Post-Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome, PTLDS), and have symptoms flare up. Craniosacral therapy soothes a triggered limbic stuck in overdrive,  returning the central nervous system into balance or ‘homeostasis’ (critical of optimal functioning of all body systems).