Suffering from Chronic Lyme? Genetics may hold the key.
Updated: May 12, 2020
Genetic testing may reveal the cause and potentially a path to restore health.
According to the New England Journal of Medicine, approximately 10-20% of patients treated with antibiotics for Lyme infection will have symptoms that persist after completion of treatment. Symptoms can include fatigue, joint or muscle aches, anxiety, sleep disorders and cognitive dysfunction and may last up to six months or longer. While most patients' symptoms improve after six months to a year, many do not.
Doctors and scientists have speculated as to why certain patients resist treatment for many years. Some believe continued symptoms are caused by persistent bacteria that remain despite antibiotic treatment. Others believe that the disease damages the immune system and tissues so that it continues to respond to the infection even after the bacteria are destroyed, causing symptoms.
One researcher, Bob Miller, CTN, founder of Nutrigenetics Research Institute believes that genetics may hold the key.
Since 2016, Miller has conducted numerous studies analyzing patients with chronic Lyme and each person's genetic variations. He has categorized these genetic variations and presented his findings at ILADS (International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society) conferences around the world. (See links below)
At a high level, he found that it was not just one gene but a combination of certain genes that can lead to nutrient deficiencies and increased free radicals or other toxic substances that allow Lyme to resist traditional treatment. An example of the many pathways that increase the risk of chronic Lyme is shown below. In his own practice, he found that targeted nutritional therapy to compensate for these genetic variations may help those with chronic Lyme.
Consider genetic testing at The Johnson Center. This may show why it is difficult to recover and suggest a course of treatment to restore health.
Both on-site as well as long-distance genetic nutritional consultation via secure telemedicine are available.
Read more about the studies conducted at The Nutrigenetics Research Institute below.
2016 ILADS Conference in Helsinki, Finland – Phase I
2016 ILADS Conference in Philadelphia – Phase II
2017 ILADS Conference in Paris, France – Phase III
2017 ILADS Conference in Boston – Phase IV
2018 ILADs Conference in Warsaw Poland – Phase V
2018 ILADS Conference in Chicago – Phase VI
2019 ILADS Conference in Madrid, Spain – Phase VII
