Jenna’s Lyme Blog

Lyme researchers have understood for some time now that Lyme bacteria is vulnerable to hot temperatures, and for those of us who suffer with the chronic illness, we can feel the negative reaction to extremes in temperatures; hot or cold, and it is unpleasant to say the least.

I recently found a very interesting website called Chis-uk and found an excellent article about the relationship and possible therapy of heat for Lyme.  It also links Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Lyme disease.

Many are already aware of the connection but it is amazing how many people – even people who are suffering from all three – can’t (or won’t) make that connection.

The article, “Alternative Treatment for Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Lyme Disease” was written by Dr. Farah Khan, who is a New York licensed acupuncturist. She is an experienced herbalist, aromatherapist, and acupuncturist, and also practices a form of spiritual energy work that was passed on to her by a line of what she calls “Mexican curanderas.”  She writes:

“Heat can be helpful for treating Lyme Disease because the bacteria appears to prefer a low body temperature and is vulnerable to high heat.

There are many different sources of heat that can be used to treat this condition. Heat can also be helpful for people with Fibromyalgia and CFS who may actually have undiagnosed cases of Lyme Disease.

People usually feel a worsening of symptoms before they feel an improvement with the use of heat. My personal theory is that this is because the heat stirs up the bacteria before it kills it off or triggers the immune system to kill the bacteria off. This is speculative on my part.

The use of saunas can be very useful. A far infrared heat lamp can be used on problem areas. Hot baths taken for forty minutes at 102-104 degrees Fahrenheit have been shown to enhance immune system response in people with infectious diseases and auto-immune disorders in a research study done at Bastyr University.

A Chinese therapy called moxibustion can also be useful in warming problem areas. I do not recommend the use of cold packs or ice for pain in people with Lyme Disease, fibromyalgia, or CFS as these therapies reduce circulation to areas where circulation is likely to already be compromised. Also, the bacteria that causes Lyme Disease appears to prefer a cool environment, so cold therapy may cause real problems in people with this condition.” To read the whole article go here.

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My own experience with hot baths is that there is a very intense worsening of symptoms – sometimes even scary new symptoms with very hot baths.  I asked my LLD what to do – don’t laugh – he said, “Try making it less hot or staying in for a shorter time.”  You see how thick that brain fog can stretch!

In all seriousness, if your symptoms are already life threatening, you should be very careful with a hot bath, and preferably have someone with you just in case you need help getting out quickly.  Remember, the drain can be utilized in a pinch and cold water can and should be used if you feel any worsening of symptoms.  I am not a licensed medical practitioner, so this is just my own experience and personal opinion.

Another interesting medical paper I found (that is over ten years old) theorizes that heat makes antibiotic treatment more effective! [Where do these papers go??]

The study comes from our esteemed friends at Stony Brook State University back when Dr. Luft was in the Department of Ecology and Evolution.  There were five doctors who participated in the research that is summarized as follows:

“Using 3 different strains, the authors found that all strains were inhibited in growth up to 40 degrees C and killed at 42 degrees C. In addition the susceptibility of borrelia to bacteriocidal agents (penicillin and ceftriaxone were studied) increased logarithmically as temperature increased.

For example, the potency of these antibiotics increased 16 fold by elevating from 36 degrees to 38 degrees C. (for most of us these numbers convert to 96.8 degrees F and 100.4 degrees F). To get this effect, in the laboratory, the longer the exposure to heat, the more injury to borrelia. Two strains were vulnerable at lower temperatures. What does this mean for the victim of borreliosis?

Many have noted that their bodies are often at a lower temperature than others. Are borrelia taking advantage of victims by lowering the host temperature and thus replicating better? Can we help our bodies in ridding us of this plague by thermal means?

It is difficult to find any clinical studies utilizing heat treatment of Lyme disease except for the heat induced by infecting victims with malaria (Heimlich, NEJM 1990;322:1234-1235). This is reported to cause remission but not cure. It also is not accepted in the USA to infect victims with malaria. Can the same benefit be achieved by external heat without the risk of malaria?

It is found that immersion in hot tubs at 104 degrees F raises the core temperature (oral) by 1 degree for every 10 min immersion. Thus for the 36 degree C victim, 20 min immersion will result in the 38 degree C core temperature. After some time, a number of victims may tolerate up to 40 min of immersion which matches a 40 degree C or 104 degree F core temperature.

Thus for about 30 min the deep tissue niches of borrelia such as brain stem, ligaments, and joints are assisted in fighting borrelia with increased temperatures. For this time and some time afterward as the body returns to its baseline temperature, the borrelia are exposed theoretically to 16 to 160 times as much antibiotic.

Perhaps the slime coating around borrelia and the wall are rendered more porous and the antibiotics can penetrate inside the borrelia.

Perhaps the borrelia cannot modulate antigenicity well to rapid temperature changes at these levels.

Perhaps the flagella are not functioning at this temperature and borrelia can be “caught” by monocytes and ingested.

Whatever the mechanism of heat treatment, victims of borrelia usually report the following:

At first the heat is difficult to tolerate. Victims must start and advance slowly with others assisting in and out of the tub. Often pain and tingling are even worse in the tub. Many have “herxheimer” like reactions afterwards and these are reported to be marked.

However as time goes by, most who can continue the heat treatments, find that the symptoms while in the tub decrease and disappear and that the herxheimer after-effect decreases.

It is wise to drink liquids while in the tub and afterwards. Some try rapid cooling of the skin after 10 minutes of immersion with ice or hosing and then repeat the heat immersion. A longer immersion time can thus be endured and redirection of warmed skin blood to the core repeated. This is like exercising without a work load. Some have endured external temperature of the water at 110 degrees F to more hopefully eradicate skin borrelia but this seems extreme for most.

Would breathing oxygen supplementation with a face mask also improve inhibition or killing of borrelia? Oxygen makes logical sense since borrelia are anaerobic but lab testing of this hypothesis appears impossible.

Finally, it may be correct to take a bactericidal antibiotic as part of a combination protocol if heat treatment is used. Tyndallization is a past microbiological term for inducing microbes which are hidden in spores and cysts to exit their protected encysted stage. Borrelia are known to exist in encysted stages (Brorson- Transformation of cystic forms of Borrelia b to normal mobile spirochetes, Infection 1997;25:240-246.)

These motile forms might best be attacked by a bactericidal agent at this time. At cooler times, a bacteriostatic agent, might be appropriate to have “on board.” Inducing the borrelia to exit encysted forms in the skin and other niches might at first make the victim sicker, but the goal is to get in control of this microbe and after 3- 6 months reduce its presence and harmful influence on the host — us.

So far, antibiotic treatment alone, particularly in the shorter courses offered, has resulted in 50% of victims suffering from a persistent infection both in early localized borreliosis and later disseminated intracellular borreliosis.”

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I don’t know about you, but I am going to go take a hot bath.

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Posted on April 16th, 2010 under Chronic Lyme Disease, Coping with Lyme Disease, Lyme News, Treatment Protocols • Tags: Chronic Lyme disease, Hot bath for chronic Lyme disease, hot bath therapy for Lyme disease, Neurological Lyme disease. • RSS 2.0 feed • Leave a response, or trackback