The Homeopathic Treatment of Lyme Disease

Review

This book review is reprinted with the permission of the Homeopathic Academy of Naturopathic Physicians

REVIEWED BY NEIL TESSLER ND, DHANP

This is an outstanding homeopathic manual that should be owned by every practitioner. Lyme disease is a very serious condition that now infects much of the Northern Hemisphere and is associated with tick bites. Parts of North America and particularly Germany have seen a dramatic increase in infections with great physical and cognitive suffering, and very little to offer from the allopathic side of the medical fence. On the other hand, careful work by homeopaths in North America and Europe have brought to light several remedies of inestimable value in this condition.

Dr. Alex is both thorough and concise. He provides an overview of the subject of infectious disease and the symbiotic relationship between the human being and the bacterial environment. He points out the astounding fact that the human body is composed of ninety one percent bacterial cells and only nine percent animal cells, leaving aside the organelles, such as mitochondria, that have a very great similarity to bacterial cells with which we have an ancient symbiotic relationship.

His discussion progresses into the arena of homeopathic prophylaxis and offers a chart of infectious diseases and their associated prophylactic remedies. He then goes on to discuss at some depth the spirochete family, of which Borrelia burgdorferi, the agent of Lyme disease is a member. The significance of this is that there is a marked similarity with the notorious spirochete Treponema pallidum, that causes syphilis. The author provides a detailed discussion of the progress of Lyme disease and its symptom presentations. This is a prelude to the core presentation on homeopathic research and experience in the prevention and treatment of Lyme disease.

The major remedies that he discusses are Ledum and Aurum arsenicum, also offering a proving of the latter. Alex believes from his experience that Aurum Ars. is of special value in both prevention and treatment. The balance of the book is a series of cases from a number of practitioners, demonstrating the successful treatment of Lyme disease with homeopathy. Easy reading, both alarming and very highly informative; this is a book that should be digested by every practitioner as it may have significant practical utility in the clinic.

Summer/Fall 2007 Volume XX / SIMILLIMUM

This book review is reprinted with the permission from the Winter 2007 Edition of The Homeopath.

Reviewed by Francis Treuherz

A book dedicated to the discussion of just one disease struck me as an exaggeration before I started reading, but I was pleasantly surprised at how much there is to consider and how interesting is this discussion. The author - who started out as a veterinarian and now does humans - characterises Lyme disease as syphilitic. The first fascinating 70 pages are devoted to a discussion of Lyme and the miasm of the spirochete Borellia, and how it shares so much with syphilis, both are great imitators.

One of Hahnemann's miasms is so often overlooked, especially in the recent crop of books about miasms, for example by Heudens-Mast, Saxton, or Creasy. That is the miasm of rabies identified by Hahnemann as 'half-acute'. The onset is delayed and the manifestation may be violent; the illness does not always show up at the time of the bite. Here we have a description of a disease associated with the bite of a tick with just those characteristics.

Next is a proving, and then 15 human and 1 animal cases from 9 different homeopaths including 6 by Peter Alex himself. So the styles and standards of case description and of prescribing are varied but all are useful. Lessons learned include the doubtful validity of prescribing the Lyme Borellia nosode in active phases, about which Hahnemann also warned us. A miasmatic acute and a chronic remedy (the proving) are identified but if I tell you what they are you will not buy the book. If I do tell you, you may save someone's life so please do buy the book, and learn about the depressive, or violent mental symptoms of Ledum palustre, and the new mineral salt Aurum arsenicosum.

The translation is good but there is no doubt from the style that the original language was German. The printed text is grey instead of black, making it difficult to see. There are some curious and even laughable mistakes, like the citation by one author that it is enshrined in English law that the Queen should have a homeopathic physician. I am sure that we can learn from this book how homeopathy can cure patients with a new and rapidly spreading and often misdiagnosed condition.

This book review is reprinted fromVolume 21, Summer 2008 edition, with permisstion from Homeopathic Links.

Reviewed by Richard Pitt, USA

This book is a fascinating and informative exploration into Lyme Disease and the possible homeopathic treatment of this condition, The author comes from Germany where Lyme Disease has had a big impact in the last few years. It has been estimated that there are up to one million cases of Lyme in the country, with up to a quarter of a million new infections each year, though, as with any disease, the number who actually produce serious acute or chronic symptoms is less than that. However, outside of North America, where the disease has taken root very seriously, (especially in the North East of the country), Alex states that Germany shows more signs of the disease than any other country in Europe and he identifies the remedy Aurum arsenicosum as showing a unique relevance in chronic Lyme cases in Germany.

The first part of the book involves an exploration of the bacterial origins of the disease, the causative bacteria being a spirochete named Borrelia burgdorferi. Frans Vermeulen wrote part of this first section of the book which is an important introduction to an understanding of this disease. A very good description of the origin and development of the disease is given, with references made to the American strain of the disease, which is a slightly different strain of the Borrelia bacteria. An important factor in the evolution of the disease in America was the outbreak of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis cases in the early 1970s in a town called Old Lyme, Connecticut. This was subsequently traced to tick bites. Since then, Lyme Disease has spread throughout the states of New England and New York, and for years it was the cause of a major political and medical dispute, with many cases of arthritic, neurological and other autoimmune types of diseases being the focus of debate as to their connection with Lyme Disease.

This development of the disease into a complex chronic condition and not only an acute rheumatic condition has led to much dispute within the medical profession regarding diagnosis and treatment. Alex's book explores this issue well and he gives the homeopath a great overview of the disease and its possibilities with homeopathy. He also gives a clinical overview of the disease condition in which he classifies the symptomatology from clinical Lyme cases into a traditional homeopathic schema. This is an important study into the broader picture of Lyme Disease and the symptoms that may help homeopaths identify the disease when seeing cases. The relevance of knowing whether a case may be attributable to Lyme infection is discussed in detail by Alex and his conclusions are important in the broader homeopathic discussion of the relevance in having a diagnosis, or knowing the bacterial origin of a disease and the susceptibilities that may lead to chronic complications of an infection.

One of the most important contributions of the book is an exploration of the remedy Aurum arsenicosum as one of the most "specific" remedies for chronic Lyme cases. His discussion of the relevance of Aurum arsenicosum as a remedy for Lyme Disease has specific relevance in Germany and he makes an interesting case as to its relevance for the "gestalt" of the modern psychological state in Germany. The book has a number of Lyme cases from a variety of practitioners. which are a very good way to see how different practitioners address the condition. Some of the most interesting cases are from the author himself, cases in which he gave the remedy Aurum arsenicosum.

Alex's book is an excellent exploration into this important disease and homeopathic practitioners who come across Lyme Disease will find it very useful. It will help them understand what otherwise can seem to be very complicated cases, and will give them a knowledge base to communicate with patients about what they are dealing with and what homeopathy can offer.

REVIEWED BY: Vatsala Sperling on hpathy.com

As I happen to live in a rural Lyme hotspot, I was drawn to this book by Peter Alex as soon as the English version came around. Since then, this book has been my go-to book whenever a Lyme case appeared in my practice. I am happy that a new edition is out.

It has been well established that bacteria are an integrated part of our cells – mitochondria and microtubuli are two examples of human-bacteria association that has evolved over billions of years. Bacteria are creators and sustainers, and without them, life as it is, cannot be imagined. In fact, trouble begins when bacteria are seen and treated as the enemy.

Just as Syphilis was known as a “great imitator”, Lyme disease is known as “the new imitator”. The effect of Borrelia infection starts from skin and proceeds to joints, and mimics other diseases. Both the organisms, Treponema pallidum, and Borrelia are Spirochetes, highly motile organisms endowed with flagellae.

“The new imitator” title for Borrelia is so justified, the infection manifests itself as arthritis, juvenile arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, multiple sclerosis, lupus erythematosus, Alzheimer’s, Crohn’s disease, irritable bowel disease, as well as many lesser-known afflictions.

There is a view, proposed by several key figures of the prior and current century, that the Spirochetes are knocking on the door for integrating into human cells so that their presence is not seen as a disease state.

Such an integration is the law of nature, and we as a race would benefit from such an integration, just as we have benefitted from the integration of other bacteria into our cells (microtubuli, and mitochondria).

In the chapter “What is Lyme disease?” Peter Alex gives a simplified but very clear progression of Lyme disease from a simple tick bite to a full-blown neurological expression. Clinical expression of Lyme disease includes a local expression (erythema migrans), chronic arthritis with or without rheumatoid arthritis factors, and finally, nervous system involvement in the form of pains, paralysis, and vertigo.

After offering antibiotics and doing a few rounds of Lyme antibody testing, the allopathic system throws its hands up in the air and offers no further help as the disease moves from joints to nerves. Homeopathy, on the other hand, has something great to offer by way of fostering a natural healing process.

Peter Alex shares a simple protocol to be followed using Ledum palustre as soon as a tick bite is detected. Ledum is a leading remedy for insect stings, animal bites, and wounds. He also recommends Aurum arsenicosum.

A proving of Aurum arsenicosum is given in part 2 of this book. It becomes obvious on reading this chapter that Aurum arsenicosum reflects the picture of Lyme disease so beautifully as to be considered a simillimum.

Sixteen case reports collected from various homeopaths complete this book. These brief cases describe the multi-faceted presentation of Lyme disease: rheumatoid arthritis, spondylitis, sero-positive arthritis, trigeminal neuralgia, palpitation, flu-like symptoms, sudden high fevers, intense headache lasting for days, multiple sclerosis, double vision, need for excessive sleep, and extreme exhaustion.

After establishing an incidence of tick bite, the practitioners have elicited symptom pictures that resolved with Ledum, Aurum arsenicosum and a few other indicated remedies.

This outcome (including treatment of Lyme disease in an animal), is far preferable to suffering the symptoms without a hope for the cure. These remedies - judiciously used when indicated – have elicited a healing response in all these cases and helped these patients remain symptom free, and feel healthier, stronger, more filled with vitality.

This is the outcome we desire in our practice when dealing with Lyme cases, and thankfully, Peter Alex’s simple and unpretentious book shows us that we can indeed help our fellow Lyme sufferers successfully.

Thank you, Peter Alex. I LOVE THIS BOOK AND FIND IT VERY INFORMATIVE AND USEFUL.