Recently all the buzz in the Lyme community is about how your allergy medication, specifically Claritin®, may help treat Lyme disease. Lyme disease is a potentially debilitating infection caused by the bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi. If caught early enough, Lyme disease can be treated effectively. The infection goes undiagnosed or misdiagnosed more often than not causing a chronic infection which is much more difficult to treat.
The Stanford School of Medicine has been conducting a study funded by the Bay Area Lyme Foundation showing that the common antihistamine ingredient found in Claritin®, may help to kill off the bacteria that causes Lyme disease.
Loratidine and specifically its metabolic derivative, desloratadine, are shown to be able to prevent manganese from entering the cell wall of the bacteria, essentially starving the bacteria to death. These studies have only been performed in test tubes thus far.
Manganese (Mn) is a key mineral required by the body for proper enzyme functioning, nutrient absorption, wound healing and bone formation. It is found in foods like nuts, legumes, seeds, tea, and leafy greens. Lyme bacteria also require manganese for their survival along with other trace minerals which they scavenge from the blood taking what they need. By preventing the bacteria from absorbing the body’s manganese the bacteria will essentially starve to death.
“Because current treatments do not work for everyone and the bacteria that causes Lyme disease offers many treatment challenges, this study offers encouraging insights for researchers, and hope for the 80 million Americans at risk of getting Lyme disease,” Bonnie Crater, founder and Science Committee Chairperson, Bay Area Lyme Foundation.
Bay Area Lyme Foundation, is a national nonprofit organization committed to making Lyme disease easy to diagnose and simple to cure. For more information about Lyme disease or to get involved, visit www.bayarealyme.org or call us at 650-530-2439.
Really interesting. I have been diagnosed with cfs in 1986 but think I have lymessage contracted in southern Ireland in about 1979/80 while working outdoors with horses. Was very ill with what local Dr thought was undullent fever. Need to self treat so very interested in this research. Keep up the good work! Cheers cindy
What a journey you’ve been on Cindy! Thanks for reading and commenting. If you’re planning to self-treat, might I recommend focusing on healing your gut, eating a clean diet and checking out Stephen Buhner, Healing Lyme. God bless.