Why is astragalus contraindicated in chronic lyme?
Dear Stephen,
I have been bitten a number of times over the last ten years. What usually happens, is I use your protocol and it helps very much, but then I get bitten again and I have to up the dosage and start again. So, I probably have chronic lyme. I’m certainly not new to it. Anyway, you recommend astragalus for prevention. I’d love to take something for prevention, but you say not to take it if one has chronic lyme. Is this still true? And if so, why? What does it do that’s negative? Thanks so very, very much for your protocol, such a big help, Don’t know what I’d do without it.
I have been bitten a number of times over the last ten years. What usually happens, is I use your protocol and it helps very much, but then I get bitten again and I have to up the dosage and start again. So, I probably have chronic lyme. I’m certainly not new to it. Anyway, you recommend astragalus for prevention. I’d love to take something for prevention, but you say not to take it if one has chronic lyme. Is this still true? And if so, why? What does it do that’s negative? Thanks so very, very much for your protocol, such a big help, Don’t know what I’d do without it.
Stephen’s response:
If you are not currently sick, you can certainly take astragalus. The reason for not recommending it is that astragalus raises the parts of the immune system that are overactivated in chronic lyme. Those parts of the immune system are highly effective against lyme early on and help prevent or reduce the disease but if they are low to begin with and you are infected the infection can spread more easily. After awhile the immune system does ratchet up those parts to attack the lyme bacteria but by then the spirochete has altered itself and is no longer very affected by them, those parts of the immune system then begin to cause some of the lyme symptoms people have making the disease a kind of autoimmune problem. My book Healing Lyme goes into this in a great amount of detail.
If you are not currently sick, you can certainly take astragalus. The reason for not recommending it is that astragalus raises the parts of the immune system that are overactivated in chronic lyme. Those parts of the immune system are highly effective against lyme early on and help prevent or reduce the disease but if they are low to begin with and you are infected the infection can spread more easily. After awhile the immune system does ratchet up those parts to attack the lyme bacteria but by then the spirochete has altered itself and is no longer very affected by them, those parts of the immune system then begin to cause some of the lyme symptoms people have making the disease a kind of autoimmune problem. My book Healing Lyme goes into this in a great amount of detail.
Stephen
posted on March 5, 2011 in astragalus, autoimmune/immune, chronic lyme, Herbs, Lyme, Symptoms
1,603 views
Trackback URL: http://buhnerhealinglyme.com/herbs/astragalus-contraindicated/trackback/
