A few clouds. Low 54F. Winds light and variable..
A few clouds. Low 54F. Winds light and variable.
Signs and symptoms of Lyme disease
Lyme disease, scientifically identified as the bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi, is a widespread disease, especially in Pennsylvania. 2019 CDC findings placed Pa. as the state with the most confirmed lyme diseases cases in the country -- 8,998 cases in 2019, of which 6,763 were confirmed and 2,235 probable.
Signs and symptoms of Lyme disease
Vaccine research has been in progress for over two decades. The first Lyme vaccine, LYMErix, was released in 1998 before being discontinued in 2002 for "insufficient consumer demand," according to the CDC.
Research has continued since then, but no new vaccine has been announced. However, according to the CDC, Valneva and Pfizer are developing a Lyme disease vaccine candidate, VLA15, that is currently in Phase 2 human trials.
According to Valneva's website, two Phase 2 clinical trials indicate success in the form of high levels of antibody resistance. Despite the transition to Phase 2, these VLA15 clinical trials are not expected to be fully completed until April 2022, June 2023, or June 2026, according to current VLA15 studies listed by the CDC.
Lyme disease vaccines can take several approaches to targeting the virus. The VLA15 vaccine targets an outer surface protein of the virus, Borrelia, according to the CDC.
Recent Yale research takes a different approach: targeting the tick (specifically, its salivary gland), not the pathogen it carries. Yale's mRNA vaccine against lyme disease targets 19 different proteins in a tick bite, according to Yale daily news.
Initial studies of Yale's mRNA Lyme disease vaccine were conducted on guinea pigs. Once vaccinated, the guinea pigs developed immune resistance to tick bites at the source, which brings attention to the inflamed bite and promotes quick removal of the tick.
The primary function of Yale's proposed vaccine is to stall transmission of the virus that ticks carry. The research now moves on to human clinical studies.
Vaccination would eliminate the risk of developing Lyme, but it would not eliminate the present symptoms of Lyme patients.
Some untraditional clinical studies are underway for current Lyme patients, such as using meditation and yoga to reduce chronic lyme pain.
Alternative Lyme disease treatments are widely used for diagnosed patients, often alongside the traditional method of antibiotics, according to LymeDisease.org. The website sources data directly from Lyme patients through a patient-run research project called MyLymeData.
According to MyLymeData findings, herbal protocols are used amongst 79 percent of respondents, with 68 percent reporting moderate or very effective health benefits from the regimen.
In 2020, a Johns Hopkins study confirmed the efficacy of herbal treatments as compared to the antibiotics doxycycline and cefuroxime. The study researched the ability of 14 plant based extracts to kill the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi, ultimately concluding that some varieties and combinations of plant based extracts are more effective than antibiotics at destroying the bacterium.
A similar NIH study published in 2020 lists the following extracts as effective against the bacterium: Cryptolepis sanguinolenta, Juglans nigra (Black walnut), Polygonum cuspidatum (Japanese knotweed), Artemisia annua (Sweet wormwood), Uncaria tomentosa (Cat's claw), Cistus incanus, and Scutellaria baicalensis (Chinese skullcap).
Herbal treatments derive from ancient medicinal traditions, particularly of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Ayurvedic Medicine, according to published research on the origins of drug therapy.
Research on the online advertising of Lyme disease treatment warns of falsely adopting a practice that is not scientifically supported. Some methods remain controversial, but the latter research suggests that herbal medicine can reduce bacterial infection in Lyme patients.
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