Hyperthermia treatment for Lyme disease involves raising the body’s temperature to combat the Lyme bacteria and other tick-borne infections effectively. This approach is rooted in the idea that elevated temperatures can weaken or kill the Borrelia Burgdorferi bacteria, which are known to be sensitive to heat. The treatment aims to create an environment where the bacteria are less resilient, making it easier for the immune system to eliminate them.
The core temperature of the body is increased carefully through the use of whole-body infrared-A-irradiation. The goal is to bring the body temperature to at least 106° F (41.1° C), which is the temperature at which it is believed many strains of Borreliosis are affected. If the patient is able to tolerate higher temperatures, doctors at the hospital in Germany believe it is preferable to try and reach 107° F (41.67° C) and slightly above. As the higher you go, the more pathogens you kill. There are also hospitals that offer moderate hyperthermia treatment, which will take the body temperature up to 104°F. This temperature is not high enough to kill tick-borne pathogens. However, it can help boost your immune system.
WHY HYPERTHERMIA’S APPROACH IS SO EFFECTIVE FOR LYME?
- Increasing body temperature kills Lyme microbes and other co-infections.
- Lyme’s heat intolerance
- Enhances the effectiveness of antibiotics, by enabling antibiotics to penetrate inside the cells more easily.
- Disrupts the structural integrity of biofilms.
- Stimulates the detoxification process.
- Boosts the immune system.
The Treatment Process
Hyperthermia treatment for Lyme disease typically follows a carefully structured process:
1. Consultation and Assessment
Before undergoing hyperthermia treatment, patients should consult with a healthcare provider familiar with hyperthermia treatment. At The Lyme Specialist, we focus on the logistics of hyperthermia therapy while at the hospitals, the specifics of how to prepare for hyperthermia treatment before arriving, and certain protocols to follow when returning home from the treatment. During the consultation, we will review the patient’s medical history, discuss the patient’s symptoms and previous treatments, and may order specific tests to see if he/she is a candidate for treatment. This assessment helps determine whether hyperthermia treatment is a suitable option.
2. Pre-Treatment Preparation
At The Lyme Specialist, patients who are deemed eligible for hyperthermia treatment will receive instructions on how to prepare for the procedure. This may involve opening up drainage pathways to support detoxification. The less toxic you are, the easier it will be to handle the die off reaction after each hyperthermia session. Supporting your lymphatic system, liver, and kidneys prior to treatment, helps assist the dead pathogens (now toxins) to move out of your system after hyperthermia, instead of circulating throughout the body. Focusing on gut health and lowering candida levels is also crucial prior to the treatment program, as antibiotics are offered, and we want to make sure that your body can tolerate them.
3. Hyperthermia Treatment Session
The hospitals have a special unit that is well equipped and staffed, and operates similar to an intensive care unit. On the day of the treatment, patients are placed in a hyperthermia bed designed to raise their core body temperature. The temperature is carefully controlled and monitored throughout the session to ensure it remains within safe limits. The WBHT lasts approximately three to six hours depending on the hospital. The physicians will give you a sedative to put you in a twilight sleep during the entire procedure. A rectal thermometer and catheter are used to monitor your body temperature and kidney function. Your body temperature is slowly elevated and held at progressive temperatures up to a maximum of 107.6° F (42° C). The peak temperature reached is usually held for some time, and then the temperature slowly decreases.
Before or during the treatment, you may be given antibiotics, depending on which infections you have. These antibiotics can be helpful for the extracellular forms and cyst forms. When incorporated in conjunction with WBHT, it is believed to become effective inside the cell as well.
When the treatment is finished, a physician will take you to a private recovery room located near the nurses’ station. During this time you will receive electrolytes intravenously, to aid your body in the recovery process. You will most likely spend the rest of the day sleeping. Nurses will check on you often, until the following morning.
4. Post-Treatment Session
After the treatment session, patients are closely monitored. It’s common for patients to experience fatigue, sweating, and mild discomfort following the treatment. These hospitals are in-patient, so that there is 24/7 care to help make the patients as comfortable as possible. The days that the patients are not receiving hyperthermia treatment, they are detoxing and receiving treatments to boost their immune system and support their mitochondria.
When toxins and pathogens are decreased, the body can fight pathogens more effectively and aid in the reduction of inflammation, which helps to decrease symptoms. At these in-patient hospitals, the days are filled with detox therapies. However, due to tick-borne infection being very complex, many times it is necessary to detox for at least three months after hyperthermia treatment to assist in eliminating the dead pathogens and environmental toxins in the body. Upon returning home, we see that people who are persistent and consistent with detoxification therapies and mitochondria support, are the ones that experience the most sustainable results.
At The Lyme Specialist, we assist in the recovery process through specific detoxification therapies, diet, looking into environmental toxins, such as heavy metals and mold, making sure your environment is conducive to help you in moving forward, mitochondria and cellular support, focusing on regulating the nervous system, treating any other pathogens that may need to be killed, and gut health as well.
Patient Experiences Treating Lyme Disease With Hyperthermia Treatment
Patient experiences with hyperthermia treatment for Lyme disease can vary. Some individuals report significant symptom relief and improved overall health directly following the procedure. While other patients experience symptom relief at a slower pace, contingent on the amount of detoxification they focus on when returning home. Genetics can also play a role in the recovery time, depending on how each person’s body detoxes, and what supplemental support may be necessary to assist in an individual’s detox pathways.
For me, hyperthermia played a significant role in lowering my pathogenic load, boosting my immune system, and allowing my body to be more resilient. After receiving hyperthermia treatment, I focused a lot on detoxification and mitochondrial support. For the first time, I actually noticed improvement of my symptoms after each detoxification treatment that I received upon returning home. Prior to receiving hyperthermia treatment, my body was not responding to any treatments and oftentimes, I felt symptom flare ups when receiving various therapies.
Standard Results For Hyperthermia’s Effectiveness As Treatment For Lyme Disease
Based on our personal experience and information others have shared with us, hyperthermia treatment has been a game changing treatment for a number of individuals, and has played a crucial role in their recovery process. Here is a link where you can see some testimonials of patients who have received hyperthermia treatment and their success with this therapy.
From working with patients throughout this process, they have expressed;
“Today I am symptom free, off all my meds, and I have my life back. I am back to work as a nurse. I am grateful.”
“The fight was absolutely worth it. Slowly but surely, I am getting my life back and what a spectacular feeling that is.”
“ I am well, and it feels like a miracle. I did not even remember what wellness felt like – phew – all I can say is that it is better than you think.”
Where to Get Hyperthermia Treatment
Extreme Whole-body Hyperthermia treatment for Lyme disease is not widely available, and patients may need to travel to specialized hospitals. We work with hospitals in Germany, Mexico, and the United States. When traveling outside of the states, there will be a shuttle to drive you directly to the hospital. Upon finishing treatment, a shuttle will come pick you up at the hospital and drop you off straight to the airport.
Cost Considerations
The cost of hyperthermia treatment for Lyme disease can vary significantly depending on several factors, including the hospital chosen, and the number of weeks the patient stays at the hospital. It is important to note that prior to leaving the Medical Institute, a patient should ask for an itemized bill and submit it to their insurance company to see if it is possible to receive some type of reimbursement. While it is not a guarantee, we have found that many patients have been able to have a significant portion of their treatment covered.
Regarding cost, while the thought of traveling overseas to receive hyperthermia treatment in Germany may seem overwhelming to some, their Lyme treatment program is oftentimes the most affordable. Sanoviv, in Rosarito Mexico, is another treatment option that is not too far from the states. We also work with a facility in Florida that can be another potential option for people who would love to stay and receive treatment in the states.
Potential Side Effects of Hyperthermia Treatment For Lyme Disease
While hyperthermia treatment may sound very scary, when working with the right hospitals, it is a very safe therapy, and patients are monitored the entire time. The hospitals that we work with use infrared heat to increase the patient’s body temperature. Infrared heat is the only way that we would recommend receiving hyperthermia treatment. There are other hospitals that use various modalities to heat the body up, which we would not recommend, and do not feel that approach is safe.
It’s not uncommon for patients to experience a Herxheimer reaction after hyperthermia treatment. A herxheimer reaction, increase of symptoms due to endotoxins released by the death of harmful organisms within the body. This is one of the reasons why we work with in-patient facilities where detoxification treatments are administered on a daily basis, as well as, pre- and post-hyperthermia therapy to tolerate the die off reaction. Side effects or a die off reaction may include symptoms of fatigue, achiness, night sweats, and migraines.
The intensive heat from the treatment may also cause cold sore flare-ups. Therefore, the hospitals require that all patients put an antiviral cream on their lips prior to the treatment. Additionally, an oral antiviral medication might be prescribed for the patient a couple of days before and after the treatment. Some patients have also reported burns, similar to a sunburn mark that healed relatively fast.
Conclusion: Hyperthermia Is One Of The Best Treatments For Lyme Disease
There are so many treatments out there for tick-borne infections, making it difficult to navigate how to move forward. After pursuing hyperthermia treatment myself from one of the treatment hospitals, and working with patients battling tick-borne infections for over a decade, it is clear that hyperthermia treatment is one of the best therapies out there for treating Lyme disease, and then being able to really move forward with your life.
That said, hyperthermia treatment is not a silver-bullet treatment for everybody, and it is very important to continue to focus on detoxification and mitochondria support upon returning from treatment. It is also key that environmental toxins (specifically mold exposure) have been thoroughly looked into and treated properly to see the most sustainable and optimal results after hyperthermia treatment.
If I were to ever be bit by a tick again, I would not hesitate to return for hyperthermia treatment. We work with individuals who are completely debilitated from tick-borne infections and have tried almost every treatment out there, and then also individuals who are functioning, but when something stressful happens, they experience a flareup of symptoms. Hyperthermia treatment is beneficial for patients experiencing any degree of symptoms due to tick-borne infections. In my own journey with Lyme disease, I wish I had known about hyperthermia treatment a lot sooner. This would have prevented me from receiving a number of treatments that were expensive and unsuccessful. The sooner you can get on top of an active virulent infection, the sooner you can begin feeling like yourself again. Hyperthermia is that treatment, to get your life back!
