complex, systemic inflammatory condition that often leads to chronic fatigue, joint and muscle pain, autoimmune disorders, neurological problems, and even death -- but many medical professionals continue to dismiss it as a made-up disease, leaving victims with no recourse or treatment options.

The Alliance for Natural Health USA (ANH-USA) explains in a recent report on Lyme Disease that because the condition is complex and displays itself uniquely among different patients, many doctors dismiss sufferers as hypochondriacs, much like they do to those suffering from fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, and Morgellons disease. But potentially millions of Americans now suffer from the condition and either are unaware of it, or can do nothing about it, because most insurance companies hold the same view as conventional doctors that the disease does not actually exist, and thus does not require treatment.

Lyme Disease, however, is real, and is believed to be caused by an infection bacterial lipoproteins (BLPs) from over 300 different strains worldwide. And it is because there are so many strains that, some experts believe it is able to bypass the immune system and chronically infect patients and diverse ways. And the bacteria literally infects virtually every tissue and organ of the body, which makes it very difficult to pinpoint and diagnose, but also extremely severe and debilitating.

Chronic Lyme Disease (CLD), the official name given to the chronic condition, is believed to cost over $2 billion a year in attempted treatment costs, according to a report in the journal Contingencies. The condition is often misdiagnosed and mistreated, however, which accounts for much of these costs. And most insurance companies refuse to reimburse for such treatments unless they are for recognized conditions. In other words, unless it fits into a typical, Western medicine category of diagnosis, then it does not exist and is not worthy of coverage.

But Lyme Disease patients are among the most afflicted as far as chronic conditions go because symptoms often keep patients in a perpetually debilitated condition. And current diagnostic methods used by the the few doctors that even acknowledge the disease are 90 percent ineffective at both detection and differentiation of the unique infection types involved -- which results in ineffective treatment attempts in many cases.

Fortunately, many alternative doctors have developed customized Lyme Disease therapy protocols to help patients treat and even overcome the disease. These include integrative approaches involving vitamins, nutritional supplements, herbs, antiviral and antibacterial nutraceuticals, Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy, intravenous vitamin C, and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), among others.

To learn more about Lyme Disease and some specific ways in which to help treat it, visit:

http://www.naturalnews.com/lyme_dis...

You can also visit www.NaturalNews.TV and search the keyword "lyme" to view videos about Lyme Disease.

Also, be sure to check out the documentary Under Our Skin, which exposes the hidden story of Lyme Disease, and follows the stories of both patients fighting the disease and physicians fighting to get it more recognized.

http://www.underourskin.com/film.html

Sources for this story include:

http://www.anh-usa.org/httpwww-anh-...

Feb.  19, 2011

www.naturalnews.com/031407_Lyme_Disease_epidemic.html