What to Know About Lyme & Hashimoto’s

If you’re familiar with my healing journey, you know I’ve been affected by Hashimoto’s as well as Lyme: Two diseases known to cause symptoms such as lethargy, mental fog, joint and muscle pain, poor sleep quality, and many other issues that interfere with daily living. And according to Dr. Izabella Wentz, Borrelia burgdorferi — the Lyme-causing bacteria transmitted by infected black-legged ticks — could trigger chronic conditions such as Hashimoto’s.

This may be true in my case, as I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism in 2011, bit by a mysterious insect in 2014, and later diagnosed with Lyme disease after experiencing debilitating knee pain, lethargy, and uncharacteristic moodiness. Then in 2017, I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. At that time, I worked closely with a naturopathic practitioner and was able to put my Hashimoto’s into remission through a series of dietary and lifestyle modifications.

It’s hard to confirm whether Lyme is my Hashimoto’s root cause, but it’s something to consider as we head into spring and summer and prepare to spend more time in common tick habitats like parks, picnic sites, and wooded areas. The connection between Lyme, Hashimoto’s, and other autoimmune conditions has been studied quite a bit in recent years, and Lyme Disease Awareness Month is the perfect time to take a closer look at this research.

Lyme Disease: A Potential Trigger for Autoimmunity

There are many potential triggers of autoimmune diseases, and exposure to the Borrelia burgdorferi bacterium is just one of them. Borrelia burgdorferi (and occasionally Borrelia mayonii) is the bacteria that causes Lyme disease, and it’s most commonly transmitted to humans through tick bites. Pregnant mothers with untreated Lyme can also pass the disease onto their unborn children, and some experts believe Lyme can be transmitted through mosquito, fly, and flea bites.

The longer the infection remains undetected and untreated, the more damage it causes. And sadly, tick-borne diseases such as Lyme borreliosis, Babesoisis, Ehrlichiosis, and Bartonellosis can take years to be diagnosed and eradicated — especially when patients don’t remember being bitten by a tick or there is no presence of a bulls-eye rash (erythema migrans).

What’s more, diagnostic testing for Lyme is imperfect, false negatives are all too common, and many patients go on to experience chronic symptoms that affect them physically, emotionally, and cognitively. In those with genetic predispositions, Lyme disease could even contribute to the onset of Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Lyme and Autoimmune Disease

One incident of Lyme as a trigger for autoimmunity, specifically systemic lupus erythematosus, was published in Cureus. After a 35-year-old Lyme patient began presenting symptoms of SLE following the completion of antiobitic treatment for Lyme, rheumatologists Yelyzaveta Yehudin and Svitlana Trypilka decided to take a closer look at how Lyme could trigger the onset of a new autoimmune disease.

The researchers concluded that when the immune system is continuously exposed to Lyme bacteria, autoimmunity may develop. The researchers also looked at the connection between Lyme and other autoimmune conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, Guillain-Barre Syndrome, Sjögren’s syndrome, and Still’s disease.

Moreover, Lyme and autoimmune symptoms may overlap in many cases, making diagnosis and treatment even more challenging. Lyme mimics the signs and symptoms of various autoimmune conditions, which is why the disease is sometimes known as “the great imitator”. As a few examples, Lyme could mimic (or be misdiagnosed as) arthritis, dementia, Alzheimer’s, depression, ALS, Morgellons disease, or the flu.

Lyme Disease, Thyroid Issues, and Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis

Another study published in the Journal of Endocrine Society supports the theory that exposure to Borrelia burgdorferi could trigger an autoimmune condition such as Hashimoto’s thyroiditis — particularly in those with genetic predispositions.

Following a 40-year-old male’s visit to the emergency room for lethargy, night sweats, weakness, and prior chest pain, the patient eventually tested positive for thyroid peroxidase antibodies (anti-TPO) and Lyme. The man had recently hiked in a tick-heavy area, leading researchers to believe that exposure to Borrelia proteins could have triggered inflammation of the patient’s thyroid gland.

Furthermore, in his book titled How Can I Get Better: An Action Plan for Treating Resistant Lyme & Chronic Disease, Dr. Richard Horowitz explains that anti-TPO and/or antithyroglobulin antibodies (anti-TG) are produced in Hashimoto’s and Lyme patients. He notes that Lyme infections can trigger Hashimoto’s thyroiditis as a result of molecular mimicry, a process in which the immune system mistakes the body’s own tissues for infectious agents. Rather than attacking the infectious agent (such as the Lyme bacteria), the immune system attacks the body instead.

Get to Your Root Cause

Whether you’re struggling to manage your Hashimoto’s symptoms, have found a tick on yourself at some point in your life, or explicitly remember sustaining a bite from a tick or another mysterious insect, Lyme could be the missing piece of your health puzzle. But instead of relying on traditional tests for Lyme, choose from one of these labs recommended by the Global Lyme Alliance:

Advanced Laboratory Services.
Clongen Laboratories.
IGeneX, Inc.
Lyme Disease Laboratory (at Stony Brook University Medical Center).
Dr. Jane Huffman Wildlife Genetics Institute (at East Stroudsburg University).
Quidel.

In the event that you find a tick on you, Clongen Laboratories, IGeneX, Inc., and the Dr. Jane Huffman Wildlife Genetics Institute can also test ticks for Lyme and other diseases. Not all ticks can spread diseases to humans, but it’s better to have a tick tested so you know for sure whether you’re at risk of contracting a tick-borne illness.

On the other hand, it’s important to run a full thyroid panel if you’ve recently or previously been diagnosed with Lyme but haven’t yet been diagnosed with autoimmune thyroid disease, hypothyroidism, or hyperthyroidism. Exposure to Borrelia burgdorferi could trigger an autoimmune disease such as Hashimoto’s, but you’ll need to run a full thyroid panel that tests for anti-TG and anti-TPO antiobides to determine whether you have autoimmune thyroiditis. Dr. Horowitz also recommends checking your selenium and serum iodine levels, as many patients with chronic illness are deficient in these two important trace minerals.

Healing from Lyme, Hashimoto’s, and chronic illness is possible, and I’ve been through it first-hand. Contact me today and let me help you get your life back!

Ready to finally start healing from Hashimoto’s, Lyme, or another chronic condition? Schedule your 90-minute Vital You VIP Consult, apply for the Thyroid Reset Method™, or visit my website to learn more about how I can help you heal.

Sources: