Late disseminated Lyme comprises many debilitating symptoms and has been considered difficult to treat in the medical community. Symptoms include fever, flu-like symptoms, migraines, fatigue, muscle and joint aches seen in early stage Lyme, butare also accompanied by immune system dysfunction, nervous system abnormalities, chronic axonal polyneuropathy, or encephalopathy, cognitive disorders, sleep disturbance, personality changes, and cardiac problems. While the condition is not considered fatal, symptomology is so severe that the many patients are bed-bound.

     Due to the vast range of symptomology present in Lyme, often times patients are misdiagnosed with fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, depression, or even arthritis. In addition, there is not oe diagnostic test for the condition, further complicating a diagnosis and proper treatment.

     Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) has been used more and more frequently in the past decade to treat Lyme disease. A ground breaking study published by Dr. William Fife of Texas A&M University, demonstrated dramatic improvements in overall condition of Lyme patients treated with hyperbaric. Hyperbaric has been shown to reduce pain significantly, modulate the immune system, alleviate sleep dysfunction, and reduce cognitive impairment.  In most cases, patients are also able to discontinue use of antibiotics or other pharmaceuticals.

Hyperbaric oxygen treatments infuse the body with oxygen, increasing O2 levels by up to 1000% in body tissues through the increased pressure. Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacterium that causes Lyme are considered microaerophilic, needing small amounts of oxygen to survive, but dies in the presence of abundant oxygen. Hyperbaric also acts an immune modulator and allows organ and gland functionality to normalize, reducing many debilitating Lyme symptoms. Because the chambers pressurize the atmosphere, hyperbaric acts as a detoxifier as well. By forcing oxygen into the tissues through this pressure, toxins, chemicals and other impurities are forced out.

     As with antibiotic treatment, patients may experience a Jarisch-Herxheimer reaction, after initial hyperbaric oxygen treatment. Also known as “Herxing”, the reaction occurs when the Borrelia burgdorferi are destroyed, resulting in a temporary “die off” effect causing fever, chills and weakness to occur for a short period of time. Many times a Herxheimer reaction indicates that a Lyme therapy is effective.