How to treat Lyme disease naturally during pregnancy
Lyme disease is a
tick-borne disease and it can be found anywhere there are ticks. It can be
difficult to diagnose as there is no specific test to confirm the presence of
the disease.
Symptoms may include
a bull's-eye rash, joint and muscle pain, fever, fatigue, and chills. Long-term
symptoms can affect both you and your child and include Bell's palsy,
arthritis, or constant fatigue. If you have recently been in the woods and
begin to experience these symptoms, you should tell your doctor immediately.
How to treat Lyme disease naturally during pregnancy
Once you have been
diagnosed with Lyme disease, there is no natural cure for it. Prevention is the
best policy when it comes to Lyme disease.
Taking a few simple
steps outdoors can protect you from ticks:
- Use insect repellant.
- Wear long sleeves and pants to avoid giving ticks anything to attach to.
- Thoroughly check for ticks after being in the forest. Ticks hide in dark places, so be sure to check your armpits, groin area, hair, and under the knees especially.
- After going outside, take a hot shower and dry your clothes over high heat for at least an hour to kill the mites.
How to treat Lyme disease during pregnancy if it doesn't work naturally
If you have been
diagnosed with Lyme disease, there are a number of treatments available. The
sooner the diagnosis is made, the more effective your treatment will be.
- If detected early, Lyme disease can be treated with antibiotics for 2-4 weeks. Be sure to tell your doctor that you are pregnant so that he can prescribe medicines that you can safely take.
- If your diagnosis took a long time, you may experience recurring symptoms even after antibiotic treatment. This is called post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome. There is currently no proven cure for it, but a number of treatments are being tested.