Organic Lifestyle Magazine

Lyme Disease Study Presents Stevia as a Potential Treatment

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Last updated on: January 30, 2017

The bacteria that causes Lyme, Borrelia burgdorferi, is tricky to manage. Antibiotics are used to treat it, but according to numbers from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), they only work for 80-90% of cases. The other 10-20% develop into chronic Lyme, as the bacteria is able to change form and hide in the body. Conventional medicine is still divided as to whether Chronic Lyme actually exists, so it makes sense that they can only offer management solutions instead of actual treatment. Patients increasingly find themselves turning to alternative medicine. A recent study suggests there is yet another treatment available in the alternative arsenal: stevia.

Conventional medicine is still divided as to whether Chronic Lyme actually exists, so it makes sense that they can only offer management solutions instead of actual treatment. Patients increasingly find themselves turning to alternative medicine. A recent study suggests there is yet another treatment available in the alternative arsenal: stevia.

Will the Real Stevia Stand Up?

Stevia is a naturally sweet herb that is more than 100 times sweeter than sugar, but unlike sugar, it doesn’t raise blood sugar levels. Originally from South America, stevia has been around for more than 1,500 years, but it hasn’t gained public popularity until recently. Stevia is incredibly concentrated and doesn’t feed Candida in the body the way other sweeteners do.

The best form of any food, nutritionally, is in its natural state. The pure stevia leaf, whether fresh, dried, or in a tincture, is the best way to use the plant along with all of its flavonoids, sterols, antioxidants, and phytonutrients. But not all stevia is created equal. Many of the widely available stevia powders are bleached and altered with other chemicals and additives like erythritol and dextrose.

It’s the Little Things in Life

The phytonutrients in stevia are powerful. A new study from researchers at the University of New Haven found that stevia leaf extract is more effective at dealing with Lyme disease in all of its forms than any of the currently used antibiotics. The bacteria that causes Lyme disease is a spiral-shaped bacteria, and the common antibiotics used like doxycycline, cefoperazone, and daptomycin can be effective in dealing with the bacteria in that form. Unfortunately, Borrelia burgdorferi can morph into a dormant round body under unfavorable conditions, and in this form, antibiotics are more likely to miss it. In fact, antibiotics increased the bacteria in its dormant form.

Is Stevia is a Better Idea than Antibiotics?

Stevia and antibiotics were both effective against the Borrelia burgdorferi is its spiral form. Stevia reduced the bacteria in its dormant form, whereas the antibiotics increased its resistance to the next antibiotic treatment and may have even helped it to multiple. Antibiotics, even when they work as intended, damage to the body. They suppress the immune system and kill off good bacteria, effectively ridding the body of its natural defenses. Is there really any question as to which treatment is better?

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Kristina Martin

Kristina Martin

Kristina works at Green Lifestyle Market. A few years ago Kristina was no stranger to illness, but she decided to pursue health and vitality through natural means when she became pregnant. She quickly learned that she could prevent morning sickness and other common ailments other pregnant woman experienced with the right diet. After a healthy home birth, and a beautiful child, she never looked back. Kristina has not had so much as a cold since, and at two years old and unvaccinated, neither has her child. She's passionate about natural health, environmental conservation, and raising her healthy baby without pharmaceuticals.

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