Life with Lyme Disease or Post Treatment Lyme Disease Update.

Hey guys! Here is a quick update. I can't take credit for this, it was AI. But I think it is pretty good....

Lyme-related inflammation is a bit like a bonfire that keeps finding new twigs. Borrelia doesn’t just trigger the immune system; it distorts it, nudging cytokines, irritating nerves, and messing with connective tissue. The trick is calming the fire without smothering the body’s ability to fight infection. What follows isn’t medical advice, but a map of what many clinicians and researchers consider helpful.
A blend of three approaches usually makes the biggest dent:
• lower inflammatory triggers
• support the immune system’s regulatory side
• repair the tissues Lyme irritates most
Supplements first, because that’s where people often look for relief.
Turmeric/Curcumin (especially BCM-95 or Meriva)
This one is a heavyweight in the anti-inflammatory world. Curcumin modulates NF-κB, a major flame-thrower in inflammation biology. People dealing with Lyme often tolerate it well.
Omega-3 fats (fish oil or algae DHA/EPA)
Lyme throws inflammatory cytokines like IL-6 and TNF-alpha all around. Omega-3s help shift that balance. It’s less about “lubricating joints” and more about changing chemical signals.
Quercetin
A plant flavonoid that works on mast cells (tiny immune grenades). If someone with Lyme also gets weird flares from histamine, quercetin can be a stabilizer.
Vitamin D + K2
Low vitamin D is common in chronic inflammation. Adequate levels help immune “intelligence,” the part that keeps your body from reacting wildly to minor things.
Magnesium (glycinate or malate)
Not anti-inflammatory in the fireworks sense, but critical for muscle relaxation, nerve health, and reducing the body’s underlying stress load.
Probiotics & Gut Support
Lyme doesn’t only mess with the immune system directly — antibiotics or chronic stress often wreck the gut lining, creating a second source of inflammation.
L-glutamine + a good multi-strain probiotic can help reseal the gut and lower inflammatory noise.
Boswellia (Frankincense extract)
At the molecular level, it inhibits 5-LOX, which is another key inflammatory pathway. Many Lyme patients report joint and tendon relief.
Herbs from Buhner’s “inflammation shield”
His choices weren’t random — plants like Japanese Knotweed, Chinese Skullcap, and Cordyceps have documented effects on neuroinflammation and cytokine storms. They’re not cure-alls, but they fit the ecology of Lyme’s behavior.
If someone prefers simplicity, a daily anti-inflammatory stack might look like:
Omega-3 + Curcumin + Magnesium + a calming herb like Knotweed or Skullcap.
Again, not a prescription — just a common pattern.
Now food. Diet is the quiet workhorse here. If supplements are firefighters, diet is fire-prevention.
Low-inflammation eating usually means:
• little to no refined sugar
• minimal seed oils (corn, soybean, cottonseed)
• steady protein
• lots of plants with color
• low-to-moderate carbs unless exercising heavily
• gluten minimized if joints flare or brain fog spikes
• dairy reduced if mucus, headaches, or skin issues worsen
The “anti-inflammatory diet” sweet spot often looks like:
A Mediterranean foundation — fish, olive oil, legumes, herbs.
A Paleo edge — lean meats, vegetables, berries, nuts.
A low-histamine sprinkle — for people whose mast cells get excitable from Lyme.

In plain language:
Fish over fried food.
Olive oil over vegetable oil.
Sweet potatoes over bread.
Leafy greens over processed snacks.
Berries over sugary desserts.

Two things people underestimate:
Hydration
Inflammation dries the sponge. Thick blood and sluggish lymph make everything feel worse.
Sleep
During sleep, your microglia (the brain’s housekeepers) mop up inflammatory byproducts. Without enough sleep, especially deep sleep, inflammation from Lyme feels multiplied.

The last piece of the puzzle is gentle movement. Not CrossFit during a flare. Think slow walks, stretching, light cycling. Movement pumps lymph, which carries away inflammatory molecules.

If you like, we can build a specific anti-inflammatory plan — simple daily habits, a food outline, and a supplement stack tailored to common Lyme symptoms (joint pain? brain fog? neuropathy? fatigue?).