by Dr. Bill Rawls
Posted 2/18/22
Collagen is the most abundant protein in the body, providing structure and support for the entire skeletal system. Lyme microbes like Borrelia and coinfections break down collagen to access its nutrients. But is there any benefit to taking it?
Here, Dr. Bill Rawls discusses whether taking collagen can help to replenish your body’s natural supply and shares other possible benefits of it. Learn more about Dr. Rawls’ journey back to health here.
Video Transcript
Question: Should you take collagen to replenish your natural supply?
Tim Yarborough: All right, first one here from our live audience, the most votes right now for a question from Logan. Thanks, Logan. Logan asks, “I have read in the book that collagen is a primary source of nutrients for Borrelia. Should you take collagen supports to restore what Borrelia takes?”
Dr. Rawls: Yeah. Again, you know, we’re talking about really low concentrations of microbes in the body. But so it’s not really the amount of collagen that microbes are consuming. It’s the fact of that autoimmune phenomenon, we’re breaking down our tissues, and we’re having to rebuild collagen.
So taking collagen gives the body just what it needs to rebuild, and it saves the body energy. Saves the body work not to have to rebuild those molecules from scratch. So it helps us out.
There are good studies supporting using collagen for arthritis and other kinds of conditions, so I think taking collagen is a great idea. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy. It doesn’t have to be bone broth. I get just a standard, grass-fed, organic collagen from the health food store and dump it in my smoothies every morning.
But as far as replacing what the microbes are eating, that’s not it. It’s that you’re breaking down a lot of cells and you’re just breaking down collagen. So it’s partly the autoimmune effect and everything else that’s going on with the inflammation. But yeah, collagen can help a little bit. It can help you get better, for sure.
Dr. Rawls is a physician who overcame Lyme disease through natural herbal therapy. You can learn more about Lyme disease in Dr. Rawls’ new best selling book, Unlocking Lyme.
You can also learn about Dr. Rawls’ personal journey in overcoming Lyme disease and fibromyalgia in his popular blog post, My Chronic Lyme Journey.
1. García-Coronado JM, Martínez-Olvera L, Elizondo-Omaña RE, Acosta-Olivo CA, Vilchez-Cavazos F, Simental-Mendía LE, Simental-Mendía M. Effect of collagen supplementation on osteoarthritis symptoms: a meta-analysis of randomized placebo-controlled trials. Int Orthop. 2019 Mar;43(3):531-538. doi: 10.1007/s00264-018-4211-5
