My Detox Remedies

I always hear that if you're going to HELP your body kill Lyme bacteria, then you have to HELP your body detox the mess it leaves behind. Here is what I am currently doing to detox.

 ACTIVATED CHARCOAL CAPSULES

Charcoal is said to adhere to the nasty endotoxins that the Lyme bacteria releases when it dies. These toxins are what makes a herx so miserable. People also use this when detoxing from heavy drug use.

BETONITE CLAY CAPSULES

This acts as a binder in the intestines, and helps carry out any toxins trying to pass through them. 

 IONIC FOOT DETOX SPA

These are said to be controversial but I unexpectedly feel better after using them. They supposedly draw out toxins from the feet. I use pink himalayan sea salt in the water with it. I do this twice a week. I notice I feel worse when I DON'T do them after Lyme-killing treatments, too.

GREEN JUICES 

Ginger, Lemon, Kale, Spinach, Celery, Cucumber, Green Apples, Etc

 INFRARED SAUNA

Not only are saunas good for pain, mood, and circulation, but they help you sweat out toxins. Be sure to drink plenty of water before, during, and after a session. I also like to do a hot/cold shower after, and replace lost electrolytes. I try to do this every other day.

DRY SKIN BRUSHING

This helps stimulate your lymphatic system, and is great to do before epsom salt baths or before getting into the sauna.

LEMON

Whether you're using fresh lemons or lemon essential oils, they are a great for your liver and stomach. It's best to drink it with a straw so it doesn't affect your teeth. 

ZEOLITE

This negatively charged mineral acts like a magnet. It attracts harmful, positively charged metals to itself, traps them, and carries them out of the body. Great for heavy metals. What I take is powder in a capsule, but there are also sprays and liquids.

As always, we are all so different. Lyme and treatments for Lyme affect all of us so differently. I'm not a doctor, so please check with yours if you're interested in trying any of these remedies. 

My Lyme Pain Remedies

Since I've been herxing so badly this week, I've been having to use a lot of things to help with my pain. Usually it's tolerable, but lately I've been doing and taking any and all natural remedies I can get my hands on. Here's a list of what I personally* use. 

                                     

Minagin is probably my favorite remedy. Back when I injured my SI joint two years ago (which still hasn't healed), this was the only thing that would help with the pain! I've been putting it on my neck, and lower back. It also REALLY takes away swelling. You can order it at www.herballodge.com. It seems to help with the pains that nothing else would help with. This is a pretty special salve, and I'm so grateful to the beautiful people who created it. 

                                                   

I have found that over the counter "pain relievers" and prescription drugs really didn't do anything for me. My current doctor has me on this supplement, which I have just started to take. So far, so good. 

I'm sure a lot of people know about Deep Blue. I have a lot of doTERRA oils, and I'm thankful for this one.

This stuff just seems to calm my whole body down in general. It's great for anxiety, pain, etc. It has some side effects if you take too much, though. 

I have an infrared belt that came with my foot detox machine. I put it around my shoulders when my upper back hurts, and around my hips when my SI joints hurts. 

I heat my rice bag up a lot. This is a cute one I found on Etsy. Moist heat is good, so these things are perfect for pain. They have brought me a lot of comfort, too. 

I know not everyone with Lyme has SI Joint Dysfunction, but for those that do, this SI Belt is a must.

Infrared Saunas are magic for widespread pain. The first few times I sat in one, I literally walked out confused. I was not expecting such a reduction in pain. I have a portable one I bought for a couple hundred bucks, which gets me by, but the big expensive cedar ones seem to work much better.

                                       

I have a good memory foam mattress that I really think helps my pain. My ligaments are so infested with bugs that they do a really crummy job of holding my joints together. Memory foam makes me feel secure and supported so I don't wake up feeling tangled in my own bones.

                                       

I know good chiropractors are few and far between, especially those who believe in Lyme. But if you can find yourself a good one, it could be really beneficial. I honestly believe I would not be walking if it weren't for mine. I go to her maybe 4 times a month. It used to be more, but I've made progress. 

*Because we are all so different, and this disease affects us all so differently, check with your doc if you want to try any of the above. 

Voodoo Doll

I'm actually very weak and, quite frankly, not very with it. Here's to hoping I am making some sense.

So, this new treatment I am on is making me Herx in ways I never have before. I've been treating this disease for nearly an entire year now, but have never felt the way I am feeling now.

So, the protocol I did earlier this year was basically IV's of hydrogen peroxide, hydrochloric acid, Myers cocktail, and megadoses of Vitamin C twice a week for seven months. I had to stop due to financial and travel reasons, and actually had a fairly okay two months off.

Now I am with a new doc, at a new place, with a new protocol and ermergersh.

It's not pretty.

Hence referring to myself as a human Voodoo doll.

So, this Herx has made me think the following thoughts today:

"Hm, that's weird. I have all the symptoms of a heart attack, yet I'm not having a heart attack?"

"I think an ovarian cyst may have just ruptured"

"I should probably have my appendix taken out or something"

"I think something is burning holes in my stomach"

"I think my gallbladder and liver are clogged, but I can't feel them"

"I'm not sure if that was a power nap, or if I briefly passed out"

"I've had kidney stones AND a child so, I know pain. Those were the good 'ol days"

"I should probably go see a doctor but I know what the result will be, so I'll just stay here"

Excuse the brutal honesty and complete and utter transparency (I'll spare you the description of the intestinal issues), but it's the only way to paint a realistic picture that so many need for peace of mind, answers, and ideas.

So, I did a couple chelation IVs the first couple weeks, and then last week was my first PK protocol IV. I'm taking several supplements, too, which I will list later.

I'm fatigued like I've never been before, my muscles are twitching, my neck is completely seized, my ligaments are struggling to hold things together (ankles, wrists, knees, elbows, SI joints, and shoulder blade/ribs), I don't feel present (out of it), my heart is slowly pounding, my stomach hurts, I have random stabbing pains everywhere, my circulation is very poor, my body temperature regulator is busted, and my "fall asleep" is busted, too.

However, as unpleasant as this is, this only means my treatment is working. Lyme bugs are perishing. Yeah, they're releasing endotoxins and practically poisoning me, but they're dying nonetheless.

So, I have to keep telling myself this.....

and this.....

and this.....

Also, please remember, I'm not complaining. I'm merely explaining. I'm very accepting of the things I'm going through, and I hope I can help others come to terms with it, too.

P.S. I will mention one thing, though. I woke up at 5am sobbing because my neck hurt so bad. I rarely cry compared to all the reasons I have to cry. Anyway, luckily, my favorite chiropractor was there for me, as always, and helped my pain go from intolerable to tolerable without passing any judgement whatsoever. Thanks doc!

Breakfast

Generated this MEME today. All my Lymies can relate:

Breakfast looks like this for me every morning. It takes a full two hours of concentration to get this all in my body. 

Food is medicine, except for this case, in which medicine is food. 

Then, about 8hrs later, I have to do it all again after dinner

Bon Appetit!

It's Never JUST Lyme

When I say, "It's never just Lyme", it's because Lyme disease does numerous amounts of damage to countless parts of the body. To me, it causes or contributes to other ailments. Yeah, you could probably kill some Lyme bacteria with antibiotics and other treatments, but what about all the damage it's left behind?

Here is a list of all the things I have besides Lyme. Did I have these before Lyme and my tanked immune system made them worse? Or did Lyme cause them? It's really the chicken or the egg. I just have a lot of fighting and repairing to do BESIDES Lyme. Maybe some of these are even Lyme masquerading as these conditions:

Babesiosis
Bartonella
Benign Positional Vertigo
Borrelia Burgdorferi (The Lyme itself)  
Dysautonomia
Epstein Barr Virus
Fibromyalgia (I'm seriously wondering if this is even a thing)
Gastritis
Hashimotos Thyroiditis
Heavy Metal Toxicity (Cesium, Mercury, Tin, & Tungsten)
Hiatal Hernia
IBS
Iron Deficiency Anemia
Klebsiella Pneumonia
Leaky Gut
MTHFR Genetic Mutation
Mycoplasma Pneumonia
Ovarian Cysts
Peripheral Neuropathy
Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia (POTS)
Postural Orthostatic Hypotension
Piriformis Syndrome
PMDD
Restless Leg Syndrome
Raynauds Syndrome
Sacroiliac Joint Dysfunction

Silent Migraines
Tinnitus
Trochanteric Bursitis
Vitamin & Mineral Deficiencies

Anybody else notice I have a condition for literally over half of all the letters in the alphabet??

So, with about 30 different conditions comes about 30 different supplements, medications, remedies, you name it. I'll get into those a little more later.

But as I said before, it's never JUST Lyme Disease.

The PK Protocol

Yesterday, my doctor muscle tested me for several different oral supplements, as well as nutrients to put in my IV Bag. Phosphatidylcholine came up with Glutathione, which led us to put me on the PK Protocol, developed by Dr. Patricia Kane. Originally my doctor put me on a heavy metal chelation IV protocol, but the herx was so awful and lasted me all week. While I know all too well that herxing just comes with the Lyme fighting territory, plain and simple, it was a LOT. It felt like when the chelation fluid pulled heavy metals (I have mercury, tin, tungsten, and cesium), it broke through bio-films in my tissues and activated the bacteria in my bloodstream. We may do some Ozone soon, which I have done in the past, and probably come back to chelation at a later date.

The glutathione in my IV HURTS MY ARM! It makes all the pain in my body worse, and it makes me SO nauseated. I'm going to tough it out, though, 'cause I have read SO many things about it, and all of it is good. I've been thinking about glutathione and wanting it the past few months and I'm finally getting it. 

Here's a great article with more info on the PK Protocol below:

http://www.nourishbalancethrive.com/blog/2014/11/25/pk-protocol-chronic-lyme-disease/

Lyme Disease

LYME DISEASE

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Lyme disease, also known as Lyme borreliosis, is an infectious disease caused by bacteria of the Borrelia type.^[1]The most common sign of infection is an expanding area of redness, known as erythema migrans, that begins at the site of a tick bite about a week after it has occurred. The rash is typically neither itchy nor painful. About 25% of people do not develop a rash. Other early symptoms may include fever, headache, and feeling tired. If untreated, symptoms may include loss of the ability to move one or both sides of the face, joint pains, severe headaches with neck stiffness, or heart palpitations, among others. Months to years later, repeated episodes of joint pain and swelling may occur. Occasionally, people develop shooting pains or tingling in their arms and legs. Despite appropriate treatment, about 10 to 20% of people also develop joint pains, have memory problems, and feel tired much of the time.^[2]

Lyme disease is transmitted to humans by the bite of infected ticks of the Ixodes genus.^[3] Usually, the tick must be attached for 36 to 48 hours before the bacteria can spread.^[4] In North America, the only bacterium involved is Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto, while in Europe and Asia, the bacteria Borrelia afzelii and Borrelia garinii are also causes of the disease.^[1] The disease does not appear to be transmissible between people, by other animals, or through food.^[4] Diagnosis is based upon a combination of symptoms, history of tick exposure, and possibly testing for specific antibodies in the blood.^[5][6] Blood tests are often negative in the early stages of the disease.^[1] Testing of individual ticks is not typically useful.^[7]

Prevention includes efforts to prevent tick bites such as by wearing long pants and using DEET.^[1] Using pesticidesto reduce tick numbers may also be effective.^[1] Ticks can be removed using tweezers.^[8] If the removed tick was full of blood, a single dose of doxycycline may be used to prevent development of infection, but is not generally recommended since development of infection is rare.^[1] If an infection develops, a number of antibiotics are effective, including doxycycline, amoxicillin, and cefuroxime.^[1] Treatment is usually for two or three weeks.^[1] Some people develop a fever and muscle and joint pains from treatment which may last for one or two days.^[1] In those who develop persistent symptoms, long-term antibiotic therapy has not been found to be useful.^[1][2]

Lyme disease is the most common disease spread by ticks in the Northern Hemisphere.^[9] It is estimated to affect 300,000 people a year in the United States and 65,000 people a year in Europe.^[1][10] Infections are most common in the spring and early summer.^[1] Lyme disease was diagnosed as a separate condition for the first time in 1975 in Old Lyme, Connecticut (it was originally mistaken for juvenile rheumatoid arthritis).^[11] The bacterium involved was first described in 1981 by Willy Burgdorfer.^[12] Chronic symptoms are well described and are known as post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome, although it is often called chronic Lyme disease.^[13] Some healthcare providers claim that it is due to ongoing infection; however, this is not believed to be true.^[14] A previous vaccine is no longer available. Research is ongoing to develop new vaccines.^[1]