A 5300 year old Mummy with Lyme?

Apparently there have been many sources that say that Otzi the Iceman, a 5300 year old frozen mountain man, carried Borrelia burgadorferi.

It is said that they found a diseased tick carrying the disease with him, petrified in a Jurassic Park- Style piece of amber.

If this is true, it makes my post on Plum Island now look like a complete load of lunacy, which it could very well be.

But, couldn't we make another conspiracy from this entire thing as well?

The media is being manipulated by our government swaying the masses to believe that Lyme is ancient rather than newfound, so then the rising Lyme epidemic can no longer be blamed on them for their heinous unleashing of animal projects on the Island.

The media has never been used to control common belief or opinion, like, ever.

Otzi the Mummy is real, his Lyme disease, farfetched, as a diversion from the truth.

 Mwahahaha!!!!

That was my initial conspiracy jab. Anyone else out there got one? I'd love to hear your take.

The thing about truth is that there are multiple truths, as truth can be subjective compared to fact. There is a difference.

Interestingly enough, Otzi was also found carrying a satchel.

In this satchel there was an item I had happened to cover in a previous post.

>>>>>>>Drum Roll Inserted Here

Chaga Mushroom. (Tada!!!)

The plot thickens.

Experts say that he probably used the Chaga for firewood, because Chaga has many layers and would probably burn for a long time. Others think that Otzi knew more of his ailment and more of the Chaga itself, and that perhaps he was using it to treat himself.

Maybe he did not know it was Lyme disease exactly, but he felt the intense joint pain and sought physical refuge by using the Chaga as medicine.

The answer to all of these wonderings lie suspended in time, blocked in an eternal mystery.

We will never know what happened then. Or the truth about any shred of it.

We are limited in any actual recording of history, simply because we have not the capability to
witness it for ourselves.

 Otzi's secrets lie dormant, beneath the layers of ice and snow, frozen for the duration.



Good night, Dear Reader.

Chaga Mushroom and Lyme Disease

Lyme Disease and the Chaga Mushroom....

As I was out roaming about on a high mountain hike (which, I am not supposed to be going on 7 mile hikes right now, but found myself doing it anyways). As I was walking around the third mile, I saw a black hunk of something growing on an older Birch along the trail.

As I mentioned in my very first post from June on Strawberry Moon 2015, I had been dabbling in some foraging with a friend, and I had recognized the mass almost instantly.

It was Chaga Mushroom (a fungus).

I grabbed a stone a knocked it out of the tree, and then brought it home in my pack.

I already knew that Chaga was known for it's anti Cancer abilities, it's name in other languages literally translates to "Cancer Polypore", and has been used in Folk Medicine for hundreds of years.

Chaga is a tree cancer that slowly kills the host tree, usually (and most identifiably) the Birch. The Birch tree itself is composed of Betulin. The porous fungus attached to the Birch soaks up the Betulin turning it into Betulinic Acid, which then can be either turned into tea (which seems to be a waste of Chaga to me as it only uses a tiny bit of it's potential medicine) or extracted and used as a tincture.

I brought the Chaga home with me, and I broke it apart with some tools to dry.

On the few days it took for it to dry, I delved even further into my research, and stumbled upon many pages online and sources that spoke about Chaga healing Lyme disease, or at least aiding in the process.

This excited me. I felt like it was a true gift from the trees, and that the universe was providing me with a natural tool to heal.

Apparently, Chaga helps with reducing inflammation, boosting metabolism, and detox and reparation of the liver. It is also an adaptogen, which helps the body release stress and toxins.

All of these things would correlate greatly in the fight against Lyme.

After the Chaga dried, I shaved some off for tea, and started the rest in a tincture.  I plan on doing an alcohol extraction first, followed by a hot water extraction.

By Spring, I should be able to add wildcrafted Chaga mushroom to my growing list of supplements.

The SCD diet for Candida (and helps with Lyme, too!)

Dear Reader,


I have been feeling AMAZING since I started the SCD diet for Candida. I have tons of energy, and I feel even a change in my mind. No depression, less anxiety, and no PMS. This is an amazing diet, and I feel it's a great choice for both Lyme and Candida.

They have even revised the Candida diet so then it is specifically for the treatment of Candida in the beginning two stages, with the third one resulting in the regular Candida diet.

The SCD (Specific Carb Diet) aims to heal and seal the gut. The place where all disease starts. It starves Candida, while nourishing the body and it eliminates items that aggravate Lyme such as sugar and grains.

There are testimonies everywhere online of people who have been treated with SCD that have cured their IBS, Crohn's Disease, Autism, Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder, Candida, Celiacs and a list of others.

Step one for me was to go not just Gluten free, but Grain free completely.

Our bodies were not designed to eat abundances of grains or dairy products. We actually have only just started this trend in the last 400 years. It has absolutely everything to do with our agriculture. Before it, we were hunter gatherers.

So here we are with all of these mental and health problems, and we're taking all sorts of prescription pills for them, but we are still sick and never getting better. Why? Because we continue to poison ourselves and not heal our gut. I've said it before and I'll say it again, pharm meds are very rarely the answer, and most traditional doctors are not taught nearly enough of the things they should know (if any) about alternative healing. The two hand in hand are very powerful.

The SCD lay out is really more of how we are naturally designed to eat, and how the average human diet should be dining.

I apologize for the ranting!! Onto the SCD Diet For Candida:



Stage One (the stage I'm going through currently, and the most "difficult"):


Proteins: Eat as desired


Fruits, dried fruits and honey:

One serving of diluted fruit juice or one serving of cooked fruit every other day.

1-2 servings lemon or lime juice perday.

Use non sweet fruits as much as possible. (these are all listed on Pecan Bread's website)

Avoid dried fruits and honey


Vegetables:

 Eat as much low and medium carb veggies as desired. (Lists on Pecan Bread)

1 serving of high carb veggies 1-2 times a week. Avoid if symptoms are severe/


Molds:

-Limit Hard Cheeses to 1 serving per week (Check out SCD Legal/Illegal lists online)
-No mushrooms
-no vinegars. Use lemon juice.
-Avoid nuts, beside nut flours in recipes. (I personally go for Coconut Flour, as Almond flour can be tricky!!) They cannot be used every day.

Probiotic:

Use 24 hour fermented yogurt or a SCD legal form, or a probiotic in capsule form. (I use Jarrow Dophilis, Allergen free)

Antifungals

(I use Alchornea tincture and Nystatin)

Also, drink plenty of good water, and eat plenty of good fats. Coconut oil, Olive oil and Butter and Ghee.

Stay on this until symptom free for a few weeks, and then advance to



Stage 2:

Proteins:
 Eat as desired


Fruits, Dried Fruits, Honey:
1 serving of diluted juice every day
1 serving cooked fruit every other day
Limit dried fruits to one serving 1-2 times a week. Stop if symptoms increase.
Limit small amounts of honey (1/2 of what a recipe calls for) Stop if symptoms increase or return

Vegetables:
1 serving high carb veggie 1-2 times a week.
Eat as much low and medium carb veggies as desired.

Molds:
Limit hard cheeses to two servings a week
no mushrooms
no vinegar
avoid nuts


Phase 3:

Go into Full SCD Diet.

This includes cheese eating as desired and more honey usage.


Once again, all of this information and more are both online and in the book, "Breaking the Vicious Cycle" by Elaine Gottschall

A lot of this diet is decently overwhelming for me, as I am just beginning and not only relearning how to cook, but also how to eat.

Although it is overwhelming, I am grateful for this chance to explore new foods, and not all of them have to be extremely pricey.

So far this week, I've eaten a big mug of veggie chicken soup (home made), two burger patties with onion and an egg sunny side up, and zuke noodle pasta, Haluski made without the noodles, an array of coconut flour breads still trying to find the best one, and Tacos with Romaine lettuce shells to name a few.

Healing can taste good if you allow yourself to seek the options.

October 2015, and the LB Protocol

Ello Reader!

Last month, as I have written,  I was taken off all antibiotics, and was placed on a mixture of Nystatin, Alchornea, Probiotic and LB Protocol by Green Dragon Supplements.

I have to take the supplements gradually increasing until I reach to 12 a day.

The Nystatin, Alchornea and Probiotic are for the Candida, and the Protocol is for the Lyme.

It's ingredients contain the following herbs:

Japanese Knotweed Root
Cats Claw Vine Bark
Andrographis Herb
Sasparilla Root
Dandelion Herb

In my earlier posts, I can recall feeling very hesitant and anxious for all of this to begin, but, now that I've been on it for a few weeks now, I'm feeling much more positive.

I haven't felt a major Lyme symptom in days. I have some minor fog brain, but I've had no pain, no nausea, nothing really.

I honestly believe that my Lyme might be very close to full remission, and that the rest of the symptoms I'm feeling are symptoms of the Candida. It is hard to tell at this point.

I've had a few decent Herxheimer reactions on the LB protocol so far. Just an overall ill feeling and racing anxiety. It's hard to describe with words. I guess you have to feel it.

Let me explain once again, my Herx reactions have been very minor compared to what they could be. My Lyme was caught very early.

I have finally ended the entire diet debate that I was going through and have made a final decision on which to follow. I have chosen the SCD diet. There is a special version of it that treats Candida, and I cannot see how it wouldn't help aid in Lyme treatment either.

So, all in all, so far in October, I am doing okay and starting to feel better. Lyme has it's ups and downs, and right now, we are currently UP.

I hope the worst of this is through.

Water source and Lyme/ Candida

Dear Reader,

I am writing today concerning water sources and how they could possibly affect both Lyme and Candida in a negative manner.

City water carries a multitude of things that can reduce your bodies immune system's ability to fight Lyme and can increase Candida's growth.

Heavy metals and toxins such as Fluoride can stop you from progressing in your attempts to heal yourself. They weaken the immune system, and make it harder for your liver to flush out toxins.

These things are often in our drinking and bathing water. It is even more harmful for one to bathe in the toxins than it is for one to drink them.

Chlorine and Chloramines kill the good gut flora that people are trying to pump back into themselves with probiotic, and one simply can't heal while ingesting these things.

People say, oh get a water filter. I did my research. The best filters are whole house filters which turn your water into Reverse Osmosis water. But there have been many studies showing that Reverse Osmosis water cannot be lived on. It is deficient in minerals. Even with ionizing the water afterwards, It cannot be lived on for life. These whole house filters are very costly, and only serve as a temporary fix.

As for individual filters, there are a million of them at varied prices, but absolutely none that get rid of ALL of the Chlorine. It is impossible for a shower.

You can pay hundreds of dollars for a Vitamin C shower head and special cartridges, but, test your water before and after, and you'll see it's reduced. Not eliminated.

So, what do we do? We won't get any better if we keep putting these chemicals in our bodies.

Here's what I've been doing.

My partner and I are searching for a new place to live with well water.

Even if it's a trailer, I do not care at this point. If the water isn't poisoning me, I'll take it.

We are currently looking at a house with good water, and will know in two days whether we got it or not. Keep your fingers crossed for us!! This could change the course of my recovery for the positive.

In the mean time, we live in a place that doesn't have Fluoride in the water. But there is a great deal of Chlorine in it.

I chose a Berkey Travel Filter. It's stainless steel and portable. If you get the Black Berkey Filters for it, it eliminates Chlorine and Fluoride by acclaimed 99 percent. It's really the best deal when it comes to individual filters.

I understand that it is bad for the environment, but I also use bottled water. I do recycle though. Do your research first and make sure the bottled water you are drinking doesn't have fluoride in it already. Many do.

For bathing, I have been going to friends and families homes and taking a quick shower if they have good water. I just bathe less often.

When I have to wash up at home, I turn the water on in my shower and stand away from the water so it isn't raining down on me. Then, I wash any parts that smell ripe with a cloth, fully avoiding a lot of the water. I also wash my hair in the tub with cleaning gloves on, not letting more than the top of my scalp touch the water.

It may sound silly, but it is what works for me right now. My health depends on it.

I remind myself constantly that this is only temporary until we can find a different place with better water.

I am determined to heal.

 

Big Berkey Water Filter

The Lyme Diet and more

When I went into my first appointment with my LLMD, I was already in the midst of listening to my body for what it does and does not need.

For instance, I had already stopped eating most dairy and I had also cut back on gluten. I hadn't been eating any refined flours at all. Just whole eating.

I didn't realize then that alot of the sauces and condiments I was using were addled with sugars. From ketchup to spaghetti sauce to soy sauce even. Here I had thought I was doing a deal of good for myself, but I was actually draining "invisible" sugars into myself on a daily.

Apparently it wasn't as much as one of my doctor's average patients.

I went into his office with some symptoms that were aggravating for me, but he was shocked at how well I was doing. He told me, because of my diet, I am doing far better than a person not on it, and therefore will suffer less. He also told me, that because I am already so healthy, he doesn't see why  I should not be able to make complete recovery.

We never went through a specific diet for Lyme for me to be on, but he did have some pointers to aid me. If you are indeed looking for a Lyme diet and/or ideas, there are many books and websites devoted to the subject. I really enjoyed and found helpful and informative the site called "Tired of Lyme", which is written by another fellow Lymie with a more chronic condition. There is TONS of good stuff there.

The one thing he was adamant about was absolutely NO GLUTEN. Gluten and sugars can really speed up the process of Lyme, making us sicker faster. They help feed the spirochetes.

He also suggested no dairy unless raw goat milk or yogurt, which can be an excellent form of probiotic.

 He told me of a story/study called Pottenger's Cats. In this study, there were two sets of cats. Some were fed only raw milk, and they thrived, and the others were given pasteurized. They got very sickly, and I think some of them even died. I suggest reading it. I already knew the dangers of dairy and alot of the other staples of our American diet, and I hadn't been partaking in much if I could avoid it at all.

The freaky part of all of this is, I tried to eat a piece of Mozzerella string cheese before I started my new protocol, (Green Dragon Botanicals, LB Core), and I started to get stomach cramps, like I was starting my period early. Then in the next 45 minutes, I had awful diarrhea. I had developed a food allergy after abstaining. I could really see where my body's sensitivities were. Why am I not allergic to goat milk then? I have no idea. I can only assume that it has something to do with the processing.

For a few days I literally felt like I was dying, and I found out it was because I had eaten a bit of turkey lunch meat on those days. All of the excess sugars and nitrates are horrifyingly strong to me. As soon as I stopped eating it, I felt instantly better. No exaggerations.

Anyone who has Lyme, I would suggest (backed up by my Lyme MD and studies that I had done prior to having Lyme) that no gluten and no dairy are a must. Minimal dairy if you can help it. Dairy was never meant to be a staple. It was always supposed to be used sparingly. The food pyramid is a joke.

Fill your days up with lots of greens and a more Paleo type of diet if you can.

Also, I started putting Garlic in absolutely everything, and also eating some of the bulbs raw with a class of Pink Himalayan Salt Water at night when watching a movie with my boyfriend in place of popcorn.

I had never been a huge sweets or fruits type of person. I indulged in some citrus fruits, like grape fruit and oranges, and sometimes apples from time to time. I always saw sweets as very unnecessary eating. I guess I'm a weird chick, as unnecessary eating seems to be a trend here in the states. Did you know that we are the one of the only countries that eats to feel full, instead of just eat to sustain the self? And it's heralded to be a glutton. I find it gross, when so many others are starving in other countries and even (and  much lesser spoken about) our own country.

Ever get a craving for booze, sweets or carbs? I used to all of the time. Here I am finding out that that symptom, coupled with a few others, are symptoms of Candida Albicans overgrowth. It is a fungus in your body making you crave these things.

Now that I have both Candida and Lyme, I have had to eliminate nearly all sugars from my diet. I am currently going through sugar withdrawal, but I am certain I will make it out just fine, and even better and stronger.

Psych meds, Birth control, Stress, Alcohol, a carby diet and antibiotics can all aid to an overgrowth of this normally beneficial yeast. I've been a hostage of parts of this lifestyle from as early as 14. Possibly even before all of that. You are supposed to be on probiotic through all of these things, and I had never once heard of the necessity of one from doctor nor guardian growing up. Pharma doesn't care about your health, they care about your money.

Currently I am in the process of healing from Lyme, Candida and also a lifetime of damage to my gut.

I believe that the body is very capable of regenerating, granted it isn't being filled with even more toxins. Just like the invisible sugars mentioned earlier, there are also invisible toxins that could be keeping you sick longer in many things, even your water.