Mad World and a Prayer

December 2015

Mad World and Prayers

Awareness makes me weak in the knees. To go back in time to June on that fateful Strawberry Moon and become infected with Lyme Disease all over again, and let's imagine things were different.

Had I not been informed prior by friends and others with Lyme, I would never have known to speak up for myself and against all of the doctors telling me that I would be fine after a month of antibiotic. I would have gone back home, still feeling crappy and when my symptoms progressively continued to get worse, I'd have done what many people abused by the health care system had done and gone back to the doctor and explain that I am still ill and want to feel better. Then, they would have proceeded to tell me that I was crazy. That I had been imagining my symptoms. Then, the Lyme would have slowly but surely taken over my body. Eventually, I would have died.

People DO die from health complications caused by Lyme Disease. It usually manifests as inflammation in the heart (a heart attack) or inflammation in the brain (seizures). The symptoms that lead up to these final stages are many, and include but are not limited to Alzheimer symptoms, dementia, paralysis and major arthritic pain and discomfort.

I can only imagine how many people have died this way, and my heart cries out to all of them and to their families.

Had I not had the means to afford an LLMD (Lyme Literate Doctor) I might have suffered that same fate. Who knows? In the future I might not be able to afford one or obtain one, and treatment for Lyme is open ended.

LLMD's can be pricey, and insurance does not cover anything, beside some prescriptions and the lab tests. The vitamins, food and water you consume are what's important for the immune system to do it's thing, and none of this stuff is cheap. There is also usually a distance to drive, and the time and money for gas can be hard to come by also.

Once again. I think of all of the people that don't have the funds to treat their Lyme. The destitute and the disabled. The elderly. What about children with Lyme? Doctors lie to their parents and then they suffer in their entire lives in silence, thinking that the pain is normal.

I feel sick to my stomach when I think of how I evaded this death by luck in circumstance, and how it may be my end in the future. I think about how many people suffered with Lyme until they died from it, all because they were either misguided by those they thought they could trust or because they didn't have enough money.

I think about those who are suffering right now because of money, because of misinformation, because of greed.

I wish I could help them all.

America is the only place that I know of that has LLMD's. Canada doesn't have any even.

In other countries, people are suffering and dying from Lyme disease due to a number of things including lack of education and lack of means.

There are people walking around right now, amongst all of us, that have Lyme Disease and don't know it.

A woman I spoke to at MD Junction (A GREAT forum full of information and great people for Lyme support) said that she had just assumed that her symptoms came naturally with middle age. The tiredness, brain fog and arthritis. She found she had Lyme and Coinfections. Lyme left untreated is lethal. Had she not found out, she would have died.


There simply isn't enough awareness. With awareness come questions. With questions come conversation. With conversation, more learn and things get done. The chance of mass hysteria and demanding of proper treatment for Lyme patients certainly wouldn't hurt either.

My prayers (wishes/intentions/vibrations etc.) tonight go out to all of the suffering. The light within shines toward to them and to their families. May they find peace and eventually rest from this jilted reality.

My prayers go to the doctors behind Lyme research. My they one day find a cure for this increasing epidemic.

The Grateful Post, 2015 :)

Grateful Post:

I genuinely believe that with any disease, trauma or life transition, a constant check of what we are grateful is necessary and reassuring. Too often do we polarize events and get hung up on the negative sides of things.

With every dark there is a light, so I've decided to devote this post to the light side of Lyme Disease, followed by a list of things I am thankful for. One of the plus sides of actually writing the list is that it may be viewed during times of sadness as a reminder of the things we do have, keeping the sorrow at bay.

If anyone gets too sad, please write to me, talk to someone in your support system (friends or family) or call the Response Hotline available 24/7.

Their number is (631) 751-7500

　

The Light side of Lyme Disease:

-I've been spending a lot of time at home, which has given me ample time to work on projects, complete things that I usually have a hard time finishing and of course, write to you all. :)

-I've been really listening to my dreams and my body during this down time. It's like getting to know myself all over again and in different ways.

-I've been eating better than I ever have, and really focusing on my nutrition and putting money into it. I always used to just eat something quick and go. Now I am taking my time and eating properly. I've also been hydrating properly for the first time really ever.

-I'm learning how to cook all sorts of wonderful things that challenge the SAD, which excites me.

- My entire life style is changing for the healthier.

-I've always been an extreme person, and this illness is teaching me to see the world in a balance.

-I am gaining so much more respect for myself. I combat every horrible symptom, and then I get through them. My body even as I'm typing is warm from fighting off the Lyme. This means that it is doing what it is supposed to do without any problems.

-I am learning to seek pleasure and happiness out of much more than food, sex or intoxicants. Many of my friends have not reached this place, and some others will never.

Those are just some of the light side of things that I can quickly jot down off the top of my head.

Can you see the light side in your life? Lyme or no Lyme, this is an important and useful strategy.

Grateful List:

I am grateful for a chance to recover and to heal.

I am grateful to have the resources to eat the way that I need to to heal.

I am grateful to be warm and comfortable in my new home.

I am grateful to have good water here to quicken my healing.

I am grateful for a good mind and a big heart.

I am grateful for a working body that is on my side for the fighting of this disease.

I am grateful to not have to work if I can't while I'm healing.

I am grateful for the option of full recovery during remission.

I am grateful for a good Lyme doctor.

I am grateful that I live in a country that has lyme literate physicians. So many people in other countries die from Lyme as it goes untreated.

I am grateful for the reminder that the American food pyramid and standard diet do nothing but harm and illness for others.

I am grateful for awareness.

I am gratfeul for days I feel normal.

Those are some things I am grateful for. Can you think of reasons to be grateful, despite this disease? Write them down to remind yourself.

December 2015

New Symptoms Rising With Increase of Medicine, and old ones make a come back

On 8-9 pills of the Buhner Core Protocol daily, I have been experiencing a series of new symptoms, along with some of the old ones. That's the crazy thing about Lyme, some days you feel fine, and then all of a sudden you wake up feeling slammed.

It's been a very up and down process.

Loss of Appetite was there for a few weeks startign right around Thanksgiving. I'd get full off of nothing, and simply had no desire to eat at all. I did make myself eat somethings though.

Nausea has also made a come back, as well as the crushing sensation in my chest when I sleep.

Some of that is anxiety, and some is like air hunger.

I did some research, and Stephen Buhner mentions air hunger as a Lyme symptom, and he gives a generous list of herbal options to try to sooth this. One is Horehound.

I thought this might be inflammation, and possibly connected to a Herx reaction, so I got into an Epsom Salt bath and took three Ibuprofen (to take down the inflammation) and three capsules of Zen Life supplements stress and anxiety management.

Included in those capsules are calming herbs like Ashwaganda and Lemon Balm. Ashwaganda just also happens to be on Buhner's list for air hunger. These things worked well for me, and I was eventually able to sleep and rest peacefully without the sensation.

As with any of these posts, I am not a doctor, I simply am writing my experience and how my body has reacted to certain things.

My loss of appetite eventually came back on it's own, along with my sex drive which also veers in and out.

Motion sickness has made vehicular travelling close to impossible without me feeling very dizzy and ill.

My lethargy lately has been decently bad, and I have not been being very active. I feel like a portion of this is due to the change of the seasons as well.

　

　

My Frozen Yogurt Hell

My Frozen Yogurt Hell

Before I started using plastic to freeze my raw milk, I was using glass jars. I really do try to avoid plastic, but the following story shows how it is truly impractical.

I had a friend over, and I was getting ready to prepare a meal. As I opened my freezer door, I was disgruntled to find an exploded jar of milk, with remnants of the glass and the milk lining the freezer's bottom. My friend jokingly grabbed a spoon and said,

"When life gives you spilled milk, make frozen yogurt."

Then he made a gesture like he was scooping off the frozen liquid and eating it.

I saved this idea for when I was making my probiotic yogurt for the week next. I had made my weekly batch and one of the jars of it didn't quite turn out. It was soupy and kind of sour.

I then decided to make Raspberry Frozen Yogurt from the botched batch from a recipe that I found online, rather than wasting it.

The recipe called for Raspberries, 0ver a cup of Xylitol put in a blender and of course, the yogurt.

I was excited to try it.

　

Once it was finished, it stood purple and perfect. Glistening a little from the Xylitol.

I ate one serving, and it was so good, I ate two more. I should not have done this.

About two hours later, my stomach started churning and I started having a severe Herx reaction. I could not figure out why.

On top of this, I had severe diarrhea

These reactions were strong and lasted for two days.

I did some looking around, and found that Xylitol is actually used to fight Lyme and even prescribed by some LLMD's to their patients. This explains the Herx I had experienced.

I wish I would have known all of this before I had decided to use a recipe calling for so much of the sweetener. That could have been dangerous.

　

　

The Hunt for Raw Dairy

The Hunt for Raw Dairy

Yes, raw dairy is illegal. I have decided to add it to my treatment though, so that I might make probiotic yogurt from it and use a bit in recipes.

It took me quite a while to track down where to even find some of the dairy. I started at Farmer's Markets, and while there was plenty of raw cow, the goat milk remained elusive. I started asking questions and doing some research.

My mother has goats that she uses for milking, but she could only help me out with so much before I needed to find my own sources.

I eventually found a woman who owned a goat farm two hours from my home, and I drove there one day and bought the milk in bulk. It costs ten dollars a gallon, and I bought four gallons.

When I had returned home, I froze them all in plastic Ziplock bags fof future usage. Goat Milk stays good for up to six months frozen.

I've greatly reduced my dairy intake, and four gallons will last me a while.

When your food costs more and is harder to obtain, you really learn to appreciate it.

Later on during purchasing, this lady eventually ended up driving into my town, as to save me gas money, which I was very grateful for. I now have enough milk for the entire winter, should I need it.

Just call around and ask around, and you will find the things you need.

What's interesting about all of this, the diet changes and dairy sources, is that this is closer to a diet we as humans should be eating anyway.

One in 3,000 people will become sick from raw dairy. To me, that seems worth the risk to try it and reap the benefits. Especially now that a potentially fatal illness now runs through my veins.

Looking back for a cure, November 2015

 

"Those about to study medicine, and the younger physicians should light their torches at the fires of the ancients"

My mother taught me to question authority, but to do so tactfully, and to always do my own research. It would be much easier for me to sit back and let my LLMD do all of the work for me, but I have been blessed with an LLMD that even encourages me to do my own research and find some of my own answers, while he acts as a gentle guide.

In light of the last paragragh, I have been studying books of every kind, and have been concentrating on nutrition and herbal remedy. I've also been really branching out and asking everyone I know who has Lyme or anyone who knows someone with Lyme what they have done and what has or has not worked or been useful . All of these people, plus a plethora of books and web sites are my sources for my writing on this blog.

During my studies, I stumbled across multiple ancient texts on medicinals and healing, and a part of these was the Ebers Papyrus.

It is the oldest and most important medical Papyri of Ancient Egypt. It's herbal knowledge dates back to 1550 BC.

While a great deal of this book is sheer madness (they put feces, beer and excrement on EVERYTHING), they also had discovered some things that we still even use today, or that we had used for a time.

Examples of such are using poppies to stop a child from crying, using parts of a hog to treat indegestion in the form of wafers (Tums), and the use of Castor Oil as a laxative.

There was an abundance of wisdom in these chapters, and the ones I found interesting for my own personal healing concerning Lyme pertained to the usage of Garlic, Honey and Raw Milk.

Garlic is known for it's antibiotic and biofilm killing qualities when it comes to Lyme. I eat a few cloves raw on a daily. It can make you herx.

Raw honey in moderation (too much will feed Candida) can be used as an antibiotic also, and is full of living enzymes. It is a very healing food. I take Manuka Honey with tea daily, but I have also heard good things about Yemeni honey.

Raw Goat Milk is more like human milk and is not acidic like Cow Milk. There have been many people who claim their Lyme has been completely cured by drinking raw milk and by fasting on raw milk alone.

In the words of my LLMD, do the research. We live in a time where the world's largest library is available to all of us for free, and for some it comes hand held.

A Grainless Thanksgiving, 2015

A Grainless Thanksgiving

November 2015

 

 

 

As I've officially adopted a grainless, sugar and dairy free (beside raw goat milk) diet, I was concerned about how my holidays were going to turn out.

When we think of food for Thanksgiving, our minds intantly go to the pies, gravies, stuffings, mashed potatoes and other edible trademarks of the holiday.

determined to enjoy my holiday, I hunted for recipes that were both Candida and Lyme friendly, while being tasty.

I took recipes from the SCD diet, the Paleo diet and the Candida diet.

I ended up with a complete spread, including a pie, fudge and cinnamon role muffins. I even was able to make tarts!!

Mind you, this type of eating is not an everyday occurence, but was made for the holdays. A steady diet of these dishes could result eventually in a flare up of the Candida.

Below, I am sharing some of my recipes from Thanksgiving that usually require grain or dairy, but in the case of these do not.

Grainless Thanksgiving 2015:

　

-Grainless, dairy free sweet stuffing (This was DELICIOUS)

To make the bread:

GAPS Grain Free Banana Cake/Bread Recipe:

Wet ingredients:

-2 cups of almond butter

-4 medium bananas mashed

-4 eggs

-4 TBSPs honey (I reduced this to two due to using it for stuffing) plus one tsp vanilla extract

-2 tsps apple cider vinegar

-2 T butter, ghee or coconut oil

Dry ingredients:

-1 tsp cinnamon

-1 tsp baking soda

-1/2 teaspoon sea salt

-4 tbsps coconut flour

Directions:

-Preheat oven to 350

-oil a a cake pan (I used a glass rectangular pan)

-Mix all dry ingredients together in a bowl

-In separate bowl, mix all wet ingredients

-Combine wet and dry ingredients together and mix together until combined

-Pour batter into pan and cook for 40 minutes, or until done. Cake should have risen slightly and look golden brown. (I have over cooked this, and it still turned out okay)

-Let pan cool for 15 minutes before cutting into

Once this bread is made, cut into stuffing cubes, and then put on a baking sheet, then put in the oven to dry for two days. If not completely dried by day two, turn oven on lowest setting and leave set for an hour.

The bread should not be as hard as croutons, but also should not be moist. This will only make your stuffing's texture either soggy or too hard. Continuously check your stuffing to make usre the consistence is right. You can also add Parsely to your cubes while drying them. This stuffing recipe is very herby and aromatic.

Stuffing Ingredients:

-Cubed Stuffing squares

-1/4 cup fresh parsley

-2 tbsp coconut oil

-1/2 red onion diced (I used yellow)

-4 celery sticks diced

-2 teaspoons dried Thyme leaves

-1 Teaspoon dried Rosemary

-1/2 tsp dried ground sage

-1/4 tsp black pepper

-1/4 teaspoon Himalayan rock salt

-1/4 teaspoon ground Ginger

-1/4 teaspoon ground Cinnamon

-1 cup home made beef broth

Directions for Stuffing:

-Toss fresh Parsley and bread chunks in a large bowl and set aside

-Preheat oven for 350 and light grease a casserole dish with coconut oil

-Heat oil in a large pan on medium high heat, to cook onion for five minutes or until soft, then add celery, thyme, rosemary, sage, pepper, salt, ginger and cinnamon. Cook for another three minutes.

-Remove from heat and add vegetable mixture to bread. Toss and combine, don't overmix.

-Pour beef broth over the top of bread, then toss. don't over mix

-Add all to prepared casserole dish

-Cover and bake for 30 minutes

-Remove from Oven and let sit with the cover for five minutes

　

Mashed Cauliflower and Butternut Squash (in place of mashed potatoes):

Ingredients:

1/4 cup milk, milk alternative or chicken broth

1 large head of cauliflower

1 medium butternut squash

1 tsp garlic powder

Pinch salt or pepper (to taste)

Directions:

Cook Cauliflower and Butternut until tender

(Boil Cauliflower for 15 minutes, Bake squash at 325 for 45-50 minutes)

Once tender, peel the squash, remove seeds and cut in half lengthwise

place cauliflower in blender with two Tbsps milk, 1/2 tsp. Garlic Powder, and salt and pepper to taste. Blen until smooth. Spoon into serving dish.

Top with chopped chives, and you can also add an extra clove of baked garlic to the ingredients in the blender for extra taste.

Almond Butter Freezer Fudge:

-1 cup, raw unsalted almond butter

-1/4 cup coconut oil, softened

-1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 Tablespoon vanilla

(I've made this without any sweetener, and it still tasted great)

Mix all ingredients together until smooth and creamy, and then place in a square baking dish, lined with parchment paper, smooth with spatula, freeze until solid. (One hour or Two)

I always double this recipe to get thicker pieces. It's really so good.

I also skipped the sweetener, and put a sprinkle of Xylitol over it all after it was finished

　

Pumpkin Pie

Paleo Pie Crust:

2 cups blanched almond flour

1/4 teaspoon Celtic sea salt

-2 tbsp coconut oil

-1 large egg

Blend all ingredients, form a ball, press dough into a 9 inch pie dish, bake for 8-12 minutes at 350

Pumpkin Pie filling:

Blend 1 can pumpkin puree, 1/2 cup raw goat milk (or almond milk), 3 eggs, 1 Tsp Vanilla Extract, 1/4 tsp salt, 1 teaspoon ground Ginger, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (I added more), 1/2 teaspoon ground Nutmeg, 1/2 cup honey

Blend all well, and then layer into the pie crust

bake at 350 for 30 minutes, let pie cool

　

Happy Holidays!!