Thursday, October 26, 2017

Andrew Nowacki's channel on YouTube was also very helpful to me during treatment.
I would recommend anyone looking to heal Lyme on all levels, including spiritual, look into these videos.
He also goes over certain diets and herbal treatments for Lyme and Co and is also now in remission.

Wednesday, October 11, 2017

Life Goes On

I can remember how scared I was when I first found out that I had Lyme disease. I felt completely alone and horrified. I felt that no one understood me.

I felt suicidal when I realized it would be with me for life. That the life I knew I had before was gone, and that I'd never be the same again.

When I contracted Lyme from two ticks when hiking, I was 27 years old. I was the happiest I had ever been in my entire life. I felt like everything had been taken away from me, and during treatment I fell into a state of deep Nihilism.

I became suicidal during treatment, for as we all know, the treatment is always tougher than the disease itself.

I am so incredibly grateful for the support system of friends I have, who listened to me when I needed to talk, and to all of the beautiful people in the Lyme community. I have been aided by so many. Lyme helped me to feel connected, and I learned a lesson of balance.

The greatest gift of this disease, one of many, was witnessing the true beauty of the human spirit. Compassion.

 I am in remission now, my brain fully preserved, because of complete strangers who went out of their way to help someone in their same shoes. The amount of empathy I experienced was one of the greatest treasures that I will hold onto my entire life. As I write this, my entire body becomes full of emotion, and tears even come to my eyes.

These acts of compassion have urged me to continue healing some deeper wounds that are unrelated, and have compassion for myself.

As with anything, this entire ordeal was a gift and a curse rolled up into one.

I am going to quit this blog for now, but, if Lyme should ever return, than so will I.

My plans are to treat once a year for a small amount of time, to keep my bacterial load low so my immune system will not get overpowered and taken over. I will likely continue an anti inflammatory and grainless diet, and be mindful of my sugar intake and Candida balance.

Health and wellness to you Dear Reader.

Hopefully we won't have to meet again.

Some Ways to Stimulate the Vagus Nerve at Home

  1. Slow, rhythmic, diaphragmatic breathing. Breathing from your diaphragm, rather than shallowly from the top of the lungs stimulates and tones the vagus nerve.
  2. Humming. Since the vagus nerve is connected to the vocal cords, humming mechanically stimulates it. You can hum a song, or even better repeat the sound ‘OM.’
  3. Speaking. Similarly, speaking is helpful for vagal tone, due to the connection to the vocal cords.
  4. Washing your face with cold water. The mechanism here is not known, but cold water on your face stimulates the vagus nerve.
  5. Meditation. Loving kindness meditation promotes feelings of goodwill towards yourself and others. A 2010 study by Barbara Fredrickson and Bethany Kik found that increasing positive emotions led to increased social closeness and an improvement in vagal tone.
  6. Balancing the gut microbiome. The presence of healthy bacteria in the gut creates a positive feedback loop through the vagus nerve, increasing its tone.

Pain Management and How I dealt with Herxing

For some, herxing will be alleviated with Alkaseltzer gold. I personally have never tried this.

I looked at the root of the problem, which is inflammation, and then I took it from there and figured it out myself.

I was running in a field one morning. It was in mid Autumn. The cold air seared through my body. I stopped for a moment, feeling my breathing changing, and I started to cough.

I remembered this feeling from long before. When I was diagnosed with childhood asthma.

Anxiety spilled out of me, and I rummaged through my back pack while wheezing, looking for an inhaler that I didn't have out of habit.

What I did have was an apple, a sandwich, and a metal cylinder of fresh water.

I sat on the ground, pulling my knees to my chest, and for some reason, my body commanded me to eat the apple as fast as I could. I did that, and I sipped on the water. Within the half hour, my asthma attack was gone. The inflammation gone.

I found out much later that apples contain certain agents that fight inflammation. Including Quercetin.

Apples are powerful.

During herxes, I have used a combination of apples, lots of water and Turmeric while sitting in a hot detox both of epsom salts. If those failed, I would take a bite of Benadryl, which is a last resort but always worked.

Herxes are different for everyone. Mine included panic attacks, pain, my throat feeling like it was going to swell up, and feeling like I couldn't swallow or breather. Keeping mind over matter, and reminding myself the root of the Herx was inflammation, and then treating the inflammation and in the future avoiding it, resulted in the defeat of it.

................................................................................................................

Pain Management-

Most Lyme pain that I have heard of seems to be from die-off. Inflammation. Which can be fought through diet and other methods,
Though, there is some that is pure nerve pain, from damage done by these wretched bugs.
I let myself experience the pain, but used anti inflammatory herb sand ibuprofen to help. I also stimulated my Vagus Nerve regularly.
Here are some other methods to treat:

-Stimulating the Vagus Nerve

-Nuerotin

-Lyrica

-Kratom

-Medical Marijuana

-Nueral Therapy




Affordable Methods of Treatment for Lyme and Co.

Here is a list of affordable Lyme treatments that I have heard have worked for people to heal from Lyme.
Mind you, most of these people couldn't work during treatment, so some adjustments may need to be made to your lifestyle.

1- Buhner Core Protocol.


2- Chronic Tonic-
     4oz cats claw, 2 oz echinacea root (angustfolia), 2 oz teasel, 2 oz Eleurethero, 2oz Red Root, 2 oz Japanese Knotweed, 1 oz St john's Wort, 1 oz Sweet Annie (artemisia annua, sweet wormwood), 1/2 oz Neem Leaf, 1/4 oz Oregano, 1/4 oz Thyme

You will need a scale that does both grams and ounces. Do not estimate! This is impotant as these herbs are strong. Miz all herbs together in air tight container. Store away from heat and light.

To make Tonic:
Take 13 gs of mixed herbs and add to four cups of water that has been brought to a boil and then removed from heat. (do not boil herbs) Allow to steep for 20 minutes. Set a timer. dont forget. If it goes over the time throw it out. it will be too strong. Drink 1 cup 4 times a day. Work your way up to four cups. Brew the tonic daily so it's potent.


3- Hot Water Therapy-  Using a Hot tub, Sun bathing, or Sauna or Bath, raise your body to 103. Use a thermometer. Sustain it there for a half hour once weekly. This will work for Lyme, but might not for coinfections, which can be treated additionally with herbs.


4- Vitamin C and Salt Protocol


5- Spice Treatment- Ceylon Cinnamon, Ginger, Turmeric, Ashwaganda, Diatomaceous Earth, 1 Tbsp daily. Twice a day. Work your way up. Start slow.

-Oregano oil, 4 drops daily (work your way up)

-Moringa Tea

6- Tai Qi


How I recovered, and affordable treatment options for people without insurance or cash


For starters, I got caught at day 8.

This isn't to dishearten anyone, or to say that I don't believe those who got caught later or those with Late Stage Lyme won't or can't.

I know for a fact they do and can, and even with out an LLMD. 

Some of the people I have spoken to, have even said that LLMDs made them worse.

My first LLMD was a genius, but he abandoned me after a regular MD started asking questions about his practice. My second LLMD was a total and utter quack.

Diet helped me immensely. A high protein Paleo diet did the world for me.

Antibiotic, multiple types, including Doxy, Augmentin and Biaxin were used during my year and a half of treatment.

Stimulating my Vagus Nerve, which is a natural anti inflammatory, helped me immensely. (I will post about how to do this at home separately)

Singing, dancing, hiking, creating and working out in the sun helped me to heal.I also had to cut out the toxic people in my life, including my own family members. Energy is a real thing. It can help you or hinder you.

I had to move my residence, to a place with Well water to avoid city water contents. I do believe city water keeps many sick. But I know a few with city water who have recovered. It isnt a death sentence.

Herbs also helped me to heal. And vitamins.

Buhner protocol, Oreganol Ps73 solution, Curcumin, Vitamin C and D, high salt diet, Garlic. Hot baths. Detoxing. These all helped. 

Apples came to the rescue several times with herxing as well. 

Cat's Claw. Serrapeptase. Grape fruit seed extract. Coconut oil. Sobriety.

All helped and now I am fine. 




I am in Remission...Complete Remission

Seven Months ago, I stopped going to my LLMD.

I was battling a terrible depression, and I took a leap of faith.

I stopped all of my Lyme meds completely. After a year and a half. Just to see what would happen.

And guess what?

I am in remission, and have been in remission for seven months and counting now. With no symptoms beside Candida symptoms.

My LLMD told me I wasn't in remission, because I was still having Herxheimer reactions from medicines.

What he didn't tell me, is that most of the herbals I was on kill Candida, Parasites and Viruses and Mold as well, which can all create Herxheimer reactions.

He also didn't explain that even the blood and stool tests from Candida can be false.

I have no symptoms.

I have noticed an increase in my asthma, and also a slight pain in my joints like Fibro when I eat too much of certain foods, like sugar and gluten.

I believe this is Candida.

Other than that, I have no symptoms at all.

I am back to work and living life again.

This has been such a blessing, and now I can attempt to help others on their journeys.

The next post I make, I will be sharing the things that healed me, and also all of the things I have heard from trusted others that have helped them, that I might even try in the future if Lyme ever returns for me again.