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.

Was Lyme Disease Created on Plum Island?

Plum Island, Project Paperclip and Lyme Disease...

I'm not usually one for conspiracies.

Okay, okay. I'm not usually one for MOST conspiracies, but anyone who does any kind of research on Lyme Disease will eventually stumble across the many pages written about Lyme actually being created at the biological testing facility center on the island, called the Plum Island Animal Disease Center.

 The center is not even ten miles away from Old Lyme Connecticut, the place where the first known case of Lyme disease was stumbled upon in 1975. A coincidence?

Apparently the Center also has a tick lab.

Rumor has it, that Plum Island recruited a Nazi named Erich Traub after WWII. He was apparently a biological weapons director and his specialties were infecting mosquitoes and ticks with biological germs.

Is it possible that one of these ticks or a mosquito (Lyme is in mosquitoes also) jumped on to a person, animal or boat and then started infecting people in Lyme?

It is interesting to consider, considering all of the controversy surrounding Lyme Disease, and the fact that no one wants to treat it or touch it.

Doctors and professionals really do treat you like you're insane if you are sick with Lyme, stating that there's no possible way it could have survived afterward. The doctor that I first spoke of in my post about the ER visit tried to pull that one on me, but I knew better from other people that had gone through it all before me.

I've talked with my LLMD multiple times about how Lyme patients are neglected in society and suffer immensely. And for what? We both agreed on the same thing.

 Greed.

There are alot of reputable sites that back up the Plum Island (Project Paperclip) Story, as well as some that I wouldn't trust.

National Geographic questions it. But they also believe in Mermaids. :)

Have a good night, fellow Lymies and readers. Tonight is going to be a long one for me.

GAPS Diet better for Candida? And possibly good for Lyme as well?

Researching and researching right before I start my new protocol, and I've found multiple pieces written on the GAPS diet being beneficial for Lyme and Candida, possibly even better for Candida than the Candida diet.

The Candida diet only works partially, and doesn't heal anything, because they continue to allow the usage of grains (that are unglutinous) and starchy vegetables like potatoes eventually.
The GAPS diet is a two year diet whom's mission serves to ultimately heal up the gut.

This all has me curious now, as to which diet would actually be more beneficial, as I have also read that the GAPS diet is not specifically structured for Candida. Does that mean it might make the yeast worse?

So confusing!

If you don't eat any sugars at all for a long time (say the two years of the GAPS diet), won't your body react badly to it?

Surprisingly enough, my LLMD knows nothing about the Candida diet.

I am already on Nystatin, a good probiotic and Alcornea. I just need the right diet to compliment the treatment.

The Candida Diet

I covered briefly that the Candida diet is a rigid one. Just how rigid is it?

Foods to avoid:

-Sugars (Honey,Sugar,Cane Sugar,Syrup,Chocolate, Molasses, Rice syrup and artificial sweeteners)

-Alcohol (Wine,Beer,Spirits,Liquors,Cider)

-Grains and Glutinous Food (Corn by products, like popcorn, Anything made with Wheat, Rye, Oats, Barley, White bread, Rye Bread, Pasta, Spelt products, Corn and Corn by products.

-Fruit (Fresh fruit,Dried fruit, Canned fruit, Fruit juice)

-Vegetables (Potatoes, Carrots, Sweet Potatoes, Yams, Beets, Peas, Parsnips)

-Meats (All pork products, Cured meats, Processed meats, Smoked or Vacuum packed meats)

-Fish (all fish except for wild salmon, sardines and shellfish)

-Dairy Product (Cheese, Milk, Cream, Whey products)

-Additives and Preservatives (Citric acid, anything you don't know or Can't pronounce)

-Other beverages (Coffee, black and green tea, diet and regular soda, energy drinks, fruit juices)

-Nuts- (Cashews, Peanuts, Pistachios)

Beans- (Beans and other legumes, chickpeas, Tofu, Soy Cheese, Soy Milk, All soy products)

-Mushrooms- (Mushrooms and Truffles)

-Condiments- (Ketchup, Mayo, Mustard, relsih, Horse Radish, Soy sauce) (Tomato sauce and tomato paste can contain hidden sugars)

-Vinegar- (All vinegar besides apple cider vinegar)

-Fats and oils- (Peanut oil, Corn oil, Canola oil, Soy oil)

With a list like this, one wonders what is there left to eat?

-Vegetables- Artichokes, Asparagus, Avocado, Broccoli, Brussel Sprouts, Cabbage, Celery, Cucumber, Eggplant, raw Garlic, Kale, Olives, Onions, Rutabaga, Spinach, Tomatoes, Zucchini (Eat them fresh and raw, steamed or grilled)

-Live Yogurt Cultures- Probiotic, Yogurt, Kefir

-Meat and Eggs- Beef, Chicken, Lamb, Turkey, Eggs

-Fish- Anchovies, Herring, Sardines, Wild Salmon

-Nuts and Seeds- Almonds, Coconut Meat, Flax seed, Hazlenuts, Pecans, Sunflower seeds, walnuts

-Non Glutinous Grains- Buckwheat, Millet, Oat Bran, Quinoa

-Herbs and Spices- Basil, Black pepper, Cinnamon, Cloves, dill, Garlic, Oregano, Paprika, Rosemary, Thyme, Turmeric

-Oils- Virgin Coconut oil, Olive oil, Sesame Oil, Flax Oil, Coconut Oil, Red Palm Oil

-Seasoning- Black Pepper, Sea Salt, Lemon juice, Cocnut, Aminos, Apple Cider Vinegar,

Beverages-Chicory root coffee, Cinnamon Tea, Peppermint tea, Ginger Tea, licorice Tea

-Sweeteners- Stevia, Xylitol

I did notice that there was nothing about brown rice, which I use at times, and plan to use.

If anyone has any recipe ideas, for either this or the Lyme diet, please feel free to post them. I'd love to hear them and desperately need ideas.

September 27, 2015...Still waiting for LB core protocol and anxiety reigns supreme

Today I did some more research, and I read that after remission, Lyme can come back and often does. Does this mean I'll have to be on medication forever? Will I have to always be waiting for remission to end and then head back to an LLMD every time it comes back?

So basically, my LLMD owns me now? I truly hope this isn't the case. I don't think I could handle it.

I was also reading, and saw that many people's brains were affected with lesions from Lyme. Does this stuff go away? Will I ever be able to lead a normal existence again? What if I can't afford the treatment everytime?

Lyme can be fatal if not treated, but it never really goes away, so does that mean it's killing me now?

What about when I'm old?

I just want to go back to how I used to be. I don't want to have to depend on a doctor for the rest of my life.

Needless to say, my anxiety is not doing the best today. I have been really anxious as I'm waiting for my LB Core protocol to come in the mail, and right now I'm on nothing to fight anything but the Candida.

Two deep breaths, and time to stop stressing, and take it one step at a time.

Candida Symptoms

Candida is a very common co occurrence when placed on months of antibiotic. If you read my journal entries after Strawberry Moon, you'll see how long I was on antibiotic without a decent probiotic and how quickly Candida had developed in my unprotected system.

Candida is a yeast that is already in our bodies, but the overgrowth and lack of good flora is when it becomes an issue.

Antibiotics can help kill Lyme, but they wipe out your natural biota. 

I was using different foods for probiotic, like ginger beer, Miso soup and Goat's milk Yogurt. I also used an oral probiotic that I had purchased, and it's name was Probi 30 Billion. None of these things are enough when it comes to being on heavy antibiotic, and many vitamins and supplements sold in stores are merely placebo. Jarro Dophilis EPS by Jarrow Formulas is a good one, and you can find it affordably on Amazon. 

Also, anyone using Kombucha for probiotic, or drinking too much of it at all should really stop. I understand that it's a trend right now, but if you do the research it's not as good for you as claimed to be, and can even make the build up worst. 

The symptoms of Candida are actually very similar to the symptoms of Lyme disease. These include the following: 

-Inability to focus

-Irritability

-Poor Memory

-Brain Fog

-Dizziness

-Depression

-Crying Spells

-Panic Attacks

-Low Libido

-Persistent Extreme Fatigue

-Hyperactivity

-Craving for sweets and alcohol

-Insomnia

-Poor Cooridination

-Acid Reflux

-Bloating

-Flatulence

-Nausea

-Diarrhea

-Constipation

-Stomach Cramps

-Indigestion

-Burping After Meals

-Mucus in Stool

-Hemorrhoids

-Itching Anus

-Acne

-Cysts

-Hives

-Night Sweats

-Psoriasis

-Eczema

-Dermatitis

-Fungal Infections

-Athlete's Foot

-Body Odor

-Thrush

-Swollen lower lip

-Halitosis

-Metallic taste in mouth

-Bad breath

-Canker sores

-Bleeding gums

-Cracked tongue

-Persistent cough

-Mucus in throat

-Sore throat

-Sinus congestion

-Chronic post nasal drip

-Flu like symptoms

-Sinusitis

-Asthma

-Eye pain

-itchy eyes

-Light sensitivity

-Blurred vision

-Bags under eyes

-Ringing in ears

-Ear infections

-Recurring yeast infections

-recurring UTIs

-Cystitis

-PMS/Mentrual Irregularities

-Fungal Rash

-Frequent Cold and flu

-Allergies

-Sensitivities to food

-Fragrances

-Chemicals

-Inability to lose weight

-Water retention

-Weight loss

-Head aches

-Heart palpitations

-Chronic body pain or joint pain

-Muscle aches/stiffness

Candida on tongue

Candida, like Lyme is often misdiagnosed as IBS, Arthritis, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Diaper Rash, Athlete's Foot, Crohn's Disease, and Gastroenteritis

So, how does one treat Candida? Depending on whom you ask, the answer varies. 

Some believe the answers lie in diet, and others will tell you it lies in medicine. 

My doctor is currently testing me for Candida, and I am placing myself on the very strict and ever unpopular Candida diet. 

I am also advised to be on Jarro Dophilis, Alcornea tincture and Nystatin.

On a personal note, I almost wonder how many people walk around in their day to day lives misdiagnosed by traditional doctors and ill treated, when they really just have severe cases of yeast build up or gut issues?

Do our American diets make us sick and crazy, and then have the healthcare system leave our problems overlooked and blame it on other things and then be prescribed medication, only making us sicker and crazier, when all we would essentially need is to change our diets??

The possibility of that is horrifying.

Considering all of the backwards direction from traditional doctors that I have personally experienced on this journey so far, that attempted to lead me to be ill for the rest of my life and then tell me I'm crazy, I do not put it past them. The health care system is a mess. You can't even trust your own doctors.

 

Urgent Message for the Lyme community

URGENT MESSAGE FOR THE LYME COMMUNITY
TWO CHILDREN in Alabama were just apprehended by Child Services and placed in separate foster homes because their mother was treating one of the boys for Lyme disease. A 'fill in' doctor at the pediatrician's office stated to the mother, who took her boy there because of ear troubles that 'Lyme disease is the new cult and that treating this child for Lyme is child abuse.' he went on to say that he will do everything in his power to have the children taken from the mother and that she was doing this for attention. Last night, police and child services arrived to her home. Her 6 and 7 yr old boys were taken away from her. Child services would not allow the children to even go stay with family. They have given her very little information on what to do, and had not even done an investigation prior to apprehending the children.