An Update On Treatments! Old & New!

Hi guys! Not really sure if anyone reads this anymore but for my own reference it's time for an update! So there have definitely been some changes over the past few months in regards to my treatments and how i've been feeling. I'm happy to say i've noticed some improvement in symptoms! The last 2 weeks of August while I was in Maine I had kind of noticed it, then it seemed i got worse for a week or so once back home, but by the end of September I seemed to be having more better days, and this month has also been sprinkled with better days here and there.

I can't tell you how encouraging this is, after being stuck at this standstill for so long, travelling to different states, trying everything under the sun and not feeling ANY different. I wish i could say that i'm feeling huge major improvements and i know for sure it's (fill in the blank) supplement that is doing it, but as you guys probably know if you're dealing with lyme, or any chronic illness, it's never black and white.

I CAN say that the one thing I HAVE done differently since mid August is I started using essential oils! If you're part of the lyme forums on facebook or even just do searched in google for lyme treatments, chances are you've come across essential oils at some point. I had several times and actually had some experience with essential oils in general because of my old etsy shop (i made naturally scented body butters, bath bombs, perfumes etc). But i never really used them medicinally, just for fun! In August after reading yet another story of a woman who recovered from late stage lyme using the oils, I decided to bite the bullet and purchase a kit from doterra. I will explain more how I use them and which ones i find helpful in my youtube video (will be posted tomorrow? maybe?). But i definitely am kind of addicted and can't wait to get more to try!

Another thing that's new! I went to a new practitioner who does something called B.I.E. It's a form of accupressure and was created to deal with allergies at first. But it's really just a way to bring the body back into homeostasis. My first appointment was at the beginning of October and it went well. My practitioner explained that my "polarity" is reversed. She said this is often the case with people who have chronic illnesses, and who have tried everything and nothing seems to be working (me!). When your polarity is reversed, your body looks as good things (mainly foods)  as a a threat, and it allows bad things (viruses, bacteria, etc) to stay.  She explained that we couldn't move forward with testing all the foods/substances and doing the corrections until this was fixed. So the last 3 supplements you see on the list below are from this practitioner and are supposed to help correct this, then i'll be starting the testing/ accupressure treatments.

As far as my herbal/homeopathic protocol goes, this is what I am currently on:

Some of my current daily supplements. Note the devil stress fomula looking all inconspicuous on the end.

Tox-Ease GL (12 drop 2x daily)
Parazomin (12 drops 2x daily)
UNDA 243 (10 drops 2x daily)
Licorice Root Tincture (20 drops 2x daily - 250mg)
Chlorella (3 grams 2x daily)
Hydroxy B12 (1000mg once daily)
Folapro (half tab once daily)
Vitamin D (2000mg once daily)

Thymus/Echinacea (20 drops 2x daily)
Le Tonique (1 tbsp 2x daily)
*Stress  Fomula (1 tab 2x daily)

*This Stress formula and I are not friends. It's basically a b-complex, and for whatever reason my body hates b complex. This could very well be due to MTHFR issues (which i have) however EVERY practitioner I see tells me i test as needing some form of b-complex. SO for now i am taking half a tab for a few days then taking a week off. My symptoms just get worse and when it gets to the point where i can't eat because i'm so nauseous/weak I need to back off and do what is best for my body.

Alright I think that about sums it up for now! I will write again soon. Hopefully. Maybe. :)

Finally an update!

I haven't posted in forever! So decided it was time!

So I actually just got back from 2 weeks in Maine a couple days ago.  My family and I go almost every summer, and it's absolutely beautiful there. I was definitely worried this time though, as this was the first time I'd be going since my health went downhill a year and a half ago. Thankfully, I was able to do more than I thought i would. I definitely had days where i stayed home at our cottage all day, but I also had days where I was able to get out and go to the beach, out for dinner, or even shopping for an hour or two! The shopping especially surprised me, as I didn't think I'd be well enough for any at all. All this has kind of made me wonder if there really is a mold issue here at home that needs to be dealt with. The fact that I seemed to do better away from home is both encouraging and worrying. We have tested the house (using the ERMI mold test) and came up a bit above what is considered "safe" for that test. But, with all the research I've done, I haven't really been able to find anyone who got a score much lower than ours, and black mold (the really bad one) wasn't present in our testing so I just don't know.

Anyways, now i'm back home, still on a bunch of supplements/vitamins. Still trying desperately to get back some sort of "normal". I'll have a follow up appointment with my LLND in a week and see if she has any new ideas. I feel like I'm definitely thinking more and more about finding another doctor as well though, since i'm not making much progress with my current one (and have been with her for about 9 months now).

If anyone has experience with dealing with mold, especially in relation to Lyme, please feel free to contact me! Or if you have a super wonderful miracle worker doctor that is good with hard cases :) haha

DIY Tick Repellent

I know I haven't done a treatment update in forever (mostly because not much has changed!), but for now I wanted to share this super simple and all natural recipe for tick repellent! It's that time of year, and the BEST way to avoid dealing with the hell that is chronic lyme disease is to NOT GET BIT in the first place! There are a few options- bug sprays with Deet and/or Permethrin, essential oils, vinegar mixes etc. This recipe combines a few natural ingredients and is super simple to whip up!

You can also use other essential oils in this recipe, many do a good job at keeping bugs away. Rose Geranium is another great option for ticks! Because my dog is terrified of the spray bottle (he won't let me near him with it!) I just apply a drop of Rose Geranium oil to his back every morning.

DIY Laundry Detergent Powder!

So this is a super simple recipe for DIY laundry detergent. I've been using it for a few months and it works just as well as commercial detergent, is a fraction of the cost, and doesn't have all the horrible chemicals found in all the most popular brands.


RECIPE:

2 Cups Washing Soda
2 Cups Borax
2 Bars of any regular soap (I used Dr. Bronner's castile bar soap, but any soap will do!)
30 drops of essential oil of your choice (optional)

Grate the soap into a large container and add in the washing soda and borax and essential oils if desired! Simple as that! Use 2 tbsp per load in HE machines, or about 1/4 cup in older washing machines!


When it comes to fabric softener and dryer sheets, alternatives are definitely also encouraged. Did you know that the ingredients aren't even listed on these products?! You'll see something like “biodegradable softeners” or a similarly vague term. Yepp, legally manufacturers are not required to list ingredients on these products, yet they contain some of the most toxic ingredients in any hosuehold cleaners!

From the article "7 Reasons to Ditch Dryer Sheets" found HERE:

"Seven most common chemicals found in dryer sheets and their effect on the central nervous system:

1. Alpha-Terpineol causes central nervous system disorders. Can also cause loss of muscular coordination, central nervous system depression, and headache.

2. Benzyl Alcohol causes central nervous system disorders, headaches, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, central nervous system depression, and, in severe cases, death.

3. Camphor on the US EPA’s Hazardous Waste list. Central nervous system stimulant, causes dizziness, confusion, nausea, twitching muscles, and convulsions.

4. Chloroform on the EPA’s Hazardous Waste list. Neurotoxic and carcinogenic.

5. Ethyl Acetate on the EPA’s Hazardous Waste list. Narcotic. May cause headaches and narcosis (stupor).

6. Linalool causes central nervous system disorders. Narcotic. In studies of animals, it caused ataxic gait (loss of muscular coordination), reduced spontaneous motor activity, and depression.

7. Pentane causes headaches, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, drowsiness, and loss of consciousness. Repeated inhalation of vapours causes central nervous system depression."

Chloroform in my dryer sheets?! Uhhhh NO THANK YOU!

Instead of fabric softener I use 1/4 cup of vinegar (your clothes will NOT retain the smell). I just pour it into the fabric softener section of my washer.

Instead of dryer sheets I use an old cloth with about 5 drops of essential oil (this will also make your clothes smell pretty!), or aluminum foil balls (literally just scrunched up aluminum foil!). I don't have any issues with static when I do this, even when washing things like fleece blankets.

Trying to pull myself out of herx hell...

Sooo i just wanted to update really quick (mostly for myself so i can keep track of this nonsense). I started on a bunch of new remedies a few weeks ago (like I mentioned in my last post). All seemed to be going well for the first few days and then i got hit with the worst herx ever. Horrible weakness, abdominal pain which had been pretty mild for the most part the last few months, and nausea so bad i was barely eating for over a week. Being that nauseous is always really scary for me because i'm so small as it is, i really can't afford to lose ANY weight.

Anyway I'm only now seeming to pull myself out of it (after stopping all my remedies and restarting on tiny itty bitty doses (i/e 1/2 a drop and 1 drop instead of 20 drops). But it was bad. Like super horrible/awful/hellish.

I did start the AN-DI treatments however (it was really a miracle i made it to my appointments because even standing/walking around the house was extremely difficult). I've had 4 treatments so far, and will be doing them twice a week all through March. Then I'll be taking a break from them (that's just how they work i guess?) for a month or so and go from there. I haven't felt any changes from them but i'm told it's not the kind of thing you feel instantly. It takes the body time to kind of harness the energy it gives and build itself back up.

So yeah. That's my quick update. I'm hoping the horrible herxing is over with and that my body will be okay with upping the doses of the new stuff eventually. For now I'm sticking with the baby doses and waiting to be sure I'm back to my baseline. Hopefully I will also start seeing some changes in the coming weeks with the AN-DI as well. I'll be sure to update about that in the coming weeks too!

Treatment Update #2! (Beyond Balance Remedies, Biofilms, AN-DI Machine)

This past Monday I had my monthly appointment with my LLND.  As far as my treatment goes, she thinks everything is basically on course. I haven't seen any major improvements yet, but through muscle testing she said she is seeing a difference in my body, and actually said my body was now strong enough that we could start working on biofilms.

For those that don't know what biofilms are, they are basically a thin protective covering that the lyme bacteria creates as a form of defense. This covering protects little colonies of bacteria, so that it is harder for treatments (i.e. antibiotics, herbs, etc.) to get at the bacteria. Once whatever antibiotics you are using take care of most of the bacteria that are just floating around unprotected, you may notice some symptoms getting better, even going away. Some people may even go into what they consider "remission". But the problem with this is, once the bacteria no longer feel threatened (i.e once you stop taking antibiotics or antimicrobials) they can emerge from this biofilm and wreak havoc all over again! Bacteria can lie dormant in biofilms for months to years. So not doing something to treat them is kind of a scary thought, as I'd prefer not to be a ticking time bomb if i ever do achieve remission!

There are a few different options for biofilm treatment. One of the most popular options includes systemic enzymes. Some of the more common ones are Nattokinase, Serrapeptase and Boluoke (Lumbrokinase). These enzymes are actually able to punch little holes in the biofilms, destroying them, and removing the bacteria's defense. For my treatment of biofilm I will be using a strong formula created by Beyond Balance called MC-BFM-1. This formula combines enzymes with a plant sterol found in Guggul. Because it is a strong formula, and we don't want to completely flood my body with bacteria, I am starting with just a sprinkle of a capsule twice daily.

In a week from today I will also be starting a new treatment! It's a machine called the AN-DI Energy Corrector. My LLND has just started using this machine in her office, and it comes highly recommended and is used extensively by doctors in Germany. There are only a handful of doctors in North America that own and use these machines (Dr. Klinghardt is one of them!) and now my doctor does too! If you'd like to read more about the AN-DI and how it works, you can do so here. My LLND has only been using this machine for a little over a month so far, and has said she has already seen such amazing improvements in her patients. One of her lyme patients, who has been suffering for 20 years, was actually discharged from her practice as he is doing amazing after 8 treatments. I will be doing 2 treatments a week for 1 month. And then will break for at least a month and discuss if further treatments would be of benefit.

Other than that, my treatment will remain mostly the same, although a few things have been switched up, to keep the bugs on their toes! My updated protocol is as follows:

Chlorella (3 grams, 2x daily between meals)
Biopure CORE (1 cap daily, to be increased over time)
Metagenics Folapro (1/2 tab daily)
Hydroxy B12 (1000mcg daily)
Quercetin (500mg with breakfast)
Methionine 200 (1 cap, 2x daily)
Beyond Balance Mc-BFM-1 (start with sprinkle, increase to 1 cap 2x daily)
Beyond Balance MC-BB-2 (increase to 20 drops 2x daily)
Beyond Balance ENL-BT-1 (increase to 20 drops 2x daily)
HMF Intensive Probiotics (1 with dinner)
Digestive Enzymes (1 cap per meal)


Biopure NEXUS (3 times per week before bed)
Activated Charcoal (3 times per week before bed)
Natural Progesterone (days 14-28 of cycle)
Well Scent Watch Your Mouth (2 drops on toothbrush 2x daily)
Neti Pot with 1/2 tsp each sea salt, xylitol, baking soda (2x daily)
Biomat (at least 1 hour each day)
Dry Skin Brushing (daily)

Nutramedix Burbur (used as needed for herx reactions)
Pekana Big 3 Detox Kit (used as needed for herx reactions)

Update YouTube Video!

Hey guys! From now on whenever i make a new YouTube video i'll be posting it here on the blog too! Here's my most recent one:  Treating Lyme Disease Naturally (New Blog, Herxing, Supplements, LLND, AN-DI). Enjoy!