Welcome To Lyme Bytes!

April, 2014- HELLO ALL! I am no longer posting to this blog. For the latest on me and my work, I invite you to subscribe to my NEW blog: www.conniestrasheim.blogspot.com where I share my latest findings on how to heal from chronic illness involving Lyme and other conditions. Thanks!

Greetings and welcome to my Lyme disease blog, a comfy cozy (and sometimes crazy!) place for cutting-edge information, encouragement and insight into the fastest-growing epidemic disease in the United States. In this blog you will find everything from bug-killing strategies to immune system and hormone help, as well as lifestyle and spiritual suggestions for healing from chronic illness involving Lyme disease. The information contained within this blog is based upon my own healing journey and what I have learned over the past eight years as I have been diligently digging and researching my way back to a better state of health. May you find it to be a source of hope, inspiration and wisdom in your own journey towards wellness.

About "Insights Into Lyme Disease Treatment"

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443 Pages - $39.95
Published August, 2009
Written by Connie Strasheim
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Thursday, December 10, 2009

A Word Of Encouragement

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It has grieved me that I haven't been able to write in my blog as much this year as in previous years. The first year, I posted three times per week to this blog, on average. The second and third years, because I had to dedicate much of my energy to writing two Lyme disease books, I had less time to post here. I have also, for my own healing and sanity, needed to make my life less about Lyme and more about other things, which has left me with less time to post. I don't know as of yet my plans for this blog for 2010. I may attempt to write shorter, more frequent posts, or I may post longer, more infrequent posts, as I have this year. In any case, I just want to let all of my readers know that I pray for you and your healing every day.

Perhaps I know what some of you are going through. For half a decade, and up until about two years ago, I cried nearly every day because of the fierce anxiety and other symptoms that Lyme and trauma had caused me. Often, those tears were gut-wrenching sobs of despair, as I wondered if life would ever get any better. Five years is a long time to cry, and a little wrinkle under my left eye is the scar that has been left behind by a face that was, for too long, scrunched up in fits of weeping.

But slowly, I have emerged from the tear-fest, which cleansed me not only of the grief over the life that I had lost due to Lyme, but of deeper griefs that had been contained in my soul over a lifetime.

I still have symptoms, but I have healed exponentially, not only physically, but spiritually, and I continue to do so. My bouts of laughter can now compete with my tears for first place in my life, and I can see light at the end of the proverbial tunnel. I don't believe anymore that my god's will for me is sickness. God did not desire the body to be created in infirmity, and while He may allow it for a time for some purpose, I believe that ultimately, His desire is for His children to prosper and be well, and that He lights the way for those that trust Him and seek His will for their lives.

I hope that my next book will be a testimony of how God completely and permanently healed me of Lyme disease. In the meantime, I rejoice in the gains that I have made over the years, and in the grief that has been washed away in a rain of tears.

There is light. The journey is long, but I believe that a loving god desires to heal you, if you will only believe and trust Him to show you the way. But believe before you see, because as difficult as that may be, this is, paradoxically, how faith makes manifest things which are not yet visible.

Tuesday, December 08, 2009

Finding Healing Outside Of Man's Medicine

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Do you wonder if anybody ever goes into permanent remission from Lyme disease? Do you wonder if it's possible to return to your pre-Lyme state of perfect health, or at least become healthier than you were before Lyme?

I have been researching Lyme disease for four and a half years. I have attended two Lyme disease conferences, and written two books on the subject. I have spoken to dozens of Lyme disease sufferers, and sadly, I have met few who consider themselves to be in remission, or even close to it.

Some of the most well-respected Lyme-Literate physicians who have treated thousands of patients don't believe that anybody ever completely gets rid of Lyme disease, and rumor has it that one doctor who has treated over 25,000 patients believes that even those who go into remission don't stay there for long. As soon as a life stressor comes along, then the bugs come out to play again.

When I asked another physician who has also treated thousands of patients whether she has ever seen anyone stay in remission for longer than ten years, she uttered sadly, "No." Since I know of a small handful of people who have been symptom-free for five years, when I asked her this question, I decided to up the ante to ten years.

But it isn't just Borrelia I am referring to here. Dr. Horowitz, at the recent ILADS conference, stated that we (physicians and patients) aren't beating Babesia. Some strains of this organism just refuse to be eradicated.

Despite my years of research, some of what I just shared with you is recent news to me. Yes, I knew there was no definitive test to determine whether Borrelia is gone from the body, but I didn't know that recurring relapses might be the norm.

I should have known, but then again, perhaps some of the doctors who have treated thousands don't want these facts to be made public knowledge. Maybe they don't want to get their patients' hopes up. Maybe nobody really wants to say, "You'll have to treat yourself for the rest of your life if you want to stay functional", because it would maintain people in a mindset of sickness and hopelessness, and the mind is a powerful thing.

Personally, when these realizations sunk into my soul, I was dismayed. I guess I thought that all those herbs and other remedies that I've taken, along with a strong supportive regimen, would eventually get me to a place where I would never again have to worry about Lyme disease and its insidious co-infections.

But it seems that once Lyme has taken up residence in your life, it's there to stay. If you choose conventional routes of healing, anyway.

It's good to hope for healing, but that hope needs to be based in reality, and not fantasy. I debated sharing this information with my readers. I didn't want to deflate anyone's hopes, but in the end, I decided that if lifelong relapse, or the rarity of remission is the reality of this beast, then the Lyme community needs to know about it.

I may be wrong. My information comes from my experiences with other Lyme sufferers, as well as from a handful of doctors, who, while knowledgeable and experienced, are still mortals. I hope that I am wrong, and that somebody who has been fully recovered for at least half a decade, will correct me with a testimony about his or her healing. Or that a Lyme-literate physician will rebuke me for this post with half a dozen citations of patients who have arrived at a place of total wellness and stayed there.

A Lyme-literate physician recently tested me via ART (autonomic response testing) to determine the current state of my infections. The testing revealed that I currently have no active forms of borrelia. I think I can thank the Bionic 880 biophoton device and my god for that. After at least 25 biophoton sessions this year, however, cystic forms of the organism still remain in my body (apparently). Does this mean that the Bionic 880 can't get rid of cysts? Dr. Woitzel, a physician in Germany who uses the Bionic 880, might say No, but this form of the organism does seem more tenacious. Whether the cysts cause symptoms is unknown. I remain symptomatic, in any case, due perhaps, to the damage that Lyme has done to my body, as well as to my Babesia and other infections. Bionic 880 treatments have helped to ameliorate some of my symptoms of Babesia, but I do not know whether the machine can completely get rid of this infection. The Lyme-literate doc thus prescribed me Mepron, along with zithromax, Noni and Cumanda.

"Here we go again," I thought as I left his office. "I'm getting on the treadmill again...for the fifth year in a row. Am I really getting anywhere with all these treatments?"

Yes, I am better than I was five years ago. Much better. But I am far from being able to keep up with my healthy forty-something friends (and I'm only thirty-five!).

The realization that I might have Lyme bugs forever and have to continually, or intermittently, treat the suckers, discouraged me, and not just because the symptoms that they produce are agonizing, but because of the limitations that they have placed on my life.

I'm fed up with spending ten hours a night in bed because I either have insomnia or need an abundance of rest. I'm sick of my days being cut short by unproductive, lethargic mornings, and never-ending treatments and doctor visits.

At times, and especially this year, I have had a more productive life, thankfully. Yet, treatments and living at half-throttle have meant that I still spend way too many hours of my life in the throes of Lyme.

I can't do this forever. I won't do this forever. It's nonsense.

So lately, every time I read about the latest pathogen-killing herb or antibiotic, the newest homeopathic remedy for detoxification, or the next test that promises to show which genetic defect is responsible for X and Y problems in the body, I think, "Who cares?" Why? People get excited about all these treatments and discoveries, and while they often deliver relief to the ailing, they usually fall short of expectations.

I am thankful for the gains that treatments, supplements, therapies and Lyme healing strategies have brought me, and I believe there is great worth in them, but a nagging voice inside my head these days is whispering, "It's never going to be enough, Connie."

So I'll go on some drugs for Babesia next year and improve another twenty, maybe thirty percent, if I'm lucky. Great! I'm grateful and happy for the gains that I will continue to make in my healing journey.

But how much of my life do I have to give up for these gains? Do I dedicate sixty thousand dollars and half of my waking hours over the next three years to attain this thirty percent improvement? Is the investment worth it? Well, perhaps, if the alternative is to backslide into a solitary, sedentary life on the sofa.

Don't worry, I'm going someplace better with this.

After I had fully digested my dismay over the realization that Lyme and the treatment treadmill might be for life, I came to a place of surrender of my circumstances.

In my prayers, I told God that I give up. That if this is as functional as I will ever be, then I will learn to manage life with some symptoms. I will stop striving for a life that may not be possible with man's medicine. I will continue to do treatments, but I will detach myself from the results of these, and I won't fret and sweat over my treatment decisions. Furthermore, I will not speak of this thing to others, I will not complain about how poorly I feel, and I will not go above and beyond in my treatment protocol, because Lyme just doesn't deserve that much of my time.

My body may clamor for a better treatment or more detoxification protocol, but my spirit clamors for a life outside of Lyme, and I believe that the spirit has more power to heal the body than any man-made remedy.

I'm not giving up, though. Recently, I attended a healing conference in Denver, in which healers, anointed with the Holy Spirit (in Christianity, it is God's Holy Spirit, living in people, that heals the body, mind and spirit), were used by God to heal others of their physical and emotional maladies. A woman who had never spoken to me before, approached me and prophesied that God was healing my back and central nervous system. Another said that God was burning away the infections in my body. (I have had tremendous hip and lower back pain for over a year now, so I thought that at least the first woman's prophecy was acccurate). While I left the conference feeling the same physically as when I had arrived, emotionally, I sensed that something had changed in me, and that I just needed to believe and receive the words.

At the church I attended for nearly two years in Costa Rica, I often witnessed miraculous healings. Some of those that were healed were my friends, so I knew the healings weren't a facade.

You may believe in divine, supernatural healing, but you may think that it is a rarity or that it doesn't apply to you. I used to believe these things, too.

I recently purchased a book called Christ The Healer, which gave me insights into divine healing, which, unlike man's medicine, is swift, complete, and often immediate.

Not that God is into formulas, but I believe that my god is into faith and wanting everyone to be well, and not twenty years down the road.

I won't discuss in this blog all of the compelling reasons why we can, and should, believe in a loving god for supernatural healing, but I strongly recommend Christ The Healer to anyone who is interested in learning more about physical healing through spiritual means.

I have always believed that God can lead people to the right remedies, and heal them however He chooses, but when the dollars and the remedies only go so far, perhaps He has a better way. I don't think the creator of the universe wants any of us to spend our entire lives fighting a beast that may be impossible to conquer with natural means. I think God has better plans for us. Yes, there is much to be learned about life through illness, but I don't think we need to be martyrs forever.

At least, that's my current thought on the matter. I pray that Christ The Healer would be a book of light to those that have no hope, or who are discouraged in their healing journey.

I encourage you to try the spiritual path to health. If you've been on man's meds for many years and made few gains, you really have nothing to lose.

Friday, November 27, 2009

Treatment Blurbs From ILADS

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Here, in my laziest blog post ever, I will be sprinkling about little bits n' pieces of information on Lyme disease treatments, which I received from the experts at the latest ILADS conference. These are random blurbs that you may find helpful for treating your Lyme disease, or one of the million infections and/or other conditions that accompany it. I call this post "lazy" because it involves little more than a straightforward copying of my notes from the conference, and the "blurbs" are in no specific order. Most are from the presentations of Drs.' Burrascano and Horowitz, although information from other physician presenters is included. This is by no means a comprehensive or exhaustive list of the information presented at ILADS, just bits and pieces of the larger whole!

*Severe symptoms of Lyme disease can be a clue that Babesia is present, since Babesia makes Lyme symptoms worse, and Lyme treatments less effective. If response to Lyme treatments is slow, this is another indication that Babesia may be present

*Orthostasis, which involves problems with blood pressure regulation when moving from a sitting to standing position, can be a direct result of infections, but when prolonged, is an indication of adrenal fatigue

*Slow reflexes indicate hypothyroidism. Hyper reflexes indicate magnesium deficiency

*Some people get too comfortable in their illnesses. This blocks their healing process

*The ELISA test is worthless for detecting Lyme disease

*The CD-57 test sometimes reflects the degree of damage that Borrelia has done to the immune system, and can be an indirect measure of the severity and duration of illness. Relapse is likely if a person's CD-57 score remains low at the end of his/her treatments

*When taking antibiotics, it's important to also rotate generous amounts of probiotics, as well as take several different kinds

*Calcium and magnesium can aid in the formation of biofilm. These minerals should only be taken after antibiotic therapy has been initiated. Oral magnesium may feed bugs, so transdermal magnesium may be a better option.

*NT Factor (a type of transfer factor specific to Lyme) helps mitochondria to recover and can be an extremely helpful supplement for healing

*Co-infection tests are unreliable. Most people with Babesia will test negative on a PCR test

*Lyme disease isn't just about Borrelia and the usual well-known co-infections, Babesia, Bartonella and Ehrlichia. Consideration must be given to others, as well. There are probably other infections that people have that we (in the medical commmunity) are unaware of. Other infections sometimes found along with Borrelia include: Mycoplasma, Chlamydia, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Q-fever and Tularemia

*Traditional doses of Mepron (2 tsp/day) are insufficient to get rid of Babesia

*Taking a tetracycline medication, along with a macrolide and zithromax, can shut down the ribosomal growth patterns of some organisms

*Bicillin injections are a good alternative to oral medications, since they bypass the gut and thereby reduce the possibility that the person will develop candida

*LDN (low-dose Naltrexone) is an excellent medication that reduces Herxheimer symptoms

*Reducing inflammation is important! People do not get better unless inflammation is addressed

*Sleep deprivation exacerbates inflammation; therefore, it is important to get insomnia under control

*Pekana homeopathic drainage remedies and herbs open up detoxification pathways and help to mitigate Herxheimer reactions

*Glutathione shuts down cytokine/auto-immune reactions. Glutathione, along with Pekana drainage remedies, may be two of the single most effective supplements to reduce Herxheimer reactions and inflammation

*Brain fog may persist after treatments due to the continued presence of quinolinic acid in the brain. Toxin binders must be taken in order to rid it of this neurotoxin

*At least forty percent of those with Lyme disease also have adrenal dysfunction, and will not get better unless the dysfunction is treated with natural supplements and/or hydrocortisone

*Many people with Lyme disease believe that they don't deserve to be well. This belief in turn increases inflammatory reactions in the body. Changing this belief is important for healing

*Grapefruit seed extract can whack Borrelia cysts

*Neurotoxins may be the cause of ongoing symptoms in a person who has extensively treated his/her Lyme disease

*Wellness Pharmacy makes an excellent oral glutathione supplement

*When people fail traditional treatments for Babesia--that is, Mepron and zithromax--adding Septra can produce more favorable outcomes

*Traditional treatments for Babesia aren't working. Physicians and patients may want to consider other medications besides Mepron and Malarone, such as Cleocin, Larium and Quinine.

*There is some evidence that Babesia duncani is related to Thileria parasites. This may be one reason why current treatments aren't working well for this strain of Babesia. A different treatment approach may be required

*A small percentage of people with Lyme may also have Q-fever. This is a ricketssia-like disease that causes endocarditis. Like Lyme, it can create many symptoms

*Two percent of the ticks in NY carry Powassan Encephalitis. This infection causes severe cognitive dysfunction, fevers, seizures and other neurological symptoms

*Mycoplasma Fermentans has been found to be related to neurodegenerative diseases like ALS and MS

*Mycoplasma interacts with lymphocytes to produce auto-immune conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis

*How do you differentiate CFS, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, from Lyme disease?
Symptoms of Lyme disease are cyclical, whereas CFS presents no migratory symptom patterns

*All people with Lyme disease have heavy metal toxicity. Symptoms of this toxicity overlap with those of Lyme. Resistant Lyme disease symptoms often improve when heavy metals are treated

*POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome) is common in Lyme disease. This is a result of damage to the HPA axis

*According to Dr. Charles Ray Jones, mothers with Lyme who don't take antibiotics during their pregnancies have a 50% chance of passing the disease on to their children. For mothers who take antibiotics during pregnancy, however, the risk drops to %5

*Lyme is transmitted through breast milk. Mothers with Lyme should avoid breastfeeding

*Situational stress causes relapses. This stress doesn't have to be significant (ie; the death of a loved one)

*Low levels of serotonin blunt the body's TSH (thyroid hormone response)

*5-HTP can help those who feel "wired but tired"

*Some indicators of adrenal insufficiency include: orthostatic dysregulation, decreased stamina, weight loss and decreased immune function

*Artemisinin makes a peptide that inhibits its absorption in the small intestine, so this herb should be dosed on a rotating schedule of two weeks on, two weeks off

*People with high levels of mercury should not take methyl B-12

*Dry saunas are the only way to rid the body of organic toxins

*Beware of deep massages. They release many toxins

*Cytokines (inflammatory markers) in the body often keep people sick. When the immune system can't shut down their production or detoxify them, people remain sick. Thus, addressing cytokines is important!

*EDTA suppositories and low dose DMSA may be a good heavy metal detox protocol for some

*The Journey Technique has proven to be effective for getting over emotional blocks to healing

*Salt, fluid and Florinef can help to normalize autonomic nervous system dysfunction and POTS. It is important to address POTS, as, without intervention, not enough blood can get to the brain and as a result, the body/brain will not heal

*People who have failed all Babesia protocol may respond to the drug Riamet

*Artemisia is insufficient to cure Babesia

*HHV-6 (Human Herpes Virus 6) creates chronic fatigue. All adults have been exposed to this virus. Anti-viral medications do not cure it. Olive leaf may be a better treatment option

*Bugs shed "blebs", which activates auto-immunity, that may manifest in positive ANA and other auto-immune markers

*Glutathione may improve cognitive function, since it pulls cytokines out of the brain

*Alka-Seltzer Gold (taken 4 times a day), as well as abundant lemons and limes can help to alkalize the body during Herxheimer reactions

*10 drops of burbur and parsley, when taken every ten minutes for two hours, can quickly clear a Herx reaction

*Antioxidants, such as fish oil, magnesium, zinc, Vitamin C, and alpha-lipoic acid, are also important for reducing inflammation

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Insights From ILADS--Discerning The Symptoms of Four Major Infections

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I was fortunate to be able to attend the ILADS (International Lyme and Associated Diseases) conference a few weeks ago. I had never been to an ILADS conference, and learned a few new things about Lyme disease and treatments while there.

Of particular interest to me was a presentation by Dr. Burrascano, in which he shared insights into how to discern different Lyme disease co-infections. Since lab tests for co-infections are often negative or unreliable, and tests don't exist for many strains of the different infections, it can be difficult discovering whether these are present and active in the body. Dr. Burrascano cited different means for discovering the presence of such infections, including the patient's symptom picture and response to treatments.

BORRELIA BURGDORFERI

The onset of symptoms for those with Borrelia burgdorferi can be slow and gradual. You may notice that you are no longer sleeping well, for instance, or are losing weight. In my own case of illness, I had back pain and extreme anxiety for several years before the onset of other symptoms. Then, months before my "crash" in 2004, I began to lose weight, as well as my appetite. I didn't think much of it at the time, even though people commented to me that I was getting thinner.

Borrelia is also a multi-system bug, that usually causes multiple (and sometimes, a multitude!) of symptoms. These symptoms can change over time, and wax and wane over several weeks. For instance, you may start off with a pain in your upper back that over time, moves to the lower back and varies in intensity (When the pain doesn't migrate but remains constant, however, then this can sometimes be indicative of damage done by Borrelia, rather than the bug itself). So one year, you might have gut pain, and in the next, experience buzzing in your head. That's the nature of the Borrelia beast.

Some other patterns seen in those with Borrelia include:

* Having energy mid-morning until approximately noontime, as well as in the late afternoon or evening. The nighttime energy creates an inability to sleep
* Slow response to treatments
* Symptom flares every four weeks (the pathogen's life cycle is re-set by treatments if these are effective, so once a regimen is started, symptom flares can be expected at approximately four weeks beginning from the date of the onset of the treatment)
* Sub-normal morning body temperatures
* Joint cracking

BABESIA

Those with Babesia, according to Dr. Burrascano, often exhibit the following distinguishing patterns/symptoms:

* Tiredness/fatigue all day long
* A rapid onset of symptoms, often with a sudden high fever, severe headaches, night sweats (but which can also happen during the day), and fatigue
* Air hunger, which causes a need to frequently sigh and take deep breaths. People with this symptom often feel as though they run out of air when they talk. A dry cough may also be present
* Headaches, which can be severe. These headaches are global (all over), unlike Borrelia headaches, which are often found at the back of the head/neck
* Unexplained chest symptoms
* Fatigue is a prominent symptom of babesia, and manifests much like the fatigue in those with CFS (chronic fatigue syndrome)
* Feeling worse after exercise, instead of better
* Mental dullness and a slowing of reactions and responses
* Dizziness, but not like the vertigo that is found in those with Borrelia. This is more of a "tippy" feeling
* Rapidly cycling symptoms, with flares every 4-6 days. So a person with Babesia might have a particulary bad symptom day about once a week
* Rarely, an enlarged spleen may be present

People who present with very serious symptoms of Lyme disease may also have Babesia, since this infection makes Lyme symptoms worse and Lyme treatments less effective. If you are responding slowly to Lyme treatments, you might also have a Babesia infection that needs to be treated, as well.

BARTONELLA

According to Dr. Burrascano, Bartonella is often characterized by the following:

* Like Borrelia, a slow onset of symptoms
* Brain symptoms that are out of proportion to the person's physical/bodily symptoms
* Sensations of overstimulation, anxiety and tremors
* Extreme agitation
* Muscle twitches
* Sore soles, especially in the morning
* Tender nodules, especially on the outer thigh and shins
* Gastrointestinal problems, which may present as gastritis or abdominal pain that is similar to symptoms of a Helicobacter Pylori infection (Note: One experienced Lyme physician with whom I spoke believes that gut pain can also be a Babesia symptom)
* Occasional lymphadenopathy (swelling of the lymph nodes)
* Morning fevers, usually around 99 degrees Fahrenheit.
* Occasionally, light sweats (milder than those found in Babesia)
* Sometimes, papular or linear red rashes (like stretch marks), especially those with gastrointestinal problems
* Rapid responses to treatment changes. Often, symptoms will improve within days of treatment, but relapses occur quickly if the treatment is withdrawn too soon

EHRLICHIA

Finally, Ehrlichia may be distinguished by the following:

* A rapid onset of illness, which may include fevers and headaches, that are sharp, knife-like and found behind the eyes
* Muscle pain, which can be mild or severe
* A low white blood cell count and elevated liver enzymes
* A diffuse vasculitic rash

Keep in mind that these symptom patterns are only generalizations, as infections can cause a multitude of symptoms that overlap with those of others, especially Borrelia, since it can cause over 300 different symptoms which encompass every bodily system. Discerning infections in those who are multiply co-infected may therefore be difficult, but by studying this list, you may notice certain patterns in your symptom picture which enable you to discover whether you have one or more of these infections. Through my experiences of talking with other Lyme disease sufferers, I have found that more often than not, people are infected with at least one of, if not all of, the above infections, in addition to Borrelia. In my new book on Lyme disease, Dr. Steve Harris notes that those who have been sick for more than twenty years tend to be those who have only Borrelia as their main infection. Whether this is because ticks twenty or thirty years ago weren't carrying around as many nasty infections as they do now, I don't know, but the finding is intriguing.

Hopefully, this information will help you and your physician to navigate your healing process, as Lyme disease tests, by themselves, are rarely sufficient for making an accurate diagnosis.

Lyme Teleseminar--Tonight at 8 PM EST

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Join me tonight for a free teleseminar on Lyme disease! I will be speaking about my Lyme disease journey and new book, "Insights Into Lyme Disease Treatment: Thirteen Lyme-Literate Health Care Practitioners Share Their Healing Strategies", as well as answering questions about Lyme and the book.
To register for the conference, go to: http://www.lymehope.com
Hope to "see" you there!

Sunday, November 15, 2009

Seeing Isn't Believing...Believing Is Seeing

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When you have been struggling with chronic illness for years, it can sometimes be a challenge to believe that life will ever bring you anything but days filled with pain, scrambled thoughts, depression and fatigue--or whatever assortment of symptoms that Lyme happens to have thrown at you. During such times, finding meaning and purpose in life can be an even greater challenge, especially if you are going the healing journey alone.

So many books tell us not to fret and fear the future, because the things we fear rarely happen. But what happens when your future turns out to be bleaker than your fears ever were? What happens when your dreams slowly die because year after year, your treatment regimens and symptoms leave you with little space or energy for those dreams you have held onto?

My relationship with God has been an integral part of my healing journey. God is my friend, my strength, and my encouragement. Even so, at times, there is a voice in my head that challenges God's love for me. In an ugly tone, it reminds me of how my young adult life has turned out to be more circumstantially difficult than I ever imagined it would be.

I didn't get the storybook life. None of you who are reading this probably did, either. Maybe you imagined yourself in a life of flourishing relationships, with a stable career and body and mind that would function well until at least age seventy.

I deluded myself with such expectations, but in my weaker moments, I have been taken captive by an even greater delusion--the belief that I got screwed in life because I got Lyme disease. I sometimes look with envy upon my friends who can hike, bike and ski and sleep six hours a night. Who can work in any job because they have the functioning mind and the stamina to run around in a thousand directions every day.

But I have also learned that there is redemptive power in illness, and as I struggle to lay hold of that power and as I wrestle with God, I realize that I am being moved towards a grander, more majestic life than the one I would have had, had Lyme not taken me down five years ago.

Majestic?
Okay, so I don't always believe that a life with Lyme is synonymous with a life of royalty and higher rewards, because pain and my constant treadmill of treatments feel paradoxical to a life of abundance. But even if I had been given my version of the fairy tale, without the character training that life with Lyme signed me up for, my fairy tale might have had a bad ending, anyway. Because optimism and happiness can only be maintained so long by circumstance.

Yes, a life of pain, fatigue and isolation predisposes people with Lyme disease to depression and despondency. Legitimately.

Yet, in my wiser moments, I believe that the mind and the spirit are sovereign over circumstances and a biochemistry that's been fouled up by Lyme. So even if my thoughts spiral downwards from too many spirochetes playing tag in my gray matter--I have found that my spirit can sometimes conquer temptations to give in to despondency, and even find great value and blessing in this cursed disease.

I have found it to be a battle and a process that takes years. And while I am slowly reaping the results of that journey, I admit that along the way, I have resented those who have admonished me to "just take my thoughts captive" when everything in my biochemistry has conspired against thoughts of optimism. It's much harder to be optimistic when your hormones and neurotransmitters are a mess, but the flip side to that is, disciplining the thoughts can also alter the biochemistry.

I also think that God's spirit living within us can overcome the weaknesses of the earthly body. It may overcome by providing direction about how to heal the brain or by giving us the will to change our thoughts.

Such has been the process with me. And as part of that, I am learning to do another thing--believe (for abundance) in order to see (that abundance). Perhaps this is one way to endure, or even be freed from, a life of chronic illness, isolation and financial poverty.

Believing against the odds. Believing when every day looks darker.
To see life through spiritual, instead of earthly, eyes. Because often, what is most real is what is unseen. In the spiritual realm, seeing isn't believing. We must believe in order to see...because a true life of abundance comes from believing in a god who loves us, who wants the best for us and who is working circumstances for our highest good. And if that abundance isn't immediately manifest in the physical realm, it can be witnessed in an even more important place-the spirit.

Indeed, perhaps reality and truth are the potential and hope of what is unseen, in our hearts and minds. That potential and hope are released by faith, to finally bring into existence the abundant life, according to the One who made us, and the One who loves us more than we can we can imagine, even though that love is often misunderstood.

But it requires seeing circumstances with spiritual eyes, which means believing in order to bring into existence that which is not yet manifest.

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Lyme Disease Is Not Your Life

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Yes, it may seem like it, because adequately treating the disease requires hours of therapies, research and rest. It sometimes requires every last ounce of energy that you can muster, and every last dollar in your bank account. But your life doesn't have to be just about Lyme.

I don't usually respond to posts on Internet Lyme disease groups, because I don't have the time and have also needed to take a break from the "L" word. Every once in awhile, however, I peruse the groups to stay updated on how people are faring with the latest treatments, so that I can, in turn, provide this information to my readers.

Today, I came across a conversation on http://www.Lymenet.org which saddened me. I would have responded directly to the conversation, but I am not allowed to post on this group (probably for political reasons since I am the author of two Lyme books). That's OK. Rarely do I feel the need to answer someone on a Lyme disease group, but today I feel compelled to respond to this person's anguish.

So if you are reading this, my friend, I just want to tell you that I know what it's like to feel as though this disease has consumed your life. I know what it's like to wonder if your life will ever be about anything else but Borrelia. I know what it's like to feel as though you are being sucked into a vortex of Lyme thoughts, and no amount of clutching or clawing will get you out. And I know what it's like to beat yourself to a pulp for not being able to think about anything but Lyme.

It's easy to fall prey to desperation. Adequately treating this disease requires much time, energy, research and money. At times, it will take all of your brain power and all of your strength just to figure out what you must do to get through the day.

I don't blame you. I used to shed many tears over this disease, resenting how it had snatched my life out from under me, and wondering how to get out of the "Lyme disease" mentality.

I'm still trying to find my way out, but it becomes easier as I heal and am able to get out and do other things.

But the thing is, even in my sickest days, I sensed that what the doctor(s) had said in my book was accurate. That making Lyme the focus of my life wasn't beneficial for my healing. (Many of these doctors have been touched personally by Lyme, by the way).

Yes, to get well, I had to devote a lot of time and energy to research and treatments, and especially initially. At the same time, making every effort to incorporate other thoughts and activities into my life became vitally important, for my sanity and well-being. Such activities included watching funny movies, reading uplifting articles or novels that had nothing to do with Lyme, spending time in prayer to discipline my mind, and just doing anything and everything to keep all of my thoughts from being stayed on Lyme.

Being that Lyme tends to suck people into a vortex of obsession over treatment, trying to focus on other things can seem like a supernatural feat. Indeed, it may be the hardest thing that you will ever do as you heal. And if you are really, really sick, it may seem next to impossible.

Give yourself a break. There will be days, weeks, and months when you must research the next treatment, and it will take up huge chunks of your waking hours and thought patterns. It's OK.

Your whole life won't always be about Lyme, and even during the months, or years, when it is a primary focus, your life can yet be about other things.

It's incredibly difficult. I know. Desperation will cause you to cling to thoughts of Lyme. You want to be well NOW and so your mind becomes a treadmill of "what-can-I-do-to-heal?", running ever faster, to get to where you want to go.

It's hard to let those thoughts go. And it's hard to change, especially when you believe that you don't have the time, will or energy to think about anything else but Lyme, and your body reminds you every two seconds about how broken you are.

Healing is a constant tug-of-war between spending adequate time on treatments, and thinking on other things. But if you know that part of your healing involves creating a life outside of Lyme, however small, it becomes a tad easier to let the Lyme life go.

You can do it, my friend. Just take baby steps towards thinking on other things, and give yourself grace on the days when Lyme does take up the majority of your thought space. I believe that this will bring healing to not just your body, but also your spirit.

FREE Sample Chapter from New Lyme Disease Book

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Hi Everyone!

For anyone who is interested in getting a closer inside look at my current best-selling book on Lyme disease, entitled, "Insights Into Lyme Disease Treatment: Thirteen Lyme-Literate Health Care Practitioners Share Their Healing Strategies", my publisher has created a link to its first chapter, which we share with you here:

http://www.lymebook.com/insights-into-lyme-treatment-SAMPLE-CHAPTER.pdf

In this chapter, you will learn all about Dr. Steve Harris' approach to treating Lyme disease. Dr. Harris is an ILADS member who has been treating Lyme disease patients for over ten years. His father owns IgeneX labs in Palo Alto, CA.

Because thirteen health care practitioners participated in the book, other approaches to treatment are discussed throughout its pages. These treatments include herbal, plant stem cell and homeopathic remedies, as well as strategies found in energy medicine.

A plethora of information is found in every single chapter of this book, and Dr. Harris' chapter is no exception. It provides those who cannot afford the book with treatment insights that could only be gained by spending two hours interviewing him on the phone (as I did!)

It also provides a sneak preview of the book's contents, for anyone wanting to learn more.

My publisher and I look forward to your thoughts and hope that the chapter will be a blessing to you!

Friday, October 16, 2009

For The Denver Lyme Folks!...Discussion On Lyme Disease and Relationships...Tomorrow!

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Tomorrow I will be facilitating an interactive discussion on Lyme disease and relationships at the Aurora Public Library, Central Location, from 2-4 PM, for anyone who is interested in attending!

This meeting will discuss how family and friends can better support those with Lyme, as well as how those with Lyme can do the same for their loved ones...so that they may experience a less rocky, and more peaceful, healing experience.

Please forgive me for the last-minute post on this meeting; my obligations have been taking me a thousand directions lately and it slipped my mind to post this until now.

Hope to see you there!

Monday, October 12, 2009

The Lyme Co-Infections Game Continues to Get Complicated

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I've noticed that people tend to think in terms of nice, neat little boxes when it comes to discerning and treating Lyme disease infections. The assortment of potential infections appears to be clear-cut and limited to only a small handful that we can definitively test for; for example, borrelia, babesia, ehrlichia, bartonella and Rocky Mountain spotted fever. And only one or two species of each can be tested for by conventional methods and hence, discussions and treatment of Lyme co-infections tend to revolve exclusively around these one or two species.

The research-savvy folks, however, know that there's more to tick-borne infections than just this little group of bugs. They know that some tick-borne pathogens interbreed to form new bugs with biofilms and a completely new set of genes, although tests to detect, and treatments to eradicate, these new bugs remain mostly unknown. The information-diggers also know that many species of the most commonly known co-infections exist, but that little is known about these infections in humans, due to the limits of blood testing.

Suppose that these species ARE prevalent in humans, though. Would the ten or twenty relatively unknown species of babesia, for example, respond to treatment in the same manner as the known species of babesia microti and babesia duncani? Maybe, or maybe not. Babesia duncani often doesn't respond to two years of treatment with Mepron (the most commonly prescribed medication for this infection), while babesia microti is generally more susceptible to its effects. So in this case, it pays to know which organism you are dealing with. And what about the other babesia species?

Energetic testing, fortunately, can sometimes reveal whether other species of pathogens are present in the body, when blood tests fail to do so. For instance, a couple of years ago, I tested positive to five strains of babesia on an Asyra scan. Like all testing methods, the Asyra is limited in its ability to definitively detect the presence of infections, so I didn't think much of my test results.

Further tests down the line, however, confirmed that babesia was a problem for me. Fry labs found the actual bug (which strain, I don't know) in my body, which is about as definitive as it gets. And as one wise Lyme-literate doctor said to me, "If you test positive on the antigen test, the infection is prevalent in your body." Why? Because antigen tests, which measure the presence of foreign proteins (bugs) in the body, are often inaccurate, too, because the particular sample of blood that is measured might not contain the pathogen. So if you get a sample that tests positive, chances are, the pathogen is everywhere in your blood.

But here's the thing. Six months of 6,000 mg of artemisia, taken daily, didn't get rid of my babesia. (Please don't take this high of a dose unless instructed to by your physician)! It didn't even faze the bug, as I had no Herxheimer reaction nor subsequent improvement as a result. An indication, perhaps, that I was instead dealing with babesia duncani, which is a "tougher" bug than microti? Or perhaps I had a different strain altogether?

Recently, I got my hands on the energetic blueprints for seven different types of babesia. Contained in liquid vials, these blueprints can be used to test for the presence of other babesia species. By placing the vials close to the body and using a testing device, such as the biotensor, to check for resonance between the body and the pathogen, the presence of that pathogen in the body can be determined.

In addition to using the biotensor, I was tested for babesia via two other energetic methods and discovered that in fact, my body harbors mulitple species of the organism. Now how in the bleep did that happen? I don't know. You'd think I was rolling around in every forest from Kansas to New York, but perhaps these bugs are more prevalent in the general population than we know. Hence my concern over pigeonholing infections into just a few categories and species.

But maybe I need not be concerned. I mean, how many people walk around with three thousand infections in their bodies which are dormant or which aren't ruffling the feathers of the immune system?

Looking at symptoms is therefore useful when attempting to confirm a diagnosis and in fact, most Lyme-literate doctors would say that clinical diagnosis should be primary. So in my case, while I am pretty functional these days, I still don't feel like a spring chicken, which means that more treatment for babesia may be warranted.

I have been so far mostly pleased with the results of the Bionic 880 for the treatment of infections, and so will use this device for the treatment of babesia. Fortunately, it works well when combined with the corresponding energetic signature for specific infections. In my case, those are babesia duncani, babesia bovis, babesia motasi, babesia divergans, and babesia canis...Oh yeah, along with borrelia bisetti, a Colorado strain of borrelia. If you've never heard of these species before, don't be alarmed! I hadn't, either, until I discovered http://www.ergopathics.com, a site that sells electromagnetic signature vials for a million and one pathogens.

I surmise that conventional treatment methods for babesia, such as Meprone and Malarone, along with artemisia, would probably eradicate at least some of the above-mentioned forms of babesia. So if you have babesia, or another infection, does it matter whether you know which strain you have?

My tentative guess would be that if your symptoms don't improve with traditional treatments, then yes, maybe you need to go deeper to find out which cousin (or grandkid!) you are dealing with.

Treatment for Lyme and Company is further complicated by the fact that bugs aren't primary in the overall symptom picture for everyone, so discerning whether symptoms are the result of a different bug, an endocrine defect or malfunctioning liver can be difficult.


When I first learned about biofilms and bugs that interbred, I thought, "You have got to be freakin' kidding me..." There is no way we are going to be able to learn about all these species of organisms and effectively treat for them! But then I told myself that maybe it doesn't matter, because healing from chronic illness involving Lyme is such a multi-layered, elusive affair that involves more than bugs and the biochemistry-it involves the spirit, mind and the effects of the environment in which we live. But again, sometimes knowing which critters you are up against can be helpful (as is the case with babesia duncani and babesia microti).

So I'll let you know whether anything changes after I go after my five or six (or whatever it is!) species of babesia. I am curious to discover whether my newfound knowledge will make any difference in my overall symptom picture.

Thursday, October 01, 2009

The Life Beyond Lyme

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As I approach the fifth anniversary of my crash into chronic illness, I realize that Lyme disease has shaped, altered and morphed my character. For better and for worse. In my first book, "The Lyme Disease Survival Guide: Physical, Lifestyle and Emotional Strategies for Healing", I write about some of the powerful life lessons that Lyme disease can teach us. Such as that when you are sick and can't leave the confines of your condominium for two years, then you sure as heck had better find new places of peace. Places that go beyond the walls of confinement and boredom, and the circumstances of fatigue and physical pain. Because the hardship of Lyme disease sometimes leaves us with no other choice but to go above and beyond. Discovering the value of solitude, a good book or an afternoon in prayer can replace the recreation and trinkets of the world in their ability to provide sustenance to the soul. And even though that sustenance tastes more like green vegetables than the strawberry-chocolate mousse delights of the active world, it is a sustenance that heals the body and enables the soul to persevere. It is a quiet sustenance that transforms, because it involves going beyond the opium-like euphoria of recreation and busyness to the spiritual wealth found in disciplining the mind and seeking to appreciate the beauty in the unlovely, the painful, and the mundane.

But I have been quick to forget the words that I fed myself with as I attempted to feed others from the lessons that I had learned in my first years with Lyme disease. Attaining a functional level of health has allowed me to be lazy with my mind and to rely and hope again in the delights of the world for my peace food. As a result, as I re-join the world of the physically healthy, I find myself no longer looking at the gains that I have made in my healing journey, but am instead comparing myself to my still more active friends and feeling frustrated at how short I yet fall at leading a "normal" life again.

You would think that achieving some measure of health would be reason for rejoicing. But after nearly five years of living a quiet life of solitude, I am finding that getting back into a more active life brings its own anguish and challenges. Besides trying to find a job that won't catapult me back into sickness (you gotta take care of your body forever after this thing), I realize that living with Lyme has caused me to adapt to a new way of life that I must change if I want to re-integrate back into society.

Of course, some things should not be changed, such as the time that I now take every day to pray and exercise, but other things should. Because in a sense, I have forgotten who I am and what I was before Lyme disease swept my former life away. I wouldn't go back to that life for the world-it was fraught with frantic days that placed a burden on my body that not even the healthiest of souls should endure-but I need to re-discover life outside of Lyme. And that isn't easy, especially when I have become a writer and advisor on this disease, and can still relate better to the sick than to those who have never had their lives vanquished by illness. Why? It's been the life I've lived for nearly five years, and although I see that life slowly vanishing in the distance, a part of me yet clings to it because those whom I understand and who understand me are those who have been in the trenches with me, battling this thing to the death. They are my partners in Lyme, those who have stood alongside me and battled with me when Borrelia threatened to take our lives from us. How can I forget them?

Anyone who battles chronic Lyme disease knows how all-encompassing it is; how much energy, time and attention must be given to overcome it. There are no shortcuts in healing if you truly want to be well. You must employ all of your artillery and throw the entirety of your weight and will against the bugs. Because it's the only way out.

And because the journey is so long, arduous and all-encompassing, if you are like me, then you realize how much potential it has to obliterate your ambition for other worthwhile pursuits in life. How it can slowly erode away at your desire to do other things, because let's face it, you had to give up those desires in order to survive a life of monotony alone in your apartment. But as we glimpse healing on the horizon, remembering the things that we did and the people that we were before Borrelia came along, may be a vital component to recovering full health again. Some of you have been sick for so long that you can't recall your life being about anything else but fighting symptoms. You wouldn't know what to do with yourself if health were handed to you in a handbasket. I can say this confidently, because I thought I would know what to do with myself once my life was handed back to me, but as I move back into the land of the living, there is yet a part of me that feels safer in the trenches, because it is a known place where I have found healing and friends.

So the challenges don't stop with wellness, and while I still struggle mightily with back and hip pain, it's nothing like trying to tame the fierce assortment of symptoms
that I used to come up against daily. And I have become functional enough to hope in a life of recreation, romantic relationships, and professional pursuits, but I have made a mistake by hoping in-instead of hoping for- these things. There is a vast difference, because no life circumstance can bring peace and joy, except for temporarily. The ego always demands more. Yes, it's easier to be happier when you aren't hurting, but fabulous circumstances are never enough to save the thoughts from going to hell. The blessing of illness is that the challenge to find meaning and peace in a life void of health, relationships and recreation becomes a question of life or death--because if you aren't able to go beyond in your thinking when all isn't well, then no hope remains; when things only "sort of suck" the mind can afford to be lazy because the soul can yet lean on circumstances for its smiles.

It's a lesson I have to learn and re-learn, again and again. But just as I was forced to find sources of peace outside of my circumstances in my sicker days with Lyme, I realize that moving back into a busier, more productive life doesn't exempt me from this practice. Because moving back into a life of relative wellness is fraught with its own challenges, none of which can be mitigated by finding refuge in a life of slightly better circumstances, and in the people, recreation and toys that come along with that.

This week, circumstances have come crashing down upon me, enough that I am being coerced back into the beyond to find my peace. There is no other way when hardship prevails. Maybe there should be no other way, anyway.

Thursday, September 17, 2009

For People In Denver With Lyme Disease

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Just a quick blurb to let you all know that the fabulous Lyme disease documentary, Under Our Skin, will be showing in Denver at the Denver Starz FilmCenter on November 6-8th. It's about time that Lyme got some press in Denver!
I will be there, either as an attendee or as part of a panel of Lyme disease experts, so if you have questions about Lyme, come track me down!

Also, on October 17th at 2:00 PM, I will be leading an interactive discussion on how family and friends can support those with Lyme disease. This discussion is based on information from my first book, "The Lyme Disease Survival Guide: Physical, Lifestyle and Emotional Strategies for Healing" and will take place at the Aurora Public Library (Central location).

So if you live in Denver and want to learn more about Lyme, I encourage you to attend either one of these events! More to come....

Thursday, September 10, 2009

How Friends And Family Can Help The Sick...Found In "Insights Into Lyme Disease Treatment"

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While it was a joy to learn about thirteen Lyme-literate doctors' healing protocol during the writing of my new book, my favorite part of the process was asking the specialists how family and friends can help their sick family members. I felt a certain vindication in writing their answers to this question, as though finally, I was giving a voice to a community of people who so desperately need others to understand what they suffer with this disease. And I was, and am, part of that community. Indeed, there is a section in every health care practitioner's chapter that addresses this question, and I figured that if the answers came straight from the horse's mouth, so to speak, then friends and family who "just don't get it" might be able to better assist their loved ones. After all, doctors are revered in our society and if the doc says that Lyme sufferers aren't malingerers, then maybe they really aren't. If the doc says that the sufferer will die without intravenous antibiotics, then maybe Dad will take his kid's disease a bit more seriously.

I believe that part of the healing process involves obtaining the support of loved ones. I don't know of anyone who has been able to get through this difficult healing journey without a helping hand. Many people with chronic Lyme have lost their homes, savings, jobs, friends, marriages and other important relationships. To say that such events impact the healing process only mildly is to throw away what might be the key to health.

To start, this disease is expensive. An average long-term antibiotic protocol costs over $100,000. If you, the person with Lyme, choose this route for your healing, you had better have a nice chunk of change in your bank account, a generous family member, or a job or insurance that picks up the tab. So having friends and family members who understand what the disease costs and who can help pay for treatments can significantly aid in the sick person's recovery.

But that's just the beginning.

If you had cancer, you know that people would flock to your doorstep with flowers, some soup and a whole lot of sympathy. But Lyme disease? Nah. Folks with Lyme just look so darned healthy, so instead of sympathy, many get all sorts of hurtful questions, such as, "Why can't you hold down a job, if some days you can go hiking?" Or, "Do you really need to take ten thousand supplements?" So getting loved ones to understand the severity of the illness can help the sick person to receive adequate emotional support from them.

Many subtle, dysfunctional behaviors manifest in those with Lyme, and these either slowly erode, or outright wreck relationships. This in turn, hinders recovery. Such behaviors might include forgetfulness and ADD, which cause your loved ones to think that you don't pay attention to what they tell you on a daily basis. Or clumsiness and motor dysfunction, which cause you to routinely break cups and spill coffee on the carpet. "Can't you just be a little more careful?" You might be told by your husband, who just spent $2,000 for a new shag (forgive me the expression, British peeps :) If loved ones better understood these quirks, relationships with those with Lyme might not fall on the rocks so fast.

And sometimes I think that the cognitive dysfunction and motor problems are really minor in their impact when compared to other neurological problems that people with Lyme face, such as anxiety and depression. These also contribute to the destruction of relationships, and the support network. I mean, try to explain your fits of rage over not being able to find your car keys or your favorite brand of goat cheese in the grocery store. What's the big deal? Friends will wonder as they tire of you. They don't understand that goat cheese might be the only protein that you can eat, and that always losing things makes you feel as though you are losing your mind. But you don't even need an excuse for your mood, really. It's just what those bugs do to your brain.

In my worst days with Lyme, I used to treat every life event as though it were an emergency. Anything and everything made me anxious. Going out to run three errands or having to talk to people on the phone overwhelmed me. Every little task, from organizing the papers on my desk, to having to re-evaluate my Lyme protocol, felt like a massive undertaking. I might as well have had the stress level of the president of the United States. Reading a book felt like too much--which is why, I am grateful that now, I have been healed enough to be able to write two. But try explaining this anxious feeling to a spouse who don't understand why making dinner is akin to climbing Mt. Everest, or to friends who fail to comprehend why driving an hour to the other side of town sucks up half your daily adrenaline, because it requires more concentration than you have had in two years.

A good friend of mine lost her husband and son to Lyme disease. Her husband refused to believe she was ill and would not pay for her treatments. The lack of support caused her to become so sick that she became bedridden, and to this day, she is mostly alone in her journey. Only a few friends have come alongside her to help her to survive.

Hence my vindication through the book's section, which is entitled, "How Friends And Family Members Can Help The Sick." I have been more fortunate than my friend, but I have experienced enough misfortune and misunderstanding with this illness to become passionate about wanting to help others receive a greater measure of support from friends and family.

That said, and as one doctor in the book noted, friends and family members of the sick also need their own support and understanding. It is difficult to support a sick person through a prolonged illness that baffles even the best of experts. We are only human and even the most sanctified soul can only take so much screaming, depression, ADD, sadness and forgetfulness. Only the rich can help the sick through their struggles without stressing over the mortgage or how they will pay for groceries on top of their spouses' treatment. Knowing this, as well, may help those with Lyme to not fall into the trap of believing that they are unloved, just because their loved ones cannot provide them with what they need.

But the focus of this section of the book is on the needs of the sick, because the misunderstandings to which they are subject are incredible, above and beyond belief, and they need people to fight for them.

It is my hope that this little section is read by those who have eyes to see, ears to hear, and a heart to receive the truth about what this devastating disease does to people, and what they require in order to heal. I pray it will also be a source of comfort to those who have been kicked aside, abandoned, and misunderstood because of their Lyme disease (and that would be just about everyone that I have ever spoken to who has Lyme, unfortunately).

You aren't alone in this. My heart aches for you and believe it or not, there are doctors whose hearts ache for you, too. Because many of those who treat Lyme disease have been there, too, including some who participated in my new book.

Saturday, August 29, 2009

"Insights Into Lyme Disease Treatment" Provides A Rational Counter-Balance to Anecdotal Stories of Success in Healing

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Brainstorming interview questions for the doctors who participated in my new Lyme disease book was an easy process. I just reminded myself of all of the things that I wish I had known about Lyme disease treatment when I first started out on my own healing journey-and then added to that the questions that I still had after four years of researching the disease and for which I hadn't been able to find answers.

There is so much Lyme disease treatment information out there on the Internet, but I felt compelled to write this book to supplement that information, because frankly, I have been getting fed up with anecdotal evidence from other Lyme disease sufferers about what works for healing. Because much of what is on the Internet is subjective.

Don't get me wrong-anecdotal evidence is helpful, but it has led some people with Lyme down less-than-profitable treatment roads.

And while there is no cookbook recipe for treating this disease, the health care professionals that have treated hundreds or thousands of Lyme disease patients know better than any of us lost in Lymeland what treatments tend to work for a majority, and which don't. Or rather, I should say, what combination of treatments work, because rarely is success in treating this thing about just throwing a few antibiotics at the patient.

I know some of you have been jaded by doctors who haven't been able to effectively treat your Lyme disease, but maybe what one doctor could not do for you, another can. Fortunately, this book provides a plethora of treatment approaches that can broaden that pool of options for you.

No doubt about it; this disease is the beast of all beasts in the infectious disease world. As one Lyme-literate doctor once said to me, "This thing is so freakin' serious. You can't treat it half-assed." Her words, along with what I have learned through researching this book, have led me to the conclusion that the treatment approach for Lyme needs to be comprehensive, and it needs to be aggressive. Many of the anecdotal stories of success have been based upon one type of treatment alone, which has led some Lyme disease sufferers into believing that they can be cured by a single remedy or bug-killing approach.

Yes, I have met the occasional soul who has been healed by the salt/C protocol or a year or two of oral antibiotics alone--but more often, I have witnessed people who get stuck or plateau in their healing progress because they aren't paying enough attention to their hormones, or their gut, or the detoxification aspect of healing. Or because they are simply using the wrong bug-killing strategy. Often, one or two herbs, or even a single antibiotic, just doesn't cut it when a person's disease state becomes chronic. A little andrographis here, a little doxycycline there...no my friends, I don't think it's enough. These treatments may beat back your infectious load a little, but these critters are tenacious. Adaptable. Wily. They may even become stronger because of such mild-mannered approaches to treatment. I have witnessed this happen to a good friend of mine, who became sicker because she played the on-again, off-again game with antibiotics, never took more than one remedy at a time, and was unable to address other aspects of her healing.

So part of the reason why I wrote this book was as a rational counter-balance to the anecdotal stories of success that float around on the Internet and in the Lyme disease community. Yes, we need to know about these stories, because they help us to discover potentially effecive treatments. But at the same time, we also need to know whether they represent what works for a majority, because sometimes, the anecdotal stories of success are only that-anecdotal.

Friday, August 07, 2009

Insights Into Lyme Disease Treatment...Thirteen Lyme-Literate Health Care Practitioners Share Their Healing Strategies

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Well, it's time to share the secret; the project that I have been working on over the past seven months and the reason why I have been moderately absent from this blog.

This thing was huge. Immense. It wasn't something that I was sure I could pull off. I didn't know whether the doctors would be interested. After all, treating Lyme disease is a political minefield for practitioners, and I wasn't sure anyone would want to go public with their information, much less take the time to share that information.

But I got the secrets. I got the information that I wish that I had had five years ago when I started researching this thing and treating myself for Lyme disease.

And now I'm about to share that information with you in a new book called "Insights Into Lyme Disease Treatment". Contained within this book are the protocols of thirteen Lyme-literate health care practitioners. The opinions of eight physicians, three naturopathic doctors, a nurse practitioner, and one chiropractor and nutritionist, all experienced in treating Lyme disease, and who employ a holistic, complementary approach to healing, are represented.

But this book is about more than just treatment protocols.

When I set out to write it, I was looking for answers to the deeper questions about healing. I wanted to know who are those that heal from chronic illness involving Lyme disease, and who are those that don't? After all, it seems that some people in the Lyme disease community experience a greater measure of healing than others, and we don't always know why. I also wanted to know what factors influence healing, and what treatments work, based on the experiences of those who have treated hundreds or thousands of people.

I sought out answers to questions that could only be answered by getting into the heads of those who have been treating this disease for a long time and who have seen a multitude of patients come and go. Questions that manifest as a vague type of wondering among the sick, but which people don't seem to get solid answers to because their experience is limited to a handful of others that they know of who were or weren't healed by therapy X, Y or Z.

Besides, this isn't a disease that any practitioner has mastered, so I figured, the more educated opinions that I could get on the subject, the merrier and more informed that the Lyme disease community would be.

Despite being an avid researcher myself, I learned a multitude of new things in the writing of this book. In my two-hour long interview with each practitioner, I asked them not only about their approach to killing bugs, but what strategies they use to heal and support their patients' bodies. I asked them to share with me their dietary, lifestyle and emotional recommendations for healing, and much more.

I also asked them analytical questions such as; Is chronic fatigue syndrome always Lyme disease? Are the bugs always primary in the overall symptom picture? How much of a person's symptoms are due to damage that the bugs have done to the body, and how much to the bugs, or infections, themselves? Why do some people gain weight, and others lose weight, when they get Lyme disease?

Finally, I wanted them to tell me how friends and family can help those with Lyme disease. I put the answers to this question as a final section at the end of each chapter, with the hope that loved ones who want to receive the truth about what Lyme sufferers go through will have their eyes and hearts opened by this information, so that they can better support their sick friends and/or family members.

The backgrounds of the practitioners who participated in this book are broad and varied, but all take a comprehensive approach to healing, and most employ healing strategies that are found in alternative, complementary, traditional, and naturopathic medicine. (As well as others!). And each practitioner contributed something unique to the book. No two chapters are alike.

Antimicrobial approaches to treatment that are discussed in the book include antibiotics, herbs, plant stem cells, biophotons (a type of energy), and homeopathy. The list of adjunct treatments is just as long and varied.

So when will this book be released? Soon. Maybe sometime in early September, although my publisher has been telling me to spread the word that it's going to be in October, just in case there are any publishing snags along the way! You can purchase it right here on my blog, as well as in a variety of other places, including www.lymebook.com, and www.amazon.com.

May this work bless you all in your journey towards health! I know that it has blessed mine.

Monday, July 20, 2009

Updates, updates

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Compared to the first two years of this blog, in which I posted on a weekly and often bi-weekly basis, this year, I have posted infrequently, due mostly to having to dedicate all of my writing energies to a new Lyme disease book. I had expected to be absent from this blog two, perhaps three months, but the Lyme book has sucked me into its vortex since the beginning of this year.

For those who enjoy reading my posts, I apologize for disappearing down the rabbit hole, but if you end up reading my next book, I think you'll find the time that I sacrificed away from this blog to be well worth it.

This is a unique book that will provide fresh, relevant information and insights into the treatment of Lyme disease. Even being an avid researcher myself, I found myself thinking during the writing of the book, "I wish I had had this information five years ago when I was just starting out on my healing journey!"

So it's my hope that it will become one of the best resources out there for helping others to deal with this devastating disease.

It's been an immense project, but I will be finished with the writing part of it this week, God willing. What's the book about? Don't worry, you'll find out soon enough! My publisher and I expect it to be out within the next few months, and soon, I will be able to write more about it.

There has been another reason for my absence from this blog.

Lately, I feel as though I have been so stuffed full of the "L" word, that after I have completed my writing and treatments for the day, the last thing that I want to do is go to my blog and fill my brain with more thoughts of "L".

Seriously, I'm getting Lyme disease indigestion, and my life needs to be about something else.

I suspect that I will post again more frequently once the new Lyme disease book is out and about and my brain and body have had a vacation from the "L" word. Too much "L" just isn't good for the soul but now that I have produced another book, I might have more to say about this topic than ever before, since the research process has led me to new conclusions about getting over this disease.

Oh and, for those of you who are wondering about my progress with the Bionic 880 treatments, my symptoms have improved since the last time I posted here. (see previous posts for a description of this treatment). April and May were difficult months, as my body processed borrelia and other neurotoxins, but I seem to be feeling better and better every day. If I still didn't have excruciating pain in my hip and lower back, I think I would actually be feeling quite marvelous right now. My energy is good, my sleep has improved, my thinking is clear (when I don't do treatments, anyway!), my stamina is decent, and even my POTS is getting better. I feel quite certain that the pain in my hip and back isn't due to Lyme infections, but rather, to a severe structural misalignment that may or may not be related to damage that Lyme has done to my body. I'm still seeking solutions for this symptom but nothing has been beneficial so far.

So do I think the Bionic 880 works for the treatment of Lyme disease? It's too early for me to give a definitive opinion one way or the other, but my experience so far has been telling me that yes, it does. But again, healing from Lyme isn't just about getting rid of infections and I strongly believe that in order for this, or any other antimicrobial treatment to be effective, it's important to support the body functionally and in its detoxification processes as well, using different adjunct treatments.

After leaving Germany, and while still living in Costa Rica, I continued to receive intravenous detoxification cocktails after my treatments. I now do a glutathione fast push and take homeopathic detoxification remedies after my treatments, which seems to be sufficient for getting rid of the neurotoxins (along with other types of detoxification, such as saunas, chlorella, coffee enemas, and mild exercise). Apparently, the five IV's that I did after leaving Germany were sufficient to knock down my infectious load enough so that I can now get by with a less intensive detoxification regimen.

More to come...I wish you all well in your continued journey towards health!

Friday, June 19, 2009

Good-Bye, Costa Rica

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It's funny all of the interesting twists and turns that Lyme disease brings into a person's life. After all, it brought me to Costa Rica. Yes, I came here in November, 2007, to write my first book on Lyme disease, but the financial devastation that Lyme had caused in my life up until then, along with my need to go deeper in order to find healing, is what has kept me here until now.

Indeed, in the twenty months that I have been here (well, really a year and a half, if I don't count the trips that I have taken back to the States in between), I have been healed of many things, probably in part due to living in a slower, more peaceful, and perhaps less toxic environment, and I am moving back to my "home" in Denver in just three days, stronger and healthier than when I left.

As I prepare myself for the reality of moving back to what will now be somewhat of a foreign country to me, I realize that as much as I wanted to avoid reverse culture shock and keep one foot back home, (because living here was never meant to be a permanent thing for me), I have yet immersed myself enough in life here to realize that returning to the States will yet be an adjustment.

I guess I've been here long enough to comprehend that I'm no longer leaving a foreign country; I am leaving behind a life, complete with friends and a lifestyle that I love and am now used to.

I don't know whether to scream because Lyme did this to me, or to rejoice because Lyme gave me the opportunity to experience life in another country.

Or maybe Lyme did nothing and my god's purposes were to take me out of the States for awhile anyway, for other reasons. But I did have a home in Denver and Lyme took that away from me and I knew that as long as I had symptoms and was unable to work, it would be easier for me to get by on my own in a cheaper country. And so I left the United States, and at the time, it seemed as simple as any other lifestyle choice that Lyme had obliged me to make.

Leaving Costa Rica and moving back to Denver will be bittersweet. I feel certain that this coming week will be marked by moments of sadness and tears as I say good-bye to loved ones here, but also by smiles and joy, at the prospect of going home to see my loved ones there.

They say that moving back to your own country after having lived overseas is more difficult than moving to a foreign country, because, when you move to a foreign country, you expect life to be different, but when you return back home, you expect things to be the same as before and they are not. But it's because you have changed.

It will be interesting to compare life in the United States to that of Costa Rica, once I am back "home". When it comes to healing, however, I don't know whether the environment in Costa Rica, or the United States, is more beneficial for those with chronic illness.

The pace of life in Costa Rica is slower than in the United States, which is conducive to healing. Life is also less complicated here in some ways, and that includes the people. Dare I say that we in the States are too analytical, and it is to our detriment?

Also, Costa Rica probably has fewer environmental contaminants than the United States, especially EMF's. Organic food is scarce, however, and access to supplements and Lyme treatments, even scarcer.

It's also noisy as heck in this place, and there are fewer creature comforts than in the States. Box spring mattresses, dish washers and dryers for example, aren't really the norm in the average Costa Rican household.

But the cost of living is lower here than in the States, which can take another immense burden off of those who are trying to recover their health.

So in some ways, life in Costa Rica can be beneficial to those with Lyme, but in other ways, it can be more stressful, and especially if you don't speak Spanish and aren't accustomed to Latin culture.

In any case, it's time for me to go back, and I must do it now, before I get too comfortable with life here. Because no matter how much I appreciate Costa Rica, I sense that greater purpose awaits me back "home" in Denver. In any case, I am determined not to let any Lyme bugs stop me anymore from fulfilling my god's purposes for me, whether these be in the United States, or any other country.

Sunday, June 14, 2009

Considerations in the Treatment of Lyme Using the Bionic 880

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Lately, I have been posting frequently on the topic of the Bionic 880 because I know that watchful eyes are wondering whether this treatment really works for treating Lyme disease infections.

As many of you know, I traveled to Germany in April to do this treatment. Unlike some people, I did not improve right away from the treatments. In fact, I still don't feel super stellar as a result, but I have spoken to enough people and read enough statistics about it to believe that it is probably quite effective for putting borrelia, and other bugs, into remission.

Whether it gets rid of chronic illness involving Lyme is another story, because, and as per my previous post, there's more to healing than just getting rid of infections. The Bionic 880 may solve other issues, since it supposedly regulates the metabolism, but it can't make up for deficiencies and it can't help the body to detoxify.

When I left Germany, Dr. Woitzel advised me to continue doing intravenous detoxification cocktails after every Bionic 880 treatment, especially when using my blood as a homeopathic nosode.

Approximately two weeks ago, I went straight for the jugular and began doing treatments using my blood, along with the machine. In doing this, I have been potentially treating multiple infections simultaneously, but I felt that my body would be able to handle the treatment, and my cute little magic wand (which I use to energetically test treatments), the biotensor, seemed to confirm this.

After the second treatment, however, something unexpected happened. My body rejected the IV; due mostly to fatigue and poor circulation, I think. The consequence of this was that I spent the following three days on the sofa.

Yesterday, I decided to do a detoxification IV without doing a treatment. My blood had turned dark crimson due to all the toxic sludge from the treatments and the IV, which worked this time, turned it back to a happy cherry color. Not only that, but as I predicted, today I am feeling better than I have in weeks.

So I think the detoxification IV's can be crucial, at least initially, for those who attempt to do this treatment at home. Otherwise, the biophotons can release too many toxins from the cells for the body to deal with. I don't believe that "toughing out" such reactions is beneficial, either. For those with detoxification problems, creating massive toxin release may lead to a re-distribution of those toxins, rather than their elimination. Slow and steady with a hardy detoxification protocol wins the race with the Bionic.

I have to wonder if some don't improve with this treatment because their bodies aren't able to get rid of toxins, either because they haven't continued to do intravenous cocktails after leaving Germany or because of an acquired or inborn genetic detoxification defect. Where the latter is true, then it seems that no treatment for infections would work, unless the problem is adequately dealt with.

Dr. Woitzel also emphasized to me that Bionic treatments are less effective when a person is exposed to too many electromagnetic frequencies. He even went so far as to say that they may be rendered totally ineffective by EMF's! So important is this issue that he recommends that his out-of-town patients stay in a guesthouse (Guesthaus Klein) that is located in the black forest, where EMF's are low. If EMF's were only an incidental consideration in biophoton treatment, I don't think that he would recommend that his patients stay so far out of town.

Since cell phones and computers are so much a part of our daily lives, however, avoiding these so that the biophotons can have their full effect upon the body isn't realistic. At the same time, nobody knows exactly how much EMF exposure is too much, but I can tell you that some of my Lyme friends can't tolerate to sit in front of my computer for more than fifteen minutes, and I have two diodes on it which are supposed to protect against EMF's. Yes, diodes help, but I'm not sure they give a biophoton candidate license to sit in front of the computer all day.

As for me, I was fairly functional prior to going to Germany, and now I am fairly exhausted. My insomnia and back pain continue, and my POTS is worse than ever. But I don't think it's because the treatments aren't working. It may be because I have been working on a new Lyme disease book (the end of which I hope is near!), which has obliged me to spend about six hours in front of the computer every day. This has probably slowed my healing down, but I was already deep into the project before I left for Germany and couldn't toss it aside after the photon treatments. Another reason is because I decided to dive right into using my blood for the treatments shortly after leaving Germany, which means that my body hasn't had much reprieve or chance to recover. Finally, I think that adrenal insufficiency may be playing a role, but I'm not certain of that. I do know, however, that one practitioner who uses the Bionic 880 believes adrenal insufficiency to be the biggest hindrance to the biophotons effectively working in the body, although Dr. Woitzel did not feel that this was an issue that needed to be addressed with me.

In any case, my goal after the month of June is to break my horrible computer and cell phone addiction, invest in an EMF canopy for my bed, and take the treatments a bit slower.

If you are considering traveling to Germany to do biophoton treatments, I would recommend taking the issues of detoxification and electromagnetic frequencies seriously. Avoiding EMF's and doing a proper detox protocol during the treatments isn't optional; these components are crucial, I believe, for the success of the therapy. Yes, there are those who will improve without intravenous therapy, and despite being exposed to a multitude of EMF's, but unless you are sure that you are one of these people, I think that it's a good to follow the doctor's orders. Especially since this therapy costs as much as a new car and it would be a shame to lose out on some of its benefits just because you spent a few too many hours on your computer! Following the doctor's orders is something that we are all reticent to do because we have been burned in the past by the "all-in-your-head" physicians, but I have confidence in Dr. Woitzel and his protocol.

Finally, being able to continue treatments once you return to the United States or your home country is important. While there may be those for whom five or six treatments will be sufficient to put borrelia into remission, testing must be performed on a monthly basis for a year following treatments, to ensure that the organisms don't become active again. I can only surmise that there are some critters that remain well tucked-away within the nooks and crannies of the body and which the Bionic 880 is unable to reach in the first round of treatments. Therefore, having access to a machine after you leave Germany is important, and also to mop up any other infections in the body.

Thursday, June 11, 2009

The Danger of Thinking in Categorical Terms

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I think we need to stop diagnosing ourselves with Lyme disease. I think a better diagnosis for many of us would be "chronic illness involving Lyme" or something which is even less elegant, but perhaps more accurate than the label of Lyme.

Why? Well, first of all, those who have been diagnosed with Lyme disease often fall into the trap of wearing this label like a badge. Why not? When somebody asks you what illness you have, it's just so easy to say "Lyme disease." I mean really, you don't want to get into a dissertation about all the biochemical foul-ups of your body, do you? It's just easier to say you got bit by a tick and now you have a bacterial infection in your body. (If only that were it!). Wearing such a badge, however, isn't beneficial for the identity, in my humble opinion!

Many of us have also been brainwashed into thinking that borrelia is what this beast of illness is all about, too. Get rid of the borrelia and you solve all your endocrine, immune and digestive problems, right?

But the beast is a different shade of ugly for everyone, and my four years of researching Lyme disease and observing others in the "Lyme community" (ahem) have taught me that we can't all follow the same treatment path, because the bugs aren't what chronic illness involving Lyme is about for everyone and we all have different problems to contend with in our recovery.

Yes, perhaps we all have active borrelia infections, but the borrelia might not be the primary reason for symptoms, and its role may only be that of an opportunistic infection that reared its spiraly head because of a weakness in the immune system.

Really, chronic illness is all about the immune system anyway, and why the immune system gets knocked down is a more complicated matter than just getting bit by a tick. I think that those with borrelia who tend to have no snags in their recovery, or who find themselves well after a year or two of antibiotics alone, are those for whom borrelia is the primary question, but it ain't so for many, or perhaps even a majority, of us.

Immune and endocrine dysfunction (related or unrelated to borrelia),compromised detoxification, environmental toxins, gut dysbiosis, and other issues play just as an important role in illness as borrelia, and may have even been the reason why borrelia was allowed to come out and wreak havoc on our bodies. Giving only incidental attention to these issues may complicate recovery from Lyme infections, but some of us may be tempted to relegate them to second place because, after all, aren't the bugs primary?

Okay, well whether they are or aren't, the above-mentioned factors must also be addressed if those with chronic illness involving Lyme hope to fully recover. And I believe, in my wee humble opinion, that just as much attention must be given to these factors as to the bugs.

Unfortunately, treating immune and endocrine dysfunction, gut dysbiosis and all the rest, can be just as complicated, if not more so, than treating infections. I know, as if three forms of borrelia weren't bad enough, right? But if we could actually get our immune systems to work right it would sure solve a million more problems than if we had just killed a bunch of bugs.

Taking the problem of categorization even further, many of us, if we have learned to address these other issues, may yet put them into neat little boxes too, but what if we need more boxes, or our boxes aren't big enough for our stuff? What if, for example, when we think about treating endocrine dysfunction, we consider only the thyroid or the adrenal glands? What about the hypothalamus or pituitary gland? And if we consider the thyroid, do we only look at thyroid hormone deficiency? Or do we try to discover whether the body is actually using thyroid hormone, and if it isn't, then why not? How far up the HPA-axis do you go to discover why the thyroid isn't functioning properly? Or do you not go up the axis, and instead look at the thyroid itself, to see if there might be some mercury or bug bits lingering there?

I'm not suggesting we attempt to do such things. A friend quoted a verse from the bible the other day which gave me great reassurance about treating my own chronic illness. I don't recall where that verse is, but it goes something like this, "For I do not concern myself with things too high or wonderful for me." The implication of this verse is that my god will help me when I can't help myself anymore, which gives me great relief.

Sometimes, the stuff of chronic illness is just too big for us to get a grip on, and our categories are probably much punier than we can imagine, yet we find security in those categories because they give us answers and those answers provide knowledge, which is power. What we fail to understand, however, is that no matter how abundant our knowledge, it is yet often insufficient to get us where we need to go, and is probably only a drop in an ocean of truths that have yet to be revealed to us.

Another reason why the above-mentioned bible verse gave me comfort was because I don't believe that in the end, acquiring mountains of knowledge is what is going to heal me. Yes, it helps, but I happen to believe that the right knowledge will come to me from above, and perhaps in unexpected ways. Maybe I'll have to get a degree in immunology or endocrinology in order to figure out how to successfully mop up the messes that still linger in my body, but somehow I doubt it.

Truth be told, when it comes to chronic illness involving Lyme, I think we can study medicine until the day that our spirochetes sprout wings (God forbid!) and perhaps not get much further than where we are already at. Knowledge is power, but it's not everything. Wisdom is superior to knowledge, and sometimes wisdom isn't found in a doctor's words, a textbook or even a Lyme book.

And I think it's wise to loosen our grip on the categories that we hold onto so dearly in disease, because there are more that are yet to be discovered, and how they all work together is somewhat of a mystery, even to the most brilliant of minds. Besides, it's not beneficial to think of ourselves as having Lyme, because in reality, that's not what it's all about.

Saturday, May 30, 2009

Blasting Bugs with the Blood

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When I returned to Costa Rica from Germany nearly a month ago, I brought back with me a handful of the homeopathic remedies that Dr. Woitzel uses for his detoxification IV's, which he administers following treatment with the Bionic 880. (See my posts from earlier this month for more information on the Bionic 880).

I purchased the homeopathic remedies, not knowing whether I would be able to find someone to administer the IV's for me, once I started doing Bionic treatments on my own. Especially in the United States, where fewer practitioners are willing to administer substances that they are unfamiliar with.

Fortunately, my friend Nelly in Costa Rica, who is a former nurse, trusts my judgment in matters of medicine and was up for wasting two hours of her Saturday to help me with my do-it-yourself and do-it-at-home detoxification IV.

One of the things that I love about Costa Rica is that there is less red tape when it comes to getting the goods and services that you need in order to have fun with an IV. Indeed, it's okay to color outside of the lines in some countries, and this is one of them.

After Nelly helped me to make a list of all of the gadgets that I would need for the cocktail; the angiocard, syringes, needles, bag of sodium chloride, etc., we telephoned a local pharmacy to request the goods, which they promptly delivered to my apartment on a motorcycle as if it were a Blackjack's pizza, with the exception that the price of these was even less than that of a pizza!

Mission accomplished, my dear friend looked high and low in my apartment for a good place to set up the IV contraption. We found a nice hinge on my bedroom closet, and as Nelly prepared my detox cocktail using my suspicious German remedies, I took a sample of my blood, taped it to my solar plexus, and began treatment with the biophotons.

I don't wield the biotensor with expert hands but my testing with the tool, along with Nelly's, confirmed that it would be okay to do a biophoton treatment using my blood and the biophoton device at different points on my body, for five minutes per point, at twenty-five percent power.

I don't necessarily recommend this protocol for everyone who owns a Bionic 880; more, but especially, less time on the machine may be required when treating one's own blood in conjunction with biophotons. The blood contains the energetic blueprint of all of the infections that are in the body. Hence, doing too much treatment too soon using the blood as a homeopathic nosode may produce too much of a detoxification reaction, which is why it's best to always do some type of reliable energetic test before blasting the bugs with one's own blood.

The IV turned out to be a little tricky; the bag of sodium chloride that I purchased was filled to the brim and left little room for the homeopathic remedies, so Nelly had to empty it a bit. After this and some awkward maneuvering on the bed, I found a cozy spot where the cocktail could drip freely into my vein, and after that, the operation was smooth and relatively painless.

Thank God for friends! Without Nelly to hook me up to a detox IV, who knows what kind of reaction I would be getting from these treatments, or how much the treatment would have cost me in the United States?

And Nelly wouldn't take even twenty pesos in compensation for the two hours that she spent with me today, but I hope to repay her someday for it, as well as for the next four IV treatments that she will be giving me over the next few weeks.

Not everyone who goes to Germany to receive treatments with the Bionic 880 will be able to follow up their treatments at home with the same IV cocktail that Dr. Woitzel administers in his practice. Yet, and as Dr. Woitzel emphasized to me, it is important to follow up treatments with a detoxification IV when the blood is used as a homeopathic remedy along with the biophotons. Personally, I think that if it isn't possible for those with a Bionic 880 to do the same type of IV cocktail that Dr. Woitzel used, then some other type of aggressive detoxification protocol should probably be performed after the photon therapy sessions. One health care practitioner in Germany uses glutathione IV's, for example, as part of her detoxification protocol following Bionic 880 treatments.

Photos: The Do-It-At-Home Biophoton and IV Detoxification Treatment