Preparing for Battle

To maximize the effectiveness of your Lyme treatments, whether antibiotic, herbal or both, will require some battlefield preparation. All three of the books recommended in my earlier post cover the biological reasons behind this, but suffice it to say that Lyme spirochetes, and their often accompanying co-infections, are not easy to kill if they've been in your body awhile. We'll need to strengthen our army, upgrade or boost our artillery and strengthen our fortress. What does that mean? Lyme impairs the immune system, so the cards are stacked against us, and if spirochetes aren't killed by the antibiotics, they can become resistant to them, creating a super bug that becomes even harder to destroy. We can strengthen our immune system and most effectively prepare our body for battle through four steps:

1. Detoxify your body through a dietary and /or herbal cleanse. There are many herbal cleanses on the market, so research and consult a professional to ensure the quality of the ingredients. Beyond Balance has some effective herbal tinctures, some specific to Lyme, as well as environmental toxins (from say, toxic smoke from a multi-structure fire, for example). I'm currently using Cognease Detox daily, as well as pulsing Tox-Ease Bind and Tox-Ease II. It's only been a few days, and I'm already feeling noticeable results. You may need help from your practitioner to order.

2. Adopt a clean, whole-food diet, specifically eliminating processed foods, sugar, gluten and alcohol. The recommended Lyme books detail these diet recommendations. This is important to avoid adding new toxins to the body that could interfere with the immune system's focus on spirochete killing. Also, Lyme loves sugar and gluten, and giving it what it wants makes you feel sicker. Ideally, we should eat more clean (organic, grass-fed, local, nitrate-free) protein, some fruit and lots of clean (pesticide-free) vegetables. There are dozens of great diets out there, such as Mediterranean, Keto and GAPS, but I've found Paleo most closely matches the Lyme diet protocol and my preferences. Practical Paleo by Diane Sanfilippo (commonly referred to as the Paleo Bible) gives several meal plans designed for specific medical conditions and needs, including ours. The books is chocked full of colorful recipes and information and good place to start if you're not sure.

3. Boost the Immune System, balance the adrenal system and aid the digestive system through natural supplements. Specific supplementation needs will vary with each person depending on the degree of their system impairment, the presence of other harmful elements, such as parasites, viruses or mycotoxins and stress. Please consult your LLMC, but I can offer some recommendations based on my experience as a personal trainer/ nutritionist and through personal experience and research. I'm dealing with issues with all three systems. Here's my list, in order of importance, depending on where you're needing it:
1. Probiotics
2. Omega 3's
3. Monolaurin - immune (I take L-lysine Monolaurin)
4. Bile salts or Intestimax - digestion
5. Methyl B12 and Folate
4. N-Acetyl Cysteine and/or Alpha Lipoic Acid - immune
5. Super Digestaway - blend of digestion herbs or other digestive enzymes
6. Bio Pure Cocktail tincture - blend of immune herbs specific for Lyme
8. LDN (low dose Naltrexone) - immune & anti-inflammatory (relieves pain)

For digestion, I also like Green Tea, ginger, curcumin, milk thistle and fermented foods, like Kimchi. For my adrenal fatigue, I also like glutathione, rhodiola, cordyceps and chlorella. For my immune system, I swear by NutriBiotic's DefensePlus. It has GSE (grapefruit seed extract), astralagus, Vitamin C, Echinacea, and many other herbs. My ultimate whole-food supplement in lieu of a mutli-vitamin is the Source of Life's Liquid Gold juice. It contains your daily requirement of fruits and veggies. In a later post, I will give supplement recommendations based on specific symptoms.

4. EXERCISE! Movement is so important during this process to remove toxins, relief joint and muscles pain and transport blood/oxygen to the cells. If you're suffering from Lyme Carditis like I am, keep it light. Tai Chi, Qi Gong, Gentle Yoga or stretching should be done daily. If you're able to do resistance training, use lighter weights and higher reps (12-15) and take a day off in between workouts. As an avid fitness trainer, coach and group aerobics instructor, it feels blasphemous to say this, but avoid high intensity workouts during your treatment period. These can over-stress the body and heart and allow the spirochetes to flow more readily through the blood-brain barrier, exacerbating the problem. Once you're cured, bring on the intensity! I can't wait. But I will. Yay for yoga.

While you're waiting for results....

You've completed the first three steps. You've had your doctor's consultation, ordered the kit, and you're both sure you have some combination of Lyme's bacterium strains. What can you do while you wait for the specific results? 

4. Start a health journal. This is will be immensely helpful in directing your treatment plan and monitoring your recovery. Start now and bring it your appointment. Every day, record: a. your symptoms, b. any medications/supplements you took,  c. what you ate, d. any abnormal stresses that may be impacting symptoms. This may sound tedious, but to fight this "smart bug" will require a complete wellness program, and this is your best tool to staying on the right track. You want to get better, right???

5. Educate yourself. Like I said, this will require a complete lifestyle change and commitment to your health, so buy a book that can give you all the guidance you need. To fight this, you'll need to master your body, mind and spirit holistically to boost the immune system and maximize your defenses, as well as identify the correct treatment protocol. I'll continue to simplify and share the most pertinent advice I find, but if you're like me and want to have all the info, these are the best of what was recommended to me. Each addresses all components, including dietary recommendations.  

a. The Lyme Disease Solution by Kenneth Singleton 

b. How Can I Get Better by Richard Horowitz 

c. Cure Unknown by Pamela Weintrech

6. Let yourself rest. It's time to take a deep breath, accept that our recovery is going to take time, and the best thing you can do for your body when it's fatigued, is let it rest. Take an afternoon nap. Go to bed early. Make good use of your "feeling well" time in between Lyme episodes, or symptom flares. You're not alone, and this won't last forever. 

Finding your "Lyme Literate Medical Doctor"

If you finished Step 1. from the last post, then it's time to find your Doc. Here we go...

2. Find an LLMC. Burrascano's article explains why this is important. Lyme is VERY hard to diagnose and blood tests are highly unreliable. You need a Lyme-literate doctor educated in current protocol for treatments, especially if you suspect you've had this disease awhile. The longer you've had it, the harder it is to treat. The best resource to finding an LLMC is at lymedisease.org. Sign up for the free membership, and you can search the provider list. This is the BEST resource for finding a qualified physician. Take your completed and printed symptoms checklist from Dr. Burrascano's article to your doctor's appointment. 

3. Ask your Dr. to order a Specimen Kit for a Lyme/co-infection panel to be sent to the IGeneX Lab. This is the most reliable test for, not just Bb (Lyme Borreliosis) but all the other tick borne co-infections that may accompany it. It's pricey but necessary for a full recovery!! If they don't know what you're asking, you may want to choose a different Dr. Just sayin'...

Where to begin...

The biggest lesson I'm learning is that to fight Lyme Disease, you need to take responsibility for your recovery, educate yourself and make yourself accountable for guiding and collaborating with your physician in making the right choices to lead to the right solutions. No one knows your body better than you, so own it. You know what you feel, are highly motivated to heal, and have the benefit of inner wisdom from your own body, if you listen hard enough. Don't follow blindly but find a LLMC (Lyme literate medical professional) that you trust and become an equal partner in your personal wellbeing. Once you've adjusted that mindset and made a personal commitment to yourself to do whatever it takes to feel well, we can begin. 

1. Determining your probability of having Lyme Disease. Before investing big bucks on testing with the ONLY lab in the country that can produce reliable results for Lyme, you should learn more about the disease, the possible co-infections, and take a clinical test to determine the likelihood. Download the PDF of Advanced Topics in Lyme Disease by Joseph J. Burrascano MD at: http://www.lymenet.org/BurrGuide200810.pdf. Print the PDF and fill out the symptoms checklist. If you know you were bitten by a tick, have a bullseye shaped rash on your body and/or are feeling many of the symptoms on that list, take a deep breath and stay with me. 

Why am I writing this blog?

Since the Lyme Disease diagnosis bomb was dropped on me, I've felt both bombarded by sometimes contradictory advice and information, as well as overwhelmed by the lack of a clear direction. Combine that with the brain fog and inability to concentrate notoriously inflicting those with Lyme, and you have a recipe for despair, which is highly counter-intuitive to fighting this disease, so.... I'm determined to hone in my healing regimen and provide you fellow Lyme-ees with a clear and easy path to your optimal recovery. My hope is that with a simple trail map, your healing journey will be quicker and easier, and this will, in turn, make me feel better about my own experience. So thank you for giving my pain a worthy purpose. I wish you wellness!!

If you'd like to know more about my history, symptoms, diagnosis and reasons for writing this blog, please visit my creative outlet: https://travelingsalesmom.blogspot.com/.