In the last couple of months, several friends have been diagnosed with Lyme Disease. This tick-borne infectious disease is increasing as a problem. But that doesn’t mean that it is a new problem. Last year, they found that one of the oldest mummies was also infected by Lyme disease. Regardless, it can cause a lot of health issues for humans and pets, especially when not treated early.
Both the medical and the alternative health care providers are grabbling with how to best treat this issue with varying success. My husband and I have met several people who have been treated for Lyme’s Disease, yet still are besot with issues caused by it. Obviously there needs to be a lot more research on the topic.
My knowledgeable readers have always given so much great personal stories and information on other issues, I’d thought I invite you all to share your knowledge and experience. Have any of you gone through Lyme’s disease or had loved ones who did? Any success stories to share? Natural cures? Antibiotic success?
I’d appreciate hearing from you, so that I can better understand what my friends are dealing with, and, who knows, perhaps one of you could have a missing piece to help one of my friends, or some of the other readers.
So, please, share away any and all information you have on this serious disease!
Latest posts by KimiHarris (see all)
- 2 Ingredient Peppermint Bark - December 21, 2022
- Herbal Hibiscus Lemonade (Keto, THM) - March 16, 2022
- Creamy Curry Red Lentil Soup - December 8, 2021
My favorite doctor, Dr. Marshall, at healthline.cc has treated hundreds of people with lyme disease with high doses of HCL. Every single person has been healed. I think that is the route I would try since he has helped me with so many health issues and is so knowledgeable. Antibiotics wreak havoc on the digestive system.
Love this guy and his method of treatment! My husband and I (both infected) have been using his protocols and futuristic method for Lyme testing for about 2 years now with great success (see my posts further down the comments section below). Thankfully we have been able to continue working and carrying on with our lives throughout using this gentle treatment method. We highly recommend QRA (Quantum Reflex Analysis) to remedy any number of different chronic or acute conditions. There’s a grateful user of Dr. M’s who created his own website to tell more folks about QRA. His site, TomsGoodFiles.com is super informative for any who are interested in learning more and is an excellent resource for finding a practitioner in your area. Even if there is not one close to you, many of his practitioners are now offering remote testing using furturistic hand cradle technology that’s really quite amazing as well.
That’s wonderful, Lori! I never would have thought of something so simple as HCL having such a huge effect. I agree that antibiotics are terrible for the digestive system – I can personally attest to that! Though, I wouldn’t hold it against anyone who felt that their best route. I know that some have not had success treating it naturally.
I thought I’d pass on this link with the recomendations of someone who has had lyme.
http://renegadehealth.com/blog/2011/06/11/what-do-you-do-if-you-have-lymes-disease
What is HCL?
Christine- HCl is hydrochloric acid
I don’t know much about it, but hubby’s boss’ wife has Lyme’s and she has had very much success using a meridian stress assessment machine.
Megan,
Never heard of it before!
My Chinese Dr. told me that over years of treating many, many people with this, 100% of her Lyme’s patients also had heavy metal poisoning, and treating that, along with building up the immune system and digestive tract, along with eliminating EMF/EMR (electromagnetic field/electromagnetic radiation) helps greatly. I can attest to this. Also eliminating sugars (even natural ones) for the treatment time and then going to a “new normal” of low sugar diet, will help. Sugar attaches like velcro to Lyme’s and HM (heavy metal), as well as to many other illnesses. It suppresses the immune system in a huge way.
For treatment of the heavy metal, see a qualified Chinese Dr./acupuncturist/nutritionist and for the EMF/EMR issues, you can start by educating yourself on the subject.
http://www.centerforsaferwireless.org is a wonderful place to start. Spend time on that website and let your loved ones know about it too.
Also, the book, Wireless Radiation Rescue by Kerry Crofton, PhD is a fantastic read on the subject. It’s a fast read with lots of pictures and helpful charts, diagrams, etc.
Heather,
Thanks for the info!
You said: “I can attest to this. Also eliminating sugars (even natural ones) for the treatment time and then going to a “new normal” of low sugar diet, will help.” Have you dealt with lyme disease?
Wow, very interesting.
About a year ago, our parish got a new priest. He told us he had Lyme disease, but was doing well. After a few months at our church, he got very, very sick again and had to leave. Our previous priest, who was now at a new church, had also become very sick and was diagnosed with lymphoma at the same time.
The church was going through financial problems. In the discussions about the finances it came out that the church has a cell tower on top and receives money for this. I really feel this has something to do with our 2 priests becoming so ill. However, no one else seems to take me seriously nor wants to give up the $ during this hard time.
Emma-
You are right. The EMFs produced by a cell tower could have contributed in both cases. I have had Lyme disease for nearly seven years, but wasn’t properly diagnosed and treated for it until having it nearly four years. By that time I had developed Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, fibromyalgia, bursitis, arthritis, depression, hypothyroid, reproductive hormone imbalance, the worst overload of Candida Albicans my specialist has ever seen to date, two to three dozen food allergies, non-Celiac gluten intolerance and a case of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever that tested on the border between negative and positive. My doctor is a board certified family practice and naturopathic doctor so uses an integrated medical approach to treating Lyme and its associated maladies. My doctor is also a healthy Lyme survivor.
Because Lyme and other similar infections turn their victims into a canary in a coalmine, artificial influences are harder to tolerate for us. Perfumes, preservatives, food additives and EMFs can be difficult to impossible for those like myself to handle. I personally have to be very careful with how much I use my cell phone, tablet and laptop. I haven’t noticed wifi being a problem, but too much contact with the devices that channel wifi definitely have an impact. Having a cell tower on top of your church is all but a death sentence for those like myself and your former priests. There is documentation that cell towers make “normal” people sick, as well, so don’t be afraid to stick up for the knowledge God has placed in your hands.
I attend church in a conservative Christian background and am fortunate to have experienced mostly a positive reception to my new-fangled notions. 😉 But God will not be mocked so He will use the means and individuals to place what we need in our lives to thrive. If you need anymore evidence to support getting the cell tower off your church, start at mercola.com and use the website’s search engine by typing in “cell tower” and “EMF”. You will find what you need there to get that cell tower moved from the church. You can’t place any amount of money on good health.
As for the question of what worked for me, I am a work in progress. I had Lyme et al so bad for so long that my healing is three years in the making to date. I have been on a very strict Lyme diet while avoiding countless other foods due to allergies. I was on three different antibiotics pulsed in a strategic protocol for 18 months while taking powerful probiotics and two different digestive enzymes -one with meals and the other between meals. I also take several other nutritional supplements as indicated by regular blood tests. I do not take a multi-vitamin as I am being treated for a methylation issue. I am currently taking Betaine HCI to increase my stomach acid. I also started taking food grade diatomaceous earth based upon my own research despite my doctor not having used it in their practice. I have had good results with the HCI and DE, and I recommend DE to anyone who is interested in benefiting from its use.
My doctor also recommends regular exercise and some type of meditation in the life of each patient. I have kept a pretty strong grasp on the hand of my Savior through most of my life, including walking out this season with Lyme, so prayer and scripture reflection is a strong component in my healing. I also used to work seven hour shifts four times a week in a really busy burrito chain, which was my exercise. I was 50 and had the strength, endurance and figure of a teenager thanks to my doctor. When I left that job two years ago, I continued my exercise with a Pilates chair at home. I love the resistance and cardio training I get from it, but have recently started to run to supplement my workout.
I did experience a setback recently with my health but it is slowly getting better. Some of that is tied to the fact that coconut oil can have a negative impact on some Lyme patients because it can help the spirochetes “swim”. Soon after taking coconut oil, coconut milk and coconut meat from my diet, I improved. The other part of that is I was laid off from my previous job whose operations are housed in our beautiful local high school. The point is that I think there may be a cell tower on top of the school. I’m not certain, but I know there is one on top of the middle school. I will certainly look into it tomorrow.
I hope my comments help someone. For more information on Lyme disease and other tick=borne illnesses, I strongly recommend ILADS.org. They’re a great organization that is leading the fight for Lyme and tick-borne illness treatments. Godspeed.
Janelle
On my podcast, I recently interviewed Katina Makris, author Out of the Woods, healing from lyme disease.
Katina shares from the vantage point of a patient. Katina has invaluable knowledge on Lyme disease, lab tests, treatment options and full recovery at the mind-body level. Listen if you can, it was really great information.
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/getbetterwellness/2012/11/15/the-get-better-wellness-radio-show-with-erin-chamerlik
Thanks, Erin! I appreciate it!
I was diagnosed with Lyme Disease in 2006. I had a very prominant bulls-eye rash which is a classic indicator of Lyme. Only a percentage of people who are infected with Lyme get the rash but if you do see a bulls-eye rash, get a blood test! I know there is a lot of controversy surrounding Lyme and some people say certain blood tests that are used to diagnose Lyme are not reliable in showing if you actually have it. Has anyone heard anything about which blood tests are the most accurate to take? I was in college when I was diagnosed and my mom took care of most of the research and I just took the meds she sent me so I don’t know or remember much of the details of the healing regimine I was on. There were some herbs I took but the big thing was I was on antibiotics for a year which completely wiped out my digestive system. That is why I am now doing GAPS, to restore what the antibiotics destroyed. They did seem to be effective in killing the disease, though. I have had no problems or symptoms since 2007. I was lucky, though, because we caught it right away.
Supposedly the tests from Igenex labs are much more reliable than the standard blood tests through your doctor. The problem there is that the comprehensive test for Lyme and coinfections runs about $900.
There is a grant program that can help with testing costs if you qualify…if you google Lyme Tap, you can find out more information on it.
Luckily my husband’s standard Western Blot test came back positive…he really got lucky on that one/
I found this site as I was researching for my little sister. http://www.anapsid.org/lyme/matthewgoss/symptomstests.html
She is doing a combination of antibiotics and vit c/d infusions with a Dr in VA. She just started yesterday so we are praying hard that it all works out since she was most likely bitten about 2 years ago.
What doctor in VA? Can you reply or send me the info katealexander7 at gmail dot com
I would really appreciate the info! I’ve been on oral antibiotics and know I need some IV support.
How is your sister doing?
Many have reported that the herb, teasel, has helped tremendously with Lymes Disease. Dr. Philip Fritchey has this available and teaches about teasel in his herbology classes.
hi Kimi, great post, I went and saw doctor the other day who knows Lyme is here in Australia , as I’m certain I have Lyme ..I’m getting blood tests on 10th December I have to wait because I was taking the herb artamesia in a product called triplex and they said it can effect the results apparently my blood will be sent to infectolab Germany …As the testing we have in Australia is rubbish nearly all the doctors in Australia keep saying we don’t have Lyme in Australia which isn’t true…I am a member on Lyme Australia & friends on face book and so many have been diagnosed with Lyme. The doctor I saw the other day said he is certain I have Lyme, so am I …I’ve been so sick and was diagnosed with CFS in the early 90’s doctor said every one who has cfs that he has had tested came back positive for Lyme…I’ll be reading every ones post ..as I anti drugs, The doctor said if I don’t use antibiotic I wont get well I said I disagree…now I need to find out every thing i can to get well naturally …thanks so much for posting on this subject 🙂
I can’t stay on antibiotics for more than a week because it lowers my sodium levels too low and I run the risk of going into a coma. So, I have tried many things to fight lyme and the damage it leave behinds without them. I really have made great progress this last year. I have had lyme since 1985 and it has caused me to me totally disabled at times, but now I am able to live on my own and I am much better. The two best treatments or therapies I used were Gerson(www.gerson.org) and electro-magnetic treatments using the Ondamed machine http://www.ondamed.net/home.html Its very important to detox, I can’t emphasize this enough. If you start killing the bacteria, they do leave behind neurotoxins and its vital to get the toxins out of our body because it can and will mess you up. Gerson was the best way I found to do this safely.
Hope this helps. I also try to eat a good diet and exercise when I am able.
I have read that raw milk can be helpful in dealing with Lyme’s disease. Here is one lady’s story of her journey with Lyme’s disease. She tried many natural foods and methods but when she went on a diet with raw milk, she got better.
http://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/the-milk-cure-for-healing-lyme-disease/
That may well be but note also that the author of that blog is a rabid raw milk fan (not that that’s a bad thing but goes somewhat against credibility) AND that there are some very sensible, concrete points made in the comments by people who handle Lyme cases and who disagree totally with the recommendations made in that post.
..or another post of hers about removing ticks. Apologies that I didn’t click thorugh before commenting!
My husband has been battling Lyme for the past 2 years. We went to Dr. Klinghardt’s clinic in June (Klinghardt was one of Dr. Mercola’s mentors). He looks for metals but before that, he deals with parasites. My husband still isn’t 100%, but parasite elimination has been the biggest help to his energy levels. Such a horrible disease. Looking forward to new, heavenly bodies in a whole new way after what we’ve gone through!
There might be some helpful info in this post: http://www.themamabus.com/not-the-lottery-we-were-hoping-to-win/
I’ve had Lyme for years and I’ve been part of the Lyme community.
Chronic Lyme has a very large genetic component and most people who get it have one or more detox gene defects, whether the HLA genes for biotoxin detox or MTHFR genes or other methylation genes.
The best thing I know for for getting rid of infections would be ozone saunas, which increase glutathione and oxygenation in a powerful way.
I personally seem to be Lyme-free after a year of ozone saunas, although I have some residual Bartonella, for which I am using Byron White A-BART.
Beyond that, detox! Get the methylation cycle going! These illnesses are by and large detox deficiencies. The more I learn about Lyme, the more I see that detox is perhaps the most important thing. Some people just have a genetic need for much more attention to detox, particularly if they encounter specific biotoxins. Look at Ritchie Shoemaker’s work.
Yes, I have a friend has been healed from Chronic Lymes disease. She used a combination of energy medicine from http://www.quantumtechninques.com and also used the Byron White formulas. She is now a practitioner for Quantum Techniques. Look at the website and read her bio, Jenice Stebel. My son with autism is now doing Quantum Techniques and this has helped his gut issues TREMENDOUSLY.
Very encouraged to read this. I have just started ozone therapy and my doc feels i should be well in a year!
The latest article from dr mercola on lyme was very hopeful theres a dr in alaska that dose a treatment by taking your blood exsposeing it to uv rays and such to destroy the pathogens then when you recieve the blood back your body can see what it takes to kill it off. It is the perfect vaccine, all natural. Lyme is so ticky because it mimicks so many other diseases and it hides so well. Our family has delt with this but threw prayer and the laying on of hands we believe and recieve healing. All glory to God the father! There was a documentary along with the article on dr Mercola.I would tell my friends to Pray Pray Pray and have others Pray on thier behalf, look threw all the healing scriptures and read some everyday (There are alot of them) look at how Yahway tells us to live threw his word (The Holy Bible) and start walking in it. By forgiving all and recieving forgiveness step out boldly in faith without doubting in your heart then you can recieve all that he has for you, the struggle is not against flesh and blood but against powers unseen. The Lord always keeps his promises to those who love him and seek him.When you start to come out of the world and seek only him everything is as it should be.
Please see links:
http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2012/08/20/lyme-disease-symptoms.aspx
older article: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/08/04/Dr-Klinghardts-Treatment-of-Lyme-Disease.aspx
interview on Lyme disease: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/02/05/dr-dietrich-klinghardt-on-lyme-disease.aspx
another: http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2012/08/20/lyme-disease-symptoms.aspx
There are more, please see: http://search.mercola.com/search/Pages/results.aspx?k=lyme%20disease
Hope this is helpful and educational. Take care and be well!
This is the doctor I would be calling if I were diagnosed with Lyme Disease. Her article is very convincing, and it sounds like she’s getting good results, too, which is very encouraging. It’s definitely worth the time it takes to read through it.
http://www.cindeegardner.com/articles/9545617127/treating-lyme-disease-naturally
It sounds like many have positive results from using a high parts per million (ppm) of colloidal silver and also using Diatomaceous earth as a detox. I would personally also throw in apple cider vinegar.
A friend of mine was once diagnosed with lyme and she ate a lot, really a lot of coconut oil and due to the lauric acid she cured herself!
Our family is battling Lyme disease. My husband has advanced neurological Lyme and has been on several antibiotics and is currently on IV Rocephin which is not helping.
My son has Lyme and we can’t afford ANY treatment so he lies in bed 80% of his day exhausted. The problem is that not one treatment always works. You have to attack it from all angles and unfortunately if you do not have the money to pay for expensive Lyme Literate Doctors, you have to treat it on your own. My husband’s PICC line is going to be taken out soon because the doc is not a LLMD and if she were to continue treatment, she would face consequences from the medical board.
We also have been using a Rife machine which has been slowing killing off the Lyme but it can take a few years. In January if we can afford it we are going to try the Buhner protocol which involves herbs. We are also using Homeopathy which we have seen some results with.
Unfortunately we are shooting in the dark because we cannot afford saunas, LLMDs or expensive supplements for a family of 5 so we do what we can and pray that the treatments that we are doing will rid us of this horrible disease.
My husband was sick for 3 years before finally being diagnosed with Lyme last year. We have been using the Buhner protocol since then with some success (oral abx didn’t help and his PICC line developed a blood clot and had to be taken out). Our LLMD also said a cheaper alternative to the PICC and IV antibiotics is to take shots of bicillin. Maybe that would be an alternative for you?
Barb – I have been doing most of the Buhner herbs as homemade tinctures which saves a ton of money if you buy the herbs yourself and prepare them. Feel free to email me if you want more specifics.
Praying that your husband and son get some relief.
In the herbal world, Stephen Harrod Buhner is the leader on protocols. He has a book Healing Lyme as well as this website: http://buhnerhealinglyme.com/. He has a solid protocol and sound reasoning behind it. There are a myriad of options and suggestions because Lyme manifests differently in each person.
I have heard of many having success with Intravenous vitamin c. When done through an IV, they can give doses of 100 grams of vitamin c, which will kill it, if given often.
http://www.anapsid.org/lyme/matthewgoss/symptomstests.html
I wish I’d had these resources this summer when our 5 1/2 year old son was diagnosed with Lyme’s after a week of excruciating pain.
He would scream in his sleep with tears but not be awake. All day long he would moan without meaning to. He was lethargic and positively miserable. It was heart breaking. Initially we thought it was his appendix because he had a low-grade fever that didn’t drop even with round-the-clock Tylenol and Motrin for pain (not my choice, but my husband couldn’t stand to see his boy in so much pain). An overnight observatory stay in the ER produced nothing conclusive, and neither did another ER visit that week after our pediatrician thought it might be meningitis. Finally, we DEMANDED that they test for Lyme’s, astonished that it hadn’t been done in all the other rounds of blood work (symptoms weren’t typical, absent joint pain or swelling).
When our son developed Bell’s Palsy at the end of the week, our pediatrician called the ER and learned that blood work had revealed Lyme’s, but no one had contacted him b/c it was a Saturday. That afternoon, we went back to the ER for an initial IV dose of antibiotic and then followed that with a 28-day course of oral antibiotics. The Bell’s Palsy affected both sides of his face briefly, and the second-affected side was fully resolved about 6 weeks after the antibiotics were completed.
Were I to have a do-over, I can’t say for sure if I would not go the antibiotic route. So far, I haven’t seen signs of antibiotic-related maladies. Our son has had a nourishing, traditional diet since birth with few health issues, for which I am grateful. Were things different, I might be more strongly opposed to the antibiotics. But in our case, his pain was gone within hours of the IV dose, and his other symptoms diminished quickly, except for the second side of Bells Palsy.
While I typically prefer to avoid conventional medicine, I admit that I am grateful for it when circumstances prove positive!
I have found a couple of web sites dealing with people who have experienced Lyme’s disease and are working with natural cures. One of them is a neurosurgeon named Dr. Ron Schmid who was cured from Lyme’s disease. There were a lot of web sites referring to him, and I didn’t go to most of them, but here is one that talks about him and has other information on it about Lyme’s disease: http://heallyme.wordpress.com/tag/dr-ron-schmid/
Here is another person who is going through the same journey and what she has discovered that has been helpful: http://peacefulacres.wordpress.com/my-journey-with-lyme-disease/
Sorry if these urls are already posted. I hope they help.
I hardly ever comment when I read blogs…but I had to share. I had horrible pain, night sweats, neurological symptoms, weight loss, etc. this past year. A friend at a local health food store insisted I had Lyme (she does also–had similar symptoms). I had a negative Lyme screening. She recommended a homeopathic dr. who uses digitial homeopathy. At my first visit Lyme was confirmed along with a host of other issues (hormone imbalance) I just had my 5th visit (first was in July) and the Lyme and coinfections do not even register. I was pain free by the middle of the 2nd visit and continue to feel well.
Annette,
I am very interested to know the name and contact informaton about the homeopathic doctor who uses digitial homeopathy.
I have two friends who have lyme and coinfections. We would be most grateful for this information.
Thank ou,
Mary
I would also like to know which practitioner you used! Please let us know!
With Lyme, it is very hard to get a proper diagnosis in the western medicine world and it is a huge political battle between western and naturopathic medicine about chronic Lyme and whether or not it even exists.
My naturopath explained it like this: There are several markers that can show up via bloodwork for Lyme and western medicine requires you to have at least 5 of the markers to be diagnosed. I only had one marker but all of the symptoms and my CD 57 (immune system) test results showed that my immune system was being suppressed. Because Lyme can hide from your immune system by forming cysts, you may not have all of the markers when you are tested but that doesn’t mean you don’t have it. There isn’t one test that you can have that will say the diagnosis is Lyme and that makes it even harder to diagnose.
I was recently cured of Lyme and I did the antibiotic route for treatment. I was treated by a naturopath and although I didn’t like having to take antibiotics, they definitely worked and I have restored my gut after the fact. Even though you are killing your good gut flora with antibiotics, you have to kill the Lyme bacteria as they form cysts around themselves to become resistant to any treatment and hide from your immune system. One of my antibiotics was phased, I would take it for 3 days and then take 4 days off. This would draw out the Lyme bacteria on the days I didn’t take it, zap it hard on the days that I did and keep it from becoming resistant.
I started antibiotics in June of this year and was cured by October, but I want to emphasize that this is very rare! My doctor has treated a lot of people with Lyme and has never had anyone cured this quickly. Minimum treatment is usually 1 – 2 years, unfortunately. The only reason I can give for being cured so quickly is that I do not eat anything processed, everything is from the earth in it’s natural form. I believe I would still be sick if I wasn’t eating such a clean diet. I also exercise regularly and was able to do so even while I had Lyme, although I was exhausted and it was a lot harder than it would have been without Lyme, but I was doing Crossfit which is pretty extreme. Now that I am cured, I am able to exercise at a higher intensity and I feel great. 🙂
If others are being treated and starting to feel well again after a short period of time, it is important that you continue treatment for at least 6 months to make sure it is gone. I finished in 5 months because I developed an infection from the antibiotics and had to treat that. I would have resumed treatment after I killed the other infection but my CD 57 test was normal and all the markers for Lyme were gone. Plus I felt better than I had in years, sadly, I had literally forgotten what it felt like to feel normal until I was cured and now I can’t believe how bad I felt for so long as it had become my new normal.
Here is a good resource about the political battle for chronic Lyme. http://underourskin.com/
Alicia
Hi there,
Which naturopath did you use to help you get better?
Hi
Which naturopath did you use to help you get better?
I live in Denmark.
I have had wonderful success with this protocol:
http://vimeo.com/47493131
Click on the link below to read several testimonials from people who have successfully treated Lyme Disease through the use of therapeutic-grade essential oils:
http://www.oil-testimonials.com/aromatherapy.php?t=8&q=lyme%2A&titlesOnly=no
Here is a transcript from a podcast by Chris Kresser (http://chriskresser.com/) on Lyme, I thought it was interesting and it mentions some of the things I mention in my comments above.
Steve Wright: Yeah, OK. This comes from several listeners who have written in with very detailed explanations of what’s going on with their Lyme disease, and I also know a few friends that have it too, so I’m sticking this at the top of the list. Chris, what are your recommendations for those who find out that they have Lyme disease?
Chris Kresser: Yeah, wow. There are few conditions in medicine that are more controversial. It’s a real Pandora’s box, and anyone who either had Lyme themselves or suspects they may have Lyme or has friends with Lyme or has just taken a moment to read a little bit about Lyme, I’m sure, is aware of what I’m talking about. I mean, there are violent, literally, disagreements in the medical world, people coming to blows. There are doctors that have been prosecuted for malpractice in their efforts to treat Lyme. There are huge, heated debates taking place, books being written on both sides. It’s a really, really crazy situation. And unfortunately, the patients and people who have Lyme or suspect they may have Lyme are the ones that are caught in the crossfire because there’s a lot of sensationalism on both sides, and it can be really difficult for patients to kind of parse through it and figure out what is credible and trustworthy.
There are really kind of two ends of the spectrum to polarize the issue. On the one end, you have doctors who say that there’s no such thing as chronic Lyme disease, that Lyme is an acute disease. It’s associated with a bulls-eye rash. It has X, Y, Z characteristics, and it’s treatable with antibiotics and that’s the end of the story, period. That’s one end of the spectrum. Then the other end, I would say these are typically more people in the alternative medicine camp saying that everything is caused by Lyme and everybody has Lyme. And if you go in to see one of these Lyme specialists, pretty much whatever symptoms you say that you have are going to be attributed to Lyme, even if all of your blood tests are negative for Lyme, because the claim is that these tests are not reliable and so we basically have to make a diagnosis by symptoms. The problem with that, of course, is that if you look at a list of symptoms that can be associated with Lyme that are provided by some of these practitioners, it’s basically every symptom that anybody could experience!
I’ve read quite a bit about Lyme. I do not consider myself to be an expert by any stretch. This is another one of those things that’s like a lifetime practice. There are people who are devoting their entire careers to this and who have been at it for 30 years, and they stay very current with the literature on Lyme, although that’s fairly sparse in terms of the conventional peer-reviewed literature, and their whole entire practice and professional life is centered around Lyme, and that’s not me at all. However, I have read a fair amount about it. I have actually some colleagues in the Bay Area who are specialists and that I communicate with occasionally, so I feel like I’m relatively well informed about it. And as usual with polarized issues like this, I tend to come down somewhere in the middle. I think chronic Lyme does exist. I think there is ample evidence for that. There is plenty of evidence that shows that many people who contract Lyme do not have the typical bulls-eye rash presentation, and I think there’s abundant evidence that antibiotics don’t work for many people, especially if they are taken well after the initial tick bite. The efficacy of antibiotics decreases significantly the further away from the initial tick bite that you get.
The organism that causes Lyme is extremely sophisticated in its ability to evade the immune system. It can exist in several different forms in the body, depending on what’s happening, and if a patient is taking antibiotics, it can shift and morph into a different form that may not be susceptible to the effect of that particular class of antibiotics. It’s really actually if you don’t have Lyme — and even if you do, perhaps — a quite fascinating organism to study in terms of what it teaches us about evolution and the evolution of organisms like that and their ability to survive in a host. If you begin to look into this issue, you will come away — if you’re anything like me, at least — feeling kind of awestruck by just how sophisticated some of these mechanisms can be in relatively simple organisms. And after all of the reading I did, I came away with a great appreciation for the complexity and difficulty of diagnosing and treating Lyme. Diagnosis is problematic because if an organism is really expert at evading the immune system, then it’s also going to be expert at evading a lot of the tests that we know how to do.
There are conventional tests for Lyme that mostly include antibody testing. There are some specialized labs like IGeneX that do DNA and PCR analysis and more specific kinds of antibody testing. There’s a new test that just became available by, I think it’s called Advanced Laboratories. I could be getting that wrong. But that’s a Lyme culture test. Up until recently, we haven’t had the ability to culture the Lyme organism in the blood, and now this is possible. It’s a very expensive test. I think it’s about $600, and it takes about 8 to 10 weeks, but some of the Lyme specialists are now using it. And unlike a lot of the other tests that can be equivocal — Like, even if you have a positive result on some of these other tests, it doesn’t necessary indicate that you have a current Lyme infection, you know, if you test positive to antibodies. And some of the tests, like the blot test, are subject to interpretation. It’s not like a black or white thing; it’s like lots of shades of gray. The blot is kind of equivocally positive or not. But the culture test, as far as I understand it, if it’s positive, it’s positive. If it’s negative, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you don’t have Lyme, because perhaps it wasn’t present in that sample. But if it’s positive, it seems pretty unequivocally positive. I imagine the conventional folks on the other end of the spectrum — I’m not sure what their opinion of the Lyme culture test is. Just from what I know about how heated and controversial this all can be, I imagine they don’t believe in it, because if they don’t believe in chronic Lyme, then what’s the use of that test?
In terms of treatment, all I can do is really summarize here. Maybe someday we’ll do an entire show on Lyme, but as I said, it’s extremely difficult to treat Lyme, and there are some herbal protocols that some patients have found to be effective, like the Buhner protocol, Stephen Harrod Buhner, an herbalist who has focused a lot on Lyme. There’s a book that’s very well known in the Lyme community that he wrote with a lot of options for treating Lyme herbally. Of course, the more conventional, or I should say the allopathic treatment in the alternative Lyme community that’s used by a lot of Lyme MDs involves high-dose use of antibiotics for an extended period of time, and that can be either oral antibiotics or IV antibiotics, and that will often be combined with herbs and all of the other alternative treatments as well.
The difficulty for me with all of this is that when the testing is so equivocal and uncertain, it’s one thing if you — like when people, I suspect they have a gut infection or SIBO but the tests are equivocal for that, I’ll go ahead and do a therapeutic protocol partly as a way of diagnosing, but that is fairly gentle and mild. It might include some botanical antimicrobials and something like a biofilm disruptor and then maybe Lauricidin or something like that and some probiotics. If they don’t have a gut infection, that kind of protocol is not generally gonna really set them back, for the most part. But if someone suspects they have Lyme but doesn’t have Lyme and then takes extremely high-dose antibiotics for a long period of time with a bunch of other really intense antimicrobial botanicals and alternative treatments, that’s not a zero-risk thing at all. In fact, I know of many people who have done really intense Lyme treatments and become much more sick, and some people might argue that that’s the Herxheimer reaction and a die-off, and it certainly could be, but another possibility is that they never had Lyme in the first place and they just basically wiped out their gut flora, which we know doesn’t really fully recover after big doses of antibiotics like that, and they’re actually experiencing the fallout from the treatment, not from Lyme and the treatment’s effect on Lyme.
I hope I haven’t just thoroughly confused everybody, but on the other hand, if you’re not confused when it comes to Lyme, I think you’re not being honest with yourself or someone’s not being honest with you, because it is a very confusing, uncertain, and controversial issue. I really feel for people who have Lyme and who are struggling with it. It’s a really a thorny issue, and like I said, maybe in the future, we can talk a little bit more about it.
We have had several exposures to lyme in my family, several acute cases which responded normally to antibiotics w/ no recurring issues and then one severely symptomatic chronic case which took over a year to diagnose –Though once we actually got a western blot it came back totally positive. The Lyme specialist we saw treated very aggressively with several antibiotics for 4 months (I don’t remember all the combos though amoxcillin was one ). We took extra probiotics during this period, and per the docs recommendation supplemented w/ milk thistle and cats claw. Also blood tests showed extremely low b and d vitamins. B vit we actually supplemented through injections which was a fast track to feeling much better. I’ve read some research that suggests that a defense mechanism of the lyme bacteria is to cause your body to stop production of vitamin d– a seriously crazy way to reduce your bodies defense! So D supplementation was helpful as well. Symptoms disappeared quickly w. this protocol and haven’t returned.
I have not seen any reference to the “Under Our Skin” documentary, which was short listed for an Oscar last year.
I have also not seen any reference to Dr. Burascano’s publications.
Both of these references are jam packed with info for Lyme patients by some of the most knowledgable Lyme literate professionals.
After having the standard bulls eye rash and the tick actually still on me I spent 8 years being wheel chair bound. In that eighth year I heard about Dr. Jensen, the man shown defending his practice in the documtary. 14 months of main lining a different antibiotic every month did nothing but make me sicker.i do not tolerate antibiotics well, out of the 400 or so patients Dr.Jemsek had treated he had only 2 who did not respond well to the therapy. Dr. Jemsek then mentioned the other patient had gone to a facility with a hyperbaric oxygen tank. She was doing well and had gone back to training horses.
I went to a facility in Victoria, British Columbia and after 150+ dives at 2.5 atmospheres breathing pure oxygen I was able to leave the wheel chair behind.
That was in 2006-7 I have had numerous relapses since then, but none bad enough to put me back into the wheel chair. I highly recommend this noninvasive drug free therapy.
would you mind telling me what the place in Victoria was called? Im i that city and searching for help.
Thank you
Erin
Hey Folks, just wanted to chime in as my hubby is currently on Dr. Marshall’s high HCL (hydrochloric acid) protocol to completely eradicate his chronic Lyme. If he is successful, I will start the protocol immediately as I have it as well (can be sexually transmitted). We should know the results of the test in the next two weeks. I will try to remember to post back here to let you all know. If anyone is interested, a practitioner posted info about this fairly new proto here – http://www.totalhealthsecrets.com/ENGLISH/catalog/collection_display.php?product_collections_id=85.
Hubby and I have been using Dr. M’s Quantum Nutrition Labs supplements for a couple of years now to address a number of different issues. The Lyme didn’t actually reveal itself until about a year ago as the body will only reveal what it is capable of dealing with. I actually attempted to get started on the high HCL proto a couple weeks ago but got “sick” with what I thought was a cold. Using the remote testing available using Zyto technology, my practitioner was able to determine the exact cause of my sickness and that is was directly caused by the Lyme and co-infections bacteria. Apparently, my body was not able to handle the rate of detox that I had imposed on it. Fearing that my 135lb. would not deal well with 24 caps at meals, I thought I would spread the doses out, taking some every hour I was awake and quickly reach my ideal dose (72/day) so I could save money and get started on the 21 days straight prescribed proto. I had attempted to ramp up my doses quickly by going from taking just 3 HCL and 1 activator only with meals to taking 3 HCL every hour for 12 hrs per day (with 3 activator, one at each meal) rather than taking 24 at once at meal times. Since the first day went well, I upped my dose to 4 HCL every hour the next day. By the end of that day, just before my last dose for the day, I got a sick headache and had to lay down. About an hr later I threw up and felt sick all night. The next day I started to feel like I had a cold w/chest congestion and the need to cough to clear it. As it progressed over the next week and half, my nose began to run and I had constant mucus. There was a rattling sound in my chest when I breathed deeply. I sounded terrible. I was unable to continue w/the HCL proto and feared that it was too much for my body to handle that plus the “cold”. Later I found out during my Zyto session that the “sickness” was actually a result of my ramping up the HCL too quickly and w/o the right support. I didn’t realize how essential the kidney and PH support really was though my practitioner had tried to tell me. So a word to the wise. If you are going to attempt a serious proto like this, even if you are feeling really strong and healthy, do what you need to, to support your immune system prior to beginning. The above link will give you a general idea of what kinds of sups you will need and the potential expense. It’s not cheap but I think being rid of Lyme and being able to be a normal human being again is worth the expense.
I should also mention that the “Dr. Marshall” protocol I am referring to in the above is the same as what was mentioned by the first person to respond to this post. The method of testing that he uses can also be used to identify the exact strains of the Lyme bacteria as well as the co-infections (babesia, borellia) that are often transmitted in the same tick bite (or sexual transmission). The cost of testing using his QRA (Quantum Reflex Analysis) testing in person or via the remote Zyto hand cradle testing is much more affordable than many of the standard blood tests I’ve heard mentioned that seem to be the only other option. An initial consult (runs about 2.5 hrs) can be between $200 – $250 with follow-up sessions for the same or as little as $150 with 15 and half hour sessions available for quick check-ins when a full session isn’t necessary. It can vary depending on the practitioner. The initial consult will not only detect the specific strains of Lyme but also any other issues going on anywhere else in the body – from your teeth to your toes. It’s really quite amazing. No need to see a bunch of different specialists. This method covers it all. I wish more people knew about it b/c many more people could be helped so much and save a lot of time and money. I’ve experienced sessions both in person w/a local practitioner and connecting remotely to a practitioner in CA using a hand cradle that plugs into the USB port on my computer at home. Each has it’s advantages but both are extremely effective in detecting and addressing whatever imbalances or infections are found. I feel so much better than I did when I first started using QRA two years ago and I’m proud to say that I’ve done it all using non-toxic methods that help to restore live and vitality!
Okay, so the results are back from hubby’s latest Zyto/QRA scan. It’s not definitive, but at this point, there is no sign of Lyme disease or any of the co-infections, thank God! He was on HCL for 25 days total, taking 24 capsules with each meal. This amount is specific to his body and what was needed to address the Lyme and co-infections bacteria. Each person tests differently depending on the strength of their own immune system and the amount of Lyme present in the body at that time so it’s essential to get yourself tested so you know exactly how much to take. So now that he’s free and clear, I decided to give it a second try but with all the recommended support this time, in spite of the cost. My body tested as wanting just 18 HCL caps per meal. I’m planning to be on the protocol for 23 days (21 days minimum is standard) b/c that was the closest appointment date I was able to schedule w/the practitioner. It’s been almost a week since I started and it’s been going pretty good so far. I ramped up slowly this time, increasing by just three caps per meal, per day and only taking caps with food. Since then, I’ve found that it can be really uncomfortable if I eat a full meal and then take the caps w/all the water needed to swallow about 30 caps/meal with sensations like I need to burp but can’t, not being able to move around much or bend forward for fear of feeling the acid creep up my throat. So I’ve found that if I’m sitting still for a while (at work ect) I can take 6-12 at a time throughout the day and really spread it out so I can enjoy my meals more and not have to fear the acid stomach feeling. In addition to HCL, my body is also asking for the following supplements for detoxification and support (as found here: http://www.Quality-Natural-Health.com) Adaptogen, Cardio PG, Max Stress B, D3, Noni, Coral Calcium, Greens Mix, EFA Oil, HCL Activator, Digest Enzymes, Kidney Complex, Garlicidin, Custom Support Remedy (imprinted) and Custom Detox Remedy (imprinted). These are essential to keep the process running smoothly and to maintain an alkaline PH throughout the process. I’ll plan to check back once I’m retested in a few weeks.
I would really love to know how the QRA treatment is going for those who are doing it. After LLMDs and MDs, I have just started treatment with a QRA practitioner. We haven’t gotten to the HCL part…I have been doing cold laser therapy and mud packs for radiation. If someone can tell me it is working for them, I will be very encouraged because it is expensive!! 🙂
Hey Sherry, just wanted to respond to your inquiry about how the QRA protocol has worked for my hubby and I and to offer some encouragement. First off though, I would like to share some newly acquired info I received via our holistic veterinarian
who is known for his successful development of a homeopathic Lyme protocol in treating infected dogs. Though he does not treat people, he says that many of his pet owner’s who also have Lyme and co-infections have experienced great relief after taking the designated proto themselves. Hubby, doggy and I have since taken the Ledum and are in the process of taking the BB now. It seems like it is helping me to sleep more soundly. Other than that I can’t really say for sure. You can view his recommendation here – http://cassia.org/ledum.htm. Homeos are fairly inexpensive and will not interfere with the QRA sups so it can’t hurt to give it a shot. I got the recommended Ledum directly from him but you should be able to find in at a health food store or holistic pharmacy in your area or online. I got the Borrelia burgdorferi 60x nosode online as well.
It sounds like you are off to a good start w/the mud packs and any sups that you’re body may be asking for to strengthen the immune system and prepare it for the hard work of detoxing. Can you describe the type of cold laser your practitioner is using? Is it a Quantum product?
It seems that hubby may have stopped the HCL proto too soon after being told that his body had cleared the infection a couple months ago so he’s back up to 9 HCL per meal for now. I’ve come to understand that there is a period in which it is hard to identify during testing whether the bacteria is coming up still b/c the body is simply recognizing it from past experience or if you are still infected. You can kinda know based on the amount of anti-infective it asks for (number of HCL ect.). The last time I tested in June, my body only asked for 5 HCL per meal (after taking up to 24/meal) so that’s a significant decrease and aligns with how much better I have been feeling. Not wanting to make the same mistake hubby made, I’m planning to continue w/the same level of support until I can retest for a lower, maintenance dose. Please stay in touch and let me know how things are going for you.
Rocknlocks
Where do you get the QRA/Zyto Scan? I am in California
I’ve had horrible fibromyalgia for about 3 years, which we believe is caused by my chronic Lyme disease, and I’m now being treated for everything. I’m using Premeire Research HCL, and am about a week into it, and so far I’m tolerating it quite well, although it does cause more fatigue initially. I’m positive this will be the help I so much need! I had to have a lot of other treatments first to get to this, so I could tolerate it, as I had a lot of other health issues to deal with first. I was told this would also help with my type 2 diabetes, and so far, it very much is! For the first time in forever, I’m very hopeful! And I used to be so sick I was barely able to get out of bed or walk!
Here’s hoping that anyone who reads the comments here has already heard about and tried the new combination remedy, Beyond Lyme, from Green Hope Farms. My recovery was boosted dramatically. To see what I have tested and found to be helpful for me in coping with tick-borne infections over the past five years, check my website blog, above.
Wishing you well,
Ethan
How is your son now? If you are still searching, I’m a FORMER Lyme & co-infections patient & a Moderator on a Lyme forum for over 3 1/2 years now to add to my own experiences that has been healed for over a year now and would love to talk with you if you are still in need of help.
I have lyme many for many years but 2 years diagnosed and am feeling horrible. Tried docy, clarithromycin, And other things an right now thinking about the PICC line. But I am first taking my own survey from people out there regarding the PICC line and other things that help cure this horrid disease. I appreciate any input and thank you all for the input you have listed here as I maker my decision about which way to go.
Thanks for any further input Ill be checking in now and again, Theresa J
I was diagnosed with Lyme years ago (Igenex). Saw some of the best llmds and none of them will hesitate to rob you dry . I went into remission using vsl3ds that my insurance pays for. Gut flora and the restoration of it was my ticket out of that hell.
I understand that the rife machine can kill off lymes disease, but my problem is that I’ve had 3 blood clots as well. Will the rife machine still be a good idea to kill off lymes disease.
What is HCL?