With no where to turn and being desperately ill, this is what I did to get better. It is not a quick cure but rather a long journey. I still cannot say I’m 100 percent better, but looking back to where I was it truly is a miracle. I believe that antibiotics do not help in late stage Lyme disease because it’s not only bacterial, but viral and parasitic, as probably many illnesses are. This is what worked for me:
Research – As someone once told me, you won’t find all of your answers from one person or one source. I have taken away all kinds of great things from different people, books, blogs and my own trial and error. If you look in my kindle library, it is filled with book after book on natural health. I read as much as I could. I googled and went online and found blogs and articles helpful to me. I journaled every food I ate, every supplement I took and how I felt every day. I looked at my bloodwork and lab tests and researched to see what it all meant. I talked to other people in similar situations. It’s amazing how you mention to someone, “I have Lyme disease” and they say, “Oh my sister in law has that, or a cousin or so and so and you should talk to them!” And that’s just what I did. I keep in touch with quite a few people I have met that way and it’s just great to have the support from someone who understands. If one of us finds something new that’s helpful we let each other know. From all these sources I would find bits and pieces of information and advice that all contributed to me getting better.
Many people get diagnosed with an illness or prescribed a medication and never ask questions, they just take the opinion of one person and never look back. The old term “knowledge is power” is so true. The more you know and research, the more you are only helping yourself. I know a couple of people that were told to get their affairs in order and only had months to live. Instead of just accepting their untimely deaths they started researching, what else could they do? What did others who had successfully healed from disease do? And they are still alive today. Read, google, look at your lab tests, talk to others and give yourself as much information and knowledge from as many different sources as possible.
Diet – There’s no way around it, to get better you have to cut out offending foods and eat natural, whole foods. I cut out gluten, sugar, foods with chemicals, MSG, “natural flavoring”, food dyes and pretty much anything processed. I also had to be very careful about fruits and vegetables. Many books I read said, Eat fruits and vegetables for 90 days and you’ll be cured! For someone with viruses, bacteria, parasites and fungus invading their body, this simply will not work. The sugars in fruits and starchy vegetables will only feed your disease and make your symptoms worse. If there’s nothing else you can do, change your diet and see what happens. If you keep fueling the fire it will never leave your body. Also keep a journal or at least a mental journal of your diet so if you have a really bad day you can try to correlate a trigger.
Prayer – Thank God I have faith. Although many days I would cry out to God to ask him why can’t I be healed? Pray, meditate, read scripture, have friends or church members pray with you, listen to encouraging music. This one is huge for me. Music is so emotional and healing. I remember listening to Danny Gokey’s “Hope in Front of Me”. I would always sing that in the car to keep my spirits up. Don’t give up hope!
Natural Herbs, Antivirals, Antibiotics, and Oils. – I feel like some of the things I found that really helped me heal were each a little gift from God. I would hear about them from different people, books or looking online. I tried many things and in a separate post I will tell you what worked for me and what I take now.
Cut out Triggers – There are many things that trigger symptoms. Food, physical and emotional stress, lack of sleep, strenuous exercise, extreme heat or cold, too much movement in the body, and certain vitamins and supplements. So here’s the crazy thing, some things I was doing that I thought were healthy were only making me worse. The following were all triggers for me.
Exercising too much and in very hot weather. Strenuous exercise or too much movement/contractions in the body will only exacerbate symptoms. Not to mention I just kept gaining weight! Even now I only do light exercise like weights and yoga for 10 to 15 minutes.
Chiropractic adjustments and Massage – Anytime there is too much movement or manipulation in the body it just moves the bacteria/viruses around or creates space for it to come out and can cause your symptoms to flare up. This can be a catch 22 because chiropractic adjustments and massage can help you heal, get back in alignment and detox. Just a week ago I decided to see my chiropractor for an adjustment. I hadn’t had one in almost two years because every time afterwards I felt terrible. But I decided to go. The next day I felt absolutely horrible. All my symptoms were coming back. I kept thinking, what did I do? What brought this on? And then, Bingo, it came to me. The chiropractic adjustment. The benefits of chiropractic care can be worth it in the long run because for me the symptoms only last a day. It’s up to you if the benefits of getting chiropractic adjustments and massages outweigh a temporary flare up of symptoms.
Juicing. I know it works for a lot of people but it was too much sugar for me. I started buying juices at the local juice place then got my own juicer. It was supposed to be so good for me but I really wasn’t noticing the benefits, I was only noticing how I would immediately bloat up after drinking them. I even tried almost all greens and just one green apple but I still had the same effect. I must admit, I found it very messy and expensive but I did give it a go for months. Again, I have friends that swear by juicing, you need to do what works for you.
Taking vitamins and supplements. At one point I was taking massive amounts of magnesium, b vitamins, C, D, amino acids, fish oil, probiotics, liver support, you name it, I was taking it. And here’s the catch 22. Your body is most likely in need of those vitamins because your disease is making you deficient. But if you take them in supplement form it can feed the critters and make you worse. There was a lot of talk about magnesium in the books that I read. There was a lot of controversy because most Lyme patients are low in it but taking it made them feel worse. I don’t take any vitamins any more. I only take my anti Lyme regimen. So let’s review – I exercised more, juiced, ate only fruits and vegetables and took vitamins and minerals. And I got worse! If this is happening to you, you are not alone nor crazy.
Lack of sleep. This is a tough one because I’m sure many of you, like me, CAN’T SLEEP!! My insomnia was mind boggling and absolutely no herb, oil, OTC drug worked. I would just lay awake for 2 to 3 hours. I am doing much better with sleep these days. I take a nap almost every day. Don’t feel bad about it, your body needs it. I find a teaspoon of coconut oil taken before bedtime helps me sleep through the night. Also, take note of what time you are waking up. If it’s 2:00 to 4:00 every night that could be your liver. Maybe try drinking some lemon juice. 3:00 to 5:00 can be related to lungs. Try some eucalpytus oil or menthol over the chest area and sinuses. Prop yourself up when you sleep.
Mercury or heavy metals. I had many mercury fillings in my teeth since I was a kid. Fortunately they’ve all been removed. But mercury or any type of heavy metal poisoning can exacerbate your symptoms. Keep in mind that some vaccines and flu shots have mercury. I am not about to start a huge debate on whether to vaccinate or not, I am just saying if you are a sick person, do some research before you make a decision.
Mold, Toxins or Chemicals. Being exposed to any of these can flare up your symptoms. Of course some we can’t get away from in the world we live in, but do your best to stay away from mold and chemicals. I used to even have a flare up after having my hair colored. The household cleaners can set me off too so I try to use natural as much as possible.
Let’s recap shall we? Change your diet, take note or journal to find out what your triggers are and cut out as many as you can, pray and keep your faith, read books, research, find others in the same boat, and try some natural herbs, oils or powders to kill what is killing you. If you don’t keep an actual journal at least keep a mental journal. If I have a bad day I say, what did I eat or do or take that is making me feel like this? You need to be your own detective!
Desperate for Health 