Insights Into Lyme Disease Treatment: 13 Lyme-Literate Health Care Practitioners Share Their Healing Strategies

Hi, It was an interesting book with 13 doctor's protocols to help Lyme. There is one doctor who allowed people to find their dose of things which I thought was good since they are inside their own body and know what helps/hurts.The doctors mention lots of anger people had who had Lyme. Lyme/coinfections is like having the flu nonstop for 2 years with fear and pain/suffering/hell. Adrenals are burned out and anger may mean the liver needs detoxing. The person maybe very weak/worn out/no sleep. To see others die who didn't get help or didn't know how to help themselves enough and took medicine nonstop that may have hurt their kidney/liver etc is sad. I know 2 people who got cancer due to Lyme and one died. Don't let Lyme treatment be like Chemo/radiation that destroy the person. Herbals help and give energy. Raising oxygen/pH/sunlight/exercise/energy/thyroid not suppressing always is needed. Medicine may lower ATP or coenzyme Q10 or thyroid or mitochondria or Mg. Some people died from heart attacks. They may have thought I need to feel bad before I feel good and need to Herx..never giving their body a rest and beating it down until they died. They may not have known enough to say something to the doctor that they needed a break, but still help which herbals can give.I don't believe in too many medicines at the same time. It may hurt the liver/kidneys. Low oxygen in the brain may cause depression/anxiety/obsessing panic/no sleep/suicidal thoughts. Drugs for sleep/pain/depression may hurt and not help. Things that help raise oxygen may help depression/sleep etc...exercise/no gluten/coenzyme Q10/Amour thyroid dose/Vit B12 methylcobalamin shot/coenzymated B vitamins/pulsing antibiotics/herbals and more. If a person needs to rest...lay there. Getting up before a person is ready may burn out adrenals even more. Eating small meals and protein before bed may help adrenals. Less sugar may help adrenals as blood sugar is more stable. Oregon grape root may help blood sugar level.I like Herbals the best since they give energy and don't hurt me. A L complex (affects hormones, but for me in a good way and helped heal my gut lining and may help cancer...has 11 herbs...is awesome), Artemisia and clove, Teasel, cryptolepis, garlic (has S and Se)/oil of oregano/monolaurin, Banderol and more helped me.I didn't like antibiotics except Minocycline/doxycycline. Minocycline went into the brain and helped me sleep for the first time in 30 years, but gave strange cognitive errors and dizziness. Bactrim hurt my heart, but I could take it with food. Antibiotics hurt my gut lining causing more leaky gut and temperature was like 93.3 or 95 often and precancer/clots when it lowered my thyroid/mitochondria. PQQ helped make more mitochondria. Antibiotics may poison mitochondria.Taking Mg citrate helped since Lyme and antibiotics lowered Mg. Antibiotics lowered good bacteria in my large intestines. Ultra Floral Critical care or Orthobiotic dairy free probiotic helped me...taken before food. Antibiotics can't be taken with food or Mg may block it. Antibiotics at night may not work since the Lyme is in cysts. 2 Serrapeptase at night may eat up cysts..taken once a week.Buffered Powder C hurt me...changed my pH fast which killed the microorganisms, but it went into my brain cells and didn't let me think well.Sunlight increasing Vit D/exercise increasing oxygen/organic food/good water/ Celiac diet helped me.Eating organic vegetables: onions/radishes/mushrooms/ scallions/cabbage/carrots etc. and some slow sugar fruit helped my pH/minerals. Gluten is wheat/barley/rye..oats may act like gluten with avenin...may lower the immune system/hurt intestines so less nutrients absorb. GMO corn may hurt the gut lining. Eating no gluten/dairy/soy/sugar/GMO...taking vitamins/good oils, LDN, detoxing helped me. LDN taken in the day (Taken at night it kept me awake, but it may work better at night) helped my immune system and block hidden gluten. LDN was awesome help. It is about $1 a day from a compounding pharmacy and helps the immune work right and helps block hidden gluten.Gluten maybe hidden in food in a box/bag/label/restaurant/nuts not in the shell/some spices/meat basting/certified gluten free may have 20ppm of gluten. Lotion and much more may have hidden gluten that may lower the immune system and nutrients absorbed/B vitamins etc. It took me 1 1/2 months to heal my gut lining from hidden gluten.Vit C, zinc, 2000mg of fish oil, 400mg of Mg citrate,Vit A10,000 IU, Vit D3 5000IU daily, rhodiola, coenzyme Q10 HCl and enzymes with food, probiotic far from stomach acid, Vit B12 methylcobalamin 2500mcg shot daily or spray/under the tongue kind/cream/intrinsic factor kind often and MTHF folate, coenzymate B vitamins far from synthetic kind, Nature's Plus- Source of life multiple and more helped me. 4 Sight by Orthomolecular helped my eyes. Valerian and Osteoprocare, probiotic, Vit B12 methylcobalamin shot helped my sleep.Gluten made antibodies to my thyroid so I take Synthroid (T4 only) and Amour thyroid (T4/T3/T2T1/calcitonin). Zinc/Se/enough iron/probiotic is needed to convert T4 to T3. Antibiotics/Lyme/heavy metals lowered my temperature/energy/mitochondria/thyroid so thyroid dose needed to be increased during those.Bioidentical hormones..estriol/progestrone/testosterone helped my circulation in my brain/sleep/thyroid medicine to work/energy/stiffness of skin/blood vessels/intestines/blood pressure etc. The bioidentical hormones were needed for survival.Hair tests show good minerals and heavy metals. Lyme/coinfections may lower Fe/Mn/Mg and more. Far Infrared Sauna may lower heavy metals. Far Infrared Sauna (130 degrees 30 minutes once a week. The Far Infrared Sauna may go 3 inches into the skin...kill Lyme/coinfections/yeast and detox them in the sweat. Drinking enough water before and after is needed and sea salt afterwards that has ~84 minerals in it. I use reverse osmosis water, not tap water that has F in it.Detoxing: EDTA/DMPS IV chelations may eat up cysts and remove heavy metals and S in it kill Lyme etc. I drink lots of distilled water during/after it and I don't eat before the IV chelations.Now brand- Detox support/organic sulfur/Vit C IV and glutathione push (helps increase white blood cells to kill Lyme with Vit C and detox and help connective tissue along with Si. Glutathione may lower free radicals which help in detoxing heavy metals and more.) 600mg of cilantro, chorella/spirulina/chorphyll, Far Infrared Sauna. Epsom salt/bath soda bath may help detox with S/Mg and help pH.Fermented food/coconut oil may help fight infections. Coconut oil clogged my blood vessels. Gluten free chocolate chips may help raise Mg and help constipation. Mg may help K get into cells. Vit C and Si may help connective tissues. Low sugar/starch may help not feed Lyme/coinfections.Squinting may mean low B vitamins. Microscopic gluten may lower B vitamins and other nutrients. Probiotics may multiply B vitamins so low probiotics may hurt. Probiotics may help T4 change to T3 for thyroid also.Yeast on tongue...oil of oregano or garlic and later dairy free probiotic may help. Onions have inulin which may cause yeast and sugar/starch may feed yeast. Antibiotics may increase yeast.Constipation: Low Mg due to Lyme and antibiotics lowering Mg. I took 400mg of Mg citrate which helps cramped muscles in my foot/back and constipation. Mg may help 350 chemical reactions in the body/brain. Mg may help K (potassium) get into cells and hydration. Chocolate may help constipation. Enough thyroid medicine, bioidentical hormones, raw walnuts (open shells to avoid hidden gluten and freeze) and then drink lemon juice in water, exercise, carrots/ pumpkin, Osteoprocare drink (Ca/Mg cofactors), probiotic may help constipation. Cyst busters may lower minerals and cause constipation. Taking them too often and too high a dose may hurt by removing too many minerals.Overdoing antibiotics or cysts busters may hurt. Too much plaquenil hurt my eyes as it removed minerals and I forgot to take my vitamins/good oils/minerals one night due to cognitive errors and eyes got hurt.Hobby to distract...dance/walk/music etc helped me. People who understand you are very sick. It may take 2 years to heal since it is hard to squeeze all in a protocol and food may block antibiotics.Prayer/friends and family/internet/books/Integrative doctor and more helped me.Books by Buhner/Waisbren/Dr. Kevin Conners/Singleton/Schaller and more are also good.http://www.people.com/article/avril-lavigne-lyme-disease-bedridden It was an interesting book with 13 doctor's protocols to help Lyme. There is one doctor who allowed people to find their dose of things which I thought was good since they are inside their own body and know what helps/hurts.The doctors mention lots of anger people had who had Lyme. Lyme/coinfections is like having the flu nonstop for 2 years with fear and pain/suffering/hell. Adrenals are burned out and anger may mean the liver needs detoxing. The person maybe very weak/worn out/no sleep. To see others die who didn't get help or didn't know how to help themselves enough and took medicine nonstop that may have hurt their kidney/liver etc is sad. I know 2 people who got cancer due to Lyme and one died. Don't let Lyme treatment be like Chemo/radiation that destroy the person. Herbals help and give energy. Raising oxygen/pH/sunlight/exercise/energy/thyroid not suppressing always is needed. Medicine may lower ATP or coenzyme Q10 or thyroid or mitochondria or Mg. Some people died from heart attacks. They may have thought I need to feel bad before I feel good and need to Herx..never giving their body a rest and beating it down until they died. They may not have known enough to say something to the doctor that they needed a break, but still help which herbals can give.I don't believe in too many medicines at the same time. It may hurt the liver/kidneys. Low oxygen in the brain may cause depression/anxiety/obsessing panic/no sleep/suicidal thoughts. Drugs for sleep/pain/depression may hurt and not help. Things that help raise oxygen may help depression/sleep etc...exercise/no gluten/coenzyme Q10/Amour thyroid dose/Vit B12 methylcobalamin shot/coenzymated B vitamins/pulsing antibiotics/herbals and more. If a person needs to rest...lay there. Getting up before a person is ready may burn out adrenals even more. Eating small meals and protein before bed may help adrenals. Less sugar may help adrenals as blood sugar is more stable. Oregon grape root may help blood sugar level.I like Herbals the best since they give energy and don't hurt me. A L complex (affects hormones, but for me in a good way and helped heal my gut lining and may help cancer...has 11 herbs...is awesome), Artemisia and clove, Teasel, cryptolepis, garlic (has S and Se)/oil of oregano/monolaurin, Banderol and more helped me.I didn't like antibiotics except Minocycline/doxycycline. Minocycline went into the brain and helped me sleep for the first time in 30 years, but gave strange cognitive errors and dizziness. Bactrim hurt my heart, but I could take it with food. Antibiotics hurt my gut lining causing more leaky gut and temperature was like 93.3 or 95 often and precancer/clots when it lowered my thyroid/mitochondria. PQQ helped make more mitochondria. Antibiotics may poison mitochondria.Taking Mg citrate helped since Lyme and antibiotics lowered Mg. Antibiotics lowered good bacteria in my large intestines. Ultra Floral Critical care or Orthobiotic dairy free probiotic helped me...taken before food. Antibiotics can't be taken with food or Mg may block it. Antibiotics at night may not work since the Lyme is in cysts. 2 Serrapeptase at night may eat up cysts..taken once a week.Buffered Powder C hurt me...changed my pH fast which killed the microorganisms, but it went into my brain cells and didn't let me think well.Sunlight increasing Vit D/exercise increasing oxygen/organic food/good water/ Celiac diet helped me.Eating organic vegetables: onions/radishes/mushrooms/ scallions/cabbage/carrots etc. and some slow sugar fruit helped my pH/minerals. Gluten is wheat/barley/rye..oats may act like gluten with avenin...may lower the immune system/hurt intestines so less nutrients absorb. GMO corn may hurt the gut lining. Eating no gluten/dairy/soy/sugar/GMO...taking vitamins/good oils, LDN, detoxing helped me. LDN taken in the day (Taken at night it kept me awake, but it may work better at night) helped my immune system and block hidden gluten. LDN was awesome help. It is about $1 a day from a compounding pharmacy and helps the immune work right and helps block hidden gluten.Gluten maybe hidden in food in a box/bag/label/restaurant/nuts not in the shell/some spices/meat basting/certified gluten free may have 20ppm of gluten. Lotion and much more may have hidden gluten that may lower the immune system and nutrients absorbed/B vitamins etc. It took me 1 1/2 months to heal my gut lining from hidden gluten.Vit C, zinc, 2000mg of fish oil, 400mg of Mg citrate,Vit A10,000 IU, Vit D3 5000IU daily, rhodiola, coenzyme Q10 HCl and enzymes with food, probiotic far from stomach acid, Vit B12 methylcobalamin 2500mcg shot daily or spray/under the tongue kind/cream/intrinsic factor kind often and MTHF folate, coenzymate B vitamins far from synthetic kind, Nature's Plus- Source of life multiple and more helped me. 4 Sight by Orthomolecular helped my eyes. Valerian and Osteoprocare, probiotic, Vit B12 methylcobalamin shot helped my sleep.Gluten made antibodies to my thyroid so I take Synthroid (T4 only) and Amour thyroid (T4/T3/T2T1/calcitonin). Zinc/Se/enough iron/probiotic is needed to convert T4 to T3. Antibiotics/Lyme/heavy metals lowered my temperature/energy/mitochondria/thyroid so thyroid dose needed to be increased during those.Bioidentical hormones..estriol/progestrone/testosterone helped my circulation in my brain/sleep/thyroid medicine to work/energy/stiffness of skin/blood vessels/intestines/blood pressure etc. The bioidentical hormones were needed for survival.Hair tests show good minerals and heavy metals. Lyme/coinfections may lower Fe/Mn/Mg and more. Far Infrared Sauna may lower heavy metals. Far Infrared Sauna (130 degrees 30 minutes once a week. The Far Infrared Sauna may go 3 inches into the skin...kill Lyme/coinfections/yeast and detox them in the sweat. Drinking enough water before and after is needed and sea salt afterwards that has ~84 minerals in it. I use reverse osmosis water, not tap water that has F in it.Detoxing: EDTA/DMPS IV chelations may eat up cysts and remove heavy metals and S in it kill Lyme etc. I drink lots of distilled water during/after it and I don't eat before the IV chelations.Now brand- Detox support/organic sulfur/Vit C IV and glutathione push (helps increase white blood cells to kill Lyme with Vit C and detox and help connective tissue along with Si. Glutathione may lower free radicals which help in detoxing heavy metals and more.) 600mg of cilantro, chorella/spirulina/chorphyll, Far Infrared Sauna. Epsom salt/bath soda bath may help detox with S/Mg and help pH.Fermented food/coconut oil may help fight infections. Coconut oil clogged my blood vessels. Gluten free chocolate chips may help raise Mg and help constipation. Mg may help K get into cells. Vit C and Si may help connective tissues. Low sugar/starch may help not feed Lyme/coinfections.Squinting may mean low B vitamins. Microscopic gluten may lower B vitamins and other nutrients. Probiotics may multiply B vitamins so low probiotics may hurt. Probiotics may help T4 change to T3 for thyroid also.Yeast on tongue...oil of oregano or garlic and later dairy free probiotic may help. Onions have inulin which may cause yeast and sugar/starch may feed yeast. Antibiotics may increase yeast.Constipation: Low Mg due to Lyme and antibiotics lowering Mg. I took 400mg of Mg citrate which helps cramped muscles in my foot/back and constipation. Mg may help 350 chemical reactions in the body/brain. Mg may help K (potassium) get into cells and hydration. Chocolate may help constipation. Enough thyroid medicine, bioidentical hormones, raw walnuts (open shells to avoid hidden gluten and freeze) and then drink lemon juice in water, exercise, carrots/ pumpkin, Osteoprocare drink (Ca/Mg cofactors), probiotic may help constipation. Cyst busters may lower minerals and cause constipation. Taking them too often and too high a dose may hurt by removing too many minerals.Overdoing antibiotics or cysts busters may hurt. Too much plaquenil hurt my eyes as it removed minerals and I forgot to take my vitamins/good oils/minerals one night due to cognitive errors and eyes got hurt.Hobby to distract...dance/walk/music etc helped me. People who understand you are very sick. It may take 2 years to heal since it is hard to squeeze all in a protocol and food may block antibiotics.Prayer/friends and family/internet/books/Integrative doctor and more helped me.Books by Buhner/Waisbren/Dr. Kevin Conners/Singleton/Schaller and more are also good.http://www.people.com/article/avril-lavigne-lyme-disease-bedriddenhttps://www.yahoo.com/tv/s/avril-lavigne-breaks-down-tears-153900685.html?soc_src=mail&soc_trk=maGod is real..stay strongly connected....

UPDATE (Jan 2012):Never expected this review to garner so much interest. I responded to some of you in the comments, but realized that hitting them all would take a long time; hence this update. Thanks all for taking the time to share your well-wishes and thoughts - even those who called me names. ;)More than year after I wrote this review, I am quite well and healthy. My treatment was about ten weeks of Doxy, followed by a period of rest and exercise (odd how those intersperse) to get over "The Crud" that came after I dropped off the antibiotics. It didn't feel like the Lyme symptoms I had...it was just a nasty cold that only I contracted and could not shake for weeks. I was expecting it. I guess the antibiotics goof up the immune system for a little while.The only supplements I took were standard grocery-store multi-vitamins and lots of fluid. In my original review below, I mentioned that I was was feeling better after ten days. Ten more days after that (or so) I was much better, and within four weeks of Doxy I was feeling normal - though somewhat reduced after so long dealing with Lyme. I stayed on the Doxy - at Doctor's suggestion - to do our best in stamping the little bug out of me. I have had no antibiotics for any reason since, and do not feel any flare-ups. Looks like I got lucky.As to some of the criticism of my criticism...I understand I hit some nerves. I tried to avoid being harsh, but did want to provide a point of view that I think many like me might share. Lyme has so few real portals of information, and those that exist tend to be aligned philosophically with this book. That is great for those who come from the author's background, but my criticism of the effort was meant to be constructive. Specifically, the use of terminology that might be common for folks like the author is off-putting to someone not indoctrinated into the world of "mind-body strategies" (authors words, which we won't call "New Age" because I don't want to make this about semantics).I have an open mind about these things - I have freaked out medical people even as a kid by being able to markedly alter my heart rate in seconds just by thinking about it - more than simple relaxation. I have used what some would call meditation to appease pain, and the military (I am a veteran) even teaches similar strategies for everything from pain management to stress management to long-range shooting (getting a long-range shot off between controlled heart beats). I know that the connection between the head and the body is more than an attachment via the neck.What I didn't know much about was "energetic healing strategies" (author's words), but did feel it important to voice my concern that the text of this book focuses heavily on them while giving an occasional glance at modern medicine. The take-away I got was that non-standard remedies (energetic healing) could lead the reader to believe that herbs, vitamins, prayer and meditation were going to combat a pervasive, physical, biological pathogen. It simply won't. People need modern pharmaceuticals to fight this pathogen. The mind comes into play in maintaining spirit and recovery...but it won't kill a pathogen.Since getting better, I have cleared a whole lot of brush (fire kills ticks) and do my best to manage the risks. Our risk is high: my 3 year old daughter was bit by a tick and I sent it to Igenix for testing. It carried Lyme. We waited and then testing our daughter - no Lyme. But we intend to keep getting everyone tested annually (expensive).Overall I am healthy again, but I get a sick more often. Whether that is the result of antibiotics or just getting older, I cannot say. But I went for years cavorting around third-world locales without getting sick, then started getting colds a few years before the Lyme. I'd love to blame a bug, but honestly I suspect this is just another sign of my limited mortality. Oh well. I enjoy it while we can.Thank you to the well-wishers. I hope those of you who come across Lyme in your own life do well in your recovery.---------- Original Review -----------Contracted Lyme...had it for a while. Honestly disappointed the "standard lab tests" did not catch it, but thankfully found Igenex and lots of good info.This book was suggested to me. I had it sent overnight-express and I was seriously looking forward to it. I think the goals are laudable, the authors sincere (this is compendium of 13 physicians and how they treat Lyme). But here is why I only give this book two stars: - A lot of New-Age treatments: This might garner five stars from some folks, but reviews are subjective and for me the distracting emphasis on techniques that do not conform to well-recognized and accepted practices is concerning. I wanted to read about the results of double-blind clinical studies and how those lessons could help me. Instead, there significant time is spent focusing on things like the "Emotional Freedom Technique", to "employ training methods anyone can do to influence their autonomic brain and thereby correct poor immune response." (info from an EFT website)And this gem: "This is a new process that has been developed over the past nine years...the body can heal from disease without any outside intervention..."In fairness, several of the physicians who talk about "psychic healing" and various potions of herbs, oils, vitamins, drum-beating and crying to the trees also honestly admit that none of it works without...(wait for it)...antibiotics. Not the super-fancy antibiotics, but the really basic stuff like Doxycycline. How simple is the antibiotic treatment? Well, my pharmacy would not even charge for a 7 week supply of it. It was free. - The tone of the book is really a bit haphazard. This has nothing to do wth content, but more grammar and readability. It appears the book is nothing more than a re-print of answers to a questionnaire. Or at least, that's how it reads. There is little to no narrative, no segue between items and almost zero introduction of concepts and terms.Which leads to the third issue... - It has a built-in audience that does not include me. Terms and remedies are name-dropped literally every paragraph. Some quick work with google (I really tried getting into this book) shows that the name-brand remedies mentioned are pretty well-known in the new-age medicinal world. If you know what "Psych-K" is, you will feel at home. The rest of us are forced to wonder, though it is mentioned many times. There are many cases here where I think I am reading an infomercial (the phrase "money back guarantee" is actually used herein to hawk a remedy).OVERALL: This book contains some tidbits of information that appears acceptable to the larger medical community. There is an acceptance (grudging though it is) of the primary role that basic antibiotics play in treating Lyme.I will give a special note of appreciation to the info provided by Steven Harris, M.D. regarding the danger of incorporating and using intravenous antibiotics early into a treatment regime. He calls out the medical risks associated with it and notes the lack of clinical evidence that it does much more than oral Doxy for the vast majority of patients. In a society where everyone wants "the best", I have heard many Lyme patients feel let-down when they didn't get plugged into an IV drip.If you are into New-Age treatments and already know all the vernacular, this book is made for you and I suspect you will cherish it.If you are like me - not averse to thinking outside the box but still more interested in traditional remedies backed by clinical studies - then you'll want to pass.This review is going to get panned. But before you post a sharp rebuttal, understand that not everyone comes from the same place. I'm not into the New-Age stuff but am not knocking those who are. If it makes you feel good...go for it. This review is specifically written for other people like me, who wait anxiously to receive the kind of information they want and find it is not here. Rather than be disappointed, they should move on.As for me, ten days into oral Doxy and my energy is up. The aches are backing down and I see a big response. The next step is clearing all that high grass out back to prevent a recurrence from yet another bug bite. Good luck all.

I have just been diagnosed with Lymes disease. This is a great reference book to understand the varying symptoms of this disease. It's written in manner which is understandable even though there are medical terms and findings.An excellent book!

Excellent book