See link to learn how Japanese researchers from Kumamoto University have shown that anxious behavior in mice is reduced after consuming Matcha powder or Matcha extract.
For more: https://articles.mercola.com/teas/matcha-green-tea.aspx
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-five-remedies-treatments-help-reduce-inflammation-greg-lee/
by Greg Lee
Fireworks have gotten more spectacular since I was a kid. At a recent Independence Day celebration, my kids and I were dazzled by an amazing display that burst forth from a single white firework shooting up into the night. Then, several yellow streamers of light slowly fell like an umbrella which whistled. Suddenly, blue, red, green, and white sparkles blossomed forth. We kept saying, “Ooooh and aaaah!” with each new spray of color.
How is a complex fireworks show similar to recurring inflammatory symptoms from unknown infections?
Just like a fireworks display shooting across the night, multiple infections can trigger bursts of unexpected symptoms
Some patients with stealthy infections like Lyme disease, mold, or parasites can have relapsing symptoms that can randomly appear and disappear. Unfortunately, these infections may not show up on blood1, saliva, or stool2 tests. Carlotta felt run down ever since she got sick with mononucleosis as a teenager. She would have occasional bouts of migrating pain, memory recall issues, and vision problems. Lab tests couldn’t identify the underlying reason for her symptoms. Multiple medical providers suggested that she go see a counselor or psychiatrist. Her symptoms would flare up during phases of her menstrual cycle, during a full moon, and in response to eating carbohydrates. Not only food but also medications made her symptoms worse.
Her flu-like symptoms would flare up when she took antibiotics
Carlotta’s symptoms increased when she took antibiotics for sinus problems. The toxic die off from drug treatment dramatically increased her flu-like symptoms of fatigue, brain fog, and misspeaking words. She felt that her immune system was producing too much inflammation in response to some unknown infection. Unfortunately, over the counter medications did little to relieve her symptoms.
Anti-inflammatory medications didn’t help much
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like aspirin, Advil, and Aleve took the edge off some of her flu-like symptoms. Dietary changes helped reduce symptoms however they would flare up for unknown reasons and when she ate food with wheat or sugar.
What else can help to reduce fatigue, brain fog, and flu-like symptoms from hidden infections?
Here are five multi-microbial treatments that can help with reducing symptoms from multiple types of infections
Carlotta received an electrodermal scan which detected the electrical frequencies of Lyme disease and parasitic worms in her intestines and liver. The scan also detected frequencies of mold in her sinuses. She received a combination of microparticle, aka liposomal essential oils, liposomal herbs, and treatments to help with reduce recurring symptoms from her multiple infections. These remedies have also reduced toxins and inflammatory compounds in multiple lab studies.
Multi-microbial Treatment #1: Clove bud
This herb has acrid and warm properties. In lab and animal studies, clove bud has an inhibitory effect against Vibrio cholerae, Bacillus anthracis, Salmonella typhi, Corynebacterium diptheriae, Bacillus dysenteriae, E. coli, Bacillus subtilis, Staphlococcus aureus3, Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)4, Enterococcus faecalis5, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Streptococcus pyogenes, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa6. Biflorin, a compound in clove buds, protected against bacterial endotoxins, and inflammatory compounds tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin (IL-6) in a mouse study7. This herb has also been recommended for the treatment of worms and parasites in humans8.
In Chinese medicine, it is used to warm the abdomen and relieve pain. Clove is also used to treat hiccups, nausea, morning sickness, vomiting, and diarrhea. This herb is also used to treat impotence, and coldness in the body and extremities. It also promotes digestion by increasing bile and gastric acid secretions. Clove is also used topically to treat toothache. The essential oil has anti-asthmatic properties.
Essential oil of clove contains these compounds: eugenol, caryophyllene, acetyleugenol, α- caryophyllene, and chavicol. In lab research, clove essential oil completely dissolves the borrelia biofilm and kills the drug persistent spirochete form of the Lyme9. In another study, clove essential oil inhibits Candida, Aspergillus, and some dematophytes including fluconazole resistant strains10. In another study, the compound eugenol was effective at inhibiting different fungi including Fusarium moniliforme, Fusarium oxysporum, Aspergillus species, Mucor species, Trichophyton rubrum and Microsporum gypseum11. In a third study, clove essential oil increased the effectiveness of fluconazole and voriconazole against multiple Candida species12. In another study, this essential oil was effective at inhibiting drug resistant Candida biofilms13. Low internal doses of clove essential oil have been used safely and effectively for years with patients diagnosed with Lyme disease, parasites, and mold toxicity. This herb is contraindicated in cases of fever and excess internal heat accompanied with symptoms of dryness. Side effects of this herb include dizziness, palpitations, chest oppression, headache, perspiration, decreased blood pressure, and skin rash. In addition to clove, cinnamon can be effective against many different microbes and parasites.
Multi-microbial Treatment#2: Cinnamon bark
The properties of this herb are acrid, sweet, and hot. Cinnamon has an inhibitory effect on dermatophytes, pathogenic fungi, and many gram positive bacteria14. In a lab study, cinnamon compounds inhibited the malaria parasite15. These compounds are succinic acid, glutathione, L-aspartic acid, beta-alanine, and 2-methylbutyryl glycine. Given the similarity between malaria and Babesia, this herb may be effective against this co-infection. Another compound, cinnamaldehyde, has inhibits parasitic worms in a lab study16. Cinnamon was also effective at reducing parasitic cysts of Giardia in a rat study.17
This herb also contains the following active compounds: cinnamic aldehyde, cinnamic acid, cinnamyl acetate, phenylpropyl acetate, cinncassiol-A, -B, -C1, -C2, -C3, cinnzelanine, and cinnzeylanol.
This herb is used in Chinese medicine to treat a wide variety of disorders including intolerance to cold, cold extremities, weakness, soreness and coldness of the low back and knees, impotence, lack of libido, excess urine production, and loose stools. It is also used to treat wheezing, asthma, labored breathing, swelling, and profuse phlegm. Cinnamon is also used for dizziness, flushed face, sore throat, and coldness in the lower extremities. This herb also treats epigastric and abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, gas, bloating, slow digestion, hernia pain, and spasmodic pain in the stomach and intestines. It is also used to treat hypercoagulation, irregular menstruation, amenorrhea, dysmenorrhea, postpartum pain, external injuries, trauma, deep rooted sores, psoriasis, and feelings of oppression in the abdomen.
Cinnamon is contraindicated during pregnancy and in patients with signs of excess heat, excess dryness, and excess bleeding. Excess amount of cinnamon can result in symptoms of flushed face, red eyes, dry mouth and tongue, bleeding, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, excess urination, anuria, burning sensations upon urination, excess serum proteins in the urine, dizziness, blurred vision, and numbness of the tongue.
Intravenous cinnamon reduced blood pressure, decreased heart rate, peripheral vasodilation, and decreased vessel resistance within 3-5 minutes. Subcutaneous injection of cinnamon in dogs increased the white blood cell count by 150 – 200%. In a rat study, essential oil of cinnamon has an analgesic and sedative effect.
In lab research, cinnamon bark essential oil completely eradicates the Lyme disease biofilm and the drug persistent spirochete form18. Cinnamon bark essential oil was effective at inhibiting Aspergillus and Penicillium mold species19. This essential oil inhibits Aspergillus species and aflatoxin, aflatoxin-B1, and aflatoxin-G1 production. These toxins are inhibited because the essential oil binds to the DNA of aflatoxins. Also, this essential oil reacts with reactive oxygen species produced by aflatoxins, which has a protective effect on cells20. In another study, cinnamon bark essential oil was the most effective against oral isolates of Candida albicans21. Another study demonstrated that cinnamon bark essential oil was effective against fluconazole susceptible Candida species22. Liposomal cinnamon oil was effective at inhibiting MRSA and it’s biofilms in a lab study23. Low dilutions of liposomal cinnamon essential oil have been taken internally by people diagnosed with multiple infections safely without reported side-effects. In addition to cinnamon, artemisia has antimicrobial effects against many pathogens.
Multi-microbial Treatment#3: Artemisia
Artemisia and its derivative compounds, artemisinin, liposomal artemisinin, and artesenuate, are being used by physicians to fight Babesia24 infections. Artemisinin has been used effectively with other anti-protozoa medications to cure relapsing Babesia. Artemisinin has also been effective in multiple studies against cytomegalovirus, Toxoplasma gondii (protozoa), Schistosoma species and Fasciola hepatica (worms) and Cryptococcus neoformans (fungi)25.
Artemisia is recommended for treating leptospirosis and Lyme disease in Chinese medicine26. Artemisia annua is also effective in inhibiting Staphylococcus aureus (staph), Bacillus anthracis (anthrax), Corynebacterium diphtheriae (diphtheria), Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Bacillus dysenteriae (dysentery), and Mycobacterium tuberculosis (tuberculosis)27. Using the whole herb instead of a derivative compound increases the benefits by including other active compounds. Multiple sesquiterpene and flavonoid compounds from Artemisia annua neutralized the effects of bacterial toxins in a lab study28. Artemisia annua contains rosmarinic acid which demonstrated a synergistic interaction with artemisinin against the malaria protozoa in a lab study29. This herb and it’s compound artemisinin inhibited the production of bacterial endotoxins and the inflammatory cytokine TNF-α in a rat study30.
Artemisia annua has the properties of clears heat, treats malaria, cools the blood, clears liver heat, and brightens the eyes. It is also used to treat “steaming bone disorder” or the feeling that one’s bones are being cooked, tidal fever, unremitting low-grade fever, thirst, soreness and weakness of the low back and knees, irritability, and heat in the palms, soles, and the middle of the chest. Other symptoms this herb is used to treat are warmth at night and chills in the morning, absence of perspiration, heavy limbs, stifling sensation in the chest, and a flushed face. This herb also treats red eyes, dizziness, photophobia, arrhythmia, and jaundice.
This herb is cautioned in patients with diarrhea and coldness in the stomach. Azole antifungals and calcium channel blockers may present significant herb-drug interactions with this herb. In long term studies, this herb had no adverse effects on vital organs31. In addition to artemisia, silver nanoparticles have multiple anti-microbial properties.
Multi-microbial Treatment#4: Silver Nanoparticles
Silver nanoparticles have been used safely and effectively to inhibit many drug resistant and biofilm forming bacteria and fungi including Streptococcus mutans32, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa33, Escherichia coli34, and Enterococcus faecalis35 in lab studies. Silver particles are also effective at inhibiting multiple species of pathogenic fungi and their toxins in lab studies36. This form of silver has also been effective against multiple protozoa including Entamoeba histolytica, Cryptosporidium parvum, and Plasmodium falciparum (malaria)37. In water studies, silver has also been effective at reducing the amount of helminth (worm) eggs in waste water38.
When in combination with cinnamon bark, silver inhibits H7N3 influenza A virus a lab experiment39. When combined with tea tree essential oil in a microparticle liposome, silver greatly enhances the antimicrobial and anti-toxin properties against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans40. In addition to silver, Microcurrent offers a highly flexible and targeted treatment for inhibiting pathogens, toxins, and resulting inflammation.
Multi-microbial Treatment#5: Frequency Specific Microcurrent
Frequency Specific Microcurrent (FSM) is amazingly targeted and customizable form of electrical frequency treatment for chronic infections. Carlotta received anti-microbial, anti-toxin, anti-inflammatory frequencies directed into her sinuses, liver, intestines, and memory regions of the brain. Frequencies were also applied to neutralize mold toxins, inhibit spirochetes, fungi, protozoa, bacteria, parasites, and reduce brain and intestinal inflammation. She also received frequencies for increasing adrenal energy, disrupting biofilms in her sinuses, and zapping intracellular infections. With each microcurrent treatment, she felt less toxic and less inflamed, more energetic, and was able to find and speak words with greater clarity. Multiple remedies and treatment may be effective at reducing symptoms from Lyme, parasites and mold, toxins, and resulting inflammation.
Using multiple treatments, patients report faster improvements in their chronic inflammation symptoms
Similar to a dazzling multi-stage fireworks display, the proper combination of treatments and liposomal remedies may give your immune system a burst of support to fight multiple types of infections including Lyme disease, parasites and mold. These treatments may also help to neutralize toxins and lower inflammation. For the first time in years, Carlotta looked forward to going to her kid’s sporting events with an abundance of energy. She remembered her family’s activity schedule without having to look at a calendar. She restarted movement classes since her migrating pains had ceased. Since liposomal remedies require specific training on their formulation and come with cautions on their use, work with a Lyme literate natural practitioner to develop a safe and effective strategy for addressing symptoms from multiple infections.
– Greg
P.S. Do you have experiences where treatment or remedies helped you reduce symptoms from multiple infections? Tell us about it in a comment below.
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https://rawlsmd.com/health-articles/lyme-disease-anxiety-connected?
by Dr. Bill Rawls
Posted 6/21/19
Can Lyme disease cause anxiety? In this video, Dr. Bill Rawls explains how the stress of chronic illness impacts adrenaline levels and mood. Plus, he shares natural remedies for anxiety and lifestyle tips for short-circuiting an overactive flight-or-fight response. Read all about Dr. Rawls’ natural approach to overcoming Lyme disease here.
Question: Are Lyme disease and anxiety connected?
Hello, I’m Dr. Bill Rawls. A question: How is Lyme disease related to anxiety?
Most people are really struggling with anxiety and sleep disturbances who have chronic Lyme disease. And the reason is that Lyme disease — the stress of Lyme disease — makes you less resistant to any kind of stress. It lowers your reserves.
So your body is stressed, and whenever your body is stressed, you activate your sympathetic nervous system, your fight-or-flight nervous system. And that’s really designed to use intermittently when there’s a real emergency, like somebody breaking into your house at 3:00 in the morning. You want that surge of adrenalinethat wakes you up, gets you going, and helps you deal with that emergency.
But when your body is stressed, when the chronic illness is generating inflammation, and the microbes are disrupting everything in your body, your body becomes less stress-resistant, and it activates your fight-or-flight response chronically. If you’ve got adrenaline pushing through your system all the time, it makes your system very, very fragile.
Anything that would cause anxiety is very apt to generate that kind of response — you feel anxious, you feel revved up all the time. You’ve got that adrenaline surging through your system.
It affects your sleep, and then not getting sleep actually affects the immune disruption that would generate that. So the whole thing becomes this vicious cycle that’s never-ending.
Breaking that cycle: The first step is controlling those microbes, restoring normal immune system functions, but also bringing down your adrenaline levels, and I think that’s really, really important. When I was going through my recovery, something I became very conscious of is when my adrenaline levels were starting to raise.
I could feel the energy just building in the upper part of my body, and my body became tense. That anxiety response was very prevalent, especially as I went through the day of just dealing with stress factors. As you go through the day, it tends to make it worse. So you raise your adrenaline levels as you go through the day. That affects your cortisol, and it can really make you miserable.
Being aware of your adrenaline levels, being aware of tension is really important. When I was recovering from Lyme, I was really careful about any kind of input that was coming into my brain.
I didn’t listen to the radio. I was very careful about reading the newspaper or reading what was on the Internet. I tried to make my world small by not worrying about things in the outside world that maybe were significant, but were also things that I couldn’t really control.
You like to bring your world down to the things that you have control over, and you like to minimize that as much as you can. You’re looking to reduce factors that raise your adrenaline levels during the day.
Getting regular exercise of any kind, whether that’s just walking or doing qigong or yoga, can help diffuse that adrenaline surge that you have, that adrenaline buildup during the day. Just taking a meditation or what a lot of people call a power nap.
I used to call it touching sleep. I would take 15 to 30 minutes in the middle of the day at lunchtime and lie down, and I would try to relax myself to the point that I could just barely get to sleep, even if it was a minute or two.
If I reached that point, I know that I brought my adrenaline levels down to zero. And if you can do that once or twice during the day, that can short-circuit that adrenaline buildup and help you deal with that anxiety, that excessive overactive fight-or-flight response that’s driving this whole situation.
There are also plenty of calming herbs that can help. Ashwagandha, bacopa, passionflower — many of our calming and balancing herbs are very good for short-circuiting that sympathetic response.
So yes, Lyme disease is very, very much tied to anxiety. It does increase your propensity to become anxious, and decreases your stress resistance. The solution to that is reducing stress by using herbs to calm and normalize and balance your hormones, trying to move, trying to get exercise during the day.
Keep doing that and keep doing that and keep working at it until you become an expert at keeping those adrenaline levels down through the day.
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**Comment**
I never had anxiety, but my husband did. It would come and go like the wind – hitting him at the most unexpected times leaving him feeling completely helpless. Proper treatment completely ameliorated this symptom.
Here’s a story of patients misdiagnosed with anxiety when the culprit was Lyme: https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/10/03/lyme-patient-misdiagnosed-with-anxiety-depression/
https://www.lymedisease.org/marjo-valonen-herbs/
By Marjo Valonen, MD
It was the happiest moment of my life, to hold my twin babies for the first time. I am so glad that I didn’t know what was ahead of me: that I would be bedridden and seriously ill for years. That I couldn’t walk, play with my kids, or have the strength to sing to them. Even smiling at them would require all the energy I could muster.
Ever since I was six years old, I wanted to be a doctor. Everything about humans and human health interested me. My first dream was to be a brain surgeon, but when I was actually working as a surgeon, I realized that this wasn’t quite what I wanted. I aspired to understand the whole human body, instead of settling for any single specialty. My thirst for knowledge drove me instead into looking at traditional Chinese medicine and then integrative medicine.
So, when I fell so ill after giving birth to our twin boys and one and a half years later to our daughter, I was confused. Confused, because I thought that I already knew so much. I consulted countless colleagues, the best in their field, but no one knew what was wrong with me. And sadly, it seems that not knowing, is for many doctors, too difficult a burden to bear. They didn’t think: oh wow, this is something I don’t know, let’s study more and find out! Instead, they got angry at the patient that dared to have symptoms or illness that they didn’t have answers for.
My symptoms included extreme fatigue. Even keeping my eyes open felt like too much work. If I tried to get up and walk, I fainted. So, confined to my bed, I relied on my husband for everything. He brought me my food, carried me to the bathroom, took care of our three small children and maintained his own work outside the home. He is the real hero of this story!
Wracked with pain, I had sinus infections – with pus constantly oozing out of my sinus cavities – for which I underwent numerous operations. However, when doctors couldn’t find anything wrong with my lab tests, they told me that I was just imagining it all, that it was all in my head, and that I was causing myself to be ill. One colleague even said to me, “You’re just lazy. You don’t want to work.”
The worst of it lasted about two years. After that, I was able to sit and walk a bit, but I still couldn’t do much. I started searching for answers on the Internet and reading recommended books. I did everything I could think of: I healed my gut, I found many food intolerances, balanced my hormones, and supported my thyroid and adrenals.
Finally, I ran into the question of chronic infections. I ran tests on myself and confirmed my suspicion of having Lyme disease. It turns out I had loads of other infections, as well. That started me on the next step of my journey back to health: finding out how to treat these infections.
Initially, I was told that I had to treat it with antibiotics. This didn’t sit well with me – with how I think about life and how we should treat our bodies. But I eventually decided to try antibiotics, since that was the conventional procedure. ILADS is doing great work regarding Borrelia, and I tried the combination of antibiotics suggested by ILADS. But they were too hard on my gut. My system just couldn’t handle them.
I started looking at herbal solutions. I loved learning about the many different ways herbs can help and support us. I tried many different protocols but none of them worked very well for me. Then, I heard from my colleague Dr. Armin Schwarzbach about the support protocol developed by Dr. Lee Cowden, called CSP (Cowden Support Program). Imagine my joy and gratitude when after a month or two I started feeling better. I could walk and hug my kids and enjoy life!
At last, after such a long period of professional inactivity, I began seeing patients again. As I encountered those who had the same problems that I had, I used the Cowden Protocol with them. We’re still amazed at how well it works! I’m glad that I was able to find a way to help my patients without having to use antibiotics.
Typically, patients don’t have many positive test results at first. These usually appear after a short period of initial treatment. When you give patients herbs, their immune system starts fighting against the infection. Some patients are so sick when they first come to my office that their immune system is totally shut down and can’t fight anything. In that situation, all results will be negative.
Of the symptoms, pain and fatigue are typically the worst part of being ill. We ask them to rate both between 0 and 10, with 10 being the worst imaginable. We do this at the beginning of treatment, and we then follow their self-assessments.
Sometimes, both objective lab results and subjective self-assessments improve at more or less the same rate. When that happens, we’re really happy and can trust that the treatment is working. One or the other isn’t enough. If the lab results are great, but the patient is fatigued and in pain, then the infection might just be hiding somewhere. Then, you have to sort of dig it out.
Can Lyme disease be fully cured? Or, must we be content with tolerable remission of active symptoms? This is a good question.
I think that we can get our patients cured in such a way that Lyme doesn’t affect their life anymore. The question of whether or not we can ever be totally rid of Borrelia microbes cannot really be answered, since they can spread everywhere within the body. However, we all carry all sorts of microbes and parasites within us, at all times. That’s life. The question is, “Who is in charge: you, or the microbes within you?”
I agree with the assessment of the American cardiologist Dr. Thomas Levy: namely, that Borrelia is normally a commensal bug, requiring an already compromised autonomic nervous system to become infectious.
I contracted Lyme in the womb, from my mother. I carried it within me throughout my early years without noticing it. After the twin pregnancy and the birth of my daughter, during which I had many complications, my immune system took a hard hit. And, that’s when “the enemies” got the upper hand, moving from the incubation state to the acute one.
I am convinced that my role as a doctor is fundamentally to support my patients’ immune systems. Only then can these microbes be defeated. Sometimes my patients express their concerns about ticks being everywhere. I remind them at those times that we can’t live in a bubble. Some have famously tried it, but it isn’t a very good solution. We neither can nor should stop our children from running and playing in the woods. The best thing is to take care of our own body and immune system so that we are strong enough to resist all of this.
This leads to the whole idea of preventative wellness. This is where medicine is seen not so much as treating diseases as helping people so they do not become ill in the first place. That’s one of the reasons why I think Dr. Cowden’s program is simply genius, because the use of antimicrobial herbs is constantly changing, affecting different kinds of microbes – not just Borrelia, but also the co-infections. The antimicrobial herbs, moreover, are complemented by detoxifying and anti-inflammatory ones, as well as herbs that support energy production. Some people think that it’s enough to take antibiotics or even antimicrobial herbs. But, that’s just killing pathogens. I advocate a much wider approach, one that supports the whole system. Uprooting is not enough. You have to replant.
Our patients receive an ongoing maintenance program from us for the rest of their lives. By the time that they are fully functional again, we’ve known them for several months or, in the harder cases, several years. So, we usually have acquired a good idea of their genetic composition and their ability to withstand these things on their own. Hence, someone with a robust constitution may need only a basic multi-vitamin and some detox and supporting herbs.
On the other hand, a very fragile person might need other things to support them. I myself have genetic problems with my immune and detox systems, but I’m doing fine with herbs. I am still taking selected herbs as well as some important immune supporting supplements and I’ll never give them up! By taking care of myself, I can live a normal life.
In fact, I travel throughout Europe teaching about herbs. When I speak at conferences and other venues, I like to share patient cases. They are real life, allowing me to demonstrate what we are doing and how well it’s working. I give detailed information on what herbs I use and in what dosages. My mission, the reason why I’m going around Europe, and now also the States, talking about herbs, is to teach other professionals how to help others in the same way.
So, what began as my own personal interest has become my life’s work.
I believe we’re living already the future of medicine. It’s so great that we have researchers like Professor Eva Sapi, of the University of New Haven. So, we’re constantly getting more information on how herbs work. Of course, there are always those people who think that herbs can’t possibly be that effective. They need to be reminded that the Nobel Prize for Medicine was given in 2015 to Professor Tu Youyou, a pharmacologist at the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences in Beijing, in recognition of her work with the herb Artemisia annua. Also, about 50% of conventional medicines are developed from natural substances, including herbs. But, since you can’t patent something derived from nature, then medical companies have to change or break these substances in order to obtain patents and then charge big prices for their products.
Returning to the question of antibiotics, I think we often use them irresponsibly, which leads to the loss of their efficacy. Bacterial resistance has become a big problem. It is much more difficult for bacteria to develop resistance to an herb, though, which may have tens or even hundreds of different substances with which it fights bacteria.
It’s quite easy for a bacterium to develop resistance to an antibiotic, since it is just this one thing against which it has to fight. But when you send hundreds of things against that bacterium, it has a much harder time developing effective resistance.
I don’t think it’s wrong to use antibiotics when they are needed. The problem is when we use too much of them, for minor conditions. We’re also giving them to our livestock, which results in indirect antibiotic exposure for us. What was designed to help us is really hurting us.
Lyme and co-infections can be devastating. Not just to the person who falls ill, but for their loved ones as well. Our family has been through it, and that is why I want to share my story and share my knowledge. I don’t want anyone to have to go through as much pain and suffering as I had to.
With the herbal and supplemental protocols that we use at our clinic, we’ve been able to help even the worst cases of Lyme and co-infections. Even those that have been taking antibiotics for years, without getting better. So, I don’t want anyone to lose hope – there is still lots that can be done. It may take some detective work to find the right protocols, but I am a living proof that it is possible!
Marjo Valonen, MD, is medical director of Astris Medical Center in Helsinki, Finland. Her clinic specializes in tick-borne and other chronic infectious illnesses. She has also lectured widely at Lyme-related conferences.
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For more: https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2016/02/13/lyme-disease-treatment/ Herbal options are listed in the treatment section.
https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/02/07/which-herbs-for-inflammation/
https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/10/24/herbs-habits-to-revive-your-gut/
https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/04/02/cant-sleep-18-plants-herbs-can-help/
https://www.bca-clinic.de/en/herxheimer-reactions-and-lyme-disease-all-you-need-to-know/
Warm weather brings many opportunities for fun, especially for people who enjoy being outside. Whether it’s hiking, camping, picnicking or simply reading a good book in the garden, the spring and summer months have much to offer in the way of outdoor activities.
But along with opportunities for fun, unfortunately, spending time in nature during the warmer months also brings danger in the form of Lyme disease. This is especially true for people who live in regions where the ticks that carry Lyme infection are common. But Lyme disease has been found on every continent except Antarctica, and cases of Lyme disease are growing at such a high rate that almost anyone who spends a significant amount of time outdoors could be at risk of exposure to Lyme disease.
Lyme disease is a bacterial infection caused by a spirochete (corkscrew-shaped) bacterium named Borrelia burgdorferi. This bacterium is carried by rodents and animals like the white-footed mouse and deer that are the preferred hosts of ticks known as Ixodes, deer or black-legged ticks.
When an Ixodes tick feeds on a creature that’s carrying Borrelia burgdorferi, it becomes infected with the bacterium. An infected tick can then transmit Borrelia burgdorferi to humans through a single bite, causing Lyme infection.
People who contract Lyme disease are often bitten by ticks that are still in their nymphal, or immature, phase. Nymphal ticks are tiny – about the size of a poppy seed – and their bite is usually painless, so many of those who have been bitten by a nymphal tick have no idea.
The chance of Lyme infection being transmitted from an infected tick to a human goes up the longer the tick stays attached, so the tiny size and painless bite of nymphal ticks are frightening factors that can increase infection risk.
Lyme infection can be separated into two phases: acute and chronic. The acute phase is the preliminary stage of Lyme disease and typically includes the following symptoms:
If Lyme disease is caught within the first few weeks of infection, it may be effectively treated with antibiotics. But if it’s not properly diagnosed or treatment fails, Lyme disease can progress to the chronic phase. Symptoms of chronic Lyme disease are many and varied, but some of the most common ones are:
Officially known as a Jarisch-Herxheimer reaction (and often called a Herx for short), a Herxheimer reaction occurs when the beginning of an antibiotic treatment course causes a spike in the die-off of spirochetal bacteria. It was named after European dermatologists who were the first to observe that symptoms worsened in syphilis patients being treated with mercurial compounds. This exacerbation of symptoms continued to be observed when penicillin became the main treatment for syphilis, usually occurring within the first 24 hours of treatment.
Like syphilis, Lyme disease is caused by a spirochetal bacterium. Herxheimer reactions sometimes happen to patients with Lyme disease when they first begin antibiotic therapy as a result of the Borrelia burgdorferi dying. The die-off causes your body to release proteins called cytokines. While a moderate amount of cytokines can help boost your immune system, too many of them can cause adverse effects.
Although they are sometimes considered a good thing because they indicate that the medication is working to kill Lyme bacteria, Herxheimer reactions can cause patients experiencing them to suddenly feel very poorly. Herxheimer reactions are characterised by a worsening of existing Lyme symptoms like:
There’s no question that going through a Herxheimer reaction is difficult, and knowing that it’s a possibility can cause some Lyme patients to delay or even avoid treatment. When they’re already struggling with the symptoms of Lyme disease, the idea of feeling even worse is sometimes unbearable.
Although Herxheimer reactions be a necessary evil when beginning treatment for Lyme disease, there are things you can do to mitigate the damage. Some of the supplements believed to lessen Herxheimer symptoms include:
Aside from supplements, lifestyle choices like moderate exercise can alleviate the discomfort of Herxheimer reactions. While working out may be the last thing a Lyme patient experiencing a Herxheimer reaction wants to do, exercising stimulates the body’s lymphatic system, allowing more efficient removal of toxins from the body.
A Herxheimer reaction during Lyme disease treatment can make a bad situation worse, but knowing what to expect and how to support the body during this process arms patients and practitioners alike with the information they need to handle the challenge.
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For more: https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2015/08/15/herxheimer-die-off-reaction-explained/
https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/01/26/lyme-herxheimer-reactions-dr-rawls/
https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2015/12/06/tips-for-newbies/
https://www.lymedisease.org/lymesci-herxing/
https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2017/06/28/jarisch-herxheimer-a-review/
Enzymes: https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2016/04/22/systemic-enzymes/
https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/03/05/how-proteolytic-enzymes-may-help-lyme-msids/
https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/10/24/herbs-habits-to-revive-your-gut/
MSM – another detoxifier, gut support, & inflammation & pain reducer: https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/03/02/dmso-msm-for-lyme-msids/
Madison Area Lyme Support Group 