Archive for the ‘Psychological Aspects’ Category

Post Traumatic Growth: Reframing the Trauma of Chronic Illness

HOW YOU CAN GROW FROM CHRONIC ILLNESS TRAUMA AND HOW IT CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE FOR THE BETTER   by Jennifer Crystal  Sept, 2017

 

After reading one of the most intense chapters of my upcoming memoir—about the downward spiral that led to my April 2007 relapse—a fellow writer said to me,

“I see a lot of post traumatic growth emerging here.”

I looked at her quizzically. Post traumatic growth? Didn’t she mean post traumatic stress? That period was one of the most traumatic of my life, and even ten years out, I still get some traditional PTSD symptoms every April: flashbacks, nightmares, anxiety, increased concern that the relapse could happen again. Surely, reading about the initial trauma itself, this writer was talking about the post-traumatic stress that would emerge in the years following the relapse.

But I had heard her correctly. She meant post traumatic growth as she saw it reflected in my writing, especially the parts where I used an older, wiser voice to look back on the difficult event and draw lessons from it. My friend, an Air Force veteran who writes about her deployment to Afghanistan, is familiar with both trauma and reflection.

She’s also familiar with post traumatic growth, a concept that is being used to help veterans not just bounce back after experiencing trauma, but grow from it and change their lives for the better. Developed in 1996 by psychologists Richard Tedeschi and Lawrence Calhoun, the theory holds that “people who endure psychological struggle following adversity can often see positive growth afterward.” As Tedeschi explained in an interview for the American Psychological Association, “people develop new understandings of themselves, the world they live in, how to relate to other people, the kind of future they might have and a better understanding of how to live life.”[1]

These were exactly the kind of changes I  experienced after surviving my relapse. Until that point, I’d always talked about “getting back to life” after Lyme disease. It wasn’t until I went back to ground zero that I realized it wasn’t about going back; it was about moving forward in spite of Lyme. Tick-borne illnesses were coming with me, and I had to figure out a way to neutralize them as best I could their impact on my future.

I’ve always considered myself a resilient person, but post traumatic growth is about more than just resilience. As explained in a March 2016 article in The New Yorker article titled  “Can Trauma Help You Grow?”, “Psychologists have long studied resilience—the ability to bounce back and move on. But post traumatic growth, which has been documented in hundreds of studies, is different; it’s (more about) what happens when trauma changes and deepens life’s meaning.”[2]

Of course, this growth takes time. For me, it took many conversations with my doctor, my therapist, my family and my friends. It’s taken 10 years for me to fully recognize and appreciate the ways Lyme has changed me for the better, such that I can reflect upon those changes in writing.

To chart post traumatic growth, Tedeschi and Calhoun look for positive responses in five areas: appreciation of life; relationships with others; new possibilities in life; personal strength; and spiritual change. I can now attest to positive changes in all of those areas, but I certainly could not have done so in the past when I was stuck in bed, unable to think about anything beyond migraines and joint pains, suffering hallucinogenic dreams only to wake into a living nightmare.

But the beauty of post-traumatic growth is, it’s not supposed to happen right away. In fact, it can’t happen unless you first come to some understanding of your trauma. And here’s the best part: Tedeschi asserts that post traumatic growth is far more common than post traumatic stress disorder.[3]

That’s an assertion I can also attest to. While I’ll likely always have some distress in April, and while I still get nervous about a relapse when my symptoms flare up, those periods are mere drops in the bucket of growth that I’ve amassed in the last decade. Lyme disease has changed me for the better, and I wouldn’t change that for anything.  How’s that for irony?

Next week Jennifer will be answering your questions about Lyme disease. Have a question for Jennifer? Email her at jennifercrystalwriter@gmail.com

[1] http://www.apa.org/monitor/2016/11/growth-trauma.aspx

[2] http://www.newyorker.com/tech/elements/can-trauma-help-you-grow

[3] http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/25/magazine/post-traumatic-stresss-surprisingly-positive-flip-side.html?_r=1

Jennifer Crystal is a writer and educator in Boston. She is working on a memoir about her journey with chronic tick-borne illness. Contact her at jennifercrystalwriter@gmail.com

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**Comment**

Great read.  Seriously.  Great read.

We can’t change the fact we’ve been infected but we can, over time, change how we react to it.

Category:

Activism, Lyme, Psychological Aspects

Lyme Wars – Part 2 Kyra Overcomes Chronic Lyme Diagnosis

http://www.nbcnewyork.com/on-air/as-seen-on/Part-II-Child-Makes-Recovery-After-Chronic-Lyme_New-York-452896893.html(News video here)  Published on Oct 24, 2017

Kyra Lerner tells her story of struggle and recovery after contracting chronic Lyme, a controversial diagnosis linked to Lyme disease-carrying ticks. Kyra’s story is the second in our five-part investigative series. Natalie Pasquarella reports.

For more:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2017/10/24/lyme-wars-part-1-julias-story/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2017/10/24/the-lyme-wars-faces-of-the-health-crisis-a-digital-documentary/

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**Comment**

Lots of great info presented in this story – particularly the polarization of medicine and the fact that if Kyra’s parents would have followed the paradigm of the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA), where they espouse essentially 21 days of doxycycline to be curative in all cases, she would be sicker than a dog with no hope.  Thankfully, she and thousands of others have followed the paradigm of the International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society (ILADS) who believe Lyme is pleomorphic and persistent, requiring much more than 21 days of doxycycline as well as the fact there is often coinfection involvement, requiring different drugs for far longer than a month.  This group also believes that IV treatments can be quite helpful for a subset of patients despite the government’s recent attempt to stop IV therapy for Lyme/MSIDS:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2017/06/21/ilads-rebuttal-to-mmwr-article/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2017/06/23/no-bias-in-mmwr-for-any-other-infectious-disease-requiring-iv-antibiotics-except-for-lyme/

For a great article explaining the tug of war:  TheCaseforthePersistenceofLymeDiseaseAfterAntibioticTherapy  The truth is that over 50% of the IDSA’s guidelines are based on “expert opinion” rather than “evidence-based medicine” as their publication suggests. A further 31% of the IDSA guidelines are based on observational studies. Only a meagre 29% of the IDSA Guidelines fit into “evidence-based medicine”.(22,23,24,25,27) Importantly, the IDSA’s own research supports these very findings.(22

Please understand for those of you just tuning in – THIS IS A WAR of epic proportions.

The reason we find ourselves here even 40 years after Lyme was “officially” discovered is due to money, power, and collusion at the highest level of government.  The government holds the patents on Borrelia burgdorferi (Bb), Lyme testing, the Lyme vaccine, and has been controlling the narrative for decades, even taking specific bands out of Lyme testing that show infection due to their patent on the Lyme vaccine.  

https://www.google.com/patents/US8680236 Gov. patent on OspA (outer surface protein) of Borrelia Burgdorferi (Bb).

https://www.google.com/patents/US6087097  Gov. patent on Lyme test based on OspA (outer surface protein) which causes the same disease it was meant to prevent which is the real reason it was yanked from the market.

https://www.google.com/patents/US4721617 Gov. patent on Lyme Vaccine

https://crymedisease.wordpress.com/2016/02/28/the-conspirators-they-own-the-patents-and-changed-the-testing/  A lengthy expose on all shenanigans for the stout of heart.

Please, don’t allow yourself to be fooled.  The powers that be have been controlling research and the narrative on Tick borne illness from the start.  Nothing about this is new. It’s as old as the hills.  In fact, one researcher has filed an anti-trust law-suit due to government suppression of a more accurate and cheaper Lyme test:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2017/09/25/speaking-of-fake-science-fifty-seven-million-anti-trust-lawsuit-against-cdc-lyme-tests/

This same researcher and others have also complained of how the CDC is controlling the research being done:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2017/01/13/lyme-science-owned-by-good-ol-boys/.  This article explains how they do it on a practical level: https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2017/01/02/fake-science/

So while I’m extremely happy for these news stories, this abusive treatment of Lyme/MSIDS patients and the doctors who dare to treat them has been going on since it was formally given a name in the 80’s.

Category:

Activism, Lyme, Psychological Aspects, Testing

The Lyme Wars: Faces of the Health Crisis – a Digital Documentary

http://www.nbcnewyork.com/on-air/as-seen-on/LYME-WARS-1508783640861_New-York-452543463.html  Published Oct. 23, 2017 (Click on link for video)

The Lyme Wars

This powerful segment gives three Lyme/MSIDS patient stories.

Julia, is still wheelchair bound after presenting with the tell-tale bullseye rash.  Her arms and legs went numb at school.  She’s seen 60-70 specialists but tested negative for Lyme.  Her greatest advocate is her dad who became an internet researcher to figure it out.

Kyra, didn’t have the normally thought of symptoms – just horrible anxiety, depression, and hopelessness.  Her doctor knows Lyme is the great imitator and suspected it despite a negative test.  She tested positive for Ehrlichia, which implies contact with a tick.  Due to the Lyme/MSIDS diagnosis Kyra went from blaming herself to understanding she now had something she could fight.  After doxycycline they chose IV Rocephin – and Kyra became herself again.  “The feeling of actually starting to recognize pieces of what I was before was such an amazing feeling.”

David, felt pretty good after 30 days of antibiotics but after researching on the internet and understanding the probability of coinfection involvement and some persisting symptoms, he wanted a Lyme literate doctor (LLMD) to appraise his case.  He handles his symptoms by avoiding carbs, alcohol, and doing homeopathy.  David says there might be 7 deer on his lawn on any given day, so he bought the Japanese Barberry plant to thwart them; however, research has shown the plants harbor ticks and mice.  David states you have to be your own advocate, that every case presents differently, and that you have to do your own research but not drive yourself crazy, remembering that someday the sun is going to rise and you are going to feel better.

For more facts and info:  NBCNEWYORK.CO/LYME

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**Comment**

Excellent, excellent story with wonderful information.  If you do a tally, two of the three tested negative (David didn’t say) – which is very common.  Patients so desperately want that positive test but they must understand testing for tick borne illness (any of the pathogens) misses half of all cases.  There is a small window in which the test even works and even then some people never mount an appropriate immune response.

More on testing: https://www.lymedisease.org/lyme-basics/lyme-disease/diagnosis/

Finally, after 40 years of suffering, even the CDC is stating to treat if TBI’s are suspected:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2017/07/12/start-treatment-if-tbis-are-suspected/

Please know an EM rash IS LYME DISEASE.  No testing required!  According to ILADS you need medication for 3-4 weeks and NOW!  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2017/03/24/one-pill-of-doxy-only-reduces-prevalence-of-rash-not-lyme-disease/

Dr. Elena Frid has excellent advice on things for parents to look for: https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2017/09/19/three-things-for-parents-to-watch-for-regarding-tbis/

When Lyme isn’t caught early:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2017/09/05/when-lyme-isnt-caught-early/

Kyra‘s sudden mental changes are key symptoms that need to be acknowledged.  If your child suddenly has drastic mood changes, please consider TBI’s as well as PANDAS/PANS:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2017/10/09/today-is-panspandas-awareness-day/

Recently, the CDC came out with a damning report based on 5 patients who had adverse outcomes after IV treatment.  Please understand that thousands of Lyme/MSIDS patients’ lives have been saved using IV treatment – Kyra’s included.  For more:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2017/09/08/another-lyme-patient-benefits-from-iv-treatment/  What’s important to remember is many of these pathogens can infect the brain, requiring drugs that cross the blood, brain, barrier.  You can throw doxy like napalm until you are blue in the face but it will not eradicate organisms in some.  There is a concern of doxy throwing the spirochete into a non cell wall form to lurk until later – perhaps causing or exacerbating Alzheimer’s and dementia:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2017/06/10/the-coming-pandemic-of-lyme-dementia/

More on psychiatric Lyme:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2015/10/18/psychiatric-lymemsids/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2017/10/03/treat-the-infection-psychiatric-symptoms-get-better/

David rightly warns of coinfections as research has shown Lyme rarely comes alone:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2017/07/01/one-tick-bite-could-put-you-at-risk-for-at-least-6-different-diseases/

Japanese Barberry:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2015/09/30/barberry-friend-or-foe/

 

Category:

Activism, Lyme, Psychological Aspects, Ticks, Treatment

CORRUPTION in the Lyme Caucus?

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/corruption-lyme-caucus-jenna-luche-thayer/

CORRUPTION in the Lyme Caucus?
Published on Published on October 16, 2017
Jenna Luche-Thayer
jennaluche@gmail.com

Friends,

I recently posted an article expressing concerns about the representation and motivation of those making up the Lyme Caucus – see Does the Congressional Lyme Caucus Represent You?

I then shared an analysis of the voting record of the Caucus members regarding health care coverage for those with chronic illness – including those with persistent and complicated Lyme.

As noted, “SIX members of the Lyme Caucus DO NOT support current protections for insurance coverage for those with chronic illness, including those with chronic Lyme. They are: Lou Barletta (PA-11), John Faso (NY-19), Tom Marino (PA-10), Bill Posey (FL-8), Tom Reed (NY-23) and Glenn Thompson (PA-5)”

On October 15, 2017, investigative journalists reported that Tom Marino has been fully implicated in driving and passing legislation that makes it virtually impossible for the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) to persecute pharma or the doctors that promote pain pills [1].

The opioid epidemic is increasing every year. In the USA, 64,000 people died from drug overdoses in 2016 – most of these deaths were from opioids. Drug overdoses are now the leading cause of death among Americans under 50 [2].

These discoveries are linked directly to my analyses where I speak about the abuses inherent in the fraudulent Post Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome (PTLDS). For example,

“CDC discrimination practices includes PTLDS. As noted, PTLDS is a condition that transforms a Lyme patient into a person who should be treated for MUS [hypochondria] rather than a systemic infection… Based on information from the CDC report Incidence of Clinician-Diagnosed Lyme Disease, United States, 2005–2010, and other sources, there are approximately 300,000 cases of Lyme per year. According to the CDC website, approximately twenty percent will fail to be cured [by the 2006 IDSA guidelines] and will be classified as having PTLDS [3].

Given these numbers, the CDC’s recommended treatments for PTLDS include exposing potentially 60,000 persons a year to the risk of painkiller [opioid] addiction. PTLDS -linked-MUS has the potential of erroneously adding 60,000 persons per year to the mental illness category. Therefore, since 2005 [until 2016], the CDC Lyme policy has created situations wherein 720,000 patients may be potentially misclassified as mentally ill and increased the risk of addiction to pain killers for as many as 720,000 people.”

So, not only has Marino voted against Lyme patients having access to covered medical care, he has also ensured an unregulated pain pill industry. Lyme Caucus member Marino has put Lyme patients into double jeopardy.

Why is Marino on the Lyme Caucus? Is it to ensure that 100s of thousands of undiagnosed, untreated and undertreated Lyme patients can be victimized by the hugely profitable and deadly opioid epidemic?

By the way, Trump has just named Marino to be his drug Czar. Looks like the fox is officially in the hen house.

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[1] See Washington Post ‘The Drug Industry’s Triumph Over the DEA’ by Scott Higham and Lenny Bernstein -10.15.2017.

[2] See New York Times ‘Drug Deaths in America Are Rising Faster Than Ever’ By Josh Katz – 6.5.2017.

[3] see webpage CDC Post-Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome – under References, under Human research: Marques, A. Chronic Lyme disease: a review. Infect Dis Clin North Am 2008; 22:341–60. Accessed Oct. 15, 2017 – https://www.cdc.gov/lyme/postlds/index.html

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**Comment**

As you can see, we must be forever vigilant with all things legislative as they can and often backfire.  Please contact and be in contact with your Representative to make sure their driving force on the Lyme Caucus is to help chronically ill people be recognized and properly treated.  

Thayer knows that of which she speaks:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2017/09/16/lyme-and-the-opioid-crisis-dr-bransfield/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2017/06/20/suicide-lyme-and-associated-diseases/  Besides suicides, Bransfield estimates around 14,000 incidents of self-harm and 31,000 suicide attempts may be attributed to Lyme and associated diseases each year. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2017/07/19/how-lyme-disease-might-triggering-hundreds-suicides/493934001/ “It’s a constant action that comes up and isn’t adequately addressed in the scientific literature,” Bransfield said. “… Failure to adequately diagnose, failure to adequately treat and the progression of the disease over a span of many years often leads to suicide.”

Bransfield also points out that in his experience:  Suicidality seen in LAD contributes to causing a significant number of previously unexplained suicides and is associated with immune-mediated and metabolic changes resulting in psychiatric and other symptoms which are possibly intensified by negative attitudes about LAD from others.

Negative attitudes about LAD abound due to the top down handling of of it.  When those who are supposed to be protecting public heath and who also control the narrative used by treating physicians state you are clearly crazy and NOT sick, the trickle down theory effectively labels you as a nut-job more needing of a psych med or pain killer than life-saving antimicrobials.

There is a problem and it’s not in Houston – it’s within in the CDC.

For more on the Lyme Caucus:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2017/09/22/calling-all-wisconsinites/

Category:

Activism, Lyme, Psychological Aspects

Today is PANS/PANDAS Awareness Day

https://www.facebook.com/pandasawarenessday/  October 9, 2017

The following article is just one example of how children are affected by a hard to diagnose complex illness called PANDAS or PANS.  Infections such as Lyme/MSIDS can trigger it and one prominent Wisconsin LLMD states that 80% of his PANS patients have it.  

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/community/lake-norman-mooresville/article172666411.html

carsonCarson Spears, 11, has PANS, a disorder where his body’s antibodies attack his brain instead of foreign pathogens. Homeopathic treatment has helped him, however. Kate Stevens

It started with strep throat. Then ‘it’s like your kid died but they’re still there’

BY KATE STEVENS

SEPTEMBER 11, 2017 3:16 PM

Carson Spears was just like the other pupils in kindergarten. The bubbly little boy loved to play outside and had plenty of friends.

Then, Carson came down with his first case of strep throat.

He didn’t respond to antibiotics and his sore throat and fever worsened, said Carson’s mother, Melissa Spears.

After changing antibiotics three times over a two-week period, Carson seemed to improve.

But on Sept. 24, 2011 — his mother remembers the date — the Spears family’s only son came downstairs a changed boy.

Carson had developed an unusual and noticeable eye tic seemingly overnight.

Her son’s eyes were traveling back and forth as if to the 10 and two position on a clock over and over, said Melissa Spears, 37.

By the time she returned home from work that afternoon, she counted Carson’s eyes tics at about 80 per minute, she said.

Cory Spears said his son’s obsessive tics reminded him of an android in a science-fiction movie.

“You ask him a question and he can’t compute,” Cory Spears recalled. “That’s what I relate it to. Everything reset.”

This initial symptom of uncontrollable eye tics began the Spears’ journey into learning about Pediatric Acute-onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome, or PANS, a disorder resulting from an infection or environmental trigger causing abnormal activation of the immune system.

The Spears family of Mooresville has fought for the past six years to bring back Carson from this disorder that nearly robbed him of his personality.

“It’s like your kid died but they’re still there,” said Cory Spears, 39.

The Spears family hopes to educate others about PANS on Sept. 16 when they will participate in the PRAI for 100K 5K fundraiser at Marvin Ridge High School in Waxhaw.

The fundraiser is held by the Pediatric Research & Advocacy Initiative, or PRAI, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to find answers for children affected with neuroimmune disorders.

The disorders could affect as many as one in 200 children, most of whom are misdiagnosed or undiagnosed, according to PRAI statistics.

Awareness events like these fundraisers help educate people who may not have even heard of PANS and helps those diagnosed with PANS to realize there are others like them.

“The biggest thing that worries me about families with PANS kids is they think they’re alone,” said Cory Spears.

Carson’s eye tics were the first symptoms that eventually led to an unofficial diagnosis of PANDAS six years ago by his eye specialist.

Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal Infections, or PANDAS, is a subset of PANS and is linked to a recent streptococcal infection, according to PRAI.

“We are very, very, very fortunate that we had an unofficial diagnosis within 24 hours of onset symptoms,” said Melissa Spears. “Some parents go years.”

‘It hurts worse than average’

PANS is related to other bacterial or viral infections, including strep but other co-diseases, as well, Melissa Spears said.

Antibodies in a healthy person will attack a foreign antigen like a virus or bacteria once it enters the body to prevent illness, said Melissa Spears. For a person with PANS or PANDAS, the antibodies will instead attack the person’s brain instead of the foreign antigen, she said.

The inflammation of the brain can cause symptoms including terrible headaches, obsessive compulsive disorder, anxiety, sleep disturbances and aggression in children with PANS or PANDAS, Melissa Spears said.

When Carson has a “flare,” as the Spears family calls it, he says it feels like “his brain is on fire,” Melissa Spears said.

“It sort of feels worse than other people would think it would,” said Carson, now 11. “Other people are like, they’re thinking that I’ll be OK over time but it hurts worse than average.”

After Carson’s unofficial diagnosis in 2011, the family was left on its own to discover who could treat their son.

Meanwhile, Carson’s symptoms multiplied. He became withdrawn and began having issues focusing and completing tasks. He would leave lights on all over the house and leave cabinet doors open. He developed a life-changing fear of anything that flew, including insects and birds.

Carson developed severe separation anxiety from his parents and refused to go into a room alone or sleep in his own bed.

“He didn’t leave the house one summer,” Melissa Spears said.

Treatment trail

Over the next two years, the family took Carson to five doctors from Greensboro to Charlotte to Matthews where the Spears experienced backlash from physicians.

Doctors didn’t believe the disorder was real or thought Carson’s problems were psychiatric, said Melissa Spears.

The family spent $17,000 seeking medical answers the first year after Carson was diagnosed, Melissa Spears said.

After trying different medicines and going to local doctors “that didn’t listen to us as parents,” Melissa Spears turned to Dr. Rosario Trifiletti, a New Jersey neurologist who, at the time, was one of the few in the world who specialized in PANS/PANDAS cases.

During a phone appointment, Trifiletti listened to the Spears’ story and ordered lab work for all the family members, including Carson’s younger sister, Braxtynn.

Lab technicians took 17 vials of blood from Carson, then just 7 years old.

Trifiletti officially diagnosed Carson with PANS, not PANDAS, due to the active co-infections found in his blood work: mycoplasma, the bacteria that causes pneumonia; coxsackie — the virus causing Hand, Foot and Mouth disease; streptococcus, the bacteria causing strep throat; bartonella and babesia — a bacteria and parasite related to Lyme disease; and yeast, Melissa Spears said.

Instead of attacking these infections, Carson’s antibodies were instead going after his brain.

Carson began taking antibiotics daily for two years, as well as Tylenol and Ibuprofen, but his symptoms, although better, persisted. His parents began worrying how the treatment was affecting his already fragile body.

They decided something new had to be done.

‘Changed our lives’

At a crossroad, Melissa and Cory Spears could either commit to a $25,000 intravenous immunoglobin treatment commonly used for cancer patients to reset their immune systems or try integrative medicine and homeopathy.

The family found Dr. Angelica Lemke, a naturopathic doctor or ND, online.

After a 3 1/2 hour initial Skype consultation, Lemke asked for 30 days to see if her remedies would make a difference in their lives.

“My experience is that for the rapidly growing group of kids like Carson who have been diagnosed with PANS, and who often tend to have significant sensitivity, damage or imbalance in their immune system, homeopathy is a very excellent tool because it is specific enough to be tailored to each individual, gentle enough to not cause more harm than good, and when used correctly is particularly well-suited for improving or balancing children’s immune response to infections,” said Lemke through an email interview.

Three weeks in, Lemke’s treatment “changed our lives,” Cory Spears said.

Carson stopped waking in the middle of the night and he would actually go into a room alone, Melissa Spears said.

Instead of antibiotics, Melissa Spears picks from a number of paper packets containing nosodes, a diluted form of a disease used to treat that same disease.

Carson then drinks the nosode after it is dissolved in a small amount of water.

The nosodes teach the body to recognize the disease and then push it out, said Melissa Spears.

The family also diffuses essential oils and applies them topically to aid Carson’s immune system as well as purifies the air inside the home since toxins can make him sick. No one wear shoes inside the house to keep germs from getting inside.

Carson also avoids cow’s milk, which affects his ability to focus.

The homeopathic treatments have worked miracles and for that they are grateful.

“Our goal is to heal his immune system so that he will no longer have to battle this disorder on a daily basis,” said Melissa Spears.

The homeopathic treatments cost less than $500 annually, substantially less than some western medical treatments, the Spears family said.

A new Carson

The family feels they pretty much got Carson back about two and a half years ago, thanks to Lemke’s homeopathic treatments.

Today, Carson is a sixth-grade student in the gifted program at Mooresville Intermediate School.

He communicates his needs with his teachers and will work in the hallway quietly if he needs a break from the noisy group work that comes with some of his lessons, Melissa Spears said.

He enjoys playing Xbox, collecting and sorting his Pokemon trading cards and playing basketball with friends down the street, he said.

“Over the years it will get better if you have it,” said Carson. “I’ve gone through hard times with it and I’ve been healed from it. I hope other people are able to heal from it too.”

Kate Stevens is a freelance writer: katebethstevens@icloud.com

LEARN MORE
For information about PANS/PANDAS, please contact Melissa Spears at melissajspears@gmail.com or Cory Spears at coryaspears@gmail.com

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For more:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2017/10/01/panspandas-steroids-autoimmune-disease-lymemsids-the-need-for-medical-collaboration/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2017/10/08/misdiagnosed-how-children-with-treatable-medical-issues-are-mistakenly-labeled-as-mentally-ill/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2017/06/30/child-with-lymemsidspans-told-by-doctors-she-made-it-all-up/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2017/09/19/three-things-for-parents-to-watch-for-regarding-tbis/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2017/09/05/when-lyme-isnt-caught-early/

Bartonella:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2016/01/03/bartonella-treatment/

Babesia:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2016/01/16/babesia-treatment/

Mycoplasma:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2016/02/07/mycoplasma-treatment/

Viruses:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2016/03/28/combating-viruses/

Some LLMD’s are using a treatment called LDA/LDI to treat immune dysfunction:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2016/05/30/new-kids-on-the-block-ldaldi/  In short, it is transdermal injections every two months with substances that a person reacts to and can include anything from mold to dust, to Bartonella and Lyme.  The principle is somewhat like homeopathy as mentioned in the article.

 

Category:

Activism, Babesia, Bartonella, PANS, Psychological Aspects, Treatment