I have for whatever reason slowly been gaining weight the whole time I've had Lyme -- even when I've been dieting and exercising.
I'm looking into a hospital based weight management program in the hopes that they can help me loose weight.
What I'd like to know is this: Does loosing weight have an effect on toxin loads? I have an idea that the lyme toxins are sequestered in my fat and when I start burning it off they'll be released.
Also any helpful hints on loosing weight with lyme would be appreciated.
I realize that many people are the opposite -- loosing weight on lyme and getting too thin. I don't wish either problem on anybody.
Karen
Posts: 112 | From RI | Registered: Jan 2007
| IP: Logged |
posted
Karen, I have lost 40 lbs through all of this. It started when my thyroid went into "itis" -- like a hyperthyroid condition - this, I believe started the weight loss and truthfully, when that weight started coming off I think I released a lot of stuff from my tissue. I think it does sit in there - just a theory. If you follow the candida diet, that should help with dropping weight - if you can be strict about it. For what its worth.
Posts: 104 | From connecticut | Registered: Jan 2007
| IP: Logged |
TerryK
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 8552
posted
It is very common for people to gain weight with lyme disease. Also, a number of people lose weight. You might get more responses to this thread if you called it "weight gain and lyme". You are likely attracting those that have inadvertantly lost weight with lyme rather than those who have gained.
I gained a huge amount of weight after I took a big crash with my health due to lyme. All very quickly. Some of us seem to have fluid retention. It may not be obvious that it is fluid unless you keep track of daily weights. With fluid you will note an increase or decrease of over 2 lbs in one day even though you may be eating the same or even less. From the sounds of it that is probably not your problem since you say that you have slowly gained weight.
Here is a site with some info: http://www.personalconsult.com/articles/ignoredobesitytests.html The Obesity Tests Always Ignored! In my learning of biotoxins, Lyme and indoor mold, I came across a stupidly obvious finding. Folks that have one of these are often struggling with weight trouble. Weight trouble out of proportion to their diet and exercise.
Why?
First, because few doctors have a real clue how to diagnose and treat these problems, and if missed or incorrectly treated, you can start an obesity cascade in the body.
Biotoxins are in many settlings and can go from cell to cell and shoot your leptin right off the charts, making weight loss very hard. Unless you have a Lab Corp genetics test done you have no idea if you are someone unable to remove biotoxins -- roughly 1/4th of our population. So you go into a storage area and shake lose a billion mold spores and trillions of chemical toxins, you notice a momentary annoyance, but do not realize you may carry that junk in your body.
The test is a HLA DRB, DQB Disease Association (012542). If your doctor will not order it, and you are very heavy, he or she is too busy to learn. Look around for someone with time. Some great doctors are just too fried to learn this medicine. Get a consult. Check your leptin level. If it is over the normal limits at Lab Corp you have biochemical changes causing the obesity. Check a LabCorp alpha MSH. If it is 40 or below this often is a sign of some inflammatory process or biotoxins. An MSH under 30 will mean your endorphins are low. This will make it hard to lose weight and make it easy to eat impulsively. If your doctor does not know what to do with the lab, get a consult. But do not assume a consult with an IVY League doctor is the obvious solution. An aggressive research-oriented passionate local clinician commonly is far better. Often IVY doctors have no clue what this lab is about, and since they do not know it, it must not be important. Assuming they are the most up-to-date clinicians is a very false assumption. And the IVY League folks are often almost worthless in terms of actual clinical savvy, since many are too tied up in grants, teaching and administrative duties. I used to be impressed when I was a little man, now -- big deal. Some have the titanic arrogance to question my discoveries on the causes of patient suffering, call me wrong on the grounds of idiot anal medicine, and most importantly leave the patient in a disastrous shape! They offer their pompous opinion and leave! If I am wrong you clown, then fix them with your "rightness." Still waiting for that to happen. Sorry I am so strongly passionate, but I have seen them kill people with their certainty that only they have the keys of wisdom and progressive medicine. Take your vacuum and see if your home has toxic mold, the instructions are at this link on my site: www.personalconsult.com/articles/moldandbiotoxins/realestateindoormold.html
If it comes back negative or you feel you have some mold symptoms from work, test work first. Consider putting a small HEPA machine under or near your work area, running it at full blast at night, and then sending off the filter with some dust from the office corners or ducts. You need two full teaspoons. Lyme disease is in all USA states and is very common in some states. Often the highest labs are in folks with no symptoms. It often kills people over time, and is no little joke. The more common it is in a state, the dumber the medical state board lawyers (and board doctors if they get involved), and the more likely they are to use dinosaur Infectious Disease jokers as paid prostitute witnesses. They have almost killed many relatives, friends and patients by their trash labs and poor diagnostic discernment. They rely on labs missing the vast majority of positive patients. The point? Get your labs done at IGENEX and the web site is IGENEX.com who are leaders in tick disease technology. Read the Western Blot test Lyme results according to the Jones Criteria listed on this site -- he has treated about 7,000 kids with it. Try to find a smarty pants pro-Lyme infectious disease "expert" who has that experience in the entire USA. Good luck. Some folks also like to see the Lyme infection in a picture. Then consider Bowen Labs in Florida. They have had their positives grown out on media and found to have live organisms. They will send you pictures and look for two co-infections commonly also found in Lyme infected people.
If you have Lyme or one of its co-infections, even if you are treated with antibiotics beyond the common dubious 4 weeks, you may be unable to remove the biotoxins it leaves behind. These cause increased leptin, inflammation, low MSH and weight gain.
Too bad so few Bariatric doctors are able to explore these causes. In those that do not respond to traditional common treatments, they must be checked.
Me again --- For more information on toxins and weight - check out Dr. Shoemaker's book "Mold Warriers". He has another book about weight and leptin but I can't remember the name of it right now. Biotoxins from bugs *could* be part of the problem. Terry
Posts: 6286 | From Oregon | Registered: Jan 2006
| IP: Logged |
I'm seeing my doc tomorrow and I'll ask her for the toxin, leptin and MSH tests.
I do think toxicity is a major issue for me -- I feel so much better when I sauna. If I miss a day i feel like cr@p. I'm also using cholestyramine.
I like the fact that that site provides information, but I find his "ranting" to be a bit overboard.
Karen
Posts: 112 | From RI | Registered: Jan 2007
| IP: Logged |
TerryK
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 8552
posted
Karen,
quote: I like the fact that that site provides information, but I find his "ranting" to be a bit overboard.
I understand your feeling. Initially I wondered a little (just a tiny bit) about his credibility but after reading his material and checking with my LLMD I find him highly credible. I beleive him to be highly intelligent and motivated to help lyme patients.
I find it refreshing that he is so passionate and I wish more doctors were like him. We are very lucky to have him as a source of information. He clearly cares a great deal and I think what comes across in his writing is his frustration. If the majority were more like him we would likely have many more answers for our illness.
Terry
Posts: 6286 | From Oregon | Registered: Jan 2006
| IP: Logged |
I've had an interesting experience this past month relating to weight loss.
I was one of the people who, when my Lyme hit full force managed to gain around 60 pounds in the span of 4-6 months and then kept steadily gaining.
Last month I started taking colloidal silver. I'm doing the Beck protocol because I had to go off abx due to my liver being unhappy, and CS is part of that.
Within 2 weeks I dropped 6 pounds and I'm still losing weight though I am doing nothing different. A few days ago I started getting that horrible metallic taste in my mouth. Uh - oh, methinks, something triggered a massive heavy metal detox.
In doing some research, I know that CS kills candida. Candida binds to heavy metals. Dead and dying candida = release of heavy metals.
So I am quite toxic at the moment, although happy to finally be losing weight. I'm about to go get some bentonite clay, more activated charcoal, and a few other things to help soak up and mop up all these heavy metals. It is so bad that if I touch anything metal the taste becomes stronger. The last thing I want is for this stuff to be reabsorbed.
I just thought it was interesting, although I'm not sure if my theory is true or not, but in my case it seems that the weight loss is definitely going hand in hand with major toxin release.
Cheers,
Alison
--------------------
The obscure we see eventually. The completely obvious, it seems, takes longer. --- Edward R. Murrow Posts: 923 | From California | Registered: Aug 2005
| IP: Logged |
lpkayak
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
Member # 5230
posted
i gained with lyme
i lost 40 lbs in a month on the michael thurmond plan-high protein-low carbs-whole foods-no chems...
and my gall bladder went-had to have it out
doc said fast weight loss will do that
-------------------- Lyme? Its complicated. Educate yourself. Posts: 13712 | From new england | Registered: Feb 2004
| IP: Logged |
Aniek
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 5374
posted
Karen,
Have you ever had your thyroid checked? Lyme often causes thyroid problems and weight gain is a sign of an underactive thyroid.
Just a thought to add to your discussion.
-------------------- "When there is pain, there are no words." - Toni Morrison Posts: 4711 | From Washington, DC | Registered: Mar 2004
| IP: Logged |
posted
I have weighed the same to the pound for a year and a half.
I went off abx for 3 days, and my jeans were falling off, I had lost eight pounds.
It is obviously fluid, but it has been there this whole time, it was really shocking, I haven't read of abx causing fluid retention-but it clearly can happen.
gambler
Posts: 243 | From chicago | Registered: Dec 2005
| IP: Logged |
The Lyme Disease Network is a non-profit organization funded by individual donations. If you would like to support the Network and the LymeNet system of Web services, please send your donations to:
The
Lyme Disease Network of New Jersey 907 Pebble Creek Court,
Pennington,
NJ08534USA http://www.lymenet.org/
UBBFriend: Email this page to someone!
Printer-friendly view of this topic