djf2005
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 11449
posted
hey guys-
i thought it would be cool to start a thread where people can give ideas on hwo to boost the immune system. no abx, etc, just ways to bump our bodies natural abilities to fight these infections.
ill start it off...
IV vitamin C. anyone have experience with this? if so, what was your dosage/frequency and what is your opinion on it?
also, does anyone know of where one could obtain vit c in bag form that can be infused? i think its ridiculous to pay over 100$ for it at a clinic.
please feel free to add as many things as you can think of.
thanks in advance
cheers
derek
-------------------- "Experience is not what happens to you; it is what you do with what happens to you."
posted
Never tried IV C myself but I did talk to another lymie the other day that said it takes your symptoms away for a few days so you feel normal like you do not have LD but a after a few days your symptoms return.
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djf2005
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 11449
posted
sounds like a nice break from hell. very good.
thanks.
anyone else?
-------------------- "Experience is not what happens to you; it is what you do with what happens to you."
Keebler
Honored Contributor (25K+ posts)
Member # 12673
posted
-
Vitamin C is a wonderful thing.
I would use the word "support" in regards to any body function, though.
Of course, words can mean different things to different people but "Boosting" can be awfully rough and a shock to a tender or frayed system.
The late Dr. Linus Pauling's major work was about the benefits of Vitamin C. Of course, the medical profession, in general, rather grilled him like a tofu burger at the time, but much of his work stood strong.
Keebler
Honored Contributor (25K+ posts)
Member # 12673
posted
-
Oh, I re-read on of the posts above. Be careful with IV vitamin C.
For me, it was like rocket fuel. There was other stuff in it and it seems every door at the clinic slammed a million times, but had a seizure every time I went for an IV.
I also got rife treatment at the time and the guy actually read from a book of what to do and we did many frequencies for an hour. (Years later I learned this was a very bad approach.)
So, I was set up to shoot to the moon - just not sure exactly what was the last straw - besides all the other patient doors clicking and clanging.
I'd start with oral Vitamin C and see how that goes.
luvs2ride
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 8090
posted
From the beginning I have worked with integrative doctors who have strove to bring my body back into balance. It has worked and while the first 5 mths of my illness I was unable to work, I have worked ever since. I ride horses for my hobby and it takes a very physically fit person to do that.
First and most important has been my diet. We identified food sensitivities and I cut them out of my diet. There are so many arguments for/against which foods to eat. You have to listen to your own body. For me, inflammation was my enemy and a diet high in fruits and veggies works best. You may be different.
No matter which diet you follow, all good diets will cut out sugar and refined processed foods. That eliminates most packaged, prepared foods. Eat whole foods that grew that way. Eat as organic as possible. You seriously don't need all the additives.
Second, lots of supplements. Lord, it seems I should be able to survive on just the supplements I take. Lots of C, CoQ10, Magnesium, liver support, digestive enzymes. BTW, I don't wing it here. My doctor runs bloodtests and we supplement wherever I am deficient.
I try to get as much nutrients natural as possible and I supplement to boot. We are very sick here (preaching to the choir I know).
Last, drugs. I take low dose doxy, plaquenil, welchol(just added this one recently)and Enbrel. I have explosive rheumatoid arthritis.
I can't remember the last time I had to take a pain pill. Not even an aspirin. I work, I play and in general, lead a normal life. Well, normal except for the diet, the supplements, the drugs.
I still test positive for Babs, Mycoplasmas, CPN, so I am not out of the woods yet. I'm scheduled to get my tonsils out 8/18 (the fun just never ends) and she is having the tissue tested for bartonella, lyme and 2 types of mycoplasmas. But whether you call it boosting, supporting or balancing the body, it is necessary and perhaps has been the biggest step for me to getting well.
Luvs
-------------------- When the Power of Love overcomes the Love of Power, there will be Peace. Posts: 3038 | From america | Registered: Oct 2005
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posted
My daughter did about 5 meyer's cocktails several years before she was diagnosed and they helped alot.
Meyer's cocktails are IV's that have vitamin c, magnesium and something else mixed in. She felt very good after 5--1/week.
I couldn't get the provider to do more and have never found anyone else who would infuse them.
The web site doctor yourself has loads of info on vitamin c. Taking it orally is still very effective also.
The other thing is to supplement vitamin d if you are low. I think you could take everything under the sun and it won't do anything if your vitamin d is low, because it acts as an immune stimulator. It is toxic though so you must have both vitamin d levels checked before you supplement it.
Of course sunlight is the best way to boost vitamin d, but sometimes antibiotics prevent sunning.
Posts: 177 | From God's Grace | Registered: Apr 2007
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SForsgren
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 7686
posted
Remember also that boosting the immune system may not always be the best option. Many with chronic Lyme have auto-immune issues as a result of molecular mimicry from the bugs themselves. So boosting the immune system in some cases could be less than desired. Also, it is not always about strength but about recognition. It is often that the immune system does not recognize the invaders with Lyme more than it is that it could not mount a response if it recognized the infections.
-------------------- Be well, Scott Posts: 4617 | From San Jose, CA | Registered: Jul 2005
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Amanda
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 14107
posted
First let me say that I have Babesea and Lyme. I'm not as bad off as other I know, I work a little more than part time. I was sick for about a year and a half when I finally got diagnosed and started treatment (about 14 months ago). Mepron, bicillin shots twice a week, two other oral abx.
I did Vit C IV, 26g, once a week for 10 weeks, along with Mg and Vit B shots. I did not see any improvement in symptoms, nor in my blood work.
I tried the mushroom supplements recommended in Dr. B's guidlines, every day for 9 weeks. No improvement in symtpoms or blood work.
I tried AHCC (more concentrated form of mushrooms), every days for 4 months. no improvement in symptoms or blood work.
Tried rife 16 times with a detox regiem, no improvement in symptoms or in bloodwork.
Tried IR sauna twice a week for 6 weeks, no improvement in bloodwork or symtpoms.
Tried cats claw, transfer factors,chiropractor, osteopathic treatments, low level laser therapy, accupuncture, numerous chinese herbs by Zhang 5 motnhs, good, whole foods, low sugar diets, exercise program, nothing.
In fact, have spent over 25thousand dollars on alternative therapies and associate health care practioners, and all it has done is drain my savings down to almost nothing
I'm not saying that alternative therapies aren't helpful to some, but they have not in anyway helped me, and I took good quality supplements and sought out quality practitioners, and tried the therapies long enough to tell if they would help. The problem with this alternative stuff is that they only help some people and not all, and there is no way of knowing really if it is going to help YOU. In the meantime, you can really spend a lot of money.
I'd suggest trying the things that are inexpensive, like a good diet, getting exercise appropriate for your conditions, or something like Buhner herbs (which, by the way, didn't help me either)
-------------------- "few things are harder to put up with than the annoyance of a good example" - Mark Twain Posts: 1008 | From US | Registered: Dec 2007
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METALLlC BLUE
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 6628
posted
Wow Amanda, that's awful. I feel for you.
-------------------- I am not a physician, so do your own research to confirm any ideas given and then speak with a health care provider you trust.
djf2005
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 11449
posted
thanks for all the responses.
i appreciate the suggestions. i do follow alot of whats suggested here and have tried nearly everything mentioned as well. unfortunately alot of thing that would help people with other illnesses do not seem to help us...
one thing though, the magnesium may not be the best idea. just a thought.
i also agree scott the immune system cannot detect whats going on so boosting it may not even do anything, or, could result in a worse state.
i have not yet tried iv vit c tho so i think i will in the future to see if there is any response.
thanks again all for the input, keep it coming.
cheers
derek
-------------------- "Experience is not what happens to you; it is what you do with what happens to you."
Also, Transfer Factor (just the plain kind, not the Lyme specific one) is the first supp that does not kill bugs directly and has made me herx. It seems to be hitting the Lyme specifically.
Both are available for our LLMD. (we both go to the same one, right?)
-------------------- sixgoofykids.blogspot.com Posts: 13449 | From Ohio | Registered: Feb 2007
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luvs2ride
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 8090
posted
My lyme is auto-immune. I have rheumatoid arthritis. In fact, according to my rheumatologist, I have "explosive rheumatoid" the likes of which she has only seen 3 or 4 cases ever.
Explosive means "all over". This is very, very deadly. It literally means inflammation everywhere. It is well known in the rheumatoid world that people with RA die younger and usually of a heart attack although some die of lung failure, liver failure, kidney failure, breast cancer. All over inflammation is not a good thing.
From the start, I have worked with doctors that strove to improve my immune system, not suppress it. See my post above for details.
NO WAY would 10 weeks of treatment have healed me. It has been 2 1/2 yrs and I am still working at remission which I fully expect to achieve.
This is where most people go wrong with alternative care. They expect quick results. Think about it. You are not ingesting altered drugs that have stripped away all but the most active aspect of the plant which is then super strength. You are ingesting food. That's right. Food in its whole form. This is why drugs work quickly but have such serious side effects and herbs, for the most part, do not. Of course there are exceptions, but mostly they are safe for longterm high doses.
When I began treatment I was housebound and felt sick enough to die. Within 2 weeks, diet change alone made me 50% better. 50% better was still horribly sick though.
Dr began IVs of glutathione, lipostabil. Glut is a master detoxer produced by the liver and those of us who are chronically ill are ususally deficient in glut. Lipostabil thins the fibrin in the blood. My blood was so thick and sluggish when we started, I was a heart attack waiting to happen.
Tons of supplements for 2 1/2 yrs now. Am I better. Oh yeah, Oh yeah!!! I live a normal life. Work, ride horses, just back to normal.
When I get a scrape or cut, it heals almost right before my eyes. I used to never heal. This shows me my body is functioning optimally.
I work with an LLMD, member of ILADS, who is also a rheumatologist. She integrates nutrition along with modern drugs and many, many bloodtests.
I am fortunate (warped way of looking at fortunate) in that my bloodwork consistently comes up positive for Babs, Mycoplasmas, CPN. Lyme is not enough bands for CDC but we know how that goes. Can you imagine my bacterial load that I get so many positive tests?
Dr just recently began Enbrel which is a drug that stops the immune response in a very specific manner. It is the most recent of the biologics and is, of course, dangeous. However, for those in whom it works, doctors are beginning to see not only a stop of the disease, but a reversal of damage. They do not yet know how it does that.
So we are building me up and suppressing me at the same time. It is a balancing act and she felt it was necessary to prevent joint damage while killing the bugs.
I would not be in the good shape I am in today without the supplements and alternative care.
If I had just ingested drugs and done nothing to heal my body, I believe I would be sicker than ever.
Combined use of all with knowledgable doctors is your best hope.
Luvs
-------------------- When the Power of Love overcomes the Love of Power, there will be Peace. Posts: 3038 | From america | Registered: Oct 2005
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djf2005
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 11449
posted
luvs-
thanks for the imput. how did they test for and dx your RA? enabrel is a immune suppressant but works on your inflamation correct?
im on a lot of supps, etc also.
i also use 2g iv glut 3x week which helps a lot along with heparin and nattokinase to address hypercoagulation. looks like we do a lot of the same things.
thanks for everyone's suggestions..
anymore?
-------------------- "Experience is not what happens to you; it is what you do with what happens to you."
posted
Sixgoofy. Our LLMD's are on different coasts but they do seem to be into the same things at times. Actually a friend of mine (a non lymie) suggested Host Defense to me and it is my favorite supplement. It works for me.
I took mushroom tinctures years ago while sick and undiagnosed and they did nothing. Host Defense seems to do the trick.
I tried some of the mushroom products & they didn't seem to do much. I also tried ProBoost & it didn't seem to do much, either.
I heard an interview with someone who works at the Linus Pauling Institute (Pauling was the guy who discovered vit. C) & he said there's no real evidence that taking large amounts of vit. C can really help.
He said we are all just experimenting with ourselves & there's no long term studies of how mega doses of vitamins can effect us.
Something to think about...
-----
I don't make money from any of these recommendations or from any websites related to supplements.
Posts: 7772 | From Northeast, again... | Registered: Oct 2006
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