I've been newly diagnosed with Lyme although I realize now I've had it off and on for over 7 years. I started an herbal protocol in July. My LLMD started me on amoxicillin last month.
I am very curious as to the effectiveness of herbal protocols. Please satisfy my curio sity and those of this board by responding the the following:
1. Do you have just Lyme? Any coinfections?
2. How long have you had symptoms?
3. What herbal protocols or products have you tried?
4. What was the dosage and for how long?
5. Did you take with antibiotics concurrently? Afterwards?
6. Improvement? None? Modest? Significant? Cure?
7. Did you relapse after finishing the herbs?
Thanks for your input.
CherylSue
Posted by CherylSue (Member # 13077) on :
1. Do you have just Lyme? Any coinfections?
As far as I know at this point, just borreliosis or Lyme
2. How long have you had symptoms?
Off and on for 7 years. Had attained a 3 year remission and an 11 months remission. Currently, in a perpetual relapse of 15 months.
3. What herbal protocols or products have you tried?
Cumanda, burbur, banderol, olive leaf extract
4. What was the dosage and for how long?
Cumanda- took me 3 months to reach the dose of 15 drops/ twice daily. Herxed quite a bit, but could control it with burbur drops and backing off the amount of drops.
Banderol- 5 drops in 5 days. Herxed and backed off.
Olive Leaf extract - took before bed, made me sleepy, helped with colds, loses effectiveness after awhile
5. Did you take with antibiotics concurrently? Afterwards?
Took with amoxicillin for 3 weeks only. Herxed.
6. Improvement? None? Modest? Significant? Cure?
Modest improvement on cumanda for 4 months. Burbur drops every 10 minutes helps with herxes.
7. Did you relapse after finishing the herbs?
Not yet, although I have ups and downs. Cumanda seems to keep me in a steady state. Want to see more improvement.
Posted by bejoy (Member # 11129) on :
1. Do you have just Lyme? Any coinfections?
Lyme, Babesia, Bartonella, Candida, Klebsiella Pneumoniae, and suspect Brucella
2. How long have you had symptoms?
20-30 years, probably several bites from different areas of the country. Neuro, arthritic, fatigue, and fibro symptoms to varying degrees, debilitating the last five years.
3. What herbal protocols or products have you tried?
Over one year, with breaks, according to muscle testing and products used,
except for andrographis, about 4 months
5. Did you take with antibiotics concurrently? Afterwards?
Concurrently I took about 6 weeks IM penicillin, with Flagyl 3 days a week, and Diflucan for two weeks. Also two weeks Clindamycin for dental infection.
6. Improvement? None? Modest? Significant? Cure?
Probable cure of co-infections. No lyme cure, but almost clear of symptoms. Still a bit stiff and tired, but otherwise doing very well.
7. Did you relapse after finishing the herbs?
Not finished
Improvement from these herbs, and also from other treatments, including hot tub, bee venom (part of Buhner's extended protocol), homeopathics, heavy metal detox, antibiotics, and anti-fungals, digestive support, and also other nutritional supplements
Besides herbs, the most effective treatments for me have been Venex bee venom ointment and homeopathics from Deseret Biologicals.
good luck with your info gathering
[ 16. November 2007, 01:33 PM: Message edited by: bejoy ]
Posted by hardynaka (Member # 8099) on :
1. Do you have just Lyme? Any coinfections? I had borrelia, bart, babesia, ehrlichia, mycoplasma and GI candida (I believe it was tick born).
2. How long have you had symptoms? 2 years, with reinfection last May 07.
3. What herbal protocols or products have you tried? Buhner main protocol plus other herbs from his book, Chinese herbs for coinfections, Dr. K' protocol for cleansing
4. What was the dosage and for how long? I took DOZENS of herbs, maybe about a hundred different types of herbs if homeopathy is included (I didn't count them all). If you do a search, you'll find my posts on some protocols (babesia, bartonella).
5. Did you take with antibiotics concurrently? Afterwards? A bit, a bit of amoxy (10 days), doxy (1 month in total)and Riamet (3 days). Only doxy (2 weeks) I took with herbs.
6. Improvement? None? Modest? Significant? Cure? Remission, I believe. Still knocking on wood!
7. Did you relapse after finishing the herbs? Many many times. Specially babesia, but also bartonella and borrelia. Lots of relapses. The only time I'm not relapsing is now.
I'm still fighting fungal infections.
Selma
Posted by sixgoofykids (Member # 11141) on :
1. Do you have just Lyme? Any coinfections?
Lyme, Babesia, Bartonella. Also heavy metal toxicity and bacterial dysbiosis.
2. How long have you had symptoms?
35 years. So sick I couldn't work three times for a period of several months. Four years ago got very ill and found out last December that it's been Lyme all along.
3. What herbal protocols or products have you tried?
For the decade prior to becoming very ill, which was due to stress plus a 21 day round of doxy, I took garlic, colostrom, apple cider vinegar, astragalus, and lots of vitamins/minerals.
Now I take Artemisia three times daily (Dr. Zhangs), Host Defense (mushrooms), broccoli seed extract, burbur, parsley, samento, and will be adding cumanda.
I take the directed doses (for the Cowden herbs, is the Cowden protocol doses).
4. What was the dosage and for how long?
I've been taking all since Jan., but started the Cowden herbs a couple weeks ago.
5. Did you take with antibiotics concurrently? Afterwards?
I have been on abx since Jan., so concurrently.
6. Improvement? None? Modest? Significant? Cure?
I have gone from 15% in January to 85% on a good day, 45-50% on a bad day.
7. Did you relapse after finishing the herbs?
I am still on herbs and abx. I plan on staying on herbs to maintain my health once treatment is done.
I've just completed heavy metal detox and am waiting for test results to confirm.
I also take FIR saunas, coffee enemas, and exercise.
It's not just a matter of killing bacteria, it's a matter of regaining health.
Posted by gwenb (Member # 7217) on :
1. Do you have just Lyme? Any coinfections?
Lyme plus bartonella according to allopathic medicine - supposedly a lot of viruses also according to naturopath
2. How long have you had symptoms?
18 years - mild for 12 years - quite severe for 6 years
3. What herbal protocols or products have you tried?
I have a herbal formula that is muscle-tested for me and which changes every 4 months - I have been on it for 18 months and have seen a large improvement. I also changed my diet and supplemented with Vit D (huge improvement) as well as lot of other vitamins - please see previous posts for a list.
4. What was the dosage and for how long?
Herbs - I take 3/4 of teaspoon daily divided in 3 doses.
5. Did you take with antibiotics concurrently? Afterwards?
Haven't taken abx yet
6. Improvement? None? Modest? Significant? Cure?
80-90% better - took me 3 years to get there. I work full time, work out regularly - I now have a fairly normal life.
7. Did you relapse after finishing the herbs?
I haven't stopped taking herbs and if I have to I will take them for the rest of my life.
Gwen
Posted by JimBoB (Member # 8454) on :
quote:Originally posted by CherylSue: 1. Do you have just Lyme? Any coinfections?
Lyme as far as I know. ###
2. How long have you had symptoms? Since 1999 ###
3. What herbal protocols or products have you tried? Buhner's Core Protocol, plus his extended protocols. ###
4. What was the dosage and for how long?
Started out slow, added abx for two months, but abx killed my stomach, so quit them. Went to maximum dosage of Buhners, been on them for almost twenty-four months now. But on a maintenance dose now. Did max for about 5 months. ###
5. Did you take with antibiotics concurrently? Afterwards?
Early on in 2000, 3 weeks of Cipro. Relapsed 9 months later, got really bad by November 2005, felt like I would die then. Then discovered herbs. ###
6. Improvement? None? Modest? Significant? Cure?
No such thing as a CURE! Gigantic improvement with the herbs. With abx, I felt worse. Was at about 30 to 40% in 2005; at about 90% now. ###
7. Did you relapse after finishing the herbs?
Probably will always be on SOME herbs. Help with my arthritis and asthma, which I had before Lyme, and I am 66 years old now. So age is against me too. ### Jim. ###
Posted by noelle (Member # 13707) on :
1. Do you have just Lyme? Any coinfections? Have neuro lyme, bartonella, babesia, mycoplasma
2. How long have you had symptoms? symptoms for 20 years ranging from mild to severe, but debilitating only once I started on herbs to kill it.
3. What herbal protocols or products have you tried? I am currently taking samento, ambrotose, Olive leaf, Grapefruit seed extract, Artemesia, astragalus, tons of vitamins, EFA's, minerals. Zapping, raw garlic, chlorella, milk thistle, primal defense, off almost all sugar
4. What was the dosage and for how long? muscle test daily for dosages and what I need to take. But have only been killing lyme and or co infections for one year.
5. Did you take with antibiotics concurrently? Afterwards? Took 1 week of amoxicillian for a cold, and 2 weeks of ceftin during the last year. have contemplated going on it again if muscle test indicates I need to.
6. Improvement? None? Modest? Significant? Cure? Some of my symptoms are cured, and some are modest improvement, It's been a year...my case is quite severe neurologically. 7. Did you relapse after finishing the herbs? Not done taking them, but am always switching products, probably will never completely stop taking them.
Also, I believe mycoplasma was cured by zapping and taking a special cell penetrating herbal product called puricell(quite expensive for a tiny amount!!!) for 1 week.
Noelle--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted by MariaA (Member # 9128) on :
quote:1. Do you have just Lyme? Any coinfections?
Probably just Lyme, which my doc thinks is quite unusual. Possibly bartonella based on very mild symptoms but negative on bart testing.. Bad case of elevated mercury levels and problem eliminating it, can't chelate without getting Lyme symptoms badly it seems
quote:2. How long have you had symptoms?
6 years prior to starting treatment
quote:3. What herbal protocols or products have you tried?
Like most users here, I experimented with a lot of different stuff at various times during the past year for different symptoms or for candida or for detoxification of neurotoxins from the Lyme spirochetes.
-eleutherococcus tincture when I first started doxycycline at the end of my 6 years of symptoms, continuing to take it
-detox 'stuff' = bentonite clay drink (yech), later Solaray Detox formula with alginate,
Buhner protocol (the big three herbs plus stephania root for a few months
chlorella
garlic (raw frozen, also capsules): too much vomiting, probably helped control yeast and other stuff
boneset tea (for possible bartonella)
red root tincture (for possible bartonella)
poke root tincture, very temporarily (dangerous stuff, don't self-treat with this please)
turmeric
milk thistle while recovering from chelation problem
capryl for yeast
GSE for Lyme or yeast and later for ulcer in Buhner's ulcer protocol
oregano oil for yeast (didn't seem to do much)
teasel tincture at times (can't tell if it does a whole lot now when I take it occasionally, did think I herxed a bit on it at first)
huperzine A recently, doesn't seem to do a whole lot for my remaining word-recall memory problem
non-herbal products: EDTA for chelation
methylcobalamine B12 injections
WelChol when I first started antibiotics (not at the same time of day as antibiotics though) as a neurotoxin binder
undenatured whey
quote:4. What was the dosage and for how long?
Buhner herbs for just about 11 months so far (after 6 months of antibiotic treatment), following book pretty closely on this. Did full protocol of the core protocol for two or three months and then started experimenting with reducing.
other than the eleuthero, which I have taken for much of that time, I've tried the other stuff on the list for brief periods, up to 4 months on stephania root, 4-5 months of Solaray detox formula and 6-8 months on chlorella, and much shorter periods for the other stuff.
quote:5. Did you take with antibiotics concurrently? Afterwards?
I started treatment with doxycycline (no Buhner herbs yet) for 2 months, switched to azithromycin for 4 months and started Buhner herbs at the same time as azithromycin.
I only took the herbs-plus-azithromycin for 2 months of that, then stopped the herbs due to something making me feel extra-tired (azithromycin turned out to be the culprit). Symptoms went away at end of the 6 months on antibiotics, stopped antibiotics altogether, wasn't taking herbs at that time. I then relapsed very badly 1 month later.
I then started on Buhner herbs only. Only other antibiotic use: several months into the Buhner herbs, I took some biaxin for ulcer for 2 1/2 weeks, no visible effect on Lyme symptoms.
I started taking herbs around New Year's of last year. I had lots of ups and downs but the 'ups' got longer and longer pretty consistently.
I was symptom-free for a few weeks by month 5 of herbs only and continued to take them while I addressed other problems (ulcer and dental issues). During this initial period of 'symptom-free' I felt in absolutely perfect health, had amazingly sharp memory and word recall, so I have an idea that this will come back again with further treatment.
I then got a less-severe relapse after a mercury-amalgam-removal dental procedure in June, so I took amoxycillin briefly this summer (5 weeks) with no visible effect on symptoms, and concluded that these symptoms could have been mercury and not Lyme, as they're identical to what happens when I try chelation. Symptoms went away with just herbs since then. My only remaining symptom is minor memory problem- just very minor word recall trouble- but it's nothing outside the range of what's normal for most people.
I'm still on the core protocol but only take it once or twice a day at 3 pills a day (actually it's more like 2 pills of resveratrol and cats' claw, one manufacturer changed the formulas and is making bigger capsules since Buhner wrote his book).
I'm also taking adaptogens- eleuthero and schizandra (different times of day) and experimenting with rhodiola which doesn't seem to do anything noticable yet. Also taking turmeric for general brain health and capryl for ongoing yeast problems. Took huperzine A for a month but it doesnt' seem to do anything so I'm probably not going to continue. Other than that I'm not taking anything else at this time.
quote:7. Did you relapse after finishing the herbs?
Not done yet, probably not going to stop anytime soon as I know I still have this un-addressed mercury problem.
I and my LLMD both assume that I will be at risk of a Lyme relapse till I get the mercury dealt with as it seems to be related to all of my relapses (ie chelating always triggers a relapse of Lyme symptoms, and my one amalgam-removal procedure seemed to do the same thing).
I'm waiting to be symptom-free while on herbs for quite a while before tackling the mercury with chelation again as I always get sick when anything happens to my mercury levels. .
Posted by hardynaka (Member # 8099) on :
Great story from Maria! Congratulations!
Bumping for more people.
Posted by CherylSue (Member # 13077) on :
Thanks for all your great posts. I've decided to do both the ABX and the nutraceuticals to cover all bases.
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sity and those of this board by responding the the following:![[woohoo]](graemlins/woohoo.gif)