posted
Hi. I am new to the forum. I have been having various symptoms on and off for years....maybe decades.
I recently had a (Quest) blood test for Lyme and it showed IGM bands 23 and 41 reactive for Lyme.
I was feeling pretty good by the time my ARNP put me on a 10 day dose of Doxycycline. I finished the prescription on the 19th and now feel much worse than I did before I started.
Not sure if I should assume Herx and just power through for awhile or ask for another prescription.
I really don't like to take antibiotics and at this point, I feel like they may be making me worse.
(breaking up the post for easier reading for many here)
For us, antibiotics helped for fast infections like cystitis, or some other cases, when used short term. The moment we used it longer term, we mostly saw less and less benefits.
Short term, it is worth to try. Long term, I seriously have my doubts.
Many people will jump in, I hope, and probably say that only doxy is not enough, that you had to add LOADS of other combinations, then cyst busters, then biofilm breakers, and do that for months, years...
I'm not someone that believes that, not for me, or for my family.
There are different types of people, different choices. Some people will take antibiotics for years, even DECADES. Their choice, that we must respect.
I'd rather try other alternatives. There are so many, really. Diet control is a must, binders / organ support also a must in my opinion, wonderful combination of herbs by Buhner, Cowden, some Chinese herbs...
There are as many treatments as patients. Just do not stop treating, or disease can go worse. Keep treating, in whichever methods you find good for you.
I always followed my gut and really, antibiotics are the last option for me.
In the beginning, you need some professional guidance. I'm sure people here will help you. I live in Europe, so I don't think I can help you there.
Posts: 6199 | From Brussels | Registered: Oct 2007
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posted
Thanks Brussels. I agree with you about seeking natural treatments. It also makes sense to me to get a more definitive diagnosis if I can. I really don't like to treat things if I don't know for sure that I have them. I am very sensitive to any medication so I avoid what I can. Thanks for your reply.
Posts: 8 | From Melbourne, Florida | Registered: Feb 2017
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Brussels
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 13480
posted
You're welcome.
Diet, detoxing, stuff like that, are not even treatment, as you use mainly food or herbs. Anyone can do that, and it will only benefit, with or without lyme.
Basically,what prevents cancer is what prevents many other diseases (lots of antioxidants, fresh foods, no pesticides, stuff like that).
My treatment today is only that. I'm off lyme treatment for the last 8 years, but still fight chronic candida on and off. I'm only on natural things, 100%, because that is what my body accepts and feels better.
I do hope though you find some help. You can also buy books, like Stephen Buhner's books. He wrote not only about lyme, but other diseases too, fully natural, quite science based.
Posts: 6199 | From Brussels | Registered: Oct 2007
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posted
I have a couple of Buhner's books that I got out of the library. I think going natural is the best way to go. And listening to one's own common sense sometimes. Every time I make a cup of coffee, there is a voice inside me telling me not to do it. LOL. Sometimes I think we feel it is easier to just take a pill and keep up our bad habits. Anyway, I definitely want to go the natural route.
Posts: 8 | From Melbourne, Florida | Registered: Feb 2017
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Brussels
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
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posted
I guess we would all have preferred taking the short cuts, a couple of pills, then done!
The problem with chronic illness is that it does not fix fast (that is why it is chronic), so pills that are designed for acute diseases will not solve chronic problems.
Chronic disease took years, decades to set in, multiple causes, so the way to reverse that will take some time, but it has to address multiple causes.
I love coffee, and I started drinking coffee after lyme was gone. A Corean naturopath recommended it to me this way: pure coffee, nothing added except salt. Yep.
coffee supports the liver due to its bitter nature.
There are many studies in the West showing benefits of coffee for cardiovascular diseases.
In the beginning, I took coffee with salt, as a mdeicine. Then later, I dropped the salt, but continued on coffee.
If your liver is in good condition, coffee is beneficial, as it causes zero jitters.
if you feel nervous after coffee, it's a sign of blocked liver function according to dr. K (seattle).
I wish you good luck, follow your gut!
Posts: 6199 | From Brussels | Registered: Oct 2007
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posted
Brussels has all good info. There is a saying I heard once: Healing is a process not a pill." That pretty much sums it up.
Posts: 764 | From Northwest | Registered: Sep 2014
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posted
Thanks. Today is my first day of really trying to buckle down and eat healthy foods (mostly organic veggies). Can't believe how bad the cravings are for carbs!!
Posts: 8 | From Melbourne, Florida | Registered: Feb 2017
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He eats really good and a lot and stays slim. A meal could be meatloaf that he makes with just ground beef and chopped up carrots and celery with a large sweet potato (avoid the skin) on the side and a heaping pile of steamed (because it is winter.
Don't want to lose chi with cold food in winter) veggies with avocado oil over all. A bowl of blue berries from costco for dessert. He takes those out and puts them in a bowl first so they are just right for eating after a meal.
Trader Joe and Costco make this reasonable- $70 a week for 3 big meals a day, 7 days a week.
When the Farmers Market comes we hit those up big time. Really high quality and fresh and alive with enzymes and probiotics and they are very reasonably priced here.
You can get through this. Just do everything you can to make your body terrain strong.
Best of luck!
Posts: 764 | From Northwest | Registered: Sep 2014
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Brussels
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posted
Do you take lots of seeds / nuts, avocado, olive oil?
If I add up on good oils, chia seeds, whatever seeds you like (even cashews, that are not seed, but feel oily), my carb cravings diminish.
What I do now is the following: I'm on gluten free, casein free diet.
I know that carbs need alkaline pH to be digested in the mouth and gut, and also need a lot of chewing.
Carbs do not go well with meat, cheese, oils - I mean, proteins, that need to be digested in acid pH, in the stomach, not mouth.
It is an opposite process of digestion, if you see what I mean.
So anything acid or high in proteins, I separate from carb intake.
In one meal I then take protein (either meat / chicken / tofu) with salad (with vinegar, kimchi), olive oil, even acid fruits before eating (like an orange).
Digestion goes much better this way, and I feel much more nourished, less hungry than when I ate lots of carbs with that sort of meal.
The difference is clear.
then I would eat an avocado, with lemon and honey in the afternoon as a snack, or seeds.
then in the evening, I may make a higher carb meal (rice, quinoa, amaranth, sweet potato, but no gluten, as I feel gluten is addictive).
or a veggie soup with some carb inside.
So I do eat carb but concentrated in one meal, that requires only alkaline digestion (never add acids, never add too many proteins to carbs).
it makes such a difference, and I swear, I really feel good now like that. But I do need that carb dish once a day.
I do find Cayce had many good ideas for a healthy diet. At least, it fits me well.
Posts: 6199 | From Brussels | Registered: Oct 2007
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posted
I have read that you shouldn't eat nuts, legumes or seeds so I am avoiding them. I am trying to eat low-histamine and AIP as much as possible.
I eat meat and vegetables. I do eat egg yolks and may have to eventually give those up. I did give up eggwhites because they are high histamine.
Every now and then I will have a slice of gluten free toast usually as a snack by itself.
Posts: 8 | From Melbourne, Florida | Registered: Feb 2017
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Brussels
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posted
Lookup, before I also had avoided raw food / cold food in winter, but now, with this diet I'm doing, I'm obliged to take a lot of green leaf salads, daily.
I add kimchi to it, full of garlic and chili, and that makes a hot addition to my cold salad bowl!
I'm super thin, so I add more olive oil to it, chia seeds, etc, and after my meal, I take a strong coffee cup (which warms according to TCM).
I do feel oils (seeds, olive oil) warm the body too.
if the food is still too cold, just add Indian spices to your salad. They taste delicious and warm the body too (cardamon, galangal, cilantro seeds, curry powder etc).
Glad to know your son is doing well. Food is sooo important, I do agree!
Posts: 6199 | From Brussels | Registered: Oct 2007
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Brussels
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Backyarder: you gotta find what fits you, and I'm sure there are not 2 people in this forum eating the same thing!!!
We all react different to different things.
I had so many allergies in the past, and couldn't eat most nuts either. Even most fruits I eat today.
Healing the gut takes years, and whatever thing you do that helps your gut, can only be beneficial.
you will read everything saying X is good, then next X is bad, then X is the best thing to eat, then X is the worst thing to eat.
Today I can eat oranges, pineapple, pomegranate again. Last year, I still couldn't.
I'm able to eat almond with skin again, but I'm still afraid to reintroduce walnuts.
People swear by hemp, and I simply cannot take that (it burns my mouth). Who knows one day?
Last year, I couldn't even take bone broth: it made me puke. Now I eat it like I drink a cup of tea, in big bowls, no reaction whatsoever.
Really, if you find 2 people from this forum eating the same thing, it's like winning the lotto!
Posts: 6199 | From Brussels | Registered: Oct 2007
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posted
I agree. we are all different and that's what makes this so hard. Its definitely trial and error.
Posts: 8 | From Melbourne, Florida | Registered: Feb 2017
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You need to be evaluated and treated by a Lyme-literate doctor (LLMD). Non LLMDs have no clue about this horrible disease or its complex treatment!
A LLMD is one who has treated Lyme disease and the co-infections which come with it for many years and has gotten patients well. A good one will follow Dr. B's Guidelines, the "gold standard" for Lyme treatment.
Unfortunately, LLMDs are far and few between. You need to go where they are.
Also most LLMDs do not accept insurance due to the politics surrounding this horrible disease. Read poster TF's explanation, "Why Lyme Doctors Don't Take Insurance":
Many patients agree that what works for one person with Lyme doesn't necessarily work for another.
Posts: 8981 | From Illinois | Registered: May 2006
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Catgirl
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posted
I agree you need a lyme doc. It's never just lyme, co infections come with the tick and a lyme doc can help you with them. I would look for one who is alternative though. Someone who does herbs, and alternative treatments, not just abx. An ART practitioner would be good or someone who energetically tests you.
-------------------- --Keep an open mind about everything. Also, remember to visit ACTIVISM (we can change things together). Posts: 5418 | From earth | Registered: Mar 2011
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bluelyme
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Consider bvt ,rife and herbs ....it is a puzzle find the pieces
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