An added bonus of trying the supplements that help with this problem is that they may help some of you with your joint pain and arthritis as well. It may have the fortunate side effect of allowing you to cut back on pain killers.

The spirochetes activate inflammation of the platelets in your blood. Their presence also causes an increase in fibrin in the blood. Now, you have blood which is not only inflamed but, in a sense, thicker. As long as you are up and moving you are keeping the blood flowing because your movements, no matter how small, are helping to push the blood along. Once you lay down to go to sleep, you stop moving and you experience more obvious problems caused by the sluggish circulation.

I'm not certain if blood thinners help this problem or not, I have not researched their individual actions on this problem but I do know that the advice I am planning to give can cause the blood to thin and those on blood thinners, if they are interested in trying this, will have to work with their doctors to insure that they have their dosages correct because it is very likely that it will need to be reduced and pretty quickly at that. I would only advise a very gradual implementation of the supplements I advocate. However, these supplements could potentially take the place of the blood thinning drugs so that could be a nice bonus.

My recommendation is the use of fish oils with CoQ10. The fish oils not only reduce the inflammation in the blood, they also help to reduce the fibrin in the blood. If you have had clots in the blood or are presently experiencing these problems then you need to purchase fish oil that has a higher ratio of DHA than EPA. Remember that, higher levels of DHA because the actions of these two components of fish oil can be very different.

The CoQ10 is important because it works to reduce the ability of the platelets to aggregate and adhere to each other.

In combination, these supplements will reduce fibrin, inflammation, clotting and clumping. Your sleep may not be completely free of these episodes because this activity is always going on because the infection is always there. I think it is further evidence of the continued presence of the infection. I did not have this problem prior to Lyme and now, if it returns very quickly if I take a break from the fish oils. I haven't been using CoQ10 very much in the past but I have realized that I felt a little better while on it and now, I think I have a partial explanation.

I am certain that there are other drugs out there that may be reducing this problem in individuals as well but, again, I have not researched enough to know which ones may be effective. I know plaquenil greatly reduced my joint pain when I was on it but I can't really remember if it had much effect on this problem but it does seem it wasn't as bad when I used it. However, I do know that since I started on the fish oils they have, hands down, worked better for me than any medication I've tried.

I would recommend an Omega 3 fish oil dosage of about 4-8 of the 1,000mg capsules. It takes about 6 capsules daily for me to experience benefits and I tend to favor Salmon Oil because it seems to be a little less expensive.

As for the CoQ10, I've used 50mg, 100mg and currently, 300mg. I didn't notice any change on 50mg. On 100mg I did feel a bit better but didn't really attribute it to the CoQ10 at that time. Now, I've started back on the stuff and am taking 300mg (purchase it at Sams or Costco for the best price) and already am feeling better than I was earlier in the week, before I had started back on the stuff. I have an orthostatic intolerance so these changes while not huge, can make a difference in my ability to care for myself and function on a day to day basis.

Anyway, I thought I'd throw this out here for anyone struggling with trying to understand what may really be happening as well as what to do about it. Hope this helps.

Take care,

Thanks for taking time to let us know about something that really works! I hate taking painkillers [before Lyme-only took an occasional tylenol!] Now I have a 50mg. duragesic patch q3 days and tramadol.
Have a great weekend everyone!

I found it interesting that I was not low in Omega 6 or 9 at all, but very low in Omega 3. Am taking handfuls of pills to replenish all this and modifying my diet, and seems to be working. My nervous system has actually become quite sensitive. For example, my legs get "jumpy" and my skin even gets sensitive. Hope that means the nerves are waking up and healing themselves.

Also watch sodium, as this was a big culprit with my symptoms. I had never been told my sodium and choride was consistently low which can contribute to neuro problems like brain fog, cognitive dysfunction, and other things. Now that I know to replenish, I have seen improvements. I would love to compare my ION profile to several others with long-term Lyme and/or Babs. I believe there are some definite connections. These tick-borne illnesses wreak havoc on the entire system, and if we know what to add and substract, we all might feel lots better.

I think lots could be learned by comparing the profiles of Lyme patients, and a good idea for a study. Bet there would be multiple consistencies.

Is it circulation? Maybe. Nerves being more "compressable"? I don't know if that's a real condition, but it sure feels like my nerves are more sensitive to compression.

I do take Omega 3 fish oil, but do not take CoQ10 because my LLMD warned against it. Said the spirochetes feed off it.

i am very sensitive to the Fish Oil, and only take one cap every other day. The fish oil, combined with the garlic and evening primrose iol i take, cause horrible bruising unless I alternate them. Not spontaneous bruising, but if I bump into something (blame the lyme!), I'll get a wicked bruise. i've learned to regulate my doses of those supplements that contribute to bruising so it's not too much of a problem now.

I do know that the "numb-at-night" thing is much worse when my lyme is bad, and not a problemwhen the lyme is in remission or under control.

Here is some general info on Fish Oil.
I would make absolutely certain that you get the cleanest fish oil you can. This is another time when price should be secondary.
I also remember that I turned allergic or incompatible with fish oil ever so often; had to switch to the Omega 6/9 oils for a while, then back again, and lesser amounts.

Nothing that we take in such high amounts is going to be wanted by our body for a long time. These concentrated substances in high amounts cause a cascade of events in our body - and the organs need to be able to deal with it.

In the case of oil (and, for that matter, other supplements), it is also not just food that we first chew in order to activate the digestive process (which starts in the mouth, not in the stomach).

Always taking a break in supplements has long ago become my rule. I have been told by my doctor that when patients first come in and he tests the sack of food supplements they bring, he finds they are allergic to 80%. The overconsumption is likely to cause that. I remember being highly allergic to the MagTab SR that is so highly recommended (it also contains a coloring agent -- why??? - do we need more of chemicals?)
6000-8000 mg is a lot if continued for a period of time.

"Fish oil:

It is clear that the high consumption of fish oil protects the client from the damage caused by the amalgam fillings. The same is true for the high intake of selenium.

The fatty acid complexes EPA and DHA in fish oil make the red and white blood cells more flexible thus improving the microcirculation of the brain, heart and other tissues. All detoxification functions depend on optimal oxygen delivery and blood flow.

EPA and DHA protect the brain from viral infections and are needed for the development of intelligence and eye-sight.

They also induce the formation of peroxisomes and helps protect them. The most vital cell organelle for detoxification is the peroxisome.

These small structures are also responsible for the specific job each cell has: in the pineal gland the melatonin is produced in the peroxisome, in the neurons dopamine and norepinephrine, etc. It is here, where mercury and other toxic metal attach and disable the cell from doing its work. Other researchers have focussed on the mitochondria and other cellorganelles, which in our experience are damaged much later.

The cell is constantly trying to make new peroxisomes to replace the damaged ones- for that task it needs an abundance of fatty acids, especially EPA and DHA. Until recently it was believed, that the body can manufacture ist own EPA/DHA from other Omega 3 fatty acids such as fish oil. Today we know, that this process is slow and cannot keep up with the enormous demand for EPA/DHA our systems have in todays toxic environment.

Fish oil is now considered an essential nutrient, even for vegetarians. Recent research also revealed, that the transformation humans underwent when apes became intelligent and turned into humans happened only in coastal regions, where the apes started to consume large amounts of fish.

The fatty acids in fish oil are very sensitive to exposure to electromagnetic fields, temperature, light and various aspects of handling and processing. Trans fatty acids, long chain fatty acids, renegade fats and other oxydation products and contaminants are frequently found in most commercial products.

Ideally, fish oil should be kept in an uninterrupted cooling chain until it ends up in the patients fridge. The fish-source should be mercury and contaminant free, which is becoming harder and harder. Fish oil should tast slightly fishy but not too much. If there is no fish taste, too much processing and manipulation has destroyed the vitality of the oil. If it tastes too fishy, oxydation products are present. There are 5 commercially available grades of fish oil. Grade I is the best.

Dosage: 1 capsule Omega 3 taken 4 times/day during the active phase of treatment, 1 caps. twice/day for maintainance
Best if taken together with chlorella.

Recently a fatty acid receptor has been discovered on the tongue, joining the other more known taste receptors. If the capsules are chewed or a liquid oil is taken, the stomach and pancreas start to prepare the digestive tract in exactly the right way to prepare for maximum absorption. To treat bipolar depression, post partum depression and other forms of mental disease, 2000 mg of EPA are needed/day (David Horrobin). For the modulation of malignancies, 120 mg of EPA 4 times/day are needed. The calculations can easily be done with the information given on the label."