A Healing Update: Killing the Bad Guys and Strengthening the Good

Mr. Lyme takes his time

My last healing update was over 2 months ago already! I have been faithfully taking what Dr. Phil (my chiropractor) prescribes me, and things are changing slowly but surely. So far I do not notice many changes in my energy level, but that doesn’t surprise me because we are still going at the Lyme disease.

However, I am already noticing some changes! I have been feeling a tad more energetic—which although it’s not a huge difference, any good change is exciting for me. Shows that I am really on the road to healing!

Did you know that there is more than one type of Lyme disease? There are different strains of it, and at least two that I am being treated for: a North American strain and another European type. “Scientists recognize more than a dozen tick-borne diseases in the United States and new ones are still being discovered.”

Lyme disease is greatly debilitating, and can cause so many problems.

How did I even get Lyme disease?

If you know about Lyme disease at all, you probably know it is spread by ticks—those nasty little bugs that just suddenly appear right in front of your face when you least expect them as you go tromping through the woods.

If you get bit by one of these Lyme carrying ticks, then the disease is spread to you. It is an infectious disease caused by at least 3 species of bacteria, which—of course—cause you to become ill.

What if you were never bitten by a tick, but you test conclusive for Lyme disease? I did some research and according to this site: “More recent definitions state that mosquitoes, spiders, fleas and mites may also be capable of spreading the same or similar infections.” (I believe in what this guy writes, since he researches well and has legit resources.)

According to a map on that same site, I have always lived in low-risk areas for contracting Lyme disease. Of course, I do not know how well they have tested my area, so it is possible that they are just unaware of how infested the area is. Who really knows? 

From researching the topic, I have found that Lyme can be passed from a mother to her unborn child still in the womb. Some say that a mother can also pass the Lyme onto her baby through breast feeding (let’s say if after the baby is born the mother develops Lyme disease and continues to breast feed), but there’s not much conclusive evidence in that.

It has also been stated that the Lyme can be passed sexually—which I believe, as this is one way other diseases can be transmitted—but again, it’s not a very sure thing. The main ways of receiving Lyme disease seem to be either by getting bit by a disease carrying tick or insect, or through the umbilical from mother to child.

Since it is possible for a mother to pass on other viruses and infection to an unborn child, then it’s not especially that difficult to perceive how such “hardy” bacterium as those in Lyme disease could be passed on as well. It is the only thing that makes sense in large families that all have the disease.

My chiropractor (who also specializes in natural medicine) has treated whole families with Lyme disease. How possible is it that each person in an entire family gets bitten by one of those ticks or insects? Not extremely likely—especially those who don’t live in high-risk areas. So it makes sense that this infection was passed on from a mother to her child.

I personally suspect that I was born with the Lyme bacterium already in my system. It makes conclusive sense in all my years of a low immune system, and all the other symptoms I have had through the years. There are other factors though, to this as well, as I will get in to below.

I'd be interested to know if a mother has it, if she passes it on to every single one of her children. There are probably a lot of other environmental and lifestyle factors that play a role in this, but I would suspect that in some cases some of the kids get it and some of them don’t.

Symptoms vs. None

It is true that two different people could have Lyme, but only one of them has the symptoms.

I personally have some very good friends whose own sister has been struggling with fatigue and health problems for years. Like me, she was tested for everything possible, and even the Lyme test came back negative. After being tested again recently, she found out she really did have the Lyme disease all along, and the test results were just inaccurate. (I don’t hold much trust in the conventional medical testing after all the inaccurate testing and money wasted in my own experience. It’s much more accurate, simpler and quicker to just get answers directly from the body, and in my opinion, makes much more sense.)

Because of the diagnosis, her sisters (whom I am very close to) got tested as well, and not surprisingly, they tested positive. They themselves have had a few food allergies and other minor health issues over the years, but compared to their sister—or me—it’s like comparing dead dogs to dogs that can fly.

So what makes one person extremely ill and fatigued, and the next person have hardly any symptoms at all? As Dr. Josh Axe states in his article, the real causes of chronic Lyme disease with incapacitating symptoms are:

1.    Weakened immunity

2.    Inhibited cellular function and protection

3.    Systemic bacterial infection

4.    Environmental factors including exposure to mold and parasites 

In my case, this is what has been going on with me:

1.    Weakened immunity

Ever since I was born, my system and body have been exceptionally sensitive to the world and stimuli. I am what they call a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP), someone who has a “sensitive nervous system, is aware of subtleties in his/her surroundings, and is more easily overwhelmed when in a highly stimulating environment.”  - Elaine N. Aron, Ph.D. (I’ll write more on this later.)

I am also Empathic—which in essence means that I can not only feel others emotions easily, but I take them into myself and I tend to feel and experience them as well. (I’ll write more on this later as well.) Hence, not only am I experiencing my own feelings/emotions/conflicts, but also others around me as well.

With an overload of stimuli—and other people’s negative energy—my body then tends to accumulate more trapped emotions, blockages, energetic imbalances, etc., and in order to compensate, I have built many, many heart walls in the process. With all this extra negative emotional energy and other energetic imbalances, my immune system has constantly had an extra load to deal with.

Next, because I believe I was born with the Lyme disease, this was an additional stress on my immune system from the moment of birth.

With a suppressed immune system from the very beginning, I easily picked up bugs along the way. With each ear infection, Strep infection, or what have you, I got a dose of antibiotics. And with each dose of antibiotics, my gut flora was wiped out.

Your gut health is directly related to your overall health and immune system. Those little guys in your gut, they are a huge defense army in there ready to ward off the bad guys and protect you. But if they aren’t replenished after you deliberately kill them off, then your protection against invaders is greatly diminished.

I could go on and on, but then I’d have a complete novel here, and that’s not the point.

Another thing: vitamin D is especially helpful in boosting your immune system. Not only do I live in a region of the world where we only get adequate, full-body sunlight 3 months out of the year, but Lyme also feeds off of vitamin D, and therefore can hog it all. (This is why it’s not smart to take vitamin D while you have Lyme disease, because while it’s good for you and you are probably low in it, it feeds the Lyme, which is not the point at the moment. Or ever, obviously.)

2.    Inhibited cellular function and protection

“The Lyme bacteria along with viruses and parasites can attack your cells and weaken your defenses.” - Dr. Axe

There’s one obvious reason why my cellular function would be inhibited.

Another gigantic reason, I believe, is because of my energy imbalances. (More on that later.) When you go smaller than cellular level, you eventually come to molecules, then atoms, and of course, protons and electrons. Even smaller than that, all that there is at the most basic level is vibrating energy. I could—easily—write a whole post on that alone, but I will avoid the temptation for the moment.

Since everything is made out of energy, if you have disturbances, blockages and imbalances in your energy, than your very makeup is suffering—right down to the cellular level. Your entire health will be impaired, and you will not feel as good as your full potential would allow if things were balanced. Muscle testing—as well as symptoms—show I have many imbalances and the like, which I am working on correcting with Energy Medicine. 

What Dr. Axe writes about cellular function (in the afore mentioned article) is so, so, so interesting to me, because these are all nutrients that I have really benefited from! 

“B-Complex vitamins support cellular function and help fight infections and improve neurological health.  Vitamin B-6 is especially important for lyme patients.”

B-complex—as you may recall if you have read any previous entries—is what I consider my most important vitamin to take. I started taking it for migraines, but it has helped me in numerous ways that I hardly remember, since I have been taking them for so long. If there was one vitamin I would dread living without, it’d be this one hands down.

What I remember it helps me with:

-          Migraines

-          Headaches

-          Sensitivity to bright lights

-          Anxiety

-          Temper/mood/sanity

-          Energy

“Omega-3 fatty acids are highly anti-inflammatory and support cellular and neurological function…”

I have been taking omega-3 fatty acids in the form of fish oil capsules for a couple years now. These are the ways they have affected me:

-          Concentration

-          Alertness

-          Fixed my dry eyes

-          Reduce PMS symptoms

-          Add energy

-          Helps with my complexion

-           

And there may be more that I am unaware of.

“…magnesium can support cellular function and turmeric can protect your cells and reduce inflammation which can be helpful in treating lyme disease.”

Oh, my dear magnesium. If it weren’t for this wondrous mineral, I’d be dreading my monthly periods like heck. As long as I’m diligent about taking magnesium, my periods go pretty smoothly. If not, I suffer with:

-          Achy legs

-          Short temper/very emotional

-          Even lower energy

-          Food cravings, especially for chocolate (which itself is a source of magnesium)

A couple other issues I’d have on a daily basis without magnesium:

-          Tension headaches (there were other sources as well, but this is a big one I believe)

-          Charlie horse cramps in my feet and calves (generally in the middle of the night)

And there could be more that I’m unaware of.

Those two things above were daily pains I used to dread. One simple fix and I now never have muscle cramps! I know that a huge part of my tension headaches were due to my crappy diet I had before, but I’m sure the magnesium played a role as well.

“CoQ10 can protected your brain and nervous system from degradation and improve cellular function.  Heart biopsies done on lyme patients showed they are deficient in this essential nutrients.  Most physicians recommend taking 200mg 2x daily.”

I had read in my Adrenal Fatigue Syndrome book by Dr. Lam a long time ago about CoQ10, but for some reason I kind of forgot about it and never took any. He has so much information on so many different supplements; I wasn’t sure exactly what I should take, so I just took what my doctor—at the time—prescribed.

I just got a bottle of it the other day, so that will be added to my daily supplement list. This is what I take every day:

-          B-complex, time released (taken in the morning, as it’s energizing)

-          P-5-P (an activated form of B-6. Muscle testing at my chiropractor shows my body needs this.)

-          500 mg magnesium (taken at night, as it’s calming)

-          Between 1,000 and 3,000 omega-3 (it would depend on your diet how much will be good for you. Of course I would recommend a healing diet of lots of good fat, moderate protein, good carbs from veggies and fruit, no refined sugar, processed food, or grains; basically the Paleo diet, but of course muscle testing foods to see what your body specifically will benefit from, or what it would do best without.)

-          Grape seed extract, as an antioxidant (again, a strong ‘yes’ when muscle testing)

-          2,000-4,000 mg Vitamin C, more if I feel a cold or sickness coming on

-          CoQ10 (haven’t established a dose yet)

-          15 billion blend UltraFlora Balance probiotic, 2 capsules per day (was taking a different kind for the last 2 weeks for my candida issue)

-          Whatever herbs my chiropractor prescribes at the time. Venus Flytrap is what I am using for the European version of Lyme. We had used Teasel for the North American strain a couple months ago, but so far we haven’t had to add it back into the program.

3.    Systemic bacterial infection

This is definitely one I can relate to. As a young kid growing up, I was very susceptible to ear infections and Strep throat. Of course—as is the custom with modern, Western doctors—I was given a bottle of antibiotics that not only killed the infection (some of the time), but also wiped out the good. They’re called anti-biotics for a reason—biotic itself a word derived from a Greek word meaning “life”. They literally kill not only the bad bacteria, but also the good.

Working with Dr. P (my chiropractor), it has become obvious that my parasitic load is quite large. We are still working to get rid of them all, but I believe we are starting to get to the bottom of it all.

As it goes with the body, every time you muscle test to find out what’s going on, the body prioritizes what is the most important at the time, and doesn’t always reveal everything right away. Even if something is revealed, the body won’t always allow you to work at getting rid of it right them. Instead, it takes the issue(s) that are the most problematic at the time and ‘allows you’ to treats those first. It truly is amazing how the body always knows best!

  

Of the things I can remember, here’s what we have kicked in addition to working on the Lyme disease (some of the food allergies I am taking herbs for still):

-          H. Pylori

-          Multiple bacteria that feed off of dairy, wheat, soy, black beans, walnuts, peanuts, pecans and potatoes

-          Candida overgrowth

-          An infection in the gall bladder

-          An infection in the bowels

-          Strep (one of the two kinds—the type they don’t treat at the doc’s)

And there may be more that I just can’t think of at the moment, which is very possible because there has been so much already it’s hard to keep track of it all.

When all the Lyme, parasites and bad bacteria are cleared, I will for sure continue to care for myself and do all I can to keep my immune system strong.

4.    Environmental factors including exposure to mold and parasites

As far as I know, I have not had too much exposure to molds and such. Parasites we are working on now, as I already mentioned. My weak immune system and lack of gut flora allowed these buggers to take root and stay.

One environmental factor would be the crap diet I had before. For a year my body was over-reactive to environmental matters, and I believe this was because I was eating things that my system couldn’t handle. Because I was getting minor allergic reactions to foods, my body was producing histamines. When your body does that, it begins to react to random things in your environment as well, and for a long time I would get allergic reactions to pollen and cleaners. (I’m still sensitive to chemicals and have to hold my breath when they’re around, but I may always just be more sensitive to harsh smells.)

So yes, that is looooong, and I still have more to talk about! I know this won’t interest many people, but I hope someday someone else who is going through the same thing can find something helpful in all this, and also feel encouraged that they aren’t the only one going through the ordeal.

I myself love reading other peoples stories and progress, and if there is anyone else out there who feels the same, then I want to give them what I like seeing from others.

I am going to end this post before it turns into a week’s worth of reading. Count on more posts soon though, because I have much more to tell! I’ll be writing about heart walls, trapped emotions, energy medicine, Highly Sensitive Persons and empathy. So get ready to hear about some very old healing methods, which may seem like a very radical approach to healing from the usual customs, but are actually the most natural and back to basics as you can go.

‘Til next time!

Love,

Linnaia

Dr. Axe's site: info on Lyme disease



- Sorry for the white splotchy spots...I can't figure out how to change it :(