Healing Lyme Disease

Several people have contacted me since I announced that my (former) husband had managed to heal from severely debilitating Lyme Disease. I have written on this topic before in my book, If I Only Had a Brain Injury: A TBI Survivor and Life Coach’s Guide to Chronic Fatigue, Concussion, Lyme Disease, Migraine or Other Medical Mystery, available as an ebook and on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. I also have a decent sized stash here, so feel free to contact me for a signed copy. The book went to print before Stephen recovered, but it does include our protocol from late 2004 until early 2008, when he had mostly recovered. Since early 2009, he has appeared to be completely Lyme-symptom-free, and people have asked if we discovered anything between 2008 and 2009.

I will share some of those things in this article. As I explain in the book and in other articles, Lyme Disease tends to affect people who have big things to offer the world. These people may already seem to be “on their path” and often excel in multiple areas at once, including the healing arts.  What I’ve noticed as a Medical Intuitive, spouse and friend to many people with Lyme Disease, is that the illness tends to appear in people who could go even deeper with their healing and creative gifts but for one reason or another feel locked into their current lifestyle. Perhaps they have unexpressed creative gifts like photography, painting or writing. Maybe they’ve been waiting for life to “let up” before they indulge such longings. I’ve noticed without fail, though, that the creative pursuits themselves offer healing — not just for the Lyme folks, but for the world in a bigger way.

Lyme seems to show up like a roto-rooter, forcing people to dig deep and remove ALL blocks to creativity and healing. To the outside world, these people usually look like they have no blocks because they’re moving so effectively through life, but Life has other plans. It’s as though these people came in with a bigger mission than their current lifestyle or world view allows. They may get nudged a few times, but if they don’t respond fully, then along come some little spirochetes to terrorize the immune and neurological systems into action. Like a guerilla army, the bacteria sneak inside without detection and then launch a massive attack that captures attention through shock and awe.

I have seen many patterns with Lyme patients: brighter than average in both intelligence and spirit, healing gifts that need even more expression than currently allowed, highly creative, and usually highly energetic prior to the Lyme fatigue. Things that do NOT seem related: diet, exercise level, and spiritual awareness. I have seen people catch Lyme while they eat all types of diets: South Beach, SAD, vegan, 100% raw vegan, vegetarian … it just doesn’t seem to matter in terms of who catches the disease. I’ve seen major athletes catch Lyme as well as total couch potatoes who just happened to cross paths with a rogue tick. I’ve seen people who’ve followed yoga for 20 years catch Lyme, as well as people for whom Lyme marked their very first foray into alternative spirituality.

The biggest common denominator seems to be that Lyme arrives when some anger has gone unexpressed and when self-love does not match the degree of love and blessings these folks spread into the world. The anger may stem from an anger at the way society treats the disenfranchised, or it may stem from early child abuse; it may relate to seething resentment from a relationship or series of relationships; it may come from a feeling that life has unfairly passed the person by even though they’ve sacrificed a lot to serve others. I don’t notice a pattern to the cause of anger, but the anger seems consistent among the many, many Lyme folks who’ve contacted me for Medical Intuitive readings. The second common denominator comes from the disparity between all the love going out from these folks and the degree to which they allow themselves truly to receive nurturing and love without a sense of earning it or paying it back. Lyme folks tend to be major givers with high vibes before they catch the spirochetes. Lyme arrives as a chance — albeit a difficult one — to become one with all that love flowing through their words and deeds. It becomes a chance to experience their own love the way others experience it … to realize that the universe supports and loves them and wants them to shine even brighter than they allowed themselves to imagine before.

As such, Lyme remains a very difficult disease to treat. Most of those affected are, in this lifetime or certainly in previous ones, highly advanced healers. This awareness (whether conscious or completely subconscious) makes them adept at sidestepping treatments that would bring about healing before the lessons take root. Intuitively, Lyme sufferers have a sense that something must need to shift, even though they may not realize what or to what degree things need changing.  I find this true of most diseases. Lyme just seems to operate at a faster and more aggressive level, outsmarting anyone who might offer relief before the soul receives its full blessing. I find it incredibly important to examine and treat the soul as well as the body. I wrote If I Only Had a Brain Injury because I know that most people with Lyme, brain injuries, or other medical mysteries cannot afford ongoing sessions. The book allows them to take steps to coach themselves.   

That said, I have found a number of supplements that work very well on the physical level — providing the relief needed in order to focus on the mental, emotional and spiritual factors. Please remember, I am NOT a doctor. I am not offering medical advice here. I’m just sharing some things that have worked well for Stephen and/or for other Lyme survivors. I would never want anyone to suffer unnecessarily, so I’m offering some ideas here, which you can research on your own to see if they resonate with you. I am in no way affiliated with any of these supplements.

Prima Una de Gato: TOA-Free Cat’s Claw, also known as Samento. We started Stephen on this in 2006 and found major improvement with his speech impairment (he stopped talking in opposites), memory and some improvement in joint pain. A little goes a long way, and it must be added in gradually in order to avoid a major Herxheimer reaction.

Oil of Oregano This is just a great supplement to have on hand anyway, given all the concern about Swine Flu. Oil of Oregano is anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-fungal and anti-parasitic. Its structure is complex and therefore less likely for the spirochetes to develop an immunity to. The pills tend to make people burp, but the liquid burns going down. Mixed in water with Liquid Chlorophyll seemed the easiest way for Stephen to swallow this consistently. It also offered extra alkalizing effects due to the chlorophyll. Those with respiratory illnesses can also inhale the steam from a few drops in a pot of boiling water.

Teasel Root Tincture This one’s hard to come by, but if you can find it, you may find it very helpful for joint aches. Taking teasel root completely removed years of arthritic symptoms in Stephen’s knees — almost overnight. I’ve heard similar stories from other Lyme folks who’ve managed to grow their own or find tinctures or teas online. You’ll have to Google this one for more info.

Reishi Mushrooms I tried putting Stephen on this early on and the die-off was too intense for him. Once he had improved significantly, though, I put him back on Reishi and his memory completely returned. He now seems sharper mentally than he did prior to his Lyme ordeal, which continues to amaze me.

Host Defense This is a specific blend of medicinal mushrooms. I don’t have Stephen on this now, but he and a number of others noticed major benefits while taking it. Stephen in particular had less joint pain and almost a normal amount of energy while taking this, as opposed to overwhelming fatigue when ill and not taking it.

Maitake Mushrooms Another medicinal mushroom, which seems to work well for Lyme and supporting the immune system. I switched from Host Defense to Maitake and Stephen made a leap forward in terms of energy and vitality. I’ve worked this in as a regular supplement even though he no longer shows any Lyme symptoms.

Resveratrol Found in skins of dark grapes, red wine, and Japanese Knotwood, this extract supposedly offers strong support for the immune system. I have Stephen on this as a regular supplement, and in addition to keeping the Lyme completely at bay, he’s noticed improved vision to the point of not needing glasses with his laptop computer. His periodontist also commented that his gums look better than ever and seem to be regenerating way faster than anticipated.

Nitrous Oxide This one sounds controversial, but we stumbled upon it “accidentally.” I had read that nitrous gets rid of Lyme Disease and Stephen needed some gum work. Late 2008, he was in severe pain and we ended up getting him some long overdue gum surgery. This involved some big rounds of antibiotics (helpful for Lyme, but they hadn’t killed it off over the years) as well as the option of nitrous oxide. He chose to use the nitrous and his symptoms improved exponentially each time he had a dose/gum surgery/periodontal cleaning. It is impossible to calculate how much of his improvement stems from ridding himself of the simultaneous infection in his gums that diverted his immune system from treating the Lyme … and how much direct improvement he received from the nitrous oxide itself. Again, this is controversial, but if you or someone you know suffers gum disease or dental issues AND has Lyme, you might at least want to get rid of the secondary infection.

Heat Some people have been known to inject themselves with malaria in order to overcome Lyme Disease — a fact that gives the unknowing some idea of just how devastating and desperate life with Lyme can seem. I spoke with a naturopath about this phenomenon and he told me that it’s the fever associated with malaria that does the trick. “If it doesn’t kill you, it kills the Lyme.” Some people use far-infrared saunas for similar results. Stephen and I just “lucked” into an odd situation in our new home. His office is on the upper level in what would normally be the master bedroom. While the downstairs stays cool during the day, the upstairs feels like a slow-cook oven. H-O-T, also known as miserably, unbelievably hot, even while the rest of the house stays quite cool in the Northern CA summer. Whatever lingering spirochetes he may have had when we moved in seem to have disappeared the more time he’s spent in the steamy upstairs. For this reason, we opted not to get a window A/C unit. I do keep an eye on him to make sure he doesn’t get heat exhaustion, and I give him coconut water to balance his electrolytes, but oddly enough, the heat seems to have done him a world of good.

Raw Foods As many of you know, I am the author of The Lazy Raw Foodist’s Guide, and in there I share that Stephen is not a raw foodist. He does, however, eat plenty of salads and drink the occasional juice. He also spent years drinking a “witch’s brew” of oil of oregano, prima una de gato, teasel root and liquid cholorophyll. Raw foods and chlorophyll alkalize the system, and Lyme Disease likes an acidic system. As mentioned above, I’ve known raw foodies who got Lyme anyway, but anything that alkalizes does create a less welcoming environment for spirochetes.

Colostrum Stephen sometimes takes this and at one point relied on it heavily. This is not a vegan product, but some vegans have opted to include it in their Lyme arsenal because it does seem to boost the immune system in a major way. Combined with Bach Flower Rescue Remedy, at one time Colostrum would instantly resolve any Lyme rage or Lyme anxiety, both common side effects of neurological Lyme.

Goji Juice High quality, pure goji juice seemed to boost Stephen’s immune system, but we stopped using it because the sugars coated his teeth and aggravated his gums. Some Lyme folks swear by goji juice or goji tea, though.

Probiotics Since most Lyme sufferers get hit with multiple rounds of intense antibiotics, some strong probiotics — from the refrigerated section — help to rebuild the gut. Keeping the intestinal flora balanced helps the body to fight any and all illnesses.

Chaga I have heard good things about chaga — another medicinal mushroom — but I haven’t given it to Stephen since I have him on so many other supplements right now and he’s asymptomatic. From an energetic perspective, chaga does seem to have a polar opposite vibe of Lyme Disease, so finding a sugar-free version may really help. I know David Wolfe has recommended chaga as a rebuilder of the immune system, and I’ve tried it myself. I don’t know any Lyme folks who’ve used it, though, so my comments here are based primarily on my energetic read of the plant.

I hope this post gives some people a place to start. I do not sell any of these products, and I am not wed to any particular brand. If you decide to research the products themselves, please take time to research brand quality on your own. I’ve just listed these items as a service since I know how difficult it can be to find diagnosis and treatment for Lyme Disease. Stephen’s doctors told us that if I hadn’t used alternative treatments on him he might have died before they recognized what was really going on. (He had Lyme meningitis.) His illness initally did not show up in blood tests — very common with Lyme — and no one would prescribe any antibiotics. In the case of Lyme, the antibiotics do seem to help, but the immune building herbs and mushrooms offer extra potent ways of rejuvenating the body and raising it from the realm of spirochetes to the realm of wholeness and bliss. Combined with life-path assessments, anger release and self-love, physical treatment offers real hope in the face of a growing epidemic.

Blessings!

Laura Bruno

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