What in the World is Earthing?

Earthing is a simple as placing your bare feet on the naked ground.

An introduction to the concept of Earthing.

A few days ago I had an unrelenting desire to go down to the beach. Normally this is no big deal, but this particular morning was COLD! So cold that there was a thin layer of ice on the car windows. I bundled up, leashed the dog and went anyway.

I never wear shoes on the beach, I love the feel of the sand and water. Despite the cold I kicked off my flip flops the second my feet hit the sand. The ground was so cold it hurt. The icy waters of Santa Cruz, CA were actually warmer than the sand and the air on this morning.

It was fantastic down there. It isn’t unusual to see wildlife down at the beach, but this morning it was out in abundance. Pods of dolphins were swimming and splashing around. Seals and sea otters were poking their heads up everywhere and the birds were having a feast on all the little sea creatures trapped where the ocean meets the sand.

The sun was just starting to warm up the day. Walking down the beach was peaceful and energizing. I always feel better when I go for a walk on the beach. Sometimes when I am feeling exhausted or overwhelmed, instead of a nap I opt for a walk. Most times this choice turns out to be the better of the two. I often wake up from my naps an hour or two later feeling groggy. When I get back from my walks I always feel more grounded and calm.

I don’t think that anyone can deny that spending time in nature makes you feel better. It just does. I never knew that there might actually be a physical reason for the feeling better though. Apparently there is.

In mid-November my California Lyme friends and I had a pre-Thanksgiving dinner together. Being with these supportive understanding people is another thing that always makes me feel better. Alix, my friend and fellow blogger on SpiroChicks had a surprise for us all. Earthing Kits.

Alix has been researching earthing/grounding for a while now. The science part is over my head but the premise is fairly simple.

Earthing/grounding is being physically connected to the earth. It is kind of scary when you start thinking about just how disconnected we have all become. When was the last time you actually spent anytime touching the earth? We spend the majority of our days inside buildings, driving cars and wearing shoes. There is no real contact with the earth at all.

Earthing/grounding research claims that this disconnect is partially responsible for some of our modern day ailments; inflammation, chronic pain, insomnia, fatigue, stress, blood pressure, headache…

Chronic inflammation is recognized as one of the biggest links to major diseases of our time; cancer, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s and many more.

Inflammation is now believed to be the underlaying cause of more than eighty chronic illnesses, and more than half of Americans suffer currently from one of more of them. Each year, millions die from these conditions. (1)

The earth has an electrical charge and so do our bodies. Primitive man spent most his time walking barefooted and sleeping on the ground. Could this constant contact with the earth have kept him healthy? There is no doubt that with our modern life has come our modern day illnesses. Could simply connecting with the earth by grounding ourselves be part of the cure?

Without a doubt we are constantly bombarded with electoral signals that are new to the last century; electricity, computers, cell phones, radio waves… Are we short circuiting ourselves?

Earthing immediately equalizes your body to the same energy level, or potential, as the Earth. This results in synchronizing your internal biological clocks, hormonal cycles, and physiological rhythms, and suffusing your body with healing, negatively charged free electrons abundantly present on the surface of the Earth. (2)

Could it really be so simple to fix as walking barefoot on the earth or connecting yourself to a grounding device while you sleep?

Reading my voltage before and then while touching the grounding mat.

At our little dinner party Alix brought out a volt reader and an earthing mat. We all took turns reading our volts before touching the earthing mat and then while touching the mat. There was a huge difference in everyone’s readings. Our readings before touching the mat were between .560 and .880. The instant the mat was touched the reading would plummet to somewhere below .030 and down to .013 for some of us. I won’t pretend to have a clue what that means but it is clear that touching the mat or “grounding” ourselves did something.

Almost everyone at the dinner has Lyme disease. A few of the participants in our little experiment felt something immediately. Two of the women felt woozy when they stood up and had a heavy pressure in their chests.

One woman reported back to the group that the next morning she woke up with a stiff neck, that became a killer headache and then turned to nausea. A herx? She has continued to experiment with earthing but has to take it very slow spending only 30 seconds to start with being earthed/grounded in order to avoid severe herxing.

I on the other hand immediately could sleep though the night wearing a grounding strap and woke up feeling no ill effects. On the contrary, I noticed I slept better, woke earlier and experienced less of the pain in my neck and shoulder that had been bothering me for over a month.

So back to my wonderful morning on the beach. The day before I had an IV infusion as part of my Lyme disease treatment. Halfway through the infusion I had to ask the nurse to move the needle to another vein because I was experiencing so much pain in the original arm. Over the next 12 hours my arm, near the injection site, swelled considerably and became very tender.

This all happened over the Thanksgiving Holiday so of course I had no way to contact my doctor and find out what I should do about it. Earthing seemed like an option, everything I had read said it would help with inflammation. Unfortunately I had broken my earthing cord from Alix a few days before and I was waiting for the replacement to arrive. The beach was still there though, I had to try something.

On that cold morning I walked barefoot down the beach enjoying the playful sea creatures and the crisp fresh air. I found a nice patch of sand, dug a hole, pulled up my sleeve and buried my arm for about 15 minutes.

Did it fix it? No. Did it help? Temporarily, yes. I did get some relief from the experience. Maybe it was the connection to the earth, maybe it was the fact that the sand was so cold it was the equivalent of icing my arm. Whatever it was I tried it again the next day, and again experienced some temporary relief from the pain.

Connecting to the Earth–either by being barefooted outside or in contact with a grounded device inside–doesn’t cure you of any disease or condition. What it does is to reunite you with the natural electrical signals from the Earth that govern all organisms dwelling upon it. It restores your body’s natural internal electrical stability and rhythms which in turn promote normal functioning of body systems, including the cardiovascular, respiratory, digestive, and immune systems. (1)

I have been keeping a daily journal of my Earthing experience in a public note on my facebook page. You can see it here- http://on.fb.me/gcLzpX

Alix, a self proclaimed “data pervert and compulsive researcher” wrote a post and uploaded a two part video report on Earthing to SpiroChicks.com. The post and videos can be found here- http://bit.ly/hQOsG7

Sources:
1- Ober, Sinatra, Zucker (2010). Earthing, The Most Important Health Discovery Ever? Laguna Beach, CA: Basic Health Publications, Inc. earthing.com
2- http://www.earthinginstitute.net/index.php/overview

Read additional information on the topic
Earthing research shows touching bare ground has health benefits – examiner.com
Conduct Yourself Properly – ESD Journal

 

Book Review // Healing Lyme Disease Naturally: History, Analysis, and Treatments, by Wolf D. Storl

every well-stocked purse should have a BPA-free water bottle and a book

 

I just finished reading Healing Lyme Disease Naturally: History, Analysis, and Treatments, a new book by anthropologist Wolf D. Storl.  I was totally obsessed with this book and couldn’t put it down. It contains so much information about the history of Lyme, various theories on the disease, as well as treatment methods. Storl’s experience as a well-seasoned anthropologist is evident in his exploration of the relationship between medicine, culture, and politics.  He is fairly radical in his assessment of the way that Lyme Disease and ticks are portrayed and the way that the relationship of epidemic disease, advances in medicine and technology, and general cultural trends have effected our relationship to nature.  At times, he is quite esoteric, discussing the possibility that ticks are really messengers from the Earth, encouraging us to listen more closely to nature and return to the wisdom of the ancients.  He even dives headlong into a discussion of shamanistic tradition, mythology, and the planetary bodies.  This book is all over the place – and yet, I think it is totally approachable.

Storl is no stranger to Lyme Disease. He contracted it and suffered all the classic symptoms.  As someone intolerant to antibiotics, he sought out care using herbs. Eventually, he found his way to teasel root, and found it to be a vital part to his recovery.

I really appreciated this book.  It almost reads like an action novel – the pace is fantastic, and  and found myself learning something new with each turn of the page.  He looks tirelessly at the history of Lyme Disease treatment, as well as treatments of its spirochete sister disease, syphilis, and a variety of other degenerative chronic illnesses.  Throughout the book, he stresses the importance of our connection to nature, and dives into the shamanistic, herbal, and healing traditions of a variety of cultures.  And his knowledge of herbalism is admirable.  I already desire deeply to study herbs, but this book really pushed me over the edge!  The back of the book also contains a helpful herb index, something that I know I will be referencing constantly.  What I wouldn’t give to shadow him, man. 

Storl also discusses a whole life approach incorporating quality food, exercise, sunshine, and fresh air; it is a refreshing and logical, and there are many excellent suggestions for lifestyle changes that facilitate healing.  I find his discussion of how Lyme Disease changes people and causes them to often become more sensitive and have a hightened perception to be absolutely fascinating – and absolutely true for my own experience.  Storl also discusses the cultural notion of disease, the identity of disease, and the differences in treating a person vs. treating their symptoms.  It is like this book is reading my mind!

A primary focus of the book is the use of teasel root as part of the healing traditions in Eastern and Western herbal medicine. A modest plant with a remarkable history and an impressive medicinal capability, it grows commonly all over the place and can easily be grown in the garden.  The way that teasel combats the borrelia bacteria is completely different than the way that antibiotics do, allowing for a more complete recovery and more thorough cleanse of the system.  He said treatment can last about 3 months, which is exciting, considering that antibiotic treatment lasts at the very least 6 months and sometimes for years and years (I know some Lymies that have been on broad spectrum antibiotics for more than 5 years).  It can be taken as a tincture, as a tea, or as a powder, and has shown incredible efficacy for even very severe cases of late-stage neurological Lyme.

After thoroughly covering teasel, Storl dives headlong into the wide variety of other Lyme treatment philosophies, ranging from the Klinghardt protocol to Salt-C protocol to various “old world”-style treatments.  He gives a lot of information about helpful herbs that are useful, as well as nutritional supplements. My copy of this book is already underlined and dog-eared and written in with points to research further.  Then he dives into a really incredible description of how syphilis – a fellow borrelia bacteria – completely shaped modern history.  It blew my mind.  Then he asks a very intriguing and poignant question: will Lyme Disease have a similar effect?  The rate of infection is of epidemic proportion and the effect on the body is the same, so how will we start to see the larger, cultural effect of Lyme Disease in the years to come?

The thing that really threw me about this book was his absolute denial of the efficacy of antibiotic in chronic cases.  I am currently taking broad spectrum antibiotics for Lyme treatment, along with a variety of botanical medicines.  As someone generally suspicious of allopathic medicine, the decision to take antibiotics was something that I felt hesitancy about for all the reasons Storl lists in his book.  Long-term use of antibiotics has really negative risks, and I am starting to experience some of them – decreased digestive function, yellowing of teeth, and liver fatigue, to name a few.  Those things aside, I have seen massive improvement in my over all health since starting antibiotics, but intuitively, I feel like I need to bring in another tool that we don’t yet have.  I tend to think that coming at it from both ways – the antibiotic method and the “natural” method – seems to be effective for my system and my infection. But everyone is different!  My naturopath really loves this book, and I look forward to speaking with my LLMD about it in July at my appointment.

After my naturopath appointment this morning, we decided to add teasel to my protocol.  I’m building up to a full dose slowly, so we’ll see how I do on it, what kind of Herx reactions I have (they can be rather intense, I hear), and what improvements I see.  But my first drops are down the hatch and going to work!

Do you take teasel? What experiences have you had with it?

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in herbalism, natural healing, or the history of chronic disease treatment, and would consider is required reading for anyone dealing with chronic Lyme disease.  Storl puts faith in nature’s ability to heal, but also puts responsibility on the patient to create an environment that facilitates healing.  His experience and the experiences of the others in the book are inspiring.  The book is intriguing, and stimulates you to ask many questions and self-reflect.  It has spoken to me so clearly with words that reflect my philosophy and desire for my own treatment.  Truly one of the best books I’ve read in ages.

Keeping on the Lyme theme (so much for light summer reading), I’ll be reading Pamela Weintraub’s Cure Unknown: Inside the Lyme Epidemic  very soon. I’ll be sure to let you know what I think about it when I’m done.  Right now I’m in the middle of Elizabeth Gilbert’s  Eat Pray Love, a beautiful, funny, and introspective book that I would recommend to anyone!  It is wonderfully timely and poignant, and providing a nice change-of-pace from the Lyme life.

peace and blessings,
Kim | www.affairsofliving.com

 

Lyme Related PTSD

“Bailey, Bailey please come home! Please!”

Last night I had another recurring nightmare. I have been having a lot of them lately due to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder from getting over Lyme.

I had a nightmare that my dog ran away and no one could help me.

“Please help me! Someone please!” I ran down Park Avenue without an umbrella with a poster of my dog asking all these people if they have seen her. “Mam, sorry to bother you have you seen Bailey? Please? She is the love of my life. She has been there for me through everything when I was so ill!” She replied “No miss sorry”.

I just stood there and sobbed and looked at the tall buildings. Everyone was walking around with expensive fur coats, Chanel bags and expensive jewelery. Women were escorted by their doorman and chauffeurs holding an umbrella. By the way its raining in the northeast this weekend–so that is where this is coming from.

As I was running down Park Avenue my legs started growing into tree limbs and it became harder to walk. Literally, IN MY DREAM my legs grew into tree limbs and had vines growing on them! Scary dream right?! I was in the 50′s on Park Avenue when I went down a corridor and entered a Speakeasy.

It’s a dream guys…I know:) I think I needed a drink at this point in my dream.

I walked into the speakeasy without a coat drenched. There was a guard at the door behind bars asking everyone for Identification and if they didn’t have any they would be turned away. “Mam, Mam please,” I sobbed. “I am missing my dog and my legs have turned into tree limbs. Please help me!”

She looked at my legs and said that Dr. Q can help find my dog and might be able to fix my legs. I needed an identification card and if I didn’t have one it would be $10,000. “Mam,  please I have no money, please tell me what card do you need?” Please! She said it was an exclusive card for members only but I could talk to Dr. Q if I wanted to.

“Who is Dr. Q?” I cried.

“Mam, please, tell me who is Dr. Q!?” I then asked “is there research on him and his expertise in fixing tree limbs when they grow on legs?”

She then replied. “I’m sorry. If you don’t have identification you can’t see Dr. Q and we don’t pass out that information either. Information on our doctors is confidential and only to exclusive members-which you are not. Goodbye.”

I ran out of the speakeasy and down park avenue. “Please, Please someone tell me who is Dr. Q! Won’t someone tell me who is Dr. Q? Bailey please come home!! Someone help me!” I stood there in the rain sobbing.

THEN I WOKE UP FROM MY DREAM.

That morning my pillow was drenched in sweat from this nightmare. I saw Bailey at the bottom of the bed and was so grateful. I then got out of bed. Oh thank God! No brain fog, no derealization, no heart palpitations, no numbness, no pain, no vertigo and no tree limbs growing on my legs!

I have been having so many scary nightmares about my horrific Lyme days a lot lately. I actually spoke to a doctor about my dreams because it has been a concern. She said that my symptoms were similar to that of someone that survived a Near Death Experience which is tied to Post-traumatic Stress Disorder.

She said that lots of people have this when they recover from major trauma. She has seen it in many recovered Aids patients, people who have survived near death accidents, cancer patients and also soldiers that come back from Iraq.

PTSD  has symptoms in three categories:

• Re-experiencing symptoms such as nightmares, flashbacks, terrifying thoughts.
• Avoidance symptoms, withdrawing emotionally or feeling strong guilt or anxiety
• Hyperarousal symptoms such as always feeling tense or being easily startled.

Most therapists use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Others may help the individual reframe the incident or may walk him through a process of systematic desensitization to lessen the impact of the event.

My doctor has been trying something called EMDR on me because the nightmares have gotten worse as my health has gotten better. During EMDR sessions, the therapist asks the client to think about a traumatic event and at the same time, move their eyes rapidly – following the movement of a pencil or a finger by the therapist. Some people feel that EMDR is able to “un-stick” these experiences so that it reconnects with the healthy brain and then is reprocessed and integrated at an accelerated speed.

The theory is that the rapid eye movement in EMDR creates similar brain activity to REM (rapid eye movement) that we experience during sleep. This REM assists us in processing ideas and resolves conflicts. We are able to work through things. We still retain the memory but without the emotional pain and the feelings of smell, taste, etc. of the event.

I think the fact that there was a Dr. Q in my dream spoke volumes that this dream was pretty much a reality a year ago. I remember when I was first diagnosed all these people would call their Dr’s by their first names. I constantly felt during my Lyme days that being sick and going from doctor to doctor was like a treasure hunt and really only the privileged could get an appointment.

In July 2009, I chose to get out of that lifestyle and completely go the natural route and take my health in my own hands. It was scary I wont lie! But really the health care system in a way forced me to choose to go the natural route. For me, it was the right thing to do. Please note that you should see a doctor of course but unfortunately that wasn’t an option for me when I was flat broke, I had no insurance. I wasn’t able to afford some of the doctors that were recommended and when I did it was nearly impossible to get an appointment.

There are a lot of people with some great doctors out there. I almost wish that there could be a sheet with affordable doctors for people with Lyme disease. Maybe it will come in the future when there is less of a political mess with this disease. Today, I’m so  grateful to be better.

A lot of people have asked if I still have symptoms. Honestly, the only time I get some symptoms now is if I am extremely stressed out. But the symptoms are NOWHERE NEAR as bad as it was a 8 months ago. 8 months ago I thought I was going to die. So probably about 90-95% better? Getting out of Lyme takes time and its an upward spiral. My symptoms now are a joke compared to 8 months ago.

Your best days now will be your worst two months later. This will be the cycle until you have no symptoms anymore. I’ve been out of derealization for about 2 1/2 months now which was huge for me!

I really care about every Lymie out there and my wish is for you all to find a great doctor you can trust and lead your own way to recovery.

God Bless,

Heather

SOURCES-

http://www.tm.org/resource-pages/62-posttraumatic-stress-disorder
http://www.mental-health-today.com/ptsd/emdr.htm

 

Three Strategies to Recover From Lyme Fatigue

This post is copied from the Goodbye Lyme newsletter, written by Greg Lee, owner of Two Frogs Healing Center in Frederick, Maryland.  My aunt is a subscriber to his newsletter, and forwarded a few of them to me morning.  When I read this article, it was like being hit in the face with the reality of a few good steps I need to take to address my own healing!  I was especially pleased to see that Greg authorizes anyone to repost the newsletter in full, so I immediately thought to share it with all of you. 

I am excited to subscribe to the newsletter and learn more about Greg’s practice.  I appreciated Greg’s mindful, holistic, and empowered approach to the healing process, and the reminder that we are all responsible for how effectively we can rid ourselves of negativity and toxins and bring in positive healing energy.  Our habits can limit our healing potential, and reading this article was so right on how those can drain you (like staying up too late searching the internet or pushing yourself to hard – I am guilty, as charged).

I hope you find this article as helpful as I did, and check out Greg’s site and subscribe to his newsletter!  His site has a ton of great information and lots of great resources, and the newsletters look very interesting. My aunt also sent me one of his newsletters about using the Ayurverdic herb  terminalia chebula to infiltrate the biofilm and kill the bacteria behind cystic fibrosis, and the possibilities of using this herb to great Lyme-related biofilms. More about the herb’s use for treating cystic fibrosis can be found here.  Anything that can break up biofilms I’m game for, ‘cuz I’m full of those things.  

As a side note, I am thinking of creating stickers or t-shirts or something with the snazzy “Fight Lyme” graphic I created a while back (see above).  We can never have too much flashy lime green attention-grabbing Lyme paraphernalia, in my opinion.  I’m hoping to get this stuff printed up soon, ESPECIALLY since May is Lyme Awareness month!  I’ll be sure to let you all know when that gets rolling.

Be well, and happy reading!

xoxo,

Kim | www.affairsofliving.com

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Why You Need These Three Strategies to Recover from Lyme Fatigue

by Greg Lee / Two Frogs Healing Center

Click here for a full color version: http://www.twofrogscenter.com/lyme_fatigue_3_strategies.html

Imagine you go to the bank to get change for $100 bill. However, they only give you $80 back.

You complain about being short-changed and demand the rest of your money back. However, they refuse and insist on charging you $20 for their exchange fee.

How is being short-changed just like Lyme fatigue?

When Lyme disease fatigue hits hard, you can’t even get out of bed
Many people with Lyme disease suffer from debilitating fatigue. They can’t work, enjoy normal activities, or spend the time they would like with their family. All the normal things that replenish your energy: exercise, a healthy diet, and plenty of sleep may not prevent this debilitating fatigue. These people end up being short changed over and over by their disease.

Caffeine, sugar, or uppers only make Lyme fatigue worse
Many of these people try drinking more caffeine to boost their energy. Unfortunately, this ends up burning up their energy faster and creating more fatigue. Other people will try sugar. Most sweeteners produce a population explosion of the Lyme bacteria which leads to even more fatigue. These people may resort to using drugs which give a temporary boost of energy, however these last a short while until the person burns out their energy reserves.

What is the cause of this debilitating fatigue?

Poor sleep, too many toxins, and an overwhelmed immune system zap your precious energy stores
The Lyme infection eats up nutrients before they reach your cells. So your cells end up being starved for energy. After eating your cell’s nutrients, these bacteria produce waste toxins which poison your system. These toxins can leave you feeling extremely fatigued or in severe pain.

These poisons force your immune system to work hard at cleaning them out of your body. Your immune system is further taxed by trying to kill off these bacteria as they multiply. Having your cells starved, feeling slowly poisoned, and being in pain can prevent you from sleeping deeply.

What can help you to get back your energy from Lyme fatigue?

Here are three strategies for stopping the effects of Lyme fatigue and replenishing your energy
Using these strategies together helps you to reverse the impact of Lyme fatigue.

First, find and neutralize the causes of Lyme fatigue
Since the bacteria eat up nutrients that normally go to your cells, one strategy for stopping fatigue is to stop eating foods that feed the bacteria. These bacteria like sugars, so eliminating sweetened foods, most carbohydrates, and dairy can start to deprive the Lyme of it’s food. Eliminating these foods helps to limit how fast they multiply and can help to decrease their population. Taking anti-Lyme drugs or anti-Lyme herbal remedies help to kill off the Lyme bacteria. Reduced numbers of bacteria eat less and leave more food and energy for your cells. Adding the right foods to your diet can stop other causes of fatigue.

Another way to neutralize Lyme fatigue is to clean out the toxins that are in your body
There are foods like leafy greens, seaweeds, and vinegar which help to purge energy draining toxins. Seaweed especially has vital nutrients that help to replenish to energy and strengthen your immune system. There are many herbs like gardenia, raw garlic, lycii berry, and honeysuckle that help to neutralize toxins and protect your vital organs. Having a stronger immune system and less toxins in your body, helps you to feel more energized.

A second strategy is to change your energy draining behaviors
Many people with Lyme fatigue have a tendency to give to others before they give to themselves. By inhibiting behaviors like giving to others when you barely have any energy, helps to stop energy depletion. Other examples of energy draining behaviors are: pushing yourself beyond your limits, staying up too late searching the internet, or taking in other people’s judgments or negativity.

Doing activities within your limits, having a healthy lifestyle, and setting a healthy boundary with negative people can reduce energy draining situations in your life. As a person learns to inhibit these behaviors, this can help with learning to receive more energy.

The third strategy is to receive more energy
Most people with Lyme fatigue are great at giving. However, they often don’t know how to receive or they refuse to get support. Inhibiting behaviors that block receiving helps open the way for learning to replenish your energy. A simple tool that has helped tremendously with receiving more energy is called remembrance. This is a simple tool where the person uses a name or phrase that describes their highest source of support, life energy, or healing.

The tool is used like this: as the person feels their fatigue, they repeat this name or phrase and they open and feel what happens. Sometimes it is more effective to express the sound of the fatigue first and then repeat the name or phrase. Many clients have had dramatic increases in their energy levels when taking only five minutes each day to receive using this tool. It has also helped to reduce or eliminate other Lyme symptoms like pain, brain fog, and inflammation.

Using these three strategies, you can release your Lyme fatigue and revitalize your energy
The Lyme bacteria love to drain your energy by eating your nutrients and putting their toxins in your body. You can reverse the effects of Lyme fatigue by using a combination of three simple strategies. 

 First, starve the bacteria and neutralize their toxins by changing your diet. Second, become aware of and inhibit your energy draining behaviors. And third, receive more energy directly from your highest source of healing support. This combination will help you to stop the Lyme bacteria from short changing your energy. These strategies can also help you to replenish much more quickly.

 - Greg

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Getting Rid of Lyme Disease Pain, Fatigue, and Mental Fog

First Monday of the month

Free evening lecture on healing Lyme disease
at Two Frogs in Frederick, Maryland
Click here for more information: 

http://www.twofrogscenter.com/lyme_talk.html

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Big Brother is Watching Over Us

“Unless we put medical freedom into the Constitution, the time will come when medicine will organize into an undercover dictatorship to restrict the art of healing to one class of Men and deny equal privileges to others; the Constitution of the Republic should make a special privilege for medical freedoms as well as religious freedom.”

— Benjamin Rush, M.D. (circa 1787)

Benjamin Rush (1745-1813) was a colonial physician known as the “Father of American Medicine.” He signed the Declaration of Independence, served as the Surgeon General of the Continental Army, and opened the first free medical clinic at the Pennsylvania Hospital. (1)

Do you think old Ben Rush is sitting somewhere looking down on us with George Washington and Thomas Jefferson saying, “I told you so.”?

Medical care in our country is not a right nor a privilege. It is big business for profit. Insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies, doctors, researchers and even universities are all looking for their piece of the pie no matter the cost.

Those who stand in the way of this multi-billion dollar industry run the risk of being persecuted.

Like Dr. Charles Ray Jones, the physician in Connecticut who is accused of what? Making kids well? Don’t they normally award people for saving lives? Apparently if in doing it big business feels threatened it is not OK, better those kids suffer and die. Right and wrong don’t matter as much lining pockets.

Bills are currently being passed that will make it easier for doctors to treat Lyme disease with long-term antibiotics. Some states, like California and New Jersey already have protections in place that allow doctors to use long-term antibiotics without fear of losing their medical license (4). This is a big step in the right direction for effective Lyme treatment. For some of us long-term antibiotics are the only way we are going to get better. Standing in the way of their prescription should be considered cruel and unusual punishment. The drug companies should be happy, those antibiotics are EXPENSIVE! It must be the insurance companies that are fearing this move.

Others of us, even with these changes, are still being left out to dry. We aren’t using antibiotics at all. For some of us this is a personal choice, others of us failed on antibiotics. Sometimes man’s wonder drugs cause more harm than good. Many of us are left with alternative or natural treatments as our only option. This is definitely not profitable for the drug companies and an excuse for the insurance companies to ignore us.

Quinine has been used to treat malaria since the 1600’s. It remained the antimalarial drug of choice until the 1940s, when other drugs took over. Since then, many effective antimalarials have been introduced (3). Mepron the foul yellow synthetic poison is a much more profitable and therefore accepted treatment option. It might be covered at least partially by your insurance. At up to $1300.00 for a three week supply, you would hope they would help! Mine did, they paid $1.50 per bottle. Thank you big pharmaceutical business for making me poor. Both mepron and quinine are commonly used for the treatment of babesia in Lyme patients. Quinine Bark retails at around $14.00 for 100 capsules.

Damn hippies and their natural medicines. Our new fangled antibiotics are far more effective to anything in nature. Why, Man made them himself with his superior intelligence! He stole the idea from nature and patented it, the big cost of research and development should not be wasted on a medicine anyone can sell. After all, it is Man’s God given right to profit from Mother Nature’s gifts, brilliant!

I do believe that many of the advancements in modern medicine are, without a doubt, useful, necessary and in many cases superior to the primitive medicine of past centuries. That doesn’t mean that it is all better. Or even all good for that matter.

Some religions believe that God has provided all we need in Nature. Others believe that the hand of God has guided man to create these medical advancements, antibiotics and procedures. Neither is wrong.

I have a hard time though imagining any God giving high 5’s to the corporate insurance bigwigs as they turn their backs on those in need. When they get their big bonus as the result of weaseling out of covering the treatments people need to get well, I don’t imagine God joining them on their private jet as they whisk off to their 2nd home in the Hamptons.

Would any God approve of harassing doctors and charging them with crimes for saving children’s lives? No, that man is not God, he just thinks he is. In the case of Dr Jones these false idols assume the form of the Connecticut Medical Examining Board (CMEB) and the Connecticut Department of Health (CT. DPH). They have imposed a $10,000 fine and a four-year license probation during which time his practice will be monitored. Luckily they have not yet succeeded in forcing him to surrender his medical license.

Aside form the charges they have placed against Dr Jones, the CMEB, are also attempting to introduce a restrictive ‘four part standard of care for Lyme disease’. Jones warns us that this would set a very dangerous precedent that could be used against other doctors and shut down the treatment of chronic Lyme disease. (2)

Benjamin Rush was right. Medicine has officially organized into an undercover dictatorship that restricts the art of healing to one class of men and denies equal privileges to others.

-Ashley

SOURCES-
1. Benjamin Rush  http://www.conservapedia.com/Benjamin_Rush
2. Letter from Dr. Jones http://lymesite.com/Dr_Jones_letter_February_2010.htm
3. The History of Quinine http://www.statemaster.com/encyclopedia/Quinine
4. List of state protections regarding Lyme http://www.jemsekspecialty.com/legislation.php
5. More on Mepron http://www.drugs.com/cons/mepron.html

Dr Jones’ legal battle is far from over. He continues to fight not only for his patients but for the rights of all Lyme patients. If you would like to make a donation to help Dr Jones you can do so by following this link t0 THE DR. CHARLES RAY JONES DEFENSE FUND

 

Lyme Cured Naturally- Heather’s Story on YouTube

In this video I was interviewed by a woman that I met at a Day Spa in New York.

I met her at my lowest point during my Lyme battle. I remember sitting in the chair crying in the waiting room at the Day Spa asking to see the owner inquiring about Colonics. My doctors had all failed me and I just didn’t know what to do. She came up to me, gave me a hug, told me she was battling Lyme disease herself and that everything was going to be okay and started introducing me to ozone. She does a lot of work with doctors in the New York area and Ozone.

When I saw her recently she was amazed at how much better I am doing. I was shocked when she said she wanted to interview me. But, I nervously I agreed to do it. (My dog wanted in on the video too):-)

This is part 2 of a 5 part series. You can find the other 4 videos by following the links at the bottom of this post.

more about “lyme cured naturally – heather’s stor…“, posted with vodpod

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The Post Traumatic effects that I have from Lyme are devastating. Getting over Lyme was the hardest thing I’ve ever done, I’m still on my way and I want you to know that even though I try to smile these days and in this video. Those memories of 6 months ago, those dark times, were the scariest times of my life.

I questioned how it was so easy for some and harder for others. I remember getting so angry every time I heard someone recovering so quickly from this disease. I think there were a lot of factors.

1. Knowledge (good doctors, good protocols, following those that have good success or sticking to the winners)
2. Money
3. Support.

I want to give people hope and hopefully save a life. People shouldn’t have to die or contemplate ending their life because doctors don’t understand, they are broke and they have next to no support. I couldn’t afford an LLMD at this point and sold off lots of stuff that I had. Even without the help of a doctor, there is still hope and if your antibiotic fails please, please don’t give up. You’re not alone. Write down all the things that you have to live for, post it somewhere and don’t stop until you find the answer.

God bless,

Heather

This is part 2 of the 5 part series Heather did with . To see the rest of the videos follow the links listed below.

HEATHER’S STORY PART 1
HEATHER’S STORY PART 3
HEATHER’S STORY PART 4
HEATHER’S STORY PART 5

 

Chinese Nutrition Therapy: Supporting the Spleen, Part 3

This article is the third in a series of posts about supporting the spleen through principles of Chinese nutrition therapy.  I recommend reading Part 1 and Part 2 to get the most out of this article.

Warming Azuki Vegetable Stew

 

In parts 1 & 2 I discussed the importance of supporting the spleen from a Chinese medicine perspective, as well as foods that are beneficial for supporting the spleen.  The spleen needs to be grounded and stabilized, supporting the Earth element.  That means well-cooked, sweet foods like carrots and parsnips, as well as grounding legumes and grains.

So, what do you do with all this information?  Try using some of the foods from the ingredients lists in these posts and incorporate them into your diet in new ways!  Spleen stabilizing foods should be a large part of your diet in order to ensure proper balance between the systems of your body.

I know cooking can be hard if you don’t feel well, so focus on things that are simply prepared and don’t involve a lot of work.  Here’s a few very simple recipes to get you started.  These recipes are nothing fancy, but provide basic ideas for incorporating spleen-strengthening foods into your diet.  Since many of these are starchy, sweet vegetables, use them in moderation if you are on antibiotics or following an anti-Candida Albicans diet protocol.  If eaten in excess, these foods may aggravate your condition.  But used in moderate amounts, these are powerful foods for supporting the spleen and strengthening the digestive system.  However, I’m not a doctor, and if you have concerns, you should consult with your care provider about any significant changes in your diet.

Simple Steamed Carrots

• 4 large carrots or 1 bag baby carrots
• optional: fresh or dried herbs (dill, chives, basil, tarragon, or parsley), spices, salt, pepper, umeboshi plum vinegar
• optional: ghee, olive oil, butter, coconut oil

Wash and peel carrots, and slice, or use ready-to-eat baby carrots.  Place carrots in a steamer basket over boiling water.  Cover, and steam for 5-7 minutes, or until carrots are tender.  Remove from heat and transfer to serving bowl. Add a dollop of butter/ghee or a drizzle of olive or coconut oil, and a sprinkle of salt or umeboshi plum vinegar.  Sprinkle with desired seasoning, and serve. Steaming carrots makes them lower in sugar than baking, and is a good choice if you need to watch your carb intake.

Carrot Mash

Steam carrots as directed above, but steam until very soft.  Remove from heat, then place in a bowl and mash with a potato masher. Or, for a smoother mash, place in a blender or food processor with some of the steaming water and process until smooth.  Add fresh herbs, a dash of cumin and cayenne pepper, or a blob of miso paste.  Add a little butter/ghee/olive oil/coconut oil/sesame oil if desired.  Serve!

Parsnip-Carrot Mash

Substitute part of the carrots with parsnips, and prepare as directed.

Rutabaga-Carrot Mash

Substitute part of the carrots with rutabaga, and prepare as directed.

Quick Carrot-Ginger Soup

Steam carrots as directed above.  Place in a blender with a small piece of fresh ginger and 2 cups broth, and blend.  Add more broth as necessary to reach desired consistency, depending on quantity of carrots!  Season with salt and pepper, and transfer to a pan.  Heat to a simmer until heated through, and serve.  If desired, add a bit of miso before serving for additional benefit.

Parsnip Fries

• 4 medium parsnips
• 1 Tbsp olive oil

Preheat oven to 400º F and get out a baking sheet.  Peel parsnips and slice into long pieces, like french fries.  Place on a baking sheet, drizzle lightly with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Bake 25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden and crispy.  Remove from oven and serve.

VARIATIONS:

Sprinkle with digestion stimulating curry powder, ginger, chili powder, or a dash of cayenne pepper.

Easy Baked Winter Squash

• squash (acorn, kabocha, butternut, etc)

Preheat oven to 400º F and get out a 9×13 pan.

Wash squash, and slice in half.  To make it easier (if you use a microwave) you can puncture squash a few times and place whole squash in microwave for 1 minute – it will soften it slightly and make it easier to slice. Scoop out seeds, and place cut side up in cake pan.  Pour about 1-2″ of water into the cake pan, and place in the oven.  Bake for 45 minutes-1 hour, until squash is tender and soft.  Remove from oven.  Scoop out squash flesh and mash.  Or serve as is, like if baking acorn squash.  Serve with a dash of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, coriander, or a little curry powder for an ultra-warming treat.

Steamed Kabocha

• kabocha or buttercup squash

Scrub outer skin of kabocha/buttercup, cut into cubes.  Leave skin on – it is very nutritious and will soften when cooked.  Place in a steaming basket over boiling water and steam for 6-10 minutes, until soft.  Serve cubes drizzled with a little butter/oil if desired, or place steamed cubes in a cup of warm miso or broth for a simple yet satisifying naturally sweet soup.

Roasted Root Vegetables

• mixed root vegetables (carrots, parsnips, turnips, rutabaga, Jerusalem artichokes, sweet potato, celery root)
• fresh or dried herbs (choose mix or one: thyme, rosemary, parsley, dill, basil) or spices (choose mix or one: curry powder, cumin, cayenne, coriander, ginger)
• salt and pepper
• olive oil

Preheat oven to 400º F. Wash and peel vegetables.  Cut  into cubes or slices and place in a heavy roasting pan, and drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle of seasoning of choice, salt, and pepper.  Roast for 40-60 minutes, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are soft.  Serve as is, or…

Quick Roasted Vegetable Mash

Mash roasted root vegetables with a potato masher or in a blender or food processor.

Quick Roasted Vegetable Soup

Place roasted root vegetables in a blender or food processor with desired amount of broth.  Blend until smooth, adding more broth as necessary to reach desired consistency.  Transfer to a pot and heat over medium heat until warmed through, seasoning to taste with additional salt, pepper, and desired seasonings.

Roasted Fennel

• 2 large fennel bulbs
• olive oil
• salt and pepper

Heat oven to 375º F. Wash fennel bulbs, removing stalks, and slice into thin wedges, and place on baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, and place in oven for 30 minutes, flipping fennel after 15-20 minutes.  Bake until golden and soft, then serve.

Turnip and Kale Soup

 

Turnip & Kale Soup

see recipe here!

Warming Azuki Vegetable Stew

see recipe here!

Easy Hummus

• 1 1/2-2 cups cooked chickpeas
• optional: 2 Tbsp sesame tahini
• 1 garlic clove
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice or 1/2 tsp unbuffered vitamin C crystals (substitute for lemon if you cannot tolerate citrus!  find in the vitamin section of health food stores)
• optional: sea salt/Herbamare & freshly cracked pepper
• optional: 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, if you like it spicy!

Place all ingredients in blender or food processor and process until smooth.  Add a little broth, water, or bean cooking liquid as necessary if mixture is too dry. Serve with raw celery, kohlrabi, or carrot sticks.

Other food & drink suggestions for strengthening the spleen:

• split pea soup, black bean soup, chickpea soup
• vegetable curries
• pumpkin or squash soup
• chicken, beef, or turkey stocks and broths (homemade is best – the natural gelatin in bone broth helps to heal and strengthen the digestive tract lining)
• baked sweet potato
• well-cooked amaranth, sweet rice, or quinoa pilafs or puddings
• mochi
• anything with warming spices: nutmeg, ginger, turmeric, cinnamon, allspice, anise, cinnamon
• baked apples (in moderation, if you tolerate fruit)
• stewed prunes and figs (in moderation, if you tolerate fruit)
• ginger root tea
• licorice tea (use in moderation – it can raise blood pressure if used daily for more than 3-4 weeks at a time)
• caffeine-free chai tea
• fennel seed tea (boil 1/2 tsp fennel seeds with 1 cup water for 5 minutes while keeping pan covered, strain, cool slightly, and drink)

The great thing about food therapy is that you can make these choices for yourself at home, cheaply and easily. You can experiment with dietary principles without any harsh side effects, assuming that you avoid foods you are allergic or intolerant to. And you have to eat anyway, so you might as well make it worth your while and get some medicinal effect out of it! By supporting your spleen with grounding, stabilizing food choices, you just may help reduce other symptoms too. I know I have found principles of Chinese dietary therapy to be helpful when making food choices in my own healing journey, and I hope you do to!

Check out my blog Affairs of Living for lots of other recipes, from soup to nuts to salads to sugar free pumpkin pie (very spleen strengthening pie, if I do say so myself…)

Be well,

Kim

RELATED POSTS:

Chinese Nutrition Therapy: Supporting the Spleen, Part 1

Chinese Nutrition Therapy: Supporting the Spleen, Part 2

 

EFT- Emotional Freedom Technique, tapping

EFT, the emotional freedom technique, was originally design by Gray Craig to revamp the psychotherapy profession. It was very successful when implemented in therapy sessions. Properly done, this frequently reduces the therapeutic process from months or years down to hours or minutes. (2) As time went by, it was observed that amazing physical healing was also occurring though the use of EFT. People were experiencing improved vision, headache relief and even an lessening of cancer symptoms.

EFT is an innovative approach to emotional and physical ailments which has a wide application.  Based on the Meridian system as used by the Chinese for thousands of years, it is capable of treating mental, emotional and physical issues. It has been described as ‘psychological acupuncture, but without the needles’ and is quick and easy to learn. (3)

Meridians are central to Traditional Chinese Medicine. They are pathways in the body, which energy flows along. Meridian are usually associated with an organ, so there are meridians for Stomach, Spleen, Gall Bladder, Liver and others. (4) MERIDIAN CHART

By addressing causes of ailments, mental and physical, EFT is able to achieve results that Western Medicine alone can not.

I was skeptical when my doctor started using taping techniques on me. I didn’t see how they could make any difference. He also taught me his tapping technique and prescribed it right along with the rest of my antibiotics, herbs and supplements. He never mentioned EFT to me and until I did this post I didn’t know that is what it was called. I even made the tapping chart he hands out at his office. (see the chart at the bottom of this post)

After watching this video I am going to have to print out that flyer myself and give it a serious go. It’s free, easy and takes up very little time. AND… if it works! Well, then it’s worth much more than the 10 minutes a day it takes to do it.

EFT is a powerful, surprisingly simple method anyone can learn to relieve all kinds of physical and emotional issues. It often works when nothing else will. EFT does it by clearing limiting unconscious beliefs and emotions. These unresolved inner blocks or counter-intentions contribute to self-sabotage and physical dis-eases. EFT offers a gentle way of dissolving limitations, freeing you to create a healthier and happier life. (1)

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more about “Amazing Universal Healing Aid -by Gar…“, posted with vodpod

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SOURCES:

1.  http://www.eftzone.com/ This is a great site/blog for learning more about EFT
2. http://www.emofree.com/newcomer.htm You can download an 80 page informational/instructional from this site for free
3. http://74.125.155.132/search?q=cache:eIUbw-fPyWAJ:www.palomar.edu/pctv/eft/EFT_Manual.doc+eft+history&cd=3&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us&client=firefox-a
4. http://www.frot.co.nz/eft/meridians.htm
____________________________________________________________________________

This is the handout I made for a friend. I have seen the taps done in a lot of different ways and orders. Sometimes more spots and sometimes less. There are a lot of videos on YouTube if you want to visually see how it is done.

Double click to see full size image

 

EFT chart

If you want to print the chart and you are having trouble, email me and I will send you a jpeg or PDF ashvantol@lymenaide.com

 

 

 

Chinese Nutrition Therapy: Supporting the Spleen, Part 2

This article is the second in a series of posts about supporting the spleen through principles of Chinese nutrition therapy. If you missed part 1, go back to this post and check it out!  It will help provide a good base by which to understand part 2.

You suffer from digestive troubles.  Maybe you tend to worry and have anxiety.  You have habits and thought patterns that you just can’t kick.  You feel stuck, exhausted, fatigued.  If you’re reading this blog, you also probably have Lyme, which definitely plays a part in causing all of those symptoms!  And you probably also have a case of spleen qi deficiency.

Your spleen needs a little TLC!  So, what can you do to help strengthen your spleen? As I discussed in part 1, the spleen is associated with the the earth element.  It likes to be warm and enjoys sweet flavors and regularity.  It needs to be grounded and centered.   A qi deficient spleen is often cold, exhausted, and dampened, caused from a variety of factors from antibiotic use to stress and anxiety to improper diets with too many simple carbohydrates, an excess of animal products, and lot of sugars.  Traditional Chinese medicines runs on the basic idea that one should use “equal opposite” stimulus to treat a condition.  So, with that as the idea, you have to invigorate, dry, and warm that little spleen of yours back into shape.

Here are some general spleen strengthening pointers.  These are things that everyone should do, but especially those of us at higher risk for spleen qi deficiency, as discussed in part 1.  Basically, if you’re stressed out, chronically ill, and have some digestive issues, you could probably use some spleen strengthening.

• Eat slowly, chew well, and eat at regular times each day. ‘Nuff said.
• Do not drink large amounts of liquid with meals. Not only does liquid dilute stomach acid and make it harder for your stomach to break down food, it also overwhelms the spleen qi.  Drink only enough water to take medications with meals, or a small cup of warm tea, miso soup, or broth.
• Include warm broths, soups, and stews in your diet regularly. Warm soups and cooked vegetables are easy for the body to digest, and the nutrition is easy to assimilate.  this is especially good if your digestion is severely compromised or you are very sick and weak.   Try cooking vegetables together for a long time in a crock pot, and then puree using an immersion blender or blender.  Since the food will already be warm and pureed, it will give your body less work to do during digestion.
• Focus on a vegetable-based diet.  Reduce or eliminate your intake of processed foods, sugar, wheat, and excessive animal products.  Make at least 50% of your plate vegetables at every meal, a mixture of cooked and raw.
• Choose meals that are easy to digest. Use simple food combining principles to ensure effective digestion, especially if your digestion is compromised.   There are lots of ways to approach food combining from very strict to very loose; you have to find what works for you.  For me, I find I feel best when I avoid eating grains with meat, only eat fruit alone  on an empty stomach (if fruit is agreeing with me at all, that is), and do not eat too many starches in one meal (rice+beans+squash=ugh).
• Do not eat an excess of raw or cold foods, as well as cold drinks and frozen treats. Raw foodists will disagree with this philosophy, but too much raw food can deplete your digestive strength.  Despite the excellent enzymes available in raw and live foods, it is also harder for the body to break down, especially if you have weakened digestion due to illness, irritable bowel, or leaky gut.  Raw  foods force the body to work harder to literally heat up the food before it can be digested, using more digestive energy.  Cold drinks and frozen treats (like ice cream) are a shock to the digestive system, and can wreak havoc.  Like all things, it is a matter of balance and listening to your own body.

All foods – from animal products to herbs and spices – have an energetic component.  With that in mind, here are some foods that are energetically super beneficial for stabilizing the spleen.

• Soaked and well-cooked whole grains: oat, sweet rice, quinoa.  Properly prepared whole grains are very stabilizing and grounding, and provide a good source of complex carbohydrates.  Complex carbohydrates are digested by the body more slowly, and provide a stable source of energy.
• Cooked, starchy vegetables: parsnips, yams, sweet potatoes, beets, carrots, rutabaga, turnips, pumpkin, winter squash. Root vegetables and winter squashes are especially important, as they grow in and on the earth, and are slow growing, sweet vegetables that have high amounts of concentrated energy.
• Peas and legumes: peas, garbanzo beans, black beans, azuki beans.  Always be sure to soak your beans before cooking them for improved digestion.
• Pungent vegetables and spices: fennel, ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, black pepper, leek, onion, garlic, nutmeg, chives.  These vegetables and spices are very stimulating and warming to the digestive system.
• Small amounts of sweet foods (if tolerated only!): cooked apples, prunes, figs, cherries, dates, brown rice syrup, molasses, brown rice syrup.  The spleen likes sweet flavors, but use in moderation (if at all).
• Animal products: mackerel, tuna, halibut, anchovy, beef, beef liver or kidney, chicken, turkey, lamb, butter/ghee.  Moderate amounts of animal products can be extremely nourishing and warming to the system, especially for those who are weakened due to long term illness.

If you have a hard time with carbohydrates or sugars, you may be raising an eyebrow at the suggestion of cooked grains, starchy vegetables, sweeteners, or fruits. Like anything, dietary recommendations must be approached moderation. Even for the healthiest individual, too much of any one kind of food can further upset the balance, and throw things off in another direction! For those of us with additional sensitivities, we need to use our intuition to make wise choices, and cautious moderation is key. The spleen likes regularity and balance, after all!  I know, for example, that in theory, figs and prunes and baked apples will strengthen my spleen. But I also know that the simple sugars will throw my Candida into a tailspin.  So, I avoid the fruit and instead opt for sweet flavors of squash and beets, which my body handles better.  Sugars can suppress the immune system, and can feed unwelcome bacteria, thereby counteracting the spleen-strengthening qualities of the sweet foods, and causing a new problem, referred to in Chinese medicine as dampness.  Dampness is what we know as yeast overgrowth conditions (Candida!) or other bacterial or fungal imbalances.  If you’re on antibiotics, you especially need to be concerned about this!

For those of us dealing with that tricky dampness, there are a few other foods that can help reduce restore balance.  Some of these have naturally antimicrobial qualities, and can help dry up that dampness.

• Grains: Amaranth, rye, corn, millet
• Beans: azuki beans, mung beans
• Vegetables: celery, lettuce, pumpkin, scallion, alfalfa, turnip, kohlrabi
• Herbs, spices, condiments: pepper, raw honey, bitter herbs, chamomile, and pau d’arco (use for tea), thyme, turmeric

Come back soon for part three, where I will share some  spleen strengthening recipe suggestions.  Until then, be well!

xoxo

Kim // www.affairsofliving.com

RELATED POSTS: Chinese Nutrition Therapy: Supporting the Spleen, Part 1

Sources

Flaws, Bob. The Tao of Healthy Eating. Boulder: Blue Poppy Press, 1998.
Pitchford, Paul. Healing with Whole Foods. Berkeley: North Atlantic Books, 2003
Beinfeld, Harriet. Between Heaven and Earth: A Guide to Chinese Medicine. New York: Ballantine Books, 1991.

 

Chinese Nutrition Therapy: Supporting the Spleen, Part 1

Since starting antibiotics a few weeks ago, I’ve noticed that my anxiety seems to have gotten worse. Not panic attack worse – that’s not my modus operandi – but I certainly notice myself ruminating a lot more than usual, and more soggy in the brain department.  I know that Herxing can do this.  But this mental stagnation, combined with my recent insomnia and appetite changes led me to believe I am suffering a little spleen disharmony too. When I told all of this to my acupuncturist, she nodded understandingly. “Antibiotics supress the spleen,” she told me. “Disharmony in the spleen is linked to anxiety and worry, so if you’re suppressing the spleen, all those issues are just going to get worse.”

Ah ha!  It was like a lightbulb turned on my head.  It all made sense!

For a couple years I’ve been digging into the world of Chinese nutrition therapy; it was one of the first things I turned to when my symptoms got really bad in 2008.  My long-time general interest in Chinese medicine turned into a growing obsession, and I decided to pursue it as a career.  I have been accepted to the Oregon College of Oriental Medicine in Portland, OR, and I’m hoping to move there and start this fall (Lyme symptoms and finances willing).   I love the approach of Oriental medicine, especially in regards to nutrition therapy, and have found it most useful in addressing my own health, and can’t wait to dive in academically.

Unless you’re familiar with the basic ideas of Chinese medicine, you’re probably wondering what the spleen, an organ that receives little to no attention in Western medicine, has to do with anything, especially anxiety. Here’s a little primer and very brief, rather rudimentary introduction.

There are five primary organ networks that form the basis of traditional Chinese physiology. Each primary (yin) organ has a pairing (yang) organ, as follows: Spleen/Pancreas (Stomach), the Heart (Small Intestine), the Liver (Gallbladder), the Lung (Large Intestine), and the Kidney (Bladder). Each organ network is associated with a phase, which encompasses a stage of transformation through life, time, and space, and is associated with a certain element. While each organ plays an important role in the transformation and utilization of qi (roughly translated as vital life energy) in the body, the spleen is kind of the ring leader of the circus.

I like the way that Harriet Beinfeld phrases the role of the spleen in her book Between Heaven and Earth:

Like Mother Earth, the Spleen is the constant provider, the hearth around which the body gathers to renew itself.

Not surprisingly, the spleen is associated with the Earth element. It likes to be warm, is nourished by sweet flavors, and needs regularity. The spleen-stomach is responsible for starting the process of digestion, the process by which our bodies our nourished. You know the phrase “When momma ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy?” An unhappy spleen is like an unhappy mother; everyone and everything are affected. The results of spleen disharmony are wide and varied. Ever wonder why anxiety or worry upsets your digestion?  Disharmony in the spleen-stomach is why; the flow of qi is severely compromised.  Even general spleen qi deficiency will compromise digestion, leading to improper assimilation of nutrients, irregular stools, and nausea, abdominal cramping, and discomfort. A deficient spleen may leave one feeling fatigued and exhausted. It affects our ability to deal with stress and manage pressures, and will often lead to physical and mental stagnation and compulsive behavior. Blood sugar levels and metabolism may be affected. Spleen deficiency can also lead to dampness, which can be described as yeast, bacterial, viral, or mucous imbalances (yes, like Candida Albicans!).

Western culture, in general, exhausts the stomach-spleen. A heavy reliance on wheat and dairy, too many cold, raw foods, eating on the run at irregular hours, sedentary lifestyles, and large amounts of unmanaged stress and anxiety are classic of much of American culture, and are all extremely disruptive to the spleen. Antibiotics and other medications add an additional level of stress. Energetically, antibiotics are cold and dampening, the exact opposite of what the spleen needs.

Those of us dealing with Lyme – or any other chronic health issues, for that matter – are prime candidates for spleen qi deficiency. We tend to suffer more than our fair shar of anxieties about our health, our relationships, our futures, and our finances. Our physical symptoms may make it hard for us to sleep enough, get proper exercise, or eat at regular times. Because we don’t feel well, we may not participate in activities that bring joy and laughter as often as we’d like, making us sad, and leading to dwell and ruminate on feelings of loss and grief for the life we once knew. We take lots and lots of pills, including antibiotics, antifungals, antidepressants, anti-anxiety medications, thyroid medications, various herbal and botanical medicines, and a whole slew of other supplements to treat the side effects caused by Lyme. We feel overwhelmed and stressed, but feel too exhausted to do what we need to do to release that stress. Our tired spleens make us feel more anxiety, and more anxiety further exhausts our spleen.

In short, we need to give our spleens a little TLC. One of the easiest ways to support the spleen is by making dietary choices that are stabilizing and nourishing to the Earth element. By supporting our spleens, we can help restore balance and reduce other symptoms.

Check back soon for part 2, which will cover specific food recommendations for supporting the spleen and reducing dampness.

Until then, be well!

xoxo, Kim

www.affairsofliving.com

Sources
Flaws, Bob. The Tao of Healthy Eating. Boulder: Blue Poppy Press, 1998.
Pitchford, Paul. Healing with Whole Foods. Berkeley: North Atlantic Books, 2003
Beinfeld, Harriet. Between Heaven and Earth: A Guide to Chinese Medicine. New York: Ballantine Books, 1991.

 

Keeping it Real

Hi guys! Well, I’ve been trying to write a blog post and I went to a wedding in Miami this past weekend. I sat next to this woman who was so upset at the table. I asked her what was wrong (by the way, when you get out of a major illness you start to feel others pain so deeply–or at least I do, to a fault). I swear I can’t watch CNN for the life of me or I’ll cry watching Haiti. I’ll probably cry talking to any of you. It’s amazing once you get out of a major illness.

Tears ran down this woman’s face as she was upset that she lost her Mac Foundation (make-up). If I would have been in this situation while I was still suffering from Lyme, I think I would have jumped on the table in Lyme rage and strangled the woman with a napkin and been like, “you have no idea what pain is do you??” But, I just sat there quietly. It’s amazing what upsets people and I felt this way throughout my Lyme journey. I thought I’d share that with you because anyone of you that is reading this deserves a MEDAL! Yes, I said it! You deserve a metal for going through what you’re going through!

Traveling down to Miami was such a pain. I had to pack every vitamin in a baggy (such as my minerals, vitamins, Vitamin C, Spectra T303 for my thyroid, Beta Glucan, Vitamin D 5,000 IU units, Probiotics and omega 3). The key to getting better and Perry was right is really doing WHATEVER it takes. My friends thought I was crazy down there, but I could care less. I mean they already thought I was nuts when I told them that I try to stay away from gluten and dairy. Now I have NO symptoms anymore, but I really fell in love with taking care of myself. So, I guess I’ll continue do all this stuff anyway.

Coming back to New York I had this strange feeling come over me that I haven’t felt in a while. It wasn’t depression but a sluggishness like energy has been sucked out of me. I called my friend who is a ND in New York and asked her what the deal was with this? She asked if I was I sad. I told her that the earthquake in Haiti really upset me but there was really nothing that was wrong. She said that it was my adrenals. I sat there for a minute and said OF COURSE! Its been a week since I detoxed!! My liver was probably overburdened as well. I went to the mirror and there it was…a sign that my adrenals and liver were out of whack. Those DARK circles!

When I got back to my apartment I went into the shower brushed myself with a whistle brush I got from Whole foods (remembering to brush under the arm pits, near the neck and face and near the groin area). Then that night I watched Seinfeld and did my usual routine and soaked my feet in my ionic foot bath. I got this online from ebay. I think it was like 109 dollars or something. I immediately felt better! Now of course I could have done my infrared sauna or taken a bath with my Tox Away Clay but I wasn’t in the mood:)

It’s amazing what we have to do in modern day times just to keep our immune system in check. Living in New York City probably isn’t helping one bit. But, the good thing is that as I continue to detox my symptoms from EMF’s, chemical sensitivities and other things are slowly going away. Remember guys there are only three ways of getting stuff out of the body! So make sure you are covering all your basis. What I mean is that:

1. Make sure you’re drinking enough water
2. At the end of the night if you haven’t had a bowel movement then an enema might be helpful, or take some magnesium
3. Make sure to sweat a lot (Infrared Sauna, Tox Away Clay etc)

Remember, before you do any of this if you are in bad shape talk to your doctor about going slow with it.

You don’t want to detox too quickly. ALSO WATCH THOSE ELECTROLYTES. I have this kit from Perry but you know what was also great? Coconut water! I think there are so many kinds…Zico and Vita Coco are two great options.

- Heather

more on ENEMAS
more on INFRARED SAUNAS

 

FAR Infrared Follow-up and Purchase

Wow, so I just got off the phone with a lady at PROMOLIFE.COM. I called because I wanted to know more about the FAR Infrared mats. To be honest I wanted her to tell me; “Yes mam, the FIR mat will give you all the benefits of the sauna”. She didn’t. She didn’t try to sell me on a big, wooden, expensive sauna though either. She gave me all kinds of great information.

As far as FAR Infrared goes, she recommended the PORTABLE FAR INFRARED SAUNA. This is also the product that has been recommended to me by most of the other Lymies I have asked about saunas. The best part, it is much cheaper than the mat. The PROMOlife option is $299.95. I have seen this same set up for $199 from NATIONAL POOL WHOLESALERS.

The FIR mats she told me are more like a heating pad and would not make you sweat. The FAR INRARED THERMAL ENERGY HEAT SAUNA BLANKET $369.95  was another option she did recommend, they will make you sweat. This is also the bag that HEATHER used.

I asked Heather if she thought the bag was worth it. She told me it was the best thing she bought. She said it helped with her joint pain and brain fog. After using her sauna bag she would feel immediately better. For both Heather and I space and cost were huge factors in the purchase of a sauna.

According to the woman I spoke with, FAR Infrared will help most with pain and detoxification. It opens blood vessels and capillaries which helps the heart and improves circulation. They are also excellent for weight loss, she knew this from her own experience.

Their website also says this-

Far infrared stimulates the hypothalamus which controls neurochemicals. The benefits of this include a better sleep, improved moods, pain control, a lower body acidic level through the reduction of stress and toxins.

The heat from far infrared prevents the growth of bacteria and molds. Along with this effect, caused by the heat, the body will also activate its immune system anytime its core temperature rises above the norm. This stimulation of the immune system helps the body to more quickly rid itself of illnesses.

I was happy to find that the woman also knew about Lyme disease. The effects from FIR will definitely benefit us when it comes to detoxification, pain relief and improving our immune systems, but she told me about the products they carry that they specifically recommend to help treat Lyme.

OZONE THERAPY and FREQUENCY GENERATORS. She specifically told me that the WELLNESS PRO ELECTROTHERAPY SYSTEM $3495.95  has frequencies for Lyme. I also thought the PATHOGENEX BLOOD AND LYMPH THERAPY DEVICE $239.95 look very interesting. It is promoted to fight parasites, viruses and bacteria in the body. I have all those things!

There are all kinds of interesting products on their website. I spent half the day exploring  it. So many of the therapies I read about on Lyme forums are there. They have good information on all these therapies and products. Ionic foot baths, EMF protection, water ionizers, and even a silver pulser that creates colloidal silver.

I have to say I have more questions than ever and a lot of new therapies to start researching!

Just so you know, I have no affiliation with PROMOlife. I did order a portable sauna and will share my thoughts and experiences with you in the near future. If I love it, maybe one day I will be able to upgrade to a nice big wood sauna with space for me and my husband!

If you are thinking of buying a FAR Infrared sauna and you have the space for a big one, check craigslist and Ebay. I was told by more than one person that this is a great way to get a near new sauna, but pay much less.

What is FAR INFRARED

***Since writing this, I have discovered that the portable saunas are also available on Amazon- PORTABLE FAR INFRARED SAUNAS ON AMAZON

 

FAR Infrared

Far infrared

Some call it the ‘Light of Life’, others ‘Vital Rays’, NASA calls it ‘Bioenergetic Rays’; but, whatever nickname it is given far infrared has proven to be as important to human life as is oxygen, food, and water. (1)

Far infrared (FIR) is one range of the electromagnetic spectrum of waves emitted by the sun. Humans can not see this light, but know of its existence from the warmth they feel. To further explain how it is felt imagine yourself on a picnic during a hot summer day. It has become picnic protocol to set up the food under the shade of a tree. The air temperature does not change from the sun to the shade. So, why set up in the shade when the air temperature is the same in both locations? Because, the far infrared rays from the sun does raise the skin’s temperature when in direct contact. (1)

Unlike other saunas, the far infrared saunas’ heat penetrates at least 1 1/2 inches below the skin’s surface. This creates a deeper cleansing of the tissues. Far infrared heats the body directly. It does not use the air surrounding the person as a go between. The direct contact far infrared creates with the individual will result in a more intense sweat, while actually generating a lower temperature. This in turn allows more toxins to be eliminated than with other higher heated saunas. (2)

A 30 minute far infrared sauna is as advantageous to the cardiovascular system as is a 6 mile run. In fact, NASA has used far infrared for cardiac conditioning. With far infrared heat the blood vessels become dilated which helps lower blood pressure, increases blood circulation, boosts cellular metabolism, smoothes the walls of the blood carrying system and increases the production of both white blood cells and endorphins. The blood and its systems gain vigor which results in a strengthened immune system, quicker injury healing, normalized cholesterol, recovered energy and improved oxygen levels. (2)

Our tissues normally produce infrared energy for warmth and tissue repair. Tissue production of infrared energy is associated with a variety of healing responses. At times, the infrared energy in our tissues may require a boost to a higher level to ensure the fullest healing possible for tissue repair. (3)

Body tissues that need an infrared boost, selectively absorb infrared rays. The tissue will only use the infrared rays in areas were it is needed. After boosting a tissue’s infrared energy, the remaining rays pass onward harmlessly. This phenomenon is called “resonant absorption.” (3)

Research has shown that people that are chronically ill or with toxic levels from exposure to any toxin, pathogen, or nano advanced material have a lower base temperature than normal. Their natural far infrared energy source is being dimished by the condition. (3)

FIR will allow the body to attack any infectious material, foreign invader (chemicals), biofilms, nano microbic material and biomaterials. The melting point of many chemicals is greater than the body, but FIR creates temperatures that are RADIANT HEAT (cold heat) and will not burn the skin just push out foreign matter. FIR accelerates your internal regeneration of cells and the removal of superoxide molecules and toxins. (3)

There is a plethora of chemicals the body can not metabolize so when ingested these toxins tend to be stored in fat cells. A Chronic Toxic Overload is created when hundreds of chemicals dwell in the body. This condition causes dozens of debilitating illnesses. Excessive toxins cause the mechanism which creates enzymes to malfunction, resulting in nutritional shortages, which in turn can lead to hormone and brain imbalances. (2)

The heat from far infrared prevents the growth of bacteria and molds. Along with this effect, caused by the heat, the body will also activate its immune system anytime its core temperature rises above the norm. This stimulation of the immune system helps the body to more quickly rid itself of other illnesses. (2)

• Infrared Sauna heat increases your blood circulation and stimulates the sweat glands, releasing built up toxins in the body. (5)
• Daily sauna sweating can help detoxify your body as it rids itself of accumulated highly toxic metals (lead, mercury, nickel, and cadmium) as well as alcohol, nicotine, sulfuric acid, and other organic and inorganic compounds. (5)
• infrared heaters will raise your core body temperature, inducing an artificial fever. Fever is the body’s natural mechanism to strengthen and accelerate the immune response, as seen in the case of infection. (5)
• This enhanced immune system, combined with improved elimination of toxins and wastes via intense sweating, increases your overall health and resistance to disease. (5)

In many countries radiant heat therapy is widely used to treat patients suffering from many forms of arthritis. Radiant heat has also been effective in the treatment of sprains, neuralgia, bursitis, muscle spasms, joint stiffness and many other muscular-skeletal ailments. Much of the stiffness, aches and soreness that comes with aging is reduced or eliminated. (5)

People not only absorb far infrared, but also emit it. The ancient art of ‘laying on of hands’ is actually the skill of releasing far infrared energy from the healer to the patient. The level of far infrared produced by each individual mirrors their general health. As they become ill their radiation of far infrared goes down, and vice versa as health is restored. (1)

THIS INFORMATION WAS COMPILED FROM THE FOLLOWING SOURCES:
(1) http://www.promolifenews.com/far-infrared-elixir-of-light/
(2) http://www.promolifenews.com/far-infrared-the-ultimate-sauna/
(3) http://products.healinggrapevine.com/far-infrared/far-infrared-heat.html
(4) http://www.infraredsauna.com/why.html
(5) http://www.infraredsauna.com/health.html

FOLLOW-UP POST

 

Biofilm Bungle

I promised quite a few of you that I would post my biofilm protocol. That was a month ago. I truly had intended to post it last month. The problem is, I never started it.

I guess that is not entirely true. I had been on a “light” version for a month. I was now going to ease onto the full protocol. My body freaked out.

I have never gone to the hospital but I was seriously considering it.

Unfortunately for me, it was the weekend. I called my doctor first thing Monday morning and he fit me into his already overbooked schedule. He is amazing.

There is nothing wrong with the protocol. My body just is not ready for it.

I told my doctor I felt like I had been poisoned. He told me, “That is because you have been poisoned”.

I was frustrated. I had not even started the antibiotics or all the herbs yet. Why is my body so pathetic? I want to kill the Lyme!

Once again I am off the killing and back to focusing on detoxing. My doctor assures me this is what my body needs, it is not a set back, it is another angle. I trust him.

I am posting the outline of the protocol for those of you who wanted it. I am not posting the dosages I was prescribed for two reasons.

1. I never started the protocol so I do not know all of the dosages.
2. They were specific to me, my (at that time) present condition, and my size.

biofilm protocol

double-click to enlarge

The bold items were specific to protocol. The rest were supportive and some are very specific to me and my infections, parasites, imbalances, etc… The timing was very important.

From what I understood, and I admit to most of this being entirely over my head, the vitalzyme and NaEDTA would break down the biofilm. Once broken down the herbs and antibiotics could attack the infections.

I was also instructed not to eat anything containing or take any iron, magnesium, or calcium. This was to make sure they did not interfere with the breaking down of the biofilm. It was only during the on days and only within a certain time frame, ie I could have them outside the time window. For me that meant none in the morning but OK in the afternoon and evening. (I set up the timing on the chart to suit me.)

 

Am I Crazy?

“You are high strung.”

“It is all in your head.”

“Everyone has off days.”

“There is nothing wrong with you.”

Were your first doctors as wonderfully supportive as mine? I’m sure that they were.

They ran tests and found nothing still they were willing to prescribed medications. Strange, I thought, why would they give me medication if they did not find anything wrong with me?

After 10 years I was diagnosed; Lyme disease, co-infections, viruses, worms, parasites, amoebas, protozoas, thyroid dysfunction, hormone imbalance…

How in the world did those other doctors miss all of that? Did they really think that I was just crazy? Well if they didn’t before, I am sure they would now. Sometimes even I think it is crazy.

Last week my doctor made me a homeopathic remedy for bartonella. He had me spit in a cup. He made a concoction out of my spit mixed with purified water and vodka. I now take four drops three times a day. Sounds like total hocus pocus. Well this is the second time I have been given the remedy. The first time I broke out with a huge bartonella rash. No denying that it works. That was all the proof I needed no matter how crazy it sounds.

Since diagnosis, and finding doctors who truly understand my illness and care about my well being, I have come face to face with quite a few “are you kidding me” moments.

I had heard about muscle testing so that was not such a shock. I am not going to pretend that I understand it though, it is weird! But, amazingly it is accurate, it works.

I have also done BioSet computer sensitivity testing, had my vitamins and supplements lazered into me, used a light machine to kill viruses and bacteria in my blood, ionic footbaths to detox, tapping to open up pathways in my body, and IVs filled with things like garlic and hydrogen peroxide to kill a blood born protozoa. You know people look at me funny when I tell them about it. They think I am NUTS!

The one thing I have not been able to get my head around was being told that my problem with garlic came not only from this life, but a past life as well. The lady told me I worked around garlic in that past life. I told her I was a vampire, it seemed just as likely to be the answer to me.

In addition to all these strange and curious therapies my doctors do use normal blood testing and medications. Are they crazy? Am I crazy to trust my health to these witches and warlocks? I don’t think so.

I have come to realize a few things from this journey. First, doctors do not have all the answers. The good ones will admit that. Second, our minds are capable of so much more than we can even begin to understand.

I also wonder why traditional therapies and herbs are discredited by most doctors and patients. Many of them have been around for hundreds some even thousands of years. Why do we put so much stock in modern medicine which does not have a very long nor very clean track record?

Am I crazy? No, just open to the possibilities and reaping the benefits.