A suppressed immune system? (Fighting Lyme naturally).

A suppressed immune system?

Having chronic lyme means you don’t tend to get a lot of colds. The immune system is simply too suppressed to react to viruses. That doesn’t mean we don’t have those viruses taking root in our body, just that we aren’t developing a cold to kill them off. 

That in mind, I'm celebrating the fact that I've had a stinker of a cold, complete with chest infection over the last ten days and therefore my immune system did not only kick in, but with the help of acupuncture, echinacea, dandelion and fennel, has completely kicked the virus! In short, my body has done exactly what it's meant to do. For the first time in 4 years.

The alternative medicine programme is working. I can see progression on two counts: First the digestive system wakes up, and now the immune system. After so many years of neither working, trust me, this is great stuff. 

Recovering Stars - A poem

Recovering stars

Completely well is in touching distance

Like the stars in the night sky, shining so brilliantly they’re tangible

Clearly reachable

And as I stretch toward their brightness, the shadow behind begins to dance

And I too dance

For I now know, it is the shadow

That helps us recover stars.

Treating late-stage Lyme disease naturally, not with antibiotics

If you've got late-stage Lyme, I can't shout loudly enough about treating it naturally. When I think about all the supplements I take, yes they're not cheap, but they are helping me recover naturally, and I'm seeing great gains. Antibiotics are way more expensive, and continued use of these over the years will mean that in the end, your body will suffer.

From what I have read on the matter, when it comes to late-stage Lyme and other tick-borne disease, those that take antibiotics, do so for long periods of time. This of course is at great risk to an immune system that is either already weak or frankly non-existent due to the ever-breeding cycle of bacteria wreaking havoc - as it does in the case of someone with late-stage Lyme.

These patients appear to live in hope financially, physically and emotionally, that each cycle of antibiotic treatment will be their last. Will be the one that wipes out the bacteria for good. However, you then hear of people saving money (we're talking tens of thousands), to get themselves to specialist clinics for IV antibiotic treatment, as the afore-mentioned has not worked. What makes people think that this treatment will be any different? Desperation. In the long term, do you ever hear or read stories of how these patients are health-wise ten years after having intravenous antibiotics?

We know the tick-borne bacteria is clever. That it shape-shifts. That it fools the immune system into cohabiting within the body. Well, my belief is that the Lyme bacteria is so stealth-like, antibiotic treatment will never quite be able to zap absolutely all of it. Along with the fact that every month a new batch of bacteria hatches out; probably adjusting to meet its new conditions. As well as being capable of moving into cyst form as it wishes - which of course would be as it was being targeted by medicine - rendering antibiotic treatment worthless. And then, weeks, months, years down the line, when more favourable conditions return, it can of course begin to replicate, all over again.

As I said at the beginning... 'If you've got late-stage Lyme, I can't shout loudly enough about treating it naturally.'

Fighting lyme disease with Chinese Medicine

On World Mental Health day, I'm sharing this pic of the supplements I take to support my immune deficient, nutrient depleted self. As advised by the doctor treating me. This lot, three times daily, because Lyme disease strips the system, thanks to the ever-breeding cycle of bacteria running amok.

My brain has been to hell and back thanks to tickborne disease and I've suffered lots with my mental health over the years, as lyme attacks the nervous system.

Thankfully the treatment I'm getting means the brain inflammation has improved... I've been reading books again. I've been able to express myself again. Able to speak with composure again. To join in again. Late-stage Lyme disease is scary. At my worst I had dementia. And suffered seizures. I've never been so frightened. I still forget stuff but I am so much better that I was. The Traditional Chinese Medicine treatment I receive weekly is helping. Recently, my gut started working again... I'm waking up hungry for the first time in four years. It's astonishing; a bit like waking from the dead. Small steps, yet ones that feel huge to me.

 If you've got late-stage Lyme, I can't shout loudly enough about treating it naturally.

Lyme disease and menopause

MENOPAUSE AND LYME
Three months on, I'm wanting to report on how I'm doing having come completely off HRT. (HRT? Yes, thanks to a full hysterectomy in 2016, courtesy of Lyme disease playing havoc with the endocrine system, I was put on 75mcg of Oestrodot overnight).

STOPPING THE HRT
So what happened? Tits sagged, eyes sagged, gut sagged? Perhaps a little! And yes, my Lyme regressed. As the Chinese Med doc suggested it would. And together with no downtime as a result of the school holidays, I found myself back to boringly bedridden for a burst. It was a case of riding it out, and thanks to the help of good friends and grandparents alike, I took the time to rest and gather my energy and sense of recovery once more.

STEP BACKWARD
After getting better to a degree and feeling so good in May, it was a huge surprise to remember exactly how Lyme and co-infections hit hard. Symptoms literally blow you away, as you helplessly sit by and watch your body fail, multi-systemically. First thing I noticed this time were the lumps and bumps of Bartonella as it marched over my scalp, resulting in a head that was painful to lay down. Then came the headache and hangover feeling each morning, temperatures, uncomfortable aches and pains, memory loss, weight loss and of course exhaustion; all courtesy of the Lyme and Babesia bacteria also gaining a foothold.

HRT WITHDRAWAL
Along with acknowledging the bacteria, I also weathered the usual kind of menopause mayhem. Crazy hot, freezing cold, insomnia, feeling emotional over the slightest thing.

ACUPUNCTURE?
For all the emotional upset however, I never endured the see-sawing moods and irrationality that can arise due to a sudden departure of oestrogen. I wonder if this is down to the weekly acupuncture I've been receiving? Or the diet and supplements this new form of Chinese Medicine dictates? Natural oestrogen's, Wild Yam and Rhodiola Rosea included.

THREE MONTHS ON
So where am I now? Not doing too badly at all, safe in the knowledge that my lyme disease and co-infections are no longer able to hide behind HRT - which helps to mask symptoms. Instead, after the chronic fatigue passed, miraculously I realised my body was starting to work again for itself. For example; I've been waking up hungry! Hunger pangs are something that haven't happened since 2015, so at first I worried about this rather strange sensation, wondering what was wrong? Of course as soon as I realised it was a natural sensation, there was only delight at the prospect of remembering what it was like to have an appetite. It's all good!

Fighting lyme naturally during the menopause - the final hurdle

My Chinese Med Doctor told me, in order for the true treatment of my lyme disease to begin; to truly balance my system, I have to come off HRT. COME OFF HRT. Yeah right, whatever!

If you read LIFE AS IT IS, you'll know that since starting Five elements TCM, I've seen gains, and although admittedly, at first I felt A LOT worse when I dropped my HRT from 75mcg to 50mcg - I almost cancelled New York, I then picked up, as he had suggested. A few weeks on, my body stabilised, and New York was a walk in the (Central) park.

A week ago today, I got brave and dropped my HRT from 50 to 25. A few hot flushes and a few headaches later, (and not the sort that I associate with the killer head of lyme disease), I'm doing fine, so guess what? Today, I've really gone for it... from 25 to 0mcg. I've literally just taken the final patch off. How liberated and empowered do I feel?!!

Not sure what sort of week lay ahead, but with a positive mind and natural oestrogen x 2: Wild Yam and Rhodiola Rosea in my system, I'm going for it, pleased to be free of synthetic hormones that are screwing my endocrine system as far as making a full recovery from Lyme disease.

NEW YORK NEW YORK

Taken from Bar Sixty-Five, The Rainbow Rooms, Rockefeller Centre

New York. Travelling with Lyme. Could my energy hold up? Would I cope? Yes and yes. Using my senses to take me where I needed to go when. And my journalistic skills too. This photo is taken from the Bar Sixty-five restaurant (on the 65th floor above the Rockefeller centre), from the gorgeous restaurant that adjoins the Rainbow Rooms, my thanks to them for miraculously finding us a table in exchange for the mention here on LIFE AS IT IS. Delicious food with stunning views. Be sure to reserve a table well in advance of travelling, and for sometime around dusk to watch magical Manhattan as it changes from light to dark.

What happens next? A trip to New York

A trip to New York.

Only a bloody trip to New York. With three friends. We all worked out there together 25 years ago as nannies. In Connecticut. We would travel to Manhattan at weekends and party like it was 1999. Accept it was 1994 and 25 years on, we're having a reunion. A gift to ourselves that we have been looking forward to for six years... when we began saving £20 a month. Flight and Airbnb booked, and this week, we're off. How exciting!

Crystals and a crystal healing

In a bid to stay well and have energy for my upcoming trip to New York, I had a crystal healing, which left me feeling fantastic. It was really remarkable and put me into a deep state of relaxation. I can't help but feel it has left me in a much better place for travelling. Of course you have to be open to this very spiritual type of healing before going in for it. And I suppose I always was. As a child I was used to being visited by a spirit that sat on the end of my bed. It was an old lady. I was frightened and thought it was someone a bit like my great gran, but she was still alive at the time, so I never did figure it out... Then I saw a ghost when I was in my 20's. Had some very strange goings on in my 30's, nannying in a house that was clearly haunted. Plus had numerous other psychic stuff happen throughout my life.

8th acupuncture appointment...

When the acupuncturist asked me to stop the herbs and a lot of the homeopathic remedies, initially I felt uneasy. I had made good progress on it all. But I was not yet well. I spoke to my naturopath about the changes and her thoughts were that Lyme is such a complex disease, it can be a good thing to change your treatment and bring a surprise attack element to a bacteria, that can and probably will eventually become resistant to what you are doing.

And so, I've settled into a routine with the acupuncturist. Each weekly session leaves me feeling either drained, unwell or both for approximately one to two days, then clears leaving me feeling that bit better. (So long as I stick to the protocol).

The first three occasions were by far the worst. They left me bed-ridden and hurting - in itself not unusual with lyme, but having been with the naturopath it's been a while since I was in that state. There were all sorts of aches and pains associated with the new treatment, but after that, I noticed my lyme symptoms were better. The sharp stabbing pains in my head had ceased. The swelling behind my ears was gone. The pressure I felt in my skull, subsided. There was less confusion and word searching. Less brain fog. Less headaches. Less waking up with the hangover from hell. More remarkable than all of that, my ears, which have been plagued with screaming tinnitus non-stop for two years, began to quieten, so that for parts of some days, I actually didn't notice them.

Needless to say, I'm continuing with acupuncture and the Chinese Medicine protocol for 'wood yin type' - the new diet, exercises, hot baths, supplements, and rest.

Healing Lyme with Chinese Medicine and acupuncture

I'm hardcore me. I went back for more. You see the thing was, by the end of the week I was feeling more like my old self for the first time in ages. My brain felt a lot sharper. I've had way more energy. There can be no denying that once I recovered from the initial healing crisis brought about by the acupuncture, I was left feeling stronger.

This time there was no chicken or fish; only an infrared lamp positioned over my gut, and several needles (complete with electrodes attached) to probe my meridians. I'm going to have to research acupuncture before I even begin to understand it, but from what little I can gather, these stimuli all work together in waking up the brain. Retraining it if you like, to do the multi-systemic jobs it should automatically do within ones body to keep it healthy.

My naturopath is happy for me to trial acupuncture, and with her blessing so am I, even though as I write this, I'm preparing for the next lot of fall out I've been promised.

Weird science.

Chinese Medicine

So the last time I blogged was about juicing celery. Shortly after that my juicer bust. It had been working overtime in the three years I'd had it, so it was hardly surprising. In the meantime, a friend lent me hers and I found out it would only cost £20 more to have my broken one replaced over repaired. The new and improved version has been sat in the hallway for the last hour, and I'm realising I never got back to the blog about the celery juice. Honestly, celery has been going well and I had been doing 'better' energy wise. Has it upped my stomach acid (the reason I went on it)? No, I don't believe it has. So what's next?

Healing from Lyme naturally - The benefits of celery juice

Each morning I drink a pint of freshly juiced celery juice. I started this a month ago when I read its cluster salts are beneficial to recovering ones health. This was encouraged by a fellow lyme sufferer who like me discovered she has zero stomach acid. The idea being that drinking the celery each morning on an empty stomach will give you stomach acid for the rest of the day to help you absorb any nutrients. I have noticed better energy levels so there may well be something in this. I'll be adding to this post at a later stage to see if it has any other obvious benefits. In the meantime, it does taste slightly better one month on!

De-stressing neuro lyme

Having late lyme lots of my symptoms are neurological. The short sharp shooting and stabbing pains I occasionally feel in my head, along with the memory loss, migraine, pressure, blurred vision and tinnitus, are all cause for concern.

A friend offered me her amazing reiki services recently and I mentioned I worry sometimes about possible damage to my brain? Lyme dementia is very real. She told me after the healing that she'd had a vision - my brain was gold. Now I'm not sure what that is supposed to mean, and make of that what you will, but, and this was highly amusing... I was somewhat surprised that same evening when my husband arrived home from work with a gold brain stress ball they'd been handing out!

Dear Visitors... hello 2019 update

Really great to update my Dear Visitors page from 2012, knowing that Motherhood eventually became me! Here's the additional intro:

CHRISTMAS with the kids - Enjoy, make & do

CHRISTMAS 2018 with the kids… enjoy, make and do!

Healing from Lyme naturally - Drinking water

Owning your disease... controlling your lyme symptoms and helping rid the body of toxins created by pathogens drawn out by a lyme diet.

Healing naturally from lyme takes a lot of hard work. There's a routine to get into and rules to abide by and frankly, it's dull. However, as I'd rather my life was dull and not painful - I've managed over the last 12 months to find a rhythm with it all that I'm comfortable with. The party loving/coffee relying/choc-o-holic in me never saw that coming.

Healing from lyme disease naturally - How Epsom Salt Baths work

Owning your disease... controlling your lyme symptoms and helping rid the body of toxins created by a lyme diet.

Healing from Lyme Disease naturally - Dry skin brushing

Owning your disease... controlling your lyme symptoms and helping rid the body of toxins created by a lyme diet using the dry skin brushing technique.

Prevention IS better than cure & why you need tick spray in Winter.

The Summer of 2018 brought forth a heat wave that we will all remember, not only here in the UK but around the world. Personally, I've loved the endless days of sunshine, hanging out with my two fun girls on their holiday, at long last being able to enjoy good health courtesy of my Lyme disease diet and the strict naturopath protocol I've mostly adhered to all six weeks, give or take a slice of birthday cake: I can't believe my two have turned another year older, a long with their Great Gran who reached the amazing milestone of 100!