I just posted a video on YouTube today with my top tips for organizing all the medications, supplements, tinctures, this, that, and the other that you might be taking if you have a chronic illness like Lyme disease.

I hope you find some of these tips helpful and let me know in the comments your best tips for organizing!

I've become a fan of YouTube in recent months and have been posting more Lyme related videos there while focusing on recipes on my blog. How are you all feeling about this? Do you miss posts about Lyme and treatment updates here? What format do you prefer (videos vs. writing)? I'll continue to use all social media platforms from Instagram to Facebook to YouTube and of course this blog, but it would be nice to know what you all like best :).

If you aren't subscribed to me on Youtube, you should be. I haven't been announcing here every time I post a video and if you don't want to miss one, head on over to my channel and click that red subscribe button!

My Youtube is filled with tips and tricks for healing Lyme, some food stuff, and a few random videos for fun on occasion :).

I posted this video a few weeks back but wanted to make sure you all saw it. Detox baths are one of my favorite ways to, well, detox, also to relax and even help kill Lyme!

I'm really excited today to be sharing a guest post by Kerry from Body, Mind, Lyme. Kerry was diagnosed with two autoimmune disease before finally figuring out the root cause- Lyme disease. Today she is sharing some tips for those recently diagnosed with Lyme and how to handle the diagnosis.

Although both of us have been dealing with health issues for quite some time and many of you reading this have also been dealing with Lyme for awhile, Kerry's advice still applies. I know I get many newly diagnosed with Lyme reading my blog, as well, so here is some great advice for everyone! Let me know in the comments what you wish you would have known when you were first diagnosed. And don't forget to head on over and check out Body, Mind, Lyme!

_________________________________________________________________

Advice for the Newly Diagnosed Lyme Disease Patient 

I suppose the silver lining of a chronic Lyme disease diagnosis is that you have a diagnosis. So many of our ranks suffered for years with no answers. I know the sense of relief I felt when I finally knew what was wrong.

But that is just the first step. Now you must venture into the strange maze of chronic Lyme disease treatment. Here are a few things I wish I’d know when I asked the doctor, “So, you’re sure this is it?” and she confidently and reassuringly said, “yes.”

1. You are not alone. 

It is scary to receive a diagnosis of a “rare” disease, but Lyme disease is not rare. There are 300,000 new cases recognized by the CDC each year, and some estimate a much higher number that go unrecognized or unreported. In my small circle I know 2 other people who have been diagnosed with Lyme. Once you start telling people about your diagnosis you will start hearing the stories, “my cousin has that,” “my uncle’s sister’s best friend’s niece has that.”

Aside from connecting with people who are 2nd and 3rd degrees of separation, I would strongly suggest tapping into the vast Lyme community on the internet.

The first place I looked was on Facebook and I joined a closed group for female Lyme disease patients all over the world and a regional closed group for people in Illinois (where I live) to share resources and ask questions. Then, I tapped into the blog world looking for posts from people who have had similar experiences to mine. Finally, I started my own blog to connect with other bloggers and Lyme patients with the goal of being a positive place for Lyme patients to stumble upon, like I did with so many other blogs, including Lemons ‘N Lyme.

There are countless blogs and social media feeds related to Lyme disease. I would suggest finding a few that share your attitude and approach to illness. I follow blogs and social media feeds that focus on positivity and a modified diet. Some people may want to follow blogs with a focus on research or a certain treatment protocol. The good thing is whatever you are looking for, you will find it.

I truly don’t know how Lyme patients diagnosed over 10 years ago coped with this illness without the internet.

If possible I would also recommend talking to Lyme patients face-to-face. I eventually joined a Lyme disease support group and have found it to be extremely helpful. If there isn’t a support group in your area, I would suggest having coffee with another Lyme patient who lives close by. If you live in a small area and are unable to find any other Lyme patients near you there is the option of Skype or continuing to form connections online.

The good people of the chronic Lyme disease community are a wealth of support and information. We have to be, because besides some medical professionals, we are all that we've got.

2. It gets worse and then it gets better (and then it gets worse, better, worse). 

Now that you and your doctor have decided on a treatment plan, it is time for the roller coaster ride of Lyme recovery. I often describe the Lyme treatment process like an upward moving roller coaster. There are rises and falls, but slowly you will be making upward progress. It just doesn’t always feel that way.

I’ve found that on my bad days I can’t remember how I felt on my good days and on my good days I can’t remember how I felt on my bad days.

You’ve likely read up on Herxheimer reactions and if you haven’t here is a good post. You could feel better for weeks, then have a huge herx reaction as the bacteria die off and leave your body.

My doctor has a good strategy for showing me that things are slowly getting better. She documented all the symptoms I brought to her on our first visit (debilitating pain, headaches, dizziness, blurry vision, etc.) and each visit she asks if I still have those symptoms. Most are better, if not gone. I still feel sick, but she helps me see the progress.

This is a strategy you could do with your doctor or on your own. Write down all your symptoms and return to the list once a month to add new symptoms and track progress on your old symptoms.

3. Your treatment will not be like anyone else’s treatment. 

Dr. Richard Horowitz calls Lyme disease Multi Systemic Infectious Disease Syndrome or MSIDS. That is because Lyme usually comes with multiple coinfections (including parasitic and viral) and attacks multiple systems in your body. So depending on which coinfections you have and which systems they are going after you are going to present differently than any other Lyme patient.

There are common symptoms across most Lyme patients, like fatigue, brain fog, and pain, but there are hundreds of other ways the disease can manifest.

Other things that will affect your treatment plan are: autoimmune responses (such as Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis), food intolerances (gluten, dairy, etc.), gene mutations (MTHFR), and vitamin/mineral deficiencies (anemia).

When you look at the above list it is pretty clear why no treatment plans look alike.

Usually they include antibiotics and/or antimicrobials, supplements, and lifestyle changes, but it will always be a variation.

4. There is no right treatment, there is only the right treatment for you. 

In my first suggestion I tell you to tap into the Lyme community on the internet. In this suggestion, I’m going to tell you to take it with a grain of salt.

I tend to skip over any Facebook post that contains any negativity or controversial discussion. There are people who will say never take antibiotics and there are people who say antibiotics are the only thing that worked for them.

It is very difficult to land on a treatment that you are comfortable with. When I was undiagnosed, I said no to many different medications, including antibiotics. At the time, I just wasn’t comfortable with that particular treatment. I feel like at this stage of my disease I am on the right treatment for me, so I tend to take with a grain of salt advice on what to take or not take. I’m always open to a new approach, but it has to be something I am comfortable with or it will end up doing more harm than good.

5. There is hope. 

Lyme disease is a devastating diagnosis and will surely have many days where it feels like an impossible climb.

When you are feeling like you will never get better, go online and read one or two stories of recovery.

I’m 75% better than when I began treatment and I still have moments where I break down and cry. In these moments I use advice I heard on The Oprah Winfrey Show many years ago. There was a guest who had been hit by a drunk driver and had severe, disfiguring burns covering most of her body. She told Oprah that she allows herself 5 minutes a day to cry and after that she gets up and keep going. When I break down, I let it all out, then I get back up and keep going.

It’s all we can do.

Okay, this is going to be an overall treatment update along with an LDI update. But first, I want to give a huge shout out to all of my amazing Lyme friends. Seriously, I wouldn't be able to get through the hard days (or any of the days) without all of you. It's absolutely impossible to understand what someone with a chronic illness is going through unless you have one, too. Meeting other people who struggle with the same issues as I do has been beyond helpful. I know I can count on you all when sh*t hits the fan and I need to vent or need reassurance I'm going to survive (seriously). It's beyond helpful to just have someone to listen. SO, THANK YOU A MILLION TIMES OVER! <3

I took my latest lDI dose on Tuesday 8/25, 11c. I didn't choose the best time to take it as I took it the same week as a full moon (8/29). DUMB! My symptoms always pick up a few days before a full moon but I also believe I flared a bit from the LDI.

If you all recall, at the end of May/beginning of June I did a series of LDI doses. I started at 15c and every week after that I did 1c lower until I hit a dose that made me feel good. I took 11c right after a week vacation in California and I felt pretty good the next day. I wasn't sure if it was the LDI or if it was just me feeling rejuvenated post-vacay. So the following week I took 10c, just to find out. Well, that made me flare! I was exhausted. So we decided 11c it was.

I've waited the 8 weeks and just repeated that 11c BUT we increased the amount of antigen in the formula. This may sound confusing. It was the same c (strength) but stronger antigen AKA less "filler" in the formula and more of the 11c in the dose. This may be what caused my flare from this round.

A flare for me has meant being even more tired then usual (really, is that possible?! Apparently), trouble falling asleep (ugh really? BUT I'M TIRED!), headaches, tummy troubles (also, is that possible, my stomach is already a mess?!), increased anxiety, and just feeling off.

We will see what my doctor has to say when I go to see him in 2 weeks. As always, I will keep you all posted. I get a lot of emails about how LDI is going and if I've seen improvements. Honestly, I haven't seen improvements form the LDI…yet. LDI is a process. I know all of Lyme treatment is a process but LDI takes time to figure out dosing and once you do it takes many doses to feel improvements. So, there won't be a quick or easy answer and you all will have to bear with me through this process :).

I've also begun bee venom therapy in the past month. I had a pretty strong reaction to it so instead of going full on we have to desensitize me. This means starting with just one bee, doing taps, and building up slowly. Once I am able to handle tapping from about 10 bees, I'll be able to do set-ins, and then full stings.

Bee venom has an amazing amount of antibiotic, anti-inflammatory, and healing properties. It is one of the only things that can get inside (in-between) cell membranes where the Lyme hides. BVT can be healing in a number of chronic illnesses from MS to arthritis to Lyme and beyond.

Last but not least, I have also added procaine injections into my regimen. That's right, I get to give myself nightly injections. Procaine is supposed to help calm and reset my overactive nervous system. I am doing the injections in my abdominal area in an effort to get my digestive system to relax. I'm not sure anything will ever help my digestive system (unless I can get a transplant!) but I'll keep trying.

If you have any questions about the treatments I'm doing, feel free to leave a comment or contact me!

There is a divide within the "Lyme world." There are those who refuse to associate with Lyme, call themselves a Lymie, or define themselves by there illness. Then there are those who 100% define themselves by their disease and would consider nothing else then to be called a Lymie.

I understand both sides. When you are so sick you can't even lift your arm because of the pain, you feel so incredibly lost that you don't know what else to associate yourself with other then your disease. I think some people are just more positive about the whole situation or they have many other things to associate themselves with or they have an amazing support system or they've been lucky enough to where they haven't truly suffered. Whatever the case may be, I get it.

I call myself a Lymie but I fall somewhere in between the two extremes (as many do). So why do I associate with my illness? Because it IS part of me. At least for right now. It doesn't define me but it sure as hell feels like it tries to. I associate with this illness because I feel an obligation to. What I mean by that is this community of Lyme-fighters 110% needs advocates in the world. How many people and doctors don't believe in chronic Lyme disease? How many sick patients are out there without a proper diagnosis? How many of us who ARE diagnosed are STILL suffering? I define myself as a Lymie to make a point. To let the world know I have suffered, I am suffering, and I will continue to suffer until progress in the medical community is made. I do it to let the world know there are 100's of others just like me, worse then me, SCREAMING for help and relief and progress.

I spent years in pain and sick, searching for a diagnosis. So yes, I am a Lymie, a Lyme-warrior, a Lyme-fighter. I want the world to know how hard I have fought the system to get a proper diagnosis, to get my health back. I want the world to know how much of a battle this disease is BECAUSE of how abused and corrupted our medical system has become. I want people to know how much I've suffered. Not because I want pity, but because I want people to understand how much this "easy to treat and hard to get" disease can take from your life!

I don't call myself a Lymie to make people feel sorry for me or to feel sorry for myself or to drag myself into the depths of this disease (although sometimes I go there, don't we all?). I do it to make a point. To bring awareness. To support others in this battle. I've put up one hell of a fight to get where I am today and I want everyone (especially the medical community and insurance world) to know that. To know how brave people with Lyme actually are. I want to be the face, the voice, the advocate for those who can't work, who are bedridden, who have lost friends and family because of this illness. Lyme isn't a joke and it can't be treated with just 2-4 weeks of doxycycline.

Do you call yourself a veteran because that's all you associate with? That's all you are? No, you do it because it's a huge part of your life. You fought a giant battle and you probably have scars or medals or insane stories to show for it. We honor you for your bravery. Well, I fought a damn huge battle myself. Against my own body. Want to see the scars? Or hear the stories? I have them. You can call me a veteran if you want, I've been brave enough to keep fighting this battle every single day and to keep myself alive through it all. Lyme disease is a large part of my life, every day revolves around treatment and pills and how I feel. It doesn't define me but it IS a huge part of who I am, how I've gotten to where I am today, and what I've learned.

I'm not saying you should fall into the trap of your disease or only associate with the negatives in your life, but if you have a chronic illness, it is part of who you are. It's okay to connect with it, to identify with it. Sometimes that can make it easier to understand and live with, rather then trying to continually push it away and make it this foreign, frustrating thing that has taken you over. Accepting your illness is important for recovery, it allows you to come to terms with it, acknowledge it, and figure out how to move forward. I am still working on this, it isn't easy. The more I've tried to push it away, the harder it is for me to mentally cope because I become angry at Lyme (which is totally okay to do, too) rather then work with it. And those negative emotions towards your disease can actually make it worse and cause flares (anger is a type of inflammation in your life and Lyme feeds off inflammation. Lyme also looks for any moment to pounce and when you are sad or upset or negative, it can weaken your immune system and allow Lyme an opening). I am coming to terms with Lyme by acknowledging I'm a fighter, a warrior.

I AM a Lymie. I'm proud of it. I stand up for everyone else who is suffering. I'm making a point.

Why do you call yourself a Lymie (if you do)? Let me know in the comments!

After my last post in regards to LDI treatment, I received A LOT of feedback. Especially from people who were searching it online and my blog came up. I received many emails and comments (both on my blog and on Instagram) asking questions about LDI, how it was going, how they can start this treatment. I am more then happy to help all of you but, just a small reminder, I am not a doctor and this is only MY experience. I am so happy to share it, though :).

So, since I last posted I have taken 6 doses! Here's how it worked: I started at 15c (yes we dropped way back from my original 8c dose) and then every week I dropped 1c lower (15->14->13, etc). The idea was to drop 1c until I took a dose that made me feel GOOD after and not herx. Dr. Vincent recently changed his protocol where if you had no response to a dose you could take another one the next week instead of waiting 7 weeks. Now, if you have a negative reaction (herx) you must wait the 7 weeks.

I made it down to 11c post-vacation and felt alright the following day (aka, I didn't need a nap). But I wasn't sure if it was the LDI or just that post-vacation high (and having gotten tons of rest) so I took 10c last week. I have felt crappy ever since and I'm not sure if it is the LDI either. I think the LDI kicked off a herx and then Lyme just set in. I saw my doctor this afternoon and we have decided 11c will be my dose for now. This means I wait another 7 weeks before the next shot of 11c.

It can take up to 6 months to find your ideal dose and it can take even longer to really feel effects of LDI. It takes time for it to work and ideally after every dose the positive effects will last a little longer.

The next thing that is going to be added to my treatment regimen is bee venom therapy. I am starting with some topical bee venom and then will soon add in the actual bee stings. I am very excited to begin this treatment as I have heard some very positive results from it (cough BROOKE cough… among others). I also have some other exciting treatment options that I will be adding in but won't be sharing about those quite yet. I'll be sure to keep you all updated along the way!

Two weeks ago I had my first shot of Low-Dose Immunotherapy (LDI) for Lyme disease. When I posted the picture below on Instagram and Facebook, I got a huge response. Many people wanted to learn more and although I emailed many people with details, I figured I'd post about it, as well. LDI itself isn't new but the us of it for Lyme is. I am not an expert on the topic but I will share what I do know.

I don't have time to post! Sorry you all! I've been so incredibly busy working, shadowing at the hospital, and doing treatment. I haven't had the energy or time to do any creative recipe creating. I've just been in a cooking slump, I suppose. I've pretty much been living off juice, homemade chicken soup, roasted veggies, avocados, plantains, and almonds. I'll work on getting the kitchen juices flowing again. Please hang in there until I do!

And guess what else? I've relapsed a bit. We caught it before I completely crashed but I'm back on that treatment train.

YUP, back on ALL the supplements and back to the big pill container plus taking something every couple hours and timing all my meals around medications. I'm trying my hardest to avoid antibiotics but I will be taking Byron White's herbal drops for Lyme, Babesia, and Bartonella. I'll also be doing ozone IV's, glutathione pushes, Meyer's cocktails, and phosphytidal choline drips. (Yesss, my favorite, needles and IV's! I miss my picc line at times like this…). I'll probably be starting B12 shots again. I just can't avoid those needles, can I? Luckily I've been through it all before. I started A-L (BW's Lyme formula) this past weekend. I did a challenge dose of 5 drops which had me HERXING! Let me tell you. I was EXHAUSTED, body aches, headaches, head pressure, felt like death, the usual, ya know. My doctor had originally wanted me to do a challenge dose of 15 drops. Jokes on him. Thank goodness I opted for 5.

So basically my life looks like this: Take massive amounts of pills, drops, and other gross liquids. Detox as much as possible (FIR sauna 3-4x a week, castor oil pack when I can, dry brush, juice). NAP DAILY! IV's every Friday. Eat very VERY little sugar (blueberries a few times a week because I need to feed my sweet tooth somehow) and 110% paleo.  Take some more gross liquids and starve for 45 minutes until I can eat since everything always has to be taken on an empty stomach. Sleep. Oh, and I fit work in there somewhere too. Luckily my jobs rock. 🙂

Anyway, short and sweet but just wanted to update all you amazingly supportive people. When I told my Grandma this weekend that I was back on Lyme treatment she got very mad at the Lyme. So maybe if we all get very mad at the Lyme it will get scared and go back into hiding. Thanks in advance for being mad at Lyme for me ;). I'll work on some recipe creating soon!

If you've had Lyme for a while you know how important detoxing is. If you are new to Lyme, you may not. I didn't know about the importance of detoxing until over a year into treatment! But let's back up a few steps. Detoxing is not only important for those with Lyme disease, it is important for EVERYONE. Why? Because our environment is filled with toxins that are getting into your body! How? Through pollutants in the air, the water you drink (if it is from the tap it contains antibiotics, pesticides, heavy metals, and other chemicals), the products you put on your skin (if not using all natural products), and the food you eat (especially if you are not eating organic).

Everyone needs to detox as our environment in general is filled with chemicals that your body isn't meant to have in it. But many of those with Lyme also have compromised detoxing systems so we need to do EXTRA to get not only these chemicals out but also the toxins from the buggers. As you kill Lyme bugs through treatment, they give off toxins as they die which are VERY stressful on your body. This is what causes a herx and can make you feel worse before you feel better. Detoxing helps pull those toxins out quicker and make you feel better! Our little Lyme bodies can't handle much more overload so the more we can do to decrease the load on our organs and systems by detoxing, the better.

I am living proof that detoxing works and is important! But it does take consistency and time. I am the most impatient person in the world and if I don't feel the effects of something immediately I assume it's not working or worth my time. You will usually feel at least some benefit almost immediately from many detoxing techniques but doing them for a prolonged period of time will work wonders. I've been consistent with my detox routine for a few months and I am just now starting to feel the real benefits. I feel like my toxin load is truly lifting and allowing me to move forward with treatment. So read on for a very important health PSA :).

There are A LOT of things you can do to detox and I am going to go through many of them here. Of course, it is important to detox your environment, too, but that is a whole other post! I will be focusing on how to detox the systems in your body. Some I have tried, some I have not (I will mention that after I discuss each one). There are also probably more out there that I don't know about so please leave a comment if I leave something out or let me know what works best for you!

Detox Baths (or Ion Foot Cleanses): THIS is one of my number one favorite ways to detox! It is easy and most anyone can do it. Plus it is relaxing. Detox baths are done using epsom salts and any other additives you want. My favorite combo is 2 cups epsom salts + 1 cup baking soda + 1-2 tablespoons ground ginger. Put all of this into a warm-hot bath and sweat it out for 15-20 minutes. I light candles and put on some good music to help de-stress. Epsom salts are well-known for their many benefits and are used in baths to help pull toxins out of your body, alleviate joint and muscle pain, and improve oxygen use (these are only a few of the many benefits). Baking soda (or Apple Cider Vinegar) helps pull out toxins, as well, but it also balances pH by making your system more alkaline (Lymies can tend to be out of wack). ACV has anti-viral, anti-fungal, and anti-bacterial effects, as well (Hippocrates was the one who preached about its antibiotic effects!). Ground ginger helps increase the heat in your body allowing you to sweat more and thus pull out more toxins. Your largest detoxing organ in your body is your skin! So the more you can sweat out through your skin, the better! You can always add in some essential oils to your bath or other things like maca, special bath bombs or salts, etc, to make things even more interesting.

Far-Infrared Sauna: This is on a similar level as a detox bath. The big idea here again is to SWEAT! But you want to use a FIR sauna. Far-infrared heat is different... far-infrared rays are able to penetrate the tissues heating up the whole body and both possibly killing buggers (which don't survive at high temps) and making you sweat out toxins. Far-infrared heat is also able to stimulate your lymphatic system, which has no pumps, to help flush out toxins. I have a portable FIR sauna I got off Amazon for a very good price. Dr. Klinghardt has shown that you only need to sweat for 10 minutes to receive benefits. I usually hop in and once I start sweating stay in for about 15 minutes (that is about as long as I can stand!). So my total sauna time ends up being 25-30 minutes. I think this bad boy has been key in helping me- I'm so full of toxins and I sweat like MAD in my sauna. Feels so good sweating out all the bad stuff! Especially since I can't work out right now and sweat that way.

Biomat (or Migun Mat): The biomat is, well I would say, famous in the Lyme community. It is like a giant heating pad you lay on and it emits far-infrared heat like the FIR sauna. It also emits negative ions. According to the Biomat website "If there are enough negative ions inside and outside the cell, the cell is able to absorb nutrients and eliminate waste product more effectively.  Flooding the body with negative ions enriches it at the cellular level and encourages the elimination of toxins and oxidants...Negative ions activate the body’s entire cellular communication system by opening cell channels and allowing nutrients to enter more easily and wastes to be eliminated, purifying the body at the cellular level." (http://www.biomat.com/faq/the-basics/). Biomats are a similar idea to the FIR sauna but you don't tend to sweat as much and you can lay on them for as long as you want. I have used one a couple times and love it! FIR heat is also shown to decrease inflammation (for example, I know a lady who showed signs of pre-breast cancer and after using her biomat everyday completely decreased all inflammation in her breast!) and if you have Lyme or any type of pain you know you have inflammation! Most people do!

Dry Brushing: This is where you take a brush like you would use in the shower- so a stiff bristled dry brush- and dry brush your skin. No water! Dry brushing stimulates circulation and the lymphatic system. Like I mentioned above, your lymphatic system has no pumps so in order to keep things moving and detox you must stimulate it. Your lymph system is part of your circulatory system and basically "clears" toxins from around your body, recycling old blood back to your heart. It's stimulated by movement and breathing, so exercise and deep meditation (with lots of breathing) can help support your lymphatic system. But being sick means it needs extra help and also means you probably can't exercise as much! I dry brush daily right before I go through my detox regimen (so before a sauna, bath, or hot shower is best). To dry brush you want to go in sweeping strokes toward your heart. Start from your feet, sweeping up your legs and then down your arms. Remember, all toward your heart as that is the direction of the lymph system flow and you are trying to help it out.

Lymphatic Drainage Massage: Since we are talking about the lymphatic system! This type of massage is very different from a typical massage and you have to seek out someone who offers them and specifically knows what they are doing. They use a special technique to stimulate the lymphatic system. I have never had one of these but you can YouTube videos of it that will even show you some basic moves you can do on yourself at home! I know people who have had these and feel amazing afterwards (which makes perfect sense because you are increasing the effectiveness of your detoxing system). Here is a video of an at home technique you can use!

Yoga: I just mentioned the importance of movement for lymphatic drainage and yoga is a great, low energy way to do that. Yoga can stimulate your lymphatic system without too much overload on your body. Yoga can also help with general detox. Poses that help the best are twists so if you are doing yoga for detox I would tell you to chose a series with a lot of twists. The idea here is the same as that of wringing out a towel. Twists wring out your organs of toxins the way you wring out all the water in a towel. Twists also help stimulate organs and systems in your body. There are lots of other poses that help with detoxing and health but I am not a yoga expert. You can google this or YouTube videos. I generally just YouTube a yoga video to do that day and here is one of my favorite ones for detox and digestion!

Castor Oil Packs: One of the major detoxing organs in your body is your liver. But it can get REALLY clogged up from toxins, antibiotics, and parasites (they love to live in there and in your gallbladder). Castor oil draws toxins out of your body through your skin, helping alleviate the load on your liver. I get terrible spleen/pancreas and liver pain and these bad boys have helped decrease that tremendously! These packs also help stimulate your lymphatic system and help boost your immune system. How perfect? Get on this now. What you do is buy some organic wool or cotton and some castor oil. This is a bit messy so be prepared. You want to pour the castor oil over the fabric (do this in a bowl or the sink!) so that it is saturated but not dripping. Then lie down on a towel and lay the pack over top of your abdomen. I cover my whole abdomen because all of it always hurts but many people just use a piece of fabric big enough to cover their liver (the upper right quadrant of your abdomen by the base of your ribs). Then lay another towel or some plastic wrap over the pack and top it all off with a heating pad. Lay and relax, nap, or read for 45 minutes to two hours. You want to go 3-4 days on then 3-4 days off.

Juicing: Man oh man, the benefits of juicing are endless! I'm not going to spend time talking about ALL the health benefits of juicing, I will just focus on the detoxing part of it all. Green juices help with general detoxification and also serve as a gentle heavy metal detoxer. You all have heard of the importance of eating your green leafy veggies but juiced they can help pull out toxins even better! This is because the nutrients from veggies in a juice form are very quickly and easily absorbed into your system and your digestive system doesn't have to do any work to break down the fiber. They also assist the liver in detoxification. Cilantro and Parsley are two herbs that are EXCELLENT at detoxing and releasing heavy metals (but make sure you take a binder to bind the released metals and excrete them from your body). Dandelion greens help decrease inflammation and assist the liver and kidneys in detoxification. They are a diuretic, helping you pee out those nasty toxins in your body. They may also help boost the immune system. Turmeric root is also a great thing to juice. Turmeric contains the compound curcumin which is a natural anti-inflammatory. Juicing turmeric root gets that curcumin right into your system! Ginger is one of my favorite things in the world to juice! It is an aquired taste and you may need to start small and increase the dose slowly. I aim for ½-1 inch piece of ginger in all my juices. Ginger helps decrease inflammation and stimulates circulation to improve the natural detox systems in your body.

Colonics/Colon Hydrotherapy: Yes, we are going to go there. Your colon gets mad clogged up with toxins that just sit in there and old food that ferments. Gross, I know. And even if you think you are regular, you're probably not and have some toxin build up in your intestines. Many of those with Lyme have digestive issues and a lot of are constipated due to antibiotics or Candida (while some are the complete opposite). So basically what happens is they shoot water up your... um.. butt... and cleanse out your colon... then everything comes back out. They usually last 45 min.-1 hour (sometimes longer) depending on who you see and how toxic you are. Bile is "recycled" in your body but colonics helps clean some of that bile out which can hold toxins in it. They may also help clean out parasites due to helping get bile out and other things that have been stuck in your colon. I have tried colonics and I have to say I wasn't the biggest fan probably because my digestive system is cray. BUT I believe in their benefits and I know many people who have found them to be amazing and include them as a regular part of treatment (or at least every few months to help you feel cleaned out and less toxic).

Coffee Enemas: Alright, on a similar note as colonics, we have coffee enemas. These are done at home rather then at a colonics place. You basically shoot coffee up your ass and wait for the magic to happen :p (sorry for that graphic image... but I know I got you to smile). So like colonics, they clean you out but coffee has some compounds that serve as awesome detoxifiers in your body. Coffee is absorbed right into the blood stream when you do a coffee enema and compounds in coffee can help detox your liver and help your body produce more Glutathione. AND LET ME TELL YOU, GLUTATHIONE IS ONE OF THE BEST DETOXIFIERS! You produce it naturally but many with Lyme don't produce enough or need an extra boost to help detoxify. Many doctors will give it via IV or a supplement form to help alleviate a herx or symptoms in general. Dr. Horowitz raves about it in his book. Coffee enemas can also help with heavy metal detoxification. You basically buy a coffee enema kit (can get them cheap online) then boil some good, organic coffee and spend some quality time with your bathroom. I have not tried these yet but I plan to start this summer once I am out of school and have more time. Everyone I have talked to who has tried them loves them and really benefits.

Lemon Water: Squeezing lemon into your water can help detoxify your body, balance pH, and boost your immune system. Lemon is one of those all natural, easily accessible super foods in a way! Lemon helps stimulate liver function and is considered an antiseptic. It has also been shown to help in the treatment of malaria (read: help with Babesia!). I try and drink lemon water daily (mixed with Thieves essential oil) and add it to homemade dressings, sauces, or squeeze it on all my food.

Supplements: There are many supplements that you can get at your local health food store that bind toxins or help detoxify your body in some way. Some of these include a probiotic, milk thistle, chlorella, and activated charcoal. Chlorella and activated charcoal are great at binding toxins and pulling them out, especially heavy metals. They are low level though so that is important to keep in mind. I would not advise using activated charcoal daily unless your doctor as recommended that as it pulls EVERYTHING out (even the minerals in food and whatnot) plus can cause constipation. I use activated charcoal if I know I have eaten something bad or I am having terrible symptoms or herxing. Chlorella can be taken daily and is a mild detoxifier that is great for the body. Chlorella is a binder, as well, so it can bind heavy metals if you have released them with juicing or cilantro. Milk thistle is another mild yet wonderful liver detoxifier. Probiotics are important for anyone with Lyme disease but they can help detox the digestive tract slightly, as well. I'm sure there are other supplements out there but these are the main ones I know of and use or have used. They all can be purchased at your local health food store or Vitamin Cottage.

Byron White Formulas: First of all, these can only be purchased through a doctor. Many LLMD's and alternative medicine docs will know of these or use them. Byron White makes a few amazing detox formulas including BT-detox, NT-detox, and Detox-2. I have used all three and I am currently taking BT-detox which has really helped with my brain fog.

Herbs and other detox formulas: There are many herbs out there that help with detoxification. If you have heard of the Cowden Protocol, he includes several detox drops in his regimen (including Burbur, Parsley, Pinella, and more!). I am on the Cowden protocol but have to say I don't find his detox drops to be strong enough for me. They work but I need extra doses plus all the other stuff I have just discussed! There are also many essential oils that help with detoxing. Essential oils are not my speciality and I am just starting to get into them (very excited, by the way!). I know of someone (cough cough KAYLA cough cough) who knows a lot about them and I'm sure she would be willing to provide insight if any of you had questions (I hope she doesn't mind me mentioning her here... and I also feel like she wouldn't mind if I said that I could put any of you in touch with her if you have more questions about essential oils and the MANY benefits of them)! There are many other detox formulas out there that health food stores sell or your doctor may know of. I have mentioned the main ones I am aware of but wanted to include this bullet so you all were aware of the fact that there are more out there!

ALRIGHTY, so this post took me a few days to write and I'm sure as soon as I publish it I will think of a couple more things I forgot to mention. I'll probably do a second post if that happens OR if you all comment about a bunch of methods (then I can share them with everyone!). But please do comment with your favorite detoxing methods and any methods I have not mentioned. I feel like a cheerleader for detoxing so I always want to learn about new detoxing treatments :).

That is a lame title. I had thought of a good one the other day... but that was the other day and now I don't remember it at all. 

I was at home in DC last weekend and saw my doctor on Monday February 10, Exactly two years after my initial horrible sickness set in. February 10, 2012 I got food poisoning and spent the night vomiting my guts up. It was just as horrible as it sounds. I continued to feel crappy for the next week and figured I just had the flu or a bad cold. But I never got better. Things just got worse. And worse. Until my doctor started me on Doxycycline at the end of March. If you've read my About page you'll know how that spring semester went for me so I won't go into great detail here. 

So what happened at my doctors appointment? Well both my parents went and we met with both my doctor and the head doctor because SOMETHING needed to get figured out. Basically, we concluded that my body had pretty much shut down from overload of treatment. We decided it was time to take a break from antibiotics.

ALL antibiotics! Yes, that means I got to get my picc line out! I was ecstatic when the docs said I could get it out because I went in there with one goal- to make them let me get it out. Mission accomplished and I didn't even have to fight for it! My adrenals ARE SHOT. They have been for years so I am starting Cortef to see if that helps at all. I'm stopping B12 shots because they are doing absolutely nothing for me. We decided we are going to spend the next couple weeks letting my body rest and focusing on detoxing plus eradicating the mold. In two weeks I will start the heavy metals chelation protocol (4 days of oral chelation and 3 days of mineral replacement). I'm still taking all my supplements plus some Byron White detox formulas and BLT and Crypto-Plus by Researched Nutritionals (some herbal formulas for fighting Lyme, Bartonella, and Babesia). If I am handling everything alright (aka don't die from not being on abx) over the next couple weeks we will start an herbal protocol. Most likely the Cowden protocol. This makes me very  happy because I am so over being on abx all the time. If I had stayed on them it would have been 2 years straight on abx in March.... yuck! My gut and mental-ness (yes I realize that is not a term but I'm making it one) need a break.

I already mentally feel so much better. It's weird not having my picc and I felt a little empty at first. I mean, a pretty big part of my life for the past 7 months is now GONE. What?! It's crazay. But not having to do the infusions every day and not having to take drugs every day is a huge mental break and I feel more positive already. I'm ready to fight this thing! EFFFF YOU LYME! I AM COMING FOR YOU AND I WILL FIND YOU AND I WILL WIN!

(my sad arm and my ridiculous smile)

I have now been off abx for 4 days... 4 whole days! I was doing okay until yesterday afternoon when I crashed and crashed hard! I think it was more my fault then not being on abx. I decided HEY, my picc is out! Let's go to the gym and use my arm that I haven't used in 7 months! ... Poor choice, Victoria. My body was NOT ready for that. So I slept all afternoon and most of today (skipped class... oops). Then I took a detox bath and feel much better :). SO moral of this story: I've been off abx for 4 days and haven't died yet- yay! Keep your fingers crossed for me.

So my goals over the next couple of weeks are to DETOX DETOX DETOX!

-Juice daily (2x daily but at least 1x if something comes up)

-Dry Brush daily

-Epsom salt baths 3-4 days a week at least (probably all I have time for with school)

-EAT CLEAN- mostly raw, some solid protein, whole foods, organic, drink bone broth (made some last night... yucky but I gotta do it for my gut!), alkalizing diet, lots of veggies! (I failed at this already yesterday but that is because I crashed and burned and had been gone earlier in the week so didn't have a lot of food in the house.... MAJOR Grocery shopping trip this weekend and food planning for the week!)

-Lots of lemon water and tea

-Take all my supplements every day!

-Rest! My body needs some serious rest on top of detoxing so I need to make sure to do this

-Spend some time with friends- staying motivated and positive for me involves surrounding myself with awesome people and now that I'm not all consumed with IV's I can spend at least 1 night a week catching up with a good friend.

-I'll also be doing acupuncture and ozone enemas with the ND in town I mentioned in my previous post. Had my first ozone today and it went well but I haven't noticed a difference (probably because we did a super low dose and it was my first one).

My family is thinking about getting a second opinion (from not a Lyme doc about not Lyme related illnesses) because we think I may have something else besides Lyme. Like something endocrinological related since I've had issues with my thyroid and adrenals (forev's) and I don't respond to treatment (like to ANYTHING) the way I should. But we'll save that for another day and I have no idea right now.

When my nurse came to pull my line out she brought me a little gift, too. It was so sweet! She said since she won't be around for graduation now (since my line is out) that this was my graduating from my picc line present :)- Beautiful earrings!

 (Kind of a crappy pic, sorry!)

OKAYYYYY done with this long post and time to go to bed. Sorry if are bored to death now.

Hope you are all doing well! I'm also hoping to have a new recipe up soon- we'll see what I get done this weekend.