Living Lightly with Lyme

LIVING LIGHTLY WITH LYME

Approaches for managing Chronic Lyme Disease, and other chronic health conditions

by Judy Taylor

Copyright 2011 Judy Taylor

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Table of Contents

Acknowledgements

Introduction

Chapter 1: Health Conditions Linked To Chronic Lyme Disease

Chronic Lyme Disease

Biotoxin Illness

Chronic Candida

Leaky Gut Syndrome and Other Digestive Issues

Mercury Toxicity

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome vs. Chronic Fatigue

Multiple Chemical Sensitivity

Allergies

PART I: PHYSICAL APPROACHES

Chapter 2: Self-Help Methods

Establishing Healthy Habits

Diet

Supplements

Drugs

Exercise

Sleep

Body Detoxification

Dealing with Pain and Inflammation

Dealing with Herxes and Allergic/Sensitivity Reactions

Rife Machines

Know Your Limits, Respect Yourself

Managing Stress

Controlling Genetic Factors

Chapter 3: Professional Assistance

Western vs. Eastern Approaches

Functional Medicine and Holistic Healing

Particularly Beneficial Alternative Treatments

Diagnostic Tests

Chapter 4: Coping with MCS and Environmental Illness

Factors in Environmental Illness

Environmental Allergies

Dust Mites

Mold

Electromagnetic Fields

Sound

Greener Living and Tips for Managing MCS

Household Products

Personal Care Products

Clothing and Bedding

Furniture, Décor, and Remodeling

Travel Considerations

Additional Resources

Healing with Mother Nature

Elemental Energy

Animals

PART II: MENTAL APPROACHES

Chapter 5: The Impact of our Minds

Useful Mental Practices

The Power of Meditation and Mindfulness

Listening to the Body and the Deeper Self

Journaling

The Power of Visualization: Imagining Yourself Into Better Health

Useful Mental Perspectives

A Healthy Attitude

A Balanced Perspective

Limitations (Self-Imposed vs. Real)

Equanimity and Acceptance

Releasing Attachment

Impermanence of the Body

Humor

Self-Responsibility

Discovering the Silver Lining

Monitoring Our Media Consumption

PART III: EMOTIONAL APPROACHES

Chapter 6: Dealing Effectively with our Difficult Emotions

Becoming Aware of Our Emotions

Working with the Neuroplasticity of our Minds

Anger

Depression

Chapter 7: The Power of Positive Emotions

Meditations to Foster Positive Emotions

Magnifying the Positive

Gratitude

Chapter 8: Healing Unhealthy Emotional Patterns

Professional Assistance for Emotional Healing

Self-Administered Methods for Emotional Healing

Chapter 9: Finding Support

Resources

About the Author

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I wish to thank my parents, Adele Hogan and Wally Taylor, for continuing to love, accept, and believe in me. I am also particularly grateful to my friends (Tom Birlin, Sue Bozzo, Elise Burrows, Marylyn Genovese, Phyllis Klein, and Rebecca Ruedy) for their unwavering support, friendship, and generous sharing of relevant health information. An extra thank you goes to Marylyn Genovese for polishing up and enlivening my book cover design.

I’d like to express further appreciation to my fellow writing comrades (Ken Dalwin, Bill Edwards, Laura Thomas, and Ron Yungul) for their practical advice and positive encouragement. And for empowering me and offering warm therapeutic support, Mick Bennett and Josie Levine deserve special acknowledgement. A last thank you goes to my editor, Walter L. Kleine, for delicately editing this book without distorting my voice.

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INTRODUCTION

Most of us have heard harrowing accounts of severe Lyme infection, and you may have such a tale yourself. I always feel compassion when I hear these reports since I know they involve much suffering. Yet I am fortunate that, contrary to the prevalent Chronic Lyme narrative, my story is not so dramatic. I did not precipitously slide from a state of robust health into sudden, debilitating illness. I don’t remember being bitten by a tick, nor seeing a bull’s eye rash. My story is much more subtle and gradual.

I began experiencing health issues in my early 20’s, which included gastrointestinal problems, extreme irritability, horrible PMS, and difficulties in being able to concentrate effectively (i.e. brain fog). None of these matters were severe, but they gave me enough discomfort to send me running from practitioner to practitioner in search of relief. Incrementally, over the years, some of these problems have intensified, and some new issues have surfaced, such as hormonal imbalances, fluctuating myalgia, joint stiffness, multiple allergies and sensitivities, and chronic fatigue. I have gained assistance for a smattering of these dysfunctions, but there’s been no freedom from many of my other enduring complaints.

Over the course of decades, I was quite open to visiting a varied community of healthcare practitioners, from the alternative to the traditional. I knocked on the doors of MDs, chiropractors, acupuncturists, herbalists, naturopaths, homeopaths, Reiki masters, holistic healers, and energy workers. Most of these healthcare providers have only been able to help me marginally. Usually, they were mystified when my body did not respond to their protocol or could not assimilate their suggested remedies.

When I didn’t receive enough assistance from these healers, I conducted my own research. Books, seminars, radio programs, and Internet sources have been a font of self-help remedies and techniques, which I willingly experimented with. While these efforts couldn’t fully resolve my issues, my studies did provide me with a vast amount of knowledge on health topics related to my problems.

I have been variously diagnosed with Candida, heavy metal toxicity, chronic fatigue, multiple food and environmental allergies, Leaky Gut Syndrome, and more recently, Multiple Chemical Sensitivity. It wasn’t until early 2009 that my astute doctor suspected Chronic Lyme disease. His subsequent diagnosis was based on results from several tests, combined with a clinical assessment. This determination triggered a frenzied research expedition that helped me comprehend how the various pieces of my health picture fit together. Lyme disease seemed to be the missing link that connected my various health challenges. I felt like it might be the unknown factor that has frustrated my attempts to heal.

My approach to recovery has been holistic—I have sought healing on all levels of my being, from the physical to the mental, emotional, and spiritual. During this odyssey toward greater well-being and health, I gathered many useful tips that have allowed me to maintain a mostly normal existence. I’m offering these strategies here to others who face challenges similar to mine.

This book is focused on coping methods for Chronic Lyme disease and other ailments that commonly occur in conjunction with Lyme. The maladies included here are Candida, intestinal/digestive issues, Multiple Chemical Sensitivities, allergies (food and environmental), Biotoxin Illness, chronic fatigue, and Mercury Toxicity. (I do not address any of the Lyme co-infections, such as Babesia or Bartonella, since testing has not been able to verify the existence of these bugs in my system.)

What I have written here is not meant to be an exhaustive and comprehensive volume of all knowledge related to the above-mentioned conditions. Instead, it’s essentially limited to information that I have found particularly beneficial for my health and wellbeing. I feel I have more authority to speak from my own personal experiences. Thus, I spend virtually no time talking about methods and supplements that I have not personally tried. I don’t waste space criticizing practices, remedies, and treatments I utilized that have either been ineffectual or caused me reactions since I only want to focus on what has aided me.

The slant of this book is toward those of us with Chronic Lyme and Multiple Chemical Sensitivities (MCS) or Environmental Illness (EI). My inability to tolerate many foods, herbs, supplements, fragrances, chemicals, and environmental factors (mold, dust mites, etc.) classifies me as having MCS or EI. In this book, I offer the strategies that have assisted me in managing my issues. The emphasis of these pages will be on lifestyle modifications that alleviate suffering, rather than on what herb, supplement, or drug will banish symptoms and heal ailments. Yet, when I’ve found ingestible agents that my body accepts, then I do recommend these helpers. If you need more information in this regard, there are plenty of other resources available for obtaining such assistance.

I offer no quick fixes, magic pills, or miracle methods of healing, only what has enabled me to manage fairly well despite the dysfunctional condition of my body. What I present are the building blocks of health that enable anyone suffering from physical ailments to live better. Some people might overlook the suggestions I provide in favor of a more effortless way to combat their problems. And some might be inclined to disregard my recommendations since some of the ideas are common knowledge.

I urge fellow Chronic Lyme sufferers, and others with chronic health challenges, to try these methods and incorporate them into their health care regimes. Since these strategies have allowed me to live lightly with my chronic health conditions, I would strongly recommend a trial of my suggestions. I truly believe these practices have been responsible for keeping my case of Chronic Lyme disease at a moderate and controllable level. I welcome you to mine these pages for information that will lead you to improved wellness. Then, continue searching anywhere your curiosity or needs for comprehensive assistance takes you!

I am not a health care provider, nor medical professional. I do not make any claims for cures. The information provided here reflects only my experience, research, and knowledge. It should not be misconstrued as medical advice. Please do not rely exclusively upon any suggestions given herein. I urge you to verify these contents through your own research and experience. Readers must assume full responsibility for the use of the information contained in this book. Please consult with your health care provider for your complete health care needs.

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CHAPTER 1:

HEALTH CONDITIONS LINKED TO CHRONIC LYME DISEASE

Chronic Lyme Disease (CLD)

As many of you already know, Lyme disease is contracted through the bite of a tick infected with the Borrelia Burgdorferi bacteria. Usually, in the acute phase of infection, this microorganism can be eradicated with proper antibiotics. If left untreated and/or undiagnosed for many months or years, the Borrelia bacteria burrow deeper into the recesses of the body, making Lyme disease increasingly difficult to diagnose, treat, and eradicate. Once it passes into the chronic phase, it manifests in a wide variety of bodily symptoms. Chronic Lyme is often misdiagnosed as other conditions, like Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), Rheumatoid Arthritis, or Multiple Sclerosis (MS).

Chronic Lyme symptoms vary widely between individuals because the bacteria tend to reside in the physically weakest areas of the body. Consequently, it can affect many organs and systems of the body. CLD is a tricky condition to diagnose since there is a wide variance in clinical manifestations, and diagnostic tests are notoriously unreliable, often missing many valid Lyme cases. Added to this is the existence of various strains of the Borrelia bacteria, which usually don’t get tested for.

Chronic Lyme disease is considered a complex condition because it is multi-systemic, and the tick often transmits co-infections (other disease-causing bacteria, such as Babesia, Bartonella, Mycoplasma, and Erlichia) along with the Borrelia. The Lyme bacteria also weakens the immune system, and this allows other opportunistic infections to invade and flourish. Some of these other pathogens are yeasts, parasites, viruses, or bacteria. The accumulation of heavy metals in the body can also be an issue for Chronic Lyme sufferers, generating additional troublesome manifestations and the need for serious detoxification. Chronic Lyme itself puts severe stress on the body, and the overlay of these extra problems increases the load on the body and immune system, making CLD a complicated affliction to contend with. It is quite common to see a Chronic Lyme patient wrestling with many of the disorders I describe in the following sections, such as Candida and Mercury Toxicity.

Chronic Lyme disease can also interfere with the function of our hormones. Adrenal fatigue, inadequate serotonin, imbalanced sex hormones, and thyroid issues all quite frequently occur in conjunction with CLD. Adrenal fatigue will detract from the efficacy of any Chronic Lyme treatment program, and low cortisol will contribute to food sensitivity issues, so it is undoubtedly important to have these issues tested for and addressed, since they impede healing. Better-functioning hormones will raise the body’s ability to combat the Lyme bacteria. I have discovered some highly effective natural aids for a few of these imbalances. DHEA and Siberian ginseng (Eleuthero) have bolstered my adrenals, and progesterone cream (contraindicated for Candida sufferers) evened out my PMS hormonal cycles. DLPA has quite successfully pierced through some of my depression since it produces tyrosine, which is needed by the body for adrenal and thyroid hormone production.

There is a massive amount of information about Lyme on the web and in book form to help us tackle this complex affliction. Since my body has not been able to tolerate many substances, I have not tried the plethora of great herbs and natural supplements suggested to either eradicate the bacteria or ameliorate symptoms. What I provide in the coming chapters is information on how one can best cope with Chronic Lyme symptoms and its concomitant maladies. The basic recommendations of lowering your stress load, getting plenty of rest, exercising daily, healing emotionally, and consuming a healthy diet are essential elements for Lyme recovery. In addition, these are critical requirements for any health regimen that’s formulated to combat illness and/or maintain wellness. I would urge readers not to summarily dismiss these building blocks.

Many LLMDs put their Lyme patients on long-term antibiotics, and some seem to feel much improved after this extended treatment. (I cannot verify this benefit since I am unable to try the protocol due to my liver’s inability to handle most prescription drugs and my body’s proclivity towards developing Candida.) Other Lyme specialists caution that antibiotics only drive the bacteria deeper into the tissues of the body. Relief may be obtained, but the condition has often not been eradicated, only placed into dormancy. A stressful episode in one’s life, or a new infection, has been known to instigate a resurgence of Lyme. I would urge extreme care and thorough research before blithely downing massive amounts of antibiotics.

There is also controversy in the Lyme field regarding whether the Borrelia bacteria can be entirely wiped out. Some LLMDs state unequivocally that Lyme can be completely destroyed. Conversely, other practitioners feel that patients can only lower their internal bug count and boost the immune system. This approach is purported to bring the body to near-normal health since a stronger immune system is able to knock down the level of infectious agents and co-exist asymptomatically with the rest.

Unfortunately, I do not know which of these perspectives is true. I feel that the best approach allows for either outcome. I am working toward totally obliterating the Borrelia, but if my immune system cannot completely eradicate the entire bug population, I will be perfectly happy with reducing their numbers enough so that I feel better and am able to function at near optimal levels.

Biotoxin Illness

Biotoxin Illness is a recently-coined term that encompasses all the ailments caused by biotoxin poisoning in the body. Biotoxins are generated by certain bacteria (Borrelia or the cyanobacteria in blue-green algae), toxic fungi, and dinoflagellates (found in bodies of water). Most people’s