Japanese Knotweed (Resveratrol)

After reading Stephen Buhner's book, "Healing Lyme", I've decided to give some of the recommended herbs a try.  My first herbal trial will be with Resveratrol.  Stephen recommends that the herb comes from Japanese Knotweed (and is not the red wine source).  After searching and searching to find the right product, I've settled on Japanese Knotweed from Dragon Botanicals.  What I like about Reseveratrol is that it has immune modulating properties, which can be helpful for a variety of conditions.  It's also good that it can regulate the immune system if it was over on under active.  What I didn't like about the antibiotics is that the idea there was just "kill, kill, kill".  The problem is, they were killing everything.  The bad bacteria, the good bacteria, and my immune system.  As someone who has been on and off antibiotics for over two years, I am definitely not against antibiotics for Lyme, but I feel that at this point in my treatment it is necessary for me to take a step back from the antibiotics.  I will definitely post my progress and my experience with the new herbal protocol.  You can read more about this protocol on Stephen's website.

According to the book, "Healing Lyme", Buhner indicates that the actions of Japanese Knotweed are as follows: antibacterial, antiviral, antischistosomal, antispirochetal, antifungal, immunostimulant, immunomodulant, antiinflammatory, angiogenesis modulator, central nervous system relaxant, central nervous system protectant and anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antiathersclerotic, antihyperlipidemic, antimutagenic, anticarcinogenic, antineoplastic, vasodilator, inhibits platlet aggregation, inhibits eicosanoid synthesis, antithrombotic, tyrosine kinase inhibitor, oncogene inhibitor, antipyretic, cardioprotective, analgesic, antiulcer, hemostatic, and astringent. (1)

Reference:
1) Buhner, Stephen. (2005) Healing Lyme. Silver City: Raven Press.

In A Treatment Rut

I've been going back and forth as to what the next move in my treatment plan should be.  It seems that my body is getting sick of antibiotics- or perhaps it's just getting sick... I'm not really sure.  Since my recent bout of gastritis is really limiting the amount of healthy food I can consume, I get nervous about adding too much to my regimen.  As I see it now, here are my options:

1) Detox.  My naturopath recommended a 30-day gentle homeopathic regimen by Heel.  My body has been through a lot and has had a lot of medicine (antibiotics, antiparasitics, etc.) going into from a long period of time.  It might need a thorough cleaning....

2) Go natural.  I've been reading more about Stephen Buhner's protocol.  I've been on Cat's claw in the past and seemed to have good results.  I'm also interested in trying Teasel root after reading some of the literature on it's healing properties.  I've been on Smilax for a while now, and it seems that these three herbs combined could be quite a nice cocktail.

3) Resume the hardcore meds.  I feel that I prematurely stopped taking antibiotics before, and I relapsed...  Therefore, I'm scared of the same thing happening again.  Some experts say that you should remain on antibiotics until you are symptom-free for three months.  I am most certainly not symptom-free, and I don't know if I'll ever be comfortable taking antibiotics for as long as it may take to rid my symptoms.  BUT- I will say that my fatigue and upper back have improved since being on the antibiotic injections.  The other reason I am considering this option is because I have yet to take a cyst buster (which is necessary to kill Lyme in it's cyst form, which it often morphs into to "hide" from the body or antibiotics) while on the injections.  I think this would be a very potent, but potentially useful treatment combination.  I would need do it for at least a few months for it to be effective (since the borrelia life cycle is every 3-4 weeks).

So.... those are the options I'm left with.  For now, I think I will let my stomach call the shots.  Hopefully as that continues to heal, I'll be able to decide which one of these avenues I'm ready to take.  Ideally, I'd like to incorporate all of the above, my main concern for now is where to start.  One reason I'm leaning toward the antibiotic route is because I'd like to just power through it for a few more months and then be done with it.  Not that it will be the end of my treatment, but I'd like to be done with antibiotics.  I think my body will need to be rebalanced once I'm done killing off all of the good and bad bacteria in my body, and I'm anxious to start doing that.  It's my true belief that the body must be balanced to heal itself, and I'm looking forward to getting "balanced".

Ticks & Lyme Disease

I probably should've done a post like this at the beginning of the summer, but we're headed off to go camping this weekend so I figured I should do some research about tick removal.  I've acquired a tremendous amount of knowledge about Lyme over the years, but it's primarily been focused on symptoms and treatment.  I know (from my own personal experience) that prevention and awareness are key factors... if you don't catch it early or get the proper treatment then you're likely in for a long road to recovery!

Below I've listed the 5 states with the highest incidence rates of Lyme.  Before doing that, I must mention that this information is coming from the CDC website, which is said to be highly unreliable and that the reported rates are 10 times lower than the actual number of cases (so these numbers should be multiplied by 10!).  Having said that, here are the figures for 2009:

1) Pennsylvania = 5,722
2) New York = 5,651
3) Massachusetts = 5,256
4) New Jersey = 4,973
5) Connecticut = 4,153

Although the above listed states appear to have the highest incidence rates, you can get Lyme ANYWHERE.  Cases have been confirmed in every single state!  Click here to see an interactive map of the incidence rates in the dog population.  It lets you enter your zip code and check the incidence for your county.  Be aware that they also mention that the rates are probably much higher due to underreporting!

So..... what do you do if a tick decides to latch on to you?

Here is a great video on tick removal:

And you can also check out this great step-by-step guide on how to remove a tick on the CALDA website.

Some prevention tips:

• don't sit on tree stumps or lean up against trees
• wear light colored clothing, ideally long sleeves and pants
• tuck shirts into pants and pants into socks
• when camping or hiking, walk in the middle of paths
• consider using DEET (if you feel comfortable with it's chemical content)
• do a tick check daily, and for several days after exposure to an environment that might have ticks
• put your clothes in the dryer (on high) for an hour after exposure

Read more about prevention and tick removal over at CALDA.

A recipe for a make-your-own tick removal kit:

• sandwich bag
• gloves
• pointed tweezers
• alcohol pads
• bandaids
• neosporin 
• another sandwich bag (in case you want to save the tick)

Or you can click here to order a tick removal kit from the Lyme Disease Foundation.

Helpful Video on Lyme Disease

Watch this 50 minute talk about lyme disease given by Dr. Yang.  She discusses lots of different treatments (natural and conventional) and really gives a nice description of how lyme disease impacts your body.  Check it out the video here.  Dr. Yang has a family practice located in Santee, California.  To find out more about her practice, you can also check out her website, here.

"Under Our Skin" to be shown on PBS Stations in May 2011

Spread the word and let your friends and family know that "Under Our Skin" will be aired on national television in May!!!  I read about this on the CALDA website, so hopefully they'll provide more details about this as the time gets closer.

Watch the trailer for "Under Our Skin", here.

Buy a copy of "Under Our Skin", here.

Lyme Resources

Here are some very helpful websites and online resources for Lyme:

• California Lyme Disease Association (CALDA) News, Events & Blogs
• Dr. Burrascano's Lyme Treatment Guidelines 
• IGeneX (The lab of choice for Lyme & TBD)
• ILADS (International Lyme Disease and Associated Diseases Society)
• ILADS 2010 Takeaways @ BetterHealthGuy.com
• Lyme Disease Association, Inc. (Click on the Dr. Referral tab to find an LLMD)
• Lyme Disease Association Southeastern Pennsylvania
• A Nutritional Approach to Lyme Disease (by Ben Briggs, RPh, CNC, IACP)
• Monthly Symptoms Tracker
• MDJunction (online support group)
• Under Our Skin (A must-see documentary about Lyme disease)

And here are some books that I've found to be the most helpful in learning all there is to know about beating Lyme disease.

• Cure Unknown by Pamela Weintraub - An excellent book that details the political issues behind lyme disease, in addition to telling the story of one family's journey through dealing with Lyme.
• Insights into Lyme Disease Treatment by Connie Strasheim - A great resource for learning about various treatments for Lyme and coinfections.  The book is written by 13 Lyme Literate health care providers.
• The Lyme Diet by Dr. Nicola McFadzean - Gives a great in-depth look at what foods we should avoid to decrease inflammation and to obtain optimal health.
• The Lyme Disease Solution by Dr. Kenneth Singleton - A great resource for learning about symptoms and treatment of Lyme and its coinfections.  A nice exploration through dietary and lifestyle changes that further promote healing.
• Recipes for Repair: A Lyme Disease Cookbook (written by Laura & Gail Piazza, with help from Dr. Singleton) - While I haven't actually read this book, it will be next on my "books to purchase" list.  Maintaining the anti-inflammatory diet can be very difficult, and I can only imagine how helpful this book will be for meal planning!