That's better.....

Good morning ~

Thought I'd hop on the computer first thing this morning to say that after a miserable night of body aches and pains, I awoke feeling SO much better. Last night, on a pain scale of 1 - 10, I was at about an 8.5. Today I'm at about a 3.0. What a relief. Drinking a lot of water helped, along with the hot bath and taking the Chitosan.

Thought I'd just paste in a couple of blurbs today from some leading lyme disease researchers that help to put the whole thing into perspective....

This is from Bryan Rosner, who has written a couple of the most informative books on the market. One of the most important aspects of developing a Lyme Disease treatment protocol is to strengthen and restore the immune system. This may seem obvious -- Lyme Disease is a bacterial infection, so it naturally follows that the immune system must kick into gear to uproot and defeat the infection.

What is less obvious is the fact that Lyme Disease causes even more immune system dysfunction than other types of infections. Lyme Disease bacteria can literally evade and "shut down" the immune system. The bacteria can convince the body to live in harmony with the infection. Once this occurs, chronic Lyme Disease is the result, and the bacterial infection can persist for weeks, months, or years.

Unfortunately, boosting the immune system is not enough to eradicate Lyme Disease. Instead, a Lyme sufferer must employ a carefully planned and comprehensive treatment plan that covers all of the different aspects of the Lyme Disease complex. Establishing such a treatment plan is the focus of the two books I have written (Lyme Disease and Rife Machines and The Top 10 Lyme Disease Treatments).

Here is a little something on herx reactions by Melissa Kaplan:
Formally known as the Jarisch-Herxheimber Reaction, or the Herxheimer reaction, it is named after the doctors who first described the reactions to treatment for syphilis, Adolph Jarisch and Karl Herxheimer.

The term "Herxheimer reaction" has expanded to include reactions to treatment for Lyme disease, which is also caused by a spirochete, and generally, by those who are familiar with the term, to the wide array of symptoms resulting from the die-off of the organisms and resulting increased neurotoxin that may take many months to abate.

Affectionately called "herx" (as in, "I'm herxing bad today"), the term is sometimes used to described the worsening of some or all symptoms that were present before treatment with the use of any antibiotic, antiparasitic, antifungal or antiviral prescribed for other parasitic (regardless of organism type) infections. Herxing can also result in new symptoms arising, very common in the treatment of Babesia, Bartonalla, Borrelia, and Ehrlichia infections.

Herx symptoms are generally different from those that are side-effects to active and inactive/inert ingredients, making it difficult for the patient and treating physician to determine if it is a drug reaction or herx. Along the lines of the joke, "The surgery was a success but the patient died," the severity of an individual symptom or total complex of herx symptoms in a patient can be so extreme, especially when herx symptoms include extreme pain, cognitive dysfunction, and depression, that patients frequently would prefer death over continuing with the treatment.

More on herx reactions from Francis Key:
The Herxheimer Reaction - Feeling worse before feeling better
The Herxheimer Reaction is a short-term (from days to a few weeks) detoxification reaction in the body. As the body detoxifies, it is not uncommon to experience flu-like symptoms including headache, joint and muscle pain, body aches, sore throat, general malaise, sweating, chills, nausea or other symptoms.

This is a normal — and even healthy — reaction that indicates that parasites, fungus, viruses, bacteria or other pathogens are being effectively killed off. The biggest problem with the Herxheimer reaction is that people stop taking the supplement or medication that is causing the reaction, and thus discontinue the very treatment that is helping to make them better. Although the experience may not make you feel particularly good, the Herxheimer Reaction is actually a sign that healing is taking place.

What Is The Herxheimer Reaction?

The Herxheimer Reaction is an immune system reaction to the toxins (endotoxins) that are released when large amounts of pathogens are being killed off, and the body does not eliminate the toxins quickly enough. Simply stated, it is a reaction that occurs when the body is detoxifying and the released toxins either exacerbate the symptoms being treated or create their own symptoms. The important thing to note is that worsening symptoms do not indicate failure of the treatment in question; in fact, usually just the opposite.

A Rose By Any Other Name

Technically known as the Jarisch-Herxheimer Reaction, this syndrome goes by many names, including JHR, the Herxheimer Effect, the Herxheimer Response, a Herx Reaction, Herx or Herks. The most common terminology used is the Herxheimer Reaction. It is also often referred to as a healing crisis, a detox reaction, or die-off syndrome.

What To Do In The Event of a Herxheimer Reaction

If the reaction is mild enough that it can be borne without grave discomfort, the best approach is to continue treatment and assist the body in eliminating the toxins as quickly and as thoroughly as possible by the methods below.

If the reaction is too severe, cutting back on the dosage or frequency of use can be very helpful in lessening symptoms but allowing the healing process to continue. Sometimes stopping for a day or so and then beginning again at a lesser dosage can allow for quick relief.

The best assistance for the body is drinking plenty of distilled water (a half gallon a day is recommended).

Other helpful suggestions include:

•Getting plenty of sunshine
•Minimizing exercise for the detox period
•Keeping the organs of elimination (the bowels, lungs, skin, kidneys, lymph) functioning properly
•Keeping the diet relatively pure during the detox period so that the body is not loaded with additional chemicals and toxins to eliminate while it is already working hard.
Adding lemon to the water, taking cold press olive oil first thing in the morning, taking sea salt baths and/ or steam baths and saunas, plus liver and elimination system supports can also be helpful, though any herbal supplements should be kept to a minimum and should be very mild and gentle in nature.

I will add that I don't know what I'd do without my far-infrared sauna. It is truly helpful throughout the lyme treatment process, for assisting with detoxification. And as you can see from reading the above info, that's what it's all about.

Soooo, time to pop some salt and vitamin C, lyme homeopathic, immune tonic, and other supps, then off to a healthy breakfast followed by a sauna, then some meditation. Actually, I often meditate and/or pray in the sauna. It gives new meaning to the term "sweating your prayers." From there, visits with friends and generally taking it easy today.

I wish you an amazing day filled with joy, abundance, vitality, and gratitude.

Sukie