Right about the time I got diagnosed with Lyme disease (and the rest of the trio), my doctor sent me to a naturopath in Connecticut to get tested for pesticide exposure. I was definitely exposed to a lot of pesticides during a 5 month battle with bed bugs the year before I was overcome with Lyme. The question was whether it was still in my body contributing to all the strange neurological problems.
The naturopath, Dr. Darin Ingels, did some miraculous things, like helping me figure out what foods I was allergic to and diagnosing PCOS long before any gynecologist did. He had a host of supplements and herbs in his dispensary that didn’t contain the allergens in question. He was the one who taught me how to do castor oil packs back when my abdomen was constantly swollen.
He had some interesting natural alternatives to pharmaceuticals for things like adrenal fatigue. That particular remedy, eleuthero was great because it let my adrenals heal, then when I stopped needing it, I couldn’t sleep for two nights, just like he said I would. So I contacted him and he said it was time to stop taking it. In contrast, the pharmaceutical remedy for the same problem has to be weaned off of because it replaces the adrenal hormones and the body has to learn to start making them again.
Regular Homeopathy
This doctor (ND rather than MD) also happened to be a homeopath. Some of the treatments seemed to work around the edges, like the drops he gave me to treat food allergies. I concede that after I finished a 6 month course of treatment, my body didn’t react as strongly when I accidentally ingested allergenic foods. But it didn’t resolve the allergies. Those are still a work in progress, supposedly complete when the Bartonella infection is gone. (I’m not convinced. I think the Candida infection will probably have to be removed as well.)
I mention every night that I’m using homeopathic support for detoxing. There are several homeopathic formulas that stimulate detoxification of particular organs. I can’t always be sure what effect they’re having. At the moment, I’m using them because I believe they won’t hurt and they might do me good as I go through the heaviest part of the Herxing process. These are prescribed by my regular Lyme doctor.
Constitutional Homeopathy
Back to the homeopath. He trained in constitutional homeopathy. I asked him about miasms when I saw it on the spine of one of his books. I used to go through his bookshelf when he left the room to get remedies for me to take when I got home. He lent me a book about constitutional homeopathy for a month, and when I came back, I told him I wanted to try it. He liked the idea. I had to agree to stop taking other homeopathic remedies for a few months so it wouldn’t interact. I also had to agree to no antibiotics for a few weeks, which was okay because I was off them to let my stomach heal. Then he gave me a remedy (I still don’t know what) to try.
Constitutional homeopathy doesn’t treat the current illness. It treats the underlying patterns of illness that are in the patient and cause diseases to manifest in a particular way. The goal is to interrupt the patterns in such a way that the patient’s constitution gets stronger and has a better ability to fight diseases.
I went home and took the remedy. That night, I kept dreaming I was in an olympic sized pool doing laps. I had 8 or 9 night sweats. Not just any night sweats. I’m talking about changing my pajamas (top and bottom) and the towels I was sleeping on top of after the first one.
The next day I got a terrible cold. The cold and the pretty intense night sweats lasted about 2 weeks. I suffered. I hated it. I was nauseated all the time. I was sweaty and uncomfortable. I was miserable (the way actors looked in old NyQuil commercials) all day. And I hurt all over as if I was having a Herx.
Then it all cleared up.
Well mostly. I still had nausea, which I’d had for two years, but it went down to it’s pre-remedy intensity. And the Lyme was still there, but the symptoms calmed down.
I was noticeably stronger. I was more steady on my feet and in my arms. Both mattered a lot because I was still using a cane to walk. I felt like I could think a bit more clearly. And for a while after that, things were looking up. When I started on antibiotics again, the side effects weren’t as pronounced.
I wanted to do it again.
Later on, I tried the same remedy in a smaller daily dose that could be taken concurrently with antibiotics. Not quite as effective…or maybe more subtle.
As I’m writing, I’m thinking I’d like to go back and see him this summer when the seasonal flare is over, and I’m not Herxing as much from the coiling.
Final note: the funniest thing I thought about taking homeopathic remedies is the prohibition on mint. Apparently, it can counteract many of the remedies and formulas. For toothpaste, I generally use Tom’s of Maine in its other, less standard, less refreshing flavors. Otherwise it’s pretty easy to avoid mint.
Coiling
I kept wondering if I should coil for Lyme tonight. In the final (daily) analysis, I had to forgo it. I still have too much of a headache, to many eye floaters, too much pain in my back and too much fatigue to add a Lyme Herx to the mix.
I think it was the need for an afternoon nap that made me come to terms with a fact that I laid out in a previous post: since I’m treating 3 tick-borne infections at the same time, the process for each has to slow down. Fortunately, Lyme bacteria reproduce slowly, so I really have a two week window between coiling sessions to make progress.
- Candida, abdomen, 10 minutes
Detox
I did lots of time on the BioMat. The newest setting I tried is the “negative ion” without heat setting for a nap. I was already dressed and didn’t want to get sweaty. I’m not even sure what the setting means. Where do the positive ions that are generated as a by-product of producing negative ions go? I find it very mysterious. Still, I found the experience sufficiently relaxing to counteract the hardness of the mat (versus my couch or my bed).
- homeopathic support
- kombucha
- juiced greens
- lemon water
- skin brushing
- BioMat/infrared heat (3 hours asleep on level 1, 90 minutes on level 4, 30 minutes on negative ion setting)
- castor oil pack on liver
Body
My skin is breaking out more and more. I have a big, red pimple on my right cheek (near my nose) and a few small ones in less conspicuous places on my face. Tonight I felt a funny pain on my right ear. A new pimple. This is annoying. I hate detoxing Candida!
Last night was a medium level night sweat, requiring a shirt change. I stayed hot for the rest of the night. I was a bit groggy this morning, but it lasted only a short time. I became animated but grumpy instead. My body was a different matter. I was in a lot of pain again, especially my back and my feet. My back was intensely achy and a bit cold all over (even though the rest of me was warm). My feet begged me not to get up. And once I was up, all I wanted to do was lie down again. (This was a constant desire all day long.)
My left shoulder is popping a lot. My neck and the base of my head hurt in a contiguous pattern going down and across my shoulders. I have a regular headache at the top of my head and my eyes have been hurting most of the day. I have a lot of floaters in my vision. My left jaw is popping and my right ear canal hurts, too. My right knee was bothering me when I was out walking after lunch. My urine is cloudy today. (It was yesterday, too, but I forgot to mention it.)
In all, I’m still Herxing from the increased time on the Bartonella and Babesia treatments. Time to rest and let the toxins drain out.
Categories: detoxification support, healing process, Herx reactions, pharmaceutical treatments, using the coil machine
Tags: babesia, bartonella, biomat, candida, homeopathy, how-to, lyme, symptoms
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Coiling for Lyme 