Low carb hurt anybody?

When I first started feeling horrible and didn't know I had lyme, I tried the atkins diet to see if it would help. OMG I also died. My body went into terrible shakes, couldn't get off couch and had to stay home from work, which I never do. I too have had dental problems which I understand the lyme bacteria will find anywhere in your body with a weak spot and dental was one ofthose for me.

Many get a feeling of fatigue when starting a low carb diet followed by energy a week or so later. The best plan I have found is in the book "The Belly Fat Cure". There is a difference between carbs and sugars and healthy carbs and sugars. This diet spreads a small amount of healthy carbs out throughout the day and keeps blood sugar levels balanced. For example, some slices of bread can contain 42 grams of carbs and 5 grams of sugar. The slice of bread I had today had 15 grams of carbs and 1 gram of sugar. We have whole wheat bread in the house with just 8 grams of carbs per slice. The book really teaches you how to make healthier choices without feeling deprived. In a nutshell, you are allowed 15 grams of sugar per day and 6 servings of carbs. A carb serving is 21 grams or less. You would be surprised at the hidden sugar in things. A glass of milk has 12 grams of sugar. Who would have thought? A nice healthy teaspoon of honey in that tea and you have exceeded your sugar allotment for the day. My husband is diabetic and his blood sugar levels are the best in years since starting this plan.

dental problems and lyme go hand in hand. did anyone read the book that is on lymebook.com it is "stealth killer" (may not be correct title) but it talks about root canal and link to heart disease and lyme spirocheets.

my friend who is yoga for 30 yrs (5 days a week!) eats completely vegan diet off the land. she used to make her own tofu 35yrs ago!

she just head 6 teeth pulled and always has perodontal gum stuff. after the doctor pulled the teeth he said there were sperocheets in there and she still had this huge ball of infected pocket. Her twin sister is going through same thing now.

I think they have lyme and most of their lives but because of their lifestyle they never got as sick as me. The grew up on Staten Island and spent summers at house on lake in Conneticuit and moved to upstate NY since college. They both have a lot of energy but I really experience it as ANXIETY.

My lyme doctor was a denstis and he told me he had the best most manicured teeth and when he got lyme he got the perodontal thing and started loosing teeth and needing all this work. I think that the teeth think is more of a first sign of lyme or spirocheets.


LOW CARBS is just asking for trouble for me. I get depressed, shakey and anxiety and more body aches. I read that the low carb thing and then replacing fiber with fake fibery stuff makes problems and one of them is kills sex drive.

I just want to eat stuff that doesn't blow up in my gut.

Also my Dad has lyme for over 30 yrs and he just had radiation treatment for these white spot cancer things in his mouth that the dentist found while he was working on him. My Dad is in dentist hell right now and lost almost 40 pounds from loosing his saliva glands.

It is all lyme

I'm on the no sugar, no carbohydrate diet too and feel exhausted most of the time. I have adjusted to the new eating plan, but can't seem to muster up any energy. The only good news is that I lost 5 pounds over the last couple of weeks. I hope that trend continues because I have another 15-20 to go to get back to my normal body weight. It's hard to believe that I was 5 pounds underweight just last year at this time. Lyme has made me pretty inactive this past year.

I also have the dental issues that started when I switched to Ceftin. Just had my teeth cleaned yesterday. My dentist recommended a power tooth brush with tarter control toothpaste to help keep them from staining again.

I do not tolerate a high carb load; it wipes me out. Since being on abx I'm back to a very low carb & sugar intake since I have issues with yeast overgrowth. I don't eat any refined foods at all. The carbs and sugars I do get are natural, whole-food sourced. By trial and error, and as the result of a lot of reading and research, I've shaped my diet to also exclude gluten, yeast, alcohol and alcohol sugar substitutes, all artificial ingredients, culinary molds, and fermented foods. I eat organic fruits (very little) and vegetables whenever possible, and in the case of berries, will only eat organic. I limit dairy to small servings of keifer and yogurt. I also limit all other animal products, sometimes foregoing them for months at a time. The only drawback for me is that I sometimes have difficulty maintaining enough weight.

To avoid constipation, in addition to including raw vegetables and salad, and whole grains in my diet, I take a good probiotic. One that has multiple types of good bacteria is best. I also add BioK. If you're on a low carb diet and those things aren't working for you, adding a prebiotic (carb support for the probiotic) may help. There is also a friendly yeast product that could help. Since I've been doing this, I'm like the colon cleanse commercial spokespeople - no constipation, healthy output more than once a day. Great to get the junk out.

I've read a lot about Lyme, and can't remember the source, but early on I read that sugars feed bacteria and the last thing I want to do is to create a friendly environment for Lyme and coinfections. DocGP that's an interesting theory about getting sick on a newly begun low carb diet possibly because of die-off. Ttlittlestar, I look forward to learning about the belly fat diet - it sounds a lot like what I am doing.

about the dental thing, YES. I could not figure out, in the past, why with my lifestyle and personal care habits, I had gingivitis/bleeding gums, and substantial pockets. I had gum surgery two years ago and now have my teeth cleaned every three months. It's a constant battle. Even with SoniCare brushing, using a WaterPik with herbal antibacterial drops, flossing, and using an overnight mouthwash, my gums aren't great. If it's from the Lyme and/or coinfections, then I guess this is a sign that the prescriptions aren't working very well.

I hope this makes sense. I can't think right now - in a room with a loud speakerphone conversation that keeps creeping into my consciousness.

Rose

Lisa, I am curious about what you said re: brain waves and sleep. Where did yo get that information? Can you recommend a reading source? It sounds like you are having these things tested, to know your ration...where does one get that evaluated?


As far as the dentist's book about spirochetes...yes, he did write a book and states that borrelia are linked to heart disease, etc. I viewed his website and watched the videos. However, in the published literature, the gum spirochetes seem to be entirely in the family Treponema, not Borrelia. I e-mailed the dentist, but never heard back. I am sure spirochetes could live there, but I would like to see the studies.

I have been on a common-sense Atkins diet for months now and feel great except for my menopause symptoms which are much better since this doctor put me on hormone supplements.

Women usually gain weight during menopause, I lost over 30 pounds now and still want to lose another 15 to 20 more..  I eat lots of salad, get my carbs from veggies (broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, etc.).    But then again, I have no lyme symptoms..  Trying to keep my immune system strong with all the supplements I take. 

I suggest reading an old version of Dr. Atkins book, not the new version as that was not written by Dr. Atkins.

I am also slowly switching to natural shampoo's, soaps, anything that touches my skin as all those chemicals get absorbed through my pores..  Ut oh, mascara?  What do do?

Denise

DocGP,
My acupuncturist MD whom I've had electro-dermal testing and treatment for allergies, detox and inflammation from had me do a QEEG, quantitative brain EEG. It was read by two of the leading neurologist in the U.S. involved with LLMD's. They recommended a course of neurofeedback and my MD performs it in her office. So I've learned all the brain waves stuff from going through all the treatment. I usually don't try a treatment till I fully understand how it works physiologically. And a lot of this has been really tuff to understand with Lyme brain as you can probably imagine.

Look up; ImmuneMatrix.com, chronicfatigueandnutrition.com and maybe a web search on "neurofeedback" or neuro-biofeedback. Also look up the differences between an EEG and a QEEG. I'm not familiar with any books but I'll ask my doc. This MD is very fascinated with this procedure and is going to open another clinic in Boston. Her office, Immune Matrix is in San Jose California. She been working with another LLMD and neurologist in Seattle to teach them these techniques/procedures also.

I didn't have any idea how long I've had Lyme until I got my QEEG results. The neurologists stated between 10 - 20 years according to the level of chronic inflammation I had. My obvious symptoms started a little over 2 years ago. So now the real question for me is what the heck was the trigger to push my immune system over the edge? I'm praying for lots of research in this area. Some new thoughts are pH imbalances, being too acidic. Which apparently most of American's are due to our lifestyle and eating habits. The book "Alkanalize or Die" is very informing.

Razzle - what tooth paste are you using? And have you ever seen a Biological dentist yet? I had 1 set of ozone injections done, but I don't think that's enough.

Lisa

The diet that has been most helpful to me is the Weston Price "diet". Sally Fallon and Dr. Ron are big proponents of this way of eating. Dr. Ron, a naturopathic doctor, has Lyme disease himself. He used to be a strict vegetarian until he got Lyme disease and studied the Weston Price diet. He's got an excellent website with a lot of very helpful and informative information on it. He takes no medicines for his lyme disease. He believes that eating right and certain supplements, raw milk, and daily exercise is what keeps his Lyme under control.

You can read more about his story here: http://www.drrons.com/diet-chronic-disease-and-optimal-health.htm His website also sells supplements, all pure and preservative free. Check out his whole website here: www.drrons.com/

The Weston Price "diet" (it's not really a diet, it's a way of eating) was introduced to me by my son back before I saw Dr. Jernigan. I had already lost 75 pounds and could hardly eat anything. Gradually, as I began eating according to the Weston Price program I began to gain strength. I believe this is a truly balanced diet that is good for everyone, especially those of us with Lyme disease. Not everyone agrees, of course, but I encourage you to check it out and come to your own conclusions. Some people think it's like Dr. Atkins diet, no, it's much more balanced than that and much more fulfilling.

www.westonaprice.org/ I think many of you will find this extremely educational and fascinating. By the way, Dr. Price was a dentist. Many of you who have have dental problems (as I do) will find this very interesting as well.

Dr. Mercola wrote about Weston Price back in 2001. It's as relevant today as it was back then

articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2001/01/21/weston-price.aspx

articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2007/10/06/the-greatest-nutrition-researcher-of-the-twentieth-century.aspx

Doc, speaking of teeth, I think you will find this interesting:

www.mercola.com/article/dental/rootcanal/root_canals.htmu

I'm not suggesting this is for everyone, but it's certainly helped me and I think it's a very "lyme friendly" diet overall.

Gary

Post Edited (GWB) : 7/30/2010 5:26:19 AM (GMT-6)

GWB, great info. I had concerns when starting the Weston Price way of eating...how could I give up all of my non-fat foods and low fat way of eating without becoming as big as a house or having my cholesterol go through the roof?

As it turned out, I enjoy the Weston Price way...am still my same healthy weight (go figure) and my cholestrol hasn't gone up.

I enjoy avocados, olives, olive oil, meats, cheeses, lots of salads, veggies, etc, etc, and have noticed positive changed in my body (skin, nails, hair...and I can just imagine the positive changes on the inside). Read GWB's links for why that is. I figure having oil from God's foods is the natural WD-40...it does this body good!!!

Lower carb/no sugar "diets" always make me feel horrible the first week or so, but then much better after the initial adjustment period. I consider it like a withdrawl. I have similar symptoms like: dizziness, extreme fatigue, shakes, constipation, etc....

 

Hi DocGP,

I'm curious as to what you found regarding Lyme and dental issues.  I have become more interested in this connection of late.  I know that existing root canals and cavitations harbor dozens of bacteria in them that lie dormant unless triggered by something else in the body.  Because Lyme aggrevates the body in multiple ways, it can be responsible for reactions that trigger genes that cause some of those "dormant" bacteria to wake up.  If you read through some of the pages here, you'll see what I'm talking about: http://www.hugginsappliedhealing.com/.

Also, I have candida and leaky gut (in addition to Lyme, Babesiosis, & Mycoplasma) and need to be on low sugar/low carb diets.  I've been on and off them several times.  I've never experienced the sort of reaction you described--I think there may have been a herx component to it.  Have you ever tried a whole food chromium 3 supplement like Innate Response brand or Mega Foods brand?  (Not to be confused with any other type of chromium, as all other types are toxic).

I have recently started on Innate Response's chromium 3 as it helps regulate blood sugar, and it gives me energy.  We used to get chromium 3 in flour and sugar, but the refining process removes them. 

Best wishes to you!