Detox or not?

HI Hopeful Pete!
Welcome to our spot! If you haven't yet, you really need to read through the 'New to Lyme?' thread at the top of the forum. It's packed with all kinds of helpful and necessary information that you will need to get through all of this.

Are you currently doing anything to detox? Most of the time when a person has Lyme and/or other tick-borne infections, their detox pathways are either blocked or not functioning at full capacity, and this is why we have such serious symptoms most of the time. You need to be doing full body detox baths, or foot detox soaks, dry skin brushing, drinking plenty of water (3 quarts or more each day), and eating very, very healthy - not potatoes and salads. Actually, a lot of us find avoiding potatoes and highly processed foods are incredibly helpful in getting us to feel decent.

Your docs aren't helping you much with how to deal and best heal with these infections - please read as much as you can here on this site, as there is a ton of info right here. We have a great search function that will make it easier to find posts that pertain to your specific set of symptoms.

You most definitely need to be getting more sleep!! The body heals the best and most completely when we are sleeping - at total rest. If you aren't sleeping well or long enough, then your body just can't heal well! Make sure you have good "sleep hygiene" (google "sleep hygiene"), and if you still need help sleeping, you can try some of the supplements that a lot of us have found to help - melatonin, magnesium (which you should be taking anyway - Lyme robs the body of this), even some valerian root could be helpful. If those things don't help, then it's time to talk with your docs to get something to help you get some sleep.

Please realize that stress - of any and all types- will increase your symptoms as well. So you need to do whatever you need to do to get as much stress out of your life as possible. Overdoing it with too much activity can also set off a herx (a strengthening of symptoms or even new symptoms showing up), so it's possible that just the extra activity of seeing your docs made you have a flare up of symptoms. This will slow down with treatment.

A couple of things about using Doxy - you need to be taking a minimum of 200 mgs, 3 times a day. Otherwise the only thing you are doing is keeping the bacteria from replicating, not killing them off. You will also need to protect your stomach quite well while you are taking such high doses of Doxy. Eating something substantial is what most need to do in order to avoid stomach issues later on down the road. For more information on Doxy, other abx that may be used and a good idea of what you will need to be doing, I always suggest reading Dr. Joseph Burrascano's paper - "Advanced Topics in Lyme Disease" (betterhealthguy.com/joomla/images/stories/PDF/lymdxrx2008-october.pdf) and can always be found in our 'New to Lyme?' thread.

Of course we are here to help you through all of this as well! But the more you read, the better able you will be to help your healing along!

I do hope this helps!

Thanks so much! I'm considering trying the Xanex for sleep. Wondering if a hot stone massage can open the pours. I did the Epsom salt baths. I sweat all night when I do. Most of the time, I'm so tired, I just want to rest. It's hard since I have 3 young children who all vie for my attention and I work 'til 11 M-F. I really want to get some sleep.

Educate yourself,
If you continue to read every study and research paper you can find, you will see that the rates of relapse on abx are pretty high, and it does seem that those with the higher blood levels of abx fare much better - especially for those who have been infected for years. I wish I was educated enough to be able to call myself a health care professional, but this is only my opinion. If you would like I can add some links to papers that discuss abx failures.

Personally, I was first infected with RMSF when I was 7 years old - got really, really ill too. I was put on the abx for it, but I highly doubt that it was strong enough (as that was back in 1970) and I know it wasn't long enough, so I ended up with a chronic infection of RMSF as well as Lyme, Bartonella, Babesia, Ehrlichia, and the others. I've pretty much lived my life outdoors and around animals, so I've had so so many ticks attached, and I'm sure I was re-infected many times over.

When I first tried abx in 2007, it nearly killed me...slowly. After a year on Minocycline, I was bed bound and had several seizures, which is why I went with Holistic Medicine and am so very careful to do all that I can to help my body heal now - well okay, I do cheat once in a while!! LOL!

As for length of treatment, I still completely agree with what Dr. Burrascano has to say about it - until 2 -3 months after all symptoms have cleared. I know that that doesn't set well, it didn't with me either, as we like to know how long things are going to take - but think of it this way, we didn't end up this ill overnight, and it takes longer to heal than it does to destroy.

Again, this in only my opinion, as I am not medically trained. I've just been doing my own research for quite a while now.


Hopeful Pete -
The Xanax could work to help you get to sleep, if it makes you drowsy and relaxed enough!! I do hope that it helps you. Although I would suggest that you not stay on it for an extended time - lots of people end up with a dependence on it, as the body decides it won't do well without it. I was okay on the Xanax, but the Trazodone was another matter - I'm still trying to wean myself off of that!

Hopeful Pete,

I'm just adding my 2 cents on the insomnia issue...I'm 43, recently d/g with Lyme & Bart., and I've had insomia since age 13-14. Sooo, I'm a "pro" at not sleeping.  You name it, if it's said to help me sleep, I've tried it. OTC things like Unisom & Benadryl, melatonin. Melatonin did nothing, the other OTC drugs work for a night or two. I was on/off Ambien for 8 yrs.; it was awesome until it lost it's effectiveness about 6 mso ago. I also have script for clonozapam, but those too are losing their effectiveness. My LLMD just prescribed my trazadone, which I've not taken yet.  My point is don't be a "hero" when it comes to your sleep--if the natural things don't work, try the prescribed meds(sounds like you have already somewhat). Yes, it can be difficult to wean off, but I've found that, for me, I absolutely NEED my sleep, esp. now with Lyme. (I work at a school, so I do take a break form sleep meds in summerwhe I'm off)

Good luck to you--hope you get some sleep