Lyme Disease Questions Regarding Use of Enzymes and Biofilms? Also Summary of How I got Here.

I don't know how things work on here, but I guess I will introduce myself and explain how I got to my current situation.

FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO WANT TO GET RIGHT TO MY CURRENT REGIMENT AND QUESTIONS, SCROLL TO THE BOTTOM. I KNOW NOT EVERYONE WANTS TO READ THIS WHOLE THING.

I am currently a college freshman and will be turning 20 in just a few months. As of last month, I was diagnosed with Lyme Disease after over two years of continually declining health to which I could find no solution.

I grew up in the suburbs of San Antonio, TX. I was perfectly healthy and no problems with my health whatsoever. My junior year in High School, I started to notice a few food allergies. For example, if I tried to eat too many eggs, I would have difficulty swallowing and would begin to gag. I didn't take too much notice of this and just cut back on my eggs. I played basketball, and was also pretty skinny, so I was trying to put on weight. Thus, I just assumed that maybe I was trying to force myself to eat too many eggs. I just shrugged it off. I didn't really notice anything else and I got into my senior year.

Senior year I began to feel a little extra tired. I would be yawning in class more often. And in basketball, I found myself getting more winded than usual. Nothing extreme in either case, but enough to make me take notice. Being a normal teenager, I just attributed this to not getting enough sleep and so forth. Again, I just shrugged it off.

Then following the conclusion of my senior season, I dedicated myself to putting on weight. I began lifting six times a week and consuming around 4,000-6,000 calories a day. A lot of these calories came in the form of carbohydrates (english muffins, breakfast toast, bagels, etc.). I had a special protein shake I made that contained a a fruity granola mix (I ground it up in a blender so that it became a powder) which I mixed with a cheap flavored protein powder. I probably consumed around 1,500-2,000 calories a day in the form of this protein shake and the vast majority of those calories, again were carbohydrates from the granola. I was going through about one $5.00 bag of granola a day. I also consumed a lot of Juicy Juice, especially following my workouts to get my insulin levels up post-workout. I started this in March and by the end of May I had put on 35 pounds of pretty clean weight.

However, by the time I finished in May, I had absolutely AWFUL gas and I was extremely bloated. I also had developed what I would describe as classic GERD symptoms. I struggled to eat and swallow whole foods as I had an extremely dry mouth and would gag if I tried to eat too much in one sitting. This gag reflex would kick in before I could eat my fill. I would thus still be hungry but couldn't eat anymore. If I tried to push past this gag reflex, as I was still hungry, I would throw up. At this point, I stopped the granola protein shakes and focused on just consuming whole foods. Within a few weeks my flatulence went away completely and my bloating and some of my other symptoms decreased somewhat. However, after a few weeks the improvements stopped and I was left with the dry mouth, bloating, and inability to consume large amounts of food in one sitting without gagging.

I went off to boarding school for a "Post-Grad" (extra year after HS) year to try and draw more interest from colleges for basketball. It was here that my other symptoms began to become more apparent. My motivation for both school and basketball, which has always been extremely strong as I had an awesome work ethic, began to decrease. I began to become slightly apathetic. My grades slipped and I didn't put as much time into practicing for basketball or lifting. My fatigue also continued to increase and I found myself extremely tired. I had great trouble focusing in class and managing my time. I would get distracted extremely easily when I was doing things, such as doing homework on my computer. My initial thought was that my ADHD medicine wasn't working (I had been successfully on ADHD medicine since 4th grade). I basically felt like I had the ADHD symptom of inability to focus and concentrate that I knew so well from when I didn't take my medicine, but without the "hyperactivity". I had zero energy. I thus contacted my ADHD doctor and he changed my medicine from Vyvanse, which I had been on for several years, to Concerta. This change did nothing and my symptoms persisted.

My digestion issues such as bloating, dry mouth, and inability to consume large amounts of food in one sitting without gagging also continued. Through research on my own, I came across GERD and acid reflux and it seemed to match some of the symptoms I was having. I tried some of the suggested fixes such as fermented sauerkraut and Apple Cider Vinegar, none of which worked. Midway through my post-grad year, my father suddenly left my mother and filed for divorce. He had obviously been planning it for a while based on the way he was able to hide his finances, and so I left school early to go home and help my mother. The next few months consisted of driving across the country with my mom and dog to a small house that we owned, but was not in very good shape. The next few months involved fixing up this really crappy house and dealing with the legal situation. It was an incredibly stressful time, and my mother has lupus, depression, and rheumatoid arthritis so her health was not in the best place either. The dog was also in the process of going blind and had developed mange from when she was left in the care of my father. Nonetheless, it was an absolute mess and incredibly stressful time.

It was during this time that I contacted a nutritionist. Money was tight, but I was able to scrounge together enough money to see her. Based on my digestive symptoms that I have already described, combined with some recently developed oral thrush and a yeast rash I had developed on my back, she diagnosed me with Candida. She put me on an Anti-Candida diet and prescribed me some herbs to kill it. I proceeded to religiously follow the diet and herbs for the next several months with very little improvement to show for.

Despite having to leave my post-grad year early, I still was able to garner several basketball offers for college. One of which I accepted at a small liberal arts college up in the midwest. It was a D3 school, so I did not receive an athletic scholarship but still received quite a bit of financial aid and academic merit money. My mother had returned to Texas to deal with the legal case, so I had to take my dog with me so I had to live off-campus.

Upon arriving at college, all of my aforementioned symptoms had since worsened and I felt absolutely awful. I also began to develop pains in the back of my neck (especially when I tilted my head back, I would experience a sharp pain) and my upper back. My lymph nodes behind my ears had also become extremely inflamed. I also was in no condition to play basketball so I informed my coach that something was wrong with me and I just couldn't play (he has been extremely supportive throughout). I was still following the candida protocol. After a few months at school and being forced to give up basketball for the year, I decided what I was doing wasn't working and I needed to find an actual doctor. After lots of research, I found very highly rated doctor in Chicago who also was very much fluent in alternative medicine practices. I went and saw her just a few months ago and she ran a bunch of tests on me, including a bunch of blood tests and some stool samples. After a month or so, the results came back and she diagnosed me with Lyme Disease.

Now she is pretty Lyme literate, but she is definitely not the best communicator and the only way I can really get an to answer to any of my questions is to schedule another appointment. So that is ultimately why I am on here, to bridge the gaps.



CURRENT REGIMENT AND QUESTIONS

Alright, so last month, after all of the tests came back and she diagnosed it as Lyme, she prescribed the following antibiotics for three months:

Cefuroxime 500 mg (2x Day)
Clarithromycin 500 mg (2x Day)
Tinidazole 500 mg (2x Day for Two Days a Week)

I am also taking the following probiotics:

ProbioMax DF 100 Billion
Custom Probiotics 60 Billion
Sacchaomycin DF 10 Billion

And I am on:

Nystatin 100,000 Units (2x a Day)

I have followed the above protocol for one month and I have not seen any improvements whatsoever. I thus went ahead and did some research on my own and discovered TWO different things that I thought might help.

1.) Heat. I read that Lyme HATES heat, which would make sense based on people who have had Lyme for long periods of time generally having lower body temperatures. Fever is also one of the bodies natural ways to kill off foreign invaders. I have been tracking my body temperature lately and it has been around the low 96s in the morning and works its way up into the low 97s by the evening. One of the ways in particular I read to raise ones body temperature is by using an infra-red sauna, and that it can safely raise one's body temperature quite significantly.

2.) Enzymes to break down the biofilms such as Nattokinase, Serrapeptase, and Lumbrokinase.

I was able to miraculously get in contact with my doctor and ask her about these two things. She said heat definitely does help and that if I can find an infra sauna, that would be awesome.

She also said that she thought she prescribed the enzyme interphase to go along with the antibiotics (which she didn't). She therefore recommended that I go ahead and order interphase or another one of the enzymes from the internet and she gave me some suggested brands. I ultimately ended up ordering serrapeptase as I read it is the best one to start with. I ordered the following brand:

http://www.amazon.com/Doctors-Best-Potency-Serrapeptase-90-Count/dp/B003QW3GCI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1427424162&sr=8-1&keywords=serrapeptase


I plan to take this Serrapeptase along with my current antibiotics for the next two months.

I also know I am going to need to be constantly detoxing, so I have a sweat suit which I have been and will continue to do light exercise in every night for 45 minutes or so. I also have some bentonite clay and pysllium which I plan on using every day for further detox as well as some Milk Thistle to protect my liver. I also have some Cat's Claw which I plan to use, as I heard it is also effective against Lyme. I do not have an appointment to go back to see my doctor until late May, and my goal is to by then be seeing some serious improvement.


So I guess my questions are the following:

1.) Should I order any additional enzymes (Interphase, Interphase Plus, Nattokinase, or Lumbrokinaseto) to go along with the Serrapeptase? I read on another thread here that Interphase and Interphase Plus are great complements to Serrapeptase:

"My LLMD explained the enzymes like this to me (and like I said before, she used Serrapeptase first, then the I/F and then I/F Plus) - in a layman sort of way. The Serrapeptase evidently does the equivalent of "poking holes" into the biofilms. The Interfase then acts like scissors that cut slices between the holes left by the Serrapeptase., Finally, the Interfase Plus then does the final step of breaking apart the holey and sliced biofilms so that they are eliminate from the body."

Is this true? I don't want to leave any rock unturned here.

2.) Any other supplements or herbs that any of you would suggest I add to my already planned regiment of antibiotics, Serrapeptase, any additional enzymes you guys suggest, P&B Shakes, Cat's Claw, and Milk Thistle?

3.) Have any of you had any success with infra-red saunas or any other ways to raise your body temperature? I have read in multiple places that not only does increases in body temperature inhibit Lyme as one's body temperature increases, but it also would kill it if high enough temps are reached (106 F, which obviously isn't possible). Has anyone else heard the same? If so, there are some cheap portable Infra-Red saunas on Amazon ($300 or so) that I might think about purchasing.

4.) Any other suggestions whatsoever?

I greatly appreciate anyone who took the time to read this ridiculously long post. I am sure many of you have also had very long and difficult battle with Lyme in which you have had to overcome your fair share of adversity as well. Throughout this battle, I have always reminded myself that no matter how bad I think I have it, there are always people out there in the world who have it worse than myself.

Post Edited (JimboThunder) : 3/26/2015 10:32:33 PM (GMT-6)

"Did you start both Ceftin and biaxin (Clarithromycin) together? and pulsed the tinidazole for two days the same week you started them?
Did you herx? That's quite a lot to be starting off with all at once."

Yes I did start them all at once and I pulsed the tinidazole on the very first two days of the first week, so right away.

And no I did not really herx at all. I had one or two days in the first week where I felt just a little worse then normal, but then I felt nothing whatsoever after that. That kind of surprised me. Why would you expect me to herx more with the abx's I was on? I just assumed it was the biofilms preventing the abx from having any effect?

Haha, and I forgot to put in the probiotics. That would not be good to leave those out. I am taking three different probiotics which add up to around 170 billion. I am also following a gluten and dairy free lyme diet.

I also forgot to mention that I am on Nystatin as well to avoid a yeast break out due to all of the abx.

I did see and read the "New to Lyme" thread and I did see the epsom salt baths, which is definitely something I might try.

You are very young and it seems you are responding to treatment with minimal to no herxing, which is good--your body responds well to the meds.

I would suggest detoxing because the dead bugs that the abx will kill will catch up with you. Epsom salt baths help but there are other ways you can detox, which will protect your liver and kidneys from the neuro-toxins that are eliminated by the dead bacteria. My son got very ill and started to have seizures and they may have been caused by those toxins.

I am not very good at this, I am still learning about detoxing, I have the theory from hundreds of research but not much practice; when I treated, my LLMD did not recommend any detox, which I believe was a mistake. Others will be able to help more. I personally use Chlorella for my children because I found it to be the safest with virtually no side effects and most importantly, nutritious. It has the B-vitamins, amino-acids, peptides, etc much needed in people with Lyme and it is 100% organic.

I will start to use cilantro and parsley tinctures soon and I already use lots of it in my cooking. Some are using Pinella and Burbur--you can look them up--Amazon sells them. I didn't try those so I can't comment on them but it seems they are both "liked" around here.

I am a fan of Dr. Klinghardt and I follow him on youtube, although I am not his patient. He has videos from which I have learned a lot, but at the end of the day, you have to choose what works for you. Garlic is also a great detoxer and a great antibacterial but the pills are virtually useless--I consume a lot in cooking and raw--bugs hate it!

For the specific probiotics, I can't comment, I don't know how effective they are. The most effective are the ones in the fridge at the health stores. It doesn't matter how many gazilions the others show if they are not life bugs and they are not effective

I used a lot of Kefir when I was on abx (thanks to Traveler) and I was fine. I didn't have any gut problems, but for my son this was not enough. You have to see what works. You may find sourkraut just as effective as your 3 probiotics. I make it myself now and my older kids take it when they get gut problems. Yeah, they don't like the taste, but they see it works fast and well and they swallow it up LOL

Good wishes and I hope you are on your road to healing quickly. Remember we are here if you need any support and please do not take my writings as advice, it is my personal opinion and it may not work for everyone. Also, my opinion is that more is not better, I would not add cat's claw on top of abx unless at low dose. Yes to milk thistle. What I would add is detox products for liver and kidneys especially because they need to filter not only your abx, but the toxins from the dead bugs and you want to protect them, you won't get new ones. Even if your body detoxes well, you don't want to overwhelm your kidneys and liver, you want to "baby" them so that you can continue with treatment with no problems. Saunas are great too and highly recommended by many LLMDs, although I didn't use them yet. I am looking into getting one, one of these days.

Picturehealth, did you get an infra-red sauna or a steam sauna? Also, if it was an infra sauna, do you know what the EMFs are for it? I have come across quite a few portable infra red saunas in that price range, but they all have very high and unsafe EMF levels.

You will want to monitor your reaction to the exercise. Do make sure to do some intense detoxing afterwards (dry brushing, long shower, drink lots of water). Aerobic exercise is often not recommended for people being treated for Lyme because it lowers your T-cell count. So reduce your exercise if you find yourself made more ill by it and don't do it if you are feeling under the weather (nursing a cold or other virus). Otherwise, have fun and work hard!

Jimbo you can't use clay if you are taking abx ( the term for antibiotics on here)

I would recommend asking your practitioner to get you the Pekena line of products. Those are excellent for detox. Renelex, apo-hepat, and iteres.

Here is a link about detox. This is a very helpful site on all subjects.
http://www.betterhealthguy.com/topics/detoxification