The thing to do is to start each new thing- whether for treatment or for detoxing - very, very slowly. Never start off on a "full dose" of anything, and work your dose or time spent detoxing up slowly.
Not everyone will agree with me on this, but with the experience that I had personally, and what I've watched others go through, here is what I believe needs to happen for many of us to heal:
a)Detoxing - gene mutations, mold exposure and multiple tick-borne infections can all prevent us from detoxing well, but we must be able to get those toxins out of our bodies. I have not had any of the gene mutation testing done, although I do seem to have the same kind of issues as those that do - so I figured it was best for me to assume that I did and work to get my body to detox much better. It took a lot of diet changes as things with my body changed, I use a foot soak daily, dry skin brushing, making sure my bowels moved at least once a day (sorry if it's TMI!) pushing myself to drink at least 64 ounces of lemon water each and every day, liver/gall bladder flushes (all natural), oil pulling, taking activated charcoal and keeping the amount of stress in my life at a bare minimum. You can find some really good detoxing suggestions in the "New to Lyme?" thread that sits at the top of the forum:
www.healingwell.com/community/default.aspx?f=30&m=1606610b)Supporting the body functions/systems. We have to have the body working at it's peak performance to heal from something as devastating as these infections. Supporting any gland, organ, body system that is struggling will allow the body to switch it's 'concentration' from just trying to function over to healing.
c) Raise the immune function. Many legitimate Lyme researchers now believe that it's the lowered immune function that determines who gets chronic Lyme and who heals right away. We already know that Lyme lowers the immune function and when a person has Bartonella and/or Babesia, the immune function is further compromised, so to heal we must raise our immune function.
d) Lastly, oddly enough, are anti-infective treatments. Many of us have experienced treatment failures, so we can see that the treatments aren't the only thing we need to have - there has to be more to the equation, but anti-infective treatments are very important!! Lyme bacteria are one of the most complicated bacteria! Although it takes only hours or days for most bacteria to replicate, Lyme bacteria only replicates in the body every few weeks.
With detoxing, you can start off with things that aren't likely to move toxins from the tissues right away, but are designed to help remove toxins from the blood stream and to get the lymph fluid moving more.
Drinking at least 64 ounces a day of lemon water, as it helps to push the body back over to being slightly alkaline.
Dry skin brushing, as it not only removes that top layer of dead skin so that the skin can push toxins out easier, but it helps to get the lymph fluid moving better.
Oil pulling for 20 minutes daily.
Taking binders such as activated charcoal - but they has to be taken 2 hours before and 2 hours after any meds, supplements or food is taken or it will only bind to those things, and not the toxins. So you have to have a 4 hour time period where you aren't taking any meds, supplements or food.
And as Garden Peace suggested, use a foot bath instead of a full bath for detoxing. I used foot baths almost solely while I healed as the full baths would mobilize too many toxins out of my tissues and into my blood stream all at once and I payed for it for 3 - 4 days - and I only stayed in the water for 10 minutes at a time! If you choose to use the foot baths though, do keep them to 10 minutes or less as well for now.
I'm sure I've missed a few things, so hopefully others will chime in as well.