Where do I start? Need help please

Hi-

I just recently got diagnosed w/ Lyme and mycoplasma after going to doctor after doctor for almost a year. Long story -but now I am ready to tackle this thing head on. I have many, many neuro symptoms and lots of fatigue. I've been on 100 mg/2x of doxy for about 1.5 months. I've been herxing pretty much the whole time...a few times I've thought about stopping the abx I have felt so horrible.

I'm ready to start implementing some herbs to help w/ the process. I am completely overwhelmed with all the different protocols and alternative treatments. Can anyone recommend a starting point of what worked for them? I've read buhner's book on mycoplasma confection. I was thinking of starting w/ teasel root and cat's claw. My acupuncturist also started me on tung shui pills to help with circulation, joint pain, and to "clean" my blood. Also looking for recommendations for detox. So far I've only been doing epsom salt baths. I'm also eating dairy, sugar, and gluten free.

Any advice on what has worked for any of you would be greatly appreciated!!!

Thanks

Welcome to the forum, Sniogra!

First off, sorry you have lyme disease!

When treating with doxycycline, the usual dose is 200 mg twice daily. 100 mg twice daily will only stop the bacteria from replicating, so only keep it at bay.
You need 200 mg twice daily to do the job.

It's alright to start off on the 100 mg twice daily, but you should be increasing it.

To help with your herxing, you need to employ some detox methods that you do faithfully everyday. It is likely you are feeling horrible because your toxin load (from killing the lyme bacteria) is high in your body.

Warm, epsom salt baths and eating a clean diet are good starts.
You could add hydrogen peroxide to your baths.

You could also dry brush your skin with a natural bristle brush before your baths.

Also, drink 64 ounces of water daily; or close to it...also add some lemon juice to some of the glasses.

When you have a moment, take a look at the thread at the top of the page titled: "New to Lyme?..Start Here." It's full of good information...lots of great detox ideas.

I wanted to ask if you're seeing a Lyme Literate Doctor? The reason I ask, is the low dose of doxy you were prescribed.

If you add in Buhner's mycoplasma protocol, make sure you add one thing at a low dose at a time, before adding the next item. This is to ensure if you have a reaction (ie - herx or allergy), you will have a better idea of what caused it.

Yes, it is overwhelming...but this forum is a wonderful place filled with knowledgeable, supportive members to help you.

If you don't have a Lyme Literate MD, we can help you find one.

Hi Sniogra!
Welcome to our community! I'm so glad you found us.

I would suggest you get your doc to take a look at ILADS treatment guidelines which will spell out the abx and the dosages needed for effective treatment of Lyme disease: www.ilads.org/lyme/treatment-guideline.php

200 mgs of Doxy a day will only at most stop the bacteria from replicating, but it's use long term will also encourage them to go into their cystic form, where they can't be touched by any anti-infective treatments or the immune system.

Personally, I like Buhner's protocols (although I didn't use them to heal) because you can have such wonderful control over what you use and how easy it is to ramp up your dosages. He has a wonderful website as well where many questions are answered: buhnerhealinglyme.com/

and a Facebook group: /www.facebook.com/stephen.buhner

So if you wished to start with Buhner's, I would suggest starting off with Japanese Knotweed, as Buhner suggests: buhnerhealinglyme.com/herbs/starting-protocol-with-cats-claw/

For information on finding a​n ILADS ​(International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society)​ trained​ Lyme Literate Medical Doctor(LLMD) in your area, you will need to enable your email option in your profile in order to receive any recommendations, as we don't allow doctor's names and contact info to be posted on the forum for several reasons. You can enable your email option in your profile, under 'edit profile'. Be sure to click the submit button to actually save your preference.


​You can send me an email by clicking on my screen name or the small blue envelope under my screen name. I may have contact information for some LLMD's in your area as well.​ ​Please include your state and area that you would like to find a LLMD in and I will see how close I can get to your location.​


You can start a new thread titled something like "Looking for LLMD in the (insert the nearest larger city & state) area". Members can email you about the LLMD's that they see in that area if you have your email enabled. We don't allow doctors names to be posted though.


You can also email the Tick-Borne Disease Alliance at​[​​url]​[email protected]​ for LLMD referrals and you can go to ​tbdalliance.org/​​ to learn more about these infections.


You can also go to The Lyme Disease Association and search for LLMD's 3 times in a month. You have to register first. Here is the link:
www.lymediseaseassociation.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=277&Itemid=74​​


​ You will want to find an ILADS (International Lyme And Associated Diseases Society) trained doctor, as ID Docs (Infectious Disease Doctors) believe Lyme is hard to catch and easy to treat, and don't believe in the reality of chronic Lyme. Go to the ILADS site to read the new (2014) Treatment guidelines to get you started on your Lyme journey.​​www.ilads.org/lyme/ILADS_Guidelines.pdf​​

Thank you all so much for the suggestions. I'm going to print out the treatment guidelines from ILAD's and show it to my doctor. I've also enabled my email if anyone can find an llmd for me in my area.

Wonderful to get some support for once!

Just emailed you traveler and posted another thread. Also- I was looking over the link you posted for lyme treatment on ILADS and I didn't see anything specific about administering at least 200 mg of doxy...the link was no longer valid.

Let me know if you didn't get my email, or if you have more questions that you think I may be able to help with! We are here to help!!