This blog used to be titled Sonya Fights Lyme. But I am no longer "fighting" Lyme disease. I am pushing forward, no longer a victim, no longer angry, no longer searching. I still have symptoms, but I am not letting them destroy me.
I couldn't find much information on LDI (low dose immunotherapy) treatment for Lyme disease online. However, here is a recent radio interview with Dr. Ty Vincent explaining LDI treatment for Lyme disease.
Low Dose Immunotherapy: A New Healing Tool August 28, 2015
http://www.mat-suim.com
Hosted by Neil Nathan MD
Guest Information
Ty Vincent, MD
Episode Description Today, I am delighted to be joined by Dr. Ty Vincent who has developed the new healing protocols for Low Dose Immunotherapy. As a veteran integrative family physician working in Alaska and Hawaii, Dr. Vincent realized that the Low Dose Antigen (LDA) program developed by Dr. Schrader could be expanded to include a wider range of healing possibilities. In addition to its long and excellent track record with allergies of every type, this new tool can be useful for treating Lyme disease and co-infections, and Candida, Interstitial Cystitis and a lot more. Please join us to explore this exciting field of healing!Click here to open the radio interview
This is me taking my first dose of LDI for Lyme disease. LDI stands for Low Dose Immunotherapy. For more information on this treatment for Lyme disease see the link below the video.
http://www.specialtynaturalmedicine.com/lyme-disease-ldi
This is not my Dr but it gives a brief rundown of what LDI is. I will probably post more info to the blog here at a later time.
UPDATE: Monday, September 14, 2015
I am supposed to contact the nurse today to let her know if I had any reaction to the first dose. The problem is that I DON'T KNOW! I can't tell if I flared or if it was my normal symptoms. I have been sick in bed for the past two days but that is fairly typical for me when returning from two days at Campland (it's glamping in your motorhome). I will contact them today and see what they say.
UPDATE: Sadly Heather took her own life shortly after this video was made. She threw herself in front of a train. It was HORRENDOUS!
Can ANYONE help this young woman?? It seems to be life or death here. She is sick and homeless. Please, if you cannot help at least share far and wide.
Adrenal fatigue is not generally tested for and treated in standard medical practice. There are saliva tests that can be done to test cortisol levels accurately. Most doctors do an AM cortisol, but I don't feel that the blood draw is accurate enough. At the end of this post I will post a link to a quiz I found online that you can take yourself to see if you have symptoms of adrenal fatigue. For now I'll describe what I've managed to store in my brain about the subject.
From my understanding, our adrenal glands sit right above our kidneys. The adrenal hormone they produce is cortisol. Cortisol is essential to living. Cortisol regulates all of our other hormones including the thyroid and the sex hormones (testosterone, estrogen, progesterone, DHEA, etc). If you have adrenal insufficiency, you most likely cannot stabilize your thyroid or sex hormone levels. You feel exhausted and can't fight infections. The list is enormous!
Here is another great explanation of adrenal fatigue:
Symptoms of adrenal fatigue:
Morning fatigue -- You don't really seem to "wake up" until 10 a.m., even if you've been awake since 7 a.m.
Afternoon "low" (feelings of sleepiness or clouded thinking) from 2 to 4 p.m.
Burst of energy at 6 p.m. -- You finally feel better from your afternoon lull.
Sleepiness at 9 to 10 p.m. -- However, you resist going to sleep.
"Second wind" at 11 p.m. that lasts until about 1 a.m., when you finally go to sleep.
Cravings for foods high in salt and fat
Increased PMS or menopausal symptoms
Mild depression
Lack of energy
Decreased ability to handle stress
Muscular weakness
Increased allergies
Lightheadedness when getting up from a sitting or laying down position
Decreased sex drive
Frequent sighing
Inability to handle foods high in potassium or carbohydrates unless they're combined with fats and protein
It's important to find a doctor or practitioner that A. believes in adrenal fatigue (they may only be slightly familiar with Addison's Disease) and B. is familiar with and knows how to treat adrenal fatigue.
I have confirmed hypoadrenalism via an extensive 30 day saliva test done by Genova Labs called Rhythm Plus. I feel so lucky (and unbelievably grateful) that this $1000 test was covered by Medicare. It also tested my sex hormones and my melatonin levels. Maybe I'll speak more on that later. I am about to embark on Bioidentical Hormones starting in a few days. Anyway, I knew it! I suspected adrenal fatigue before Lyme, Mycoplasma, HHV-6, etc ever even came into my life. I even hired Dr. Lam as my health coach to help me get past adrenal fatigue but the situation did not work out for me and it was costly and I didn't feel very helpful, so I gave up.
My primary care doctor (such a blessing to find down the street from my house) ran the saliva tests. He does not find treating adrenal fatigue with cortisone to work out well for his patients. He just wants me to stick with using herbs and glandulars. Herbs such as licorice root, eleuthero root, and the glandular would come from bovine (cow). It is basically the cow's adrenals. Similar to people that take natural thyroid instead of synthetic. It actually comes from the porcine's (pig) thyroid gland. I was previously seeing a holistic practitioner who diagnosed my adrenal fatigue by using the tests mentioned on the Natural News website I have linked below. He said my adrenals were "shot".
This is what my primary care suggested I take.
This is what I have taken in the past and had energy immediate improvement. I took it with the other one below.
You can click on these pictures and it will take you to Amazon site.
**You should always consult a practitioner before you take supplements or herbs.
Here is the link to the quiz that I promised you. You can print it, and then take the quiz yourself and score yourself. Bring the quiz in with you to your doctor or practitioner.
Here is a site that has great info that I got the other symptom list from: http://www.naturalnews.com/019339_adrenal_fatigue_chronic_stress.html
I saw this video and it inspired me to do a little yoga back in the Spring. It's been making its rounds around Facebook lately, and I thought I too should share. True inspiration. For anyone. Enjoy. Don't forget the tissues.
I know I need to post an update. My laptop has took a final nose dive and is now in laptop heaven. I have my handy iPad but its not great for typing. I'll update soon and reply to comments at some point. I have not been doing so well since my surgery in June and in September I posted an update and I've been the same since. Up until the past few weeks! I'm starting to feel better again, more like pre-surgery. I even have a killer cold right now that has me up tonight with a fever of 101.2 and a racing heartbeat. I feel like death warmed over, but at least I know my immune system is working! Right? I'll post an update soon and now that I'm feeling better overall (well,once this cold is gone) I'll post the update, tell you about my new doctor. I also want to tell you about a great nutritionist that has helped me a lot. She is on the other side of the US but we Skyped. Check her out if you like www.supernaturalnutrition.netI'll give details later. Good stuffs. I didn't bail on you! Xoxo -Sonya
Looks like Connie Strasheim is at it again. I am so excited to read this book, let me tell you! This is right up my alley and similar to what I have been focusing on since I stopped ILADS treatment for chronic Lyme disease. I am so happy that someone with influence in our community took the time to right this book. I have felt this way and have tried to help others to understand but I have been rejected, cast out, and turned away for having ideas other than KILL, KILL, KILL (killing spirochetes with antibiotics, etc).
Pick up this book. I haven't got my copy yet, but from what I've read, this is the road. Here is more info from the publishers site. You can click the pic and be taken directly to the website.
I HAVE to promote this supplement! Life Extension Super Bio-curcumin. I ran out of this stuff about a week and a half to two weeks ago. I've been taking one daily since last April (I think I started out taking one per day and moving up to two per day, one AM and one PM). When my husband and I saw it during our last trip to Vitamin Shoppe, I pointed it out and said that I had just ran out of this, and I should buy some. But I am trying to be frugal because I spend a lot of money on supplements and when you feel good, you think you no longer NEED certain things. Well, I've been feeling pretty crappy for the past 10 days or so. Started with just my right hand being in pain every morning and feeling head achy and blah. Then moved to both hands and now my neck and shoulder pain is pretty intense all day, every day. Also headaches from hell off and on, no energy, haven't been walking, doing stuff, etc. Just haven't been "myself". A couple of days ago, this stuff popped into my head for some reason, but I dismissed it (my body speaks to me, I just need to listen). Then last night as I was trying to fall asleep, it came into my head again. And I realized DUH! This stuff helps my pain and inflammation! Forget trying to save money, this stuff works! My husband is on his way to Vitamin Shoppe as I type this to get it. Can you say "HERO STATUS"? I said to him, remember about 4 months ago when I ran out? Same exact scenario. I had found it during an online search at Vitamin Shoppe (I was buying it online on Amazon or iHerb) I sent my husband to go get it. It was our first ever trip to or purchase at a Vitamin Shoppe. So while I was explaining to my husband how last time I ran out, I felt like crap and was in pain, blah blah blah and I found my review from back then (in May) on Amazon about how bad I felt after running out and we are going to try to find it somewhere local, no matter the cost. Anyway, I wanted to share this with EVERYONE! I never noticed how much this stuff helped me until I ran out. Same goes with the Liposomal Glutathione. I didn't notice until I was out of it. These two items I will never let myself run out of again! I may try using Liposomal curcumin since this version is working so well for me. Or maybe I'll attempt to make it myself. I'm also going to post this on my blog. Shouting it from the rooftops people!!! So there you have it. Super Bio-Curcumin and Liposomal Glutathione are my two HOLY GRAIL supplements that I will not live without. So not worth it to save money. My health and the way I feel is more important. There is a reason for not just taking plain old glutathione or plain old curcumin (an extract of turmeric). Apparently neither one of these substances are bio-available in our bodies. Do a Google search on either one and you will see why I take them in these different, more costly forms.
You can find the Super Bio-Curcumin at a Vitamin Shoppe near you , they have GREAT prices. Or you can find it online on Amazon.com or iHerb.com. I made the links go straight to where you want to go.
Now in regards to buying Liposomal Glutathione (or even Vitamin C or Curcumin) I get that stuff from Let's Talk Health or from Amazon here it is on Amazon. They also have a Liposomal version of Vitamin C. I can make my own liposomal vitamin C and Glutathione, but I still purchase it from time to time when I can't find a good source of the pure forms of the two substances.
