Radio Naturopath Episode 429: Lyme and Tick Borne Illness, How to Help Herxheimer Reactions

I'm still dealing with chronic Lyme disease and bartonella. This week we talked about how to handle the dreaded Herxheimer reaction, the symptoms you get while you're killing off Lyme spirochetes, other Lyme forms, and other bacteria. I get these isolated tremors that come and go. We talked about chlorella, other binders like zeolite and activated charcoal, Alka Seltzer Gold, and lemon, lime, and grapefruit! Lots more too. It's a process! 

Radio Naturopath Episode 416: POTS Advice, Vitamin C, Bedrotting and Stress, Cryptolepis for Immunity

I then discussed the health benefits of getting plenty of Vitamin C from food and supplements. Reduced gout, improved collagen, lower blood pressure, better immunity. All terrfic things! And, there is a Gen Z TikTok trend called BED ROTTING. I'm a fan! There are naysayers who say it will prevent people from accomplishing more, but I think the point is that people are already trying to accomplish too much. Hanging out in bed is great for your sanity! Then I got started on a newer-known herb for Lyme and immunity, cryptolepis. More on Lyme herbs next week!

Radio Naturopath Episode 395: Chronic Illness in Kids, Fascial Trauma, Lyme & COVID-19, PANS-PANDAS

This week, we talked some more about the amazing info I got at the CNPA conference. There is so much information it's going to take at least 3 or 4 shows to fit it all in! Debby Hamilton, M.D. talked about how the pesticide glyphosate can affect young nervous systems, as can electromagnetic fields. There was a great talk about how trauma can be held in our fascia, our connective tissue, and how to release it. Then Myriah Hinchey, N.D., who is expert in tick born illnesses, talked about the similarities between inflammation in COVID-19 and Lyme. Lindsay Wells talked about treating PANS and PANDAS, psychiatric syndromes usually in children that can follow infections with staphylococcus or streptococcal bacteria.  More to follow next week!

Radio Naturopath Episode 352: LymeBytes 2022 Conference Review: All About Tick Borne Illness

Last Saturday and Sunday, May 21-22, 2022, was the first LymeBytes conference at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut. It was a very informative conference with many speakers and lots of information! I learned about antimicrobials to fight Lyme and other tick borne illnesses. We talked about antibiotics, herbs like cryptolepis and cat's claw, and how mold can complicate tick borne illness. We talked about lots of therapeutics, but also the importance of simple healthy living and eating, and resting! Lyme and tick borne illness won't stay in a body that is very healthy.

Radio Naturopath Episode 223: More on Lyme and CT Incidence, Hashimoto's, and Babesiosis; Insect Repellants; How Stress Affects Your Health

MORE stuff about Ron and his Lyme and Hashimoto's, and also the incidence of Lyme in the state of CT by county. New London has the highest incidence, but we wonder if it's underreported elsewhere. Ron makes the point that there is a lot of effort put into West Nile Virus which has an incidence of 23 cases/year in Connecticut, and less effort into Lyme disease which has 1800+ reported cases! And remember that these are the properly REPORTED cases, where the doctors have been presented with a state reporting form AND have managed to fill them out and send them back in. I made sure to encourage everyone to use bug spray, whether natural with essential oils, Bio UD from tomatoes, or even DEET if you must! I also make the point that the danger of antibiotic resistance is far outweighed by the need to eradicate a tick borne disease from a person, which can go on to have lifelong consequences, especially musculoskeletal and neurological.

We also talked about how stress affects your health. It can, of course, affect every system in your body, from headaches to digestion to muscle pain! And some suggestions to help.

Radio Naturopath Episode 222: More Update on Lyme, Babesia, Hashimoto's; Tips To Help You Live Longer!

Update on Ron's Lyme: turns out he has Hashimoto's thyroiditis and is frankly hypothyroid! So, we prescribed him 50 mcg levothyroxine and will play with the dose to get it right. Then we discovered that he has a Lyme coinfection: babesiosis! He will be getting a week of atovaquone and azithromycin for that, and also other natural medicine.

I also talked about some basic things you can do to live longer. They're things like keep your weight down, eat less food, don't smoke, get exercise, get rest. Basic stuff that you know, but it bears repeating!

Radio Naturopath Episode 221: Lyme Update, Why Is Constipation Bad For You?

This week, we once again did an update on Ron's Lyme treatment because we changed some things, and we talked about how we were going to handle his supplements based on his symptoms. We talked about the importance of binders and substances to carry the Lyme toxins and remnants of killed bacteria out of the body. We also talked about ways to deal with "Lyme brain", the cognitive deficits that can happen during Lyme disease.

I got a great question: WHY isn't it good for me to only have a BM 3-4x/week? I explained the whole thing! Toxins that are supposed to be excreted and can be reabsorbed; hormones marked for excretion that can cause high hormone problems, like PMS and enlarged prostate and even cancer; the need to slough off old bowel cells and have them regenerate; the need to maintain the tone of the colon so that regularity can be perpetuated. Such a simple everyday function and it's so important!

Radio Naturopath Episode 146: NHAND Conference Redux: Detoxification, Fatty Liver, Sleep Apnea, Hormesis, Alcoholism and Depression, Lyme Disease

I just came back from the New Hampshire Association of Naturopathic Doctors conference. Can you say Information Overload? Here's some great nuggets! Get help for constipation, because you can otherwise reabsorb toxins, like pesiticides! Sleep apnea is NO GOOD. Not only can it increase chances of stroke and heart attack, but it lowers testosterone, leading to no sex drive, reduced muscle mass, and weight gain! It's important to address biotoxins, by reducing them in the community and by assisting personal everyday detox. Some people drink alcohol because they're genetically predisposed to it making them happier! For these folks, gamma linolenic acid, like in evening primrose oil, can help. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is on the rise; if it finally leads to an inflamed liver, it can lead to liver cancer! So, reduce that starch and sugar, and get exercise. Hormesis: a little is good, there's a sweet spot, and then too much is no good. The biphasic nature of dosing any compound! And the highest mortality from Lyme disease is suicide. People feel desperate, frustrated, and misunderstood. Let's get some understanding and support for people facing chronic Lyme!