LINKS:

https://bens30.com/deet/100-deet.html

https://tickkey.com/

https://www.tickcheck.com/

https://www.bugbaffler.com/

So, after almost a month of me talking about lyme disease, you might be freaking out, like, oh my gosh, lyme disease is terrible, what if I get it???

So, if you have lyme, it is not your fault that you got it. I mean, unless you somehow purposely injected the lyme bacteria into your body knowing that it would make you really sick. But I don’t think that’s ever happened.

However, there are some ways you can reduce the risk of contracting lyme.

First is to avoid areas prevalent with ticks. This is really difficult, especially because there are areas that don’t have ticks, yet people there are still getting lyme disease. Also, pretty much the entire east coast of the united states is like crawling with ticks, so if you live there you can’t really avoid it. However, if you are going hiking in a wooded area with known ticks, there is usually a warning sign before you enter the trails. Take great caution when entering these areas!

One way to take caution is to cover up! Ticks can’t bite you if they do not have access to your skin. Wear shoes that cover your entire feet. Wear your socks over your pants. Wear long sleeves and gloves and hats. And face masks. This is also probably really hard to do especially if you live where I live in Arizona. It gets up to 120 degrees Fahrenheit. So actually you might overheat if you wore that much clothing.

But there is like these net/hat things you can put over your face, so that might help.

Also you can use bug spray that repels ticks.

Once you are done outside, thoroughly check every part of your skin for ticks. I found my tick behind my ear. I was just like tucking my hair behind my ear and I felt a bump there and I’m like uhhh. Mom what is this??? It was a tick!

This can also be difficult to do though because ticks can be so tiny and they can get in your hair and it’s a mess. If you do find one, remove it immediately and CAREFULLY. The lyme disease bacteria can transfer from the tick into your bloodstream in a matter of minutes.

There are tick removal tools like these that can help you safely remove a tick, because you do not want to crush it and get it’s little gross head stuck in your body.

Once you have removed the tick, keep it in a bag. They can be tested for lyme.

If you are tested for lyme right after you got bit, the test might not show up positive because your body has not had the time yet to produce antibodies. This is why some doctors will treat it as if it were lyme disease anyway, because the sooner you treat the lyme, the easier it is to get rid of.

Another tip on preventing lyme disease is having a healthy immune system. Well actually, this won’t prevent you from getting lyme, but it can help your body fight it off. You can build up a healthy immune system by eating healthy, nutritious foods and avoiding things like cane sugar that can feed bacteria.

So, this video probably was not that helpful, because it is really hard to avoid getting lyme disease. I just randomly got sick one day after being super healthy so I don’t know.

Conclusion: Lyme disease is difficult to prevent!

How would you go about preventing Lyme Disease?

Today, I am talking about the structure of the Lyme bacteria and how it can become antibiotic-resistant.

While antibiotics are usually very effective in treating Lyme disease when it is caught early, 40% to 63% of Lyme patients continue to report symptoms after the typical 30-days of antibiotic treatment. There could be multiple reasons for this, one of them is the shape of the Lyme Disease bacteria, borrelia burgdorferi.

This bacteria is in the shape of a Spirochete, which is like a spirally/twisty thing. It is rare for a bacteria to be shaped like this, only a handful of spirochete bacteria causes diseases.

This shape allows the bacteria to hide easily by burrowing itself in its surroundings, hiding from antibodies and antibiotics.

It is also known that bacteria can change shape to resist antibiotics, maybe this is also happening with the lyme bacteria.

Also, when lyme disease is undiagnosed and has been ravaging the body for years, the immune system kind of gives up on it. It just considers it part of the scenery.

While there needs to be more research done about why antibiotics are not successfully treating lyme disease symptoms, it could very well be that it is because it is becoming antibiotic-resistant.

This is where Chronic Lyme Disease comes into play, which I will talk about more in a future video.

When I first got diagnosed with lyme, I was put on oral antibiotics for 30 days. NOTHING happened. I was not any better or worse. So, I was put on them for another 6 months.

I grew worse and worse. Antibiotics can destroy gut flora, it felt like my digestive system was messed up for years afterward.

I wish I never went on the antibiotics, but there are some chronic lyme patients who have had success with it.

LYME PATIENTS: How have antibiotics affected you?

Whew! Lyme Disease fact #25! We’ve almost made it through the month! If you have been following my video posts this month, you will have learned about how Lyme Disease can be debilitating and how difficult it is to get treatment.

When you are getting sicker and sicker, and unable to find an effective treatment, you become desperate. Your body feels like it’s crumbling and you are so exhausted, you don’t care how weird a treatment sounds, you would do anything to feel even slightly better!

Unfortunately, there are bad people who will use your situation for their advantage. They will prey on desperate people to get money out of them. Maybe they are in a desperate situation themselves.

This has resulted in many Lyme Disease Treatment Scams. Here are some tips that can help you avoid them:

Be aware of…

• Cheesy internet ads and unsolicited emails promoting a treatment.
• Buzzwords like “Miraculous Cure” “Ancient Remedy” “New Discovery” “Scientific Breakthrough” “Secret Ingredient”
• Social media posts that are spam accounts, constantly posting and copy-and-pasting the same comments on everyone’s posts.

And of course, if it sounds too good to be true, it usually is. I can not think of a single, magical, cure-all treatment for chronic lyme disease. If a health clinic is promoting something that sounds like this…. It might be a scam.

Remember to always do your research! Put together a set of criteria before you decide on a treatment. For example, say you will not consider a treatment if there are no outside sources to back up a claim or if it can have any dangerous side effects.

Too many lyme patients have spent too much of their money that they don’t even have on bogus treatments.

HOWEVER, this does not mean that all alternative, natural treatments are scams. I found great help using alternative natural treatments, which I talk more about in my Chronically Healed video.

If you have been the victim of a treatment scam, it does not in any way reveal your type of character or intelligence. There are many intelligent people out there who have fallen for scams. You are not stupid or bad or anything! You know who is the bad one? The scammer! They are the one who is preying on the desperate instead of helping them.

Who doesn’t love a good conspiracy theory?! Although I think that most conspiracy theories are not true, I believe it is always important to question what we are told, because every once in a while, a conspiracy theory turns out to be true!

➡ There is a conspiracy that the Lyme bacteria was modified in a lab to create a superbug intended as a weapon of war.

➡ While Lyme has thought to be around for thousands of years, Lyme had a sudden emergence near the area of Plum Island, New York in the 1970’s.

➡ Here, there was a research facility known to do experiments with biological warfare microorganisms.

➡ Lyme has been a major problem in the northeastern states ever since then, and is now spreading throughout the world.

➡ Other conspiracy theories regarding U.S. involvement with biological warfare have been exposed to be true!

I am not quite convinced of this Lyme conspiracy theory, but change my mind in the comments!

💚 What other Lyme conspiracy theories are there? 💚

Trigger warning, please make the best decision for yourself before continuing watching this video, because it is really sad. But as I raise awareness for this disease, I have to get this information out there.

➡ On top of mental health symptoms and financial issues, chronic Lyme can cause a major drop in quality of life.

➡ Many Lyme patients are left feeling hopeless, isolated, unsupported, and useless.

Some even develop PTSD because doctors will not take their symptoms seriously.

Can you imagine? Every cell in your body feels like it is being ripped apart, and your brain is screaming at you and it feels like your entire digestive system is being thrown up. And doctors tell you your fine and to not come back. So then everyone in your life thinks you are faking it.

That can be a traumatic experience!

So, although it is possible to die from medical complications from Lyme Disease, it is relatively rare. The number one cause of death for lyme patients is suicide.

💚 This is why it is my mission in life to raise hope and help others emotionally and spiritually! 💚

I felt so insecure, anxious, and sometimes depressed when I had lyme. I talked with counselors, therapists, and groups who were familiar with chronic illnesses. Eventually I made friends who listened to me talk and understood me and did not judge me.

Don’t ever give up trying to find help. I will never stop fighting for you! ❤

💚LYME PATIENTS: What is the best way that others can encourage and support you? 💚

*The United States National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255. Please call this number if you need it. There is no shame in needing it! ❤

 

***DISCLAIMER*** Lyme Disease is NOT caused by an unhealthy diet. It is not your fault if you have Lyme and it is not your fault when treatments, including diet, does not help. It is not your fault if you are not healed yet.

⭐💚However, we can not expect our bodies to function properly and go through the healing process when we are not providing our body with the nutrients it needs to do so.💚⭐

➡ Each body is different and will react differently to different diets. There is no supreme one-diet-cures-all. So, there’s no need to blame others for their illness because they are not on a certain diet.

Some Lyme patients have found great help from a low-inflammatory diet like the paleo diet (The paleo diet really helped me with my digestive system… see my paleo diet for Lyme disease video!). Other Lyme patients find help from veganism or a low-FODMAP diet.

➡ Lyme can affect the digestive system, making it difficult to absorb nutrients. You might be on the best diet, taking all the vitamins, but the digestive system won’t absorb any of it. If this is the case, I recommend getting them intravenously.

Every body works differently, so it is important to find the foods that work best for you.

But, there is one food that I recommend all Lyme patients avoid…. CANE SUGAR!

If I could go back in time to tell my lyme-self one thing, it would be to never eat cane sugar again!

Lyme Disease is caused by a bacterial infection. Bacteria feed off sugar. Eating foods high in sugar, is feeding the Lyme disease.

Avoiding cane sugar can be really difficult to do, because cane sugar is found in like…. A lot of things! I have found it in peanut butter, bread, yogurt… canned fruit! Why is there extra sugar added in canned fruit? It’s already sweet!

But, cane sugar itself is not a bad thing, so don’t shame yourself for eating it. You are not a bad person for eating it.

Diet is not something you “should” or “shouldn’t do.” Diet is a lifestyle choice, and it’s okay if you can’t get it perfect.

But you might find out it becomes a little easier when you find a diet that makes your body feel better. If you do decide to try a diet, make sure to do it under the supervision of a doctor literate in nutrition.

💚 LYME PATIENTS: What foods do you stay away from? 💚

➡ Comment a “💚” in the comments if you have Lyme disease!

➡ Help show others that they are not alone in their symptoms, isolations, and frustrations!

➡ It is so easy to think badly of ourselves when we are so young with so many health problems.

➡ But there are MILLIONS of people suffering from Chronic Lyme Disease, many of them undiagnosed.

💚 Let’s erase the shame! Having Lyme disease is NOT YOUR FAULT. You are not weird or immature for having Lyme 💚

YOU ARE NOT ALONE IN HAVING LYME DISEASE.

Don’t believe the lies the Lyme tries to tell you. Lyme might take over your health, daily life, and finances, BUT IT CAN’T TELL YOU WHAT KIND OF PERSON YOU ARE 💚

You are so loved and important!

And YOU are an OVERCOMER! ❤

Tag a friend who needs to hear this!

Welcome, welcome, welcome, to Lyme Disease Awareness Day 20. Yesterday, I talked about the DREADED herxheimer reaction, and today I am talking about one treatment that can help aid this process along.

Glutathione is an antioxidant. Antioxidants help balance free radicals in the body, which can damage cells and cause inflammation.

The antioxidant glutathione can aid in the healing of Lyme disease. Many Lyme patients have found great help from using glutathione.

➡ Glutathione helps detox Lyme, lowering the severity of Herxheimer reactions.

➡ I took glutathione through an intravenous (IV) push, although it can be taken orally.

➡ For more info on glutathione and Lyme, I recommend reading Dr. Horowitz’s book, Why Can’t I Get Better: Solving the Mystery of Lyme and Chronic Disease.

It’s also important to be taking other antioxidants like vitamins A, C, and E, preferably from food sources. What we feed our bodies is very important to the healing process, which I will talk about in a later video, so hit that subscribe button, hit that follow button, hit that like button…

💚 Lyme Patients: What have been your experiences with glutathione? 💚

When Lyme Disease is treated, the bacteria that cause Lyme begin to die off and release toxins into the body. This detox process is called The Jarisch–Herxheimer reaction, or “herx” for short.

The word “Detox” has become a popular buzz-word fad thing in the last few years, but a herx is not your regular detox.

If you are healthy and not dipping yourself in toxic waste, your liver can do all the detoxing for you. A detox diet or detox cleanse or whatever probably isn’t really going to help you detox any more than what your body regularly does.

However, a herx detox is a lot different.

➡ Herxing is often considered worse than the Lyme disease, described as all of the symptoms hitting you at once, lasting hours or days.

➡ Herxing can be so intense that it can deter Lyme patients from going through the healing process. A treatment could cause a herx so bad, that they think it was a side-effect of the treatment and so they will stop the treatment. But really, a herx means the treatment worked and is killing off the lyme bacteria.

💚 Herxing means you are in the process of healing from Lyme disease. So, Keep moving forward! 💚

There are some things that can help aid the herxheimer reaction, so that they are less intense and shorter. I will be talking about one tomorrow, so subscribe, follow, like, turn on post notifications, asdfghjkkl;, so you will not miss it!

What helps aid you in the detoxing process of Lyme disease?