*Originally published 9/23/19*
Recently, I’ve been chatting with a lot of Lymies about our different journeys and sharing what I did to get to where I am today. While getting the proper treatment (antibiotics, herbs, etc.) is vital to healing, I have found a few other things that I believe are key to healing from Lyme.
The first thing I want to point out is that I am in no way a medical professional; these are just my personal thoughts from my experience over the last seven years.
Diet. I know everyone always says “Change your diet. Change your diet,” and it took me a long time to hop on that train, but I am so glad I did. When I was first told to go gluten free I was 15. What 15 year old wants to have to give up pizza nights with friends, or cookies or anything like that? Not this one! At the time, I wasn’t even having stomach problems yet either. My first bout of being gluten free lasted 2 weeks. A few months later, a different doctor asked me if I was gluten and sugar free. When I said no, they looked at me and said, “You know that the Lyme bacteria feeds off of gluten and sugar right? So when you eat those things you are literally feeding the bacteria to grow stronger.” That was the turning point for me. Here I was spending thousands of dollars on treatment, but what I was eating was potentially counteracting that treatment. Now, I have been gluten free for 6 years and on-and-off sugar and dairy free for that time as well. I admit that I would cheat on my sugar free and dairy free diet more than I’d like to say, but when I reached rock-bottom (being paralyzed) I was determined to do anything in my power to make myself get well again. That is why I am now gluten free, dairy free, sugar free, low/no carbs (bye bye fruit), no honey, no potatoes, no corn, and no rice. It may seem whacky or over the top to some people, but for me, I will do anything to feel better again. And let me tell you, if I eat something I shouldn’t nowadays, I feel it--I had a little bit of sweetened coffee creamer the other day and I felt absolutely horrible. I’m not saying you need to be as extreme as me, but our food is also our medicine. This disease takes away a lot of our control, but we do have control over what we eat. Be conscious of what you are putting into your body.
Detox. Detoxing is pretty much all I am doing “treatment” wise at this point. For me, detoxing is the key to feeling good. If I don’t sweat every day, whether it be through my sauna or exercise, I feel terrible. People will often hear me say “I need to sweat” and that means I don’t feel well. This past Sunday, for example, I was trying to study and I could not get my eyes to focus on anything. I started feeling exhausted and was getting frustrated. So, I went in my sauna and sweated so much it looked like I had taken a shower—kind of gross, but boy if I didn’t feel like a brand new person after! At this point, I plan my days around when I can sweat because I know I won’t be up to par if I can’t. I also drink a detox tea almost every night. I put some turmeric, ginger, cinnamon and ground black pepper in a cup, add hot water and there ya go! It may make my mouth orange for a few hours but it definitely helps with the inflammation. Detoxing is so important in our healing journey. As we treat Lyme, the bacteria dies off, and if we don’t detox, it may take it a while to expel from our systems. Many Lymies also have MTHFR, a gene mutation that makes it difficult for our bodies to detox already. So, find your preferred detox method and stick with it. Just be cautious you don’t over detox, as that can be harmful.
Don’t neglect your mental health. Our mental health is just as important as our physical health. And when you have a chronic, incurable illness like Lyme disease, it’s easy for our mental health to take a hit. I have seen 4 different therapists in my 7 year journey for my depression, anxiety and PTSD from having Lyme. In the beginning, I was hesitant to go to therapy. I wanted to believe I was okay and I could get through it on my own, but I was wrong. Now, I am so grateful my family pushed me to go. When your mental health is under attack, everything is under attack—my anxiety definitely causes my Lyme symptoms to flare big time. I now know some coping mechanisms to help me combat my mental health issues when they arise, and it definitely has had a positive impact on my Lyme journey, and life. One coping technique is meditating. I use the app InsightTimer and mediate whenever I am feeling exceptionally anxious and the effect is remarkable. This journey is anything but easy. Don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it. And always remember that you are not alone in this journey and it will get better!
So as I said, I am no doctor. I am just someone who has been in the ring with Lyme for seven long years now and want to share some tips that have helped me get to where I am today—living.
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