Busy Weekend!

Sorry I didn't really post over the weekend :/ I was super busy.

     Over the weekend I was out of town with some friends. Now that it is over, I am extremely tired...
During this trip I had about zero sleep. I was only gone two nights, so glad it wasn't more just for this reason!
The first night I stayed up the entire night, I probably dozed some but overall, I got up in the morning feeling the same as when I went to bed.
The second night I know I dozed some, no idea how much, I just know I did. Got up(notice I didn't say woke up) the second morning the same as the first. I stood up ad was just as awake as when I attempted to go to sleep.
This time, I know exactly why I am more tired than usual! I don't need to assume its associated with any of my particular infections. Not sure if that's good or not...but hey, its an answer, right?

    Overall the weekend was great, I didn't feel any worse than usual, even though I was awake for two days straight and had something to do the as soon as I got up right until I went to bed. That's a plus isn't it?
I had plenty of energy, I even helped push a dead car. Usually something like this would be very tiring for me, especially pushing something heavy like a car. Chronic illness absolutely kills muscle and endurance, making anything strenuous a thing of the past.
This wasn't even the most strenuous thing I did over the weekend, so I was rather impressed that I never felt worse!

     Because I was not at home, I couldn't take all of my supplements with me. The cinchona stayed home, so that was skipped for two days. I didn't feel worse, so it must not have been that detrimental.
I was already on break with the Artemisia, that I restarted today.
The only pills I took with me were Dopalift, black walnut, and FiveHTPThrive.
I wonder if the Dopalift helped me stay awake during the day? Its hard to say what is helping when I am taking so many things! That's one thing I don't care for about treating lyme, there is never just 1-2 things to take, it takes many supplements to kill off these bacteria!

Now that I am back home, away from other people, I can finally sleep! I was so tired this afternoon I fell asleep for about 30-45 minutes. I never do that. I crash in the afternoon if I am busy or stressed, but I never sleep. After this nap, I don't feel refreshed, I just feel the need for more! Ugh, the struggle.
Because I am so tired, I know this post has mistakes I missed, I apologize for that...

Until tomorrow, goodnight
Cinchona tea is calling me...

Current Treatment

In my last post I basically just gave a long list of the remedies I have taken in the past years. Today, I am going to describe my current treatments, and possible changes for the future.
My current protocol is helping, but it will certainly not be my saving grace. I still have pronounced symptoms on a daily basis and I still have flairs weekly.
I did have this under control at one point, daily symptoms were minor and I wouldn't get any major flairs. I want a repeat of this! I have stuff to do and places to be!

Ok here is the list of supplements-
L-Glutamine powder, 1 tsp per day
Artemisia Combinations, 2 pills 3x daily, 3 days on 4 off
Black walnut capsules, 2 pills 3x daily
POA phytolens(TOA cats claw), 1x daily
sublingual glutathione, 2-3 daily, 50mg each
ALA, 100mg 3x daily
5 MTHF, 1 daily
Dopalift, 1/2 cap daily
FIveHTP Thrive, 2 before bed
Calc.Phos. 30C, 3 pills 2x daily
1 calm magnesium packet daily
1 Methyl B12 injection weekly
Cinchona bark tea, made with 1tsp bark

Long list right? It needs to change, with as much as I am taking I should be feeling better.
Lets analyze and dissect everything I am taking, maybe something will stand out to you(please tell me if you notice something!). I already have a general idea of what I want to change.

The bacteria killers are, Artemisia, cats claw, and cinchona bark tea. Plus the black walnut, which is more so for parasites.
Artemisia and cinchona are strong, they are certainly making a difference. I haven't even built up to a high dose yet. At some point I will probably move up to 3 cups of tea. These are both primarily for babesia/blood parasites(if present). Artemisia might kill borrellia, I don't know for sure. All of the information on Artemisia and borrellia is conflicting, some say yes it kills it some say no.
This is strong enough for the time being.

The POA phytolens isn't strong, 1 cap a day(450mg). This isn't a significant dosage at all! This is my ND's preference for treating lyme...because it is TOA free, its supposed to be stronger. When I followed the Buhner protocol with cats claw, I took a huge dose compared to this. According to the Buhner protocol I should work up to 1-4 tabs 3-4x daily, each pill is 450mg! I know there is some conflicting info on the TOA free vs non TOA free, but there is NO WAY this makes one 450mg pill capable of replacing a max dosage of 7,200mg. Its not possible.
I would take more but, this brand he wants me to take is $38 for 30 pills. I want to call BS. That's nearly $1 a pill, its not considered one of the strongest remedies for lyme disease, and that is expensive. The Buhner protocol made a difference for me, this does not...
This will definitely change in the future, its way too expensive for something that is too weak to make a difference.

I take the Dopalift for alertness, fatigue, and low dopamine levels. I have been tested twice for neurotransmitter levels, dopamine was almost non-existent on both tests...
I did one bottle of this earlier this year, nothing notable.
Then I did the second neuro test he wanted me to do it again because I didn't take it long enough for it to have an effect. I put it off for a while, I want to treat the cause of my symptoms, not the symtpoms themselves. Low dopamine is a result of a stressed, infected body. Not a pill deficiency.
This second round with the Dopalift was different than the first, for one it made me quit sleeping. As soon as I started taking it I was wide awake almost until sunrise!
So I spoke to the ND, he told me to half the capsule. So far this is working fine for me, it may give me a tiny bit of energy, nothing significant. He did tell me I would have to stay on this a little while for it to really make a difference, which is fine. There are 60 pills in the bottle, and I only take half of one daily...the one bottle will last me 120 days at this rate. Already bought it, might as well use it. So for now this doesn't need to change.

The L-glutamine is for gut health. The stomach uses it in the stomach lining, without it we develop problems. I started this after the first neuro test, I don't really notice a difference. I already have the bottle, at the slow rate I am using it this bottle will last at least another 6 months. So for now, this has no reason to change. Its an essential nutrient and I already have it.

I have been on and off magnesium for years. Its good for pain, muscles, and detoxification. The body uses magnesium to create enzymes used for detox.
I noticed at first if I missed a dose of mag I would have more muscle and joint pain. Now its no big deal. Its needed for detox and most chronically ill patients swear by it, so it can stay.

5HTP Thrive is used for sleep, I started this with the last bottle of Dopalift. It may be helping me sleep harder,  not earlier at all, but waking up has been easier lately. I will leave this one be because its new, it still has time before I can feel the full effects.

Glutathione is used for detox. This is an OK supplement, it doesn't seem to have any strong effects. I started this to help up my detox about a month ago. It may help some, but I wouldn't brag about it...
When I finish this bottle I will replace it with something new.

ALA I started because of the Andy Cutler protocol for chelation. It is supposed to help detox heavy metals from the brain. In the beginning it was VERY strong, I had to cut the 300mg pill into 5ths, and took two each day. For the time being I wont change this, it isn't as strong as it was,but I think I need to add in another chelator like DMSA. When I was taking both is when I felt the best.

Methyl B12 shots were something Dr.L wanted. I showed low for B12 on a test in the beginning so this was something she wanted me to do. I started with regular B12 but it didn't do anything. Gene tests showed I needed the methylated form of B12.
The ND during this time also added me onto his B-complex. It is a good one, the B12 is methylated, it has loads of B vitamins, plus it has a high dosage of each. According to the ingredients the B-Complex is stronger than the injection, but ill be honest. Neither of these gave me significant results. I don't test low for B12 anymore, I don't need to be doing both of these.
I have since finished the B-Complex, still working on my B12 injections. For the time being, I am going to finish the injections and come back to it.

The 5MTHF is something the ND wanted me to do because of the results of the gene test. I cant remember exactly which gene is the reason he wanted me to take this. This for now, I wont change. He feels really strongly about it and the whole methyl B vitamins can make a difference for some. Ill give it a shot for a while longer.

Then last is the Calcarea Phosphorus 30C. This is something I started on my own. I researched homeopathic remedies to help with scoliosis, and this is the one that matched me. It is for calcium and phosphorus absorption, so it really isn't for symptoms. It can stay too.

Now that the overview is established, what should change in your opinion?
I am not treating Lyme disease, or at least strongly. Babesia is covered well, but nothing I am taking will significantly affect borrellia.

Another thing is I need to work on chelation again. I had to take a break because it was wearing me out. I had to wake up at night to take the pills, keep track of the time and make sure I had DMSA and water for the next dosage. With low dose chelation it is really frowned upon to miss a dose, so i stuck to this strictly.
Now I feel like its time to add something stronger than just ALA.

To recap-I am going to get rid of the POA phytolens and glutathione, and add something in for lyme and heavy metal detox.

If anyone has a suggestion as to what herbs to add, please comment!

Ok, my fingers are tired and I am too dizzy to stare at this screen any longer, I am out for tonight. :)

Artemisia, Cinchona, and Black Walnut

Hello my friends!
The new supplements for babesia arrived today!
A few posts ago I said I was ordering cinchona bark, artemisa combinations, and black walnut hull. I did this because I have been stuck in a babesia flair, this should help knock it down a peg. Here is some info I found on the herbs-

Cinchona bark is used for malaria treatment in South America. Traditionally ground and made into a tea for usage.
Quinine, which can be derived from cinchona bark, has been used as a traditional drug for malaria in North America. Quinine is no longer used for malaria treatment because of possible side affects.
However, the synthetic versions of drugs are nearly always much less safe than what they were derived from, so the bark should not have these side effects at low dosages.
I am going to drink a cup of tea daily.

Artemisia and its derivatives have been used in Lyme/babesia treatment for a long time. Many of the prominent LLMD's use Artemisia or artemisinin in their treatment protocols. It is also an antimalarial that is effective against babesia. It is typically taken in a capsule, 3 days on, 4 days break. It is said Artemisia builds up in the tissue and should be discontinued to allow it to clear. If it isn't allowed to clear it cannot be utilized by the body, it becomes desensitized. I don't know if its true or not, sounds kinda odd to me.
I am going to take 2 pills, 3x a day, three days on 4 off.

The black walnut is not for babesia (as far as I know), but it is good for killing parasites and yeast. Because Artemisia is also a parasite cleanser, although weaker than black walnut, I wanted to pair the two for a stronger effect. I take this every few months then take a break.
I am going to take 2, 3x a day, 15 days on, 5 off. Taking five days off is supposed to allow the parasite eggs to hatch, then restarting the herb will kill them after they hatch.

 

Here are my herbs after unboxing

 

I made a cup of cinchona tea. I had to grind the bark using the coffee grinder to make it into a powder.

I mixed 1tsp of the powder in a cup of boiling water and let it sit for a while.

Its not bad, kinda bitter. It has a unique flavor, with a texture like a raw sweet potato(know what I mean?) I can definitely take this without much difficulty daily. Its weird, but not bad.

 

Here is the finished product. The bark needed to be ground a little more, but hey, it was my first try!

 

 

I have already taken my first dose of everything. I became very fatigued late this afternoon, almost took a nap because of it. Wonder if it was a short herx? After I finished everything I had to do for the day I sat down, about 6:00pm. I almost fell asleep! I didn't get up for almost two hours. I am still tired, but on the days this happens...I know I wont sleep during the night. I can only pick one time to rest, today my body picked the late afternoon. I never know what to expect with this disease, its like a roller coaster.

 

One last thing, I emailed the ND today, asking him what I should do about my Dopalift situation.

He told me to half the capsule and try again tomorrow.

So tomorrow I am going to take half a Dopalift at 8:00am.

 

 In my last post I said I was going to try taking it at 8am this morning, but my alarm didn't go off. Slept right on through... I didn't think about halving it, I am kinda glad I forgot.

 

Until next time!