Month: January 2020

Step 6- Suppress stealth microbes (not just Borrelia)*

/ Carmen McKnight / Leave a comment

Lyme is a cruel disease. The co-infections that come along with it are horrendous and most often worse than Borrelia Burgdorferi alone.

Co-infections I suffer from are: Babesia Duncani, Bartonella, Mycoplasma Pneumoniae. In addition there’s Ehrlichia/Anaplasma/Rickettsia (the worst one) and Chlamydia. There are said to be hundreds of Borrelia versions yet undiscovered.

Viruses such as Epstein Barr Virus, Streptozyme (strep infection), MMV6 Herpesvirus have been found in my body. In addition to these there are also CMV or Cytomegalovirus, hepatitis B and C, HSV-1, HSV-2, herpes virus, HHV-6a, HHV-6b, HHV-7, parvovirus B-19, adenovirus are the most commons. There are thousands more, some undiscovered yet. Most people are carriers of some of these viruses but the immune system is stronger and keeps them in check. For Lyme patients these only add to the multi-head-monster-disease and cause serious damage.

In addition intestinal parasites, mold and toxicity and some genetic cellular dysfunctions such as HTGF C677T mutation was positive for me, a critical enzyme required for a metabolic process that repairs DNA. But the list is long in this criteria as well.

There’s also a vitamin deficiency usually present such as Vitamine D, B, and magnesium; these were in my case and can vary for others. Also the HTGF B1 or Human Transforming Growth Factor was high in my case meaning high amount of inflammation present in the body.

By now I had non-epileptic seizure (I learned that later) all the time, paralysis of arms and feet, tingling of extremities, face and lips, among my many other symptoms.

I’ve seen cardiologists, neurologists, urologist and was referred to immunologist, endocrinologist, but due to feeling too weak to stand and too poor I opted out of some.

I had Lyme for years, but I got re-bit and the high amount of trauma/stress at the time (my little brother died, pregnancy #3, school, trip to Europe and work) triggered the monster.

Symptoms of Lyme Disease and Co-infections for me: flu-like symptoms it’s how it began with face pallor, chills, muscle ache, low fever then high fever and malaise. Added along the way: numbness and tingling of upper and lower extremities, face and lips. Constant nausea. Peripheral blindness, air hunger (Babesia), rashes, joints, muscles and bone pain around the clock, dissociation, fog vision, fainting spells, rapid weight loss without activity, hyper-sensitivity to noise and light, hyper-anxiety, irritability, depression, ghost like facial paler, loss of hair/eyelashes and eyebrows, bitter/metallic taste in the mouth, stomach discomforts, swollen lymph nodes, left side pain in the spleen region, shallow breathing, irregular an heavy periods, headaches, confusion, loss of memory especially short memory, speech impairment, swollen eyelids, ovary and bladder pain, chronic UTI’s, Bell’s palsy on the right side of face, non-epileptic episodes, to name a few.

How to treat?

Since there’s no cure for Lyme Disease yet, the treatments are very controversial in the western medical circles and three weeks of antibiotics only helps half of the patients while the other half go on a life long debilitating and severely painful battle.

Advise #1 from me: Fight for your life and don’t allow the doctors to brush you aside as if you’re crazy. Most likely they’re frustrated as well by the lack of knowledge on this subject and most are scared of the CDC, a corrupt and criminal corporation in my opinion, not looking out for patience at all.

Antibiotic treatment may have helped a limited amount of people but science shows the presence of Borrelia in tissues even after treatment.

A holistic systematic approach to healing has proved to help. Tincture protocols like Buhner and Cowden as I mentioned in previous steps seem to help tremendously. Herbs and aromatherapy also do wonders, and are far more affordable than antibiotic IV’s.

Core Herbal Protocol*

Primary

Resveratrol from Japanese Knotweed: 200-800 mg, 2-3 time a day.

Andrographis: 200-800mg, 2-3 times a day.

Cat’s Claw: 400-800mg, 2-3 times a day.

Chinese Skullcap: 400-1000mg, 2-3 times a day.

Garlic with stabilized allicin:180-1200mg, 3x daily.

Sarsaparilla: 200-1000mg: 2-3 times a day.

Secondary

Cordyceps: 1-3 grams (1000-3000mg); 2-3 times daily

Reishi: 1000-2000mg, 2-3 times a day.

Eleuthero: 50-200mg 2x a day.

Supportive Supplements

NAC

Alpha Lipoic acid

Vitamin C

CoQ10

Vitamin D

Resveratrol from Japanese Knotweed

French Maritime Pine Bark

Hawthorn

Milk Thistle

Omega 3

* Treatment info comes from the book Unlocking Lyme by William Rawls, MD. Most of these treatments I take with great results. It’s the relapses that suck.

Gut restorative supplements as well as toxin and mold removal are a must. (See previous Series for more info).

Hope some of this information can help you find some answers and gives you some tools towards getting better.

God Bless:)

Step 5- Neurological Restoration

/ Carmen McKnight / Leave a comment

As I’m writing this series, I realize just how complicated this disease is, and why it’s so hard to treat.

“Beyound collagen, microbes- Lyme and Co-infections- commonly scavenge specialized fats in the brain and nervous system. Myelin, the fat that surrounds and insulates nerves, is a common target for Borrelia and Mycoplasma (which I was diagnosed with along with a few other co-infections). Loss of myelin and other brain fats cause a range of neurological symptoms, from tingling to burning to brain fog and depression (all symptoms I do and have experienced).*

Eggs, are a good source of lecithin and choline, both essential brain nutrients. Omega-3 fatty acids and minerals including zinc, an essential nutrient for brain function.*

Monolaurin, a fatty substance derived from coconut, is known for supressing microbes, including Borrelia.* I took this supplement for one year.

Also certain mushrooms, including lion’s mane and chaga are known for protecting and restoring the brain function. Reichi and Cordyceps mushrooms provide neuro-protective properties.* I take reichi powder in tea and it helps tremendously. Other herbs include ashwagandha and bacopa.

Lavender, rosemary and lemon balm are great essential oils to use.

I had neurotherapy injections done along the spine and in over the adrenal glands for 6 weeks, to help re-boot the parasympathetic response ( rest and digest, during which the body heals ).

The brain fog I experienced was severe and could no longer remember every day words, I skipped the order of words in a sentence, repeated one word over and over and could not remember what it meant, I had a hard time comprehending what others were telling me, if I read I could not comprehend anything and after reading one sentence ten times I gave up, etc. These are just few examples of brain fog. This however diminished almost entirely, right after I pulled my mercury fillings out.

Mold presence in the system, as well as toxins created a bomb gone wild, along with Lyme and its co-infections. Those need to be removed one at the time as not to overwhelm an already fragile body.

Anti-mold diet: avoid sugar, dried fruits, peanuts and make sure you drink plenty of water-about 10 cups a day-. Glutathione and Phosphatidychlorine Iv’s were helping bring the mold out of the body and support the nervous system. Chlorella pills help remove toxins out by binding on the toxic molecule and flushing it out through urine or sweat. Bentonite clay, activated charcoal (I can’t do this one) and infrared sauna.

Meditation and deep breathing helps quite a bit as well as yoga exercises.

Hope this info helps you and I’l be moving on to our next step:)

God Bless:)

*Quotes from the book Unlocking Lyme by William Rawls, MD

Step 4- Strengthen your immune system-Reducing Inflammation-

/ Carmen McKnight / Leave a comment


This step has many routes towards healing, some better than others, some easier than others and some with a far better outcome than others.

It’s not a simple 1.2.3 point presentation answer when it comes to autoimmune health battles since every single body reacts differently to treatment and Lyme Disease brings along the dangerous co-infections which alter the immune balance in various ways. My battle has a neurological angle, yours could have a cardiovascular angle, so on. Since I’m not a doctor I can only share with you my personal experience, nothing more. 

Inflammation gone wild is the biggest cause of autoimmune diseases, I believe, and by reducing it or eliminating it, you’ll see a dramatic improvement.

How am I doing it?

Eliminating all dairy products from my diet was an immediate and inexpensive route. “Antioxidants in the blood steam play an important role in reducing the damage effects of inflammation.”*- Blueberries, dark chocolate, pecans, artichokes, strawberries, green tea are some of the foods rich in antioxidants, they have to be pesticide free otherwise you fill up on toxicity. Prostaglandins: One of a number of hormone-like substance that participate in a wide range of body functions such as the contraction and relaxation of smooth muscles (ex: stomach, intestines, urinary bladder, uterus or the walls of arteries and veins, respiratory, urinary and reproductive systems), the dilation(widening) and construction (tightening) of blood vessels, control of blood pressure, and modulation of inflammation. -definition found by MedicineNet with personal notes added- “Diet rich in vegetables and omega-3 fatty acids (fish, flax, chia seeds) promotes prostaglandins that diminish the inflammatory response.”*

“Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as Ibuprofin (Advil) and naproxen, artificially control inflammation by blocking key enzyme, called COX-2, and provide relief from swelling, redness and pain.”*

As for herbs that help reduce inflammation, turmeric which has curcumin (member of the ginger family) as a primary component has potent anti-inflammatory properties. Other herbs with similar properties are Boswellia serrate and devil’s claw.

Protein-digestive enzymes play a role in breaking down inflammatory debris and immune complexes. Like bromelain from pineapple and papain from papaya.

Rebuilding collagen– “The primary tissues affected by inflammation in chronic lyme disease (and I suspect Lupus or other autoimmune diseases) include joints, ligaments, muscles, brain, eyes, skin and heart. What those tissues have in common is collagen -the most abundant protein in the body. It’s what holds you together.”*

Personally, I know the filling of being eaten from within, how every joint hurts 24/7, how tired I get by this pain, how frustrating is to walk, exercise or just move in general and how eager I am for a cure. Because of this battle, I believe, I got adhesive capsulitis also known as frozen shoulder going on now and it hurts like heck.

Diet to help restore collagen. Kale and other deep green leafy vegetables (Yuck! Don’t like them personally), cucumber, salmon, sardines, eggs, celery, olives, bone broth, gelatin (like NeoCell Collagen- that’s what I take).

Restoring immune strength is a must in order to battle and succeed against Lyme Disease or other autoimmune diseases.

I will have to add Vitamin D (a hormone really), C, Magnesium and B’s are very important for proper immune function.

Seems like a lot, right? But don’t loose heart, there’s more to come:) Hope some of this info helps you in your own battles and chin up, we’re here and one day we pray we’ll be pain free.

God Bless:)

*Quotes from the book Unlocking Lyme by Williams Rawls, MD.

Step 3 -Lyme specialists

/ Carmen McKnight / Leave a comment

You got diagnosed, a bit too late and the three weeks Doxycycline antibiotic treatment not only didn’t work but it stirred up a nest of vipers and you’re left with the aftermath. Now you need to find a Lyme specialist outside the western medical realm, unfortunately, and at this point things get complicated, confusing, expensive and down right frustrating.

In the Seattle are where I live there are quite a few Lyme specialist, you only need to Google them. The first one I’ve tried was Dr. Susan Marra. She was expensive but no more expensive than the other specialists, had a certain doom and gloom advise for me about this disease (but in retrospect looking back she was very realistic about the whole process and I didn’t want to accept it) and a little odd but keep in mind she too is fighting Lyme Disease so it can’t be easy for her. Since I couldn’t handle the strong antibiotic treatment she had me on -which was more expensive even with insurance coverage than the natural realm I took later- I left and found another doctor. She saved my life but it took two years of weekly different IV treatments, supplement intake, rife like therapy, and a few other procedures. She works at Holistique Naturopathic Medical Center in Bellevue. It wasn’t cheep. So one way or another you end up paying. The best advise I can give you is to find doctors who specialize on improving and strengthening your immune system because once your own immune system is strong it will do the killing for you.

If you can’t afford a specialist, and most people can’t, there are other alternatives you can do at home.

First you must change your diet: by eliminating dairy products you lower the inflammation in your body, by eliminating sugar, for sure the refined and processed one, you give your immune system a chance to fight back, since sugar is a well known immune inhibitor. Warm water with lemon helps with detox, so does epsom salt. Vitamin D, C and B’s are very important and so is collagen (Lyme feeds on collagen), then potassium and magnesium. If you can, for a certain period of time, do a vegan diet with non-processed foods preferably by cooking your own meals (that can be very hard I get that), but do what you can. Garlic helps greatly, olive oil and oregano pills as well.

If you have more money to spend start tinctures and essential oils. Buhner or Cowden protocols are very helpful and Amazon sells most of their protocols products so its easy to get them.

For the neurological side I love and use daily Neurocalm by Designs for Health, also found on Amazon. This product helps my nervous system to calm down, gives me energy an it does not make me drowsy at all. I can handle being in public better. I’ll stop here although there are thousands more supplements that can help, including parasitical cleanse. (One I must mention is called Holistic Tincture 7 by biotraxx, comes from Germany and you need to do a six month program. One of their bottles only covers 3 weeks so prep in advance by ordering multiple bottles since it takes a week to get to USA, but it really helps me).

Reading books on the subject is essential.

Unlocking Lyme by William Rawls M.D who got infected and began fighting against it. I love this book because it has very condensed medical information, yet easy to read and the how to’s. Healing Lyme by Stephen Harrod Buhner, a book I still need to read but I tried his protocol and it helped and many others can be easily found on Amazon or your local library.

Join Lyme groups on Facebook for moral support but please don’t be mean, the other members are also fighting hard, feel cranky and crappy most days.

I hope the info I’ve shared with you today will guide you so you don’t feel overwhelmed in this tricky and complicated battle. You can do this! One day you’ll be on the healthy side of life:) Have a day void of pain if possible and God Bless:)

A little humor- Lyme Disease treatment takes lots of paper.

Step 2 -Herxheimer reaction-

/ Carmen McKnight / Leave a comment

So you got the Doxy antibiotic treatment, it worked for the first five-six days, you saw a heathy ray of hope shining down on you from the heavens above, you even had the energy, finally, to go out with friends and celebrate the good news, only to find yourself the seventh day down on the floor, with half of your face paralyzed, barely breathing, severe nausea, cold tingling lips and extremities, unable to focus your eyes on anything, in and out of consciousness, absolutely sure that you’re dying. But why? (At least this is what happened to me, your experience may have similar details with many additional symptoms, depending on how your own body was affected).

Well… I wished my doctor would’ve tolled me that Herxing is part of the healing process and why a Lyme disease patient goes through these. The young lady in the video explains it well in my humble opinion, the why and the how to ease the severity of herxing so you can avoid expensive and unproductive ER trips, like mine’s.

Some of the Herxing symptoms: Severe/intense fatigue, joint pain, flue like symptoms, cognitive symptoms, neurological based seizures, nausea, fast heart beating, metal/bitter taste, tingling and numbing of extremities and/or face/lips, dizziness, fog vision, sensitivity to light and noise, sharp bone pain, headaches, are the ones I remember experiencing but there are more out there.

Detoxing: Burbur-Pinella by NutraMedix tincture is my #1 detox product I use, you can easily find it for sale on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/NutraMedix-Burbur-Pinella-Detox-Cleansing-Milliliters/dp/B01B65QJ9S/ref=sr_1_4?crid=24216LOCX00H6&keywords=burbur+pinella&qid=1579729701&sprefix

Warm lemon water is fantastic and inexpensive.

Chlorophyll- liquid form- about 15 drops in your water bottle simply needs to become a life style. The water will look dark green to black, so that can be a cool topic for your friends- vampire water. If you don’t like the taste, or color, use it in pill format. I was too sensitive to charcoal pills, reacted too strongly, so that didn’t work for me, but epsom salt baths are very nice, sauna too.

So if you’re new to this process, let me tell you something I wished I knew. Herxing is scary, and it can feel like you’re dying, however there’s a better life on the other side and if you’re vigilant with your detoxing it’s manageable…still scary and unpleasant though. I imagines the stupid things dying and it put a smile on my suffering. So if you’re herxing that’s because you’re killing them. Yah!

Herxing is part of the healing process, wether you choose antibiotics or a natural approach. Hard to get past it. But keep on killing them!!!!! Now that you’re aware what Herxing is about, what next? If you haven’t caught it in the cute stage (the first 24h- a week) and the doxy helped some, only to make things so much worse, now what? Here is where the medical controversy starts.

Coming up next, but until then God Bless and keep up the hope:)

Step 1-Doxycycline and Lyme Disease-

/ Carmen McKnight / Leave a comment

So you got diagnosed with Lyme Disease (after years of confusing symptoms and most likely rude and dismissive doctor trips while suffering unbearable pain). Most likely Doxycycline, an antibiotic, is the most likely drug to be prescribed. That’s what I was prescribed. Here’s a video giving you great detail explanations regarding this drug.

For early detection doxy is a saver, but what happens when doxy does not work, when the disease ravaged your body longer than three weeks? What happens when something called Herxing happens?

Our next episode I’ll talk about that.

God Bless and keep hopeful:)

Brother Aurel Macsin

/ Carmen McKnight / Leave a comment

For the one who is loved is never forgotten.

Brother Aurel Macsin, passed away yesterday after bravely fighting the tumor discovered in December of 2018. I never knew him personally and met Summer a few times before she got married, but I did listen to some of his Facebook live videos and was proud to see how hard he fought and how passionate he was about God. Our indirect connection to them is through John and Paulette Stabb, Aurel’s parents-in-laws. I met Chet in Romania, back in 1993, through one of John Stabb’s missionary trips and six months later we were married. Once I arrived in America Chet and I attended the same church and got to know John and Paulette better. That’s where we met Summer, their daughter and a collage student at the time, and Toby Stabb their youngest.

We’ve prayed for Aurel like many of you did, and continue to pray for Summer, Summer’s family, Aurel’s family and their friends. May God’s peace that passes all human understanding fill the colossal void their hearts and souls feel during this season of sorrow. There are many invisible faces praying fo you during this time.

Praying for Michelle and her family as well, who have been a great support for Summer and Aurel lately.

One day your tears will be replaced by the joy a reunion brings beyond flesh and bone limits.

God Bless.

The monster inside of me- documentary teaser

/ Carmen McKnight / Leave a comment

It’s hard to watch this without feeling the pain of their battles. As I’ve relapsed in September and had seizures or tendencies to fall into one almost hourly, I know how nasty it is. I’m slowly coming out of it, but I’m still in lots of pain, and the cold, gray weather does not help.

I have to focus on one step at the time and keep moving forward. Is it sinister what’s happening to people suffering from this disease? Yes. Is this the only disease hurting others? No. This one, along with a few others are hard to diagnose, understand, and eliminate. So far. We hope the research will reveal a cure and the government will allow it.

Have a good day today and hope for a healthy tomorrow:)

God Bless:)

TobyMac-21 Years

/ Carmen McKnight / Leave a comment

https://www.yourtango.com/2019329256/how-did-toby-macs-son-die-new-details-death-christian-rappers-son-truett-foster-mckeehan

Toby’s new release dedicated to his son who suddenly died at the age of 21. I pray for strength through such dark times.

Through my own dark time, your songs and Joyce Meyer’s teaching have kept me strong and able to keep going. Thank you. Now I (along with your many fans) pray fro you and your family.

STRONG PEOPLE AREN’T SIMPLY BORN. THEY ARE MADE BY THE STORMS THEY WALK THROUGH.

I know, sometimes we’re tired of being strong, but it’s better than any other alternative.

May God bring you all peace and health this day:) Amen. God Bless.