Where can you purchase supplements for Lyme?

All Lyme patients know that supplements are regularly prescribed to help in the healing process. Prior to contracting Lyme, I rarely took supplements.  Once in a while, I would buy a container of multivitamins, and I would take vitamin C or echinacea if I felt a cold coming on.  But that's about it. Now, it's a whole different story.  I'm well acquainted with the alphabet.....you know, vitamins A, B, C, D, and E.  I take some supplements to help with inflammation.  I take the "brain supplement", Omega 3.  I take supplements to boost my immune system.  I need high-dose iron because my ferritin gets too low without it.  I feel like a walking pharmacy!  Supplements are without a doubt the most expensive part of my Lyme disease treatment.....even more than the antibiotics and LLMD appointments!  Crazy!

Some supplements I purchase at the drug store, but not too many.  Most doctors recommend pharmaceutical grade supplements.  What does that mean?  I'm no expert, but my understanding is that supplements vary in their quality.  Cheaper versions may have more fillers and less of the actual "ingredient". I do buy my vitamin C (Ester-C) and iron at Costco because the price is really good.  For the others, I go to the health food store.  Then, there are some supplements that I purchase online through LLMD Dr. Marty Ross' website at www.treatlyme.org.

Dr. Ross has a great online store and he explains exactly how he uses all of the supplements in his videos which are on the website.  He discounts the products as much as he can according to the agreement with the supplier which he must adhere to.  I have found the online store to be reliable, except for one time when it took a whole month for my product to arrive.  I only paid for regular shipping, not expedited shipping. Usually that's not a problem, and the item arrives in about 2-3 weeks.  This particular time, it took so long I thought that the package had gotten lost.  I traced the package and learned that items shipped from the online store go from his office in Seattle WA, to Los Angeles for sorting, then back up to Ontario, Canada where I'm from.  That's one long trip!  I think in the future, I will pay for the faster shipping method.

I found out last week that naturopath Dr. Angela Lee from Richmond Hill, Ontario has created a Canadian online store of her own.  The number of products she offers is not as extensive as Dr. Ross' site, but if you can find what you need there, it would be more convenient and faster.  The online store is at this address:  http://lymeessentialscanada.ca/pages/about-us.

Before I sign off, I just wanted to give a thumbs up to a great iron supplement.  I've been using this product for 3 years now, and I must say that it performs exactly like it claims, for me anyway.  No stomach upset, no constipation.  No adverse side-effects at all.  It is called FeraMax and is available at your local pharmacy.  I buy mine in a bottle of 100 at Costco as it's much cheaper that way.  Please note:  I have no affiliation with this company at all.  I just wanted to share with you a great product that has worked for me.  If you have reduced iron stores, do check with your physician first before taking this product.  Also, consult your pharmacist to be sure that there are no drug interactions (which is often the case with iron).

It's June! Who hooooooo!

Nothing makes me happier than June.  Well, July and August are pretty good too, but there's just something about June that allows me to finally exhale and begin the process of relaxation.  OK, so I can't really relax for another couple of weeks, after my report cards are submitted, but there is this out-of-the-ordinary calmness in me knowing that my job is winding down for the year.

Here is a picture of what was on the agenda today.

It's planting season, and these beauties will soon be making their way into pots to adorn our abode. I'm also looking forward to planting and using more herbs this year - chives, dill, parsley, basil, rosemary, thyme, and mint.

It was a rough winter, not only in terms of the horrible bitter cold we endured, but also with my health. I'm therefore quite glad to bid it farewell.  I dealt with a Lyme relapse in January, got back on antibiotics in March, and have been trying to get some symptoms under control.  I'm so happy to report that I think I've finally turned the corner!  I actually feel half-decent!  I'm certainly not 100%, but I don't know if I'll ever achieve that again.  Today I feel about 80-90%.  It might be different tomorrow.  Each morning is like a box of chocolates that way.....to quote Forrest Gump.  "You never know what you're gonna get."

For a few weeks I've been battling terrible tiredness.  I wouldn't call it fatigue, just tiredness.  I suspect that it is medication induced.  I'm currently taking minocycline and the pharmacist said it can be sedating.  Perhaps in a few months I'll be able to reduce the dosage and I'll perk up a bit.

Of course I still have so many questions:  How long should I stay on the antibiotics?  Will I ever get off them?  Will I always relapse?  Will I ever lose this weight I've gained since my illness started?  Will I ever feel "not tired"?  Will I be able to handle my job next year?  Will this crazy Lyme situation ever get sorted out in the Canadian medical system?

There are too many unanswerable questions, so the only alternative to driving oneself crazy is to wake up in the morning and appreciate each day for what it is.  Live one day at a time.  Practice gratitude. Thank God for the blessings in your life and even the hard times, for it is in those hard times that He teaches us so much and develops our character.

I hope, despite how you feel, that you can find one (or 10!) things to be thankful for today.  I wish you all a beautiful summer.

Blessed Be Your Name

by

Robin Mark

Following a Lyme diet

I confess.....I have an addiction.....to books about food!  I love food.  I love good, tasty food.  I love to make good tasty food.  I also have Lyme disease, which means that I have to make some radical changes in the food I make and eat.....and I hope that eventually I will learn to truly love this new way of eating. 

First off, take a look at a few of the books I've been reading or re-reading in the past little while.

The information contained therein is enough to make anyone's head spin.  Eat this, don't eat that, avoid this at all cost, buy organic, eat after exercise, eliminate wheat, eliminate grains, eat no sugar, honey is OK..........Ahhhhhhhhhh!

I won't go so far as to say that the messages contained in the books are contradictory, but some of the eating regimens go a step (or three) further in food restrictions.  I suppose it is really a matter of trial and error to see what regimen works best for each individual.

So let's talk about what these books have in common:

1. Get rid of sugar.  Some authors say to eliminate it in all forms, while others allow maple syrup and honey in baking, for example.  Sugar is just plain BAD for you.  It causes your insulin to spike, causes fat storage, and inflammation. 

2. Ditch the wheat.  Wheat Belly by Dr. William Davis gives many compelling reasons for eliminating this everyday grain from your diet.  It has been genetically modified to the extent that it is wreaking havoc in our bodies.  It also causes your insulin to spike, as much or more than sugar, causes fat storage, and inflammation.

Some authors go so far as to say eliminate ALL grains, while others would allow brown rice and quinoa for example.  I'm not sure how well I'd survive with no grains whatsoever.

3. Say adios to corn.  Again, very genetically modified and no longer good for us.

4. Eat lots of non-starchy vegetables and a bit of fruit.  Vegetables should be our main source of carbohydrates rather than grains.  Fruit should be eaten in limited amounts because of its sugar content.

5. Avoid toxins.  Buying organic, whenever possible, is best.  Check online for which fruits and vegetables are worst....the so-called "dirty dozen".  And get rid of toxic cleaning chemicals in your home and ones you put into your body in the form of lotions and other beauty products.  Switch to natural products.  Check out Jaydancin for wonderful, natural beauty products.  They are my absolute favorite.

6. Drink plenty of filtered water.  Adding some lemon to the water will help your body to flush out toxins. 

OK, so where do I go from here?  These are great principles for anyone to incorporate into their meal plans, but seeing that I suffer from a chronic illness involving inflammation, I feel I need to bump this up a notch.  I really like The Hormone Diet by Toronto naturopath Natasha Turner.  I feel that her 2 week detox plan is do-able, and her glyci-med approach to eating after that is sustainable. 

I considered doing Dr. Singleton's Lyme Inflammation Diet (found in the book Recipes for Repair by Gail Piazza and Laura Piazza), but I'm not sure if I can abide by its restrictions for so many months.  If I feel that my body has not improved in its inflammation symptoms after eating well for a few months, then I'll have this one to fall back on.

So here's my plan:
1. Do Dr. Turner's hormone diet detox for 2 weeks
2. Try to follow Dr. Turner's glyci-med approach thereafter OR at minimum keep my eating sugar-free and wheat-free

One of the hardest things is finding replacements for all of those foods that we normally eat that contain grain.  Even though I may be giving up wheat, I still want to be able to grab a muffin or slice of homemade quick bread.  I have found that there are tons of recipes online for things like pancakes, breads, and pizza crust, so I encourage you to just take a few hours and print some out.  Danielle Walker's grain-free cookbook, Against All Grain, is excellent.  Her website is www.againstallgrain.com.

Here are links to all of the books in my photo.  They are ALL excellent and will put you on the road to better health.

Recipes for Repair by Gail Piazza and Laura Piazza
The Hormone Diet by Natasha Turner, ND
Wheat Belly by William Davis, MD
Maximized Living Nutrition Plans by B.J. Hardick, Kimberly Roberto, and Ben Lerner
Joyous Health by Joy McCarthy
The Skinny on Losing Weight Without Being Hungry by Louis J. Aronne, MD
Against All Grain by Danielle Walker

Wishing you all success in your resolutions to eat healthier!  Bon appétit!

Rain on a Distant Roof

Vanessa Farnsworth is a Canadian writer who has published a book journaling her experience with Lyme disease while trying to access help through the Canadian health care system.  I've read excerpts of her book online and it is very good.....gripping, in fact.  Nevertheless, I'm not sure if I can bring myself to read it.....yet.  It's hitting a little too close to home for me at the moment.  I'm sure I will pick it up at some point as I love non-fiction.  Thank you, Vanessa, for sharing your story with us, and exposing the horror of this illness as well as the flaws in our medical system.

Check out Vanessa's excellent website and blog here.