Welcome once again to…
This is My Lyme Life: Dr. Alyssa (Chapter 5)
Sometimes I wonder what it all means. Lyme Disease…or any disease for that matter. It’s a dis-ease. A state of imbalance, often of body, mind and spirit. Always- eventually- of body. In chiropractic school we learned what to do about these things. We adjust and remove interference to the nervous system. Energy can then flow seamlessly from “up, down, inside and out” and we heal. It always sounded so simple. And if we lived in a world without bugs and toxins and stress that may be all we need. But we don’t. I wish we did, but we don’t. All we can do are things like get adjusted, get acupuncture, eat well, think well, exercise and improve our internal environment so the body can function optimally. Easier said than done, yes, but we have to try.
So what does this have to do with Lyme Disease? Well, I am convinced the bacteria never leave us completely. We already live every day with trillions upon trillions of bacteria in our bodies. All of us have Streptococcus (“strep”) and Staphylococcus (“staph”) in us. We walk around everyday “infected” with these bacteria but they don’t give us things like “strep throat” until the balance is broken. Then they proliferate out of control and we often use outside means (like antibiotics and herbs) to reestablish the balance. Therefore I have to wonder, why are Borrelia and Bartonella so different from strep and staph? I know they’re not the same type of bacteria. They are certainly more complex and can hide in the body- so that’s part of it- but shouldn’t the same rules apply to balancing the internal ecosystem? If we can create a balanced, healthy internal environment, shouldn’t we be able to keep them at bay as well?
My mission has become, besides healing myself and my son, to understand this further and help those suffering from it empower themselves. The vision is still in the creation phase, but it will materialize. I want to create a place where people can walk in, on whatever treatment plan they’re on, and advance their healing, increase their detoxing capabilities and generally live a more well-balanced existence.
Until then, I dream…
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I am happy to report my older guy (who turns 8 today…amazing!) is progressing well. The new Lyme and detox drops arrived on Tuesday but I didn’t want to burden his body on his birthday, so we will start tomorrow. He continues to respond well to the Bartonella drops. He has really had only one very bad day, and for him that meant he was edgy, angry and jumping out of his skin. This, I believe was from being over-tired and under-fed (he swam for 6 hours in a friend’s pool one afternoon last week and even though we pulled him out to eat and drink water, he just couldn’t make up for the calories he burned). In general, his water intake leaves something to be desired, so I am constantly on top of him to drink more. Hopefully the new supplement will help him detox further. All things said and done, though, I am very pleased with how far he’s come in a short time.
Thankfully I also continue to progress well. I have less than two weeks left of the antibiotics and will start the new drops with my son tomorrow. My personal “wellness program” is still going strong and, as long as I keep it up, I am confident I will continue to heal. This coming Monday I will also be trying something new. I have heard wonderful things about infrared saunas and how much they can help people with Lyme detox and heal. There is a place not far from me in Ocean, NJ that a few people recommended, so that is where I will begin my exploration. I don’t know too much yet about how it works, but the science nerd in me will certainly be investigating! I will report further on it next week. I am very excited.
After my final blog next week, I will be handing over the storytelling to a dear patient of mine. When you hear her tale you will be astounded by how long she has lived with this disease, how many times she was misdiagnosed, and, most importantly, how far she has come.
With that, I wish you all a beautiful summer week and much sunshine, inside and out.
Yours in Good Health,
Dr. Alyssa Guglielmo