Hello fellow Lyme Disease sufferers. I thought I should share my own personal experience with Lyme disease and the hell I went through...but came out on the "other side", so there is hope!
I contracted lyme disease many years ago, while on a trip to northern CA- before it became a well known disease. Since I live in the northwest, where lyme disease is very uncommon, it took quite a while for the diagnosis to be confirmed. I first had the bite looked at, before I had any real symptoms except fatigue. Naturally the doctor said don't worry- but I was worried! The bite was growing so big & I never saw anything like it- it was scary, not normal- but classic. About a week went by, and by that time, all my joints were so swelled up- I was in so much pain all over my body. I had no strength to even pull the blanket up over myself. I was foggy, couldn't sleep, and felt helpless. First I was put on several runs of oral Antibiotics . When that didn't help I was put on intravenous Antibiotics . Still nothing helped. My husband and I both started researching. We both were interested in natural medicine and particularly oriental medicine and the ancient Science of Ayurveda (from India)We read about a well known herb called NEEM that has been used for thousands of years for many different diseases and symptoms- often working like an antibiotic, without all the harmful side effects. Knowing that herbal medicine can often take a while to get the full effects, unlike western medicine- I decided to try this Neem- what did I have to lose?! I started taking about 2,000 mg. a day. It took 3-4 months, but gradually my symptoms started going away. After 6 months I reduced my dose to 1,000 mg. a day- by that time I had just some swelling in some of my joints- but nothing like before. Since that time I have put it to the test by taking breaks from it, and after a week or two of being off the Neem my symptoms will return. I know I have this bug in my body and will for my whole life- but I also have a way of controlling it so I can lead a normal life. The one side effect from taking the neem is that it can dry out my skin (which is a small price to pay) So I also found out recently that oil of oregano can be taken for a week or two when I want to take a break from the Neem. It is also important to have a good quality product. Neem extract is more powerful than the whole herb and it should be organic. For many years I have been taking the products sold by Tattva's Herbs, which are very pure and dependably good quality. I also found that I have to keep my immune system strong in order to fight off the nasty attacks. The product I found to keep my strength up is called Chyawanprash...I haven't even caught a cold, flu or anything else that is contagious since I've been on it. I hope this information can be of help for some of you who are suffering from Lyme disease. Patience is important, as it does take a while to take effect- but its worked for me for over a decade, and I know it has helped other people as well. There is hope!!