Lyme Healing
Antibiotics
As soon as possible take the recommended course of antibiotics.
It was important for me to have some food in my belly before taking them (prevented nausea or upset stomach) and I made sure to take them on time each day.
Probiotics
Take them for at least as long as you are taking antibiotics. I continued to take them for a few weeks or months afterward in order to support my intestinal health.
*Take the probiotics 2 hours after taking the antibiotics since they have opposite actions.
You need a bigger dose of probiotics than you can get from yogurt.
Recommended probiotics from my experience:
Flora Super 8 Hi Potency Probiotics
Or any other Flora brand probiotics. These are often available in health food stores or you can order on amazon using the link above.
Herbal Support
I waited until I finished the antibiotics before using herbs - it was my sense that I wanted to put all my resources into the antibiotics first and then move onto herbs.
Even though the antibiotics are very effective I follow up with a course of herbs to "complete the job".
Herb Companies
Green Dragon Botanicals
The owner specializes in herbs for Lyme infection, prevention and chronic Lyme.
From the Products link, go to Protocols. There you will see many options labeled "LB Core, Tonic" etc. Those labelled with "LB" pertain to Lyme Bacteria - so research those and decide which is best for your particular situation.
Herbal companies cannot speak too much about what their blends or herbs are for because of FDA guidelines. Check the FAQ section for more info - here is the link.
Linden Botanicals
Another small company that specializes in Lymes.
Reverence Botanicals
Another small company that specializes in Lymes.
Main Herbs for dealing with Lyme's
Herbs that target the bacteria:
Japanese Know Weed
"Yellow Root" Cryptolepis sanguinolenta
Teasel Root
Herbs that are immune supportive and help clear the bacteria
Andrographis
Cat's Claw
The general approach:
1. Antibiotics (doxycycline) as soon as possible after infection in order to kill off the pathogen
2. Probiotics to restore necessary gut bacteria that gets killed by the antibiotics
3. Herbs that target the pathogen - you can take them asap while taking the antibiotics or wait - whichever feels right. I highly recommend taking them for a few months after the antibiotics as there is a great deal of research that herbs are able to keep killing off pathogens that the antibiotics miss.
4. Herbs that support your overall immune system because it is a big job to go up against Lyme bacteria.
As you research the website listed above you will see they all have formulas for each of the above concerns.
How to decide what company and what form of herbs to take:
Try tinctures, capsules, powders and notice which feels best to you and go with that. All of these companies are dedicated to organic, no pesticide herbs - so have a look around and find out which feels best.
Blood Tests
I strongly recommend getting a blood test. You might have to insist on it, and then insist that you get a Full Tick Panel. The Tick Panel will test for other tick borne infections.
Additional Resources
Dr. Rawls - MD who had Lymes himself. From his experience he has created herbal products and support systems.
