Throughout my years as a detox specialist, I have seen countless people come to me with Lyme disease, hoping to finally heal. It seems that more and more people are suffering with this terrible illness. I have spoken hundreds of hours with my clients as to what their experiences have been with Lyme. I also come from a past of healing chronic illness and being bed ridden with pain and debilitating fatigue. I want to paint a picture of what an average chronic illness sufferer goes through each day. Imagine waking up after 12-16 hours of restless sleep and still struggling to get out of bed. Too weak to do all the small daily tasks that we take for granted, like brushing your teeth, preparing a meal, getting dressed, or even taking a shower. When awake, experiencing the strangest symptoms—from full-body pain, to brain fog, rashes, fatigue, inability to sleep, speech and/or vision problems, burning and swelling in the joints, dizziness, fainting, anxiety, depression, neck stiffness, migraines, depersonalization, numbness, chest pain, heart palpitations, and more. Taking an assembly line full of supplements and pain relievers with little relief. It becomes increasingly difficult to keep a job or go to school. Having gone to countless doctors for rounds of testing with no answers, giving you all sorts of different diagnoses from chronic fatigue syndrome, multiple sclerosis, depression, anxiety, insomnia, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, fibromyalgia, pneumonia, or Epstein-barr virus. Or maybe you’re like some of my clients who have been misdiagnosed for years, with multiple surgeries, or joint replacements to deal with the body’s deterioration. Becoming full of hopelessness because no one understands what you have and your doctors are even referring you to a psychiatrist because they think you’re faking it. When finally getting a diagnosis of Lyme this can be such relief for some because it can confirms that you’re not crazy and that there really is something wrong within, but some people never get a diagnosis. This is the reality that people with Lyme Disease and Chronic Illness face on a daily basis.
I have a special place in my heart for people who are struggling with Lyme disease, I had the same experience when I had fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome many years ago. I know what it feels like to have pain all over my body. To feel like I had the body of a 90 year old woman when I was only 23 years old, praying for some doctor to know what I had and help me heal from it. There were times I wanted to die because of the physical pain and limitations of my body, and the constant feeling of hopelessness. Looking back now after having healed through detoxification, it seems like a nightmare I woke up from. Looking now from the other side, it seems unreal that I was able to go through so much pain, and have survived it, without going mentally insane. It seems like another lifetime entirely. Chronic illness warriors are strong, and with this strength I believe they can heal with the right information!
Getting a diagnosis for "an invisible illness" can be a battle in and of itself. But, to make matters worse, even if one does get a clear diagnosis, the world of Lyme disease is fraught with controversy. Chronic Lyme is not acknowledged by many doctors. Some people have evidence of infection in their symptoms, but no laboratory proof that bacteria are present. There can be co-infections present in the body resembling so many other diseases, up to 300 different medical conditions! This is what I often see in my clients. But I'm here to tell you today that an official diagnosis of Lyme is not needed in order to heal through true detoxification! Lyme is called the “great imitator” because it can look like so many other illnesses from lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, fibromyalgia, and psychiatric disorders. This can be a confusing and terrifying world for the person with Lyme. This uncertainty and confusion stems from not having the true understanding of what causes Lyme and symptoms of Lyme disease in the body in the first place. This is what we will cover in today’s article. By understanding what the true root cause is of Lyme disease, we can then address it head on and achieve full healing within the body.
Lyme and Medical Treatments
The prescribed medication for Lyme is antibiotics. The type given will often depend on what stage a person has when diagnosed. Doctors will often recommend that one be started on antibiotic treatment as soon as possible in order to “combat” the disease. Standard Chronic Lyme medical treatment usually involves reducing pain and discomfort for the patient. Prescription pain meds, antibiotics, non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs), and steroids are often used to control pain and swelling within the muscles, joints, and nervous system. People with Lyme have usually been through years of taking several medications that they rely on each day for their more extreme symptoms, yet they still suffer with these symptoms. This is because they have not been given the answers to the true cause of their illness, and thus they are not on the correct path to fully healing.
Do not Treat - Heal the Root Cause!
Before finding detoxification, many of my clients have seeked out more holistic approaches as well. Most times, they find that by going to a naturopath, they often came home with a long list of supplements such as CBD oil, isolated supplements, or herbs specifically meant to naturally kill the bacteria and boost the body’s detoxification pathways. While CBD can temporarily relieve some of the joint pain and systemic inflammation seen in Lyme, oils are generally congesting to the lymphatic system and counterproductive in true detoxification. Many do not know this and are left with treating their disease rather than healing it. This is a better alternative than treating with antibiotics, but still not addressing the true root cause of Lyme. Sadly, the majority of naturopathic physicians treat disease with supplements and high protein diets instead of finding and addressing the root cause. They don’t truly understand that the lymphatic system is the body’s detoxification system. Supporting this system with the right diet and herbs is essential for healing this chronic illness.
The Cause of Lyme Disease is Found in the Lymphatic System
While it may be easy to believe that Lyme disease comes from a tick, the truth is that it’s not about getting bitten by an infected tick that causes Lyme. Some people are bitten by infected ticks and do not get Lyme’s disease at all. Equally, some people are exposed to bacteria, viruses, or mold and do not suffer any health issues at all. The reason why people get Lyme disease (or any infection) is because their body is a hospitable host to that pathogen—being weakened, lymphatically congested, and therefore highly acidic. In this day and age, we are born into such heavy genetic weaknesses in our organs and glands, and we unknowingly continue to weaken them through the foods we eat and our detrimental lifestyles. I have seen time and time again how each generation is born with weaker cells and the body’s inflammation response to toxicity becomes greater and greater. This is seen in this generation as children, teens, and young adults are being afflicted by diseases that previously were only found in those that were in their 70’s and 80’s. The fact of the matter, is that our lymph systems have become highly obstructed which severely limits the body’s ability to clean itself out. Some people’s bodies are so genetically weak and toxic that when coming in contact with any foreign bacteria, their system cannot handle it. These are the types of people that exhibit symptoms or are diagnosed with Lyme or any of the other chronic neurological illnesses. The lymph system makes up the majority of the immune system. It is the sole purpose of the lymph system to get rid of acidic wastes and all foreign matter in the body. When this system is down, a whole variety of symptoms can result - anything from muscular pain, edema, central and autonomic nervous system weaknesses, severe allergies, skin conditions, and more. In the case of Lyme, the root is systemic acidosis which is why a person sees the entire body being affected - chronic physical, mental, and emotional symptoms. As the body struggles to eliminate cellular acidic wastes, obstructions, and toxins, this acidic chemistry burns the tissues, organs, glands, and systems until it reaches the chronic and degenerative levels. Obstructions such as mucus, medications, and chemicals further irritate the tissue and obstruct the body’s blood and nerve flow.
Antibiotics - The Silent Killers
By the time clients come to work with me they are often on multiple different supplements that they use just to make it by and have more often than not had heavy antibiotic and pain reliever use. What most people do not know is that the isolated compounds found in both natural supplements (like isolated vitamins/minerals) and antibiotics actually increases the acidity and burden on their lymphatic system. These just become something else that they now have to detox out along with the cellular wastes they have from head to toe. Antibiotics are one of the most damaging medications to the lymph system. They kill the beneficial bacteria in the digestive tract that create a healthy microbiome (many of our bacteria synthesize vitamins that are used as co-factors in countless metabolic reactions in the body). They kill the bacteria in the lymph nodes that are designed to help the body break down the acidic metabolic waste from all cells (the waste that causes pain, inflammation and disease symptoms). Lastly, they are sulfur derived drugs which create even more toxicity for the body and only serve to suppress the lymphatic system and create a more acidic and highly inflammed condition. Some people are so full of sulfur from these medications and antibiotics that they have become allergic to sulfur because the body has reached its tipping point. Until we learn to understand that bacteria are not here to kill us, but are rather nature’s way of keeping the body clean in the presence of toxicity, we will continue down this dark path of chronic health issues with medical interventions that create more problems for us.
Gland Weaknesses and Trauma
In addition to whole body systemic acidosis, with heavy gland weaknesses and the body’s inability to eliminate acids, I usually see that my clients with Lyme have experienced some sort of triggering stressful event in the past that tipped the scale in terms of the body’s ability to cope with systemic acidosis. These events could be physical trauma like a car accident, or an emotional trauma like a very stressful or abusive relationship; or like me when I came back from vacationing in the Dominican Republic and had been exposed to parasites. Events like these put stress on the adrenal glands and shut down kidney filtration, as well as the other elimination pathways in the body. It is only a matter of time before the body explodes with physical symptoms. In addition to all the physical symptoms, often a person with Lyme will experience anxiety, depression, obsessive thoughts or ADD/ADHD, emotional sensitivities, phobias, speech difficulties, ptsd, and more, all pointing to stress on the central and autonomic nervous system. This is why those with Lyme often have several brain lesions as seen in their eyes.
Iridology and Lyme Disease
Getting an iris analysis is so important to be able to pinpoint the underlying gland, systemic, and organ weaknesses that could be hindering a person’s ability to detoxify and truly heal. Having looked at thousands of eyes as a healer, I have seen a lot of common characteristics with the clients who have come to see me with Lyme disease.
The similarities are as follows:
They always have chronic lymph congestion throughout the body, weakened kidneys or adrenals glands that have caused this lymph stagnation, and major systemic acidosis throughout their body - seen in the sclera (red capillaries).
Their eyes also reveal a lot of nerve rings - pointing to the breakdown of the myelin sheaths in the autonomic nervous system and brain lesions - pointing to several weaknesses in the central nervous system.
They will usually have brain lesions as seen in the iris. If brain lesions are deep enough - people can move towards having symptoms of M.S. From these present brain lesions seen in the upper portion of the iris - they will usually have a weakness in the hypothalamus gland - either creating obsessive or addictive behavior, hyper focus or strong drive, add/adhd type symptoms, and/or emotional mood swings and sensitivities. The hypothalamus gland is responsible for controlling the pituitary gland, but it also has its hands on different mental and emotional components in the brain.
The Hypothalamus Gland
For instance - the area of the brain that deals with the emotions and memory association is associated with the hypothalamus gland. This region is known as the reality/obs/add region or inherent mental region. Those with a lesion in this region seen in the iris often will have had traumatic experiences in the past. We see how certain events in someone’s past can create a weakness in this region of the brain. Chronic weakness in this region can also show symptoms of body disorders, a poor emotional response to stimuli, OCD like tendencies, feeling disconnected with reality/depersonalization/derealization, or a lack of control of rage. These low level emotions tend to damage the thyroid gland over the years - making the person incapable of handling any amount of stress and often succumbing to overwhelm, anxiety, and depression. Another region of the brain that I often see with a weakness in the iris is the Ego Pressure region (also encompassing the hypothalamus gland). When one has a weakness in this region, one can have a lot of concentration and drive, but be too hard on themselves - where perfectionism rules their life. Overtime, this trait can be very harsh to the nervous system - creating stress in the body. Those with a weakness in the hypothalamus gland often struggle with knowing when to listen to their body's needs - like when to stop to rest or relax, when to stop work to use the bathroom or get something to eat. Their inner barometer in the body is weak and so they cannot recieve these body signals - or choose to ignore them. This as you can imagine can create great physical distress within the body. This is often the missing link to those that suffer with these symptoms and with Lyme disease. The hypothalamus gland must always be addressed with the upper circulation and brain and nerve herbal formulas, and depending on the severity of tissue weakness; a hypothalamus glandular - only with the recommendation of a knowledgable and experienced detox specialist - timing and appropriateness of when one can use a glandular and how much is very important. One needs to be under the guidance of a detox specialist/iridologist. This is what I help guide all of my clients with in creating the perfect healing protocol for them. This is the beauty of iridology —without an iris analysis, we cannot pinpoint the exact weaknesses in the body that need to be addressed with the herbal formulas and a strong diet protocol! There are many other iris signs that are common in those that are diagnosed with Lyme disease or any other "auto-immune" disease for that matter. I will be shedding more light on these signs and weaknesses in the eyes soon in upcoming articles.
Chemical Sensitivity
It should also be noted that it is very common for people with Lyme to be very sensitive to chemicals, mold, or have had past neurotoxin exposure. There are over thousands of neurotoxins that exist in our society. Those with already weakened nervous systems experience the shut down of the nervous system when exposed to neurotoxicity. These toxins overload the body and often show themselves as neurological symptoms like trouble breathing, asthma, anxiety, panic attacks, nausea, poor memory, and chemical sensitivities. Neurotoxins are commonly found in pesticides, herbicides, and vaccinations. This is why I always advise those with weakened nervous systems to always consume organic and pesticide free fruits and veggies and to completely eliminate and replace all toxic body care and house-hold cleaning products with natural ones. When one is detoxing and trying to get rid of toxicity within the body, one must stop their exposure to it from their external environment. Neurotoxins are often attracted to the stomach as this is where the nerve ganglia (or the seat of the autonomic nervous system) is located. This is why it is common for those with nervous system weakness to experience shortness of breath if in contact with a neurotoxin. For those with extremely weakened nervous systems, this can be a deadly event. This is also where heart arrhythmia can stem from, as well as anxiety and panic attacks - all from neurotoxicity in the gut.
Colon Toxicity
There is also a connection between the colon and all the organs and glands found in the body. Areas that are often affected in those with Lyme are: the head/brain, lungs, sinuses, and heart. Toxicity from the colon travels to these different regions of the body and weakens them. Those with Lyme often come to me with issues in these areas. You can see in the eyes how the brain and the gut are intricately linked (the sinuses and head sit right on top of the transverse colon in the irises). The GI tract has a connection between all organs and glands of the body that stem from its embryological development. When we are first conceived and grow in the womb, all organs, tissues and glands stem from the Gi Tract. The Gi Tract is the first tissue that is formed, and everything grows and stems from it. This connection is consistently seen in every person - especially those with chronic health issues. This is why deeply cleaning out the colon of chemical toxicity, sulfur, mucus, acidosis, and mucoid plaque is of utmost importance in one’s healing protocol. The correct diet and herbal protocol, as well as specific detox tools, are crucial to achieving complete healing. It is common for clients with Lyme to have inflammation or severe acidosis in their colon and GI tract. Many of my clients have had a history of allergies or sinus issues long before developing Lyme. The systemic acidosis is so bad that their body is engulfed from head to toe. Those with Lyme often feel burning in their joints or head, a clear sign that the body is on fire with these acidic wastes! This is critical to address early because if not, the next stage in progression is degeneration or mutated cells - what allopathic medicine calls cancer. Those that have Lyme and do not take the detox path to address their weaknesses and systemic acidosis often develop degenerative diseases like MS, Dementia, or Parkinson’s, or experience mutation of cells to where the medical community labels it as cancer. While detoxification with the correct diet and herbs is powerful enough to regenerate the nervous system and rid the body of cancer, it is better to prevent things before they happen, minimizing years of suffering a person has to go through.
The Correct Detox Diet is Essential to Healing
Implementing the correct healing detox diet is essential for people with Lyme. Many have waited years to find a diagnosis or get any kind of relief from the constant burning, fatigue, brain fog, and severe neurological symptoms. It is finally time to dig deep into detoxification to find and experience true healing! For those that are having trouble transitioning to a healthier diet, I recommend my Master Your Detox - The Transition Guide Ebook. By including more raw foods, while letting go of acidic foods such as animal products and processed foods, this guide will help transition you safely from where you are currently in your diet to the ultimate healing detox diet to begin addressing the root cause of your health issues. The raw food diet is the base of how one begins to clear intersitital lymphatic constipation and systemic acidosis throughout the body that causes pain and inflammation, however, it is only one part of the puzzle in healing the body of chronic illness and "auto-immune disease". A strong herbal protocol must be put into place in order to truly heal chronic gland and organ weaknesses. This is why I recommend working with me one-on-one to fully heal your health issues with The Master Your Health Package. In this package you get a one-on-one call with me, an iris analysis, a diet and herbal protocol specific to your weaknesses, detox tools to heal you based on your symptoms, as well as informative detox pdfs to assist you on your detox journey. I have assisted hundreds of people in the reversal of Lyme and all other auto-immune and chronic illnesses. You do not have to suffer anymore. If you have had enough of feeling sick and tired and trying everything else to heal, then it is time for you to detox!
Understanding Food Sensitivities
Alkalizing foods, such as raw fruits and vegetables, are a must if you want to heal. It is essential to avoid all proteins because they are acid forming in the body and create symptoms of pain, inflammation, and burning that is often experienced with Lyme. Many of my clients have been on paleo diets in the past but have unknowingly contributed to their condition with eating high protein foods like meat, protein powders, fish, and eggs. This is often what is advised from their naturopath or fitness coach. After spending time on these high protein diets, conditions always get progressively worse. I have seen that many with Lyme often have multiple food allergies, especially to the nightshade family—foods like tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, and potatoes. These foods can often leave them feeling extreme inflammation, pain, and bloating in their body. Food allergies do not have to be permanent and can be healed! Allergies are always a sign that cellular wastes are not leaving the body because the lymphatic system, kidneys, and the glands that control kidney filtration are not functioning. This is due to either a genetic weakness or a condition created due to a persons lifestyle and eating habits. In the beginning stages of healing Lyme or chronic pain conditions I often advise people with these sensitivities to initially stay away from acid fruits that they may not be able to handle (such as grapefruits, oranges, limes, pineapples, strawberries, blueberries, or blackberries), and/or foods that are cruciferous (like brussel sprouts, kale, or broccoli) and/or the nightshade family. Often people with Lyme are so acidic that certain fruits exacerbate their symptoms. The acid fruits pull hard on the lymph system and if the kidneys aren’t filtering, then symptoms can flare. Many people with Lyme disease are dealing with such intense levels of systemic acidosis in their body that they need to start very slow with the more gentle fruits and foods when stepping into a detoxification protocol. I often recommend one start with the fruits and foods that they can handle and continue to simplify their diet towards raw and high fruit. Fruits in the subacid and sweet family (such as grapes, apples, mango, peaches, melons, bananas, etc.), tend to be better accepted by the body in those with systemic acidosis. If you find that you’re allergic to all fruits, then that is a big sign that you have an adrenal weakness and systemic acidosis due to low steroid production in these glands. The adrenals and all gland weaknesses connected to their function must be supported with the correct herbs.
What To Do About Fruit and Herb Sensitivities
Green drinks can also be an important step in the detox process by alkalizing the body and neutralizing chemicals such as heavy metals without pulling too hard on the lymph system before the kidneys are healed enough to filter all the metabolic waste. Incorporating green drinks 3-4 times/week with powerful kidney and liver cleansers such as parsley, cilantro, fennel, dill, beet, celery, and dandelion greens can be a powerful way to calm the nervous system down and neutralize neurotoxins. Expect different detox symptoms like skin rashes, headaches, fatigue, and roaming pains during your healing journey as acids are pulled from different regions in order to leave the body. These symptoms are normally short-lived if detox is done correctly. Herbs are essential in removing all obstructions and wastes from the body as well as supporting the channels of elimination. The herbal formulas that are essential to include in those healing Lyme are the Upper Circulation and Brain and Nerve formulas- these help address brain lesions and help to strengthen the nervous system. Kidney, Adrenal, and Lymphatic formulas are foundational to healing the body when dealing with Lyme Disease. Addressing bowel weaknesses with the GI Broom and GI Renew formula will allow the acidosis in the brain and sinuses, creating lymphatic pressure, to finally begin to drain and heal. Although those with Lyme disease often have various glands, organs and systems down, I find that many often need to take a slower approach with the herbs as well. It is very common to find that those with Lyme (or systemic acidosis), cannot start off at full dosage of the formulas. I usually advise starting with a few drops of each formula and increasing the dosage as the days and weeks go by. Start with 5-10 drops and slowly work your way to 1/3 - ½ a dropperful to help prevent unnecessary detoxification reactions in the beginning of your journey. Remember, true healing cannot be rushed. The body is compromised of millions of miles of lymph vessels and trillions of cells. It takes time for the body to eliminate acidic cellular wastes around all of those cells to undo years upon years of obstructions and damage from acidic chemistry - but this is the only true way to heal from systemic acidosis - the root cause of Lyme Disease and symptoms!
Bacteria, Viruses, Pathogens
When we understand how to truly read the signs and symptoms of the body and their connection to organs, glands and systemic weaknesses - we see that bacterial, fungal, and viral “infections” are not actually the cause of illnesses like Lyme disease. Systemic acidosis and a congested lymphatic system caused by years of eating the wrong foods are the true root causes of disease. When we come to terms with the fact that many of us have created our disease conditions with our lifestyle, eating choices, and habits throughout the years, we then have the power to transform our health by taking responsibility for our health and actions from there on. If the lymphatic system is working properly and our kidneys are healthy and filtering out wastes, when we do come across an outside “invader” like bacteria, viruses, or pathogens, it will not cause a problem for us. We will then be able to eliminate any pathogen that is not in alignment with the health and vitality of our body. Bacteria and pathogens will enter and be eliminated immediately as the lymph system moves smoothly and freely without obstructions. It is important to not get trapped in the world of treatment based thinking where illnesses are chased with harmful suppressive drugs and supplements that in the long run never heal! We can not blame or fear pathogens, but instead we need to understand how the body truly works and clean out the toxic terrain within that plays a comfortable host to bacteria and microbes. They are simply attracted to toxicity and weaknesses so that they can eliminate them. This is the call of nature and no one can outwit nature. We must work with nature and our bodies in order to heal! The body is amazing and heals on its own when its weaknesses are addressed with the proper diet and herbs. Although Lyme is a horrible disease, you can heal from it! Our survival depends upon us changing our current acidic diet and lifestyles, and adopting fruits, raw foods, and detoxification into our lives. I have helped countless of people from the clutches of this painful disease through knowing how all of the body’s weaknesses and symptoms are connected. This is the ultimate key to be able to truly heal one's body once and for all!
Until Next Time,
Happy Healing!
-Ailin Duran D.S.
-Ailin Duran D.S.
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