Lyme: Herxing & Detoxing

I want to share a good resource I found that covers various options for detox support during a Herx Reaction (aka “die off” – when the Lyme is being killed off, it creates toxins and your body can’t get rid of them fast enough, making you feel flu-y and absolutely horrible).

The past couple weeks I have been having intense Die Off symptoms from taking Byron White’s AL Complex. Usually die off comes during the start of a new supplement, but I’ve been on this Lyme treatment for months, so it caught me completely off guard. Herx symptoms can be very hard to differentiate from Lyme symptoms, as they are basically the same for me: intense fatigue, muscle and joint aches, insane brain fog (I have felt like a complete moron lately and can’t think straight), eczema, anxiety, digestiion issues, increased tinnitus, to name a few – so it took me several days to figure out it was die off rather than a return of symptoms. However, when I upped my detoxing regimen and stopped the AL Complex, the symptoms subsided, and I knew it is a Herx.

When experiencing a Herx Reaction, it’s crucial to do as much as possible to help your body detox. However, when you have brain fog, it’s easy to forget all the tricks, but I found a great list of options here:

http://www.tiredoflyme.com/detox-methods.html

And here is some more info on detoxing in general (sometimes too much can make you feel bad too – it’s a balance!) http://www.tiredoflyme.com/4-reasons-why-you-still-feel-bad-despite-detoxing.html

I have had good success with a combination of Activated Charcoal (at least 1 hour away from meds and food because it absorbs all nutrients, bad and good), skin brushing, upping water intake (with lemon), Alka Seltzer Gold, hot epsom salt baths, Glutathion (S-Acetyl form), occasional sauna use, eating a clean, inflammatory diet (which is a modified version of Paleo for me), supporting digestion with digestive enzyme and probiotics, making sure my digestive tract is working efficiently and eliminating waste using a combo of Magnesium citrate, Aloe capsules and Slippery Elm, and getting PLENTY of rest. My doctor also recommended Burbur, which I am going to give a go.

Time for a nap now. Apologies for any grammar and spelling errors – blame the brain fog! (which I just typed as “gof”)

I’d love to hear of any detox methods you find helpful, and would also love to learn more about juicing.

Online Lyme & Tick-borne Disease Summit – Free!

This is just a quick post to put the word out there in case you are interested in learning more about tick-borne diseases.

There is a free summit happening right now through August 23, called the Uprooting Lyme Tele-Think-Tank. I haven’t listened to any of the talks yet as I only just found out about it, but I’m very excited to listen to Dr. Richard Horowitz speak on Thursday August 20; he is the author of Why Can’t I Get Better, which is an amazing, highly acclaimed book about Lyme Disease and how he treats it. You can listen for free at the time of the event or I believe you can purchase recordings if you want to listen to them later.

Find out more  at http://www.uprootinglyme.com/speakers/ or sign up at http://www.uprootinglyme.com/telesummit/

Grain-free, Vegan Breakfast Options (Gluten free, egg free, dairy free, Paleo)

Last summer I found out I was intolerant to eggs and dairy, along with gluten – which can make breakfast a more challenging meal than it used to be (especially when going out for brunch!). I’ve also been eating a …

A hiatus, a shift of focus… and finally a diagnosis!

Hello again!

Well, My Sleepy Kitchen has been long overdue for a post! After a 2.5 year hiatus, it finally feels like the right time to start blogging again. I’ve been thinking about it for some time now, and have had a lot of encouragement to pick the blog up again, but the past couple years have been a roller coaster to say the least, and unfortunately blogging didn’t fit into the picture.

Step Aside Peanut Butter: Maple Pecan Butter Recipe

This nut butter is like pecan pie in a jar.

(Yes, you can eat it for breakfast, and no, I’m not joking around.)

2-in1 Recipe: Massaman Curry & Paste

I love Thai food – however, saying that, I always get the same dish when I eat out: Massaman Curry. This is one of my all-time favourite curries, but I think a lot of people bypass it for a trusty Pad Thai or Green Thai Curry instead. If you’ve never tried Massaman Curry, now’s your chance!

Vegan Strawberry Ice Cream (No Ice Cream Makers Required!)

So, I’ve been meaning to post about about a great day off I had a little while ago. It went a little something like this:

Gluten Free Rosemary Parmesan Crackers

Blogging is definitely more of a winter sport for me; it’s hard to justify sitting in front of a computer when I could be reading in the park on a sunny day – so, sorry about the sparse posts this summer! Once cool weather hits again I will be more diligent about posting regularly. 🙂

I started making gluten free crackers when I wanted to have more quick gluten free snacks on hand.

Moisturizing Sugar & Coconut Body Scrub Recipe

It’s no secret that many commercial “skin care” products contain loads of unpronounceable ingredients – and instead of taking care of our skin, most of these products are actually doing more harm than good.

Hold the Mayo: Mustard & Thyme Yogurt Chicken Salad Recipe

Hello everyone! This week is just a quick recipe inspired by the thyme plant that is happily growing in my garden. I don’t have a picture of it, but chicken salad is never that pretty anyway.