Crazy Good Arugula and Lyme Disease

Posted on March 20, 2013 by Camille

Posted March 19, 2013.  So after a 5 mile run through Malibu Canyon State Park on a gorgeous California day today… (sorry to all my buddies on the east coast!) my running friend collects for me a giant bunch of arugula from her garden. Amazing!  I’m so excited!  Arugula is such a great fast food.  When I’m short on time but feeling hungry, I’ll take a handful and carefully wrap some leaves around a piece of goat cheese. (But hey pay attention! Goat cheese is different than cow’s milk cheese.  Goat cheese is anti-inflammatory while pasteurized cow’s milk cheese is pro-inflammatory, big difference!)


So right there, in her garden, in the California sunshine (soaking up that vitamin D!) not far from the beautiful blue Pacific Ocean, I’m eating arugula by the handful (yes, it’s better with the goat cheese to cut the bitterness a bit, or as a salad with avocado and balsamic vinegar and olive oil… or avocado oil).  But what a perfect after running snack.  With Lyme symptoms and Lyme disease so far behind me.  Celebrating the day and my strong willing body with a fist full of these wonderful greens.

arugula lyme disease

Arugula and lyme disease

Did you know that arugula is…

High In Vitamin C which is a powerful antioxidant that helps boosts the immune system

High In Vitamin A  which is a powerful antioxidant, boosts immunity and is great for the eyes, skin, bones and teeth.

High In Vitamin K which promotes bone health and brain function (important for the Lyme disease patient) and acts as an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant

Eye Health
Arugula is a good source of carotenoids, the fat-soluable pigments that are known to help prevent macular degeneration. The vitamin C in arugula may help in the prevention of cataracts. Lyme disease can cause problems with the eyes, so anything that supports the eye health in the Lyme disease process is good!!

Mineral Rich
Arugula is also a good source of calcium, iron, potassium, manganese and phosphorous, all essential minerals that offer their own unique health benefits. Lyme disease patients are often deficient in these and other minerals, so it’s vital to support the cells with mineral rich foods like arugula.

So what are you waiting for!  Maybe you can’t get your arugula out of a sun drenched California garden… but wherever you get it, have a handful today and you’ll be one step closer to getting rid of your Lyme disease and Lyme symptoms.  Tell me how you prepared it!  To your good health.

PS I will often juice it too, just don’t put too much since it is pretty bitter.  But remember the bitterness is what makes it so nutrient dense and what will help you on your journey to 100% Recovery from Lyme disease! BeRelentless!!

 

Posted in Lyme Symptoms | Tagged | 7,614 Comments

Is the CDC Admitting that Lyme Disease is a Growing Problem?

Posted on March 18, 2013 by Camille

Posted March 18, 2013.  Is the CDC admitting that Lyme disease is a growing problem?  Interesting! Are Lyme symptoms real, not phantom?

Recently U.S. Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), and Congressman Chris Gibson (R-NY), in partnership with the Tick-Borne Disease Alliance (TBDA), a national nonprofit organization dedicated to raising awareness and promoting advocacy to find a cure for Lyme and other tick-borne diseases, hosted a forum at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City to discuss the fight against the silent epidemic of tick-borne diseases, including Lyme disease.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has singled out Lyme disease as the most common and fastest growing vector-borne, infectious disease in the country.  In 2011, more than 24,000 cases of Lyme disease were reported in the U.S., with the CDC stating they believed only 10-12% of all cases had been reported. (please show this to your doctor if he/she doesn’t believe you have Lyme disease) When left untreated, or undertreated, victims of these diseases suffer extremely incapacitating illnesses that also cause significant preventable health care costs and reduced economic productivity. Further, victims of Lyme and other tick-borne diseases suffer in large part because there is currently no diagnostic tool that is even 60% reliable. (I recommend IGeneX, they are highly reliable, that’s where I finally got my positive test.  Prior to IGeneX I tested negative several times)  Those infected often spend months, and in many cases years, searching to simply determine the cause of their illness.  Some never find out – they just continue to suffer.

“With spring just around the corner, we must continue to work to ensure that our children and their families can enjoy the outdoors without the fear of contracting tick-borne diseases,” said Gillibrand. “It is time once and for all to take the right steps to prevent this horrible epidemic. We need to do more than check our kids for ticks when they come in from playing. We must invest in better research, educate families on the risks, emphasize prevention, and improve treatment strategies. I will continue to work my colleagues to push for legislation that would develop better tools for diagnosing and reporting Lyme disease, and ensure doctors are better equipped to diagnose and treat those who become infected.”

 

“Lyme disease is a pervasive and pernicious public health scourge,” Blumenthal said. “Today’s forum further underscores the urgent need for a strong national initiative to combat Lyme disease. There is a strong consensus that the nation must improve reporting of Lyme cases and develop better diagnostic tools. Inadequate diagnosis and reporting cause devastating damage to countless individuals every day. Lyme disease has reached epidemic proportions, and a national advisory body that gives patients a voice and a seat at the table with policymakers, scientists, researchers and others is imperative to better prevent and treat this disease. I look forward to working with Senator Gillibrand on legislation that will establish such a body and implement other necessary reforms.”

 

“Across my Congressional District and New York State, Lyme Disease has significantly impacted my constituents and many others,” said Gibson. “It is imperative we do a better job raising awareness of tick-borne illnesses and improve our current diagnosis and treatment options.  Today’s forum is an excellent step in that regard, and I appreciate the opportunity to partner with Sens. Gillibrand and Blumenthal in this effort.”

 

“Tick-borne diseases present a national health crisis that is growing dramatically and devastating the lives of people of all backgrounds,” said David Roth, TBDA co-chairman and managing director in the Blackstone real estate group. “TBDA is dedicated to increasing public awareness about the terrible impact of tick-borne diseases, improving the lives of people suffering with these illnesses, and advancing research that is critically needed to eradicate this silent epidemic. We are grateful to Senator Gillibrand for joining our fight.”

 

“I applaud the efforts of Senator Gillibrand and Senator Blumenthal to bring more attention and resources to combating Lyme disease.  For many patients Lyme disease has severe impacts on quality-of-life and we must do more in the medical community to prevent and treat it,” said Dr. Laurie H. Glimcher, the Stephen and Suzanne Weiss Dean of Weill Cornell Medical College.

 

It is so great that there is new attention being paid to Lyme symptoms and Lyme disease.  Anyone could pick up a tick, or a flea, or a bed bug at a hotel or get a mosquito bite.  Lyme disease and co-infections can be deadly.  Bravo to these NY Congressmen and Senators for addressing the issue of Lyme disease.  And how good that the CDC is starting to acknowledge that Lyme disease is a growing problem in the US.

ticks lyme disease

ticks= lyme disease

 

 

Posted in Lyme Symptoms | Tagged , | 8,704 Comments

New Tick Test and Lyme Disease

Posted on March 18, 2013 by Camille

Posted March 18, 2013.  There is a new Lyme tick test which promises to be useful in the fight against Lyme disease.  Here in California, when I send ticks to be tested for Lyme disease, it is quite expensive.  But now at East Stroudsburg University in Pennsylvania, a tick can be tested for Lyme disease for $39.99.  (That entire sum goes to the ESU Wildlife DNA Lab to pay for research projects.)

“We look for the presence of the spirochete — the bacterium that causes the disease,” said Jane Huffman, director of ESU’s Northeast Wildlife DNA Laboratory. “If it’s there, then that tick is positive for Lyme disease.”

In the northeast U.S., Lyme disease is carried by the black-legged tick, also called the deer tick.

“It’s a teeny-tiny little bugger — much smaller than the wood tick most people find on themselves or their pets after a day in the outdoors.”

The bacterium that causes Lyme lives inside the tick, and can be transmitted when the tick bites a host.

Showing up recently on retail stores throughout the northeast, Lyme-Aid is a kit that can connect the public at large with ESU’s tick-testing capabilities.

Inside the kit, you’ll get a small plastic tool for removing a tick.

Joe Orloski, Huffman’s business partner in Lyme-Aid, said you simply slide the forked tool behind the tick’s rear end until the tick backs out of your skin — or your pet’s — and onto the tool.

Place the tick into the enclosed plastic specimen bag, and then place one of several tracking numbers on the bag.

“Each kit has a unique case number that the consumer can use to track their test results,” Orloski said.

Fill out an enclosed card, providing all of your contact information, then place it and your specimen bag into a self-addressed envelope.

The kit has a suggested retail price of $5.99, and you can buy as many as you feel you need. (That money is divided among the product investors and the ESU lab.)

“We will tell you either the tick sent to us tested positive for Lyme or it didn’t,” Huffman said.

Good to know!!

tick lyme disease lyme symptoms

Tick test for lyme disease and lyme symptoms

Posted in Lyme Symptoms | Tagged , | 8,744 Comments

Fresh Juice and Lyme Disease

Posted on March 17, 2013 by Camille

Posted March 17, 2013.  Of course in honor of St. Patrick’s day I had a big glass of green juice this morning!  Well, I try to most every mornings.  I’ve been using the Angel juicer now, my Breville finally kicked the bucket.  When I had Lyme symptoms and Lyme disease I juiced twice a day.  In the morning I would have:

2 Carrots

2 Celery

1/2 Lemon

Handful Parsley

7 cloves of garlic

 

In the Afternoon I would have:

2 Carrots

Bunch Kale

1/4 inch Ginger Root

Beets (be careful don’t put too many)

Several leaves Romaine

Other greens like cilantro or dandelion or arugula

 

I think juicing was one of my secrets to recovery from Lyme disease.  (In addition to the antibiotics and herbs of course)  I continue to juice even though I’m completely recovered from all Lyme symptoms, Lyme disease and co-infections.  Juicing is for anyone desiring energy, stamina  and a healthy body!  Fresh organic juices contain so many phytonutrients that are rapidly absorbed into the bloodstream. Powerhouse for the cells struggling against the bacteria!! But I would have to highly recommend the Angel juicer if you can afford it.  You get A LOT more juice out of the greens and other vegetables you put in it.  Over time you will save money on your produce bill.

Green juice Lyme disease

Green juice and Lyme disease

Definitely add juicing to your 100% recovery from Lyme disease regime.  And use a good juicer like the Angel to get maximum phytonutrients from your juice!  https://lymesymptoms.com/lyme-diet/

Posted in Lyme Symptoms | Tagged , | 7,799 Comments

Zithro and Lyme Symptoms

Posted on March 14, 2013 by Camille

Posted March 14, 2013.  On Tuesday the FDA warned that the popular antibiotic azithromycin, sold as Zithromax, can cause a potentially fatal irregular heart rhythm in some patients. A study in the New England Journal of Medicine last year reported that patients who took Zithro had a higher rate of fatal heart rhythms.

It is important to note however that the at-risk group included people with low levels of potassium or magnesium, a slower-than-normal heart rate, or patients who take certain drugs used to treat abnormal heart rhythms, or arrhythmias. The drug could also cause problems in people with torsades de pointes – a specific, rare heart rhythm abnormality.

Discuss this issue with your LLMD, but do not be afraid to take certain antibiotics if your LLMD feels they are safe for you.  In the fight against Lyme symptoms and Lyme disease and all the possible co-infections and parasites involved, it is important to hit hard.  Zithro can be part of a strong and varied arsenal.  Have a thorough discussion with your doctor about the implications of Zithro for you.

Zithro Lyme disease Lyme symptoms

Zithro Lyme disease Lyme symptoms

Posted in Lyme Symptoms | 7,181 Comments