Introduction

I have been working with the Amish since 2013; although, this is my first newsletter for your communities. Not knowing where to start, I picked Lyme since so many people in your communities are struggling with it.

If you don’t know me, what you’ll find here in the Healthy Times Newsletter is information based on a method for healing developed by me over the last 30 years. It’s different than most and focuses on helping the body to do what God designed it to do; restore health. The challenge many of us have is shaking the belief that there the body doesn’t have the ability to get better. Nothing could be further from the truth. The first point is to remember the body isn’t broken or defective, it’s simply overworked and stressed. While it may be struggling, what it really needs is relief from the stress; however, before we can do this, we must take a moment to understand stress.

Stress is simply a system change for the sake of keeping the body safe from harm. The changes I refer to are chemical shifts that adjust the way the brain chemistry and hormones work in order to produce protection chemicals also known as oxidative stress. This happens whether we are thrown from a horse or being infected by a bacteria or virus. It also happens with mental and emotional stress; the body cannot tell the difference. It just works to keep you safe. However, this is not meant to be ongoing; the body is actually capable of reversing and stabilizing this process. The problem is between our minds and the environment, it’s never-ending and the reason we’re seeing more and more health concerns,

including Lyme.

Lyme, as you know, is caused by a type of bacteria that cause a number of symptoms. It’s fair to call this an environmental toxin. While many health professionals have their protocol for relieving symptoms and ‘hopefully’ eliminating the ‘infection’, Lyme bacteria go dormant in the body, just like several bacteria and viruses. This is why people get shingles many years after they had the chicken pox; it’s the same virus that ‘went to sleep’ for a while before it was activated by another virus. Lyme behaves in the very same way. In fact, according to the Center for Disease Control, nearly 90% of the U.S. population carries at least 1 of these types of ‘bugs’ and often times, two or more. As a matter of fact, these bacteria and viruses are linked to a number of disorders such as autoimmune and the nervous system.

Here’s why.

 The activation of stress slows down the body’s ability to fully breakdown carbohydrates, fats and proteins. It also alters the way the body uses vitamins and minerals. This isn’t a bad thing; keep in mind, it simply needs different chemicals. Therefore, it uses the nutrition differently. Between larger particles of nutrients circulating throughout the body and Lyme bacteria threatening it, the immune system begins to release antibodies. This action combined with medical protocols eventually deactivates the Lyme bacteria and it ‘goes to sleep’; it does not leave the body. However, the antibodies continue to travel through the body due to other stressful triggers from thoughts, emotions and other chemicals. This ongoing production of oxidative stress and antibody activity begins to damage the body. This is why I say, in order for the body to restore health, the stress must be relieved at the cell level.

Living with Lyme

Digestion. As mentioned, the body’s ability to break down and use the food we eat is diminished as a result of a change in the chemistry. This happens because stress is not meant to be an everyday, all day experience; yet, we can’t help it due to the environment. That said, supporting the breakdown of nutrients gives the body a better chance at using them as well as slows the immune reaction.

How? Drizzle coconut oil over salad and vegetables or add it to a smoothie. Coconut oil helps to maintain gut flora balance which is essential for supporting a healthy immune reaction. You can also take a hydrochloric acid supplement which usually has HCL on the label. This production of this acid slows down during times of stress and is required for breaking down nutrients and balancing gut flora; however, during times of illness this is not happening as well as it should be. Therefore, make it one of your daily supplements. All of this talk of gut bacteria may bring to mind probiotics. Taking HCL and including coconut oil in your diet eliminates the need to take probiotics. Not to mention, probiotics activate immune activity and that’s the last thing we need with Lyme or any other autoimmune issue. Bone broth and fresh ginger root are exceptional for stomach and bowel health. Bone broth is not meat broth; in fact, you can boil ginger in the bone broth to add flavor and improve digestion. (fresh ginger root, every day, is very good for people who suffer from migraines). I also recommend taking a vitamin B complex as these vitamins further assist the body with breaking down proteins and carbohydrates. Please keep in mind, carbohydrates are in fruit, vegetables and grains. Butter also contains an acid that is very beneficial for relieving inflammation and enhancing immune function.

Foods: mushrooms, beet greens, lima beans, raw cacao, almonds, peanut butter, dark greens, bananas, avocados, and pumpkin seeds contain potassium which is used by the body to calm the stress response. Taking magnesium as a supplement eases the immune response. Plus magnesium is also found in some of the listed foods, especially raw cacao. Raw milk is also a good source of magnesium and when combined with raw cacao and a sweetener of your choice .. a yummy healthy chocolate drink!

Foods to avoid: flax seeds (I know, you’ve heard good things about them; yet, they have a chemical in them that acts like the hormone estrogen in the body which is a serious problem because estrogen activates both the stress response and the immune reaction. Speaking of which, so does taking calcium. Just take magnesium, even for those muscle cramps. One last food group is soy; anything with soy in it is not advisable for the same reason as flax.

4 Essential Oils to Use with Lyme

Essential oils to use: myrrh (for reasons noted in the box above), palmarosa, may chang, and amyris wood. These suggestions are made because they do not conflict with any medications, they are safe to use with all ages and have proven to be effective against Lyme as well as stabilizing the immune and stress responses. Other oils frequently suggested are potentially toxic and not good for everyone even though they are recommended. I’ve made it my life’s work to understand how to support the chemistry of the body with the chemistry of the oils in order to experience the best health possible.

To use this blend: take a bath using 10 to 15 drops in a half full tub, two times a day for seven days. I do not recommend taking these by mouth due to the fact that you can get too much, number 1 and number 2, the body begins to digest them in the mouth and what you want is the whole oil to be absorbed as quickly as possible. This is why using it in the bath is your best option.