Apparently, resting and getting healthy is busy work! I’m learning it takes a lot of time and intentional energy, action and thoughts. My days look a little like this: doctors appointments, treatments, school, rest, cooking nourishing food, work, taking medicine, remembering to take medicine, epsom salt baths, at home treatments and next thing I know, it’s 9:30pm and time for bed…#grandma and proud about it. Working towards good health has become my full time job…on top of school and a part-time job!
It is starting to pay off though. I have more energy, mental clarity and less pain and inflammation. Last week, I was even able to go to the grocery store and after, didn’t feel like I just got ran over by a truck #lifegoals. Overall, I’m starting to get a little taste of normalcy, something that I didn’t even realize was foreign. I am humbled by my progress and encouraged about the months to come.
Last post I introduced Biontology, a form of alternative therapy that essentially rebalances the light in your body so your cells can communicate with each other and your body can repair itself. It’s a therapy I am still using, once a week, for 30 weeks now. I continue to find great success with it and can confidently say it’s brought me closer to an infection-free state.
However, Biontology is not the only form of therapy I’ve used. In fact, I think it’s been the combination of different therapies that has lead to my quick recovery. After meeting more people who have suffered from Lyme, or any disease for that matter, I feel fortunate to have found the perfect “cocktail” of synergistic therapies, healers, supplements and lifestyle changes. Although I’m consistently adding or removing “ingredients” (i.e. therapies) to/from my cocktail, I have a solid base and team. It’s important to note though, that my cocktail will not work for everyone — after all, each body, degree of infection, ability to detox, etc. will be different.
My intention on sharing these therapies is to introduce you to different options you may not be familiar with. Take what you will. If something sparks your interest, do some research and see if it could be something your body wants and/or needs.
Today, I’m going to introduce another ingredient that has played a huge role in my recovery and one that’s catching on like wildfire: Ozone.
But first, a little background. After I started Biontology in February and was feeling better I thought, “so far, so great!” Although it was new and (very, very) alternative, I had faith something was working. But, fool me once, shame on you — fool me twice, shame on me. Based on past experience, (cough, cough…lupus misdiagnosis) I wanted to get a second opinion.
In March, a family friend asked me if I had tried Ozone. I hadn’t even heard of this spaceage sounding therapy, but Ozone may sound familiar to you. Think: Lance Armstrong and blood doping. Ozone was the controversial (and in their case, illegal) therapy Lance and many other cyclists used to enhance performance.
Essentially, Ozone increases the amount of oxygen in the body. Oxygen is a natural way to kill disease and microorganisms. It improves cellular function and promotes the healing of damaged tissues, perfect after a strenuous workout, or for us more common folk, treating an illness.
There are many forms of Ozone: hyperbaric chambers, gel or lotion or through an I.V. For today, I will focus on the Ozone I.V. as that’s the treatment I’ve used.
The treatment itself is pretty simple. Your own blood is extracted into an I.V. bag, that blood is pumped with pure oxygen and the new oxygenated blood is then injected back into you. From start to finish, it can take anywhere from 30–45 minutes and is pretty painless.
There are only a handful of places in the Bay Area that administer Ozone. I came across a practice in Mill Valley that not only administered Ozone but also specialized in treating Lyme. It came highly recommended from a family friend so I booked an appointment with the initial focus of only getting a prescription for Ozone treatments. I had no idea my new practitioner, Dr. M, would be a key player in my battle against Lyme.
My first appointment with Dr. M was impressive. She’s a total badass. She is originally an M.D., was then trained in Integrative Medicine and most recently became certified in A.C.M.O.S., an alternative form of assessment and therapy (see future blog post). Because of her background and experience, she has designed her practice to focus on treating the individual not the disease. She recognizes and respects that each body is different so her recommendations and treatment are individualized to that person. She treats her patients conventionally, naturally or a combination of both.
After my initial intake, she confirmed that we should treat my Lyme naturally. She also confirmed all of the findings H (my Biontologist) found: Lyme, cytomegalovirus, mycoplasma, candida, EBV, etc. and encouraged me to continuing using this form of therapy as it would compliment her treatments swimmingly! Hearing this was validating and comforting.
Her biggest concern was my liver health as most of the viruses were residing there, a common place for Lyme and its co-infections. She recommended we initially focus treatment more aggressively on the liver and more gently on the Lyme — after all, if your drainage pipes (i.e. detox pathways) are clogged, nothing will be able to get out.
To start, she put me on two natural supplements to fight the liver infections and wrote a prescription for 20 rounds of Ozone I.V. therapy, two treatments per week. I was stoked!
If you’ve read about Ozone, you’ll commonly hear about the amazing effects it has: quick boosts in energy, the gift of mental clarity, ability to fight off infections. They use it in patients with AIDS, cancer, diabetes, Lyme, autoimmune disease and more. After researching and reading about the positive effects, I was convinced I’d instantly feel like Superman.
Instead, after my first round, I felt like I’d just gotten my ass kicked by Superman. I got home and went straight to bed, debilitated by body aches, a massive headache and crushed dreams *cue the violins*.
I went to my second treatment and thought “ok, this is it…I’ll definitely feel the power!” Home and straight to bed. Third treatment, “third time’s a charm guys!” Nope. Home and straight to bed.
Around the time of my sixth treatment, I was taking a shower, washing my head and a clump of hair fell into my hands. It was startling but not enough to raise major concern. Unfortunately, in the following days more and more hair fell out, I could start to see parts of my scalp and my skin started to resemble a pubescent teenager’s.
When you’re sick, it’s hard to wrap your head around what’s going on inside your body. When I started to lose my hair, it was the first time my outer shell was mirroring the turmoil on the inside. I was scared and confused.
I called Dr. M and she was concerned so I went in to see her the next day. To make a long story short, my liver, or more specifically the infections living in my liver, were v. peeved. The infections were not thrilled about being woken up and forced to leave the warm and cozy abode I had provided for the last 30 years. Over the years, they damaged my detox pathways and ability to detoxify. The Ozone was doing its job and killing off microorganisms but my body was unable to detox and get rid of them. Simply put, Ozone was too much for my body to handle at the time.
We decided to press pause on more Ozone sessions and focus our attention on improving my liver health so my body would be able to detox more efficiently. To start, Dr. M hooked me up to an I.V. with detox remedies to support the liver detox pathways. This provided immediate relief. I also started taking additional liver support supplements, reconfigured my diet to incorporate supportive foods and liquids, dry brushed and took Epsom salt baths at least once a day.
Refocusing our attention on treating the liver infections worked and I’m happy to say that after 30 years, they are gone and treated. That said, I just started back up on Ozone and have faith it will soon give me super(man) strength.
Similar to my hospital visit, my initial Ozone treatment was a sign that we needed to treat my case gently and slowly. There may be benefits for using intense treatments like Ozone, antibiotics, chemotherapy, etc. but it’s important to be sure your body is ready and prepared to handle it. In my case, my body was not prepared and my initial Ozone treatments ended up causing more damage than good, physically, financially and emotionally.
So, I encourage you to research and get curious before you try a new treatment, supplement or medication, or even a workout class and fad diet. Is it what your body needs or wants in the moment? Have you explored all the benefits and side effects? Getting in the habit of asking these questions encourages self-awareness which after all, I believe, is the start of healing.
P.S. I started a Gofundme campaign to help with not only my own pursuit of health, but also aid me as I begin to dedicate my time towards the continued research and education of treatments for illnesses like Lyme, cancer, diabetes, lupus and other autoimmune diseases. Please feel free to share the link to my campaign and/or blog with friends who may benefit. Thank you for all your positive thoughts and overwhelming support!
