Dear Stephen,
I’ve been following your core protocol for lyme for 3 months and feel dramatically better in terms of both pain and energy. I’ve now begun to reduce the dosages of each of the herbs to a maintenance level and so far continue to feel okay. However, I just had my CD-57 checked and it came back at 19. I’m told it should be at least 60; 200 is actually considered normal. Stopping treatment before the CD-57 is in the normal range supposedly increases likelihood of relapse. How much credence should I give to this number vs. my actual symptoms? Do you think I should remain on a higher dose of this cat’s claw until my CD-57 increases to normal levels? How long does it usually take to see the CD-57 increase if the cat’s claw is working?


Stephen’s response:
Everyone seems to respond differently to cat’s claw regarding CD-57 increases. You should primarily go on your symptom picture NOT tests, which are notoriously unreliable. They are indicators only but the final appeal must be made to how you feel. Some people get completely well and their CD-57 levels are still low. It is not uncommon for people to feel much better within 3-6 months, but many have reported a return of symptoms, often worse, if they stop the protocol too soon. I would keep the cat’s claw and knotweed high for another 3 months, lower the others to lower dosages and just pay attention to how you feel to modulate your intake. I would consider adding eleuthero tincture as I feel that also helps CD-57 levels.
Stephen

Author

  • Stephen Harrod Buhner

    Stephen Harrod Buhner was an Earth poet and an award-winning author of twenty-four books on nature, indigenous cultures, the environment, and herbal medicine including the acclaimed book Healing Lyme: Natural Healing & Prevention of Lyme Borreliosis & Its Co-infections.

    Stephen came from a long line of healers including Leroy Burney, Surgeon General of the United States under Eisenhower and Kennedy, and Elizabeth Lusterheide, a midwife and herbalist who worked in rural Indiana in the early nineteenth century. The greatest influence on his work, however, was his great-grandfather C.G. Harrod who primarily used botanical medicines, also in rural Indiana, when he began his work as a physician in 1911.

    Stephen’s work has appeared or been profiled in publications throughout North America and Europe including Common Boundary, Apotheosis, Shaman’s Drum, The New York Times, CNN, and Good Morning America. Stephen lectured yearly throughout the United States on herbal medicine, the sacredness of plants, the intelligence of Nature, and the states of mind necessary for successful habitation of Earth.

    He was a tireless advocate for the reincorporation of the exploratory artist, independent scholar, amateur naturalist, and citizen scientist in American society – especially as a counterweight to the influence of corporate science and technology.

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This protocol was incredible. After only a few weeks most of my symptoms were gone. After six months all my symptoms were gone… it has given me my life back.

– Amazon review by Joseph

Please note:

Stephen Buhner is no longer living and this Q + A column on Planet Thrive is closed to new questions. It will be kept on our website so readers can access vital information in the archives, communicate with each other in the comments section, and find herbs, books + lyme adjuncts in our directory. If you want to read more of Stephen’s writings, please see his website at: stephenharrodbuhner.com.



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