Dear Stephen,
I have been on the lyme protocol for almost 6 weeks now with the following herbs, 4 capsules 4 times a day of knotweed, andrographis, smilax, cat’s claw. I do take stephania and teasel as well at full dosage. I am doing really well I must say and have been off antibiotics for 4 weeks now. However, I got what seemed to be a cold about 10 days ago and although the fatigue and common symptoms are gone I have this persistent sore throat that seems to go down my bronchitis and the cough gets pretty bothersome, especially at night. I did add a lot of Vit C, ginger tea and even had a Vit C drip yesterday but it seems to get worse. I am confused because when I read about andrographis it is supposed to be very effective with upper respiratory conditions, and with all the immune support I get from the protocol in general, and the fact that the lyme seems to be at least under control, how come this cough is lingering so long in my body and looks like it is turning into something serious? Do you think it is a sign of an autoimmune disorder due to the herbs – would it manifest this way? What is your thought on this? I am nervous about backing off on the herbs since I am doing so well on it with the lyme. Thanks a lot.

 

Stephen’s response:
It could be a bartonella cough, which sometimes happens with that coinfection. It could just be an upper respiratory infection. If you are going to use ginger tea, it has to be made from FRESH juice of the ginger root. You need to take a minimum of one ounce of the juice in hot water (with cayenne, honey, lime) 4-6 times a day. I would also recommend a tincture blend of lomatium dissectumsida acuta, red root, licorice, and pleurisy root. Woodland Essence should probably be able to make it up for you. For the sore throat I would highly recommend Echinacea angustifolia tincture NOT Echinacea purpurea which is useless for it. Take a full dropper of the tincture, hold in mouth to stimulate saliva, then let it slowly dribble down the throat. Do this every few hours. These three approaches should take care of it, and probably not all three are necessary.
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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1 Comment

  1. Simona

    Hi, is it possible that Bartonella is infected with a herpes-type virus and when you kill the bacteria, the virus gets released and reactivated, thus the sore throat getting worse when you’re treating Bartonella? Sorry if it’s a dumb question :)

    I will buy your books and study them, I just added them yo my wish list on Amazon :) but I was just curious to see what’s the approach when you’re dealing with parasites + protozoa + bacteria + viruses + fungi.

    I have latent (or reactivated? still have to run some tests) EBV + Bartonella. I stayed in the sun 20 mins daily to up my vit D levels, and the result was that my immune system got a kick: I now have persistent low-fever.

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