Dear Stephen,
I’m having severe muscle spasms in my upper back and neck muscles associated with lyme and babesia. I’ve tried different muscle relaxants, massage, prolotherapy, and acupuncture – all without relief. Do you have any suggestions? Thanks.
Stephen’s response:
I would try
pedicularis tincture (
elkmountainherbs.com) 1 tsp 3x daily AND deglycerized licorice, double the dose on the bottle.
Stephen
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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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Hi there,
In response to the question about the spasms, I would recommend taking Magnesium baths or using transdermal Mg oil. Lyme, and possibly the other confections, is known to cause Mg deficiencies which can result in muscle spasms, insomnia and palpitations are other symptoms of deficiencies.
I also really like Natural Calm which is a powder that you can use to make a tea-like drink. This product is Mg citrate and it has had some pretty immediate results in some people, including myself, who have used it. Maybe a combination of Epsom salts and Mg chloride flakes for the bath would be good. http://www.livingstreamsmission.org carries very pure Mg chloride flakes from Israel, if you are interested. I hope you get relief.
AK
I’m sorry. The correct link is http://www.livingstreamsmission.com
I have lyme disease and have experience noticeable improvement through receiving Bowenwork treatments. Specifically, improvement was noted in severe constipation, upper back/neck stiffness, headaches, and severe brain fog.
You can find a practitioner through bowenworkacademyusa.com. Bowenwork is very different from Bowen therapy, so just be aware of that.
I use Lobelia.
Research it.
You’ll find what I believe to be some misguided and pharma influenced controversy but for my body and the body of friends and family who have tried some of my remedies it’s been invaluable. I am not an herbalist but have been a student and lover of the remedies around me in Nature for over 40 years.
Here is a good link with some info I’ve seen before in many places which in this article is well compiled: http://www.herballegacy.com/King_History_2.html,
I am familiar with lobelia for spasm, how much tincture do you take at a time? I have had some luck using skullcap and valerian tinctures. The best thing to prevent or stop seizures is smoking or ingesting marijuana or the oil.
I’ve had a stiff neck/shoulders long before Lyme, but the disease exacerbated the pain and the spasms both in intensity and duration. Have had lots of success with Kudzu root tincture (5ml-10ml per day). What’s incredible is that I had consistent relief in just as little as 3 days.
Bit in 1992.Had Lyme, Bartonella and Babesia. Lyme and Bartonella resolved. Now on treatment for babesia. Taking CSA from Woodlawn. On my 5th day. Severe muscle/joint pain at night….back/left hip/knee…..can’t sleep. Are these herx symptoms? What can I do???
I have lyme with many co-infections on top of a longstanding whiplash injury and a torn rotator cuff so I know about stiff necks… if you are fortunate enough to live near a chiropractor who uses the arp wave , I would say this is the only thing that keeps me pain free in the last 40 years. It is absolutely wonderful.
I am a chronic lyme victim. I had upper back/neck pain that ranged from near nothing to spams so severe i couldnt move, for days sometimes even. Nothing really had much of an effect on it at all, i tried almost every therapy listed above, until i started using a high dose of CoQ10. 200 mg a day made the problem disappear completely in less than a week, never to be experienced again.
dave:
I used to use CoQ10 (well, CoQ10, the reduced form) and it was veyr helpful for energy, and for muscle cramps. But I had been suffering from nausea for a long time. It turned out that the CoQH was one of the triggers for the nausea. I had no idea that GI symptoms are a common side-effect of CoQ10 and its derivatives.
Just in case it helps anyone.
HI ALL, Iv’e been on abx 14 months for Babesia, bartonell, brucella & borellia. Smz and minoclyn. Dr. of chinese med suggested chinese herbs classical pearls. I am very fatiqued & have alot of back & leg pain with spazams. Head, neck, brain issues gone thank god. The worst is the pain and spazams in my gut area. Scope says everything looks fine in there. On vsl#3 probiotic & low carb sugar diet. Any recommendations for the torso tightness, pain etc?
I made a cinch belt using rope. Smooth rope like marine dock line. Make a loop on one end to run the other rope end thru. I tighten around waist and lean around to stretch. It will stretch the oblique muscles and lower lats. Temp relief for agonizing pain while waiting for meds to work.
Definitely magnesium transdermal spray.
Try CBD oil!!!
Hi, does anyone else have this problem, 3 days on any lyme treatment abx or herbs, i feel totally weak, uncordinated, extreme fatique I can’t do anything. My IG is low & my dr thinks I may have marcons. Ordered kit. Being sent for Ig therapy. When this hits, less pain, tightness, stabbings but fatiqued last 6 days. Dr tried me on uda detox kit & many symtoms of pain returned that I have not had in 3 yrs & also got a chronic nose bleed this time. Any suggestions would be appreciated.Diagnosed w bart, babesia, lyme, rikettsia, qfever,low sibo, hashimotos.Brucella cleared, no bart symtoms any longer. Ct of head clean.
Blood results through the roof, is this result of the protocol?
Dear Stephen, I have been on clonazepam, 0.5 ml/night, for non-epileptic seizures and acute chronic cramping for the last 15 years. In 2017 got Lyme and this year, my cramping skyrocketed. I have lost 25 lbs, much of it muscle. Now, my doctor wants me off my benzo. I know there are plenty of herbals that could help with sleep but not while on a benzo. Is there anything that I might be missing. I have considered medicinal Psilocybin treatment at Johns Hopkins but they said I was too old.
I work out with a trainer who has me bend backwards (backbend) over a large exercise ball. It works well and if I wake during the night I do this technique and can fall back asleep. You might want to be near a chair to hold onto in case you have trouble.
Insomnia was my biggest problem. Everything I tried worked well for a while then stopped. I will not try sleeping pills~ only herbs. Now on liquid melatonin from Numedica and using Dr. Rawls blends for HPA and sleep with success.
Hi, I wanted to share this info, a family member was diagnosed with MARCONs. Did not want to do the pharmaceuticals so called and asked to speak to the Scientist at the testing facility and asked him about the use of Sovereign Silver Nasal Spray in place of the pharmaceuticals. He said yes, that all family members need to do it. I think we did it 2 times a day for 30 days. It cleared it up and no bad side effects like from the Pharmaceuticals.