Dear Stephen,
I interrupted your herbal protocol after 8 weeks because of severe vertigo. I restarted the herbs but now I have an irritable colon since November of last year (gas and spasm, very annoying at night). Can you give me any advice about taking the herbs in this case? Also, my wrist pain comes back in force during the night. It is possible that there is any link between your protocol and the wrist pain; kidney dysfunction, for example? Thanks a lot for your ongoing support.
Stephen’s response:
You can try adding
Sida acuta from
Woodland Essence for the vertigo, it does help a number of people (no one knows why). Start with 15 drops 3x daily and work up to 30 if necessary. I would switch to using tinctures given your GI tract problems, and focus mainly on the knotweed and cat’s claw. You might add Chinese skullcap root tincture ¼ tsp 3x daily as well. For the wrist pain try a glucosamine/msm blend, 2 capsules 2x daily, am and pm. This is the brand and strength I recommend for this:
Kirkland Signature
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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I lived for 20 years in Philadelphia, big center for Lyme infection, but never noticed tick bite, rash or spring/summer flu-symptoms. However, I suddenly had a vertigo episode 2 years ago that has become chronic dizziness and blurred vision. No healthcare practitioner, medical or holistic, has been able to give me a definite cause nor effective treatment. I have no other Lyme symptoms but because I have systemic Candida I have eaten a strict low-carb anti-Candida, anti-inflammatory diet for almost 10 years.
Questions:
Can Lyme appear as singular symptom years after initial infection, or is perhaps my clean diet controlling other Lyme symptoms?
If I want to get tested for Lyme, what accurate testing are you currently recommending ?
If I can’t get an accurate Lyme diagnosis, would it be okay or harmful to go ahead with one of your herbal protocols for the inner ear/eye Lyme infection anyway?
Please note: I cannot tolerate pharmaceutical antibiotics because of my systemic candida. And other than the chronic, daily dizziness, I enjoy very good mood, energy, coordination and strength. I am a 60 year old female, retired massage therapist and yoga instructor.
Thank you for your help! Linda M.
Dear Stephen,
In April of this year,I began the Core Protocol, along with Woodland Essence muscle tone formula, tease root tincture, and curcumin-bromelain mix, for Lyme-related pain in my hips and legs. Within 2 weeks most of my symptoms were gone. However, I began to experience bloating and diarrhea. When I cut back on powdered herb dosages for Knotweed, cat’s claw, and Cordyceps,the GI distress lessened, but the pains came back in my pelvis and legs. I resumed max dosages, but now have had intense bloating, cramping, and bloody diarrhea. Please advise.