Starting the Cowden Protocol
Just thought I’d note that today I’m starting the Condensed Cowden Protocol: http://www.nutramedix.ec/ns/lyme-protocol
Tests for Lyme Disease have low accuracy, but I’ve suspected for some time that I might have it, so I’m going to give this a shot. Antibiotics this late in the game (assuming I have it) seem to be fairly ineffective, from my understanding of the research. I’ve actually been taking the detox herbs for a few days, today was my first with 1 drop of Samento and Banderol. Perhaps it’s my imagination, but it seems something is happening in my head already. (Here’s the schedule).
Update Feburary 24th, 2016:
I’m doing amazingly better. This protocol is super effective. If there’s a chance you might have Lyme, I recommend just buying the Nutramedix products and starting ASAP, you’ll know within a couple days if it’ll help you or not. I’ve gone a little over the recommended dose up to 35 drops for the microbial defense herbs. Dr. Cowden said somewhere (don’t recall the source) that you can double to 60 and it should help clear things out faster.
Update April 4th, 2016:
Past week has certainly been hard. I appear to be having some serious Herxheimer reaction/dieoff symptoms. I think I was slacking off a bit too much on drinking water. Yesterday I did multiple glasses of Burbur/Pinella and Parsley/Pinella combinations, and I could feel that working in my head. I put a full dropper of each into a glass of water and sip it down. I need to impress upon myself that there’s basically no limit to how much of the detox herbs I can take, they’ve been animal tested in huge amounts with no negative affects. I’ll try and make myself take more than before.
Update May 14th, 2016:
I’m currently on day 101 of the program. I’m certainly making progress, but, not as quickly as I’d hoped. This is pretty standard though. It’s hard for me to be patient when I feel like I’ve already lost a good 3 years of my life to mysterious illnesses that fell through the cracks of our broken medical system.
Anyway, I am doing better. A couple weeks ago I started doing LLLT with a device from LazrPulsr. They have a “Lyme Recovery Treatment Record“, which I was generally following, but now I mostly just to the “Lyme #684” and “Bacterial Infection #620” programs over and over. #684 almost always have a great impact on how I feel, generally in a positive way. I can feel it doing something in my head, it feels like my brain is slowly expanding in an odd sort of pleasant and relieving way. I really wish I knew what exactly it was doing, but it’s certainly helping, so I’m not at all worried. I hypothesize that it’s helping my brain better handle the toxins released by dead Lyme spirochetes, but, it could also be helping my immune system kill them, so I have no idea really. LLLT really needs to be studied more. There’s a place in NH that claims to have good results with LLLT, but I’d love to hear some patient testimonies (besides the ones on their site).
I’d like to note that I once took drops of the Cowden protocol, I don’t remember which exactly but I’m certain it’s irrelevant, and then went on a walk. I walked about 5km at a fairly brisk pace. I started feeling my typical brain fog, as a result of the herbs doing their work in killing the bad stuff, but after I got back, it continued to get worse. I reached a point where I had a splitting headache. After googling for “Lyme exercise” I confirmed that yes, lots of people experience discomfort after exercising with Lyme, because it helps our body kill off the spirochetes. But, I had gone on plenty of walks, or bike rides, or runs, before. The difference was I took the “killing herbs” right before I went on a walk, and my increased blood-flow helped them get to places in my body they might not reach as well when I’m inactive. I’m careful with how I take the drops and exercise now, because serious Herxheimer reactions can kill.