Monthly Archives: January 2012

How Cupping Helps You to Escape Lyme Disease Herxheimer Hell

get out of jail

For people who are unable to reduce their painful Lyme disease Herxheimer reactions
by Greg Lee

When I was a kid, I played a board game called Monopoly* with my friends. In the game, you can get stuck in jail until find a way of getting free. One way to escape was through a “Get Out of Jail Free” card.

How is getting stuck in jail similar to patients with recurring Lyme disease pain?

Just like being trapped in jail, patients with Lyme disease can feel imprisoned by their symptoms of pain
While on several different medications, Inez suffered with debilitating pain and depression.  Her Lyme Literate Physician had prescribed: Mepron, Zithromax, and Artemisinin for Babesia, Omnicef for Lyme disease, Flagyl for Lyme disease cysts, Cholestyramine for binding biotoxins, Neurontin for burning pains, magnesium, B-12 injections and folic acid to help with detoxification, and several other supplements. She was deeply concerned that her horrible pain and fatigue would keep her from participating and enjoying an upcoming family gathering.

After months of medications, Inez felt even more pain and severely depressed
Her P.A. (Physician’s Assistant) told her that her painful symptoms were a sign that her antibiotic medications were killing her infections. The P.A. suggested that she get an intravenous infusion of magnesium to reduce her symptoms. Unfortunately Inez was experiencing what is called a Herxheimer reaction, which happens when dying germs release toxins as they are killed off.

Herxheimer reactions can lead to a wide range of uncomfortable symptoms and painful emotions
These toxins aggravated Inez’s symptoms of pain along her back, irritability, brain fog, fatigue, and depression. Even her supplements and toxin binding medication, Cholestyramine, provided little relief. Expensive intravenous magnesium infusions would help for a few days. However, her symptoms would come right back. Why do toxins affect some people more severely than others?

Inez is lacking the genes to be able to eliminate Lyme toxins
According to her Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA-DR) blood test, her immune system is unable to identify and eliminate Lyme disease and mold toxins. Her antibiotic treatment was killing of gobs of germs, which created a flood of toxins in her body. As these toxins built up in her system, she felt even sicker, more cantankerous, and extremely hopeless. After months of worsening symptoms, she was at the end of her rope. “I am just ready to end it all,” she sobbed.

What can help Inez to quickly relieve her pain, depression, and other hellish Herxheimer symptoms?

A treatment method called “wet cupping” helped Inez to quickly relieve painful symptoms by rapidly pulling out toxins
Wet cupping can draw painful toxic symptoms from deep in the body to the surface through using special suction cups and a hand vacuum pump. Inez had nine suction cups placed on her neck, shoulders, and along either side of her spine. In just a few minutes, the skin under the cups grew purplish-red as toxins and blood were being drawn to the surface. The cups were removed and dark circles were left all over her back. Next, needles were used to help draw the toxins out.

Needles were inserted in the dark circles on the skin to make holes to draw the toxins out
After quickly removing the needles, dark red blood began to ooze slowly out of the holes left by the needles. The suction cups were placed back over the holes to help draw the toxins and thick blood out more quickly. After about ten minutes, the cups were removed. What remained on the skin were round dark red blobs formed in the shape of the cup, which looked like Jell-O mounds make of thick blood.

Not only toxins get pulled out of the body, but also coagulated blood
One study of wet cupping found the fluids to be very high in toxins1. Another use of cupping in Chinese medicine is to remove “stagnant blood2” which is analogous to hypercoagulation in western medicine. Hypercoagulation is a condition where the blood is thicker than normal and moves more slowly through your body. Cupping helps to pull out the thick compounds in the blood, which is why the blood removed from Inez’s back looked like little Jell-O molds. Cupping also helps to remove inflammatory compounds like cytokines3 and excess fluids from the lymphatic system also. Removing these toxins, compounds, and fluids can have a dramatic effect on improving symptoms.

Inez’s pain and depression were gone after removing the thick toxic blood from her back
“I always think that it’s hopeless when I’m coming here. It’s amazing how after each treatment, my pain and my depression are gone!” said Inez. After multiple cupping treatments, Inez’s blood had a healthier red color and flowed more normally. Between treatments, her pain and mood swings have been significantly reduced in severity and frequency. Some weeks, her symptoms are gone completely. Cupping has helped her to escape her prison of Lyme disease pain and depression.

Just like a “Get Out of Jail” pass, cupping can quickly reduce the hellish symptoms of Lyme disease toxins
An effective way to stop Lyme toxins from wandering throughout the body and causing all sorts of pain, fatigue, and mood swings is through wet cupping. Consult with a Lyme Literate cupping practitioner to develop a proper, safe, and effective treatment strategy for your condition since this procedure is strongly cautioned in patients with anemia, clotting disorders, taking blood thinning medications, who are pregnant, who have a weak constitution, or at risk for myocardial infections4.

Next step: Come to our evening lecture:  Getting Rid of Lyme Disease in Frederick, Maryland on Monday February 6th at 6pm to learn more about natural methods for stopping painful Lyme disease Herxheimer symptoms.

 

1. Schockert, T. Observations on cupping. High toxin concentration in blood from cupping. MMW Fortschr Med. 2009 Jun 4;151(23):20.
2. Bisio, Tom. A Tooth from the Tiger’s Mouth: How to Treat Your Injuries with Powerful Healing Secrets of the Great Chinese Warrior. Fireside, 2004. p. 165.
3. Zhang CQ, Liang TJ, Zhang W. Effects of drug cupping therapy on immune function in chronic asthmatic bronchitis patients during protracted period. Zhongguo Zhong Xi Yi Jie He Za Zhi. 2006 Nov; 26(11) pp. 984-7.
4. Kobayashi, S. Acupuncture Core Therapy: Shakujyu Chiryo. Paradigm Publications, Taos. 2008. pp. 203 – 204.

* Monopoly is copyrighted by Hasbro