For people who cannot control their Lyme disease weight loss or gain
By Greg Lee
On a hot summer day, I was driving a hybrid car on the Massachusetts Turnpike when it overheated. The computer display on the dashboard turned white and the engine shut off. Fortunately, I was able to coast to the shoulder. Every time I tried restarting the car, I got the white screen which showed that the computer was too hot. After a few hours of waiting for roadside assistance, the computer cooled down enough and I was able to drive to my next destination.
How is an overheated car computer similar to a Lyme disease patient that can’t lose excess weight?
Similar to how a computer controls your car, the body has a system for regulating weight
The body uses chemical signals that tell it to use calories or to store them. If the signals indicate to store the calories, people accumulate more fat stores which results in weight gain. One of the signaling chemicals in your system is a hormone called leptin. Leptin plays a key role in regulating energy intake and expenditure, including appetite and hunger, metabolism, and behavior. Unfortunately, toxins from Lyme disease and co-infections can throw these signals out of whack.
Biotoxins from Lyme disease, Babesia, and mold can block how leptin regulates weight1
According to the Biotoxin Pathway, biotoxins from Lyme disease, babesia, and mold stimulate cells to produce inflammatory cytokines. These cytokines bind to the leptin receptor in the hypothalamus. This blockage disrupts how leptin is able to regulate weight. Patients with elevated toxins often have difficultly losing weight. However, there are a subset of patients that have the opposite problem of not being able to gain weight. This blockage also interferes with the process of producing alpha melanocyte stimulating hormone (MSH). MSH is a master controlling hormone which also becomes depleted. Lower MSH disrupts a whole host of hormones, inflammatory compounds, and chemicals that regulate insulin resistance2. When this entire cycle is disrupted, regular weight management strategies don’t work.
Dieting, exercise, calorie counting are no match for leptin disruption caused by Lyme disease toxins
Lorna did aerobics and ate a dairy-free, sugar-free, and wheat-free diet. Not matter what exercise or diet she tried, she couldn’t lose any of the extra thirty pounds she gained after getting Lyme disease and a Mycoplasma infection. The toxins from these infections stimulate the production of inflammatory cytokines that can block her leptin receptors, which could result in retaining extra weight. Fortunately, there are effective treatments and remedies that can support healthy weight loss and gain in Lyme patients.
There are several treatments and remedies that can help to eliminate Lyme toxins and cytokines that disrupt normal weight control
Treatments and remedies for drawing out toxins quickly, neutralizing toxins, and binding to toxins can all help patients to reestablish healthy leptin levels which improves weight management and insulin regulation. When these are added to a healthy diet and exercise, patients are more successful at maintaining normal weight and blood sugar levels.
Treatment #1: Cupping and bloodletting
Wet cupping is a treatment that uses needles which are inserted and removed to make very small holes. Next, suction cups are placed over top of the holes. The suction draws out fluids which have been analyzed to contain toxins3 and inflammatory cytokines4. After receiving multiple cupping treatments, Lorna reported a significant decrease in feeling toxic, reduced symptoms of inflammation, and an easier time with reducing her weight. Not only cupping can help, but also laser homeopathic remedies.
Treatment #2: Laser Homeopathic remedies
Laser homeopathic remedy treatments use a 505nm laser which is beamed through a glass vial containing a homeopathic remedy into the patient. The laser is able to deliver the frequency of the remedy into the nervous system and other hiding places where infections and toxins accumulate5. Homeopathic remedies of MSH have been extremely helpful in relieving symptoms of pressure, brain fog, and toxicity in Lyme disease patients. Selecting the proper remedy depends upon the type of infectious toxins that may be blocking leptin receptors. Homeopathic remedies for Lyme disease, Babesia, Bartonella, mold, and colloidal silver have been effective are reducing inflammation in patients. Cleaning up the sources of environmental toxins are critical to helping the leptin hormone manage weight.
Treatment #3: Reduce / eliminate exposure to mold toxins
If mold toxins are being absorbed directly through the skin of a patient, these biotoxins need to be cleaned out of the environment in order to reduce inflammation and re-establish normal hormone weight control. Once Lorna had her home re-mediated after a roof leak, she felt more energetic, less allergic to the environment, and cleared headed. Herbs can also help with removing toxins.
Treatment #4: Take herbs for binding to or neutralizing toxins and reducing cytokines
Lorna took several combinations of powered and liquid herbs for eliminating toxins. One of those herbs was Galla Chinensis which is made from nut galls found on the Chinese sumac tree. This herb is called Wu Bei Zi in Chinese, has a strong binding affinity to toxins6. It has been used historically in herbal formulas for detoxification. Other herbs she used for detoxification were forsythia, Chinese name: Lian Qiao and honeysuckle vine, Chinese name: Ren Dong Teng, which have been effective at neutralizing endotoxins in animal experiments7. Scrophularia, Chinese name: Xuan Shen has a compound called scrovalentinoside which has been effective at reducing the inflammatory compounds prosta-glandin E2, leukotriene B4, NO, interleukin-1beta, interleukin-2, interleukin-4 and interferon-gamma8.
Since Galla Chinensis has a strong binding action, medications and supplements should be taken two hours apart from ingesting this herb. This herb is cautioned in cases of excess, heat, accumulation, or stagnation. Forsythia is cautioned in cases of diarrhea, or sores that are not red or painful. Scrophularia is contraindicated in cases of coldness, deficiency, and dampness in the stomach and spleen. Essential oils can also help by reducing inflammation caused by too many toxins.
Treatment #5: Take sublingual essential oils to reduce inflammatory cytokines
Essential oils are highly concentrated extracts of the oils found in medicinal plants or spices. In mice experiments, combining thyme and oregano essential oils has been shown to decrease the pro-inflammatory cytokines interleukin-1beta, interleukin-6, granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), and tumor necrosis factor – alpha (TNF-alpha)9. When low doses of these essential oils are taken under the tongue, they can penetrate into and help relieve inflamed areas of the nervous system. Lorna found that her sinuses and brain felt less inflamed and she slept better after taking sublingual essential oils.
Oregano essential oil inhibits platelet aggregation and is cautioned with antidiabetic or anticoagulant medications, after major surgery, in cases of peptic ulcer, hemophilia, and other bleeding disorders. Use of oregano oil is also cautioned in children under two years old. This oil is contraindicated in pregnancy and breast feeding. Since there is a moderate risk of mucus membrane irritation10, mixing this essential oil with a carrier oil helps to buffer and protect mucus membranes. Thyme essential oil has many different chemotypes (CT) which vary in cautions on their use. Thyme linalool CT presents the least risk of cautions or contraindication, with none. Thyme limonene CT and thyme borneol CT may inhibit blood clotting and have a low risk of interacting with antidiabetic or anticoagulant medications, after major surgery, in cases of peptic ulcer, hemophilia, and other bleeding disorders11. These oils also have antimicrobial properties, so they may lead to a significant herxheimer reaction. Multiple treatments and remedies can help you to clear toxins and inflammation that disrupt your leptin weight control system.
Multiple treatments help to reestablish the normal leptin cycle of weight control and insulin regulation
Just like getting the computer in the car cooled down and working again, treatments like cupping and homeopathic laser remedies help to reduce systemic toxins and inflammation that can block leptin receptors. Eliminating or reducing environmental toxins through remediation can help to reduce inflammation. Herbs like Galla Chinensis, forsythia, and honeysuckle vine bind to, neutralize, and help eliminate toxins and inflammation. Scrophularia and essential oils of thyme and oregano help to decrease inflammatory cytokines which help to unblock leptin receptors.
Fortunately for Lorna, she was finally able to lose over thirty pounds and five clothes sizes over the course of her Lyme disease and Mycoplasma treatment plan. Since these treatments, herbs, and essential oils have cautions and contraindications with their use, work with a Lyme literate herbal and essential oil practitioner to develop a safe and effective strategy for your condition.
– Greg
>> Next step: Come to our evening lecture: Getting Rid of Lyme Disease in Frederick, Maryland on Monday April 7th at 6pm to learn more about treatments, essential oils, herbs, and homeopathic remedies for managing weight issues caused by toxins, reducing brain overwhelm, adenovirus, brucellosis, bartonella, Babesia, Lyme disease, mold, parasites, abnormal fatigue, inflammation, and pain. https://goodbyelyme.com/events/get_rid_lyme
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9. Bukovská A1, Cikos S, Juhás S, Il’ková G, Rehák P, Koppel J. Effects of a combination of thyme and oregano essential oils on TNBS-induced colitis in mice. Mediators Inflamm. 2007;2007:23296. doi: 10.1155/2007/23296. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18288268
10. Tisserand, R. and Young. R.2013 Essential Oil Safety: A Guide for Healthcare Professionals. Second Ed. London, Churchill Livingstone, pp. 375-376. https://www.amazon.com/Essential-Oil-Safety-Health-Professionals/dp/0443062412
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