"Acceptance turns us into the person we are and want to be. Acceptance empowers the events and circumstances to turn around for the better. "
In order to move forward in anyone's life there has to be acceptance. It is a key point in a 12 step program. In reality, acceptance is the key for life. There are the 3 A's. Awareness, Acknowledge and Acceptance. An example is an 82 year old female I know who has a blood cancer called Multiple Myeloma. She is a sweet , intelligent, kind woman. She is aware she has Myeloma. She acknowledges it by telling her friends and undergoing chemotherapy. She has not accepted it until recently. During the tough winter in NY, she could not go out as much as she had liked. She had time to sit with her feelings. She admits to being depressed and crying for no reasons. She finally accepted that she has the 'c' word. She allowed herself to accept this diagnosis. It finally hit her, that her life span might be shortened. Although this a harsh example for anyone, she feels better that she owned her disease. She can move forward
Antibioitcs have their role in medicine. Even though you use Integrative Medicine and other disciplines do NOT be swayed NOT to TAKE an antibiotic for Lyme. It can save your life. It is effective to get treatment within 72 hours of a possible bit. This is effective for preventing transmission of Lyme. This was my main reason as volunteer director to stock the Cherry Grove Fire Island medical clinic with antibiotics. Lyme Disease is epidemic on the island. The problem is that many of the individuals probably already have persistent Lyme Disease and do not know it.
The most common antibiotics used are tetracycline, doxycycline, amoxocillin and cefuroxime. I rotate these antibiotics for three months. I even use Zithromycin (commonly called the Z pack) but in higher doses as one of the rotating antibiotics. This is the treatment for the patient who does not recall if he/she was bitten and when, but has classic Lyme Disease symptoms.
I have seen many patients who have received intravenous antibiotics from other physicians. Some of these patients have been on antibiotics for more than 6 months. You WILL NOT find any study to support this long term antibiotic use. One of the major Lyme doctors, Dr. Burrascano was ridiculed by medical authorities for his treatment. He had patients to support his cause and was not reprimanded by medical officials.
What really disturbs me is that since there is no written protocol for Chronic Lyme why would a physician who is caring and compassionate about his patients be told he cannot treat patients in a manner that clearly does work. Today, medicine is now bound by insurance/government and pharmaceutical companies.
We do know that any immunosuppressive agents and steroids must be avoided as these will contribute to the progression of the disease. I do recommend allergy testing and heavy metal testing in patents with Lyme Disease. In my clinical experience I have found that those patients with heavy metals present either by blood or provocative urine, need to be treated first with a detoxification. This needs to be done, as the treatment for Lyme Disease will be more effective.
In most diseases, prevention and education is the key. Lyme Disease is no exception. The best personal protection when outdoors:
1. Wear light colored clothing so you can see the ticks
2. Tuck pant legs into socks (use tape to wrap around the top of socks)
3. Use tick repellent on clothing and exposed skin
4. Have someone check you after returning from any outdoor activity
5. Make sure the person also checks your scalp
Until tomorrow...
No comments:
Post a Comment