Portrait of Bob and his meds

I was digging through my supplies the other day and realized that I wanted to visually document the preposterous amount of supplements, prescription drugs, Chinese medicine, homeopathics, needles, syringes, saline bags, and so on that I have in my Lyme-fighting arsenal. Even I was amazed (and depressed about) how many jars, bottles, vials, tubes, bags, and so forth I have purchased over the years, not to mention that my poor liver and kidneys and other body parts have had to assimilate, break down, and excrete these drugs. All this stuff has cost hundreds of dollars, if not thousands. 

I also thought it would be good for my doctors (and any doctors reading this) to get a sense of what a typical chronic-Lyme disease patient has to deal with over time. 

I decided to organize them outdoors, on top of my defunct hot tub. (A friend Photoshop'ed in the sky, replacing the dead plants and drab redwood wall). Looks kind of goofy, but I did the setup of all the bottles and whatnot there simply because there was good light for a photo, and I don't have another flat surface to put everything on.

It's a full-time job just remembering what to take, and when!

In the lower photo you can see the general layout. The glass vials in the middle are empty Ceftriaxone (AKA Rocephin, an antibiotic) IV bottles, along with tiny ones that were filled with glutathione and phosphatidyl choline, which I take IV to help the liver do its detox job better.  

Rx drugs are on the right, Chinese herbs are just behind the Rocephin bottles and in the little plastic (front, left). Homeopathics are in the dropper bottles behind the Chinese herbs. Just about everything else are supplements (aminos, vitamins, and various herbs, heavy-metal binders, etc). My IV pole with some Rocephin in the bag/line is standing next to me. 

On the back, right are glass vials of seawater from some supposedly-magical source off the coast of France. A homeopath/naturopath sold me those. It's called Quinton water. Supposedly good JuJu in that water, but I didn't notice anything. You have to break off the tip of a glass vial in order to get the Quinton water out. A tad scarey the first couple of times. I was afraid I'd cut myself, not to mention my fear of drinking little glass shards. In the back, middle, are heparin and saline flushes (pre-loaded single-use syringes). You go through a lot of those if you have a PICC or a Port. 

I had forgotten about some of these chapters of my treatment. I'd rather not remember, actually. There have been so many!

A bit more of a close-up to make things more visible.

Removing Heavy Metals Like Mercury from the Body Is “Dangerous”?

The Alliance for Natural Health USA

April 24, 2012

Not only are doctors being advised to reject chelation therapy—they're being asked to report on their colleagues who practice it.
The American College of Medical Toxicology held a conference at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) this past February about the "use and misuse" of chelation therapy—a misleading title suggesting some semblance of scientific objectivity, which was nowhere in evidence. The conference was more like a Salem witch hunt in which chelators played the role of the accused witches and warlocks.
Why is chelation so threatening to mainstream medicine? There is no disputing that heavy metals are extremely toxic. The human body is engineered to remove small amounts daily, but not the large amounts we often pick up from modern sources. One of those sources has of course been vaccines, which have used mercury as a preservative (it is still used in the US flu shot). Another source has been dental "silver" amalgam, which also contains mercury. This may be part of the reason for the hostility to chelation.

Read the whole story:

http://www.anh-usa.org/removing-heavy-metals-like-mercury-from-the-body-is-dangerous/

Essentiale-N IV’s

Essentiale-N IV’s: PHOSPHATIDYLCHOLINE IS LIFE

The work of Patricia Kane PhD has brought to light the crucial importance of phosphatidylcholine (PC). Perhaps you have never heard of it. It is a component of lecithin, and the major phospholipid of every human cell membrane. It is also a precursor to acetylcholine, a major neurotransmitter, via its intermediary choline. It is used in orthodox medicine for the treatment and prophylaxis of fatty embolism, and is the active ingredient in Plaque-X which has been marketed and used In Europe for the treatment of arteriosclerosis and reversal of plaque for many years. Drs Kane and Braccia have developed their own protocol for administration of the imported Essential- N brand of PC and have been applying it clinically for neurodetoxification and for the treatment of neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson’s, MS, and ALS, as well as Lyme, CFIDS, fibromyalgia, autism, hepatitis, and mood disorders. The “PK Protocol” named after originator Patricia Kane PhD, involves IV push of lower doses of stabilized PC known as Essential –N. This is the product Caring Medical now uses for all therapeutic administration of PC. Certain neurologic conditions will require twice daily injections of PC, often followed by IV glutathione, but the maximum amount of Essentiale-N per IVP is 2 vials or 10cc given up to twice daily. The usual frequency of IV’s is twice weekly. Successful therapy with PC is associated with a drop in serum CPK. and improvement in the FACT vision testing score. The IV is administered as a short IV push. ...

See rest of article:

http://www.caringmedical.com/media_articles/Essentiale-N_IVs_PHOSPHATIDYLCHOLINE_IS_LIFE.htm

US FDA Fails to Outlaw Amalgams

After enormous public pressure from scientists, dentists, health professionals, and consumers, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) promised to make an announcement about dental amalgam by the end of 2011.

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/01/17/fda-action-on-dental-amalgam.aspx?e_cid=20120117_DNL_art_1

Herbs, Hormones, and Heavy Metals

Here's a 53-page PowerPoint presentation by Dr. Richard Horowitz about Lyme treatments, detox, metals, efficacy of herbal treatments, and treatment of hormone imbalances. This is a PDF file on the ILADS site.
http://www.ilads.org/files/compendium07/Horowitz.pdf

Monthly Mercury Detox Group in Berkeley

http://mercuryandmore.weebly.com/support-group.html

Bay Area (CA; USA)
Chronic Mercury Poisoning
Self-Help Support Group

Do you have ongoing health issues? Chronic mercury poisoning is an under-diagnosed condition, described in the medical and toxicology literature but not yet recognized by most physicians or institutions.

• Meetings: Thursdays 1-3 pm, once a month, check link above.
   
• Where: Live Oak Park, Berkeley.  We'll meet in the picnic area above Walnut Street, near the Arts Center, but if some other group has nabbed this area, look for our "No Hg" sign elsewhere in the park.  Dress for some tree sap and dust.  This is a fragrance-free event.
   

New Blog by Gordon Medical Associates

Gordon Medical Group

On March 21, 2011, Gordon Medical Associates and the California Lyme Disease Association co-sponsored a talk on Lyme disease with Dr. Joseph J. Burrascano, Jr., followed by a Question and Answer panel with Lyme practitioners from the northern California area. Dr. Burrascano, as always, was full of information, and in spite of his rapid speed delivery, we found there was not enough time left for the panel to answer all of the questions patients had to ask. Dr. Gordon agreed that Gordon Medical would provide answers to the questions on a blog, which is what we have here. You can also find the Questions and Answers on a blog on CALDA’s website. 

Here's the Gordon Medical blog site with Q & A. Good stuff!

http://puttinglymebehindyou.wordpress.com/

60 Minutes Exposé on Amalgam Fillings

This is the infamous expose on the dangers on Mercury Amalgam fillings that first aired in 1990. Unlike most 60 Minutes segments, it was never aired again, followed up on, or publicly referred to even once.

Because of the damning indictments present in this segment, whenever this clip appears online it has the habit of mysteriously disappearing soon after.

Several countries have banned mercury fillings since this show aired. In January 2008, Norway and Sweden totally banned mercury fillings. In April 2008, Denmark banned mercury fillings. Norwegian Minister of the Environment Erik Solheim said, "Mercury is among the most dangerous environmental toxins." (See reference). Yet, in most countries dentists do not explain to patients that there is even a controversy about what is being put in their mouths.

There are three parts to the video. They may link automatically. If they don't, here are parts 2 and 3:

Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXncUcEd9co&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL

Part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95MV_gvN-x4&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL

Another Book about Amalgam Fillings and Mercury Poisoning

As noted in my previous post about Dr. Andrew Cutler's book, there is a link between amalgam teeth fillings and chronic disease. Here's another book on that topic. The book contains 9 chapters, approx 200 pages. Whereas Cutler's book is very technical and written for the medical practitioner (and priced accordingly, at $70), this is more intended for the layperson and is more affordable, at $10. It probably doesn't cover in detail the Cutler method of careful removal of mercury through cautious chelation protocols that are based on the half life of the chelation agents, though. That seems to be the Dr. Cutler area of specialty.

Click to see it on Amazon

(Thanks to Hootan for this reference.)

Dr. Mercola video about Turmeric

An interesting video in which Dr. Mercola talks about antioxidants in general and the high concentration of antioxidants in turmeric, specifically.

Read the whole story at:

http://organicindia.mercola.com/herbal-supplements/turmeric.aspx

Powerful Antioxidant Could Be Helpful in Lyme Treatment

Here's an article from Dr. Mercola's site. As we know, Lyme and Lyme treatments cause a lot of oxidative stress and produce free radicals that need to be removed from the body. The more free-radical scavengers we have in our bodies, the better able we are to clean up the mess, right? So, this article caught my attention today. 

-Bob

• Sunscreen in a pill? 
• Prevention of wrinkles, dry skin, age spots and freckles?
• Reversing the visible signs of aging?

If you think checking "all of the above" seems too good to be true, you're not alone.

But there just happens to be a natural compound that clinical studies are suggesting does ALL of the above—without a hefty price tag or side effects. This is a little miracle your plastic surgeon won't want you to hear about.

It's a relatively unknown carotenoid called astaxanthin, which is now believed to be the most potent antioxidant nature has to offer.

Scientists long ago discovered that a class of naturally occurring pigments called carotenoids held powerful antioxidant properties that are crucial for your health. Carotenoids are the compounds that give foods their vibrant colors—from green grasses to red beets, to the spectacular yellows and oranges of your bell peppers.

There are more than 700 naturally occurring carotenoids, but most people are familiar with only a few. Right now, you probably have about ten different carotenoids circulating through your bloodstream.

As a source of antioxidants and vitamin A, carotenoids are critical to the photosynthetic process and protect a plant or organism from damage by light and oxygen. By consuming plants or organisms that contain these pigments, you gain a similar protective benefit.

Astaxanthin has recently jumped to the front of the line in terms of its status as a "supernutrient," becoming the focus of a large and growing number of peer-reviewed scientific studies.

One of the benefits of astaxanthin that has piqued the interest of researchers is its ability to help protect your skin from the sun, reducing the signs of aging.

However, ataxanthin's benefits to your health are more than skin deep—in fact, so many benefits that I've had to write several articles just to cover the jaw-dropping activities of this amazing nutrient.

Read full article: 

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/05/25/sunscreen-and-wrinkle-prevention-in-a-pill.aspx

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Dr. Andrew Cutler - SAFE amalgam removal info

Many Lyme patients suffer from high levels of heavy metals in their tissues. This may be the result of an interruption of the natural detox mechanism that works to rid the body of contaminants. That interruption may be caused by microbial infection, or by genetic defects such as the MTFHR gene mutation.

The official name of this gene is “methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (NAD(P)H). Say that ten times fast.

Amalgam fillings in teeth, now outlawed in some countries, may be implicated, due to the mercury in the compound fillings leaching into the body. Dr Andrew Cutler, a dentist, has written two books on the subject.

There are a few sensational claims in the article (click link below) about Dr. Cutler, but there are good resource links in the article and a concise explanation of Dr. Cutler's careful approach to mercury detoxification. I believe Cutler is important reading for anyone considering undergoing heavy metal chelation. If not done correctly, you can end up worse than when you began.

http://curezone.com/faq/q.asp?a=3,76&q=102
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