Lyme and mold protocols

Lyme disease and mold toxicity can wreak havoc on the body, causing IBS-like digestive issues. Doctors often dismiss IBS complaints as stress related and don’t test for Lyme disease or mold toxicity.

As a result people suffer for years with no answers. Hopefully, this blog post can bring awareness to these hidden root causes for those who suffer from them. Or prevent health problems from starting by spotting the problem and dealing with it early.

I’ve had both Lyme disease and mold illness and know from personal experience how psychologically stressful it can be.

I’ve also worked with many clients who experienced gut issues after being exposed to mold and became a mold certified practitioner to help them navigate these particular challenges.

And Lyme/tick-born illness is something I’ve dealt with twice and addressed it in two very different ways.

I’m sharing my story and protocols for educational purposes only, and to provide resources that point people in the right direction to solve stubborn gut issues that won’t go away with standard protocols. This is not medical advice, just sharing my personal experience to help those who need it.

I know that anxiety spikes with Lyme, mold AND gut issues, which makes it harder to find a solution and trust the way forward. Please don’t be hard on yourself for your emotional reactions. It is physically driven in most cases and beyond your control. But it does get better when you address the root cause issues of Lyme or mold.

One of the biggest causes of this anxiety or unease is an immune system and nervous system that are actively fight Lyme or mold. It’s hard to ignore the psychological effects of the battle within.

Below is my story and the protocols I used to recover.

Lyme and tick-born illness

I had Lyme disease in my early 20s. I never found the tick, nor did I have a rash. But the symptoms progressed into joint pain, fatigue, weight gain, anxiety, swollen glands, depression, fever and flu-like symptoms.

A blood test revealed Lyme disease. A one-month course of oral antibiotics did nothing to improve my symptoms.

I was then put on three weeks of IV antibiotics, which gave me an intense in vitro dose of medicine straight into my blood stream.

This worked but did damage to my biome. A few years later I developed digestive issues. If you do take antibiotics, always rebuild your biome afterwards. Take a probiotic called saccharomyces boulardii before, during and after antibiotics. Get my plan for rebuilding the biome here. And here’s the link for the full protocol on Fullscript.

The second time, I dealt with tick-born illness was almost 2 decades later during COVID. This time I found the tick engorged on the middle of my back a week after a hike.

I did not want to take antibiotics if I did not need them. They do a lot of damage to the biome.

So I sent the tick for analysis to see if it carried any diseases. Many labs around the world specialize in tick analysis. I used Armin Labs in Germany. While I waited for results I did an herbal protocol that focused on building up my immune defenses, rather than killing the bacteria directly. I preferred to let my body do the killing.

The natural Lyme protocol I used is detailed here (you must create a user name and password to see it). The protocol worked very well.

It took several weeks for me to get my tick test results back. I was feeling fine on the herbal protocol with zero symptoms.

The tick was infected with two bacteria that cause disease or lead to death if immunocompromised , Rickettsia and Anaplasma. Rickettsia causes Rocky Mountain spotted fever and Anaplasma can lead to Anaplasmosis. While not Lyme disease, they can be just as damaging. Lyme is caused by specific bacteria called Borrelia, and could also come with bartonella or babesia. That is why it is often called Lyme and confections.

When I was also three quarters done with my two month protocol, I checked the status of the infection in my body with a blood test. While it showed a positive for both bacteria in my system, it was a weak positive, which meant the infection was there but leaving my body. In other words my immune system was fighting it off.

There are many factors that determine how sick you get. Your immune status is number one, and how long the tick has been attached (if longer than 36 hours), how it is removed (if you stress the tick during removal or leave it’s head or mouth it regurgitates into the your body). Look up proper ways to remove a tick online or buy tick removal tool online that can be used for humans and animals alike.

If you are in the U.S. I highly recommend sending the tick for analysis to the University of Connecticut. They not only identify the tick and test it for all the diseases it can carry, but also determine how long it has been attached.

Recovering without antibiotics

I recovered completely without antibiotics and an immune supporting protocol designed by herbalist Stephen Buhner. That doesn’t mean I don’t recommend antibiotics. It could be required for some people. But supporting your immune system with herbs in addition to pharmaceuticals could be an option.

I know that many people don’t do well with antibiotics so this could be an alternative. Herbs work best in the beginning stages of the disease, within the first few months of being bitten. At the beginning stages the success rate is 75%.

I’ve also read accounts of herbs helping people who have been sick a long time.

Always do a protocol under the guidance of a practitioner. Since I AM a practitioner I guided myself.

Not using strong antibiotics or antimicrobials to fight the tick-born bacteria left my biome in tact, which also helped my immune system fight better. Antibiotics, while life saving in some cases, can weaken the immune system in the short term and make it harder to fight off infections on its own.

My advice is to always take antibiotics thoughtfully. Only when needed.

Useful things to know about Lyme disease/tick-born illness

*Lyme disease tests could produce false negatives if you have been infected for more than 4-6 months. The spiral-shaped bacteria can burrow into your organs and escape detection, much like another hard to find spiral-shaped bacteria that infects the stomach, called H. pylori.

*Doing an immune support protocol, like the one I linked to above, could help improve symptoms. If it does, this could be a clue that Lyme is present even if tests show negative.

*The best diet to support Lyme disease is an anti inflammatory diet. Much like a modified Mediterranean diet. Avoiding alcohol, sugar, processed foods and gluten. Eating as many whole foods as you can tolerate and adding olive oil, fish oil, turmeric and greens can help support a healthy immune system. And don’t forget good quality animal protein for strength and energy.

*If you have a dog or outdoor cat, treat them with an oral medication that kill ticks. Animals can up the chances of spreading ticks.

*Alway check yourself for ticks after spending time in grassy areas. Tumble your clothes in the dryer to kill ticks who hide in clothing.

*Working on gut health will help the body fight both mold and Lyme, as a majority of your immune system lives in the gut. Don’t forget the basic support of sleep, stress relief and movement.

Mold toxicity

I lived in mold-ridden apartments for the 2 1/2 years that I lived in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Most people there don’t recognize mold as a health threat. Everyone thought I was over reacting when I moved from an apartment with black mold growing in our bedroom.

People have different sensitivity and reactions to mold. Two people with the same exposure will react differently. There is a genetic component.

The two ways to test for mold in your body is a urine test (Great Plains and RealTime Labs) and a blood test (mymycolabs.com). The urine test will tell you if there’s ever been an exposure and how much is being released from the body. The blood test tells you if the exposure is current and how well your body is fighting it.

Mold protocols involve supporting the liver with NAC or glutathione and using binders to escort the mold spore out of the body. You may have to address mold overgrowth in the sinus cavities and use anti-fungals, because yeast loved to grow where mold attacks.

The first rule of dealing with mold is to stop exposure. That means moving and remediating or finding a new place to live that is mold-free.

Even if you moved away from mold, it can still remain in your body until you detox it. Some people detox it naturally and some don’t. Those who don’t need to do a mold detox protocol. This is the one I used successfully.

Aside from herbs you can help open up your body’s detox and drainage pathways.

Doing castor oil packs and infrared or regular saunas helps get the mold out of the body. And eating a diet that is low in carbs (remove or reduce grains and sugar) is key. Sugars, starches and carbs can feed mold and yeast.

It is important to support the nervous system during a mold and Lyme protocol because it regulates immunity. Your immune system is always your best friend, especially in your battle again Lyme and mold.

Save this blog post if you ever need it. Send it to someone who may benefit. Or get in touch if you think that mold or Lyme could be the root cause of your health issues.