The Roundabout Way To Finding Energy

Disclosure: There are affiliate links in this post. If you purchase from the links, I will make a small commission on the product you buy


This is a long post, but I always like to explain things fully, so hang in there!

It's been a long 12 months since we moved into our new house. For those who don't know the story, go to THIS post. The short version is: I worked too hard getting our house ready to sell from January 1 to May 2016, then had an extremely stressful downsize/move and I started crashing after our house sold. I just couldn't get out of bed and was totally exhausted. Then, sometime around Fall, I developed brain fog and dizziness and couldn't drive most days. I am so thankful that my husband and daughter helped me by stopping off at the grocery store to bring food home, as well as helping me around the house.

During this time I kept taking all of my supplements and trying new ones that I thought would help, but I wasn't making any progress.

Around January, I started looking into getting my amalgams removed. It took several months of getting quotes from 2 different holistic dentists for amalgam replacement.

Can't remember when I found the Andy Cutler Chelation Support Group on Facebook, but I started taking the "Core 4" they recommend. They are: 200 mg magnesium 4 times a day, 1-2 grams of Vitamin C 4 times a day, 1000 mg mixed tocopherols Vitamin E, once a day and 50 mg Zinc once a day. Getting the right dosage of vitamin C was fun...NOT! 1 gram 4 x a day is all I can handle.

Not sure I felt any better on those, but I continued taking them (still do).
If you read my last post, I told you how K-Laser treatments took away the really bad brain fog, so that I could drive to my appointments, but I still had dizziness throughout the day, which made me unable to accomplish much because I was tired and couldn't think efficiently.

I spent many hours reading posts in the groups on Facebook, which lead me to articles, which led me to supplements I could try.  Here's a good tip: Amazon is a great place to read about how supplements have or haven't helped people. When choosing a product, I will always look at how many people have reviewed the item. If it's got a 4+ stars  and several hundred reviews, that's the product I might try.

So, several weeks ago, I somehow found my way to Youtube and a video about a guy who was making GCMAF(an immune booster) with a raw probiotic and colostrum. The video piqued my interest, so I did a Google search for  "colostrum and lyme disease", which brought me to several articles.
After that, I search for  "colostrum" in the different lyme groups to see what people were saying. Many people said that Sovereign Laboratories had the best colostrum, so I went to the website and ordered one of their samples.

I ordered a sample instead of a larger pack because it's really expensive and if I didn't like the taste of it I didn't want to waste my money! It's also available on Amazon through the link above. Be sure to read the reviews!

This is what Sovereign Laboratories says about colostrum:

Colostrum's Growth Factors — Not Just for Newborns

Colostrum contains numerous growth factors (hormones) which promote healing and create an anti-aging response. Research shows that colostrum's growth factors offer the following benefits:

• Regenerate and accelerate normal growth of aged or injured muscle, bone, cartilage, skin collagen and nerve tissue.

• Help the body burn fat for fuel instead of muscle tissue in times of fasting or dieting.

• Help build and retain lean muscle.

• Repair DNA and RNA.

• Heal burns, surgical incisions, cuts, abrasions, and mouth sores with topical application.

• Control infection and pain associated with gingivitis, sensitive teeth and dental work.

• Help regulate blood glucose levels and "brain chemicals", providing alertness and better concentration.

• Help regulate the brain's "feel-good" chemicals to brighten mood.

You can read the whole article  HERE


A few days after ordering the sample, it arrived and tasted ok; like watered down milk.  The next day, our daughter is in need of immune support, so I gave the sample of colostrum to her. After giving her the sample of colostrum, I spent the money and ordered a 16 oz pack.

I was a little disappointed that I had to wait several days, but while I was online searching for colostrum, another product came up.  I happened to have this supplement already, but with all the other things I was taking, I hadn't even tried it. I read about it last year and the housecleaner I hired  before we put our house on the market mentioned it had helped someone she knew and she told me to get it.

I was hoping that the product hadn't expired and it was still good, so I took it the next morning.
I had a little more energy that day, but was thinking I might just be having a good day. I took it the next day and had even more energy and I felt good. It's been almost a week now and I've had energy every day. 2 days this week I woke up at 7 am and started working around the house! Most days I've wake up terribly slow, don't feel good and need at least 2 hours to feel somewhat normal.

So, what is the product???

It's 4Life Transfer Factor Plus. Here are the ingredients:

It's even more expensive than the Sovereign Laboratories colostrum... The SL colostrum is $99.95 for 16 ounces, but the package will last for 3 months. The Transfer Factor Plus is $56.95 and is only a 30 day supply.
Now,  I'm not a doctor and I can't tell you that it's going to work for you, but I'm glad I finally tried it.



Just because it's working for me know, doesn't mean I would have had the same result a year ago. I will never know. It might have helped me so dramatically because of all the other supplements I'm taking, or because I'm not as sick as I used to be.

I was so surprised (and delighted) to have such a dramatic and positive immediate result. Unless I have a negative reaction to something new, I will give it a 3 month trial to make a difference. It takes that long for the body to start healing - at least that's been my experience.
So, there you have it. Transfer Factor Plus is the product that's given me back my energy - At least for now! I will have to do an update in another month to let you know if the energy continues. If it does, and I still feel great, it's definitely worth the money.
Hope today is a good day for you!
Let me know you were here by making a comment. You can also email me anytime at pardesigns @ aol . com
Pam
UPDATE: I still have energy, although it's not as dramatic as the first couple of weeks.  We shall see how things pan out after taking the colostrum 3 months. That seems to be how long it takes for me to see steady progress. 

I'm not a doctor and this post is not meant for medical advice. Check with your doctor before taking any medications or supplements

Replacing The First 3 Amalgams

Hey Everyone! 

I haven't posted for a couple of months, so it might be good to bring you up to date as to how things are going  with me.

I'll recap for those who may have forgotten:
I had a bit of a breakthrough with the really bad brain fog that kept me from driving at all with the K-Laser treatments from my chiropractor. The K-Laser reduced the inflammation in my neck and after a couple of treatments, I was able to drive myself to the chiropractor 20 minutes away on my appointment day. I pretty much wasn't able to do anything else that day and had to rest so that I wouldn't get any level of brain fog and I could make it to my appointment. Driving home is never a problem because I feel great about 10 minutes after the treatment and for about 2 hours afterwards.
I highly recommend K-Laser or another cold laser treatment. If you have pain or inflammation, seek out a chiropractor or other clinic that offers it.

Despite not having the really bad drugged out feeling brain fog, dizziness still continued to be a daily occurence. I might have an hour or two of nearly  a clear head, but later in the day or if I stood up for too long, the dizziness would come on. It made it very difficult to make even the simplest of chores or even to make dinner.

About a month ago, I had 3 of 5 amalgams safely removed by a biological/holistic dentist here in Charlotte. It was a traumatic experience and it was mostly my fault!!! 
Let me tell you why, so you don't make the same mistake...

I currently belong to a group called Andy Cutler Chelation on Facebook. It's a great group with a lot of support and a lot of good information. I highly recommend it if you're concerned about mercury toxicity.

The day before my dental appointment, I figured I should read the ACC group file on what to do at the dentist office. I mentally checked off each thing to do...
until I go to the part where it said to stop taking vitamin C two days before so that the numbing meds the dentist gives you doesn't wear off too quickly. I take 1 gram of vitamin C four times a day and had just taken my morning dose, but didn't take any more that day. I figured I'd be ok.

The  next morning at my long awaited appointment, the dentist gave me nitrous oxide and it took a long time for me to feel the effects.  The dentist covered me from head to toe, gave me a mask with oxygen, had a special vacuum to whisk away any vapors and the dentist and assistant were covered and had a respirator on. 
The mercury was removed from 3 teeth, 1 was a crown. I was given multiple injections of numbing meds and was nearing the max amount she could give me in 1 day. She was working quickly  trying to finish prepping my final tooth for a crown, but wasn't able to finish after giving me a final injection. The assistant gave me a temporary filling and I had to make an appointment to come back the following week. All of this took 4 hours.

Let me tell you...my jaw was so sore and I couldn't open my mouth more than an inch until the 3rd day.  I felt miserable after the numbing meds started to wear off, but I started feeling better about 10 pm the evening after amalgam removal. The  strange thing was that even though I felt sore and not so good from all the dental work, my brain was clear and my eyesight was great and I could see the TV in my room without glasses. I thought it might be from the 4 hours of oxygen I had during the dental work. Makes me think I should look into that!

One thing of note; the day after getting the amalgams removed I felt lighter or that the mercury burden was lighter. Kind of like when you get a hair cut. Someone else brought this up in the ACC group. Many agreed.

I went back the following week to get the final prep done for my 2nd crown. I made sure that I stopped all vitamin C three days ahead of time, just to be sure. When I went back in, the dentist gave me 2 shots of numbing medication and went to do a third, but I waved her off and said I didn't need it and that I was already really numb. She wanted to make sure the same thing wouldn't happen again. I told her it was because I hadn't stopped my vitamin C in time. Things went well and now I'm just waiting for my permanent crowns to come back so I can have those put on.

After this dental appointment, I wasn't that sore and could eat regularly the next day. It was a lot better than the first appointment.


I'll be making the 2nd appointment to get the remaining two teeth for the end of September. I'd do it sooner, but the ACC group says that your body starts to dump mercury 2-4 months after your last amalgams are removed and many people don't feel well. We have a wedding to go to at the end of October and I don't want to miss it.  I will start chelating after Christmas, which will be 3 months after the last amalgam removal.

Ever since the 3 amalgams were removed, I've started to make a little progress again. The most progress I've made has been the past 5 days because of something new I've been taking. I'm pretty excited about it and hope my new found energy continues.

I read about a lot of things and then try them, if they're not too expensive and of course, not dangerous to your health. 

Sorry to leave you hanging here, but I'll tell you about it next time!

Pam

Here is the status of my symptoms:

Numbness, tingling in feet - fluctuates, but seems to be getting better

dizziness/off balance- getting better 

brain fog- Haven't had any in the past week

blurry eyes - seems to have stablilized

urgency  (3) - still a problem

noise sensitivity (2)

startles easily- very little unless it's a really loud noise.

muscle pain -2 some days more, especially after working too hard.

muscle weakness- I think I'm getting stonger

high pitch ringing in the ears/low pitch ringing. High pitch comes and goes,

This list is getting shorter!

Here are some products I like and are currently taking:

These are affiliate links, which mean I'll make a small commission should you order from the link. Thanks!

May 17 Update

Hello Friends!

I hope you are doing well or are on your way to healing.
Just wanted to let you know how things are going with me.
Last time, I had been 4 weeks without brain fog. A few weeks after that, our daughter came for a visit (from SoCal), then I spent a week getting our taxes organized and ready for our accountant. I missed going to the chiropractor for those 2 weeks (chiro was sick, then didn't want to go during daughter's visit), then couldn't get in the following week because the chiropractor was booked. By the time I went back, the brain fog was back and my back and neck were worse off than ever.
I've gone back 3 weeks in a row for an adjustment and K-Laser treatment and the brain fog is better, but I still get bouts of it.

=
I went to see my integrative doc and had him run a bunch of labs. My liver enzymes have been high for at least a year, but seem to be getting higher. That may have something to do with the brain fog, so if you have brain fog, you might want to check your liver enzymes.

My chiropractor asked me how I was doing at an appointment and I said I was waking up at night every couple of hours and sometimes I couldn't get back to sleep for 2 hours. She said it that when you wake up at 2 or 3  to go to the bathroom, it's probably your liver. She confirmed what I had been reading. She asked if I was taking anything for that and I told her I just started  taking 1200 mg of milk thistle. She had me take home some Liverplex from Standard Process and gave me instructions on how to slowly build up to full dose. She said that Liverplex would bring down my liver enzymes and I'd sleep better. I started taking 1 a day and had no reaction. The 2nd day after I took one, I was able to sleep 6 hours straight! It's been a long time. The following night, however, I was back to getting up every 2 hours, but it still gave me hope!

I've been on the Livaplex for several weeks now, but I struggle to get that 3rd dose in . I have some good nights where I only wake up once, but the last 2 nights I was up 4 times. The good news is that I've been able to get back to sleep right away and haven't had any nights where I'm up for 2 or 3 hours. 

As for the dizziness and brain fog; they still plague me; the dizziness or off balance on many days. It's better on days when I sleep better, so I do everything I can to get better sleep on the nights before I have to drive to an appointment. I get brain fog when I do too much, which could be anything on days when I don't get enough sleep. On those days, I just try to relax, sit in the sun for 30 minutes, do something in the garden - but not overdo it or do something easy like laundry. 

I've met with a 2nd holistic dentist for amalgam removal and have scheduled an appointment for removing the fillings (and 1 crown) on the right side of my mouth. I'm so glad I went for a 2nd opinion even though the drive is 30 minutes instead of 15. I like this dentist better and the cost is lower. Even though she will do 2 additional crowns on 2 heavily filled lower teeth, the cost is about $1,300 lower than the first dentist, and that's with a $500 lab compatibility test. If I had gone to the new dentist and had to put a crown on those 2 lowers(not included in the estimate), the difference would have been $3,900.  That's a lot! The new dentist will also be doing ozone on the 4 teeth that have/will have crowns. Hopefully, all the mercury will be out of my mouth by the end of July. Then, I can start chelating in October. I plan to use the Andy Cutler Chelation method - but, more on that later. 

In the meantime, I'm continuing the K-Laser treatments at the chiropractor and look forward to them twice a month, still taking a maintenance dose of Advanced Biotic , Adaptogen Recovery, numerous other supplements and doing what I can to enjoy life. We spent a week at our Mountain Cottage working on our kitchen reno (my husband) and doing various maintenance projects. Here's a photo of the open shelving project that we just finished. You can read more HERE if you'd like to see more of the kitchen. 

That's all for now...

If you have any questions for me, feel free to leave a comment or contact me via email, listed on the sidebar.

Hope today is a good day for you.

Pam

Here is the status of my symptoms:

Numbness, tingling in feet - fluctuates

dizziness/off balance- seems to have been worse this month

brain fog- comes and goes in the afternoon

blurry eyes - a few days clear, then a few days blurry

urgency  (3) - still a problem

noise sensitivity (2)

startles easily- very little unless it's a really loud noise.

muscle pain -2 some days more, especially after working too hard.

muscle weakness (2)

high pitch ringing in the ears/low pitch ringing. High pitch comes and goes,

not being able to follow directions - hasn't been a problem - only a problem when I get brain fog.

97 - temp has been lower

Weight is stable at 130

March 2017 Update- Relief From Brain Fog

I have a great update to share with y'all!

It's been 4 weeks since I've had brain fog!

Let's back up a bit... This dizziness and brain fog didn't feel like lyme to me. Other than those 2 symptoms, I felt pretty good, but the brain fog and dizziness was pretty debilitating and I couldn't drive, I didn't have any energy, I was really clumsy, couldn't think and  couldn't function doing many things around the house.

I tried taking Jernigan Nutraceuticals Neuro Anti-tox, which helped my brain fog when it was caused by die off, but it didn't help this time.  I tried taking B vitamins and some others. Nothing seemed to help.

I kept reading and I couldn't find any answers, so I made an appointment with a new chiropractor and started going 2 times a week. She did adjustments, the Graston technique and K-laser on the super tight muscles in my neck. I was able to make it to the appointments the first week, but thank goodness my husband was able to drive me to a Friday appointment because the brain fog was bad and I felt awful. That was the last time I had brain fog.

After my fifth K- laser treatment, I felt pretty good. Just a bit of dizziness during the day, especially if I did too much, but no brain fog. I've been able to drive and get work done around the house since then. I still have neck and back tightness and some pain, but not having brain fog is a BIG DEAL!

There's still a lot of work to do on the tight muscles in my back and neck and will be going to the chiropractor often. I think having 2 K-laser treatments a month will help. Just so you know, K-laser is a brand of cold laser that helps your body heal.
Here's the video that explains how it works. 

K-Laser Mechanism of Action, Human from K-Laser on Vimeo. 


 You can find out more about K-Laser on their website HERE.

Some other good news- Last month I started to be able to ride in a car without it being a white knuckle ride. 

This. Is. Big. 

Being in a car used to cause me so much anxiety and it's nice to be able to go somewhere and be relaxed.
More good news: I've been able to go to church and not wear ear plugs during worship and the sermon. Yay! (Last Sunday after working too hard the previous day, I felt awful and wore them)

So, I think I have the brain fog and anxiety symptoms are taken care of. What about the other symptoms?

I still have some remaining symptoms that are irritating and one, in particular affects and limits my daily life. After reading Dr. Rawls' post on Bartonella again, I realize the remaining symptoms I have point to Bartonella. You can read Dr. Rawls' Bartonella post HERE. I've tried Buhner's protocol for Bartonella twice. Both times I could only stand it about a week or 2 before it got too bad and had to stop. I think I'll start some of the herbs and supplements again. I'm thinking the Sida Acuta is the herb giving me the horrible symptoms. We shall see. 

So here's my plan this month:

1- Chiropractic: adjustments weekly and K-Laser twice a month($50 a treatment)

2- Parasite Cleanse- ordered and received a parasite cleanse from Dr. Morse

3- Biological Dentist- 3rd appointment at the end of the month to discuss a treatment plan

4- Bartonella protocol- waiting until April to start. Daughter will be visiting and Taxes need to be organized, so I can't be sick right now. 

4- Vital Plan Supplements- Now on Advanced Biotic (previously called A-Biotic) and Adaptogen Recovery

6- Various supplements, especially Vitamin C, Magnesium, Zinc, Vitamin E, Lithium Orotate, Curcumin, Co Q 10, DigestEase, Ashwagandha, L-theanine, Selenium, Formula 303, Acetyl L Carnitine.

7. Migun Infrared Mat daily, Infrared sauna 3 to 4 times a week. 

That's it. Getting well isn't for the faint of heart. 

My husband Tim and I

Do something today to help yourself heal.

Hope today is a good day for you

Pam

Here is the status of my symptoms:

Numbness, tingling in feet - seems to be getting better

swollen pads on bottom of feet near toes-a little better

dizziness/off balance- better.

brain fog- seems to be gone!

difficulty finding words. 0

blurry eyes - a few days clear, then a few days blurry

urgency  (3) - still a problem

noise sensitivity (2)

startles easily- very little unless it's a really loud noise.

muscle pain -2 some days more

muscle weakness (2)

high pitch ringing in the ears/low pitch ringing. High pitch comes and goes,

not being able to follow directions - hasn't been a problem.

98 +   temp

Weight is stable at between 125 to 129

January 2017 Update

Hello friends!

Hope you are making progress and feeling a bit better each month. 

This update is long overdue and I apologize for not writing sooner. I've been pretty busy getting our new house organized. It's been 6 months and we're still sorting things out and getting things to where they belong.

Many of you know that I had been feeling really good with a lot of energy at the beginning of 2016 and I worked really hard getting our house ready to sell, sold it and moved, then moved to a new house 6 months ago. All of that stress caught up with me and I started feeling bad again. My brain fog had been worse than ever and I haven't been able to drive much. Many days I've been able to clean the whole house, do 4 loads of laundry, get in some rebounding and even a sauna and a shower, despite the dizziness that shows up all of a sudden.

I remember days when a shower is all I could manage- some days I couldn't even do that! I still have symptoms to work on and I'm not sleeping as well as I could, but I'm glad to have my head clear some days or even most of a day and to have some energy. I'm also happy to report that I've stopped losing weight and have even gained 12 pounds back! I'm now at a good weight and hopefully, that's where I'll stay.

My advice to y'all is not to overdo it for months or even days at a time. Take care of yourself! Eat food that heals, get some fresh air and a little exercise, if you can.

Now that we've settled a bit in our house and my dizziness is better and sometimes it's just off balance, plus the fact that it's January, I've made a plan for healing for this year.

1. I made an appointment to see a chiropractor...I stopped going to my chiropractor back in December of 2015 because I started working on getting our previous house ready to sell last January.

2. I made an appointment to see a holistic dentist to inquire about amalgam removal. I really want to get my amalgams out for a long time and this is the year to do it.

3. I've found a clinic less than 2 hours away from me that treats with IV ozone. I've been reading about ozone, joined Facebook groups to know more and am encouraged that it could help me get 100%.
I found a clinic that isn't too expensive (175 to see the nurse practitioner and 165 per IV ozone session) and was very professional and helpful. There are quite a few doctors who use ozone therapy across the US and around the world. If you'd like to know more about ozone, go to docrowen.com or look Dr. Robert J Rowen up on Facebook. He has a lot of good and informative posts.

our screened porch where I love to take breaks when it's nice outside

As for herbals, I'm finishing up my last month of the full Restore Program and will be going on a maintenance dose of A-biotic and Adaptogen Recovery. I still haven't treated Bartonella. I tried Buhner's protocol for it (again), but got the ice pick headaches again. I have added the herb houttuynia and I'm up to about 2 teaspoons a day. Instead of going through the hassle of putting it in capsules, I just mix a teaspoon at a time in a couple of ounces of water, then drink it. It doesn't taste good, but it's not bad either.

I've been getting in the infrared sauna 3-4 times a week for about a month now and feel pretty good after, although I HATE SWEATING! I'm also trying to walk 20 minutes several times a week. It's been warm enough here to do that and I'm thankful!

I don't make New Years Resolutions, but my goals this year are that I want to get rid of the following symptoms: 1. dizziness/brain fog 2. blurry eyes/stop worsening eyesight 3. bladder urgency, and of course, I'd like a little more energy!

One of the irritating symptoms that is mostly gone just within the last month is being startled at every single noise (someone sneezing, dropping something, etc.) and the anxiety of being in car when someone else is driving. Driving in a car had been a white knuckle ride for me and caused me so much anxiety. I've had a couple of days in the last month, where it's not been the case, but most days, I'm calm as we're driving down the street. In the past, I've always taken HPA Balance + an L-theanine before setting foot in a car, but I don't have to do that on most days. Some noises still startle me on some days, but overall, it's 90% better. I still have to wear earplugs when I sit in church (lights and noise) and am looking forward to the day when I don't.

the view from our porch at our mountain cottage

That's about all I have for an update.

Hope you are making some progress and I hope today is a good day for you.

Pam

Here is the status of my symptoms:

Numbness, tingling in feet - seems to be getting better

swollen pads on bottom of feet near toes-a little better

dizziness/off balance- comes and goes.

difficulty finding words  about a 2 when really tired

blurry eyes - a few days clear, then a few days blurry

urgency  (3) - still a problem

noise sensitivity (2)

startles easily (1) A few days, it's worse

muscle pain -2 some days more

muscle weakness (2)

high pitch ringing in the ears/low pitch ringing - high pitch is more present,

not being able to follow directions (2-3) -comes and goes- I think it's less.

98 +   temp

My lowest weight was 113 - which was getting scary - I'm now at 125