Two of my children are battling lyme disease. I think I have it too and that it is the reason my wd is so hard. Who knows? I am researching lyme treatments that may help with benzo wd. I ran across these two easy exercises on Perry Field’s website, thetickslayer.com. I am doing them now to hopefully boost my energy and help me reduce stress. Let me know if you try them and how they make you feel.
I find it alarming hat that so many who are dealing with benzo withdrawal, also get diagnosed by naturopaths with either lyme disease or adrenal fatigue. One could jump to the conclusion that we are very fragile and desperate while in withdrawal, and by that note willing to accept questionable treatments.
As a part of a study, three of my friends who study medicine were tested using the ELISA model, and then by a naturopath. All 3 had negative results from the ELISA test, but 2 out of 3 were positive according to the naturopath test. All three are in perfect health, but would most likely have undergone unnecessary, and possible harmful treatment, if suffering from benzo withdrawal, instead of doing a study.
If we lay our health in the hands of alternative medicine, we HAVE TO read up on the speculations of false positive tests, before we can decide whether or not it is advisable to undergo treatment.
I wrote this comment to let people know that it is a question of faith, if you believe the word of the alternative medicine scene regarding Lyme Disease, and the alternative testing they use.
No doubt lyme disease is a controversial dx. My son Louis tested negative on the CDC standard test, but was positive by the “gold” standard in lyme testing, Igenix labs. He certainly has all the sx of lymes disease. I was positive on their test as well, with a number of bands showing. It’s the same type of testing the CDC uses, but they consider a positive with less bands than the CDC. Do I have lyme on top of wd? I don’t know. I am not saying what I have is only lyme, if I have it at all. But I do want to look at some of the ways people treat lyme (NOT the antibiotics) with good nutrition, minerals, oil of oregano etc. The idea is if you build your body your immune system can take care of the lyme. My twins have very bad immune systems, their numbers are horrible on standard testing, and they are taking herbs and nutrients to build themselves back up.
For those of us who have been suffering a long time, I think it is reasonable to want to build the body up as much as possible. We dont know what causes a protracted withdrawal. Do we have immune systems out of whack? Do some of us have genetic mutations that would respond to nutrients such as the MTHFR mutation. I do have that one and I am not taking anything for it. It seems that those who got hit so hard quickly must have a genetic makeup that puts them at risk for the damage benzos do. We have people who were badly hurt after a few months, not years. Some can wean off with very little problems. One woman was on Valium 13 years and tapered with only tingles in her hand. So what makes our brains so different?
I posted the exercises as a way to possibly help with building up energy. EFT works, so these exercises look interesting. I am not suggesting that people have lyme disease NOT wd. That would be silly. But to say unequivocally that everyone in wd is free from any other illness isn’t responsible either. My friend is in wd and has MS. Another has lymes and is in wd b/c he was put on a benzo to treat the anxiety lyme disease causes.
I agree that lyme is a controversial illness, but it is a real illness. People suffering from it are often told it is all in their heads. It can take a long time to recover, much like wd. I believe both illnesses, wd and lyme, need to be studied more. It would be nice if we understood what caused the benzo wd sx. Is it just lack of working GABA receptors. I doubt it. Maybe one day we will know.
I am sitting here today and thinking about the Ashton manual and all the talk of acute and protracted withdrawal. I feel that after much reading and forums, we need to rethink the time limits put upon ourselves from the professionals for complete recovery. The average w/d time is more like A year or more, no matter the amount taken or length of time of usage. I don’t read many 6 mo healings but I know people that do heal quicker may not report it or go on forums. I also know that so many things enter into healing – genetics, metabolism, health, age……on and on. But, still, so many of us believed we would not be suffering this long. Certainly me considering no more than 2 mg of klonopin for a month, no more than 2mg of Xanax for 3 1/2 mo. And I was in tolerance w/d very quickly so I pretty much ct’d.
I guess my point is, this is a much more involved process than any of us every imagined
And keeping positive and accepting it all is not easy. I admire Bliss and sincerely appreciate
All her wonderful support and uplifting coping techniques, but, for me, it all made me feel I would be feeling much more improved by now. But instead, I seem to be going backwards. But, we have no choice but to push Forward, believe with all our heart and soul that we are healing every day. I will continue to believe as Don and Bliss says that we will all heal,
It just takes time and……tremendous courage and strength which everyone of us has.
Anyone else have any thoughts on this?
Karen