In case you haven’t picked up on this, we are big fans of herbs at Apogee Wellness. Herbs do not have the street cred they deserve. You never see commercials on television advertising black walnut tinctures, asking the viewer if they suffer from stomach pain, bloating, cramping, and suspect a parasitic infection as the camera pans left to see someone scratching their anus.
You know why you never see those commercials? Pharmaceutical companies cannot patent an herb. Therefore, not only will you not see high dollar advertisements for the herbs, you will not find studies to back herbs’ medicinal efficacy for various conditions. The money for research and development lies in patentable material.
I will have to say that commercial I would watch. Can you imagine? The narrator may say, “Side effects include: improved health, reduced bloating, and improved skin. Talk to your doctor before using as the detox of toxins may lead to the release of more toxins and require a binder. Do not take if you are pregnant or breastfeeding as the powers that be have not funded studies to ensure its safety in those instances.”
Therefore, Apogee Wellness docs, Dr. Chris and Dr. Emilea, rely on ancient wisdom as well as the beloved CPK technique to learn what the body most needs and why.
Conventional medicine lacks the ability to treat people suffering from chronic illnesses, such as Lyme disease. We at Apogee Wellness often treat patients that spent years, possibly decades, in the allopathic system, sent to specialist after specialist, and maybe even told it was all in their head! When, in reality, they suffer from a toxic terrain and need to systematically bring their body back into balance.
Giving a person with Lyme disease an antibiotic or any other pharmaceutical is like having a baby on a teeter totter and Shaquille O’Neal jumping on the other side. Herbs delicately bring the teeter totter into balance whereas pharmaceuticals launch your remaining life force into oblivion.
What Makes Herbs So Special?
Do you see the irony in our blind trust we place in man-made drugs that seemingly decent authority figures in white coats tell us will cure our ills but may create a list of unsettling effects in the meantime? We simultaneously look at an herb as if some patchouli smelling Cheech and Chong grew it for psychedelic trips and may cause versus cure dysentery?
People, especially those raised with western medicine, see themselves as dead within hours of consuming an herb like Christopher McCandless in “Into the Wild.” We completely discount the thousands of years humans used Mother Earth’s resources to safely treat disease.
Pharmaceuticals often start from a plant constituent that helps the body in one way, shape, or form. The synthetic version of that plant constituent becomes the ingested pill designed to cure what ails you but often upsets another apple cart within your terrain. The result of the upset apple cart leads you back into the clinic for yet another prescription while the root cause of the original issue still exists within your system.
The entire herb, on the other hand, inherently contains synergistic constituents that work in harmony with one’s system resulting in minimal, if any, side effects. In addition, the body does not build up an immunity to herbs unlike pharmaceuticals.
Herbs often act as the cell’s bullet proof vest, which it needs to combat the toxin. Generally, herbs bring the system into balance versus making the pendulum swing too far one way or another. For example, antibiotics will kill off all bacteria, good and bad. If one does not diligently and intentionally rebuild their good bacteria within their system after taking antibiotics, a cascade of problems will ensue. Whereas, herbs will intuitively bring the terrain into balance, killing and removing the guilty party wreaking havoc within the system.
Lyme-Disease Causing Bacteria Symptoms
Lyme disease is incredibly difficult to diagnose and often mimics other diseases and leads to several other diagnoses. Practitioners and patients feel like they are playing a game of “whack-a-mole” as they address one problem while a new one springs to the surface.
Babesia often shows up as low back pain, autoimmune issues, and kidney dysfunction. The dysfunction of the kidneys will lead to a surge of symptoms such as anemia and a B-12, copper, choline, folate, and betaine deficiencies. In addition, the waste byproduct of Babesia causes lymphatic congestion resulting in body pains.
Borrelia, a spirochete bacteria, burrows into tissues, muscles and discs with its corkscrew shape. Borrelia toxicity symptoms we see in our patients include the following:
Plantar fasciitis
Shoulder pain
Herniated discs
Organ dysfunction
Brain fog
ADHD
Visual disturbances
Learning disabilities
Insomnia/Trouble sleeping
Other misdiagnosis of Borrelia includes:
Lupus
Multiple sclerosis
Fibromyalgia
Chronic fatigue syndrome
Mental illnesses
Thyroid disease
Autoimmune diseases
Bartonella, a common co-infection of Borrelia, penetrates the cell wall unlike other vector-borne bacteria. In doing so, Bartonella changes the behavior of the cells. The cells will actually protect the bacteria at this point by creating a protective cyst.
Cysts from Bartonella wreak havoc on your organs such as your reproductive organs and liver. Other conditions such as varicose veins, endocarditis, lymphedema, and neuroretinitis.
Common symptoms of Bartonella include the following:
Brain fog
Fatigue
Fever
Headaches
Muscle pain
Poor appetite
Streaked rash that resembles stretch marks from pregnancy
Swollen glands around the head, neck, and arms
Less common symptoms include:
Abdominal pain
Anemia or low platelets
Bone pain mainly in the back, neck, and shoulders
Cognitive, psychological, and neurological symptoms
Difficulty swallowing and excessive thirst
New or persistent dry cough
Pain along the bra strap line
Plantar pain
Small skin bumps
Herbs for Treating Lyme Disease-Related Bacteria
Nature is a beautiful thing, isn’t it? Nature provides us with beautiful, phytonutrient-rich plants that also had to fight for survival and combat microbes. The plant adapts to these toxins and develops the phytochemicals necessary to kill off and protect it from a similar attack in the future. Their pain is our gain!
The little nasties that stealthily break our system down met their match, and no, you won’t find the supplements discussed produced in a lab. Rather, the supplements are grown in soil and produced by Mother Earth herself!
Borrelia, nicknamed “The Great Imitator,” can be taken down with the following herbs:
Smilax Officinalis: Native to Central and South America
Cat’s Claw: Also native to Central and South America and has the added benefit of balancing blood sugar and improving cardiac health.
Chinese Skullcap, aka Scutellaria Baicalensis: Staple herb used in Traditional Chinese Medicine
Black Walnut: Black walnut hulls, not the meat of the fruit, contain the medical traits extracted in tinctures.
Japanese Knotweed: Native to Asia and contains dynamic benefits.
Sweet Wormwood: Also known as Sweet Annie, is derived from Asian soil.
Babesia, the North American Malaria, also creates chronic symptoms that stump conventional doctors. However, herbs exist that effectively disarm Babesia cells such as:
Thera Supreme: This natural form of Vitamin C works as a powerful antioxidant. Thera has no known contradictions!
Camu: Aka Camu Fruit, is another natural antioxidant.
Lu Rong Supreme: Comprised of deer and elk antlers, Lu Rong, much like how antlers protect the deer, contains properties that strengthen our cells and rebuild tissues destroyed by invaders.
Shatavari Root: This herb is well known and commonly used in Ayurvedic medicine.
Sweet Wormwood, aka Sweet Annie Plant
Wormwood: This plant is commonly found in the United States and works well with black walnut to attack parasites.
Black Walnut
Chance Piedra: Known as the “stone breaker,” Chance Piedra is found in the Amazon Rainforest, which natives use to combat malaria.
Cat’ Claw
Bartonella, Ehrlichia, Mycoplasma, and other co-infections run rampant within the terrain of someone dealing with Lyme disease. Their detox and immune system slow and weaken, which cracks open the door for foes to roll in the kegs and start their party. As we’ve witnessed time and time again at Apogee Wellness, all is not lost! Herbs effectively bring order back to your house.
Suma Root: This herb is an adaptogen, which strengthens your body and its cells.
Black Walnut: Here we go again with this guy! Luckily, you will easily find black walnut trees in the United States. The beauty of using a locally made tincture of black walnut, or any herb for that matter, is that the hull of the tree will contain the phytochemicals needed to combat indigenous microbes found in your area! We are far more connected than we realize to nature!
Boneset Bark: Boneset acts as another great herb that provides a cellular bulletproof vest to combat invaders.
Manjistha Root: This plant is found throughout the East and is well known for its lymph system support and purification of the blood.
Sheep’s Sorrel
Houttuynia Cordata: This herb greatly benefits the removal of coinfections and their biofilms. Native to Asia, Houttuynia also aids in histamine reactions to allergens.
Oregano Oil: Yes, oregano like the herb you cook with, contains a crazy amount of antimicrobial benefits! Once again, if you can find one that is locally grown that had to fight for survival, you may want to snag a couple bottles!
Cat’s Claw: Obviously, Cat’s Claw's broad range of benefits greatly enhance our healing ability given the amount of times it showed up in today’s post!
Dan Shen Root: This herb improves cardiovascular health, dopamine production, and fights bad guys!
Cordyceps: Ah, fungi! Cordyceps is a powerful everyday adaptogen.
Morinda Citrifolia: Also known as noni, this herb even contains anti-cancer benefits!
The topic of herbs brings out the inner nerd, and likely the outer nerd, in us at Apogee Wellness! These powerful BA plants that Mother Nature provides blows us away every day in our practice.
We do find that the systematic and artistic approach to bringing balance back to each individual’s terrain takes a tremendous amount of skill, knowledge, and, at times, patience. We encourage you all to find a trusted, experienced practitioner or book a session with us.
Our craft is our passion, and that includes using these powerful herbs to help our clients live a happy and fulfilling life!