Creating a Sacred Healing Space

Most lyme patients spend a LOT of time in bed. Because of this, I would say that one of the most important things you could possibly do is make your bedroom as much of a "healing space" as humanly possible. There are several simple adjustments you can do to make it so - here are a few suggestions. 

• Stagnant energy is the very last thing that is wanted for any kind of "healing" to take place. Remove all clutter, throw away anything not needed...the idea is to create more space, not stuff it with "things".
• Doorways are very important in relation to how you are facing them while you sleep. Make sure to align your bed so that you can both see, but not be in a direct line with your main bedroom doorway. Don't be afraid to "cut a corner" if you need to in order to have your bed facing the doorway at a diagonal. You can always hang plants, or buy an easel to place an inspirational painting or picture in that corner behind your bed if you decide to go this way.
• Never place your bed directly under a window! This has a tendency to drain energy, which is the exact opposite of what you want.
• As far as bed frames and blankets go. Never go "vertical". If you have a headboard or footboard on your frame with vertical rods in the design - get rid of it! The same goes for vertical patterns on comforters and blankets. Always go with horizontal or non-linear patterns otherwise.
• Forget about beds that are 10 feet off the ground (lol). You are healing, you need to be grounded, soooo - get closer to it!
• Colors for your bedroom are usually an individual preference. However, earth-toned colors, in my opinion, are the most healing and grounding. 

• For those of you who have severe sensory overload issues or EMF sensitivities, one of the MOST valuable tool I've ever come across to help relieve this are Nikken Magnetic Products. I myself own a magnetic mattress pad, comforter, pillow and shoe insoles.  Due to the cost, it has taken me quite awhile to accrue these items, but I NEVER go anywhere without them! If I do - I immediately notice the difference. If you have any doubts about the therapeutic nature of Nikken Magnetic Technology, try buying a pair of shoe insoles first. If you don't immediately feel a comforting energetic barrier start to surround you, forget the rest : ) You can purchase these products at www.Nikken.com 

• Moving past the bed itself... Buy Salt Tealight Candles or Lamps and light them often. Salt candles releases positive ions, cleanses the aura, the energy of a room, and provides a comforting luminescence while you sleep. (Click on image to purchase.)

• Sage often with smudge sticks. This ancient Native American Art is palpable - you can literally feel the negative and/or stagnant energy from a room leaving when you do this. (Click on image to purchase.)
  
  

• Remove as many EMF-producing producing products from your bedroom as possible. TV's, computer's, cellphones etc. If you can't remove them, at least unplug them while you are sleeping. EMF's produce negative ions, are shown to weaken the immune system and even cause depression...(hence - the salt candles : )
• Create a "Vision Board" and hang it on a wall in your bedroom. A vision board should consist of images and words using any kind of medium that you can creatively think of to literally show you what you WANT in your life. If you're sick, obviously images of health and healing, energy, vibrance, freedom etc are thoughts that all should come to mind. Cut out pics in a magazine, or paint them on a canvas...or - do both!! Make it evoke an emotion that gives you the will to strive forward, even on your worst days. Look upon your vision board every day and know that this IS your future...

This is just an example...Be Creative!

• Assign an area in your bedroom (different from your actual bed) where you can either make an altar or simply place a chair; a place where you can go to everyday and practice a healing art. Whether it be prayer, reiki, meditation, chanting, sitting with mudras or just listening to healing music, create a space that is ONLY reserved for when you are practicing this healing art. Let nobody else into this area. This is your space to heal. You'll notice with time that it will actually start to have a certain energy to it, a healing energy filled with the sum of every accumulated healing effort you have put into it. Eventually, just sitting in this space will be a healing experience.
• Does anyone ever think about what they do when they first wake up in the morning? Lol - I know from experience that to most Lyme patients, this is the absolutely worst part of the day. (Aghhhh- I can't believe I have to get through another day of this!!! - type feeling, right?) Here's something that may help...Pick out a tiny prayer, saying, affirmation or mantra that suits you and immediately repeat it three times when you first wake up. Then, have a glass of purified water, a "green" vitamin powder, and a spoon within reach. The very first thing you should put into your body after your prayer is something nutrient dense, and a green drink fits the bill. After YEARS of trying nearly every kind of multivitamin supplement known to man, I can honestly say that absolutely nothing compares to Vitamineral Greens by Health Force. If you are interested in purchasing this amazing product click on the image below.

Lastly, I know that you may need help in creating your healing space - don't be afraid to ask someone to help you set it up! 

Note: A lot of the suggestions made here follow Feng Shui principles. If you would like to know more about this ancient art, I highly recommend reading the following book: (Click on image to purchase.)

I sincerely hope you find at least some of these suggestions helpful and wish you all the best, with days filled with an abundance of love and healing.

Sarah : )


PS. I know that for a lot of us, leaving the house is often a challenge in itself, so if you are interested in purchasing the salt candles or lamps, tealights, Feng Shui book, sage, and vitamineral greens that are mentioned in this post all at once, I have added them to my "Amazon Store" (link on top corner of page) for your convenience. All of the products except for the vitamineral greens are in the "Sacred Spaces" section. The greens are under "Nutrients". Nothing like having healing stuff delivered right to your door : )

Food matters...

I recently put up a new page on this site entitled "Healing Recipes for Lymies", and felt the need to expand on the topic of food, and how crucial it is to have a VERY specific diet while you are sick. 


That diet is widely known as the "pH Diet" or "Alkaline Diet" (I'm pretty sure most of you have already heard of this...) If you do not know what I'm talking about, I would highly recommend you buy and read the updated and revised edition of the book, "The pH Miracle, by Dr. Robert and Shelley Young". It not only explains why you need to follow this diet, but offers a step by step guide on how to make the transition, AND it also provides a section chock full of recipes to get you started.


If you would like to buy the book on Amazon, here is a quick link:





On the flip side, if you'd prefer the "cliff notes" version, here's the premise and basic idea:

• "pH" used in this context refers to how "acidic" or "alkaline" (another term for "base or basic" used in chemistry) your body is. The symbols "+" mean alkaline, and "-" mean acidic.
• Your body goes to GREAT lengths to maintain a steady and slightly alkaline blood pH level of 7.4. This is because ALL metabolic processes and functions of the body depend on it in order to stay healthy.
• The foods you ingest metabolize in the body and, depending on what you eat, can either create a more acidic or alkaline environment. The higher the acidity of the food you eat, the more energy your body has to spend to normalize your pH level again. If done on continuous basis, your body simply cannot keep up, becomes more acidic than it should be, and you slowly start to get sick.
• Harmful bacteria, parasites, fungi, etc THRIVE and depend on an acidic environment to survive and multiply. Um - Lyme IS considered to be a VERY harmful bacteria...do I really need to say anymore??

Like any and all life changing events, the first six weeks will be the hardest. I remember there being times where the cravings I had for the foods that were "off limits" where SO bad, that I actually had to grab onto something grounded to prevent me from going out and getting it! (*Note: This tactic has about a 50% success rate, but it's worth a try : ) 
Just keep at it - it will pass; the cravings you are experiencing are actually those "harmful bacterias" begging for food! Once they die from starvation, you will no longer experience these cravings - in fact, you will even wonder why you would ever want to eat those things in the first place.


*Note: I consider this diet to be a "Transition in Bodily Awareness". This means that you will find yourself going from, "I'm eating this because it tastes good, comforts and distracts me from my stressful day, but man, do I feel like shit and wish I could go to sleep afterwards" to, (eventually), "I'm eating this because it tastes good, is good for my body, makes makes me feel less stressful about my day and, my god!, I can't believe how much energy and mental clarity I have afterwards!"


Below is a very helpful chart and can be used as a rough guideline to what you can and cannot eat. The diet says that 80% of what you eat should be alkaline (left side of chart), 20% can be slightly acidic (middle part of chart), and that you should try to avoid eating anything that is highly acidic (right side of chart). 

Now, of course, the pH level of the body is just one of many factors that determine overall health and vitality. For example, the diet calls for a vegetarian diet, and besides the moral issues surrounding eating meant and dairy, I cannot say that it is something that works for everyone.


 I'm aware that the book "Eat Right for your Blood Type" is only a theory, but my blood type is O+, and because of that, the book adamantly calls for meat. Why? Because "O" stands for "oldest", meaning that I have the oldest blood type, the blood type of the "hunters and gatherers", and therefore would thrive on a diet that is similar to what they would eat. 


Unfortunately, I have tried to be a vegetarian, but really do feel better when I'm not. The compromise: I only eat Grass fed, Free Range, Anti-biotic Free meats about four times a month. 


Let me give you another example. About 80% of the population has had a cold sore at some point in their life. If you have a strong immune system you usually don't have to worry about this. But Lymies immune systems are often very weak...why am I mentioning this? The above chart says that almonds are "awesome" for you, but what you may not know is that almonds contain a huge amount of the amino acid L-Arganine, and this particular amino acid triggers cold sores, shingles or any other type of virus in the herpes family in people who have weakened immune systems. You do not want to activate a latent virus while trying to heal from a bacterial infection! The Compromise: Either avoid almonds or counteract the L-Arganine effects by eating foods or taking supplements that have Lysine (another amino acid) in them.


Before I end this post, let me give you some other tips I've learned  that I hope you find helpful if you plan on making this transition:

1. Ezekiel Brand breads, wraps, pastas, and cereals are an amazing substitution for the carbs you are not allowed to eat, but make you feel more "grounded", and can usually be found in the freezer section of your local grocery store. If it's not there try Trader Joe's, Mrs. Green's, or Whole Foods - they will definitely carry it.
2. Unless the only reason you are eating vegetables is to increase bowel movements, do not cook them! Raw vegetables are the best, but if you can't tolerate it, learn the art of steaming. You'll know when to stop steaming when the vegetables turn bright green. This will insure that all of the many wonderful qualities and nutrients the vegetables contain (the very reason your eating them!) will be intact when you consume them. Also, juicing and creating smoothies with veggies are awesome! If you can't stand the taste of the smoothies you create, add Emergen-C packets to them. Bottom Line: Invest in a blender and juicer...
3. Water, Water, Water! Everyone knows to drink water, but I have two suggestions: at the very least, get a Britta filter - you can literally taste the difference...and, try adding fresh lemon juice and a dash of cayenne to your water. Lemon acts as an astringent for your cells and cayenne promotes increased circulation and lymphatic drainage.   
4. Although called for, please do not eat soy products (with the exception of organic edamame). Nowadays, all soy beans grown in mass production are genetically modified and harmful to your body. Don't believe me? Watch the documentary, "Food, Inc".
5. Still not convinced you should stop drinking coffee?? Well...besides being extremely acidic, coffee wears down the lining of your intestinal wall, overworks your nervous system by putting you into a constant "fight or flight" state, wears out your already "stressed out" adrenal glands, and after drinking one cup of coffee, it takes two cups of water just to get back to the level of hydration you were at before you had your cup of coffee in the first place!
6. Can't go without chocolate? Neither can I...go to your natural food store and buy the 100% sugar free Mayan Cocoa Powder "superfood". (It is not the same thing you will find in your grocery store's baking section!) It is organic, and is processed at a very low temperature which leaves all of it's amazing nutrient, mineral, and anti-oxidant properties intact. I usually warm it on the stove with unsweetened rice milk as my own version of "hot cocoa". Also, ever hear the saying that chocolate induces the same chemical affects in the brain as having sex? They're right! Did you know that chocolate and cocaine actually come from the same source...they BOTH have amazing dopamine-enhancing affects on the brain, only chocolate isn't as intense, and doesn't share the same extremely harmful consequences as using cocaine, nor does it share its pitfalls after you stop using it...and (of course) - it's legal! 
7. I'm sure you've all heard of the new fad of the decade...three meals a day is out, and five small meals per day is in. I totally support this idea and recommend you try it as well. However, while doing this, please remember the following two things. Try not to eat anything after 7:00pm...your body has a TON of things to do while you are asleep and adding digestion to that list is a BIG no no. The perk you'll get from doing this? - you will lose a lot of excess weight. The other thing...when you do eat fruits, eat them apart from anything else. Your body has its own agenda on which foods it attempts to digest first... The rule of thumb is this: Whichever food takes the longest for your body to break down, that will be the one it goes for first. Fruit is VERY simple to digest, and if you eat it after consuming carbs and some meat, it will literally sit there for hours and start to ferment until your body is able to get to it.

Okay!! That's about it...long post - hope it makes a difference : )

Sarah

Welcome to my "Slice of Lyme"

Several times I’ve been asked to write a detailed account of my life with Lyme, but have always felt a kind of irony in doing so, as I don’t even know if there are words that can capture such an experience… Recently however, I've decided to take on this rather challenging task and promise to do my best - with the hopes that from it you will understand the unique circumstance I, and thousands of others like me are in. I'd like to take this opportunity to not only tell my story, but to offer support, love, and helpful ideas for my fellow "Lymies". I've found that this is often an illness that precipitates seclusion and reclusive behavior (and for good reason) - which is unfortunate and, through this media, is something that I'd like to help remedy if at all possible. Nothing like a good "community" feel - right? The other intended purposes of this blog is to hopefully do the following:
• 1. Raise awareness about the devastating affects of Late Stage Lyme Disease and their Co-Infections.
• 2. Provide information about the disease that will help both patients and their often bewildered caretakers. There will be support links, research links, healing ideas, recipes and meditations to practice -- and if all else fails - a page whose sole purpose is to make you LAUGH (for those really, really bad days : )
• 3. Share my experiences with this illness in hopes that it will help people who aren't affected by this disease understand what an extremely difficult climate it is to be in, and why so many people just aren't getting better. For those that DO have Lyme, I pray that at least some of the stories I have to tell will provide relief in knowing that you are not the only one going through this!
• 4. To generate much needed income for necessary medical treatments, not only for myself, but for others like me who simply don't have the means. There are several ways to do this, through online donations, by clicking on those damn "Adsense" links (an unfortunate necessity), through "Gratitude Paintings" (more on this later), or by being sponsored by a third party. Um...at this time I honestly don't know what that means, but I'm sure I'll find out (lol).
• 5. To give people like me HOPE! Such a beautiful, and empowering thing...

Before I finish my very first post, I'd like to point out that some of the things I will be telling you may seem contrary to popular belief, and in some instances downright blasphemous to the medical community. My only response to this well-known controversy is to simply say that I agree. There is a big conflict here and it saddens me.

With all of the respect I hold for Western Medicine, admiring and acknowledging leaps made and boundaries crossed over the past hundred years, I cannot put aside my visceral experience of this illness no matter how much I would like to.

Anyone can read something and understand it, but experiencing that something leads beyond a simple understanding to a complete and cemented knowing of it that cannot and will not be shaken from me.

Finally, I'd like to tell you that you are about to follow a 9 year story still in the making, chock filled with every kind of theatrical element invented, and I do intend to take a "No Holds Bar" approach to it, so sit back, relax and enjoy the ride!

Sarah