Editor's Note: This article has been published in partnership with Meridians, JAOM. For a different perspective on Lyme disease please visit meridiansjaom.com.
Can you imagine the suspense of a blindfolded knife thrower throwing knives at a real person? On America's Got Talent in 2016, a husband and wife did exactly that. The wife stood still while her blindfolded husband threw knife after knife, missing her by only inches. Their act got high marks by the judges on the show. How is a blindfolded knife act similar to treating Lyme disease and chronic infection patients? After receiving multiple treatment protocols with little results, many Lyme disease patients are afraid that their remedies will miss the target.
In the beginning of my practice, I saw great improvements in my chronic pain and fibromyalgia patients, which led me to think that Chinese medicine was capable of conquering infections including Lyme disease. For over 20 years, I have treated nearly 1,000 patients diagnosed with tick borne infections. Oftentimes, I have found that my Lyme disease patients require more treatments and remedies than my other chronic illness patients.
Patients That Keep You Up at Night
I started off treating Lyme patients with just acupuncture to treat their underlying deficiencies and to resolve their symptoms. I also gave these patients high doses of raw and powder-ed antimicrobial Chinese herbs to be cooked up at home. If they still reported symptoms, then I would try Toyohari-style treatments. Even though I was throwing everything I had at these patients, several of them continued to report relapsing symptoms. In search of better treatments, I would search online at night for better ways to help these patients.
People diagnosed with Lyme disease were my first group of keep-me-up-at-night patients. Unfortunately, ticks can carry over 80 different infections and patients are rarely tested for anything else besides Borrelia/Lyme disease. I scanned the internet for herb remedies, treatments, and anything that would help me with patients with relapsing brain fog, chronic fatigue, tremors, and swollen, achy joints. I talked with colleagues, went to conferences, and learned from natural medicine providers from other disciplines.
Most providers were talking about their protocols for antibiotics or herbs. I tried multiple antimicrobial herbal protocols with some good and not so good results. I realized that I needed to find a better system that was able to accurately diagnose and effectively treat my patient's underlying conditions. I got a lucky break at a retreat in Oregon.
Clinical Pearl #1 Gu Syndrome Treatment Strategy
I had the profound luck to have worked in a leadership training company with Dr. Heiner Fruehauf's wife. At one of our company retreats. Dr. Fruehauf invited me to attend one of his classes on Gu Syndrome that he hosted in his awesome home.
The Gu Syndrome treatment framework was a huge breakthrough for me in how it described a layered treatment approach and new herbs for treating chronic Gu infections. My biggest takeaways were the Gu Syndrome herbs for treating toxins, inflammation, Qi, blood, Yin, Yang, pain, emotions, and killing infections.
Another huge insight - it may be necessary to dispel the bad spirits or demons that can underlie stubborn symptoms. Gu Syndrome literature identifies many different kinds of pathogens and toxins that can create a infinite array of symptoms which can take several years to treat. In order to create more effective and less costly patient improvements, I searched for a better way to identify and target the underlying Eastern and Western medicine causes of illness.
Clinical Pearl #2 Electro Dermal Screening (EDS) to Identify Underlying Causes
I met Dr. Michael Payne, at a physician's round-table conference in Virginia Beach, who used a Electro Dermal Screening (EDS) system to identify specific electrical frequencies of over 500 underlying infections, toxins, inflammatory compounds in autism spectrum-patients. The EDS system could also detect the levels of stress in tissues, organs, and systems of the body.
This system was based on EAV technology (Electro-Acupuncture According to Voll), which is a scanning technology invented by the German medical doctor and acupuncturist, Dr. Reinhold Voll, MD. My NASA engineering training led me to be skeptical at first. Then I found that the data from the EDS scan was extremely helpful in developing highly customized treatments and remedies for targeting specific infections, toxins, and inflammatory compounds.
My Lyme disease patients scanned positive for multiple tick co-infections including Babesia, Mycoplasma, Ehrlichia, nematodes, viruses, and parasites. I was gob smacked at how many different issues came up as a top treatment priority. They also scanned positive for specific mold toxins, liver / gall bladder congestion, leaky gut, heavy metals, and neurological inflammatory compounds called cytokines. At another conference, I discovered how I could treat specific cells, tissues, and regions of the brain with healing frequencies.
Clinical Pearl #3 Frequency Specific Microcurrent for Reducing Persistent Brain Symptoms
Patients with Lyme disease often report relapsing neurological symptoms as a top concern. These symptoms may present in several different ways: brain fog, memory recall difficulties, headaches, brain swelling, vision problems, tremors, speech difficulties, mobility issues, and/or hypersensitivity to light, sound, odors and other stimuli.
One of the more difficult challenges I struggled with was how to reduce infections, toxins, and inflammation in specific areas of the brain that were identified in Western and EDS scans. Scalp acupuncture, electroacupuncture on head points, herbal remedies that affect the brain, even cupping and bloodletting on the head was helpful for relieving symptoms. However, when patients said that their neurological symptoms continued to relapse, I felt the need for a more targeted central nervous system treatment. Fortunately, I met Dr. Shannon Goossen, an acupuncture doctor from Florida at a conference, who also was a lead instructor in Frequency Specific Microcurrent (FSM) therapy.
One of the amazing benefits of FSM is it's ability to send healing frequencies into specific tissues, cells, and organs. I use FSM as a super targeted electroacupuncture. Using the EDS scan to identify specific areas of the nervous system that are infected, toxic, and inflamed, I custom program antimicrobial, antitoxin, and anti-inflammatory frequencies into those regions. FSM can deliver healing frequencies for improving memory, cognition, sensory processing, mobility, and tremors.
These customized frequencies are amazing at quickly reducing pain, swelling, hypersensitivity, cognitive and other neurological issues. FSM is also very effective at reducing discomfort, inflammation, and toxicity in other organs like the liver, intestines, and the lymphatic system. In addition to FSM, bee venom can help with reducing symptoms of neurological infections.
Clinical Pearl #4 Bee Venom Therapy for Reducing Neurological Infections
Multiple tick infections have been detected in the brains of patients including Borrelia/Lyme disease, Bartonella, Babesia, Mycoplasma, and Ehrlichia. These infections can become drug resistant and hide within biofilms, which also increases resistance to antibiotics and natural remedies. In lab studies, a peptide in bee venom called melittin inhibits Borrelia, Mycoplasma, and protozoa infections similar to Babesia. Patients can have a topical solution of bee venom applied to their head to target neurological Borrelia, Babesia, and Mycoplasma. And other patients have seen dramatic improvement in memory acuity, cognitive functions, and neurological inflammation when they have inhaled bee venom into their sinuses.
Caution: bee venom can create a severe die-off or Herxheimer reaction in the brain and should only be used with a trained practitioner. Bee venom also contains many compounds which inhibit inflammation and have anti-biofilm properties, which may also help with reducing neurological symptoms. In addition to bee venom, herbs and essential oils can be reformulated into a microparticle that penetrates deeper into the brain and into cells where toxins and infections like to hide out.
Editor's Note: The second part of this article will appear in the October issue.
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As modern medical standardization continues, the field of traditional Chinese medicine has the advantage of comprehensive personalization. For rare or complex cases, deeper consideration of constitution is invaluable. Proper constitutional assessment, especially with first-time clients, can guide desirable and predictable outcomes. This leads to a higher rate of return, and greater trust between you and your patient.
Though the creation of a financially sustainable, health-promoting model feels far away today, we are casting a vision for a full return on health, believing that this compels us to keep one foot firmly rooted in caring for the sick and the other foot firmly founded in maintaining health. Shifting from a fee-for-service model to value-based care using a phased approach is paramount.
Traditional Chinese medicine and the Vedic traditions both offer rich frameworks for understanding human health, emphasizing the balance of physical, mental, and spiritual aspects. The concept of "souls" or spiritual components in TCM, namely Hun, Po, Shen, Yi, and Zhi, bears significant similarities to the yogic concept of koshas. Their similarities and differences provide insights into how these systems contribute to holistic health practices.
