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Thursday, September 21, 2017

The Teachings of Lyme

As a Lyme literate shamanic herbalist, I am faced with the prospect of Lyme's existence having a greater purpose in the scheme of reality. This is not a popular concept. When broaching this subject with clients, western medical practitioners, and the average every day Jane and Joe, they usually screw up their faces in dismissive distaste or their jaw slightly drops with astonishment. I can almost hear the voices in their heads saying, "Are you crazy?! This is a disease that causes great pain and suffering! Lyme is the enemy we are trying to eradicate!" Yet every day that I work with my own personal health and relationship to Lyme, let alone with my clients', I can not dismiss the fact that I am experiencing profound teachings. What if Lyme is here to help humanity right its relationship to itself and the beautiful planet we live upon. At a recent board of health town meeting here on Nantucket Island, I brought up the question of Lyme being Mother Nature's way of attempting to bring into balance the most invasive species on the planet, humans. We are a part of nature. We are not the controlling force. No matter how hard we try to convince ourselves otherwise, we are a part of the great ebb and flow. And when she is out of balance, Mother Nature will make adjustments. When people ask me why I think Lyme is so virulent at this point in humanity's existence, my answer is that we are out of relationship to our environments: our own internal environment and the natural environment that surrounds us. When we eat processed foods and drink coffee, when we ingest antibiotics, when our sugar intakes are through the roof, when we do not get enough quality sleep, when we do not exercise, when our stress levels are out of control, and we have no deep connection to our spirits, our internal environment can not maintain a healthy balance. This is the optimum condition for Lyme and the Co-Infections to thrive. It is not their fault that we have given them the perfect environment. When humanity poisons the earth with pesticides, rips it apart with fracking and digging for oil, when larger mammals have no place to roam and can not survive, when we deforest the surface of the planet, Lyme ends up in our back yards because it has no place else to go. Once again, it is not their fault that we have given them the perfect environment in which to thrive. Every day I continue my studies with Lyme and every day I am in awe of its capabilities and beauty. Yes, I said it, beauty. The first time I saw how a spirochete moves within the human body I remember staring with my mouth open and thinking, "How gorgeous!" There are very few beings that can rotate their DNA structure at will. There are very few beings that can adapt at their level. There are very few beings that work together as effectively as they do for their collective betterment. And.......here's the truly interesting part, if our health is in balance, they live symbiotically with us. No muss, no fuss. It all comes down to the fact that those of us who have Lyme can not easily blame an outside force. We need to start by taking a long hard look within. If you have Lyme or one of the Co-Infections, think about what your life was like in the year prior to your symptoms showing up. Were there any stressful conditions you had been dealing with? How was your diet? Had you been pushing to the point that your health was starting to deteriorate already? Did you have healthy boundaries with your body, your work and your relationships? For most people with Lyme, there is a tipping point and most can identify it once they answer the above questions. It is the place where you have to start in order to rebuild your relationship with Lyme. I often say to my clients that Lyme is one of the greatest gifts that I have ever received.  I have learned to put my money where my mouth is. I have had to rework my diet, my stress levels, my relationships to people and work, build a deep and loving connection to my spirituality, and have been given the opportunity to help others bring balance to their relationships with personal, public and universal environments. There is no drug or herb on the planet that will help bring Lyme into balance unless the above categories have been addressed. The reworking of the diet alone, can reduce symptom pictures from 40-80%! Lyme is giving humanity the opportunity to take responsibility for its actions and make a change. And yes, Lyme can be an unforgiving teacher. If you don't make a change, it hurts. It can really really hurt! But once you do make the changes, there will be a day where you will wake up and realize who you have become because of the gift that Lyme has given you.