Tag: wellness

Posted in ASD, Inflammation, PANDAS, PANS

Anti-Inflammatory for ASD/PANDAS/PANS

Posted on by Annie Eskeldson

I have been trying a new anti-inflammatory for use with PANDAS/PANS flares. It’s called Panda Bear and is a supplement produced by Spectrum Awakening. The company belongs to Dr Skowron who has specialized as a physician for the children and families of the autism community. He is recognized by TACA, The Autism Hope Alliance, RFK Jr, Temple Grandin, and others. I found him about six months ago after RFK Jr announced that Leucoverin improved the symptoms found in autism, including bringing about speech.

I know many of my readers are rolling their eyes, thinking ‘whoop-di-do’ since we have known this info for a couple of decades; it was not earth shattering by any means. And, I agree with you. The good news; however, is that we are no longer censored (at least not as bad as we used to be.) And, because it had been several years since I explored Leucovin (high dose folinic acid), as it was not successful for us; I decided it was worth another look.

I quickly found Dr. Skowron and Autism Awakening where I was able to find Leucovin as Folinic Acid that I could purchase without a prescription. To my surprise, I also found an anti-inflammatory for PANDAS/PANS.

Below is some information about the anti-inflammatory ingredient in the PANDA Bear supplement. It is fat soluble, so it does not dissolve in water or juice. It is tasteless, and, as you know I like to keep short accounts with supplements, so we just go ahead and take the straight powder right off the measuring spoon. I suggest 1/8 tsp (or less if you need) up to 3 times a day. Dr. Skowron is very clear about the subjectivity of the supplements; everyone is so different. Low and slow is often our motto and Dr. Skowron often states that supplements are by trial and error, each patient is different so starting low and working up slow is essential to minimizing effects you don’t want and maximizing the ones you do.

As a Biofeedback Specialist myself, vitamins A,D,E, and K are commonly deficient in clients’ scans. PANDA Bear provides these as high quality ingredients, but they also add PEA which is Palmitoylethanolamide. That might be new to you, it sure was to me. But below is some actual research on the substance. I’ve included some conclusions and discussions from the research for brevity but provided links so that you can study it further.

Also, those of you familiar with ATEC, did you know there is a PTEC (for PANDAS/PANS)? The link is just below. The PTEC is the same kind of measurement tool as the ATEC. Whether you are at a baseline with no flares, in a brand new flare, or one that is dragging on, this will be a great way to gauge your protocols as you see/don’t see improvement. Here is the link.

STUDIES on PEA

1.Low-dose combination of ultramicronized palmitoylethanolamide and docosahexaenoic acid on neurosteroid and neuroinflammatory dysregulation in autism spectrum disorders.

Overall, our findings demonstrate the potential synergistic effect of the low-dose combination of PEA-um and DHA, confirming their therapeutic effect in ASD and the involvement of neurosteroids in their mechanism of action.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1878747925002946

2. Palmitoylethanolamide and Its Biobehavioral Correlates in Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Systematic Review of Human and Animal Evidence

This review revealed a paucity of observational and experimental investigations of PEA and its pathway in ASD. However, the 10 studies discussed here seem to converge in reporting alterations of the PEA signaling, implications for ASD-related biobehavioral manifestations, and benefits from PEA supplementation. In particular, PEA may be useful in improving language difficulties and stereotypic behavior as well as in controlling hyperactivity and irritability which co-occur frequently in ASD. Notably, no serious adverse effects were observed with the administration of the compound in all human studies reviewed here, making PEA supplementation a potentially valid and reasonably safe therapeutic intervention in ASD.

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8073263/

In my opinion, rotating items for inflammation has been the best for us. We use herbal options like Chinese Skullcap alongside Cryptolepis and Bidens for flares with infections; homeopathic options such as Belladonna; but honestly, as a Homeopath, it seems like a repertorization is needed rather than just jumping to Belladonna. I have successfully used Des Bio PANDAS products as well – I am a practitioner with Des Bio if you are interested in their products. We’ve also used NAC, Cell Core Binders (I am also a practitioner with Cell Core if you need products.) I’ve added the Spectrum Awakening PANDA Bear to our rotation as well, and I have to say that I am very happy with it and have been recommending it to clients.

I have added many other Spectrum Awakening products to my own protocols, especially the B’s, and am very happy with them. I’ve been testing them out for several months and will continue to write about them. I am not affiliated with the company, I am just happy to see good results. I feel like Dr Skowron worked hard to make high quality products, displayed them in an organized manner on his website, and provided education for those of us who are hungry for it.

Posted in flu, Herbal, Homeopathics

Super Flu Survival Guide

Posted on by Annie Eskeldson

Who knows how you caught it: a playdate for the kids at the trampoline park, shopping at the grocery store with shedders, or maybe it was dropped via chemtrails; perhaps you are detoxing; in any event, severe flu symptoms are flaring and you need natural helps, now.

Stop it in its Tracks Homeopathically

The first hint of respiratory illness is when you want to use Oscillicoccinum. You can find it at most health food stores. If you see others around you going down and notice yourself having a sniffle or sneezing, this is when you immediately take Osc. You might hold the illness back all together, stall it, or cut way back on it’s severity if you do catch it. Note that Osc is ineffective for illness that has already taken hold. Oscillicoccinum isn’t the only ‘preventative.’ Arsenicum Album and Ferrum Phos can also work well. I’ve had a lot of luck holding back flu symptoms with Ferrum Phos over the years. Another trick: if you already work with a Homeopath, now is the time to pull out your Constitutional Remedy. It might get your body back in alignment with wellness. Although acutes can require an entirely different remedy it’s worth a shot to try your Constitutional.

Contact your Homeopath

If you missed that window of prevention, now what? If you work with a Homeopath, now is the time to schedule an acute appointment. She can figure out a remedy to help the body work deeper and faster. Don’t wait because the symptoms of dis-ease are clearer to you at the very beginning, when the change is taking place. Note what makes you feel better/worse; times of day or night that are better/worse; eating/drinking patterns; sides of the body affected. A homeopath is a detective looking for anything that is out of your character yet not normal for an illness such as feeling tired, body aches, or hurting throat. Unfortunately, those are pretty typical of illness and don’t characteristically point to a remedy. Your homeopath will help you sort it out. If your entire house is sick, most likely each person will need their own appointment and remedy. No two cases are exactly alike.

Herbals

I personally like to work with both homeopathics and herbs. In a super efficient, intact immune system, homeopathy is probably all that is needed. Homeopathic remedies are frequency medicine and there is frequency everywhere in your body, in the cells and between them. Homeopathic remedies will just fine tune a healthy immune system and you should be on your way. But today, with so many auto-immune problems, cell towers/wi-f/emf damage, bio-warfare, iatrogenic disease, trauma, poor diets, etc clients often need the actual substance so their bodies can utilize the energy of it. I use herbals and homeopathics opposite each other and only if needed. If the remedy is the only thing needed, I don’t interfere afterwards.

All of my herbal suggestions originate from the incredible, deeply sourced works of Master Herbalists David Hoffman, Stephen H Buhner, and Rosemary Gladstar. After about 20 years of using natural medicine I am very comfortable with their protocols. This post is by no means exclusive nor exhaustive; it’s an eyelash of information geared towards a survival list for stubborn/severe colds and flus which I have used successfully at home and in practice. How to use them is a whole different topic, but if you are a client, I will teach you. The herbs I use are individual, high quality, and organic. Boxed teas at the store are generally none of those things.

What to Have on Hand

Comfrey Root Either dried root or tincture, but I prefer the dried roots to make a hot tea. The comfrey root, as a tea, becomes thick-ish, it has substance that you can see, feel, and know that your mucousal linings, which can be so sore from coughing, are going to be relieved. This visual reassurance is essential for healing. Comfrey root is also an expectorant that will loosen congestion, helping the body get those toxins out.

Licorice Root Commonly found as tincture. I like to get mine from Woodland Essence. You can also buy licorice as dried root and simply make a hot tea with it. Licorice is a demulcent, anti-inflammatory, and an expectorant. Buhner lists it as an essential anti-viral. However, you want to be sure to combine licorice with other herbs. And you don’t want to take it for too long, it is fine to take it for the duration of a flu, but then stop. Licorice easily combines with Comfrey Root. If you have the dried root of each, you can just cook them together (described below.) Licorice will combine well with anything on my list.

Angelica Root is an anti-spasmodic and expectorant. It can be purchased as dried roots or as a tincture. I prefer the dried roots, personally. *Note that dried root Angelica only needs to come to a boil, then simmer for 2 minutes.

How to cook herbal roots – a Decoction

All the above roots, when purchased dried, can be made together as a decoction. That simply means start with a medium sauce pan of cold, filtered water and add 1-2 tsp of dried root for every 8 ounces. Using a lid on the pan and starting with cold water, bring the ingredients to a boil. Simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat, keeping lid on, and just let it cool down before drinking. If you were planning to boil the Comfrey Root, Licorice Root, and Angelica together, just toss in the Angelica when there is just a few minutes left to simmer on your timer. Also, if you only have one of the roots above, that is fine. I listed a few so that in the event you can’t find one, there are others to pick from, but when you can combine at least two, it makes them both more powerful.

How to cook leaves, flowers, buds – Infusion

The rest of the herbs below, if they are purchased fresh, are made by infusion (a big word that just means boiled water is poured over the herbs then steeped several minutes with a cover, like a plate, so the steam doesn’t escape. Drink when it cools enough. OR what I do is just boil a large pan of fresh, filtered water, remove from heat, toss my herbs directly into the pan, cover with lid and steep for 20 minutes or so until cool enough to drink. I just strain it directly into a mug to drink and save the rest in a large Mason jar with labeled lid to drink throughout the day.

About Tinctures

All of these herbs can be purchased as tinctures but please note: Never take herbal tinctures full strength. I have one exception that I may cover later, but as a whole, mix a few drops, 10 to 30 drops (start low and work up) in 2 to 4 ounces of water and drink. If you have a handful of tinctures, it is fine to mix, in fact, herbs like to work together; but increase the amount of water so the mixture is not so strong and horrid tasting. An idea is to have a mug of warm, filtered water (not steaming, you’ll lose your good herbal properties into the air) and put the drops of tinctures in there. Alternatively, one can put the drops in coffee, hot chocolate, smoothies, juice, or even bone broth. Personally, I like to keep the vessel small, like 2-4 ounces, because herbs are expensive. It’s no good making a smoothie for someone who normally loves them, but now they are sick with no appetite so the smoothie is wasted and worse, so are the herbs! Little kids especially can be unpredictable when ill. A juice they drank a whole glass of yesterday is the same juice they will refuse today. So, I like to keep ‘short accounts’ with my herbal medicines: a few tinctures, ¼ dropper of each, into 2 to 4 ounces of filtered water.

**If you are a client of mine, you know how particular I am about alcohol, especially with children. Tinctures are preserved in alcohol. Since we are only using drops, the amount is miniscule; however, with liver issues and children, I like to burn this alcohol off. All you need to do is make sure that whatever you are putting the tincture into, is hot. Just a little bit of steam to burn off the alcohol into the air but not the properties of the herb. There is a sweet spot here. I have some clients who don’t care either way because the amount of alcohol is so tiny, but I do include this info for sensitive people, liver’ish people, and children.

Herbs and Tinctures to Have on Hand

Aniseed is an expectorant, an anti-spasmodic that is great for irritable and persistent coughing like you see in bronchitis and whooping coughing

Coltsfoot is an expectorant, anti-tussive, demulcant, anti-catarrhal used in persistant cough situations such as bronchitis, whooping cough, asthma, and even emphysema.

White Horehound is an expectorant, anti-spasmodic in bronchitis or where there is a nonproductive cough and it can improve expectoration and be helpful in whooping cough.

Lobelia respiratory stimulant, anti-asthmatic, anti-spasmodic, expectorant. This is a wonderful herb to relax the respiratory system yet encourage catarrhal secretion.

Pleurisy Root expectorant, antispasmodic. Useful in Pleurisy, pneumonia, and influenza. It also is a diaphoretic, so it will cause you to sweat.

Red Clover Expectorant and anti-spasmodic useful for coughs, bronchitis, and whooping cough. It is also wonderful for eczmea or psoriasis and very useful for children.

Hyssop anti-spasmodic, expectorant, useful in coughs, bronchitis, and chronic catarrh. Combines well with horehound and coltsfoot for coughs and bronchitis. For the common cold, mix with boneset, elder flower and pepperint.

Plantain a demulcent for irritated membranes during cough, expectorant.

Lomatium is an expectorant, a mucous membrane tonic, and anti-spasmodic. The root can be used, the seeds can be used, but it is most often used as a tincture. It combines well with licorice, red root, and pleurisy root. If you have the others as roots that you boiled, just add in the tincture– like a ¼ to ½ dropper, after your simmered roots have been cooled and strained.

Marshmallow leaf demulcent, expectorant, diuretic, emolient for bronchitis, respiratory catarrh, and irritating coughs.

Rhodiola This is also a root, but is easily bought as a tincture and easily added to other cooked herbs or tinctures. It gives great energy and aids in recovery from long term illnesses and infection. Rhodiola is best taken in morning and early afternoon, but not after.

Other Supplements to have on hand

Chicken Bone Broth (Organic) These often have a decent shelf life so you can keep a few on hand.

Electrolytes (No artificial colors, dyes, flavors, etc.)

Ricola Lozenges Original Formula

Quercitin

Zinc

Selenium

Vitamin C

Vitamin D – If you have a warm sunny day and can get outside, this is the desirable form.

Vitamin B’s (methylcobalamin, folate, or folinic acid) (b12, b6 (as p5p), b2, b1, b17)

Ground Flax Seed (organic) – used as a poultice on linen for respiratory. Poultices are really a lost art, I think. Put 1/2 cup Ground Flax in a bowl, then stir in hot water, just enough to make a paste. Using a spatula or spoon, put it onto a linen. I like to fold a pillow case (that I plan to throw out, but you can certainly try to wash it afterwards) into fourths and use one side. Put the paste on the linen, like a rectangle. Then put the pillow case over the chest, Flax Seed side down. Let it sit there for three hours, if you can. Rinse off afterwards. This is an amazing way to loosen congestion. You can even put a hot water bottle or heating pad over the top if you want, but is not required.

Chapstick (New Leaf Holistic) – For lips that get really chapped during fever. My personal formula available as tubes or in tins on my website with free shipping. www.newleafholistic.com. Press the STORE tab on the menu.

Garlic – Do not be without this. If you don’t want to fuss with fresh garlic, grab the Kyolic Garlic that is in capsules.

Hyland’s homeopathic Ear Ache Drops – for complaints of ear pain. If you have an otoscope and can see redness or infection in the ear drum, these drops can be very useful. Do not use if the drum has burst; however, often if an eardrum has burst the pain is not present anymore.

Auntie Vi’s formula This is a product from Woodland Essence which includes Licorice, Isatis, Houttunyia, and Cryptolepis, a handful of the best anti-virals as per Buhner. (Auntie Vi – anti-viral, get it? It took me a minute too. Crazy what censorship forces us to do.) Personally, I usually have no less than 4 ounces of this on hand, but shoot for an 8 ounce bottle if you can afford it. It will keep on a cool, dark shelf for several years.

Pine Gum Essential Oil a drop of this essential oil in filtered, steaming water, using a towel over the head and doing a facial steam bath to get the oil into the sinus and lungs to help get stubborn congestion out.

Herbs, tinctures, and homeopathics will last for many years when stored properly. This will help you be ready for the next time you or someone you love gets ‘the crud.’ I may come back and add tips or other things I forgot. And, remember, you don’t have to have every single thing here. If you are able to grab several of the herbs in addition to the comfrey root, you’ll be in good shape. I made a large list so you can pick and choose if you have to.

Dependable Places to Buy Organic Herbs

Woodland Essence, Mountain Rose Herbs, and Present Moment, are companies I use to buy organic herbs in dried form as well as tinctures. My website is New Leaf Holistic if you are looking for a Classical Homeopath or Certified Biofeedback Specialist.

Links to Homeopathic Kits

The reason to have a kit at home is because in an any emergency, or with the flu or colds, once you have an appt with your homeopath, you want these remedies on hand so you can take them once prescribed. She will figure out your case and most likely, the remedy needed is in this kit, but you need to have it on hand. Otherwise, you must wait on the mail which is frustrating when you are ill.

This kit is fabulous, in 200c potency. These would not be used in Chronic Care but rather in acute cases, such as a flu or other respiratory issue that comes on suddenly. Also it is great for falls/bruising/accidents and a multitude of emergencies. 200c is a great emergency potency to have for kids too. https://mirandacastro.com/shop/miranda-castros/200c-home-emergency-kit/

A less expensive version is here https://homeopathykits.com/products/emergency-kit This is also a great kit, it just doesn’t have as many remedies, but will still cover a vast amount of emergencies and comes in a nice 200c. Again, these would not be used in Chronic Care, but rather for Acutes.

Posted in Itching and Hormones, Menopause, Peri-Menopause, Women's Health

Mysterious Itch Solved

Posted on by Annie Eskeldson

A few months ago a client requested help with an exasperating itch. This poor woman had gone great lengths to figure it out, but nothing was helping. Her itch would start small on the back of her head. Then it would move both up over the head and down the neck; spreading to the back and arms. She believed she had bug bites and she also had hives.

She thought the itch and “bites” were a result of insects biting her while sleeping. She wasn’t sure if they were lice, scabies, dust mites, flea bites, or bed bugs. She vacuumed, washed, dried, sprayed; threw out bedding, pillows, curtains, blankets and clothes. She cleverly hunted with lights and a magnifying glass. Despite this effort, she never found bugs or evidence of them like droppings or body shells on her sheets. She would obsessively inspect again in middle of the night when the itch awoke her. She hadn’t a good night’s sleep in a week.

She considered pollen and moved house plants outside. She contemplated synthetic material in her clothes and threw them all out. She removed dairy and even chocolate from her diet the week before we met.

After seeing the ‘bites’ and hives I followed her original idea of bugs. Ledum didn’t do anything to help her, so we tried Histaminium thinking it was perhaps a deeper allergic reaction. This did help some; however, the itch would return during sleep, which caused her to believe in the bug infestation theory.

What changed the entire case is when she revealed that her skin would violently itch and feel better by scratching. Then it would quickly begin to burn and sting and feel like a biting sensation. There was a high heat and redness to the skin. It was worse at night and upon waking. Undressing also made it worse. She tried rubbing instead of scratching, but the stinging and heat were still there.

I recommended Sulphur at that point which (instantly) drained the heat and stinging. She would get relief for an entire day but the symptoms would come back at night. She would dose again, and indeed, the heat and stinging completely disappeared, meaning she finally got sleep.

She was quite happy with this result. The bonus was that she finally got good rest which cleared her mind. She realized she had gone quite manic over the bugs and in fact, there were none in her sheets at all. She was content to dose Sulphur whenever a hint of the heat and relentless itch came on. She was both relieved and satisfied.

I was not satisfied, however. Part of my job is investigating and this case did not make sense. The Sulphur was making the burning, stinging, and even the itch go away. But it would still come back. Why was the itch still coming back? It was clearly not bug bites, so what was it?

I suggested that a Biofeedback scan might give us more detailed information and thankfully my client agreed. The scan gave us so many more clues. What was her number one issue? Hormones. My mind instantly began racing.

I asked my client if there was any possibility that she may be going through peri-menopause or menopause. I hadn’t considered it because of her age. I assumed she had already went through menopause. She hadn’t considered it because all of her cycles were normal, except the last one, which never happened, she just realized.

Her mind was blown with the possibilities. She realized she had unknowingly been in peri-menopause for about a year! But because her symptoms were so sparse and relatively uneventful she was clueless. She had had a couple migraines with nausea and a couple abnormally heavy menses that lasted unusually long. She recalled missing one, then having a couple within two weeks of each other. But over the last twelve months, all others were normal. She recalled having a terrible time coping with cold temperatures.

She thought that women had hot flashes when they are menopausal. She had never had that symptom. But, I explained that what she was experiencing was similar. She was having hot flushes of her skin and severe itchiness which can be part of menopause. Estrogen actually helps maintain the skin and with lower levels of estrogen, the skin can be easily irritated, dry, and sensitive. This was all very revolutionary to her.

In addition, she was having a very difficult time tolerating her large family and all of her duties in the home. Far before the end of the day, she found herself exhausted, moody, unable to be nurturing. Her family’s needs were agitating her beyond what she wanted to discuss. She loved them dearly yet she was yelling at them and being downright hateful towards them. How could she love them yet be sick of them all at the same time?!

So, at this point, I clearly understood the case much better.

Using biofeedback, I addressed the stress involved with aging, the endocrine system, and hormonal imbalance. This provided a way to de-stress and also monitor the other therapies we were employing. She continued with the Sulphur for relief from the hot, stinging itches reducing them in frequency, strength, and duration.

The estrogen in plants is identical to the chemical estrogen in the body so we also added some natural estrogen through herbs like sage, licorice, saw palmetto, black cohosh, and garlic. Foods such as yams, broccoli, and other cruciferous vegetables were increased as well as avocado. I also added some good B supplements, C, E, homeopathic hormones and glandulars to help regulate the frequency communication between glands and chemicals. These helps go beyond just relieving itch to improving her mood. Because of this deep healing of her emotions, she can now pleasantly handle the demands of her family once again.

Unfortunately, the itch can remain up to a year while the body adjusts to less estrogen. However, the sensations are managed to her approval. Simply having answers combined with a way to treat quickly, plus a reduction in symptoms has made the situation tolerable for her. She says she is so happy now like before she got married and during the early years of marriage. She also is able to continue her work later into the night whereas before she would blow up at her family and need to go to bed early. She enjoys her family again.

We used chickweed and neem oil topically to soothe the damaged skin. Her “bites” were not bites at all, but rather broken skin from scratching that needed to be addressed. We used a few herbals for infection at the beginning, which are no longer needed.

The biofeedback scan revealed that she did not have a leaky gut but she did have a sensitivity to dairy. So, kudos to her for stopping dairy. It’s possible that once the body has adjusted to the estrogen change she will be able to re-introduce it. She also went as far as getting rid of chocolate. She credits this to healing her urinary symptoms including a vaginal protrusion. Wow. That is amazing! This has been a great case. It has been a few months and she is still doing well.

If there is anything I can help you with, please go to my website www.newleafholistic.com for more information about me. I also will do a free consult by phone if you contact me at info.newleafholistic@gmail.com

Posted in Uncategorized

Shake the Detox Blues

Posted on by Annie Eskeldson

One question I received soon after beginning this blog was, “why has your detox been so successful while most fail?” The question pricks my mind often, so I decided to address it in a full post. Looking back over the last two and a half years we’ve spent detoxing, I think I have some answers.

Have guidance. This is my number one reason our detox has been successful. It is an absolute myth that detox is cheap, easy and DIY. It’s not. If you are trying, it’s a waste of your precious life, time, and resources. Using biofeedback, I am able to monitor progress and electrically remove toxic stress.

Evaluate your Expectations. All of us see successful people and want to emulate them. Whether it’s education or business, we want what they have. But it’s easy to miss the incredible amount of work, dedication, expense, and sacrifice required to get there. Detox is no different. It’s especially true when we or our loved ones are sick and our life has shattered into so many pieces. We want and need to function again. Now.

But what I see, and what I experienced myself, was that I didn’t truly understand how sick we really were and how far into auto-immunity we had pushed ourselves. Even after two and a half years we’re still not done. We are dramatically improved, but we want the whole enchilada. We were also willing to work for it. Be ready to do hard things because, depending on issues, it can be hard.

Find a pattern. I’m a math-y person and finding patterns in the crazy maze of trees is what helps me see the forest. It’s the same with detox. Keep a close eye on symptoms and reactions. Try to make connections from notable conditions and effects that you are experiencing.

Communicate with me at New Leaf Holistic! Biofeedback and homeopathy can help with the symptoms of detox, as well as monitor progress and identify new directions towards wellness.

Posted in Biofeedback, detox, Herx, New Leaf Holistic

From Herx to Healing

Posted on by Annie Eskeldson

Long ago, doctors Jarisch and Herxheimer discovered that when patients took antibiotics for syphilis and Lyme, a systemic inflammatory response would occur because dying pathogens’ ruptured cell walls would spew their endotoxic entrails into the patient’s bloodstream. This healing backlash is called a Jarish-Herxheimer reaction and is often shortened to ‘herx’.

My time spent detoxing proved beyond any doubt that ‘herx’ is solid science. In fact, for deep rooted problems, herxing is as bad as living with the disease itself. Herx does taper but the time it takes for the pendulum to swing into better health depends upon infections and how systemic they are. In my experience, herx lasts longer and is more intense than what a superficial online search will admit. And, like clockwork, herx returns every single time you detox to a deeper level.

Our first infections to detox were parasites and infections which took a couple years. This is in stark contrast to the common echo-chamber of killing critters over a moon phase. At first, everything got worse. A lot worse. The symptoms already ailing us intensified and new ones piled on. My former knee jerk reaction would have put on the brakes.

Internet searches will lead to articles that conservatively characterized herx symptoms as ‘mild’ or ‘flu-like’ or ‘resembling a cold’. These delicate descriptions make herxing sound like lounging on the couch nestled in a well-loved robe instead of the life stopping, hot mess of death-warmed-over-hell we experienced. I found one article that truly related to our experience from Dr. Jay Davidson. It’s rather lengthy but comforting.

We used Cell Core binders (the only one I can truly recommend is the Biotoxin Binder and is fabulous for mold. Edit 2023) to help absorb toxins and reduce the symptoms of herx. Some family members had more emotional/mental symptoms of herx which we controlled with binders, supplements, herbs, and homeopathics.

One of many advantages of herbs over synthetic drugs is that you can change doses without causing resistance thereby giving more control over herx symptoms by dropping dosage down to reduce aggravations, then titrating back up.

Most of the herbs we used can be found at Sage Woman Herbs and Woodland Essence. I tend to follow Stephen Buhner’s protocols for Lyme and co-infections, but I do like to use frequency via biofeedback as well.

I also use homeopathics for comfort and though I could list them, it is doubtful they would be the right ones for others. As a homeopath, I can tell you that each remedy is so individual specific, it really requires a professional homeopathic intake. You can contact me at New Leaf Holistic if you need help.

Using biofeedback to monitor while carefully noting patterns of symptoms and behaviors alongside thoughtful observation of improvements in relation to herbals, homeopathics and biofeedback, I have been able to design some very good protocols. Despite the ‘homeopathy only’ rock that many homeopaths will die on, my experience shows herbs and homeopathics do, in fact, work dynamically and necessarily together. It has nothing to do with homeopathy being wrong, it’s not. It’s spot on, and for in-tact immune systems, it’s my number one go to. For everything. For cure.

Unfortunately, today’s immune systems compromised by metals, resistant pathogens, biowarfare agents, chemicals, injured DNA/RNA, gmo foods, and bad water, are not going to be helped by classical homeopathy alone.

Other tools I use for comfort are essential oils, foot baths, liver packs, massage, reflexology, a clean, organic diet and filtered water. Liver packs are incredibly soothing. We needed them daily at first and then gradually reduced. Foot baths provided relief of both herx and PANDAS symptoms, even during flares, but understand that they are a detox tool, so they will cause additional detox for several days after the foot bath inadvertently causing even more herx. So, you want to start slow, once/week, 5 minutes, and work up.

If you are dealing with ASD, PANS, PANDAS, Lyme, and other auto-immune issues such as allergies and food allergies, leaky gut, thyroid, etc. don’t detox alone. I’ve tried and quit which means wasting money and worse, time. Count on infections coursing far deeper than you know making detox harder than you planned and lasting longer than you imagined. A well trained, knowledgeable professional can take you from zero to hero by providing fresh perspective and quality products to do an effective, efficient job while keeping you as comfortable as possible. Contact me at New Leaf Holistic if I can help you.