No IV Silver, Yes Low Dose Naltrexone and Maybe Mat

I have a cousin who lives in New England who also has Lyme disease.  IV silver was the only thing that really helped her to feel better, so my aunt recommended I look into it.  Silver is a very old treatment, as some sources say it dates back to the 1000s B.C.  It is a natural anti-microbial and can be used to treat infections (it's been approved for this purpose by the FDA since the 1920s), clean wounds, and fight off general bacteria.  We have used colloidal silver on Bigdog when he was going through natural cancer treatments, and we use colloidal silver in John's smoothies per the FAR Clinic's smoothie recipe.  However, we've never used it intravenously.  Here's a website explaining how IV silver works for chronic Lyme.

Our LLMD told us that now would *not* be a good time to start this.  She recommended we wait until we finish FAR Clinic's 3 month set of treatments.  The reason why is that John is already doing  a lot to kill off Lyme spirochetes.  We really don't need to throw more at the spirochetes right now, as John's experiencing strong herx reactions that are showing their ugliness as extreme fatigue, joint and nerve pain.  Each day seems to be worse than the previous.  So, IV silver will have to wait a bit.

Since I mentioned John's strengthening pain, Dr. K suggested we try LDN, low dose naltrexone.  John tried this in the past with his NP of Pediatric Functional Medicine in MN, but his pain wasn't that bad and he didn't think the LDN helped that much.  Anyone with Lyme knows, never throw anything treatment related out.  Just because it doesn't work now doesn't mean it won't work later.  I still have John's previous LDN prescription, which is good because it's a compounded medication that if I remember correctly, will run us $75-100/month.

So what is LDN?  Naltrexone's traditional use has been to treat opioid addiction and alcoholism.  However, it was later discovered that in a very low dose, naltrexone could be useful for people with autoimmune diseases like MS, Hashimoto's thyroiditis, and fibromyalgia.  LDN boosts the body's immune system and restores the body's ability to make endorphins.  Many doctors and pharmacies don't know of this off-label use, but there is plenty of information available here.  John is going to try 3 mg dose tonight at the suggestion of his doctor.  We'll see how he is in the morning.  Some kids want cell phones and expensive Nikes.  We'll just take 1 day without pain.  Simple pleasures.

A while back, I started some very limited part time work delivering groceries.  My job is very flexible, and is one I work for extra money just in case.  I thought initially I'd be saving for a vacation, but John was in so much pain that tears were coming out of his eyes.  I decided to spend my money on another healing tool, a mat that he can lay on that is supposed to bring relief to sore joints and muscles.

This won't be the first time I've called for a Hail Mary pass out of desperation. The last thing we were skeptical about, Rife, was approved by his doctor, and used by the FAR Clinic, too.  The first Hail Mary was the Far-IR Sauna from Sunlighten.  This was recommended by our MN doctor, and has been something we've used 2-3x/week.  By the time we're done accumulating and healing John, we should be ready to battle just about any health issues.

Back to the mat.  It's made of 3 types of stones, amethyst, tourmaline, and jade.  Amethyst is said to support the nervous system and help with insomnia.  Tourmaline supports detox pathways in the kidneys and liver, and promotes a healthy mood.  Jade is supposed to have a natural calming effect, and be beneficial for the renal system (specifically the kidneys, bladder, and spleen).  In addition to the stones, the mat I picked has PEMF, which we were doing at the FAR Clinic.

In a previous blog post, I mentioned how John seems to do better by the ocean.  His MN doctor speculated that is due to the negative ions of the crashing waves. Well, this mat is supposed to also have the benefits of negative ions.  I hope it works because the powdered kelp got nixed due to the stink factor by John, and the sea salt in a spa tub isn't doing much.  Reviews say fantastic sleep and relaxation, and easing of pain.  Temperature can be set low so the the mat can be used while sleeping.  John's always wrapped like a mummy in blankets, so he's excited to have something warm in bed.  And, if nothing else, we have a 45-day money back guarantee.  I'll report back with his take on it soon.