In previous posts, I've mentioned various vitamins and minerals I've been taking for my Lyme recovery, but I have yet to share my full regimen with you...
UNTIL NOW.
Yes, I feel it's time to list each of the vitamins, minerals and herbs I'm taking. If you are a Lymey like myself, I would highly recommend you look into taking these vitamins, though I would suggest you perhaps refer to a doctor first or at least try them out at a very low dose. Most of these vitamins are very benign with very few side effects, if any at all. None of them are toxic either, meaning you won't get poisoned from them. However, it is possible to be allergic to some of them, especially the herbs. For example, I recently had a cup of ginger tea (made with real ginger, the kind you can feel spicing up your veins as it runs through your bloodstream) and it didn't go well. Nothing too bad happened but I woke up the next morning feeling like I had the flu. On one hand, it could have been a strong herxheimer (aka 'herx' or a-aka 'die-off') reaction but, in general, I felt very off afterwards. I later found out from my doctor that I was allergic to it. So, again, proceed with caution and always start with a low dose!
Without further adieu, here is my current vitamin regimen. Please note that much of the information I provide about these vitamins has been obtained from a book I highly recommend called: Unlocking Lyme: Myths, Truths, and Practical Solutions for Chronic Lyme Disease by Dr. William Rawls.
I shall begin with the most obvious vitamin:
Vitamin C
It's obviously good for your immune system, as it is an anti-viral and anti-bacterial supplement. It's also an antioxidant so it's great for detoxing the liver and the body in general.
My doctor currently has me on 12 Ascorbyl Palmitate Vitamin C (450 milligrams each) a day. I only take nine at the moment because I was concerned that 12 was a tad too much, but I'm supposed to be on 12. This is because my liver is struggling and I'm detoxing like a mama-jama.
Vitamin A
Great for your immune system, as it fights viruses and bacteria. Also, great for eye health! And, oh, great for your skin if you want to be all smooth and moist.
Vitamin A can supposedly be toxic if taken at high levels but I was recently taking 3 capsules a day (10,000iu each) and I was fine. I mainly took the Vitamin A for my eye issues. Now I take only 2 a day but I may go back to 3 here and there if my eyes keep giving me problems.
Vitamin D
Most people know that it's good for bones and teeth (because it helps you absorb more calcium) but a lot of people don't know that it's great for immune function as well. Forget anti-flu medications like Tamiflu. Pop a couple Vitamin D's, in addition to C and also A, not to mention zinc, and you'll be good to go.
I currently take three Vitamin D's a day (5000iu). That's a lot of D. I should have sunshine beaming out of my eyes. But I don't. Not usually.
Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10)
When you're sick, especially with something like Lyme, many of your bodily cells get damaged. Potent pharmaceutical drugs (in my case, Levaquin) can damage cells as well. CoQ10 helps restore these bodily cells because it is responsible for producing energy within mitochondria. The vitamin is especially good for restoring heart health, as the heart is an organ that requires A LOT of cell energy.
CoQ10 is also a great antioxidant that protects your body from harmful toxins and molecules.
I currently take 5 CoQ10 a day (during the worst of times, I was taking 6), 200mg each.
Vitamin K-2
The main function of Vitamin k-2 is to help distribute calcium throughout your body to areas that need it most, like bones and teeth. It also prevents calcification of arteries, thus benefitting your heart and your brain.
I take eight capsules of Vitamin K-2 a day (100mg each)! All the Vitamin D I take helps me absorb calcium and the K-2 helps distribute it!
Magnesium L-Threonate
Great for the brain. It helps strengthen synapses, thus improving memory and overall brain function. It also helps you sleep better, which leads to less anxiety and less depression.
I'm currently supposed to be taking six of these a day but I'm currently only able to tolerate 3 or maybe 4. As you may know, too much magnesium gets your GI tract moving and grooving if you know what I mean, jellybean.
Multi-Vitamin
My multi contains a variety of vitamins and minerals, including zinc, selenium, calcium, Vitamin E, Potassium, B-Vitamins, the list goes on and on...
Overall, all these vitamins are more antioxidants and great immune boosters.
I take nine capsules a day of a multi called Nutrient 950 (without copper or iron) from the brand Pure Encapsulations.
Molybdenum
I've spoken of Molybdenum in previous blogs. In fact, this was the very first supplement I took when I had Lyme because taking Moly was actually the only way my body would tolerate the Doxycycline.
Technically, Molybdenum is a mineral that helps facilitate the breakdown of certain amino acids and blah blah blah. I don't know what that means and I doubt you do either unless you're a doctor or chemistry whiz. Let's make things simple and say Molybdenum is a mineral that helps your liver with the detoxification process, hence why I needed it when I was pounding Doxy and its Toxy (meaning toxicity) by the boatloads. Toxy Doxy. Tsk Tsk Tsk.
Alpha Lipoic Acid
Another antioxidant, great for the liver. It enhances the antioxidant effects of Vitamin C, Vitamin E and the yet-to-be-mentioned glutathione (mentioned below). Overall, it helps remove toxins from the body.
I currently take three Lipoic Acid (600mg) daily. That's a high dose!
Tocotrienols
These are antioxidants, great for cleaning the liver, but they also help reduce cholesterol, inhibit certain cancers and manage diabetes.
I currently take four of these a day (40mg).
Milk Thistle
I only started taking this recently and I'm eager to see how it benefits my liver issues. This herb offers protection for liver cells. It also induces regeneration of liver cells, which is great if you have liver damage.
Furthermore, Milk Thistle helps blood move from the liver to various parts of the body that need it. Part of the reason why I have so much trouble with physical activity is because not enough blood is being moved around my body. Also, my recent eye issues can be attributed to my liver and its inability to distribute sufficient blood to my eyes, thus resulting in easy eye strain and dry eye. That's right: what a lot of people don't realize is that eye issues may be indicative of an unhealthy liver!
I currently take four capsules of milk thistle a day (250mg each). That's a high dose and only necessary for people who have high liver enzyme levels. I currently have one high enzyme, the SGPT enzyme if you want to be technical.
UPDATE: I've slowed things down with the milk thistle, as it was causing some strong herxing (i.e. strong die-off reactions).
Glutathione
This is an antioxidant that reduces oxidative stress, which means it reduces free radicals floating around the body, which further means it cleans the toxins in your body. It also reduces cell damage from alcohol and non-alcohol-related liver disease.
As I write this, I have not started taking glutathione but I'm supposed to be taking two capsules of Acetyl Glutathione a day (100mg). I was just recently "prescribed" this supplement and I'm eager to see how it benefits me.
UPDATE: I've been taking half the dose prescribed but recently even cut that in half because of some potentially strong herxing.
Lutein
These supplements are great for the eyes and are especially helpful in blocking harmful UV blue light that damages parts of the retina, therefore preventing macular degeneration. If you're like me and you use computers and other digital devices, it may be good to take some lutein.
I currently take four capsules a day (20mg).
Astaxanthin
Another supplement great for eye health. It blocks UV light from damaging the retinas. Its anti-inflammatory properties are also great for joint health. It makes the skin smooth, it's good for brain health, immune health...you name it.
I currently take four capsules a day (4mg).
Artemisia (i.e. Wormwood)
This is a potent herb that fights malaria and other bodily parasites. It also fights cancer.
Wormwood can be a hallucinogenic if smoked or made into a tea. I am not using it for this purpose.
My use of Artemisia is still in the experimental stages. I'm supposed to be taking it because I supposedly have some parasite issues going on. Whether this parasite is a tick-borne parasite (like Babesia) has not been determined and I doubt it will ever be determined. It's not exactly rare to get Babesia as a coinfection with Lyme, but ticks can give you all sorts of other parasites. Either way, according to my doctor, I need Artemisia.
A few weeks ago (as I write this), I took a capsule of Artemisia and experienced spasming in my bladder/intestinal area. So I stopped. I took it a second time, experienced the same thing but on a smaller scale. I stopped again but it was possibly an initial herx/die-off reaction. For now, I've been getting my body used to my other supplements, especially Milk Thistle and Glutathione, which are two of the newest supplements I've been taking. Once I get comfortable with everything else, I will again try to integrate Artemisia into my regimen. If I still experience problems, I will know it's the Artemisia that is a problem and will have to stop.
I'm supposed to be taking six a day.
Moral of the Story
I'm sure most of you reading the list above are surprised by how many friggin' vitamins I take. You're right: it's a lot! Also, if you're wondering, it's expensive as hell! Unfortunately, taking all these vitamins is necessary for Lyme recovery, which is another reason why I would NOT wish Lyme upon my worst enemy.
If there is anything to take away from all this, it would be TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF. The better you take care of yourself, the better you eat, the better you drink, the better you don't smoke etc., the better the chances that you will never have to fight a terrible disease like Lyme and have to take a ridiculous amount of vitamins like I do. Lyme disease preys on a weak immune system and the best way to keep that immune system strong is to take care of yourself. If I could go back in time, there is just one thing I would say to me in the past: "TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF! If you don't, you'll be sorry."
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