Notes on "RHR: Diagnosing and Treating Lyme Disease"

I have finished reading the podcast interview transcript and the comments below the podcast, and I find the overview of Lyme's disease both detailed and informative. The information on Lyme's disease is new to me, and I took some time to google and familiarise myself with the information too. I noted from the podcast that one way to prevent it is to wear long pants and tuck our pants into our socks, and try not to sit under the oak trees in the leaf litter, the high area where ticks tend to hang out when hiking outdoors, especially in wooded areas in North America and Europe. 

Like a reader commented, I also appreciate Dr Schweig’s candor in the even-handed discussion of antibiotics, naturopathic medicine and integrative therapies on treating Lyme's disease. I also noted from a related article that some natural antibiotics that may prevent the onset of Lyme's disease infection include garlic and echinacea. 

Dr. Sunjya Schweig:  And to be honest with you, getting into this world has always been a little bit a struggle because I came at it from a really integrative, complementary, alternative medicine point of view, which is that I wanted to get away from antibiotics.  I wanted to really do my best to respect the gut and the gut immune system and the gut ecology and the microbiome, so I frequently find myself kind of caught where I see these treatments helping, but on the other hand, I’m always concerned and aware of the risks to the human organism as a whole.  So I will also be rotating in a variety of different herbal protocols, whether it’s some of the Stephen Buhner herbs – He has a couple of really good books out, very, very well-researched scientific works on the actions of some of these herbal antibiotics.  I’ll also use a lot of Byron White Formulas, some really great herbal protocols and products, as well as there’s a woman named Susan McCamish who has a group of products that are really helpful.

Related resources 
Healing Lyme Disease Coinfections: Complementary and Holistic Treatments for Bartonella and Mycoplasma Paperback by Stephen Harrod Buhner
Lyme disease - Mayo Clinic

 

"Cholesterol and Saturated Fat Are Not the Enemy" - Chris Kresser

It is interesting to note from this article "The Diet-Heart Myth: Cholesterol and Saturated Fat Are Not the Enemy" by Chris Kresser that "the body tightly regulates the amount of cholesterol in the blood by controlling internal production", hence dietary cholesterol "does not affect the ratio of LDL to HDL or increase the risk of heart disease". As a lover of eggs, it is good and encouraging to learn that "egg yolks are an especially good source of choline, a B-vitamin that plays important roles in everything from neurotransmitter production to detoxification to maintenance of healthy cells", and that having sufficient choline intake can help prevent fatigue, insomnia and so on. 

It is also useful to know that "studies on low-carbohydrate diets (which tend to be high in saturated fat) suggest that they not only don’t raise blood cholesterol, they have several beneficial impacts on cardiovascular disease risk markers."

'Digital detox' and other health matters

I have checked out the very informative podcast interview http://chriskresser.com/why-you-need-a-digital-detox and I learnt from Chris Kresser's experience in his 10-day digital detox of not using the phone or computer and instead "reading a lot, both nonfiction and fiction, meditating a lot, a lot of physical activity and a lot of time just doing nothing, and it’s been really extremely therapeutic" for him. I can relate to this as I do feel a bit more grounded whenever I take time away from the computer at the workplace wherever possible, and take a longer than usual walk to a coffee shop during lunchtime, or go up to the rooftop to rest my eyes from the computer screen in the afternoon, except for a quick glance at my mobile phone every few minutes or so to check if there are any important new emails. 

I learnt from the second half of the interview that as long as the levels of the beneficial bacteria in the gut, bifidobacteria, are normal or increased, a really high fat diet does not contribute to endotoxemia. I also learnt that it is possible to restore our gut flora if we are unable to tolerate probiotics or fermented foods and if it is not likely due to histamine intolerance by starting with extremely low doses of probiotics that are suitable for us and building up very slowly over time, besides taking prebiotics and fermentable fiber that "has the most profound impact on the quantity and composition of the gut flora over time", wherever possible or appropriate. 

"The benefits of probiotics go way beyond gut health."

It is interesting and refreshing to learn from the article "5 Uncommon Uses For Probiotics" by Chris Kresser about the numerous benefits of probiotics, which go beyond improving and maintaining gut health. I noted that the less conventional uses of probiotics include:

1. reducing anxiety and depression
2. reducing nasal congestion and other symptoms associated with seasonal allergies
3. maintaining oral health
4. reducing acne on the skin
5. inoculating our house as household cleaners, with beneficial bacteria that should make the environment less hospitable to pathogens

I happened to eat some kimchi together with rice for dinner yesterday, and it is good to know from the article that these probiotics that come into contact with and are able to colonize the mouth can "reduce cavities and improve overall oral health by rebalancing the bacteria in the mouth", according to numerous observational and clinical trials