Lyme Disease Facts
● Lyme disease is a bacterial infection transmitted by the bite of an infected tick.
● The condition was first reported in the U.S. in 1975 and has now been documented in Canada, Europe, the U.K., Russia, Africa, and Latin America. The Centers for Disease Control reports about 30,000 new cases per year in the U.S., an incidence the agency says is grossly under-reported. The reason, both in the U.S. and elsewhere, is likely because of poor recognition of symptoms by doctors, and because screening tests miss 35% of culture-proven Lyme disease.
● Lyme disease is usually treatable soon after an infectious bite with at least a month of antibiotics. However, it can become chronic when it is undertreated or when it is left untreated.
● Early symptoms can include: a bull’s eye rash (not all cases), flu-like symptoms, and joint pain
● Late symptoms can become disabling and can include neurological manifestations like facial palsy, loss of cognitive abilities, sleep disturbances, and heart abnormalities.
● Controversy exists over the cause of long-term Lyme symptoms despite use of antibiotics.
By Alix Mayer
(Alix Mayer is a health consultant who is substantially recovered from Lyme disease and vaccine injury)
“In 2003, I bought the wood-cut print pictured here and hung it up on a wall in my house. I had no idea why I was attracted to this piece of art. At the time, I was very ill but had no diagnosis. A few years later I was finally diagnosed with Lyme disease. It’s now obvious why I was attracted subconsciously to the image of a barefoot woman holding a plant. Those were the two keys to my healing from a decades-long case of Lyme disease: Earthing and herbal medicine.
As a wellness coach and someone who was the co-host of a lyme website, I believe that Earthing has much to offer for people with lyme.
“Here’s what I learned: Individuals undergoing Lyme treatment sometimes experience Herxheimer reactions, an odd phenomenon where one feels worse because bacterial die-off produces an inflammatory event. Some people associate fatigue, nausea, and fever with ‘herxing.’ Herxheimer reactions can also cause previously experienced Lyme symptoms to temporarily reappear.
“Earthing appears to increase the body’s ability to detoxify − the actual cleaning out through our organs, of dead bacterial debris, such as Lyme spirochetes, and their resultant endotoxins. But detoxification is notoriously impaired in long-term patients’ bodies, so there could be bottlenecks when the liver, kidneys, lymphatics, colon, or skin become overloaded. You could then get detox symptoms, including fatigue, joint or muscle pain, skin rashes, sleep disturbances, irritability, and headaches.
“I experienced such reactions from Earthing in the beginning, but was able to overcome them by cutting down on my Earthing time, and then slowly and gradually increasing my exposure to let my body adjust…and prevent overloading the system. Thus, gradually eliminating the toxins.
“Responses to Earthing can be quite variable among lyme patients. I suggest starting cautiously with maybe just 5-10 minutes, and build up slowly to 3 hours during the day. Then try sleeping Earthed overnight.
“It doesn’t mean that Earthing’s benefits − like pain reduction and better sleep − will not occur. They do. It just means that Lyme patients need to go slowly when they start Earthing.
“To me, the fact that Earthing may cause Herxheimer and detox reactions in Lyme patients suggests it must be inherently healing, as it’s hard to imagine that touching Mother Earth could ever cause ill health.
“Due to oftentimes quick provocation of reactions, some of my friends with Lyme have gone very, very slowly, at first only touching the metallic contact on a grounded Earthing band for 5 or 10 minutes per day. Some got a reaction, sometimes described as nausea, sometimes described as “detoxing too quickly,” even at this very minimal level. Some, like me, reacted quite positively at first. Many reported that once they weathered the temporary rough spots they experienced pain and headache reduction, better sleep, clearer thinking, a more alkaline body, and even improved excretion of heavy metals. Others never endure a negative reaction, and just enjoy the benefits. Still others report no apparent symptom benefits. We don’t know yet how many Lyme patients fall in each group.
“I’m happy that after a few years of herbal Lyme treatment and after experiencing a sharp and unmistakable diminishing of symptoms starting with daily Earthing in fall 2010, I was able to stop treating the Lyme in Spring 2012! Severe headaches and brain fog are largely a thing of the past thanks to Earthing. My joint pain is much reduced. I feel calmer and ready to sleep as soon as I connect to the Earth for the night. Sleep is overall better.
“Today, I sleep Earthed and work at my desk Earthed. I also like to walk barefoot on the beach when I can.
“The more I learn about Earthing and Lyme, the more my thoughts return to that painting of the woman with bare feet. I’m convinced my subconscious knew more about my plan for healing than I did. I can also accept that the Earth knows more about healing our bodies than we’ll ever be able to prove.”
Alix Mayer’s website is www.alixmayer.com
● From Donna Tisdale, real estate broker, Nashville, TN (2020): “Way back in 2007, I first heard about sleeping grounded was from Dr. Jim Oschman, who was friends with my rolfer. I remember purchasing Earthing sheets in November. “My dear friend who has Lyme’s Disease used to have 14-15 migraine headaches a month and now has one or two a month!”
● From Rocky Pimental February 2023: “I started five days ago ,, grounding pad connected to a coaxal wire with a grounding rod in my yard,,, I first used my grounding pad in the wall, I got massive tingling all over n couldn’t sleep, I have post Lyme disease,,, I read that I over did it ,,, I slowed to half hour a day with the same tingling, I then read the house ground may still have some ac voltage that may be effecting me,,, so I made my direct wire,,,, I still have tingling but it is less , can’t tell if it’s cuz the wire or I’m healing,,, I can say however my post Lyme symptoms IV suffered with for the last five years are so much better,, my legs feel like they did before this god awful disease,,,, maybe u should make a direct ground with a coaxal wire and ground for less time ,,, best of luck”