Tell us how you started herbs.

How did you make the decision? Did you start with one or two, or did you jump in with a whole "protocol"? Anything else you could add. Thanks.

My LLMD wanted me to start an herbal protocol when he took me off abx and I was given a choice of Buhner, Cowden or White.

I didn't have much time to research and thought I was nearing the end of my journey so I went with the full Cowden protocol for simplicity and followed the schedule that can be found online.

Since I only herxed on Cowden and didn't experience improvements, I s-l-o-w-l-y switched to Buhner's full Lyme, Bartonella and Babesia protocols.

I regret not doing Buhner from the very beginning.

I started with the detox herbs first - 1 drop per day and I waited a little bit before adding another drop at another time in the day. I slowly increased until up to the recommended dose.

Next was the support herbs I wanted to take and titrated in the same manner.

Once I started the killing herbs, I titrated those that treat multiple infections first and added in the remaining herbs in the various protocols. These herbs were titrated concurrently. In other words, I'd start one herb at 1 drop daily, wait a few days and then add 1 drop daily of another herb, wait a few days, add 1 drop of the next herb, etc.

I kept track of all the different herbs/doses I was taking so I didn't accidentally take more than I should.

I was 90% healed when I started Buhner and got up to 98% after 4 months. At that point, I was up to full doses of the Lyme herbs and only 8 drops each of all the Bartonella/Babesia herbs.

Starting low and going slow is the way to go.

Most important is that you listen to your body. If you experience a herx, lower the dose to the one that didn't cause you to herx. You can always try increasing the dose later....or you might experience benefits from the synergy of the herbs and heal on the lower dose. Herbs enhance the actions of each other.

Herbs can pack quite the punch so it's important to continue with an effective detoxing protocol that incorporates multiple methods that support the various body detoxification systems.

I think it's a good idea to continue with probiotics - at least in foods and possibly in supplement form. 70% of our immune system is in our gut.

Antibiotics made me sick to my stomach right off the bat. I was eating crackers and warm water all day long. I started on the internet searching for options. I found Healing Well - thank the Lord! And after my stint of 30 days with Ceftin and Biaxin I found a new llmd and asked him to find me an alternative to antibiotics. He said his wife had just healed her lyme with herbs and there I began my journey.

His knowledge was very limited because she only took a couple of herbs and was healed. Once I took those herbs I was then on my own because he didn't know what to do. I bought books and read articles and listened to the numerous people on this forum on what to do.

Bactrim sparked some weirdness..I read buhner ..went to hipster apothicary ...did tcm ..saw a worm ..in iv roceph with andrographis hootie ,burber ,jk, zith alinia ,bee venom and orhers ..mangosteen ,chew licorice for blood pressure ...tried this alt doc who used lily of the valley...gearing up for rifampin ..idk any more

I made the decision for several reasons. For one, i frankly know more about chronic illnesses and care more about myself than any of my docs seem to and can't stand letting them take control of my process. After being told so many times "sorry i don't know what's wrong with you" or "its all in your head", it's become clear to me they really don't know what they're doing. Even the LLMD only seemed modestly more enlightened than the others. I didn't feel comfortable doing my own thing alongside abx either because of potential complications. The second reason was the risks of the abx alone. It was like everything my doctor put me on could cause cancer or heart disease. And then lastly and most importantly I realized herbal medicine is far more sophisticated than pharmaceutical medicine. I was on the verge of completing my degree in biochem when i got sick and was basically born and bred in conventional medical theory. But honestly, what the world of biosciences has to offer is primitive compared to plant medicines and energetic herbalism. It has it's place, but it just doesn't even come close to touching what traditional healing can do if used appropriately. I was not convinced I would get all the way on abx and really determined to experience the alternative.

Anyways, personally i tend to start with one at a time and add them in as i go so i know what I'm reacting to. Herbs are generally safer in the sense of not being inherently toxic (not always true, but generally), but in the sense of being able to cause idiosyncratic reactions they are no safer than pharms. So it's important to me to know what I'm feeling in response to each one so i can stop if need. I've actually had to stop currently because the last time i added too many too quick I had some bad abdominal pains. So i'm looking for someone who can monitor my blood work, keep an eye on my organ function, etc before continuing again.

Post Edited (Psilociraptor) : 8/13/2016 2:52:18 PM (GMT-6)

Hey Trader. I started herbs because of the great feedback from this forum, my interest in Buhner's work, and my aversion to antibiotics (I only did 20 days and my stomach was on the verge of just shutting down).

I started with Japanese Knotweed Capsules, and cats claw. Started with 1 then worked my way up, I believe I was taking 1 of each 3 times a day. Also Eleuthero tincture, and Ashwagnda.

I've recently started Teasel, it has caused me a lot of herxing.

Good luck to you with whatever you decide!

When I started on this forum, only abx were being used and talked about- with the exception of one person. Deejavu, who still posts occasionally. But after a year of only continued decline into the depths of hell, with seizures, stuttering, massive anxiety attacks that made me abandon my grocery cart and flea for the front doors to only get "lost" in finding a way out (even though I was only 30 ft from the door, I didn't recognize it), and more - I called it quits. I was completely toxic.

Of course, this was before hardly anyone knew about detoxing - so it kind of made sense once I stopped and thought about it. But I was so ill by that time, that I couldn't have fought my way out of a wet paper bag. I thought was doomed to die with these infections, but in a last ditch effort, I reached out to the one and only person I had ever heard of using a different approach - Deejavu. She helped me get started detoxing and caring for my body in a way that lead to less misery - so I started looking into natural means to heal from these infections instead - still not knowing if it would work or not, but since abx treatments were obviously something I wasn't going to be able to do, I figured what the heck? Why not?

I read on different treatments and possibilities for healing these different infections we deal with for 2 years - I had the time, since I was bed ridden. What I finally choose is a not so well known protocol called Chronic Tonic for my Lyme disease and Houttuynia for my Bartonella and that's as far as my poor brain could get. Fortunately, I found a really outstanding Master of Traditions Chinese Medicine & Master Western Herbalist that agreed to try to help - but she had never knowingly treated anyone with these infections before, so it was up to me to get her good, reliable information that she could study.

Amazingly, it worked!! And, that's when I started trying to help others understand that there ARE options to abx treatments. Not every can heal using one protocol - whether it's pharma or natural/alternative medicine we are talking about, but anyone that's willing to put the work in can find something to heal themselves is now my view.

From what I've seen - which is admittedly limited to this forum - Cowden claims to treat all the infections, but doesn't always. Many have the experience that CD on this forum had - She started Cowden's but hit a plateau maybe 3 months (?) into it and so she chose to switch over to Buhner's at that point, and started experiencing herxing quickly - showing that the selected herbs were better suited for her body. Now, this is NOT to say that people don't heal on Cowden's, but do be aware that many have found it's not enough - which is why I don't "promote" what I used either. It does help SOME people heal, but it's a small subset of people, just like with Cowden's.

On the other hand, it's purchased in one package, and you have very specific instructions to follow, and that alone makes Cowden's a good place to start using herbal treatments for some.