I just thought this article may interest people who are struggling with other complications aside or alongside mercury, like lyme, bacteria/candida, cavitations. I found this very interesting. Look for the part where a dentist discusses treating his cavitations/root canal patients with Samento (cat's claw). And that he refuses to do cavitations until their bacterial levels are first reduced with this, then later he will do the surgery.

http://www.samento.com.ec/sciencelib/4lyme/whatmakeslyme.html

My Lyme doc has me on Samento, in addition to other herbs. I've also had to go on an antibiotic because of neuro symptoms from Lyme. Samento (Cat's Claw) packs a mighty powerful punch against infections in the body. Just thought I'd share that. If anyone wants to start taking it, start out slowly!!!!!! It can cause very powerful herxmeier reactions.

I've already had to cut back my dose because the herxing was so bad. That just shows how well this stuff works! I'm really impressed with this herb.

Sharon

HI Sharon, thanks. That's what makes me feel like giving it a go, but if I do, I'll take your advice and go slowly! This is not just for my suspecting lyme, but other infections like cavitation and viral, and it seems that cat's claw is good for those too.

Have you heard of the salt and vitamin C method for lyme? Apparently this is very popular and some feel it's better than cat's claw.... I don't know though, it seems that's this method is just for that particular problem alone. I've tried some salt and C and didn't notice anything, yet apparently the herx can start almost immediately after taking it. perhaps I didn't take enough but frankly you need the best in salt (celtic sea salt, real salt) and I dont know if I could afford to go through so much of this salt and C to get a response....

Hi Bex,

Yes, I've heard of the salt/vit. C for Lyme. I don't know anyone that's been cured with it. That doesn't mean it hasn't happened -- just that I don't know anyone. And that doesn't mean much, because I'm newly diagnosed and just begun treatment and am just starting to talk with other Lymies.

I know for late stage/chronic Lyme, it is very difficult to treat and it takes a long time of treatment usually to get well. For anyone that doesn't recall a tick bit and a rash and go straight to the doctor for proper treatment, the Lyme ends up being late stage and chronic. That's well over half of the people with Lyme and undiagnosed Lyme. I never recalled a tic bite nor a rash.

The herxheimer reactions in the treatment of Lyme are unlike any other herxheimer or die-off reaction of ever had. And I also have bad systemic candida, heavy metal toxicity, etc., so I'm no stranger to die-off. While they say the herxing can be a good sign in that it reveals that the Lyme spirochetes are being killed, the herxing is VERY difficult. And it's nothing to fool around with either. Lyme can be dangerous -- and so can the co-infections that go along with Lyme. Grunting or pushing through the die-off is not recommended. Rather, Lyme patients are told to cut back dosages and build up very slowly.

An example would be, I'm supposed to work up to 30 drops (I think it's either 20 or 30 -- don't have the bottle right here) of the tincture 2 x a day. I started out with only 1 drop 2 x a day and went into tachycardia, palpitations, numb fingers & toes, extreme bone pain, nausea, stomach pain, etc. So I took a few days off and will start back with only 1 drop once a day.

I'm taking the Samento tincture by Nutramedix. It's part of the Cowden protocol to treat Lyme and co-infections.

Here is a very good link to a brochure from ILADS on Lyme disease. It explains very well the difficulty in testing Lyme and why it really must be a clinical diagnosis.

http://www.ilads.org/PRBrochure.pdf

Also, more recommended reading..... this is a bit technical, but keep reading through it even if it doesn't all sink in. I was floored to see myself within the paragraphs describing the symptoms.

It's an essay titled, "When To Suspect Lyme Disease."

http://cassia.org/essay.htm

And here is another interesting article by Dr. Klinghardt. He's no stranger to heavy metal toxicity either. His article on the treatment of Lyme "A look beyond antibiotics" is really interesting. My doc will be incorporating stuff from this approach as well. But, my Lyme doc (who is holistic and integrative) says that he's never seen a patient of his recover from chronic Lyme without using antibiotics at least at some point during treatment. Still he leaves the decision up to the patient. But he says aggressive treatment is warranted from all avenues. My doc is a member of ILADS, the international group of doctors who's brochure I linked above.

http://www.neuraltherapy.com/LymeALookBeyond6.pdf


And here is a link to pictures of the tic and it's life stages. I had no idea what tics looked like that weren't adult and mature. And this is only one type of tic! There are many different types that carry Lyme and co-infections. At this site, go to "About Lyme Disease" and click on "Prevention" and then click on "ticks". The photos are there.

http://www.timeforlyme.org/



Finally, I'll just add, that last year my holistic gynecologist put me on a really good quality cat's claw for another ailment. He was trying it to see if it would help my IBS. Within hours of my first dose, I started herxing and after a few days had to stop taking it. It was then that I realized that I might have Lyme and co-infections. So, at the end of the day, taking that Cat's Claw was really helpful to me in putting a hugely significant piece of my health puzzle into place. Also, that "IBS" was really Lyme infection.

Blessings.
Sharon

Hi Sharon, thanks a lot for all the information. I am so overwhelmed with my own symptoms, that to even do anything each day is almost too much and I have no faith in doctors or tests either, plus they charge money which I just do not have right now (paying bills off).

So for me to get a diagnosis for lyme right now is out of the question, but maybe in the future. Still, it shouldn't stop me from trying cat's claw either, considering I definiteliy do have infections of some kind, and candida. Though I am wary of the herx you speak of (in case I do have lyme). So I understand the need to start slow and build up.

I hope you will recover from this condition. Like you, I have had and have candida overgrowth, I've had chronic mercury poisoning and now all these infections with possible cavitations. So it's all been a bit of a nightmare to say the least. It seems that one condition weakens a person to another and they seem to all work together in somehow keeping the host on a downward spiral. AT least with just mercury I was able to detox and heal over time, but with the other stuff, no. The most I ever get is a little improvement or control over some symptoms, but that is never a sure thing.

anyway, thanks again and I'll be checking out the links you sent!

can you just take regular cat claw or does it have to be samento?

Hi Mikey, I thought they were the same thing? I thought Samento was another name for Cat's claw....I hope someone can clear that up in case I'm mistaken.

I read the Samento page. Samento is a registered TM name for cat's claw, or the extract (Water base) of it made by a certain company.

There may be a diffrence between powdered cat's claw and an extract version.

Bex, try the walnut hull. Black walnut hull kills yeast along with lots of other stuff. It's very reliable and side effects are literally non-existent. Well, you might be itchy for the first few days is all. Do the walnut first for a few weeks, see how it goes, and then go into the cat's claw from there if you still feel the need.

you do not even need to be on a special diet to use black walnut hull tincture. It may help but it's not neccesary.

use the tincture, alcohol base.

HI sosick, thanks for the tip. My main interest in cat's claw was due to it's effect on cavitations and other infections, not just parasites/yeast.....What would walnut hull do for me in that regard? I thought it only worked on parasites and yeast...let me know.

Thanks again.

bex thanks for the reply : the web sights that both you and somedaysoon posted were very informative , my niece that lives in the central kansas has been battleing lyme disease for a while ,she was given the traditional lyme treatment through injection ,and now is dealing with joint problems , and now we find out that the treatment was pulled from the market due to possible link to arthritis / joint problems , some info that I found on line suggest that you can use regular cat claw ,and others say do not use regular cats claw ,what to do? I would like to help her out ,but need to find out the correct info to give her

Hey mikey, sorry I didn't get back to you sooner. I got a little busy with Thanksgiving and now I'm recovering from it all. lol

On the cat's claw vs. samento, I honestly am not sure whether it really makes a difference what is used or not. I'm using the Samento by Nutramedix because that is what my Lyme doctor likes to use. I'm on a limited form of what is known as the Cowden Protocol. It uses herbs to try and treat the Lyme.

Last Spring I did use a Cat's Claw by Biotics Research for another ailment. My holistic gyn put me on it, as I've said before. It was a powdered herb in a capsule. I got herxing reactions from that too. So, I don't know what is so special about the samento tincture or whether it makes a difference. I do know that quite a few of the members on the Lymenet forum use the Cat's Claw from Raintree -- http://www.rain-tree.com/catclaw.htm

Info on the Cowden Protocol: http://www.bionatus.com/nutramedix/pages/lymepage.html

As I've said, my Lyme doc also has me on antibiotics, supplements and other things.

I'm herxing alot so I haven't even been able to work up to the full dosage of samento, nor have I been able to incorporate the other two herbs my doc wants me to start.

Is your niece seeing a Lyme specialist?

There is also another protocol which incorporates herbals and it is called the Buhner Protocol. Buhner is a herbalogist and has written a book "Healing Lyme."

My Lyme doc told me that he has never seen anyone clinically that recovered from Lyme without using antibiotics at least at some point during treatment. Also, that patients usually require nutritional supplements, enzymes, herbs and a multi-pronged, holistic, approach to healing.

This is a pretty good website and Forum on Lyme. The "newbie links" in the Medical Questions section are very good reading for acquiring resources on treatment.

http://flash.lymenet.org/ubb/ultimatebb.php

And this woman's website has a nice list of resources. She (and her Lyme disease) has been featured on the Discovery Health Channel's "Mystery ER" show.

http://www.wildcondor.com/lymelinks.html

Hope this helps!

SomedaySoon (Sharon)

thanks for the info sharon: my niece is not seeing any one for her condition right now ,she was discoraged when she started getting the joint problems and stopped trusting doctors after that ,so if she can find something that would help her ,it would be very good at this point

Well, it oxygenates your blood for starters, which kills viruses and all sorts of stuff too.

look it up.

The cat's claw sounds good Bex, but I would use something else to kill numerous other things first and then use the cat's claw is all I'm saying.

The straight up black walnut hull is the most reliable thing I have found so far. By straight up I mean without any additives, it works real well all by itself. But, like I said, i like to use goldenseal with it... just logically, and I can tell how I feel... if you kill parasites you will probably have bacteria leftover to deal with, something smaller down the chain that was with the other parasites will now be loose and needs to be dealt with. I have found that the goldenseal brought me straight into balance after the first black walnut parasite cleanse/liver cleanse especially. You don't need much goldenseal, i have only been using it once perday a couple times a week, so about twice a week during my cleanses.

they're just both items on my native american indian herb list that I know I can rely on. I was going to use black walnut last fall but missed the season by a couple weeks when i went out to get some, because i like to pick them fresh. And it kept showing up on the list of all the parasite cleanses people here use so i got them in time this year and used it for the very first time ever and am amazed, truly, at the effectiveness.

The rough spot on my elbow went away Bex, that has been hanging around the past several months without giving into any of usual routines. And I have had that off and on for years, i really think I caught it from my dad, he has a real bad spot of excema or whatever it in the exact same location. I think I have been carrying that little bug or fungus or whatever for years and for the very first time ever, it simply disappeared of it's own accord when i was using the black walnut hull. Also, the very first time I did a big dose of the walnut hull, the next morning I coughed up the grossest looking BIG pile of greenish grey something from my lungs. i don't know what it was but I am glad it's gone. A lot of something was killed in my body that night and came out via my lungs I think. It must have been it my blood. I used nothing but black walnut hull when that happened.

It really works without much fuss Bex, that's why i am saying use it. I had no side effects whatsoever from it, the black walnut hull, i feel real good when using it. i cannot say the same thing about wormwood. The wormwood had me hallucinating a little bit... like things were moving in my peripheral vison, jumping shapes.. It also gave me a big foggy head. I cannot work with a foggy head. I hate foggy head. I am not good with a fioggy head. the black walnut doesn't do any of that to me. But it sure kills bugs and fungus. It took me a few days to recuperate to normal after the wormwood containing stuff and i will never use it again. maybe it does kill som,e stuff the walnut doesn't but if I feel this good after just the walnut hull why bother with something that gives me foghead and weird ideas?

Also the price Bex, it's affordable as a single item.

Chances are good it's a stubborn fungus you've got, since you got it mostly from the mascara incident. black walnut hull will definitely address that, i simply am not sure the cat's claw will is all.

I may try the cat's claw downline too but I think I am pretty good for a while now.

Thanks Sosick, your advice is always so straight from the shoulder, logical and helpful. I think I will give this stuff a go. Interesting you mentioned wormwood, because I got that confused with the walnut hulls and I think I had used wormwood in a parasite cleanse once and I honestly don't think it helped.

But I am interesting in the black walnut hulls tincture and the price is also attractive, especially at the moment. Good starting point anyway and I feel pretty convinced to try it after what you've said here. And hey if it doesn't work? It's not like I"ve lost very much (hopefully a few baddies along the way though).

If things really do not work, cat's claw can be something further down the line. I'm impressed at what the walnut hulls have done for you and I hope they do similar to me. This bizzre infection, whether eye infection, or from tick/mosquito, or what I don't know, it's still an infection and surely a product that addresses those issues should benefit me in some way.

I have to be so careful right now with what I take, I am having terrible problems with gut issues and other symptoms. Feeling very vulnerable, as though one thing can knock me down. Driving me nuts right now, but I am being strong on the diet and not giving in. Been 3 weeks now with no cheats, no even potatoes, so that is good for me. Unfortunately I'm not impressed with the lack of improvements I had hoped for, so I'm thinking that other things need to be addressed because a body this low and this vulnerable to yeast, even with such a good diet, has some far deeper issues at work that are simply not be dealt with and continuing to oppress me and my life. I am truly tired of the ongoing chronic strangeness to it all.

Thanks again! Much appreciated.