May 16, 2001    Lyme Disease

We ride the path to glory along the straight and narrow. Our eyes are blinded, the road long. Strangers of fortunes show their wares. It was the vision of light. It was the sorrow of pain. It was such a path that we sought the truth of what is Lyme disease. Within the juxtaposition of power, phrases are full of meaningless thoughts. We begin the journey to describe in detail early symptoms and eventual healing. Lyme disease is a blur, a non-entity that wreaks havoc in anything it touches. It is a disease frighteningly filled with no knowledge of its cause and no medical treatment for its cure.

In fact, trying to research this further through my resources, which includes almost 100 books, there is barely a mention of the word Lyme, let alone an elaboration on it. Strange but true the book, "Alternative Medicine: the Definite Guide," with over 1000 pages, mentions the word Lyme once with a brief 5 words or ½ of a sentence, which I could barely call a reference.

I wish I could call Toby since it was her idea in the first place for choosing Lyme disease. Toby, part associate, part volunteer, part collaborator helps me organize, type, and then dispatch all these newsletters. My organization skills did not give me the privilege of having her phone number handy and the emailing possibility is like a foreign ocean with deep, dark, black holes and no opening. So, my options were very limited. But, being the raw foodist I am, there are options to be made.

Rick explains that before Barbara changed her diet, she was taking up to 20 Motrin pills a day to fight the pain in addition to her 3 months of oral antibiotics.

Barbara began having slight joint pain, which she attributed to old age. At that time she was all of 46. I, being Arnold, just turned 54 and still don' t know what joint pain is. So there goes that theory. Anyway, the pain persisted for almost one month, with each passing day getting worse. Barbara then decided to go to a doctor for further treatment. After some tests she was diagnosed with bacterial spirochete or Lyme disease. According to the Merck Manual, which was the only book I found that even attempted some type of definition, Lyme disease is, "A tick transmitted inflammatory disorder best recognized clinically by an early skin lesion, that may be followed weeks to months later by neurologic, cardiac, or joint abnormalities." Heavens to Betsy! These were the symptoms that Barbara was facing for a period of time ranging from weeks to months, which, according to Rick, could even expand to years.

The reason why so little is written about Lyme disease is because of its late discovery, in 1975, in the small community of Lyme, Connecticut. According to the Merck Manual, most patients are children and young adults living in heavily wooded areas.

Barbara's medical options were few. Her doctor chose amoxicillin as her first line of treatment to thwart this painful disease. Barbara took this oral antibiotic for 3 months. After the first round of treatment the results were less than encouraging. She got worse, the pain got worse, the Motrin dosage got larger, and she was barely able to function. The doctors, having failed in their first attempt, advised a new treatment, which was an intravenous antibiotic line into her heart. Trust me, I'm not making this up. Rick and his wife, not knowing any other option at the time and having confidence in their doctor's ability to heal her, were in deep thought about this option until by chance they were given another more radical approach (according to mainstream medical opinion) but a lot easier, cheaper, and more result oriented according to "God's Way" by Dr. George Malkamus. Medicine should be fruit, vegetables, nuts, and seeds. That's it.

Rick emphatically states that on August 29, 1998 the whole family literally changed their whole dietary lifestyle. They chose the diet, as recommended, 80% raw and 20% cooked vegetables. Barbara began this regimen after 3 months of failed treatment in which she took in an excess of 20 Motrin pills a day and a recommended medical procedure of having an intravenous line to her heart. Yea, Barbara! Your decision in my mind was a no brainer. In fact, the medical doctors encouraged her to seek another avenue for treatment since their medical option for cure was slim.

Barbara, in addition to going on a mostly raw diet, added eight 8oz glasses of carrot juice each day from a Champion juicer. Barbara was completely symptom free within 4 months after starting the raw food regimen.

According to Rick who became somewhat of an on-the-job expert on Lyme disease, a similar tale can be found of a lady in Georgia. This woman became all raw after suffering with Lyme disease for 11 years. Her condition did not improve for the first 6 months even though she did everything like Rick's wife except for one seemingly minor detail. She used a centrifugal juicer rather than a masticator (like a Champion juicer). After speaking to Rick and changing her juicer, the results were almost immediate. Her health problems cleared up, and she also became symptom free.

What does all this mean? According to the Merck Manual, not too much. According to the medical field, if it can't be treated by medicine, it can't be treated. By definition, according to the Merck Manual, "It is not yet clear whether antibiotic therapy is helpful." As we continue to read under treatment of the different medical options, one more statement kind of jumps out, "But (antibiotic therapy) does not appear to prevent recurrences and is therefore unnecessary during remission."

Imagine Barbara going through 3 months of oral antibiotics followed by intravenous antibiotics, then discovering that antibiotic therapy really doesn't work, and finally learning that according to the medical field there is no other option.

Not to toot his horn, but Dr George Malkamus of "God's Way to Ultimate Health - The Hallelujah Diet" presented the only written healing results of Lyme disease in his newsletters.

In one newsletter, Jeannette Finkbeiner clearly states that her Lyme disease is much better after switching her diet to a mostly fruit and vegetable diet.

Samuel Lapp, who changed to a diet recommended by Hallelujah Acres, states that after 3.5 months on a raw food diet he was able to work all day after suffering with Lyme disease for 4 years.

The success stories are there. Whether from Hallelujah Acres newsletters or if I were to research further at other raw food establishments, the results would be the same. Change one's diet, and the entire body begins to shift to a more healing level.

The body has healing wisdom: "Disease is always a creative attempt to solve problems." (Lewis Mehl) "Remove the cause of toxicity and give the body the ultimate healing conditions and the body will heal itself." (Arnold)

Each week, we at Arnold's Way will research a so-called disease, but the reality is, there is only one disease: Toxicosis. The choice of treatment will always be the same - as stated above by me.

The choice is yours and yours alone. If you choose to use a more natural hygiene approach, please be aware that there are absolutely no compromises. You being the reader would have to decide what are the best options.

Being the best you can means just that. In our daily lives, in your daily choices, we choose what is best for us at that particular moment. We at Arnold's way support you and your decision for a healthier lifestyle.

Thank you for you time. - Arnold

Resources: World Medicine Merck Manual, 14th edition Alternative Medicine Hallelujah Acres Newsletters 11, 13, 17

HEPATITIS VACCINE As a follow up to the information about hepatitis, this section is about the hepatitis vaccine. There is a brief introduction to vaccines and then some more specific information about the hepatitis vaccine.

Just for clarification purposes, a vaccine is defined in Stedman's Concise Medical Dictionary for the Health Professional as, "Any preparation intended for active immunological prophylaxis; e.g., preparations of killed microbes of virulent strains or living microbes of attenuated strains, or microbial, fungal, plant, protozoal, or metazoan derivatives or products." In other words, a vaccine introduces the bacteria or viruses into your body that you are trying to protect yourself from. The ingredients in a vaccine include the following: (taken from The Vaccine Guide)

- Thimerosal (mercury disinfectant/preservative) - mercury toxicity can result in brain injury and autoimmune disease - Aluminum (additive to promote antibody response) - associated with Alzheimer's disease and seizures - Formaldehyde (disinfectant) - causes cancer, hazardous waste that is no longer permitted to be an ingredient in building insulation - Phenol (disinfectant, dye) - Ethylene glycol (antifreeze) - Benzethonium chloride (antiseptic) - Methylparaben (antifungal, preservative)

As a result of the many harmful ingredients put into vaccines including the disease itself, reactions to the vaccines are varied and many times severe. Documented reactions specific to the hepatitis B vaccine include Guillain-Barre syndrome, arthritis, demyelinating nervous system disease (e.g., multiple sclerosis), anaphylaxis (i.e., "a sudden, potentially life-threatening systemic allergic response"), and other autoimmune reactions.

More information on vaccines will be following, so stay tuned!

UPCOMING EVENTS AT ARNOLD’S WAY

Arnold gives a breakfast lecture on raw food and healing every Saturday morning at the store from 8:15 to 9:45. It’s free –and there’s free breakfast. But please pre-register.

On the last Saturday of every month, Arnold gives a free raw food preparation course from 8:15 to 9:45 at the store. Learn how to make pizza, chili, pies, soups, cookies 7 and more in 7 minutes or less.

There’s a raw food Pot Luck dinner on the last Wednesday of the month at the store. Bring a raw food dish or pay $7. No pre-registration required.

A Certified Classical Homeopath/Homeopathic Master Clinician will now be giving free lectures once a month at Arnold’s Way. The first lecture will talk about the role of homeopathy and healthy eating in the cure of disease. The date is Thursday, May 17th, 6:30- 8:30. For more information, call Kate Hauck, CCH, HMC at (215) 732-3002.

The Ann Wigmore Institute of Puerto Rico and Laura Lyons, the owner of CDI, is offering 20 men and women a subsidized trip to the Wigmore Institute in Puerto Rico. The cost to participants is $200 (plus airfare); everything else is covere. The trip is June 24-30. Stop in the store for more info. Laura is a former diabetic. A raw foods diet got her off 30 units of insulin daily. She is now disease-free and insulin-free.

Greenwood has 2 Pot Luck dinners each month, on the second and fourth Saturdays, from 2-5 p.m. Call Tom for more info at (610) 623-5656.

Loretta Uainius is sponsoring a Living Food support group. (610) 648-0241.

Dr. Shirley Dressler is offering an eight-week workshop on Weigh of Wisdom with emphasis on raw food weight-loss –with a Biblical perspective. For more info, call her at (215) 233-8969.

Eugene Fried, survivor of 6 nazi concentration camps and the death march, will be sharing his experiences at Arnold's Way Cafe on Tuesday evening, June 5th at 6:30pm. Free admission.

Take your health to another level!!! Become part of Philly Raw and Real. We are enthusiasts of living food and the natural hygiene lifestyle. Our next meeting is Saturday June 2nd at 4pm. For further details including location (Jenkintown) call 215-677-5817.