I highly recommend Dr. Darin Ingels, ND new book The Lyme Solution: A 5-Part Plan to Fight the Inflammatory Auto-Immune Response and Beat Lyme Disease. As a functional medicine practitioner, he provides a natural approach to treating Lyme disease that is both comprehensive and designed to each person’s own unique needs i.e. he doesn’t use a one size fits all approach. His uniquely holistic approach to treating this rampant disease, treats both the infection and the resulting autoimmune response. He’s also recovered from Lyme disease himself so he really gets it!
According to the CDC, over 300,000 cases of Lyme are reported every year in the U.S.A.
As you can see, many conditions can mimic Lyme disease, including anxiety and depression.
Many in my community have both Lyme disease and anxiety and many nutritional solutions, such as GABA (a calming amino acid supplement), can ease their anxiety while my client is working with a doctor such as Dr. Ingels in order to address and eliminate the Lyme disease.
Tricia Soderstrom from Abounding in Hope With Lyme shares her Lyme GABA story here: GABA helps with Lyme anxiety (while addressing the underlying disease)
Dr. Ingels shared this with me when I asked about what GABA products he likes and why:
I use DFH PharmaGaba and Allergy Research Liposomal GABA, which also has theanine. Liposomal GABA works beautifully for anxiety and sleep disturbances in my Lyme patients and children with autism. I also love how quickly it seems to affect people, often within 10-15 minutes of taking it.
Including the latest research about the diagnosis and treatment of Lyme, The Lyme Solution provides a path to wellness by strengthening the body’s ability to heal from within. Dr. Ingels suggests an actionable 5-Part Plan to:
- Fortify gut health and restore the immune system
- Follow a diet that increases immunity and reduces inflammation
- Thwart and target an active infection
- Identify hidden toxins that worsen Lyme
- Lifestyle suggestions to help healing
Here are some of his gut support protocols: digestive enzymes, glutamine, resveratrol, herbs like slippery elm and marshmallow, fish oil and probiotics:
The Lyme Solution is a simple guide for how you can advocate for your own health and use innovative treatments to maintain wellness, using the least invasive ways to facilitate treatment. By following this plan, you can become even stronger than you were before the Lyme and better equipped to manage recurring symptoms.
I highly recommend this book if you have Lyme disease or if you suspect that Lyme disease may be playing a role in your ill-health or have chronic anxiety (or another chronic health condition) and have not yet found a solution. I also highly recommend it for practitioners who are both treating Lyme disease patients and those, like myself, who want to really understand all aspects in order to make good referrals for Lyme treatment.
I read it cover to cover in one sitting and could not put it down!
Chapter 1 – An excellent discussion about the problems with long-term antibiotics for chronic Lyme disease and when antibiotics should be used. The chronic inflammatory autoimmune connection is unique to Dr. Ingels’ approach for treating Lyme disease and makes a great deal of sense. The Lyme facts are invaluable: Lyme spirochete going dormant and hiding in scar tissue and lymph nodes; the nymph the most dangerous; Lyme-reactive antibodies form against proteins in the brain, giving rise to neurological symptoms.
Chapter 2 – Covers complex and controversial issues with diagnosis and pitfalls of the various testing that is available. It contains Lyme signs/symptoms and a Lyme questionnaire. It was eye-opening to learn that the bull’s-eye rash is Lyme specific and that changes in handwriting and mixing up words may be a sign of chronic Lyme disease. This is one of my favorite chapters of the book and is very comprehensive.
Chapter 3 – Gut and immune restoring protocols and more on the autoimmune connection. Addressing gut health is key to any condition and Dr. Ingels reiterates that addressing the immune system is key for recovery from Lyme.
Chapter 4 – Immune boosting diet and the importance of alkalinity. This is my least favorite chapter because I’m an advocate of the Paleo diet and have found that when done well with large amounts of vegetables, it is healing and alkaline. (He did connect with me on this and agrees in principle with a Paleo diet that does include plenty of vegetables). I am pleased to see coffee is off the list but would have liked to hear his experiences with intermittent fasting.
Chapter 5 – Covers targeting the infection in a way that doesn’t impact gut flora and undermine the immune system. This chapter has extensive coverage of the herbal protocols Dr. Ingels has found to be effective for his patients: Zhang protocol, his version of the Cowden protocol and others. He goes into great detail for each herb, including products to help with a Herxheimer reaction, as well as the rationale and protocols for breaking up biofilm. It’s also one of my favorite chapters in the book.
Chapter 6 – Cleaning your home and environment and getting rid of toxic chemicals and products, as well as addressing mold. This is also common-sense to address for any condition so it’s great to cover for Lyme.
Chapter 7 – Sleep, exercise and stress reduction. This is also common-sense to address for any condition. I do have a professional difference of opinion for the GABA recommendation for sleep and typically start my clients on much lower doses. I also love GABA for stress and anxiety.
Chapter 8 – Advanced protocols for specific symptoms: mitochondrial issues, neuropathy and balance, low dose immunotherapy, LDN and other approaches where you’ll need to work with a health care provider. Another favorite chapter of mine.
Chapter 9 – Additional lab testing, SIBO, Mast cell activation syndrome and POTS are addressed in relation to Lyme disease. This chapter is enlightening.
The case studies throughout the book reflect the complex nature of Lyme disease and help us get a better understanding about unexpected symptoms, as well as Dr. Ingels’ level of expertise. One such example is Peter’s story: he developed tics but none of the other classic Lyme symptoms, PANS was found and then Lyme disease.
Given that neuropsychiatric symptoms are common in Lyme disease I hope to see more coverage of this in a later edition or follow-up book. I work with individuals with anxiety and underlying Lyme disease is very common, with benzodiazepines and SSRIs commonly prescribed. Using nutritional approaches for the anxiety and/or depression and since it gets to the root cause it’s more effective, plus it lowers the toxic burden and side-effects of added medications. (He also connected with me about this and said he agrees but word-count was the challenge in this first book).
Overall, this book is an excellent resource and I highly recommend it! It offers practical solutions and hope for those who are been suffering with chronic Lyme disease and are seeking a solution.