Physician Heal Thyself
In 1987 I began writing a book. The contents of the book were based on over twenty-five years of research, as well as discussions with people I had met in the course of my travels to places like South America, India and Tibet.
The book was called “The Cosmic Web” and carried the sub-title “A New View of Reality“. The aim of the book was to provide a synthesis between the Western objective materialistic view of science, and the Eastern subjective illusory view of the world as taught in the Hindu Vedas.
One of the chapters of this book was devoted to the subject of health. It was called “The Sceptre of Hermes“. It outlined the different paradigms of health that can be found around the world, and the various forms of treatment that have been devised to treat disease.
In this chapter I discussed the concept of disease that had been taught by spiritual masters down the ages, and was supported by the words of Jesus. Under this concept, all disease first begins at the level of the Mind, and then manifests later in the subtle realm before appearing on the physical level.
At the time that I wrote this chapter, I never thought that I would find myself facing a health crisis of my own some twenty-five years later, and that I would be forced to turn to this spiritual concept of disease for help. It proved to be a case of “Physician, heal thyself”.
The Onset of Symptoms
A Typical Bulls-Eye Rash
The first sign of impending trouble came when I was taking a shower in the spring (March) of 2013. As I was washing, I happened to notice an unusual rash under my left forearm. It consisted of two concentric circles in the form of a bulls-eye.
Although there was no pain associated with the rash, I decided to have it checked out at the local Health Clinic. There I was told that the rash was the result of a spider bite, and was given a prescription for an anti-fungal cream.
I applied the cream daily as directed, but found that the rash persisted, and only faded away about a month after I had first discovered it. As I was still experiencing no discomfort of any kind, I paid little attention to it and soon forgot about it altogether.
My health was excellent throughout the summer, but in the Fall (September) I began to experience flu-like symptoms. I had a persistent runny nose, and my voice developed a hoarseness which I could never overcome, no matter how many times I cleared my throat.
Then I began to suffer from a hacking cough which lasted throughout the day, but was worse in the evening. This was accompanied by digestion problems, which appeared to be a form of GERD (Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease).
Then one day in October 2013, as I was walking back to my car, I was suddenly overcome by a feeling that I was going to collapse. I sat down on the sidewalk and waited for the feeling to pass. When it did so, I slowly made my way back to the car and carefully drove home.
The following morning the sense of weakness continued, so I went back to the same Health Clinic that had diagnosed my initial spider bite. There they took my blood pressure, and announced that I had a Systolic reading of 45. I was told to get someone to drive me to the nearest hospital right away.
At the Emergency Department the staff confirmed that I was suffering from Bradycardia (extreme slow heart rate) and I was admitted immediately. The outcome of it all was that I had a Pacemaker surgically inserted into my chest.
While the Pacemaker did help to resolve the problems of Arrythmia (Irregular Heart Beat), it could not repair the damage caused by the heart block (absence of the electrical impulse from the Sinus Node). As a result I still continue to suffer from PVC’s (Premature Ventricular Contractions).
But the implanted Pacemaker did not signal an end to my problems. Instead, it seemed to herald a series of completely new symptoms that continued to emerge every few weeks after I returned from the hospital.
The next of these were the “night sweats”. After falling asleep at night, I would wake up about 4a.m. with my upper body completely drenched in perspiration. To combat this I took to going to bed with a towel in order to dry myself off before I could return to sleep.
It was not long after this that I happened to stop off for lunch at Vancouver International Airport. Although the meal passed off without incident, as I got up to leave, I found that I could not walk properly. I was unsteady on my feet, and my body kept lurching to one side.
I had no sensation of any pain or headache, but found that my speech was also affected. I was slurring my words, and was feeling dizzy and disoriented. Although I appeared to have all the symptoms of a mini-stroke, my Doctor could find no evidence of this.
And this was when the full array of mysterious new symptoms began. I began to suffer from mental disorientation and difficulty remembering commonly used words. I had trouble concentrating, and struggled to maintain a conversation.
But worst of all was the “brain fog”. I felt as if I was operating in a dense mental fog. When I tried to read something, it was hard to focus on the words. Even performing the simplest household chore required an immense mental effort.
Finally, I began to experience chronic fatigue, to the point where I could hardly drag myself around my apartment. Even the slightest physical effort exhausted me. When I sat on the toilet, my joints would give way, and I would have to pull myself up by holding onto a rail.
As this medical drama was unfolding in my life, I appealed to my personal Doctor for guidance and advice. I couldn’t understand what was happening to me, or what was responsible for all the other symptoms that seemed unrelated to one another.
His response was to order up a battery of tests which merely confirmed what I already knew. They indicated that I suffered from Type II diabetes, chronic lower back pain, and severe oxygen deprivation due to sleep apnea. All the other blood tests and scans were normal.
In desperation, I called a friend and asked: “How is it possible that I feel like I am dying, and yet all the medical tests come back normal?” Her response was the first glimpse of light amid the darkening gloom. She said: “It sounds to me like you have Lyme disease”.
The Nature of the Problem
Up until that moment I had never even heard of Lyme disease, so in an effort to find out more I turned to the Internet for help. I discovered that what is generally known about the disease has been summarised in the following entry in Wikipedia.
In short, it is an infectious disease that is transmitted to human beings through the bite of an infected tick.
According to statistics, Lyme disease is the most common disease spread by ticks in the Northern Hemisphere, where it is estimated to infect about 300,000 people in North America every year, and a further 65,000 annually in Europe.
It came to be called Lyme disease because it was first diagnosed as a separate condition in the community of Old Lyme in the American state of Connecticut, by scientist Willy Burgdorfer in 1981. In recognition of his efforts, the bacterium responsible was named after him. (Borrelia burgdorferi)
The most important feature about the bacterium that causes Lyme disease is its shape. In scientific terms it is referred to as a spirochete, meaning that it has a corkscrew shape, much like the bacterium that causes syphilis. And like syphilis, this bacterium has the ability to manifest in the body in many different ways.
Probably the most obvious feature associated with Lyme disease is the characteristic rash which takes the form of a bulls-eye, as shown earlier. Although not everyone who gets the disease has this rash, it does show up in a significant number of cases.
Another factor which is often overlooked is that people who are bitten by infected ticks may not only get Lyme disease, but a host of other “co-infections” as well. And because these co-infections vary from place to place, people who suffer from Lyme disease often manifest a wide range of other symptoms as well.
A broad outline of nature of Lyme disease, its diagnosis and treatment, as well as its broad implications for public health around the world, is well illustrated in the following video.
One of the first things I learned about Lyme disease is that it is notoriously difficult to diagnose, especially here in British Columbia where I now live. The problem is that the bacterium itself, together with its associated co-infections, do not lend themselves to a simple blood test.
Instead, the disease tends to be diagnosed symptomatically, as a result of an analysis of all the different symptoms involved. Unfortunately, these only become apparent many months after the person has become infected, when it is too late to prescribe the appropriate anti-bacterial drugs.
Upon further research I came across an extensive summary of possible symptoms associated with Lyme disease, in an article written by Dr Joseph Burrascano that was printed in the September, 2005, edition of Advanced Topics in Lyme Disease.
In comparing my own symptoms with those listed in the article, I found that of the 63 different symptoms listed, I had experienced 20 of them. Armed with this information, I again visited my Doctor and asked to be tested for Lyme disease.
Predictably enough, given the information presented above, the standard ELISA test came back negative. My Doctor’s response proved to be equally predictable. He said that I did not have Lyme disease, and dismissed all my other symptoms as being totally unrelated.
What to do about it
When it became clear that I was not about to get any help from the medical profession here in British Columbia, I looked around for other sources of treatment, such as naturopaths and other alternate health specialists.
What I found was a confusing mix of treatment plans, many of which made extravagant claims of successful cures for all manner of diseases. However, these unproven claims were linked with equally inflated costs that were way beyond my limited financial resources.
Most of these plans revolved around variations in diet that were used to purify the body and boost the immune system, as well as a host of different visualizations, affirmations and invocations that were designed to call upon the help of a Higher Power.
Although none of these different treatment plans appealed to me, they did at least point the way towards a strategy that I felt might help me in dealing with my debilitating symptoms.
It was then that I was reminded of something I had included in my book all those years ago. It was the response given by the 20th century Indian sage Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj to a question posed to him by a Western visitor on the subject of health.
Question: “Can I cure myself of a serious illness by merely taking cognisance of it?”
Maharaj: “Take cognisance of the whole of it, not only of the outer symptoms. All illness begins in the mind. Take care of the mind first, by tracing and eliminating all wrong ideas and emotions. Then live and work disregarding illness and think no more of it. With the removal of the causes, the effect is bound to depart.” 1
Based on this excerpt alone, I decided to come up with a treatment plan of my own. I would start by looking around for anything that would boost my immune system, and couple this my own intuitive ideas of how to deal with this disease at the level of the mind.
To boost my immune system, I settled on two things. The first was something that happened to have been left behind after a visit by my sister who lived in South Africa. They were teabags of a herbal tea called “Rooibos” (Redbush) tea.
This herbal tea has been popular in South Africa for generations, partly because it is only grown in the South-Western Cape, and also because of its unique properties. Although high in Ascorbic acid (Vitamin C), “Rooibos” tea contains low levels of Tannin, and no Caffeine.
The other item I chose to boost my immune system was a concoction called “Magic Bread”. Magic bread was devised by a New York physician named Sherry Rogers. It was based on an analysis of various power foods, and the recipe was included in her book “How to Cure Diabetes“.
The main ingredients of magic bread are almond flour, oat flour, coconut flour and carob powder, together with such things as applesauce, olive oil, pumpkin and chopped walnuts. All the ingredients are then baked in a pan, after which they are cut into squares.
So the only changes to my regular diet were one of these squares of magic bread daily, plus two mugs of “Rooibos” tea, which was readily available from the local health store. I also drank ordinary tap water. I never bothered with any of the so-called “health” bottled water products or water purifiers.
Dealing with the Mind
When it came to dealing with Lyme disease at the level of the Mind as indicated in the quotation above, I was guided by principles I had learned in the Anglican Church as a child. One maxim in particular stuck in my memory, and that was the exhortation to “Let go and let God“.
Another was the need to avoid all forms of fear. When I first began to research Lyme disease, I could not help reading pathetic stories of victims who had suffered the most appalling symptoms, some of which led to seizures, paralysis and even death.
These hair-raising case histories can be found all over the Internet. The case of Gabe Magnotta in Ontario, Canada, is just one example. A recent article in Maclean’s magazine discusses his case, as well as the political scandal that now surrounds the entire subject.
As a result I stopped reading about Lyme disease from then on. I felt intuitively that if I allowed these negative stories to generate fear, then the intensity of that fear would attract the very thing that I feared. I also adopted a strict regimen of prayer.
When saying my prayers at night I gave thanks for all the good things in my life, from food and drink, clothing and shelter, safety and security, friends and family and so on. The one thing I never did was to pray to be cured from Lyme disease, although many other people did so on my behalf.
After all, the words of Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj could not have been more clear, when he said: “Then live and work disregarding illness and think no more of it. With the removal of the causes, the effect is bound to depart.” 1
So once I made the decision to hand over the whole matter of my health to a Higher Power, I surrendered all my personal concerns and simply allowed things to take their natural course – whether for good or ill. I just stopped worrying about it.
On those days when I hardly had the energy to do anything, I didn’t moan about my situation or blame an unkind fate. I just accepted my situation. On other days when I felt crippled by pain and discomfort, I either lay on my bed or sat at my desk and browsed on the computer.
Then quite unexpectedly, one day several weeks ago when I was on my way to meet a friend, I found myself walking energetically without any unsteadiness or need for any form of support. It was at that moment that it occurred to me that I should do a review of all my former symptoms.
The Outcome
Out of the twenty symptoms that had assailed me in those early months after I first contracted the disease, my situation was now as follows:
1) The characteristic bulls-eye-shaped rash, which is often the first sign of Lyme disease, disappeared after about a month. The flu-like symptoms that appeared about six months later also subsequently came and went.
2) The hoarseness and hacking cough persisted for about a year before fading away, while the digestion problems also finally disappeared after about eighteen months.
3) The saga associated with my heart, which led to the insertion of a Pacemaker of course continues, but in a strangely muted fashion. The arrhythmia that followed on from the bradycardia has left me with a strange pattern of irregular heartbeats.
Scans of my heart reveal a pattern of irregularity that changes from minute to minute, due to the PVCs (phantom heartbeats) that resulted from the electrical damage to my Sinus Node. Yet for some strange reason, I feel nothing abnormal and have long since forgotten all about it.
4) The “night sweats” also continued for a period of about eighteen months, until one day I suddenly realised that I was no longer experiencing them. Like many of the other early symptoms, they came and they went, for reasons I still cannot identify.
5) The “mini-stroke” that I experienced at Vancouver Airport seems to have been a “one-off”, as it has never re-occurred, nor have I suffered any apparent problems as a result.
6) The “brain fog” which is so often reported by Lyme disease sufferers, and which causes so much dizziness and disorientation, proved to be the most remarkable “cure” that I experienced. The symptoms disappeared completely within three days of beginning to drink “Rooibos” herbal tea.
7) The general sense of malaise that accompanied the early onset of the disease, and which manifested in the form of unsteadiness and unexpected loss of balance, also continued for several years until I suddenly realised that I was able to function normally again.
8) The chronic fatigue, together with joint pain and loss of strength in my knees has also slowly faded away, and I am able to function normally and my stamina and strength are steadily returning.
9) But most satisfying aspect of this entire saga has been the effect it has had on the problems I had endured for many years prior to the onset of Lyme disease.
Although tests show that I still suffer from oxygen deprivation as a result of sleep apnea, I resisted my Doctor’s recommendation that I purchase a CPAP machine. Interestingly, I do not seem to have suffered any deleterious consequences over the last few years.
The same goes for my Type II diabetes. When it became apparent that I was allergic to the common drugs usually used to treat the disease, like Metformin and Diamicron, I gave up drug medication altogether and turned to daily doses of a local herbal supplement.
And although quarterly A1C tests show that my blood sugar is at an elevated level, it seems to have remained relatively stable over the last few years. Again, I don’t seem to be suffering from any noticeable side-effects.
But by far the most spectacular change as a result of my unusual form of treatment, was the affect it had on my lower back. As a result of increasing degeneration of the bone in the lumbar region of the spine, I had been plagued for years with severe back pain.
This seemed to get progressively worse over the last six months, leading to intense pain due to back spasms. Then one day about a month ago, as I was lying on the bed, I felt my entire lower back begin to relax, allowing me to bend freely without pain for the first time in years.
So the outcome of this treatment of the Mind, together with “Rooibos” tea and “Magic Bread”, aided by prayers and affirmations by myself and others, has led to an alleviation of all my symptoms, both these associated with Lyme disease, as well as those that I had suffered from previously.
So have I discovered the secret to eternal youth? No I haven’t. But I am well pleased with my present situation. After all, I am 78 years old. I no longer have any pain. I do what I want and go where I want. I eat what I want. I sleep soundly and wake up refreshed each morning. I feel truly blessed.
How did I get it?
There was one mystery that remained, and that was how I managed to get Lyme disease in the first place. The guidelines used to treat Lyme disease in Canada are the same as those set out by IDSA, the Infectious Diseases Society of America.
IDSA is comprised of physicians, scientists and other health care professionals who specialize in infectious diseases. The purpose of IDSA is to set guidelines for the treatment of different infectious diseases, and Lyme disease is one of the diseases for which guidelines have been set.
According to IDSA, Lyme disease is a relatively rare disease that is confined mainly to the North Eastern states of America. It is caused by the bite of a deer tick, which are found on deer that roam the woods of New England. Those most at risk are hunters and hikers who walk in these woods.
In my case, I had never been near any woods. At the time I was infected, I was in the process of converting my book “The Cosmic Web” from a Word document to a Kindle Digital Download. This was a task that took nearly two months to complete, and kept me indoors for almost all of that time.
The only respite I allowed myself was to sit on the patio outside my apartment. The mystery of how I came to be infected was finally resolved on a particularly hot afternoon this past summer. While reclining on my chair, I happened to notice a moving mass on the floor of the patio.
Upon closer inspection, this black mass turned out to be a colony made up of thousands of tiny ticks that had emerged from the baseboards on the outside of my apartment. They were everywhere. I even found some crawling up the armrest of the chair I was sitting on.
Western black-legged ticks on a finger. From left to right: Nymph, Adult male, Adult female.
It was only then that I realised that I must have been sitting outside one afternoon, and unwittingly placed my left forearm on top of one of these tiny ticks. On further analysis, this column of ticks turned out to be Western Black-legged ticks, as shown on the accompanying illustration.
Another interesting fact I discovered later is that these ticks are classified according to their size, ranging from larva to nymph to adult size. I also found out that most infections are caused by the bites of ticks that are still in the nymph stage, where they are barely noticeable.
Conclusion
The conclusion to this episode in my life falls into the category of good news – bad news. The good news is that as a result of good fortune, good nutrition, prayer and my own intuition, I have recovered from a disease whose symptoms have proved crippling for many, and deadly for some.
The bad news is that IDSA stands as an obstacle to the recognition of the widespread nature of this disease, as well as any move towards developing accurate diagnostic tests and effective pharmaceutical treatments, due to its insistence that there is no problem, and hence no need for any change.
Meanwhile, I have news of my own, and that is that as a result of steadily increasing temperatures throughout North America as a result of climate change, Lyme disease is reaching epidemic proportions, and that untold thousands of people are condemned to suffer horrendous consequences.
These case histories are filling the waiting rooms of clinics and hospitals everywhere, where they are being wrongly diagnosed as chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, multiple sclerosis, Crohn’s disease and so on, as can be seen from a recent news article.
And the source of the majority of these infections along the West coast of North America are not Deer ticks at all. They are the Western black-legged ticks mentioned above, that are steadily moving North, and invading suburbs and gardens in cities throughout the Pacific North West.
Reference
1 “I Am That“, Conversations with Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj, translated by Maurice Frydman, Book I, Chetana, Bombay, 1973, p. 258.
