My name is James and I’m here to share a Gerson Therapy story concerning my recovery from Lyme disease.

A couple years ago I would not have had the strength or desire to stand up to tell my story. But now that I’m well on my way to a Gerson recovery, it’s important for me to pay it forward and make a difference in someone else’s quality of life. I’m simply a local volunteer with nothing to gain from sharing my story but perhaps some good karma.

I want to help educate others who do not have cancer but would benefit from the Gerson Therapy. The Gerson Therapy is perhaps best known as a cancer treatment, but can also help people like me, who suffer from chronic, non-malignant diseases.

What is Lyme Disease?

For you who are unfamiliar with Lyme Disease, here is a quick rundown of what it is, and how it affects the body:

Back in 1977, the people of Lyme, Connecticut discovered a correlation between a deer tick bite and a life-disrupting illness.

These ticks have the potential to administer an infectious bacteria called Borrelia burgdorferi. Borrelia burgdorferi is a spirochete that has the ability to proliferate in all areas of the human body. It has the ability to suppress and hide from your natural immune system, and to transform itself into a protected dormant state when under attack by antibiotics.

Originally, the general symptoms consisted of a big, round red bullseye-shaped rash, followed by flu-like symptoms like fever, headache and stiff joints.

The typical prescription for Lyme is 30 days of antibiotics and the expectation that the illness would just go away, and you could just go back out into the world and enjoy your life.

However, many people are not healed after a mere 30 days, especially if the disease is not caught right away. My story turned out to be far more complicated, as this bacterial infection went untreated for many years, and became a chronic disease.

How it Started

In 1989, while living in Connecticut, I remember getting a bug bite. I did not notice a tick embedded in my skin, so I dismissed the rash as a simple spider bite that I had picked up while raking leaves. It was fall, so the symptoms that followed seemed like just a seasonal flu. Following the brief illness, everything cleared up and my life continued as usual.

I have always been competitive in athletics, jogging and cycling on the weekends. Over the years, I started to suspect that these activities were taking a toll on my body. The aches, the pains and the fatigue were getting worse over the years. I figured I was just getting older.

What I didn’t realize was that I was developing neurological problems that were gradually interfering with my life. Things like ear ringing (tinnitus), forgetfulness, confusion and lack of drive.

I thought I was treating my body right. I took supplements, ate what I thought were well-rounded meals and exercised. Yet these symptoms kept getting worse. Little did I know I was digging my own grave…

I was eating lots of toxic processed foods which included meat, dairy, gluten, salt, sugar and, to wash it all down, lots of diet soft drinks that were filled with aspartame. I was working unprotected with chemicals and metals, which were being absorbed into my body.

Fast-forward to 2002.

I participated in a 24-hour mountain bike race and ended up with flu-like symptoms that lasted three weeks. After that, my body produced new major symptoms seemingly every month.

It was then that I began the typical Lyme patient story. I saw five different doctors, who all said they could find nothing wrong, and told me they were unable to help me. So, I began to do my own research online. I came up with many possibilities.

Illnesses that matched my symptoms included: rheumatoid arthritis, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, multiple sclerosis, Lou Gehrig’s disease (ALS), lupus, Alzheimer’s, dementia, Gulf War disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Crohn’s disease, celiac disease and Lyme disease.

Because I recalled that bug bite I got while living in Connecticut, I started with Lyme. So, I found a special lab in Palo Alto and an LLMD (Lyme-literate doctor) and confirmed my research. I tested positive, and was diagnosed with Lyme disease.

What to do?

Without a question, I followed the LLMD’s advice. I took antibiotics by the handful for over a year, yet I didn’t feel any better. I finally said “enough is enough!” and made the decision to stop this destructive approach that was simply maintaining a level of mildly reduced Lyme disease symptoms.

Six months later, my symptoms were back, but now stronger than before. The disease had progressed, and began to cut deeply into the quality of my life.

On a scale of five, I went from a two to a one. I was so sick, but nobody knew because I still looked normal.

My mental ability was degrading fast. I had only one good hour per day, which I eventually used to assemble a list of problems that I wanted to fix:

My body was infected with Lyme disease. My blood was loaded with mold, fungus and parasites. My gut was bloated every day and I had sensitivity to foods. My diet was incorrect and I craved salt, sugar and carbohydrates. My body was limited in its ability to carry oxygen. My body was storing chemicals and metals in the soft tissues and bones. My body’s soft tissue and bones were sore and nothing seemed to help. My brain activity was failing and I was becoming a worrying person. My idiosyncratic pattern of what I did every day to get by needed to be broken.

I was determined to fix these problems, so I did more research. Online, I found a pattern of references to Dr Max Gerson and his treatment for cancer. I watched the documentary The Beautiful Truth and decided to order Charlotte Gerson’s book Healing the Gerson Way.

I read it once, then I read it again and took notes. I decided to give it a try.

Going Gerson

Right off the bat, I learned that my sick body had to be treated as a whole, not as a collection of symptoms. I didn’t know what the process was going to feel like, as extreme detoxification and hyper nutrition were new to me.

I started slow. My first week, I took one coffee enema a day, along with a couple of juices, fresh fruits and salad.

The second and third week, I upped my regimen to two enemas per day, with juices and following the diet.

The second month, I started taking three enemas per day, with 6-8 juices, and following the diet.

The third month, I started doing 3 to 4 enemas a day and started using the castor oil treatment once a week, along with the diet and juices.

Ever since then, I typically do 4 enemas a day and castor oil three times per week, with the juices and following the Gerson diet.

On a typical day, I would make and eat the Hippocrates Soup 1-2 times daily, usually accompanied by a salad and/or some other cooked vegetable dish.

Within the second or third week, I started feeling results. My gut no longer felt bloated and my skin stopped hurting. I began to believe I was heading in the right direction. I was soon to realize this was the calm before the storm.

Healing Reactions

The days I did a castor oil treatment, it felt as though I had just eaten a large meal and all my blood was in the core of my body digesting food. My extremities were so cold that I would wear gloves and three layers of clothing (in sunny Southern California, mind you!).

As I continued, relief became a long, drawn-out torture. Every inch of my body became ultra-sensitive. I wanted to be left alone and stay in a dark room with no sound and the heat set to 80 degrees. Yet, I forced myself to participate and stay engaged with life.

These bodily sensations and a roller coaster of emotional feelings lasted for a year.

I started using castor oil packs, saunas and clay packs and toughed it out. [Editor’s note: While in this particular instance James found some relief using a sauna, the use of saunas is not recommended for patients on the Gerson Therapy due to the risk of electrolyte loss and dehydration.]

Getting Better

What I discovered was enlightening, and if someone had described it to me, I would have not believed them.

On castor oil days, my body eliminated a black, tar-like goo after administering the castor oil enema. The last colon push produced a feeling of relief that resonated through my entire body.

I knew I was getting better. There were small but significant signs of improvement:
My energy level improved and I no longer needed to sleep during the day. My focus improved and I could spend more time working. My inflamed joints shrank and became more flexible. My hair began to grow on the top of my head. My varicose veins on my legs began to shrink. My aerobic breathing reduced when riding my bike.

It seemed like I was slowly walking backwards in time. All my Lyme disease symptoms, one after another, reappeared and then disappeared. In my eighteenth month on the therapy, I got a big, big reward: the chronic neck pain I had lived with for over fifteen years was no longer there. It had miraculously disappeared.

Slowly, slowly, my neurological and psychological issues are diminishing. The real me is returning. These toxic brain issues are deeper in the body and hiding behind many cellular and chemical protective barriers. I believe it will take more time for the Gerson Therapy to fully drain these toxins out.

In conclusion I can personally say that the Gerson Therapy is a full body restoration for Lyme disease.

Today, I can write a list of what I’ve regained after years of struggling with Lyme disease:

I have recovered from a toxic body,
I am receiving the nutrition my body needs.
I have restored damaged organs.
I have restored chemical balance.
I have restored my immune system.
I’m well on my way to removing my neurological symptoms.

Lyme disease rehabilitation without antibiotics is possible. I feel fortunate to have learned this important information, and the discipline to follow it through.

My life has been given a second chance!

Read More of James’ Story:

Life After Gerson: My First Year Free of Lyme Disease

About the Author

James C. is a recovering Lyme disease patient currently living in Colorado. He is an avid cyclist, and is passionate about educating fellow Lyme disease patients about the healing possibilities of the Gerson Therapy. Speak to James about his personal experience through our Recovered Patients Network.

A shortened version of this story previously appeared in the May/June 2012 issue of the Gerson Institute’s newsletter, Healing News (no longer in print). Join our Gerson Email Club HERE.

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