Successful Lyme Disease Treatment and Cure by Homeopathy

A local (Ulster County, Hudson Valley, New York State) dog has been cured of Lyme Disease this month exclusively with homeopathic treatment.  I have long claimed that treating Lyme disease is relatively safe, simple, and easy for a trained homeopath.  This is a classic case with classic symptoms and classic response to homeopathy.

Blaze is a gorgeous, intact, nine month old, male Collie (don't they both look great?  And happy!).  Debi found an engorged tick (deer tick?) on her floor Wednesday, Feb 8, 2012.  He started limping on his right front, with a slightly swollen paw on Friday.  He was also mildly lethargic and mildly anorexic, and seemed to be breathing a little faster.  He had a fever of 102.3 (normal is 100-102).  His very thoughtful owner was willing to wait on conventional treatment for palliation to attempt a true cure by homeopathy.

I took Blaze's case by phone consultation and his treatment was started with Ledum pallustre 30 in multiple aqueous doses.  He showed no response, and was slightly worse the next morning with swelling advancing to his carpus (wrist) in his Right front, and the lameness spreading to his left hind as well.  Several aquesous doses of Ledum pallustre 200c were given on Saturday.  The next afternoon he and his owner attended a local lecture I was giving on how to do a physical exam to your own pets and he was very much improved.  He was bright and bouncy!  His temperature was down to 101.6.  His lameness was reduced, and his energy was great.  The original, early symptom of the swelling in the paw was improved.

The following day, Monday, his fever again spiked to 102.3.  With continued improvement in his specific and general symptoms this indicated an appropriate immune response to the infective challenge.  Treatment was completed with several doses of Ledum pallustre 1M.

Today, 1 week from the onset of illness, Blaze is completely free of his troublesome symptoms.  He has had a return of old symptoms that flared up first after vaccines months ago.  This is a common pattern of curative response to homeopathy.  He has been stimulated to correct his pathology, and once the newest problem had been resolved he started working on older, "deeper set" pathology.

We are now waiting and observing to see if Blaze has had sufficient stimulation to correct the old, unhealthy chemistry (itchy skin, runny eyes, and sneezing - the exact same pattern as right after his second "puppy series" distemper vaccine) without further treatment.  In the meantime, he is enjoying life!

This case illustrates several great points.  One - Ledum is the classic remedy to start (and often finish) a true Lyme disease case.  However, it could have easily been missed if higher potencies had not been tried after the 30c failed.  Two - This case illustrates how successfully homeopathy can be practiced by phone consultation.  Three - This client was well educated in homeopathic principles and therefore had the courage to sit and wait while her little loved one worked on his issue.  Many other dog owners would have succumed to palliating with conventional drugs, which can palliate quite well.  Five - Having cured with homeopathy instead of palliated with conventional drugs, Blaze is now healthier than he was just before the tick infected him.  He is now cleaning out some dysfunctional chemistry (vaccinosis) he got stuck with after his early vaccines.  Lets wish him continued good luck.

Arden and Wonton - Two Canine Seizure Cases, part 9. Arden is near cure!

Arden
This is a very grateful, wiggly Arden, now just 4 years old.  We could hardly get her to pose for the photo!  Her recheck yesterday was stellar, reporting just one, very mild seizure in the past 10 months.  Her pretreatment frequency was every 2-12 weeks!  That blur you see under my arm is her tail wagging furiously.  She is still calmer, less frenetic than pretreatment and was doing well in general.  She is near the end of her healing.

It is exceptional that a patient afflicted to a severe degree with a serious problem like epilepsy, become cured in just three doses of one homeopathic remedy, but it does happen.  And, perhaps it has for Arden.  Only time will tell.

She was treated for Lyme disease recently by the local, conventional veterinarian she sees for routine matters, after testing positive with the standard Lyme test.  It is unlikely she had Lyme disease.  Her lameness at the time of the appointment was in a leg with a chronic limp, a cartilage injury I suspect.  Note that this test is for antibodies, the stuff we all make after exposure to a noxious thing.  Since Arden tested positive years ago she will likely always test positive, even though she likely does not have the disease.  In fact, she possible never had the disease.  For more information see my article on my website www.holvet.net titled Your Dog Does Not Have Lyme at http://www.holvet.net/lyme.html. 

I have given Arden a two part treatment to triage her state.  First, she has gotten a homeopathic drug for her lameness.  It is actually a remedy made from poison ivy.  Few folks know that poison ivy will weaken ligaments and make joints sore in addition to creating the infamous itchiness.  As a homeopathic preparation it acts much like a perfected vaccine to stimulate an individual to correct a lameness (or itchiness, etc).  The second remedy will be a repeat of her original one, in a higher potency.  I am hopeful that it will be her last as it stimulates her to make her corrections permanent and erase all tendencies toward seizures.  Keep rooting her on.

Arden and Wonton - Two Canine Seizure Cases, part 8. Wonton is still itchy!

Wonton's progression to cure continues.  It seems Wonton's seizures are responding well, with only one seizure noted this month.  It is the longest he has ever gone between seizure episodes (six months!) since they started when he was two years old.  It was mild and short.  His new homeopathic prescription was started in late October (see blog post, Part 7).  He improved greatly.  His itchiness of his face, paws, and ears was dramatically reduced as was the redness/ inflammation in his skin.  His personality became even brighter.  Great!

  He has also had a new wrinkle (couldn't resist the pun!) in his health.  Wonton had two separate incidents of collapse or difficulty/hesitation on jumping/sitting.  It was not definitively diagnosed but it is not uncommon for Pugs to have spinal troubles affecting the nerves and/or muscles of the legs.  He recovered well without intervention.

His improvement in his skin health has faded and he has finally had another seizure.  My assessment is that the remedy is stimulating a curative, homeostatic, or corrective response, but the interval between treatments has been too long.  So, onto the next higher potency, or strength of the same remedy.

This is a good illustration of the need to proceed in a timely fashion in constitutional homeopathic treatment.  When too much time lapses between points of stimulation in treatment the body tends to slide down that slippery slope back to its familiar chemistry of pathology.  It's a bit like weeding a garden.  If the job is unfinished and some roots of the problem remain, they will slowly return.  Wonton has not lost too much momentum so I expect a full and uneventful return to progression of cure.  His next check-in will be within two months.

Arden, on the other hand, is overdue for his six month recheck, however, his owner reported in late October that he is still happily symptom/seizure free.  This is now a full year of no seizures, which had bothered him every two to twelve weeks, for most of his young life.  He has accomplished this on three single doses of one homeopathic drug.  I suspect at this point he may well be cured as defined by homeopathic standards.  That is to say, he is symptom free, and the chemistry/physiology that created the problem in the first place is likely permanently corrected.  He is not likely to ever have another seizure.  He is much healthier than he was before treatment, and he has likely added to his lifespan.  I expect him to live months or years longer than he would have without treatment.

I've been a homepath well over two decades now and results like this never cease to amaze me.  I'm lucky to witness and be awed by what homeopathy is able to do.

Arden and Wonton - Two Canine Seizure Cases, part 7. Time for Change for Wonton the pug.

Wonton had his eighth appointment today.  He remains seizure free for the past 11 wks!  His skin is still a very significant issue and so I'm concluding that his original, and only remedy thus far has stimulated only a partially curative response.  A fabulous partially curative response, for which we are very grateful, but partial none the less.  We have unfinished business.  So the remedy has been changed to match the current symptom picture, ie., the entire group of all the new, active symptoms, as well as the symptoms from the history.

In cases that respond well to homeopathy we often see this reversal of problems.  They sometimes show up very obviously in the reverse order of how they first appeared.  Wonton had rather severe dermatological issues months or years prior to the seizures.  In fact, suppressing the skin problems may have contributed to the expression of the seizures.  Now we have a chance to heal the "bad chemistry" rather than drive it deeper.  It is likely that treating the skin with suppressive medications would bring back the seizures.  We are looking for a true cure here, and Wonton's wonderful owners are being very patient and dedicated to make this happen.

I feel confident about the case and hope to see Wonton resolve some of his skin issues quickly so he can have some fast comfort.

Notes on Neoplasene for treatment of Cancer in Dogs, Cats and all Animals -

In my veterinary practice I treat more cancer than anything else.  Neoplasene has been extremely useful for increasing longevity and quality of life in my patients.  Doing mostly phone consultation work with patients at long distances, I am often asked for some qualifying details on the use of the new "herbal chemotherapy"  (my label for it) Neoplasene.  Here is a bit of background for understanding this promising new choice in cancer treatment.

History - It is not registered as a prescription drugs as are most chemotherapeutic pharmaceuticals.  The formulator, Dr. Terry Fox, wanted to get the drug out on the market quickly, into the hands of those who could immediately create great benefit with it - veterinarians.  To present it as a drug for humans would have initiated a plethora of legal hoops to jump through and would have cost millions of dollars.  The drug would not have reached patients for years, and it's price would have been much, much greater.  The FDA has visited Dr Fox and examined his facilities and manufacturing practices.  They were satisfied with allowing him to go forward with Neoplasene on the market for animal use only, through sale exclusively to licensed veterinarians.


Neoplasene is a chemotherapeutic agent. Like any other chemotherapy treatment the use and optimal protocol needs to be prescribed and monitored by a veterinarian with Neoplasene experience. This will help ensure positive results and avoidance of many severe or extreme problems. Neoplasene can be well indicated after debulking surgery, although surgery if sometimes not in the best interest of the patient.

Neoplasene is contraindicated in cases where conventional chemotherapy treatment is used. Conventional chemotherapy attacks and depresses the immune system (and other systems needed for optimal health), while Neoplasene stimulates, uses, and needs the immune system (and other systems) for best results. Neoplasene is also contraindicated in cases where antiinflammatories or steroids (like prednisone) are used, though there are exceptions for certain situations. It has been designed to work best in combination with a comprehensive approach including optimal diet and supplementation, as well as homeopathy.

Often the most difficult obstacle for the oral form of Neoplasene (the most commonly used form) is palatability for dogs and cats.  It can be mixed with a strongly flavored food or syringed directly by mouth.  This is something best worked out on an individual basis.

Neoplasene is not a magic bullet, but it is very powerful.  And as is true for all things that are powerful, it can create apparent miracles or (when used without advanced medical knowlege) it can cause great harm.  It may not be appropriate in every case.  But where it is applicable the benefits can be extraordinary.

Arden and Wonton - Two Canine Seizure Cases, part 6. Good News for Wonton the pug.

The last post for Wonton stated he had been seizure free for 6 wks (would have had 3 in that time period prior to my treatment) and that his itchy irritated skin was better.

The overall news is good. He has had several rechecks since that time and he is showing a curative pattern of change in his physiology. His road has not been as smooth as Arden's which gives a great opportunity for learning.

6.27.11
One seizure during the first week that the new, higher potency of Thuja was given. This is not totally unexpected. A homeopathic drug stimulates the patient's body to get active and change in a good way. En route some symptoms can get stirred up. This is, in part, because our bodies - dogs, cats, people - all use inflammation as a temporary stage to heal dysfunctions. Of course, when we get stuck in this stage, which happens all too often, we wind up with chronic inflammation and that can wreak havoc on a system. In the temporary stage, on the way to health, this inflammation can cause symptoms to flare up. So Wonton had a seizure. Still a great record.

He also is having more swelling, redness, and itchiness (inflammation!) in his right ear and face. These are old symptoms revisiting, very typical. It may be coincidental - a slight change in diet or environment or it could be a seasonal effect, but we hope it is the due to the reaction stimulated by the remedy. Then it is likely to resolve on its own and usher in a higher level of health.

7.26.11
No seizures! The main issue now is the inflammation and itching of the ear and face, with a new area of irritation in the axilla (arm pit). This is wonderful news. The focus of pathology is now much more superficial - at the level of the skin. Conventionally this pattern is not often acknowledged as a path to improvement/cure. It is obvious with something like an abscess. "It's coming to a head," we say, and we know that's a good thing, as the deep infection pushes its way to the surface. This is true for all curative processes. Wonton's seizures are deep seated in the neurological system. As they have diminished, superficial pathology is flaring. This is called peripheralization, and it is one of the techniques the body uses to heal.


Note, too that these are old symptoms that are revisiting. Wonton had facial swelling after vaccination (vaccinosis) years ago that was suppressed, not cured, with conventional treatment. He also had itchy face and paws last year that was suppressed, not cured, with conventional treatment.

Sorry for the itchies, Wonton, but we welcome them. Now we have the opportunity to cure these issues for good.

I prescribed a higher potency of Thuja and will recheck Wonton in September or October, as needed. Let's wish him luck!

Arden and Wonton - Two Canine Seizure Cases, part 5. Arden is near graduation!

Arden, the very happy lab came in for a recheck appointment on 6.21.11. His report? NO seizures. Not one. On one day in the previous month he had a moment of a "vacant look" accompanied by tongue smacking. It lasted about 30 seconds. It could have been a very mild petite mal. It could have been something funky tasting he picked up off the ground. We'll never know. It doesn't matter. He is in a very curative pattern, and I hope almost finished ("graduates" I call these patients). Record speed for a seizure case. I like to tell my clients that I like them, but I hope I don't see them very often!

The rest of the 6.21.11 Arden report -
Still calmer and more even tempered. No longer hyper, just energetic. Starting pet therapy training! Amazing. Left hind lameness is gone. No longer eats family's clothing, just carries it around. Ears are fine. Coat looks and feels softer, sleeker, "like silk."

This case is near finished. Treatment was the next higher potency of the same remedy - Thuja occidentalis 1M, and the next recheck is set for 6 months.

I started this case in January. This is what the process of true cure looks like. Arden's chemistry was like a couch potato who needed to train for a marathon. It takes time for the body to change its physiology. When it does, the change is generally permanent. It is reset to the devine default. Just as when a person's body with a fever returns to 98.6. It tends to stay there as that is the default, until of course, something else interferes with the natural functioning.

So there you have it. An "incurable" disease on its way to nonexistence, via homeopathy, proper diet, supplementation, and mostly accomplished by phone consultation with great team work between doctor and owner. Nice job everyone.

I like Arden's mom. I hope I don't talk to her for a while. : )