As always, I’m not here as a provider to treat, diagnose, or cure anything at all! Just sharing what I’ve learned about healing along the way in the event that it helps you too!
Being part Italian, I consider garlic a major food group in and of itself. I literally put it (fresh or dried) on ev.er.y.thing. It’s one of my top 2 seasonings on a daily basis. Even as a little kid, garlic was my jam! Imagine experiencing the garlic breath of a 3yo lol! That was ME.
Little did I know until much more recently how helpful this seasoning habit could actually be for my healing.
Supposedly Hippocrates, considered the father of western medicine, used tons of garlic for healing. We also know that it was used in Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Chinese, and Babylonian societies in ancient times for healing purposes. So I take this to mean that garlic was some of the "original medicine" of all time. As if I didn't love it enough already!?
The BEST form of garlic for healing is going to be garlic in its raw form. The raw form actually preserves beneficial nutrients, particularly from the enzyme allicin. Allicin is a sulfur compound that is sort of “activated” when garlic is chopped, crushed, chewed, etc, and provides anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antibacterial, antifungal, and anticarcinogenic properties.
Raw garlic also contains tons of vitamins and minerals including some manganese, selenium, vitamin C, vitamin Bs, copper, calcium, iron, and more! Minerals are KEY for our health overall, so any time I can add a bit more minerals to my daily diet, I'm game!
~ immune system support to fight common bugs
~ its ability to help lower high cholesterol and high blood pressure (reducing risk for heart disease!)
~ high antioxidant levels which fight cellular damage and aging (including Alzheimer’s/dementia)
These possible healthy "boosts" certainly appeal to me, and knowing I can turn to nature to help support my body in these healing ways is the cherry on top! For those healing Lyme especially, properties like immune support, detox aid, and cardio and neuro-protective are REALLY impactful! This is how we arm our bodies to be the healthiest they can be while they fight to keep tick-borne illnesses at bay.
For those interested, here are just some of the research articles out there for reference:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26764326/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34371842/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34829718/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27748188/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4103721/
https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/garlic
Of course, ALWAYS double-check supplementing anything with your trusted provider, because there are a few key safety pieces worth considering, but these garlic tidbits make it an awfully attractive addition to regular meals and such for many of us looking for an easy, healing boost.
To hear about how to ingest more garlic without feeling like all you smell like is, well, garlic, check out this video I did where I share what we do in our family to keep the garlic plentiful AND tasty!
I’m a Lyme-y on a healing journey. And I got COVID-19.
I did “all the right things,” was still exposed, and got it along with a few unmistakable symptoms and the pleasure of what feels like a never-ending quarantine at home.
This was most definitely NOT how I had planned to usher in the beautiful month of September. You may have seen that I talked about it on social media as my quarantine began, and throughout. But it’s almost been harder to talk about as time goes on.
I think it’s important that I talk and keep talking, though. That I bring the hope I’ve always been called to bring. That I break free of being “the public health threat” and “another statistic,” as I’ve so often felt I’ve been reduced to these past couple weeks.
I’m now at the end of my quarantine, technically, and yet symptoms linger on. Kind of like a taunt. A slap in the face of the healthy, smart things I’ve done to stay well, get well fast, and NOT have to carry COVID with me any longer than necessary.
On one hand, COVID made me nervous because of the unknown, particularly in a person such as myself. See, no one really knows what to expect with COVID/Coronavirus/SARS-CoV-2 in a patient with chronic illness, autoimmune conditions, etc. Which is me - I am that person. I’m your fun little “corona with Lyme” joke, which don’t get me wrong, definitely makes me chuckle. And made me REAL nervous to personify.
But I’m here to say I did ok! I believe I’m truly through the thick of it, and I’m happy to walk you through how this whole adventure started.
I got some cold symptoms first. In fact, I kinda laughed at the thought that they even COULD be COVID-19, they were so generic and subtle. But knowing I had had an exposure and had a job to get back to, I was tested. Then I developed complete loss of taste and smell. Then shortness of breath started occasionally, and I was definitely fatigued - I felt like I could never get enough sleep. Headaches joined the fun - nearly daily - and some debilitating. Throw in some intense, keep-you-up-all-night leg pains, and I was starting to feel like a Lyme flare mixed in with a dose of Coronavirus. Who knows if that’s what it was. To me, it honestly was just a bunch of annoying symptoms thrown into the mix, but within a couple days they were resolving.
Thankfully I’m almost completely better now, 2wks later. I’m just left with persisting, and sometimes worsening, shortness of breath. I can’t talk well for long, or do much around the house because of it. It only goes away with rest and some serious huffing. As a nurse, I promise I’m really good at knowing if it needs medical attention. AND I’ve got a LOT of healthcare professionals and parties with a vested interest checking up on me almost daily. But I can’t be released to work and I certainly can’t fully get on with life until I can breathe well again.
All that to say, you have NO idea how grateful I am for the tools I have to help me manage recovering, symptoms, and allll the “joys” of COVID-19. Yes, it involves a slew of vitamins and supplements. It also involves intentional usage of essential oils, detox methods, and clean eating to fuel my body to fight.
To discuss a few basic tactics I used to fight, here's a non-exhaustive list. :) I eliminated sugar, upped my antioxidants and NingXia Red consumption, and took extra/additional supplements to my current regimen (so this list is NOT exhaustive) including Quercetin, high dose Vit C, Vit D, Vit A, Multigreens, Selenium, NAC, Glutathione, Curcumin, and Inner Defense. I used key essential oils in the diffuser and topically to help with support my lungs, support my body to fight inflammation, and to boost my natural immune function. I used detox baths and foot potatoes liberally. (Go HERE for more foot potato info!) I drank PLENTY of water daily.
And knowing this could have gone WAY worse, combining an existing condition with something new and relatively uncharted, I really couldn’t have asked for a much better recovery.
Cheers to not living in fear. To properly caring for our body. And to always ALWAYS being much more than a statistic in this life.
Oh, and if you’d like to start boosting your immune system right now, grab my free guide to 5 Ways I Boosted My Immune System to Fight Lyme (and now COVID too!) to help you get started easily. Be well!
**Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional here to diagnose, treat, cure, or otherwise influence your medical journey outside of the guidance of a medical professional. I am simply sharing my own journey and what I have learned along the way. Please find a doctor you trust and discuss any medical concerns or treatments with them. Also, please know, as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases through my site at no extra cost to you.
