Emotional issues with Lyme (anxiety and panic)

Lyme appears to trigger anxiety (or depression) in many people. Probably this is due to the flood of neurotoxins. However, some people are not affected this way. Perhaps the key is wheter you have emotional or subconscoius issues contributing to the anxiety. If so, then uncovering those will be very important. In my own case, I suddenly developed a severe panic disorder within a year or so after I had the Lyme rash and joint pain. For years before that I had some low level anxiety problems, so probably the Lyme aggravated a pre-existing problem. The anxiety got much worse after Lyme and I started to experience severe and debilitating panic. Following a traditional path, I took medications, for many years, to help the condition. Only after I followed a mix of treatments for a year did I finally gain the upper hand over panic and anxiety.

First I learned to use Chamomile tea, organic is best. Also, some people use Valerian root, some use Lavender oil, and some use Kava Kava. These provide temporary symptomatic relief. They helped me. They certainly don't cure the problem though; it kept coming back until I find the cause.

Here was another symptomatic treatment, this one was critical. I learned to use a long and thin hot pack around my neck and/or shoulders. This can be as simple as a thick athletic-type sock half-filled with rice and with a knot tied in the end (or sew it shut). Or you could sew one like a scarf, with several sections for rice, that is what I use. Then put it in the microwave for 2 minutes. Heat around the neck and shoulders can do wonders for anxiety/panic. You can use this literally all day long and at night too to help your body learn to relax.

Finally, to get to the causes, I used emotional processing, there are many methods. Dealing with stress and emotions is important for solving this problem.

Of course, other infections besides Lyme can cause panic and anxiety. Also, mineral imbalances can be involved, particularly problems with sodium-potassium (not eating enough natural salt can cause this) and problems with calcium (not enough). Sometimes taking calcium supplements helped me to relax. I also found signifant relief from my anxiety on the Salt/C protocol, and believe those minerals were deficit, and part of the aggravation of my anxiety.

Another approach I found effective to reduce the anxiety response was re-programming the subconscious mind to stop panicking and being anxious. Two very good approaches to this are the Sedona method (http://www.sedona.com/) and the Linden method (http://www.panic-anxiety.com/). Sedona is about learning to 'let go' and Linden uses guided imagery and self-talk. I used the Linden method extensively, for several months, and this was an important turning point for my anxiety problem. I also used binaural beat sound tracks to teach my mind and body how to relax. These can be quite effective. I used the Centerpoint sound tracks (www.centerpoint.com) and also sound tracks from Mercola (www.mercola.com).

Panic and anxiety don't just happen for no reason. And Lyme isn't the only infection that can worsen panic/anxiety. Also, molds, Candida, and fungi produce neurotoxins (mycotoxins) which can cause this. And probably there are others. My conclusion is that the Lyme bacteria worsens any pre-existing imbalances in our lives. If a person has a tendency to panic, anxiety, depression, anger, paranoia, or have other undesireable emotions, the Lyme toxins will cause exacerbation of those. Thus, there are three necessary parts to the 'cure' for these symptoms. First is to knock out as much of the Lyme (or other) infection as possible, and second is to correct any pre-existing emotional imbalances, to the extent possible. The third part is to correct any nutritional or mineral deficiencies, and I believe that Salt/C helps accomplish that. I found that working on these three angles was the key to finally progressing out of panic and anxiety. I still do get some low-level stress symtpoms, such as heaviness in the chest, when I have a bad day, but now they do not progress into anxiety and panic. The link to the emotions has been largely severed.