Resources
Lyme-Literate Practitioners
To find a Lyme-literate practitioner, consult any of the following organizations, which are dedicated to Lyme and tick-borne disease education, advocacy, and research.
- International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society (ILADS)
- https://www.ilads.org/
Testing for Ticks and Tick-Borne Diseases
- IGeneX Inc.
- www.igenex.com
- IGeneX is one of the leaders in developing ever more sensitive tests for Lyme and other tick-borne diseases. This lab allows you to work with your medical practitioner to order appropriate diagnostic blood tests.
- Medical Diagnostic Laboratories
- www.mdlab.com
- Medical Diagnostic Laboratories is a specialty laboratory that offers tests for tick-borne diseases. This lab allows you to work with your medical practitioner to order appropriate diagnostic blood tests.
- TickReport
- www.tickreport.com
- TickReport uses highly specific, highly sensitive qPCR testing that detects the DNA or RNA of pathogens in a tick. It can test for a wide range of tick pathogens and sends out results within 3 business days. The lab keeps ticks indefinitely so a customer may request testing for other pathogens at a later date.
Tick-Related Gear and Supplies
- Cedarcide
- www.cedarcide.com
- Cedarcide makes a variety of natural insect repellents, including Tickshield, based on cedar oil, which has been proven to repel ticks.
- Ecohealth, Inc.
- www.ticktubes.com
- Supplier of Damminix Tick Tubes; order online or find out where you can purchase them locally.
- Insect Shield
- www.insectshield.com
- Send your clothing to Insect Shield for a long-lasting tick-repellent permethrin treatment.
- NootkaShield
- www.evolva.com/nootkashield
- This nootkatone-based “biopesticide” has been shown to be highly effective against ticks. Check this website for its release date; the product is currently under government review.
- O’Tom
- www.otom.com
- Supplier of Tick Twister by O’Tom, a tick removal tool.
- Thermacell
- www.thermacell.com
- Supplier of Thermacell Tick Control Tubes, which you can order online.
- Tick Box Technology Corporation
- www.tickboxtcs.com
- Supplier of Tick Box Tick Control Systems; the website can direct you to a certified local installer.
Herbs, Homeopathic Remedies, and Supplements
- Blue Crow Botanicals
- www.bluecrowbotanicals.com
- Offers a wide range of single-herb tinctures and multi-herb formulas, including the very same deer tick bite formula I use with my patients and describe in this book. Also offers fresh Houttuynia cordata plants, if you’re in the area of western Massachusetts.
- Boiron
- www.boironusa.com
- Offers homeopathic remedies like Ledum and Apis, which are recommended as part of the first-aid response to a tick bite.
- Healing Spirits Herb Farm and Education Center
- www.healingspiritsherbfarm.com
- Offers a wide range of herbs and tinctures, including the highest-quality Japanese knotweed root currently available in North America. Contact them via the website’s contact form or by calling 607-566-2701.
- Herbie’s Herbs
- www.herbies-herbs.com
- Offers all of the herbs called for in the formulas in this book, as dried herbs or tinctures. At the time of writing this book, it is the only trusted source for dried cryptolepis in North America.
- Mountain Rose Herbs
- www.mountainroseherbs.com
- Offers many of the herbs called for in the formulas in this book, as dried herbs or tinctures, including dried Uncaria tomentosa (cat’s claw) bark. Mountain Rose Herbs uses sustainable, fair-trade practices.
- Nutramedix
- www.nutramedix.com
- Offers high-quality, physician-grade, third party–tested herbal medicines and supplements used to treat Lyme and tick-borne disease. It carries all of the products used in the prophylactic deer tick bite protocol designed for children: houttuynia, Mora, Samento, and serrapeptase.
- Sojourns Community Health Clinic
- www.sojourns.org
- Sojourns Community Health Clinic is a nonprofit integrative health clinic in southern Vermont. Sojourns has a client-centered approach and is committed to education, community outreach, and economic accessibility. Sojourns’ innovative health-care model offers over a dozen practitioners in a variety of disciplines who work together.
- The Apothecary at Sojourns Community Health Clinic offers a wide variety of high-quality products, including vitamins, supplements, homeopathic remedies, dried herbs, tinctures, essential oils, flower essences, and natural living products. All of the single-herb tinctures, multi-herb formulas, and supplements (including serrapeptase) mentioned in this book are available. Anyone may visit the Apothecary in person or call to place an order for shipment.
- Strictly Medicinal Seeds
- www.strictlymedicinalseeds.com
- Can ship fresh houttuynia plants directly to your doorstep. Note that houttuynia can be found via the website under the name “chameleon plant.”
- Woodland Essence
- www.woodlandessence.com
- Offers all of the single-herb tinctures called for in the formulas in this book, as organic or wild-crafted. They also carry many glycerites, which serve as an alternative to tinctures for those who are sensitive to alcohol.
Information
For more information on ticks, Lyme, and other tick-borne diseases, and for current treatment options, consult any of the following organizations.
- Bay Area Lyme Foundation
- www.bayarealyme.org
- Canadian Lyme Disease Foundation
- https://canlyme.com
- Caring for & Healing
- www.caringforandhealing.com
- This site, the creation of the parent of a child with Lyme, offers an eight-step framework of care for parents and caretakers of children with Lyme and other tick-borne disease, disability, or chronic illness, some of which may be applied to adults.
- Children’s Lyme Disease Network
- www.childrenslymenetwork.org
- Columbia University Irving Lyme and Tick-Borne Diseases Research Center
- www.columbia-lyme.org
- Global Lyme Alliance
- www.gla.org
- International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society (ILADS)
- www.ilads.org
- The National Capital Lyme Disease Association
- www.natcaplyme.org
- PA (Pennsylvania) Lyme Resource Network
- https://palyme.org
- Tick-Borne Disease Working Group
- The Tick-Borne Disease Working Group was established by the 2016 21st Century Cures Act to improve federal coordination of efforts related to tick-borne diseases. Members will review all U.S. Department of Health and Human Services efforts related to tick-borne diseases to provide expertise and “help ensure interagency coordination and minimize overlap, examine research priorities,” and identify unmet needs.
- To read the Tick-Borne Disease Working Group 2018 Report to Congress: https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/tbdwg-report-to-congress-2018.pdf
- To participate in meetings and public comment periods and read future reports: https://www.hhs.gov/ash/advisory-committees/tickbornedisease/index.html
- TickEncounter Resource Center
- www.tickencounter.org
- The TickEncounter Resource Center at the University of Rhode Island offers excellent information on tick bite and tick-borne disease prevention. This highly interactive website offers endless resources in the form of photos and videos as well as TickSmart learning kits available for purchase.
- VTLyme.org (in Vermont)
- www.VTLyme.org
Support Groups
- LymeDisease.org
- www.lymedisease.org
- Offers an online listing of state-based Lyme support groups; click on the “Get Involved” tab on the group’s main page.
- RawlsMD Lyme Support Directory
- https://rawlsmd.com/lyme-support
- Offers a database of Lyme support groups.
Financial Aid
- Lyme Light Foundation
- www.lymelightfoundation.org
- Financial assistance for the treatment of Lyme and TBD patients through age 25.
- Lyme Test Access Program
- www.lymetap.com
- Financial assistance for Lyme-related laboratory testing for patients.
- Ticked Off Foundation
- www.tickedofffoundation.org
- Maintains a financial assistance fund for Lyme and TBD patients 26 years and older.
For Further Reading
The Beginner’s Guide to Lyme Disease: Diagnosis and Treatment Made Simple, by Nicola McFadzean, ND
Conquering Lyme Disease: Science Bridges the Great Divide, by Brian A. Fallon, MD, and Jennifer Sotsky, MD
Cure Unknown: Inside the Lyme Epidemic, by Pamela Weintraub
Healing Lyme Disease Coinfections: Complementary and Holistic Treatments for Bartonella and Mycoplasma, by Stephen Harrod Buhner
Healing Lyme: Natural Healing of Lyme Borreliosis and the Coinfections Chlamydia and Spotted Fever Rickettsiosis, 2nd edition, by Stephen Harrod Buhner
Herbal Antivirals: Natural Remedies for Emerging & Resistant Viral Infections, by Stephen Harrod Buhner
How Can I Get Better? An Action Plan for Treating Resistant Lyme and Chronic Disease, by Richard I. Horowitz, MD
Living beyond Lyme: Reclaim Your Life from Lyme Disease and Chronic Illness, by Joseph J. Trunzo, PhD
The Lyme Diet: Nutritional Strategies for Healing from Lyme Disease, by Nicola McFadzean, ND
The Lyme Disease Solution, by Kenneth Singleton, MD, MPH
The Lyme Solution: A 5-Point Plan to Fight the Inflammatory Auto-immune Response and Beat Lyme Disease, by Darin Ingels, ND, FAAEM
Natural Treatments for Lyme Coinfections: Anaplasma, Babesia, and Ehrlichia, by Stephen Harrod Buhner
New Paradigms in Lyme Disease Treatment: 10 Top Doctors Reveal Healing Strategies That Work, by Connie Strasheim
Recipes for Repair: A Lyme Disease Cookbook, by Gail Piazza and Laura Piazza
Rising Above Lyme Disease: A Revolutionary, Holistic Approach to Managing and Reversing the Symptoms of Lyme Disease — And Reclaiming Your Life, by Julia Greenspan, ND
Toxic: Heal Your Body from Mold Toxicity, Lyme Disease, Multiple Chemical Sensitivities, and Chronic Environmental Illness, by Neil Nathan, MD
When Your Child Has Lyme Disease: A Parent’s Survival Guide, by Sandra K. Berenbaum and Dorothy Kupcha Leland
Why Can’t I Get Better? Solving the Mystery of Lyme and Chronic Disease, by Richard I. Horowitz, MD