I utilized a combination of nutrition, prescription medications, herbals and supplements, and their health improved. However they relapsed frequently, at times to the point of being bed-ridden for months. Upon further exploration, research and testing outside of the conventional medical system, both girls were diagnosed with CDC-reportable cases of chronic Lyme disease. Conventional medicines led to unbearable side effects. Energy medicine, including hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT), pulsed electromagnetic frequency (PEMF) therapy, far-infrared sauna (FIRS), and ozone (O3) therapies became the most powerful healing tools for Annie and Mabel.

So many people ask, “How did they BOTH get Lyme?” Well, the short of it is that we live in the epicenter of Lyme disease (second only to Connecticut). Though we are avid outdoor enthusiasts, it doesn’t take recollection of a tick bite or a bulls eye rash to have a suspicion for Lyme disease. One can walk into his or her backyard in the City of Milwaukee, or anywhere in the Midwest or the World, get a tick bite and not know it; the deer tick is the size of a poppy seed and very hard to see. Only 50% of people get a rash, and many times the rash is not the classic bulls eye that we so often hear about. The International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society (ILADS) is a great resource for additional information on Lyme.

After watching the Oscar shortlisted documentary “Under Our Skin - The Untold Story of Lyme”, I became aware for the first time in her medical career that research now shows Lyme disease can be transmitted congenitally. I also tested positive for persistent Lyme disease. Though my symptoms are much less severe than my daughters’, I too have found that a comprehensive, holistic approach including nutrition, exercise, various supplements, and other healing modalities (hyperbaric oxygen therapy, medical ozone therapies and more) to be the most powerful tools in optimizing health and energy.