LIMITED-TIME  OPPORTUNITY!

BIG ALERT:  February 23-26| FLASH SALE|EBOOK will be for sale for $0.99.

I am so excited to share with you that my book: Nourish, Thrive, Heal: A comprehensive and holistic guide to living with Lyme disease is finally out. Many of you know how it has been an ongoing challenge, and it is really exciting to finally hold a copy in my hand. Now I have to read it! After I have completed another writing venture in March….more about that in other months.

The eBook is $9.99, the soft cover book is $15.95 and it can be ordered online at various sites, e.g.  Amazon, Barnes&Noble online store, and more.

Please spread the word so anyone you know whom Lyme disease has affected can download a copy at a special price. (Off course, I value reviews online – I am sure to get trolls too.)

“Living with Lyme disease can be devastating. Rika’s book will both educate and empower you to follow a successful path to health.” —Jeffrey A. Morrison, MD, CNS, The Morrison Center, New York City

The winter has been warm, too warm. Ticks are not dying off, as it has not been cold enough. This sets the scene for early infections in the spring and an increased risk in hot and humid months of summer. But in the book I discuss other ways of transmission, it is not just from a tick – and transmission can occur within hours when a tick is attached.

Recently a client told me how surprised he was to hear how many were sick with “this” Lyme. I asked if this was in the social circle in the Hamptons. My client replied, “No, friends in Palm Beach.” Lyme disease is everywhere, even in states where medical boards say that Lyme disease does not exist. This is stated so insurance companies do not have to cover antibiotic treatment….

What inspired me to write the book? Clients referred to me by Dr. Horowitz from upstate New York. He is a major figure in the Lyme world on a national and international level. I was asked to address their nutrition. However their major digestive troubles and food sensitivities were actually part of their Lyme struggles. I wanted to write a little resource brochure, but with ongoing client education needed, somehow my brochure morphed into a book.

“For those with chronic Lyme and mold-related conditions, this is your comprehensive, wholesome, functional medicine-based book for healing your whole self. A must-have!” —Deanna Minich, PhD, author of Whole Detox

By the way, the Western Blot test is highly flawed and unreliable; so do not hang your hat on that one, especially if you are still not feeling well despite a few weeks of doxycycline. That test should only be done 6 weeks AFTER infection; it takes that long for the body to make antibodies if the immune system is strong. There is a lot about this in my book. If it is done after antibiotic use, it will also be skewed. There are other test options and I mention them in the book.

Science is moving so fast and it is a struggle to stay with the new information that is coming out.  But it is exciting. Certain testing is not available in NY State (do not get me started on THAT), but there are ways to circumvent this, as specific tests are vital to gather more information when someone is extremely ill with Lyme disease, mold illness and severe inflammation that can have extremely debilitating consequences. Just applying drug therapy will not bring results. I say that, because I have witnessed how individuals get sicker with antibiotic cocktails. (And do not tolerate them).

There is large division with the Lyme treatment community regarding long-term antibiotic treatment (I am talking years.). The antibiotic paradigm is only successful with about 30% of those who have been sick for years, the others get sicker.

As a drug-free practitioner, I am following the work of the split –off group that is now forming, and I am so excited to learn from these physicians who emphasize the whole person approach, instead of just hitting the infections. Do not get me wrong, that must be part of treatment, however, one must consider the individual from a nutritional, medical, genetic, and emotional / psychological perspective.

I am heading to the next conference in San Francisco in April to learn more from this group. This past November I attended the ILADS conference (International Lyme and Associated Disease Society) conference that is heavy-handed pharmaceutical. There are many different approaches and with these tenacious infections, one needs to understand the nature of the infections, just doing conventional medical treatment with antibiotics is not enough.

I have been delving more and more into genetic factors that play an important role when someone cannot get better (or handle antibiotic treatment). Test that are helpful include the 23andMe genetic test, and the Organic Acid Test (not available in NY). These are put through a specific software program with astounding result regarding mechanisms in the body and its ability to get rid of toxins and inflammation. It is also revealing with all psychiatric conditions, migraines, histamine concerns, gluten, dairy, gut health, etc., and it presents a better picture of mood and sleep disorders with their biochemical connection.

And, most importantly, what to do about it.