Holistic Healing Protocol: Lyme Part 1
Healing from late-stage Lyme and co-infections hasn’t been linear—but it has been deeply transformational.
A year into treatment, I’m still in the midst of recovery, with plenty of ups and downs along the way. Prior to incorporating integrative medicine into my healing practice, I’d spent thousands of dollars on specialists—infectious disease doctors, gastroenterologists, OB/GYNs, primary care providers, and multiple ER visits—only to be met with more confusion than clarity.
Years of misdiagnoses, fear, and feeling dismissed by the conventional medical system eventually pushed me to explore a different path. One that honors root causes, whole-body healing, and the wisdom of the body itself.
That’s when I turned to holistic healing, drawing from herbal medicine, muscle testing, and photo-biomodulation therapy (specifically Firefly light therapy). In this post, I’m sharing what’s truly been helping me heal—especially for anyone navigating a similar journey.
Step 1: Finding an Integrative Wellness Practicioner
The first real shift in my healing came when I began working with an integrative wellness practicioner—someone who looked beyond symptoms and focused on root causes. Instead of rushing to suppress my body’s signals, they helped me understand what was driving my chronic illness.
Through muscle testing and lab work, we uncovered key imbalances—
When I finally met with Dr. Alicia Armistead, everything began to click. Using muscle testing—a form of applied kinesiology—she gently guided my body to reveal what had been hiding beneath years of symptoms and confusion.
The results were staggering, but they finally made sense:
Lyme disease
Candida overgrowth
Mercury toxicity
Parasitic infections
An overloaded lymphatic system that wasn’t able to drain properly
From there, Dr. Armistead created a personalized protocol that included targeted supplements, detox support, and tools to gently strengthen my immune system.
It was the first time I felt like someone was truly listening to my body—and helping it heal, not just cope.
Step 2: Bales Firefly Light Therapy
Next, I had photobiomodulation six sessions of light therapy treatments with the Bales Firefly Light Therapy system—a non-invasive therapy that uses specific wavelengths of light to stimulate healing at the cellular level. I completed six sessions, targeting key infections in my body: Lyme, candida, and parasites.
The science behind it is compelling: photobiomodulation helps improve mitochondrial function, reduce inflammation, and support the immune and lymphatic systems—all of which are crucial when recovering from chronic illness.
Similar to the worsening of symptoms that people feel before they get better, like when they are treating Lyme with antibiotics, this treatment did cause me to have a slight die-off reaction each time. A Candida, Lyme, or parasite die-off—also known as a Herxheimer reaction (or "Herx")—is a short-term reaction that can occur when harmful microorganisms in the body (like candida, Borrelia from Lyme disease, or parasites) begin to die off faster than the body can eliminate them.
— As microbes die, they release endotoxins, ammonia, acetaldehyde, and other waste products.
— The liver, kidneys, and lymphatic system can become overwhelmed, leading to a buildup of these toxins.
— This toxic overload causes inflammation and stress on the body’s systems.
It was essential for me to aid the body in detoxing these toxins, and I relied on
While it wasn’t a quick fix, it eventually felt like a powerful reset for my entire system.
Step 3: Lymeplex Plus Supplement
One of the most supportive tools in my protocol has been Lymeplex Plus. While the science behind it can feel complex, here’s what I’ve come to understand: the formula contains a blend of immune-modulating peptides and amino acids that work with the body—not against it—to support healing.
Instead of attacking pathogens directly, Lymeplex Plus helps regulate and strengthen the immune system, allowing it to better recognize and respond to lingering infections like Lyme, co-infections, and even viral or parasitic loads. Over time, I noticed subtle but powerful shifts in my energy, resilience, and ability to tolerate other parts of my protocol.
After following this protocol for 8 months my integrative wellness doctor said I was clear of Lyme (what?!). I did indeed notice I was feeling better by the week and I had one month where I thought I was totally healed.
An Unfortunate Setback
Looking back, perhaps one of the biggest setbacks in my healing journey was underestimating how invasive the parasites were in my gut. At the time, we didn’t realize just how deeply rooted the infection was. In hindsight, I should have been on herbal antiparasitic support for a much longer period—many experts now recommend 6 to 12 months for thorough treatment.
The conventional medication I was initially given—Praziquantel—typically only target adult parasites. But I had a full lifecycle present: eggs, larvae, and adults. Without addressing all stages, the parasites continued to cycle and reproduce, keeping my body in a chronic state of stress, inflammation, and immune overload.
It was a hard lesson, but it reminded me: true healing takes time, consistency, and treating the root, not just the surface.
The Impact of Parasites on My Body
Parasites wreak havoc on the immune system—and for me, their presence disrupted nearly every system in my body. They affected everything from my mood to my digestion and even my ability to tolerate food and supplements.
Parasites feed on nutrients and release toxins, which can deplete serotonin and dopamine—chemicals that help regulate mood, energy, and mental clarity. I was constantly fatigued, anxious, and emotionally drained without knowing why.
They also interfered with digestion and nutrient absorption, making it difficult for my body to heal, no matter how healthy I ate. On top of that, their presence triggered mast cell activation in my gut, which led to severe allergic reactions to foods and supplements I’d previously tolerated without issue.
It felt like I was reacting to everything—and for a while, I was.
Enter Mono and Mycoplasma Pneumonia
The first few months of 2025 were some of the hardest in my healing journey. I became extremely ill with mononucleosis (EBV)—the first time I’d knowingly had it—and was bedridden for nearly three months. At times, it genuinely felt like my body was shutting down.
During this crash, I was also diagnosed with Mycoplasma pneumonia and found to have severe iron deficiency anemia—likely from years of parasitic infections draining my red blood cells. I needed multiple iron IV infusions just to begin feeling functional again.
The symptoms were relentless and overwhelming:
Numbness in my limbs
Dizziness and feeling faint
Freezing cold, even in warm environments
Weekly erythema migrans–like rashes on my face and limbs
Swollen throat and sluggish lymphatic drainage
Stuffy, constantly ringing ears
Painful, inflamed patches on my scalp and forehead
Histamine intolerance, making me reactive to foods and supplements I once tolerated
It was a terrifying, humbling season—one that forced me to slow down completely and reevaluate everything I thought I knew about healing.
