I’m Ba-a-a-ck! With Bugs and Blasto

A big thank-you to Linda Miller for filling in while I was on a 2 week holiday in Manitoba and Lake of the Woods, Ontario. I deeply appreciated time away from deadlines and schedules.

Just in Case You Travel to Lake of the Woods

While away I discovered something about myself. You can take the researcher to the lake but you can’t make her stop thinking about spores and bugs! With very limited cellular access I still managed to learn about a new fungal disease that is endemic to Kenora and the Lake of the Woods area where I was visiting.

The SPORE – Blastomycosis dermatitidis

Hidden in the decomposing pine needles and thin soil layers on the Canadian Shield granite are fungal spores known to the locals simply as Blasto. With construction going on and the soil being disturbed my sister was legitimately concerned about anyone inhaling these spores. Blastomycosis is one of those diseases that can baffle doctors and be mistaken for other diseases (like flu) quite easily.

In some instances, the diagnosis takes years. Once diagnosed correctly, prescription anti-fungals are ordered and most people recover completely from serious side effects of the disease. Here is what the Center of Disease Control as to say about Blastomycosis:

“Blastomycosis is a disease caused by the fungus Blastomyces dermatitidis. The fungus lives in moist soil and in association with decomposing organic matter such as wood and leaves. Lung infection can occur after a person inhales airborne, microscopic fungal spores from the environment; however, many people who inhale the spores do not get sick. The symptoms of blastomycosis are similar to flu symptoms, and the infection can sometimes become serious if it is not treated.” – Center of Disease Control & Prevention 

For dog owners who travel in areas like Lake of the Woods, be aware that your pets are susceptible to this kind of fungal infection as well.

This is still a rare disease but if you or your pet has unexplained or difficult symptoms to diagnose and you have been in a region where these spores exist, you might want to let your doctor know!

Mercola has a great article on blastomycosis for pet owners. Learn more here.

The BUGS – Ticks and Borrelia burgdorferi aka Lyme Disease

One of my favorite childhood remedies is blueberry picking in the Whiteshell area near the Manitoba-Ontario border. Our dog Herbie would come with us and eat the berries right off the bush! We were in boggy, wet moss on a humid summer day, swatting mosquitoes and eating as many berries as our bellies would hold. Some berries actually made it into buckets and those were made into blueberry pies. Sun burned skin, itchy mozzies bites, hot summer nights, the smell of the trailer’s propane oven and hot blueberry pie. Summer in the Whiteshell.

Herbie was always there for a scratch behind the ears and invariably, we would find a tick on her, sometimes still crawling and sometimes full of blood. NOT one of my favorite childhood memories. Finding a tick on Herbie meant everyone’s head and nether parts were examined closely for the bloodthirsty creepy crawlers. Ugh. Still gives me the willies thinking about them.

Sounding like an old-timer here, but back in those days no one heard of Lyme disease. Another endemic disease that is hard to diagnose.

The bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi transmitted by ticks cause Lyme disease. Nasty just got uglier! Bugs AND bacteria.

Interestingly (to me at least) is that both these diseases can present in the early stages just like a flu.

Blastomycosis symptoms may include:

• Fever.
• Cough, or cough with blood.
• Shortness of breath.
• Muscle aches.
• Bone pain.
• Back pain.
• Chest pain.
• Fatigue.

Here are some Blastomycosis Basics from the Minnesota Dept. of Health.

Lyme Disease symptoms may include:

“Lyme disease symptoms can appear quickly or gradually over time, and they are incredibly varied and can wax and wane. The first physical signs of Lyme infection are often flu-like symptoms – sore throat, headaches, congestion, stiffness, etc. – so many people, including doctors, dismiss the symptoms as the flu.

During its nymph stage, a tick is only about the size of a period on a sentence. Many people are infected by nymph ticks, but don’t suspect Lyme disease because they don’t recall being bitten. In fact, 50% of people infected don’t remember being bitten and less than 50% of people will get any over-emphasized rash.” – Can Lyme – Canandian Lyme Disease Foundation 

Homeopathy – Can It Help?

If both diseases, one a fungal spore and one a bacteria, present like flu, then yes, one could think of using homeopathic remedies. Like I tell participants in the Vaccine Free: Now What? course , “You may never know what you prevented with a simple at home kit and using remedies in a first aid, acute illness situation.”

Homeopathy for Blastomycosis

If you look at the symptoms of Blasto, several ‘flu’ remedies or rather remedies that are often considered in flu and flu-like illnesses, come to mind.

One of the remedies you could consider is good old Arnica.

Intermittent, typhoid, septic, traumatic fevers.

It affects BLOOD

Muscles feel VERY SORE, PAINFUL, BRUISED

BED FEELS HARD or full of lumps

Pains are paralytic; sudden, shifting pains from joint to joint.

Great sinking of strength.

Your homeopath however, will likely be the best bet. Often when you are this sick, self-prescribing is difficult.

You will never know what you headed off with a ‘simple’ well-indicated homeopathic remedy.

Homeopathy for Lyme Disease

For tick bites and any kind of insect/animal bite, think of Ledum first. That is the remedy in your kit for tetanus (puncture wounds). Nice huh? A puncture wound is a puncture whether caused by a nail, a knife or a bacteria-carrying tick.

If time has passed and the symptoms progressed, or if you have no idea you have been bitten and you have pronounced Lyme disease symptoms, give your homeopath a call. Here is a link to a great article on homeopathy and Lyme disease. Some homeopaths, like Dr. Whitmont are now specializing in Lyme disease.

“Microorganisms tend to evolve resistance to antibiotics in proportion to the length of exposure to these agents. Lyme disease is no exception5,6. Resistance does not develop to classical homeopathic treatment, however, and its efficacy does not diminish with use over time. Therefore, homeopathy may be the most viable alternative treatment for use in Lyme disease and other infectious illnesses.” –Ronald D. Whitmont, M.D. – Classical Homeopath Physician

Kids Health website has some good information on Lyme disease. Visit them here.

Remember…if your situation involves breathing difficulties, bleeding, broken bones or brain swelling…you are on your way to conventional emergency medical care. Information included in this article is not to be taken as medical advice or a medical diagnosis. Only your physician can make a diagnosis of Lyme disease or Blastomycosis.

And on to great news!

The second issue of Homeopathy First Magazine is on Apple Newsstand. Woohoo! You can add today’s newsletter information to your cottage kit. Look for the cottage article in the new issue.

As always, I love your feedback and thoughts. Please share any via the comments section below.

Yours in health, healing, bugs and spores,
Donna