How one mother began her recovery from Lyme disease using the traditional technique known as The Milk Cure used by the forerunner of the Mayo Clinic.
This amazing story was sent to me by Melanie, a Mom who, for over 100 days, fasted on nothing but raw milk to heal Lyme Disease.
No other Lyme Disease treatments, conventional or otherwise, had worked for her over the past 4 years.
Her healing journey is based on the use of raw, pastured milk for reversal of serious illness as practiced in the early 1900’s by the Mayo Foundation, a forerunner of the famed Mayo Clinic in Rochester Minnesota.
If this story is of interest to you, read more about how to do a Raw Milk Fast yourself.
Here is Melanie’s story in her own words ….
From Normal Mom to Near Invalid
Four years ago I was an active wife and mother: cooking, cleaning, running errands, volunteering at my daughter’s school — the usual “stay at home” mother activities. Without warning, I suddenly became very ill after being exposed to loud noise for several hours.
I developed excruciating pain in both ears and was subsequently diagnosed with “hyperacusis”, painful sensitivity to sound. I could not bear any noise louder than normal conversation without intense pain and became confined to my home. At about the same time, I began suffering from severe insomnia and night sweats, and I began to rapidly lose weight.
I developed muscle and joint pain over my entire body, and my muscles became so weak that I could not turn on the shower or lift a glass of water to my lips. Eating was painful because my stomach hurt, and my muscles twitched so badly it made the bed shake. For months my face was swollen and I developed spontaneous bleeding underneath my toenails causing them to turn black.
Inexplicably, my body seemed to be “falling apart”!
Lyme Disease Diagnosis
After having numerous diagnostic tests I was told my blood was too thin, my blood sugar was too high, I had no detectable good bacteria in my intestines, and my body had an extremely high level of an enzyme with a long name we’d never heard of before.
My immune system was so dysfunctional that I tested allergic to nearly 80 foods.
After seeing many specialists to determine what was wrong, I was finally diagnosed with Lyme disease, a chronic debilitating infection caused by a tick bite.
During those months while we awaited a diagnosis, different doctors had prescribed various medications and synthetic vitamin supplements to treat my symptoms. Although we did not understand why at the time, all of them made me terribly ill and I was forced to discontinue taking anything (in hindsight that was a great blessing, as we would later learn those unnatural substances were only adding to the toxic burden on my body.)
We were grateful to have a diagnosis of Lyme Disease but knew that, in my weakened condition, I could not tolerate any medical treatment. With no good options and my physical state rapidly worsening, we did the only thing we knew to do: called the elders of our church to come anoint me with oil and pray for my healing. Knowing that Jesus had said, “The truth will set you free”, I set out to discover his truth for my physical body. What was the underlying cause of my illness? Why was my immune system so weak? How could my health be restored? What did he want me to eat? In my search for the truth, the answers to those questions would change the course of my life.
Determined Quest to Detoxify
One of the first things I learned was that, whatever the diagnosis, there really is only one chronic disease — toxicity and nutritional deficiency. Basically, my body had become overloaded with toxins and was unable to function properly. Just as there was only one disease, there was only one cure. I needed to eliminate (as much as possible) the toxins coming into my body, cleanse my body of stored toxins, and provide it with the nutrients it needed to repair and rebuild.
Since I would not be taking medication or supplements, food would be my “medicine”.
After much research, I cut out many things from my diet in a quest to quell my Lyme Disease symptoms : additives, preservatives, artificial flavorings and colorings — basically all processed food. I also eliminated soy, gluten, yeast and sugar. I ate only what was organic so as not to ingest pesticides.
Over a period of two years I experimented with eating different foods that were supposed to have healing qualities: goji juice, acai powder, coconut oil, raw garlic, cultured vegetables, freshly made vegetable juice, raw apple cider vinegar, manuka honey, non-gluten grains soaked overnight, sea vegetables, grass-fed beef, sea salt.
For months I ate six raw egg yolks a day from a local farm. I consumed gallons of raw coconut kefir and homemade bone broth. I ate dozens of jars of raw nut butter and grass-fed ghee and drank only spring water.
After more research I learned that, even with my new eating plan, I had still been unknowingly pouring harmful chemicals into my body on a daily basis through toxic personal care items. I threw out all my health and beauty supplies and used only a bit of pure castile soap on my skin and hair. I discarded my household cleaning and laundry products and instead used vinegar, baking soda, and a dried fruit called “soapnuts”.
I replaced our teflon pans with non-toxic ceramic, and our plastic containers with glass bowls. I had a water filter installed in the shower and opened windows to air out our home. I bounced on a rebounder for half an hour each day to flush out my lymph system, and twice a day took a walk in the sun until my legs became too weak to continue.
With the elimination of many toxins and a complete change in diet and lifestyle, I did see some improvement. I could finally sleep, my pain lessened somewhat, and a number of my symptoms disappeared. I was able to start taking a plant-based digestive enzyme, hoping it would help my stomach.
Cure Lyme Disease with Raw Milk?
Still, I continued losing weight and was unable to regain my strength. My hair started falling out and I continued to have serious digestive problems. Despite eating large quantities of food, by last summer I had lost more than one-third of my starting weight.
Through my research, I had repeatedly seen how drinking raw milk had helped many people, but since I had such trouble digesting fats I had avoided it.
Then I read about a protocol from the early 1900s describing how doctors had used an exclusive raw milk diet to successfully treat every sort of disease. It was described as “a combination of a detoxifying fast and nutrient-dense feeding” — just what I needed.
I also read that fasting gives the digestive system a break so that all the body’s energy can be devoted to healing. Based on my research, and since it was becoming increasingly difficult to digest solid food, I decided to try the raw milk fast for 90 days or as long as I could tolerate.
I located a farm with raw milk about 20 minutes from our home. It is not certified organic although they claim to use many organic practices. The cows are grass-fed much of the year and eat hay in the winter. Although their diet is supplemented with a small amount of non-gmo corn and the milk is sold in plastic containers, it was the best we could find locally. Having little to lose, I decided to proceed with my plan.
The Milk Cure Begins
I began my fast on November 18, 2011, and from the beginning have been drinking about three quarts of milk per day.
Some of it I make into whole milk kefir. The rest I let sit out on the counter for 12-24 hours to come to room temperature (cold foods are bad for my digestion) and begin a natural souring process that increases the beneficial bacteria. I drink about six ounces every hour, sipping it slowly and mixing well with saliva.
I take part of a digestive enzyme capsule with it – this is probably not necessary, but I was reluctant to stop using the enzymes since they seemed to help me digest fats. I usually drink my last cup of milk around 8 p.m. and then go to bed since I know the body repairs during sleep.
Since beginning the fast, I have experienced many common healing “crisis” reactions: skin eruptions, itching, runny nose, headache, increased muscle and joint pains, sweating, body odor, gas and bloating, constipation, dry mouth. For two days the glands in my neck were so swollen that is was hard to swallow, and for several weeks I coughed up green mucus every morning. Some days I have had a strong chemical taste in my mouth. The past couple of weeks my legs have ached badly on several occasions making it difficult to stand and walk. None of these symptoms has concerned me, for I know that my body is flushing out toxins and ”cleaning house”.
Now for the good news: after four years of my body wasting away, I have gained 25 pounds and am back to a normal weight for my petite frame.
My hair has stopped falling out, my pain is gradually lessening, and I am slowly regaining my strength.
My sickly yellowish complexion has been replaced with a healthy pink glow!
How long will I continue my fast? I do not know. I am thankful every day for the healing power of raw milk and that I am on the road to recovery at last!
Jamie – how do you do with raw cream? If you do ok with butter, you might do well with raw cream. If not raw cream then get raw butter.
Problem #1: raw milk CANNOT be pasteurized.
And for what it’s worth, there is no science to the idea raw cow milk does anything. Why would it? It was designed to feed a growing newborn cow, not to nourish an adult human.
If cow milk does anything for Lymes disease, can you explain the mechanism? Why is there no science behind it? Why would some mysterious ingredient in cow milk do anything to the borreliosis bacteria? Cow milk doesn’t have any anti-bacterial qualities.
Interesting someone brought up stomach issues. Cow milk, raw or pasteurized, still contains a special kind of sugar called lactose. In order to break down lactose, the body needs to produce lactase, the matching enzyme. But, since humans are supposed to stop drinking milk when they’re weaned from mom’s breast, many don’t produce much lactase as adults. Depending on how poorly your body handles the lactose, the stomache problems will vary: gas, pain, bloating, and/or diarrhea. And then Americans wonder why so many are irregular or have painful gas problems…? These are not “healing reactions”!
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001321/
If someone enjoys drinking cow milk, then do it. But please don’t tell others it’s healthy where there is no science behind it.
It would be nice if you thought outside the box. The governments not always right. Doing your own research and trial and error instead of just going off of what an article says would probably benefit you.
There is an enormous body of scientific studies supporting the superior nutritional healing powers of raw mik.
One mechanism explaining how it heals Lyme is the Competitive Exclusionary Principle, in which flooding a system with beneficial microbes (such as all the lactobacillus sp. in raw milk) starves out the pathogenic organisms including the Lyme spirochete.
Pastured, NOT pasteurized!
You are obviously unaware that milk has enzymes that break down lactose. These enzymes are killed in the pasteurization process. My son is sensitive to milk, but he can drink raw milk all day with no problems. I did a 6 day milk fast last year and my IBS symptoms disappeared for that time, suggesting that raw milk can be healing to the digestive system. You should do a little more research.
Some of the fats in cow milk DEFINITELY DO have anti-bacterial qualities.
“According to in vitro studies of milk fat, glycosphingolipids not only appear protective against pathogenic bacteria such as salmonella, listeria and others, but also against viruses and fungi as well. Butterfat can then be classified as a broad spectrum anti-microbial agent, although how this exactly works in the intestines is not yet completely understood.”
Excerpt from my post: https://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/are-you-a-stomach-bug-magnet-a-lowfat-diet-may-be-the-cause/
Calico,
I’ve read about injecting the Lyme bacteria into the udder of a cow and using the colostrum to heal Lyme Disease. This works because the cow makes antibodies to the bacteria, the same way that all other mammals (humans included) make antibodies to combat infections that they’re exposed to to protect their offspring. Some cultures are more likely to produce lactase than others, so it’s not an accurate statement to say that people cannot digest milk from another species.
calico, until allopathic medicine tried to prevent mothers from nursing their children and only use infant formula, it was well known that nursing passed the ability to fight infectious agents that the mother, grandmother, and previous maternal generations had.
There are two known ways that milk does this:
1. Saccharides in the milk are tailored to feed helpful bacteria but not feed harmful bacteria.
2. Enzymes or other parts of the milk instructs the child’s immune system how to create the antibiotics that the mother or previous generations used to fight off the bacteria. Even if the mother created her antibiotics too late to prevent her infection, the child will have a head start by knowing how to fight the infection before it gets started.
For real human or cow milk to help fight lyme disease, it is most important is that the milk came from a person or cow that at one time or a previous generation was infected with lyme disease. That is why everyone is saying “pastured” and “local” to insure that the cows have lyme disease antibodies that can be passed.
P.S. A cow and human are genetically close enough that many of the same antibodies work in both.
Pastured, not pasteurized.
Thanks for posting this! I was diagnosed with Lyme 20 months ago and when I saw Sarah’s post for the Milk Cure 2012, I was on board “just to see” what changes could occur. I was very lucky to already be eating a clean, nourishing diet when infected so the course of Lyme has been somewhat less treacherous (Kudos to you for enduring your path — and taking control!). I was NOT getting enough sleep as I had an infant and I believe that is what allowed my body to succumb. Nonetheless, it’s up to me to allow my body to fully heal — and I am inspired to try the Milk Cure toward that end. Thanks for sharing!
where can you buy raw milk near Ontario, Quebec or New York State ?
Go to realmilk.com
I do believe in the healing effects of raw milk. That is why we drink it. HOWEVER, having had chronic Lyme for 10 years, I have talked to many, many people and what I have learned is this: what works for one person, doesn’t necessarily work for another, ESPECIALLY when you’re talking about Lyme Disease. Lyme looks different with each person. So, proceed with the utmost caution, should you decide to try this!
Casey…I’m so glad you know personally the healing effects of raw milk. I’ve experienced those effects myself. But with all due respect, I’d like to point out that proceeding with too much caution has kept a lot of people stuck dealing with the same debilitating chronic health problems they want to be rid of. I’m not suggesting that we throw caution to the wind, but what many need is to proceed with determination to find something that will begin the healing process. Each of us must do our own research (don’t just jump on any old band-wagon), decide upon a course, and act with resolve.
Whole foods HEAL! That is the message we should take away from Melanie’s message.
Casey Staats, you are 100% correct to state that “Lyme looks different with each person.” but that doesn’t mean that the cure must be different. The reason that the cure appears different in different people is that many people that have lyme disease also have many other infections.
First to define lyme disease, it is an infection from one or two strains of spiral bacteria.
Spiral bacteria can and do bore anywhere into the body. Early lyme disease is easy to treat but allopathic medicine absolutely refuses to give antibiotics for long enough. After a couple of months, the lyme bacteria bore through the walls of the circulatory system and then it is called chronic lyme disease that most allopathic medicine claims is only in your head. Otherwise, they would need to put you on months of IV antibotics, tell you to used traditional medicine, or suffer.
The chronic lyme disease symptoms acts differently in different people just like another disease that is sometimes labelled the “great pretender”. Both diseases are genetically closely related spiral bacteria. For young people that don’t remember the great pretender, it is syphilis.
I’m working on getting my raw milk this week! Going to try a short fast ‘ see if it helps my stomach issues!
Its always inspiring to read real stories of real people healing their illnesses by using completely natural means such as food. Truly is amazing.
Incredible!!
Too bad I’m allergic. Yes, even to raw. I’ve tried for years (goat & cow). I seem to be okay with butter, though. How about a butter cure?
I’m also allergic even to raw milk kefir. However, recently I learned that if I mix in a raw egg with the kefir, I have no stomach problems.
I’m in the same boat. Maybe we need a raw liver cure or something! (Lucky us … milk tastes a lot better, LOL.)