day four

all at once.

feature three: low-dose naltrexone

naltrexone is typically used to treat opiate addictions, but at a very low dose does something else entirely, boosting the immune system. although it’s pretty new, some people have seen dramatic improvements in illnesses such as hiv, ms, and some cancers. in my own experience it hasn’t directly fixed anything, but it did make me have noticeable herxes with other treatments– something i hadn’t had at first, perhaps because of my weakened immune system. now i’m able to better judge how my medicines are working. it also helps me sleep, which is wonderful, because i had terrible insomnia problems about a year ago.

night three

…and the painkillers of the day

dinner three

morning three

forgot to post/took a day off. this project actually takes a lot out of me. i hate actually having to look at my pills, to think about them; i’ve accepted them as part of my routine, but this is taking me back to when it all began, and i had to force them down. how many 18-year-olds need pill organizers? the medicine is really a minor nuisance all things considered, but what they represent is a big can of emotional worms.

feature two: oil of oregano

so oil of oregano tastes like it sounds: oregano condensed into tiny, firey drops. it goes under my tongue. it’s supposedly a strong anti-everything (bacteria, virus, fungus). more than 2 drops a day seems to cause crazy jarisch-herxheimer reactions, but i take so much, i have no idea if that was actually correlated. Learn Something: a jarsich-herxheimer reaction is best known in syphilis, which behaves similarly to lyme, although one is an std and the other is a tick-borne illness. anyway, the “herx” as it as unaffectionately known is caused by dieoff of bacteria. you’re all full of toxins, so traditionally it feels like a flu plus worsened symptoms.

so then this will happen: patient takes antibiotics and feels worse. it is:

a. from the dieoff

b. an allergic reaction

c. because the medication isn’t helping them

d. caused by one of the 50 other things they’re taking

e. a drug interaction

f. an actual flu

the answer is “god only knows.”

night two