December 04, 2014

Home Alone -This is my house and I have to defend it (Fortify yourself against the Lyme Bandits today!)



Listen my children and you shall hear of the midnight ride of... wait wrong story.

Listen my children and you shall hear - "KEVIN!!!" An entire chorus line of family members yelling an 8 year old's name exasperated by his arrogance and brattiness. Little do they know it is both of these qualities that allows him to stay safe over the holidays despite being left... HOME ALONE 

Let me start by saying if you have not seen Home Alone - you need to. It's a holiday classic - in fact I've probably seen it every year since it came out in theaters.  And this is a tribute to all things Home Alone. When my Lyme is acting up I like to think of it as bacterial burglars trying to break into this house (my body and brain) to rob me of great treasures. What the Lyme Bandits don't know is how much preparation I've been doing with nutrition and holistic healthcare in order to keep this house as my home and out of their greedy paws. 

Here's what happens in the movie: 
It's Christmas time and the McCallister family is preparing to head to Paris for vacation. Eight year old Kevin is the black sheep of the house who is regularly picked on by his siblings and cousins, and his parents are annoyed by his antics. Kevin finds himself forced to sleep on the third floor of the house. The next day, the McCallisters accidentally sleep in and barely make it to their flight, but when airborne they realize they forgot Kevin. As his family desperately tries to book a flight back to Chicago, Kevin is thrilled to have the house to himself. However, a pair of burglars named Harry and Marv have robbed a number of houses in the neighborhood and now have their sights on the McCallister home. It's up to Kevin to thwart them. Once 8 year old Kevin realizes they've left him home by himself, Kevin learns to fend for himself. He eventually has to protect his house against bumbling burglars Harry and Marv, who are planning to rob every house in Kevin's suburban Chicago neighborhood. Kevin's mother Kate is frantic when she realizes that she and the family have unintentionally left Kevin behind in Chicago, and she tries to make it back to Chicago as fast as she can, getting help from a polka band leader named Gus Polinski.

Well folks you can see why I have fun with this story. Lyme disease is no fun but it's all about perspective when battling any illness and I think I'm doing a great job in this front. I have had some readers ask for more information on said disease. There's so much more to say on this topic then I can cover in one post but for now let's settle on a few basics...

The signs and symptoms of Lyme disease vary and usually affect more than one system. The skin, joints and nervous system are affected most often. (http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/lyme-disease/basics/symptoms/con-20019701)

Early signs and symptoms

These signs and symptoms may occur after you've been infected:

Rash. A small, red bump may appear at the site of the tick bite. This small bump is normal after a tick bite and doesn't indicate Lyme disease. However, over the next few days, the redness may expand forming a rash in a bull's-eye pattern, with a red outer ring surrounding a clear area. The rash, called erythema migrans, is one of the hallmarks of Lyme disease. Some people develop this rash at more than one place on their bodies.

Flu-like symptoms. Fever, chills, fatigue, body aches and a headache may accompany the rash.

Later signs and symptoms

In some people, the rash may spread to other parts of the body and, several weeks to months after you've been infected, you may experience:

Joint pain. You may develop bouts of severe joint pain and swelling. Your knees are especially likely to be affected, but the pain can shift from one joint to another.
Neurological problems.

Weeks, months or even years after you were infected, you may experience inflammation of the membranes surrounding your brain (meningitis), temporary paralysis of one side of your face (Bell's palsy), numbness or weakness in your limbs, and impaired muscle movement.

Less common signs and symptoms

Several weeks after infection, some people develop:

Heart problems, such as an irregular heartbeat. Heart problems rarely last more than a few days or weeks.

Eye inflammation.

Liver inflammation (hepatitis).


Severe fatigue.

There are a wide variety of co-infections to watch out for each of which carries it's own symptoms. I don't want to delve to deeply here as this is meant to be more of a light-hearted post today. 

Hopefully you have enough information now to understand both the Home ALone story and the disease I am talking about - if not message me! I'll gladly fill you in some more. You can email me at healthandwealthaves@gmail.com.




At first, contracting Lyme disease can be a stinging diagnosis. What's worse though is going uindiagnosed and this is how I lived for years feeling much like dear Kevin did when he first used aftershave in the above picture. You want to yell, and scream - it hurts! But slowly you adjust to this being a part of your life and if you're lucky like myself, you'll learn how to make a comeback. It's taken me 13 years but here I am finally defending my house against the Lyme bandits. 




Now Kevin laid out an elaborate set of booby traps for the wet bandits. If you don't have Lyme this is the perfect time to fortify yourself against this disease. First of all do a tick check - it's the most basic way to keep yourself safe. If you find one contact your MD and have the tick removed properly and sent in for testing. If the tick has Lyme ask your Doctor to start antibiotics ASAP. If they won't - go to a different Doctor. It's your body, your life, your future. Don't be afraid to stand up for yourself. You may know more then your Doctor on this topic. Also eat right and exercise because this will strengthen your immune system. You should be getting 7-13 servings of fruits and vegetables a day. If you aren't doing so already ask me how to do so easily - I'm happy to help... there is an easy way to change your diet, trust me. Again you can email me at healthandwealthaves@gmail.com   




Also ask your Doctor how to prepare for the spring and if you have pets - be warned- they bring in most ticks and if they are allowed on your furniture your asking for trouble. Talk to your vet about the best ways to keep yourself and your pet tick free. They are often more up to date on Lyme disease than Primary Care physicians are - depending on where you live in the world. You want to make your home, pet and your clothing all tick UN-friendly! This should be the face of any tick trying to break into your blood supply... 



Got it? Good.


Lastly, talk to your neighbors, your family members, and especially kids about the dangers of ticks - make doing a tick check a regular part of your routine - with little ones, bath time is perfect for doing this. Teach then to check themselves and each other - appropriately please. Remember if Kevin had Lyme he may not have had the energy to thwart off the wet bandits and then where would we be this Christmas? Hhhmm?


Take this seriously but feel free to use Home Alone in your analogies when talking to kids about Lyme - you don't want to give them nightmares, but you don't want to leave them to live one with Lyme disease either. It's quite serious and should be treated as such. Take a little time everyday and defend your house my friends. You'll be glad you did.




As always I wish you a happy, healthy and hopeful day dear readers. Take care of yourself and each other - until we meet again right here Between Health and Wealth Avenues! Peace, Audrey Elizabeth Korte




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