A couple of months ago I was fortunate to be able to attended a conference in New Jersey called the “Lyme Light Mastermind Conference.” I met a few of my greatest holistic health heroes and mentors as they presented and I learned the latest tools for persistent Lyme Disease cases and other “deeper” illnesses. I also met a wide variety of practitioners who came from around the country and the world. (As an added bonus, I was able to catch up with a college friend I had not seen in years.)

The health heroes included:

• Dr. Dietrich Klinghardt – A medical doctor who has been practicing for over 30 years both in the US and Europe as well as founded multiple health clinics and educational academies. Using autonomic response testing (ART – like muscle testing but much more), he has been able to help people with some of the most difficult health challenges including Lyme disease and autism. He continues to be a pioneer in the field of holistic health using all types of therapies and modalities.
• Dr. Joseph Mercola – A trained osteopath and board-certified family doctor who learned years ago that the body can be healed using natural methods. He started one of the first on-line health and wellness blogs, which is still one of the most popular today, and written several books. You can check his blog out out at www.mercola.com.
• Dr. Zach Bush – A triple board-certified physician who also previously helped to develop chemotherapies, he now dedicates his time to researching and educating people about human health and longevity. He has much insight into the dangers of glyphosate and GMOs after having researched and tested them for years. He and his team also created a great gut product called RESTORE.
• Dr. Lee Cowden – Board certified cardiologist and internest who incorporates integrative medicine in his practice. Practicing since 1984, he has pioneered successful treatments for Lyme disease, cancer, autism and much more. He had authored several books and is known for his “Cowden Protocol.”

I have been following the work of these exceptional people for a while now, some for many years. To see, meet, and learn from them all in one weekend was a rare opportunity!

As some of you know (either through my website or hearing my personal story), I have been an ongoing Lyme patient myself for many years – as I have come to realize, probably since childhood. So the topic of this conference alone was enough to real me in.

Interestingly, their message was not that unlike mine. Yes, there are specific things that need to be done to deal with the four main Lyme infections and all the related co-infections. But, you are not going to truly heal Lyme or any other illness unless you deal with some of the bigger issues.

Some of the items that were discussed are principles I have been speaking about for a while now. Things like:

• Limiting your exposure to EMFs. Dr. Klinghardt will not even see patients any more if they do not first address EMFs. They must make their house a safe haven in order for the body to heal. Even Dr. Mercola, who previously did not worry about EMFs, has been seeing huge shifts in himself after applying some of the principles. You can learn more in my previous articles on EMFs and smart meters.
• Limiting your exposure to GMOs. This applies to both the foods you eat and the water you drink. I talk more about GMOs here and tap water here and here. Future blog posts will explain newly discovered dangers of GMOs as well as some ways to combat them. (Learn how to shop GMO-free here.)
• Removing toxins from your life. We all need to detox on a regular basis, whether that means replacing toxic products with healthier ones, being in nature more often, doing a cleanse or fast on a semi-regular basis, or doing a targeted detox like I typically endorse. All of these in combination are even better, especially as our world gets more toxic.

When you work on improving multiple lifestyle factors like those above during the healing process, it gives your body a greater chance of healing. Adding other therapies like infrared saunas, foot baths, body work, emotional work, etc. can also provide greater healing.

Two more progressive ideas that were discussed quite a bit at the conference included:

• Retroviruses being an underlying issue for many chronic diseases. In a world that continues to get more complicated and more toxic, we need to go deeper to totally heal. Dr. Klinghart has found that dealing with the retroviruses in a person helps to promote healing in even the most difficult cases, especially Lyme and autism.
• Remembering that all microorganisms in our body are not enemies. There is much talk these days about killing off everything from bad bacteria to candida (fungi) and parasites in our bodies. These organism can also work to our benefit and we need to change our mindset so we do not think of all of them as “the enemy.” Instead, we should learn to embrace our bodies and the things inside us so we can celebrate all life as we heal. Some are actually meant to be there – even parasites!

In addition to the above, I learned many other great things while at the conference, even a new way to help the body remove toxins using lasers. You will hear more about all of this in future blog posts.

This article was written by Sharon Harmon, founder of Life Design for Health. As a “Health Designer” she has a passion for helping people find their way back to optimum health. Please contact her if you would like to know more. There is a great deal of health-related information in her blog articles and on her website. Including additional suggested resources (books and articles) by topic, a pantry list that is gluten-free, dairy free and GMO-free, and a healing foods list.