Eric Scheuneman – 2nd Edition 2018-02-14 | PDF version
My Lyme Disease experience started on 2017-05-17 and involved 2 family doctors, 2 specialists and about 6-8 Emergency doctors who all treated me with respect and patience. They did numerous tests such as blood, x-rays, CT scan and ultrasound trying to determine what was causing my Stage 2 and Stage 3 Symptoms. However, they all overlooked Lyme Disease and were very skeptical when I asked to be tested for Lyme Disease. Hence, I was forced to research and work on my own to develop the treatments below which finally cured-for-now my Stage 2 and Stage 3 Symptoms.
From my experience summarized below and the References following this section, I developed Scheuneman Protocol for Lyme Disease, 2nd Edition written as of 2018-02-14 and made available on 2018-02-14. Both these documents are written for people dealing with Lyme Disease and for Canadian doctors – who both have been badly served by the various medical associations and government agencies.
References (1) and (2)
(1) German guidelines: Web | PDF
(2) Dr. Burrascano guidelines: Web | PDF
I started to research Lyme Disease on 2017-09-26 during Stage 2 Symptoms after finally persuading my family doctor to test me for Lyme Disease and 6 days after I started Doxycycline at 200 mg per day. I found a very useful website CanLyme.com where I found and downloaded References (1) and (2).
Both documents are guidelines for treatment and elaborated on the various forms the bacteria could take including a dormant form that can re-activate later and that combinations of antibiotics would often be required. Especially helpful for treatment was Reference (1) -Table 6 on page 15 – which shows starting Doxycycline at 400 mg per day and – Table 7 on pages 16-17 – which shows other antibiotics to be used in combination!
My testing Doxycycline doses on myself before and after I persuaded my family doctor to prescribe Doxycycline at 400 mg per day showed that 200 mg per day had an initial effect on the Stage 2 symptoms but only after I increased my dosage to 300 mg and then 400mg did my debilitating Stage 2 Symptoms stop.
This is in total agreement with Reference (1) recommending 400 mg per day!
Further, my Stages 1-3 full blown debilitating symptoms started 94 days after a fully engorged tick was removed from my neck followed by Doxycycline at 200 mg per day for 21 days and then a Lyme Disease test that was negative. This is also in agreement with all 4 References that the bacteria can become dormant during treatment and reactivate later. It cannot be proven either way but it is likely 50/50 whether it was a reactivation of the bacteria from 94 days before – or – bacteria from a new unseen tick bite.
This is why I use 400 mg Doxycycline per day in my Protocol – to be extra safe.
References (3) and (4)
(3) Article summarizing Stevia Leaf extract paper: Web | PDF
(4) Research paper testing Stevia Leaf extracts: Web | PDF
I tracked down and downloaded References (3) and (4) about 2017-11-17 during Stage 3 Symptoms about 21 days after finishing 20 days of Doxycycline at 400 mg per day – and no doctor would prescribe or suggest anything else despite Stage 3 raging on and spreading around my body.
These two documents also talked about various forms of the Lyme Disease bacteria including the dormant form that can re-activate later. Further, they pointed out the that Lyme Disease bacteria can resist the antibiotics and harm any body organs including the brain and nervous system.
Exceedingly helpful for treatment was that Reference (4) was a laboratory scientific study that compared the effectiveness of 4 commercial Stevia Leaf Extracts to 3 antibiotics and their combinations. The results clearly showed that all 4 Stevia Leaf Extracts were potent against all forms of the bacteria to various degress – and that the most potent Stevia product outperformed all three antibiotics and their combination.
Can these results transfer from the lab to people – which is the usual stumbling block?
I tested on myself 3 of the 4 brands of Stevia Leaf Extract used in the laboratory study in Reference (4) – after Doxycycline at 400 mg per day finished its 20 days and did nothing at all to relieve or stop the spread of my Stage 3 symptoms.
This resulted in one brand – Truvia® Spoonable is Stevia D in Figure 1 of reference (4) – drastically reducing the Stage 3 symptoms but not permanently. The next brand tried – NOW® BetterStevia® Original is Stevia B in Figure 1 of Reference (4) – reduced them to intermittent mild background. The next brand tried – NutraMedix® Stevia is Stevia A in Figure 1 of Reference (4) -reduced the symptoms to zero.
The foregoing three brand results precisely mirror the results of the laboratory study in Reference (4) as shown in Figure 1 – and Figures 5 and 6 for Stevia A. This is why I am totally confident that my results show that Stevia works in the body essentially the same as in the laboratory study.
This is why I use NOW® BetterStevia® Original and NutraMedix® Stevia in my Protocol – either with antibiotic(s) or on their own.
Note: If the two Stevia treatments in my Protocol have little or no effect on symptoms, then this strongly suggests the cause is a co-infection or something else requiring further diagnosis and treatment.
Co-infection: Reference (1) above discusses co-infection briefly on page 10 and then offers antibiotics to try for treatment in Tables 3 and 4 on page 11. Reference (2) above discusses co-infection briefly on pages 4-5 and then offers further elaboration and treatment suggestions on pages 22-27.
For more details read the Timeline below.
Timeline
Lyme Disease – No Symptoms
2017-05-17 Fully engorged tick on my neck was found and successfully removed by a friend.
2017-05-18 Family doctor started prescription of Doxycyline 200 mg per day for 21 days.
Note: There was no rash at this time or later.
2017-06-12 Blood sample taken for Lyme Disease test after 21 days on Doxycycline.
Note: There were no symptoms during this time.
2017-06-15 Test came back negative for Lyme Disease.
Note: I thought there were two possibilities:
(1) the tick did not carry the Lyme bacteria or
(2) the Doxycycline at 200 mg per day killed the bacteria.
But I later learned there was a third possibility – found in all 4 References above:
(3) the bacteria had reacted to the antibiotic by going into hide/hibernation mode from which it could reactivate later.
Lyme Disease – Symptoms
Stage 1 Symptoms
2017-08-19 In the evening I developed ‘body flu’ – body aches, headache and no appetite.
Note: This was 57 days since finishing Doxycycline at 200 mg per day. I had been under continuous extra stress for the previous 12 days.This was the beginning of 34 days of untreated severe debilitating symptoms.
Stage 2 Symptoms
2017-08-22 The ‘body flu’ symptoms disappeared and were immediately replaced by about 3 severe vertical shafts of pain across the abdomen. Because these were symptoms I had never experienced before, I went to my local hospital Emergency.I was unable to properly eat or sleep without 1000 mg acetaminophen twice per night and lost 12 pounds in 2-3 weeks.
2017-09-15 At an appointment, I pleaded and finally convinced my family doctor to order a Lyme Disease blood test – which he predicted would come back negative.
2017-09-21 Late morning while at bathroom mirror, I felt a brief twinge of pain in right jaw line followed by paralysis in right cheek. Late afternoon received a phone call from family doctor office that the test for Lyme Disease was positive and prescription had been faxed to pharmacy. Note: Lyme Disease is known to cause paralysis such as Bell’s Palsy. After the first dose of 100 mg on the evening of 2017-09-21, the abdomen area pain became less intense and after the first day the pain became less continuous during the daytime.
2017-09-26 Doxycycline was continued for 5 more days with no improvement. Each night1000 mg of acetaminophen was still required twice to dull the pain and enable sleep.
2017-09-28 On day 7 an extra dose was added by myself to increase Doxycycline from 200mg to 300 mg per day – after 2 hours the pain disappeared and the abdomen area felt less tight. And there was a hungry feeling for the first time in 5 weeks. And naturally fell asleep for a long afternoon nap for the first time in 5 weeks. There was still no pain after the evening dose until about 02:30h when milder pain awoke the sleep and 1000 mg acetaminophen was taken to enable sleep. The improvement held with no further improvement for the next 4 days.
2017-10-03 At an appointment with family doctor, I briefed him on foregoing results and showed him Reference (1) using 400 mg per day of Doxycycline. Then I requested him to prescribe me 400 mg per day. After consideration, he prescribed me 400 mg per day for 10 days. Started Doxycycline dosage of 400 mg per day at noon with 300 mg this first day. This is the first night without aching pain in 2-4 vertical spots in the abdomen and without pain killer.
Note: My family doctor deserves full credit for following the logic of the strong positive effect of me increasing my dose and that Reference (1) supported the effectiveness and safety of Doxycycline at 400 mg per day! This was beyond the apparent Canadian operating guideline of 200 mg per day.
2017-10-07 After 5 days of Doxycycline at 400 mg per day the Stage 2 Symptoms of vertical pains in the abdomen remained totally gone. However, I was left with soreness and pain around middle to lower rib cage and back- which comprises the Stage 3 Symptoms.
Stage 3 Symptoms
2017-10-08 The soreness and pains around middle to lower rib cage and back was more continuous and had increased in intensity to the level to prevent sleep so 1000mg of acetaminophen were taken twice through the night to enable sleep.
2017-10-27 Woke up with sharp pain from a point in rear of right shoulder blade which had started the previous day. Late afternoon woke up from nap with greatly increased intensity of soreness and new strong soreness of lower back – with no apparent cause. This was the last of 20 days of Doxycycline at 400 mg per day – so went to Emergency – because of fear that Lyme Disease was still present and spreading. The young emergency doctor was impressed with my research and daily logs documenting my treatment and symptoms. He was sympathetic to my situation and concern and apologized 3 times for not being able to prescribe another antibiotic as suggested in the German Guidelines – Reference (1) above. But after consulting at least twice with a senior doctor in Emergency, he said he could not do anything further even though my Doxycycline had just run out. After discussion with me he consulted again with the senior doctor and agreed to my final desperate request for another Lyme Disease test – although he predicted it would be negative. Slept without pain killer though soreness was still intense.
2017-11-07 Result of Lyme Disease test of 2017-10-30 was positive.
Note: This was the second time a doctor had predicted a negative Lyme Disease test which came back positive.
Increased shooting pains from the soreness areas of upper front and back abdomen and front and back rib area and armpits at bedtime. Fell asleep after much difficulty with increased pain.
2017-11-17 So, I was on my own and very concerned and decided I must take action. On 2017-11-14 an ex-Spouse had pointed out to me Reference (3) above from which I tracked down the research paper Reference (4) above which seemed quite thorough and very promising. So, I found in a local store one of the 4 Stevia products tested in the research paper – and decided to try it. Started in evening Truvia® Spoonable (white crystalline powder in 270 g jar available in FreshCo for $8.99 and Shoppers Drug Mart for $10.49) – Stevia leaves extract – of 1 teaspoon (4.5 g) in ½ cup (4 oz) hot tap water once in morning and once in evening.
Note: Truvia® Spoonable is Stevia D in Reference (4) above in Figure 1 on page 271 and is the least potent of the 4 Stevia products tested in the laboratory study.
Slept without pain killer.
2017-11-18 Woke up with significantly reduced soreness/pain. Further research showed health approvals for Truvia® and no side-effects or dosage concerns, so it was decided to do 3 doses a day at about 8 am, 2 pm and 8 pm. Significantly reduced soreness/pain lasted until bedtime. Slept without pain killer.
2017-11-21 Had much increased energy for the day. Slept without pain killer.
2017-11-26 After 8 days with no further improvement, decided to start today increasing Truvia® dose by 50% to 1 ½ Teaspoons (6.75 g) dissolved in ½ cup (4 oz) of hot tap water by gently stirring for about 30 seconds – three times per day. After about 2 hours, started feeling little tweaks of pain throughout the soreness/pain area – which, hopefully, is bacteria die-off. 1 hour after the 2nd dose, started feeling little tweaks of pain throughout the soreness/pain area. Similar tweaks of pain after the third dose including in the middle of the night after waking up with lots of energy. Slept without pain killer.
2017-12-02 After 6 days with no further improvement, decided to increase Truvia® dose to 2 Teaspoons dissolved in ½ cup (4 oz) hot tap water by gentle stirring for about 40 seconds 3 times per daytime about 6 hours apart. After being absent most of the day, some mild soreness symptoms appeared shortly before the third dose of the day. Slept without pain killer.
2017-12-03 Woke up with barely a trace of soreness and no pain. Slight increase during day and lots of energy. Slept without pain killer.
2017-12-11 Had 8 days with barely a trace of soreness and no pain. Stopped Truvia® for now to see what happens. A full day without Truvia® gave significant increase in soreness and tweaks of pain and slightly lower energy!
2017-12-12 So, decided to start NOW® BetterStevia® Original (available in 60 mL bottle for about $12.99 in health food stores). Shake well and then add 12 Drops (about 0.39ml or about 1/12 Teaspoon) in ½ Cup (4 oz) hot tap water 3 times per day.
Note: NOW® BetterStevia® is Stevia B in Reference (4) above in Figure 1 on page 271 and is the 2nd most potent of the 4 Stevia products tested in the laboratory study.
Woke up at 09:00 with barely a trace of soreness and no pain.
2017-12-15 Woke up with slight soreness and no pains like previous 3 days so decided to increase NOW® BetterStevia® Original dose by 50% to: Shake well and then add 18 Drops in ½ Cup hot tap water 3 times per day. Soreness but no pains throughout the day and evening.
2017-12-21 Woke up with minor soreness and no pain. Decided to increase dose by another 50% to: Shake well and then add 24 Drops in ½ Cup hot tap water 3 times per day. This is to see if this gives a further reduction in symptoms and is able to finish the bacteria off. Minor soreness throughout day with some faint tweaks of pain.
2017-12-27 Woke up with barely noticeable soreness and no pain. Stopped NOW® BetterStevia® to see what happens! Minor soreness throughout day with no tweaks of pain. Several faint tweaks of pain in late evening.
2017-12-31 Essentially full energy level with barely noticeable soreness and no pain for last 10days following highest NOW® BetterStevia® dose of 24 drops. So Lyme Disease appears to be cured for now.
2018-01-29 Started NutraMedix®Stevia (30 mL bottle from United States costing $CA 52) at 18 drops in 1/2 cup of hot tap water 3 times per day for 3 days and then 24 drops in 1/2 cup of hot tap water 3 times per day for 11 days to see if any effect on tweaks of pain most days.
Note: NutraMedix®Stevia is Stevia A in Reference (4) above in Figure 1 on page 271 and in Figures 5 and 6 on page 276;it is the most potent of the 4 Stevia products tested in the laboratory study.
2018-02-14 Three days after the conclusion of 14 days of NutraMedix®Stevia the few faint tweaks of pain per day appear to have stopped. How long will all the symptoms remain gone?