TOA-Free Cat's Claw

[Dont_tick_me_off]

Hey Lymies,
Has anyone attempted using TOA-Free Uncaria tormentosa (cat's claw) as an alternative treatment??? I read an interesting article in regards to degenerative diseases and a treatment method.

The article also speaks about Plum Island(of the cost of Lyme Connecticut) where a bio-welfare labratory is located when some reasearchers believe the disease may have originated (created) there .. very interesting.

[PlateletGal]

"Naturopathic docs, certain chiropractors, and some acupuncturists can muscle-test your body against formulas you are taking and tell you how many drops you should take."

ott is right. If you've never had muscle testing done, I highly recommend. I'm not sure how... but it works (at least for me). It is so easy to even do at home and no guys... not invasive and no pain involved what-so-ever.

I've had CFS for many, many years (since I was a teenager) and most of those years, I was undiagnosed and barely making it with working full-time and overtime. So how did I manage ? Western medicine had failed in diagnosing and treating me.... so I turned to "alternative medicine" and that kept me going.

About muscle testing:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Applied_kinesiology

[ott70]

I haven't read much of the Buhner protocol, but a tincture would be the herbs prepared in a liquid solution, usually preserved with alcohol. Some docs like tinctures better because you can swish it around in your mouth or take it under you tongue for better absorption into your body. I wouldn't think that Buhner is asking for people to make the tinctures themselves, but he's probably recommending to find the formulas in a tincture (liquid) versus capsules or tablets. I don't know what forms Cat's Claw/Samento is offered in, but I think I have only ran across capsules of it so far.

A tincture generally comes in a small bottle, 1 oz or 2 oz or sometimes 4 oz. I believe it tends to be of a higher concentration than the same remedy in a dried form. Natural docs usually refer to "drops" when taking a tincture since there is an eyedropper to count out your dosage. The natural remedies that PlateletGal and I take come in 4 oz bottles and a dropperful is usually 30 drops of the formula.

Naturopathic docs, certain chiropractors, and some acupuncturists can muscle-test your body against formulas you are taking and tell you how many drops you should take. This obviously isn't an exact science and definitely not conventional medicine, but I have had moderate success with practitioners who muscle-test.

Hopefully Buhner isn't asking people to make special dilutions or preparations of herbs because that would probably turn off most people from trying it.

[Dont_tick_me_off]

Thanks everyone. Good input! :-)

[JackieCalifornia]

Re Buhner:  I have his 'Healing Lyme' book and am interested in going that route at some point, since I keep having problems with antibiotics and may not be able to continue with them.

He uses terms like 'tincture' and other things that seem to be dilutions and preparations of herbs, but he doesn't define what those mean.  Is there somewhere else he has written on those aspects?  I thought you might know since you mention him.

[PlateletGal]

Dr. Jernigan's (Hansa Center) lyme formulas also have Cat's Claw in them.

What I love about Naturopathic practitioners is not only do they take the time to sit down with you and tell you what is going on with your body, but they were treating these "mysterious" conditions long before many western medicine practitioners caught on.

Best,

~P-Gal

[ott70]

Do a search for Stephen Buhner and Cat's Claw. He is a herbalist who recommends Cat's Claw and has a Lyme protocol to follow. My understanding is Cat's Claw can have some potent effects and that it falls in line with a class of antibiotics (I can't recall which so you would need to do some web-surfing). I think you are supposed to take something with Cat's Claw to help lessen the herx effects. It should be TOA-free based on everything I have read about it.

Rain-Tree makes good herbal products and Buhner recommends their Cat's Claw products.

There are some other Lyme docs out there that recommend Cat's Claw (Samento) as a Lyme killer.

[wonko]

My  LLMD had me take Samento (another name for cat's claw) for a few weeks, along with other supplements, before starting antibiotics.  

I am in no way affiliated with the company, but the brand I take is "NutraMedix" and says "Samento TOA-Free" on the bottle.  My LLMD told me that while this brand doesn't have the highest concentration of cat's claw, it has been the most effective for his patients.  It is a liquid, and you dissolve it by the drop in a few ounces of filtered water to take it.  I worked up to 15 drops twice a day, starting with just one.

I don't think that you can cure your Lyme with this alone, but I do believe that I did have a mild Herx reaction to it, followed by limited symptom relief.  If I couldn't get antibiotics, I'd surely include it in my regimen.

I should add that I was totally skeptical about it, and was annoyed that I was to wait several weeks to start antibiotics.  But I listened to my LLMD, and was really surprised to see some effect.

[JackieCalifornia]

There are conspiracy theories about bioweapons research having let Lyme loose, but I personally think Mother Nature is quite good at this stuff and doesn't need help from any devious men in white coats.  Lyme has been around in Europe for a long time, and has been in the NE U.S. for several decades at least.  The growth in population into wooded areas and the skyrocketing number of 'protected' deer has caused the deer ticks which carry Lyme to also burgeon to unprecedented numbers.  Culling the deer sounds like a really good idea to me.  They are everywhere in the Northeastern US, and have no natural predators there anymore.  Blame it on Disney's 'Bambi' -- nobody wants to kill a deer anymore.

[patsy10]

Good article.  Thanks for posting it.  I have read several articles on the TOA free Cat's Claw.  All said it was effective in treating lyme.  I was going to try it but started antibiotics instead so I am not sure if or how well it works.

[Dont_tick_me_off]

Not too sure. I'm kind of confused on the cat's claw thing, because i know you can get it at a health food store.. but i think the main thing is if it is TAO-free

here's a copy of the article

http://www.newswithviews.com/Howenstine/james26.htm

[margypops]

I havent but it may be interesting to know about can I get it at the health store perhaps I will google it.