How Can I Get Better?: An Action Plan for Treating Resistant Lyme & Chronic Disease Paperback – February 14, 2017

I consider this to be one of the definitive books on Lyme treatment (Healing Lyme by Stephen Buhner is another). In the introduction Dr. Horowitz says he has treated over twelve thousand patients in twenty-nine years, so he brings a lot of experience to the table. I found his book to be quite understandable, presenting numerous case histories and a wealth of information about the effects of the Lyme pathogens on the human body. Yes, parts of the book are fairly technical though as a chemical engineer by training I did not find anything I could not follow. I like that his treatment approach is not confined to antibiotics; he also uses herbal medicine and various supplements, most of which are readily available online (at least in the US). Treating Lyme is not just a matter of taking a bunch of pills, it is a lifestyle change. Dr. Horowitz discusses ways to lower inflammation, repair damage, and detoxify, as well as to improve health through food, getting adequate sleep, and exercise. Every Lyme patient and/or their caregiver should have this book on their bookshelf.After years of escalating bizarre symptoms that were dismissed by my traditional doctors, I diagnosed myself with Lyme. Social media played a major part in my self-diagnosis -- I am thankful every day for how the internet and Facebook helped me start on the path to getting better. I am now getting treatment by a Lyme literate medical professional and my health has dramatically improved though I know I have a long way to go. I first bought his earlier book, Why Can't I Get Better?, but I have found this one is even better written and organized, and has been updated with the the latest information, so this book is the one I reach for. I have used this book as a reference for choosing additional supplements (my current Lyme practitioner uses strictly antibiotics, I know this isn't a long term solution but they do have their place). Having an understanding of the pathogens inside my body has helped me be less terrified about this illness and to focus on the things I can do to to overcome it.My advice? Every Lyme patient needs to be their own advocate (or have a parent advocate if it is a child who is ill) as there is no one-size-fits-all treatment. Only you know how you feel and what is working or not working. Read this book, you'll probably see yourself or your loved one in it and hopefully come away with a better strategy for dealing with this devastating illness.

Once you go down the rabbit hole of Lyme disease and everything that comes with it, you realize that most of mainstream medicine is some kind of crazy looking glass world (why yes, I DID just reference both "Alice and Wonderland" and "Through the Looking Glass" there in the same sentence, thank you for asking) where tripped-out caterpillars try to hook you on their hookahs, mad queens are always offering you jam tomorrow but never today, when they're not screaming "Off with her head!" that is, and walruses and carpenters are sobbing tears of fake sorrow so that they can gobble you down all the faster. Sometimes the only way to get anywhere is to run as fast as possible in the opposite direction as where you think you want to go.However, there are a few sources of reasonably reliable information and even help. Dr. Horowitz has been treating Lyme patients for decades now, and has built up an arsenal of possibilities to consider and things to try, which he shares here."How Can I Get Better?" covers Lyme and its main co-infections, as well as other problems that often go with it, such as hormonal imbalance, mitochondrial disfunction, sleep disorders, and heavy metal toxicity. There are comprehensive lists of different antibiotics and supplements to try, along with suggestions for lifestyle modifications such as meditation. Although I haven't tried most of the things here, and probably won't (at least I hope not!), it's a useful place to start if you're a patient wondering what your options are, or a doctor wanting to find out more about Lyme in order to help your patients.The protocols and treatment plans Dr. Horowitz describes are drug-heavy, although he also suggests the use of herbal treatments and traditional Chinese medicine, which he says have proven to be helpful for a number of his patients. If you're not sure whether synthetic antibiotics or herbs are better for you, he talks about both, although with more emphasis on the former. He also describes various detox methods to try. He does make a rather terrifyingly blithe statement about how exercise is beneficial to Lyme patients, including those who have developed Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, which made all the hair on the back of my neck stand on end. No doubt exercise is beneficial for many people, and after I was infected with Lyme but before I developed post-exertional malaise it was beneficial for me too, but no more, no more. So if you are of the subset of people who have developed PEM and you have suddenly gone from super-fit to being left completely prostrate by even mild exertion, don't get suckered by that lie that you can exercise your way out of this disease. Treat your infections and start getting better first, and then ease your way back into any sort of exercise very, very slowly and carefully. To Dr. Horowitz's credit he does mention that his CFS patients often end up making themselves bed-ridden by leaping back into exercise too quickly, and stresses the importance of getting fit slowly, but I feel called upon to stress this super-important point again.Anyway, if you're wondering what on earth to do about your mysterious chronic illness that maybe has been diagnosed as Lyme disease and maybe hasn't, this is a comprehensive and readable place to start your investigation.

Thorough, convincing. It isn’t all “in you head” and you CAN get through it with the help of a small minority of the medical community.And the rest of the doctors don’t know much about the problem, helped in ignorance by the CDC and the infectious disease folks.

This book is either great or only kind of helpful, depending on your circumstances. Do you have enough $$ to pay for an LLMD and/or LLND, dozens of tests, countless prescriptions and possible IVs, and more? Then this could be a plan of action to start to get your life back, assuming you've already located the correct practitioners.If you do not have the means to execute his plan there is less value here. Of the most value is his description of the actual Lyme problem, it delves into his 16 MSIDS, why people are sick and staying sick. It's very important for a Lyme sufferer to own their disease and this type of knowledge may be invaluable.While I found the book organization is be less than I was hoping for it does get around to covering just about every aspect of the disease. From that it would be helpful and worth while to ask a potential practitioner, have you read Horowitz's latest book and how does your treatment compare to his, to ensure your bases are covered.Good luck.

This book is life changing… it’s easy to read and will help you on your journey to healing.

The beginning was helpful but then it gets too in depth in medical terminology making it hard for a layperson to follow and understand. I feel the book is written for someone with medical training.