Holly Owens is a Lyme Disease awareness advocate and the creator of Wellthy Belly.
How long have you been tackling Lyme disease? What symptoms of Lyme do you most experience?
I had symptoms for almost four years, but I didn’t know it was Lyme Disease and Babesia until September 2018. My symptoms were mainly brain fog, fatigue, gut issues, food intolerances, memory issues and some neck stiffness and joint pain.
Most doctors I saw said I looked too healthy to be seeing them, and they tried to say all my issues were just IBS or leaky gut. I knew there was more to it, so I kept researching and meeting with different doctors until I found one that genuinely would listen to me. From start to finish this whole health journey lasted six years.
How did you find out you had Lyme disease?
I started to see more people talk about it on social media, and once I looked up the symptoms, I felt like this could be something worth looking into since I had most of the symptoms.
Thankfully, my new doctor happened to be Lyme literate—meaning she was educated in Lyme disease and knows how to test and treat it. A lot of doctors don’t know much about Lyme, so it’s crucial to work with someone who is Lyme literate if you think you could be dealing with Lyme, or other tick borne illnesses.
3. What Beekeeper’s Naturals products do you use every day?
I use the B.Immune Propolis Throat Spray pretty much daily since it helps keep my immune system strong. I was doing Bee Venom Therapy as my form of treatment, and it’s not recommend to take many supplements while doing that since a lot can counteract the venom.
All of the Beekeeper's Naturals products were perfect for me to incorporate into my daily routine and Lyme treatment. The B.Smart Brain Fuel helped so much when I was having daily brain fog too! I still use everything now even though I don’t experience any of those symptoms anymore.
What draws you to products like Beekeeper’s Naturals? Do you lean toward reaching for clean, natural products?
I switched to a low-tox lifestyle when all my health issues started, so something that is really important for me to maintain my health now is simple, natural and clean products. I’m extremely conscious of what I’m putting in and on my body and absolutely love everything that BKN stands for and how high quality their honey and bee products are.
What do you want people to know about Lyme?
There are a lot of misconceptions with Lyme disease so I feel it’s important to share a few.
1. Lyme disease is not only on the east coast; it is found all over the world.
2. About 20-30% of Lyme cases never develop the bullseye rash, so don’t assume you’re safe because you never had one.
3. Most people don’t ever see the tick or feel the tick bite, so always check yourself and your pets after you’ve been outdoors.
Guest Post by Holly Owens.
