(Click Here to Listen to the Full Episode)

In this episode of the Essential Oil Revolution, I was honored to be joined by yet another prestigious and exalted guest, Dr. Alexis Chesney. She is an internationally esteemed naturopathic physician, acupuncturist, author, researcher, lecturer, educator, patient advocate, and specialist in treating Lyme and tick-borne diseases.

During the show, Dr. Chesney and I discussed how to approach and holistically address Lyme disease and tick-borne illnesses. Most importantly, we reviewed how to prevent a tick from using you as its next blood meal, including through the use of essential oils. Although we have touched upon the complexity and chronicity of tick-borne diseases previously on the show, we have not yet fully highlighted prevention and an integrated, holistic approach to treatment.

As a renowned naturopathic doctor, Dr. Chesney is the perfect person to shed light on this topic, as she is the master of all things related to vector-borne diseases and prevention. Furthermore, one of the six major principles of naturopathic medicine is that prevention is the best cure, and Dr. Chesney embodies this philosophy. In fact, as the leading expert on this topic, she literally wrote the book and course on it!

Dr. Chesney published Preventing Lyme & Other Tick-Borne Diseases in 2020 and she just recently released her premier course, Preventing Lyme and Tick-Borne Disease. This self-paced, evidence-based program educates and enlightens its students on the prevention of Lyme and tick-borne illnesses and empowers them with detailed information on tick-borne diseases.

Dr. Chesney is also the creator of the Tick Preparedness Kit, a one-stop first-aid kit for a tick bite that provides prophylactic support. It includes her herbal remedies that are masterfully formulated for each specific tick. This is an imperative tool that Dr. Chesney filled the need for, because immediate intervention is paramount. In fact, 10-20% of the population in the U.S. and Europe are chronically impacted by this common vector-borne illness.

Dr. Chesney has dedicated her practice to working with patients who have complex chronic environmental illnesses. Through her private practice and her passionate and fierce drive to empower individuals and practitioners with natural solutions that work, Dr. Chesney offers hope to many who have been misled and mistreated within conventional care.

You will want to tune into the full episode! As Benjamin Franklin said, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”

Below is an overview of what was covered during the show:

  • Dr. Chesney’s bio and background (0 min)
  • How Dr. Chesney became interested in specializing in Lyme disease and tick-borne illnesses: (5 min)
    • During naturopathic medicine school, Dr. Chesney had a friend affected by Lyme disease. She was treated by a Lyme literate doctor and improved.
    • She then worked as a preceptor to the esteemed Dr. Horowitz, a pioneer in Lyme disease treatment.
  • Why Dr. Chesney has a passion for prevention of tick-borne diseases (8 min)
  • Why we should care about prevention of Lyme disease and tick-borne illnesses and who is most at risk: (9 min)
    • The number of people impacted by Lyme disease is increasing, about 476,000 cases occur per year.
    • Anyone who lives in a Lyme endemic area can be at risk, though some professions are more so.
  • How to know if you are in a tick endemic area and what ticks may cause tick-borne illnesses: (10 min)
    • Dr. Chesney compiled research and updated data in her book to offer easy-to-read maps and charts.
  • The myth of tick season and if ticks can really live in the cold: (14 min)
    • Ticks can be active above 28 degrees Fahrenheit and can live, but be dormant, at -20 degrees to 28 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • Does size matter with ticks? (15 min)
  • The best way to identify a tick (16 min)
  • How long does a tick need to be on you to transmit a tick-borne disease? (16 min 30 sec)
    • A tick can be infectious from four hours to longer.
    • Most of the time it takes 24-48 hours for Lyme to be transmitted from a tick.
  • The caveats of Lyme and tick-borne disease testing and the accuracy of different methods: (18 min)
    • Anaplasma has accurate testing.
    • Lyme disease testing for antibodies won’t reveal positivity until four weeks post infection due to the mounting immune response.
    • The most accurate test for Lyme Disease is Igenex immunoblot, which is 90% sensitive. A common Western blot is about 60-70% accurate. Elisa testing is a coin toss.
  • The many ways Lyme disease hides in the body and why doxycycline may not completely eradicate it: (24 min)
    • Doxycycline does not treat the round form or biofilms of the Lyme bacteria.
    • Essential oils, natural remedies, and enzymes can address the round form and biofilms.
  • How to effectively treat a tick bite by combining pharmaceuticals, herbals, and essential oils: (27 min)
    • If one has symptoms, start treatment.
    • If one has tested positive or their tick has, this information can guide specifics of treatment.
    • Dr. Chesney combines antibiotics with natural remedies and uses probiotics and antifungals to prevent side effects of the antibiotics.
    • L-plus contains Dr. Chesney’s herbal formulation that is researched to be effective against the spirochete and round form of Borrellia.
    • Other herbs that may be helpful include Byron White’s formulations, Andrographis, and Artemisia.
    • Serropeptidase and lumbrokinase can break up bacteria biofilms.
    • Cinnamon, clove, and oregano essential oils can impact the round form and biofilms of Borrelia.
  • How herbals and essential oils treat more than the infection (30 min)
  • The power of Andrographis for several aspects of Lyme disease, including a really disgusting one (31 min)
  • The components of Dr. Chesney’s Tick Preparedness Kit: (35 min)
    • The kit includes specialized tweezers, a bag for sending the tick into testing, and specialized herbal formulations and homeopathic prophylactics to prevent symptoms and chronic Lyme disease.
  • Can you use essential oils with homeopathic remedies? (39 min)
  • How to prevent ticks in the environment based on the life stage of the tick and white-footed mice: (41 min)
    • Tick tubes filled with permethrin de-tick the mice in your yard.
    • Permethrin is not toxic once it is dried.
  • The confusion around studies with essential oils as tick repellents (44 min)
  • A non-toxic essential oil blend that can be used on the yard to repel ticks for 2 weeks: (46 min)
    • Eco Exempt IC2 – contains 10 percent rosemary oil, 5 percent geranium oil, and 2 percent peppermint oil.
  • Specific essential oils and oil-based formulation shown to be good tick repellents, when combined with other measures: (49 min)
    • Cedar oil – Cedarcide Tick Shield is as effective as DEET, when applied every hour.
    • Permethrin can be applied to clothes to enhance effectiveness.
  • Six for ticks: Why you may not want to wash your clothes after you’ve been in an area with ticks (52 min)
  • How diligent we need to be about tick awareness and taking precautions (53 min)
  • An overview of Dr. Chesney’s course (55 min)
  • Closing questions (1 hour)

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Links to Learn More About Dr. Chesney, MS, ND, LAc:

 

Resources by Dr. Alexis Chesney, MS, ND, LAc

 

Previous Episodes Mentioned During the Show:

 

Additional Resources from the Show:

 

Links to Learn More About My Offerings and Education on Essential Oils:

Bio of Dr. Alexis Chesney, MS, ND, LAc:

Alexis Chesney MS, ND, LAc is an internationally esteemed naturopathic physician, acupuncturist, author, researcher, lecturer, educator, patient advocate, and specialist in treating Lyme and tick-borne diseases. She received her BA from Holy Cross College and earned her Master of Science in acupuncture and doctorate in naturopathic medicine from the University of Bridgeport. Dr. Chesney is also a Certified Emotion Code Practitioner.

Dr. Chesney serves as a preceptor for the International Lyme and Associated Diseases Educational Foundation (ILADEF) Physician Training Program (PTP). She also provides accredited continuing education training to nurses and naturopathic doctors. Dr. Chesney is a member of the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians (AANP), Vermont Association of Naturopathic Physicians (VANP), the International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society (ILADS), and a founding full member of International Society for Environmentally Acquired Illness (ISEAI).

As a sought-after lecturer, Dr. Chesney speaks and teaches widely on tick-borne diseases prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. She has been featured as an expert on tick-borne illnesses at professional and patient-focused conferences, including the ILADS conference, and has appeared in numerous media sources such as talk radio, podcasts, and various news publications.

Dr. Chesney is the author of Preventing Lyme & Other Tick-Borne Diseases and the creator of the Tick Preparedness Kit, a one-stop first-aid kit for a tick bite. She also recently released her premier course, Preventing Lyme and Tick-Borne Diseases. This self-paced, evidence-based program educates and enlightens its students on the prevention of Lyme and tick-borne illnesses and empowers them with detailed information on tick-borne diseases. Throughout the course, learners gain insight on characteristics of ticks from around the world, the symptoms of various tick-borne illnesses, what to do if one gets a tick bite, safe, effective, holistic, comprehensive protocols and solutions for tick-borne diseases, and how to advocate for proper treatment.

Dr. Chesney has dedicated her practice to working with patients who have complex chronic environmental illnesses. Besides Lyme and vector-borne diseases, she also excels at supporting those with mold toxicity, mast cell activation syndrome, and other complicated and misunderstood conditions. She has both a private telehealth practice and an in-person practice within Sojourns Community Health Clinic. Sojourns Community Health Clinic was founded as a non-profit organization, offering integrative, collaborative care regardless of socioeconomic status.

Dr. Chesney provides a healing, therapeutic environment in which she gets to the root cause of multifaceted illnesses. She offers compassionate care and partners with patients to help them find wellness and balance in their lives. Through her private practice and her passionate and fierce drive to empower individuals and practitioners with natural solutions that work, Dr. Chesney offers hope to many who have been misled and mistreated within conventional care. She is a true pioneer that is making the world a brighter place in areas where many have been in the dark and frightened. You can find her @dralexischesney.com.

 

References:

  • https://naturopathic.org/general/custom.asp?page=PrinciplesNaturopathicMedicine
  • https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6963229/
  • https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5641543/

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Disclaimer: This material is for information purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prescribe for any illness. You should check with your doctor regarding implementing any new strategies into your wellness regime. These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. (Affiliation link.)

This information is applicable ONLY for therapeutic quality essential oils. This information DOES NOT apply to essential oils that have not been tested for purity and standardized constituents. There is no quality control in the United States, and oils labeled as “100% pure” need only to contain 5% of the actual oil. The rest of the bottle can be filled with fillers and sometimes toxic ingredients that can irritate the skin. The studies are not based solely on a specific brand of an essential oil, unless stated. Please read the full study for more information.

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