I finally discovered that I was dealing with Lyme and co-infections after 4 years of a CFIDS diagnosis. Before that, I was following a CFIDS protocol (supplements, detox, and anti-candida diet).  I tried a lot of supplements over the past 6 years and some did definately help, while others did not.  I believe in using both alternative and mainstream approaches. Simply put, I go for what works. I’ll briefly share what I have done that has had the biggest impact (in order but I do feel that all parts are essential):

1. Antibiotics: I took Rifampin (150 mg bid) for 3 months and started to see some improvements after 1.5 months. Progress was very slow so we upped the dosage to 300 mg bid, but unfortunately my WBC’s dropped. This might have been due to a drug reaction or to die-off (which is common). Leukopenia (low WBC’s) are often idicative of Ehrlichia. My WBC’s hover around 4.0, which is the lower bound of normal. While on the rifampin, they dropped to 3.5. Rifampin was working, but the low WBC’s made me feel pretty sluggish, so I decided to try the Bicillin-LA IM shots. The Bicillin shots have been fairly effective thus far but I have only been on them a month. At week 3.5, I started to see a re-emergence of some symptoms. This is a good sign that the Bicillin is working since strong die-off at the 4 week mark after starting a new and potent abx is fairly common. I feel bady for a week and then come out of it better than ever.  I also pulse Flagyl (500 mg bid) for 2 days a month to address the cyst form.  After 8 months of treatment for Borrelia, I was also diagnosed with a Bartonella (BLO) infection.  My Fry’s Clinical Lab blood smear showed many BLO’s adhering to my red blood cells and I had stretch mark-like skin presentations ( see this video. to see what my ‘Christmas Tree’ rash looked like:  Bartonella: A Clinicians’s Viewpoint).  I have had great improvement with Levaquin (500 mg) for 3 months and will soon add Bactrim to this treatment.  UPDATE:  I am still taking the Levaquin, but have stopped the other abx and am on the Steven Bruhner herbs for Lyme (Cat’s Claw, Andrographis and Sarsparilla).  Herx’s have been very strong on these herbs and I am only taking 1/10th of the recommended dosages.  It appears to be a good protocol thus far.
2. Spiritual & Personal Growth: this would have been #1 on my list, but due to the brain effects of this illness, I was unable to think and had ‘lost’ my spiritual connection. This was very difficult. The abx allowed me to get past enough symptoms to get centered and move past the <b>Fear</b> that had overwhelmed me. Fear is not healing and a large part of my recovery was overcoming this powerful emotion.  This illness has been a blessing since it gave me a chance to find God. I have accepted this illness as part of a growth process and trust in my body to heal.  I also have attended some of Dietrich Klinghardt’s Healing Seminar’s which as quite profound. 
3. Toxin-Binding: cholestyramine (CSM)is a powerful toxin binder, which has proven critical in my recovery. My genetics (HLA-DR genotype) don’t enable me to bind and excrete the Lyme toxin so I need some help. There are alternative toxin binders but I didn’t find them as effective. You can learn a lot more about it than I can write here at:  www.biotoxin.info
4. Antifungals: I tried nystatin but it did nothing. I took diflucan for 3 months (200 mg qd) and I experienced very significant die-off but once I got through the worst of it, I felt much better than I had in a long while. I still take 200 mg once or twice per week (note:  I am now down to 100 mg every 2 weeks). Note: diflucan is thought to possible kill Bb as well. More here.
5. Detox: I bought a 3 person FIR sauna from Hightechealth.com. This has been a true lifesaver. FIR sauna is great for eliminating heavy metals and other toxins. Also, my sweat smells like ammonia, which is fairly common in a Lyme infection (more on this here) and once I do a 20-30 min sauna my head is much clearer and I feel much better. I do them 5x/week. The wood is made of poplar and it comes with a lifetime warranty. I recommend it very highly, but you need to find a good suana (i.e. one where you really work up a good sweat).  I also do a epsom salt bath every night and 15 minutes on my Chi Machine (to crank up my lymph flow).
6. Diet Modification: I eat all organic and have eliminated any foods that I a have found I am allergic or sensitive to. I make my own cultured vegetables and cultured raw cow and goat’s milk kefir.
7. Supplements: The most helpful have been two products by Oasis (Essentials and Xrtra) and I discuss them in more detail here. I also use many more supplements which I am continuing to update here.  I recently added freeze dried garlic which has been very powerful for me.  I take 3 capsules b.i.d.
8. Excercise: as tolerated. I go to the gym 3-5x per week and focus on weights. I have built up my strength again but don’t push too hard. Excercise helps increase lymph flow and weights help increase the number of mitochondria ( = more energy) and sense of well-being.

You’ll notice that supplements are near the end of the list. I started by trying only supplements (hadn’t found the Oasis products back back then yet) and spent over $25k trying to heal using only supps. OTC supplements didn’t work by themselves. Now I use them, but only in a supportive role, and only the ones that I have found work for me (trial and error process–using a daily journal is so important in this process). The Oasis stuff is different and I wouldn’t be without it.