Tick Boot Camp

Christa Nannos is a 31-year-old American author, actor, writer and Lyme disease educator from Los Angeles, California. Ms. Nannos was bitten by a tick when she was 9 years old. Her Lyme disease remained mostly dormant until she was exposed to parasites while on a mission trip to Guatemala.

Ms. Nannos was misdiagnosed with mental health illnesses, Candida, SIBO, Overactive Bladder Syndrome, IBS and more over 10 years. Christa was finally properly diagnosed with Lyme disease a few years ago and after various treatments she is now close to remission. See Tick Boot Camp Podcast episode 135 for Christa's full story.

This week, Christa dropped a #1 Best-Selling book on Amazon titled Tick Tock, It's LYME O'clock: A Warrior's Guide to Reclaiming Health & Happiness. This book can help you in your Lyme healing journey and it also provides guidance to caretakers, family, friends, and colleagues of Lyme warriors!

If you would like to learn more about how a young woman wrote a #1 Best-Selling book while battling chronic Lyme disease and how it can help you, then tune in now!

PS Tick Boot Camp is hosting an exclusive virtual behind the scenes launch party for Christa on Thursday, February 10, at 8:00 pm EST (NY time). Stay tuned and follow us on social media for more information.

Dr. Daniel Cameron, MD, MPH is an internationally recognized Lyme disease pioneer with over 30 years of medical, epidemiological and research experience from Mt. Kisco, New York.

Dr. Cameron is a board-certified internist and epidemiologist that opened a private medical practice in 1987. Almost immediately after hanging out his shingle, he began to treat patients from the local community suffering from persistent, recurring symptoms, including neurological manifestations caused by Lyme disease. He has since diagnosed and treated thousands of adult and adolescent Lyme disease patients from around the globe.

Dr. Cameron is the past president of the International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society (ILADS) and the lead author of the ILADS evidence-based treatment guidelines.

He has become one of the Lyme communities most recognized experts and educators through his utilization of a wide variety of publication platforms. He has authored books, blogs, vlogs, podcasts and social media posts and has been interviewed by mainstream media outlets such as CNN, Fox News, the Today Show, NPR, the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal.

If you would like to learn more about how a farm boy from Minnesota grew up to become a superhero known as the “Fearless Pioneer” and co-wrote the widely utilized evidence-based Lyme disease treatment guidelines, then tune in now!

Bianca Crino is a 27-year-old Health Coach, Reiki Practitioner, author, and course builder/creator. She was born and raised in Sydney, Australia and currently resides in Poland.

Ms. Crino began to feel “unwell” shortly after her 22nd birthday. She experienced brain fog, severe fatigue, neck pain and headaches. Her debilitating symptoms caused her to seek diagnostic and treatment assistance from more than 6 medical doctors resulting in misdiagnosis including Multiple Sclerosis, Fibromyalgia, CFS, and depression.

Her healing journey began when a Lyme Literate Medical Doctor utilized a blood test from the German BCA Lab to diagnose her with Lyme disease. Shortly after the diagnosis, the disease progressed and stole her capacity “to function at all.”

The next page in her healing journey was written when she traveled to Malaysia for treatment. During her time there, Ms. Crino started an Instagram page to seek advice and counsel from members of the Lyme community.

Ms. Crino discovered that as she leaned into vulnerably sharing her story on Instagram, the community would provide her with advice which she would in turn share on her page to pass on the healing models to others. The cycle of giving and receiving guided Ms. Crino to her purpose: channeling healing tools and tips to people suffering from Lyme disease.

If you would like to learn more about how Lyme disease taught a healing channel and health coach to accept the responsibility to help others by healing herself first, then tune in now!

Jessica Smith is a 30-year-old local director with Child Evangelism Fellowship, a Bible and Theology student at Shasta Bible College, and a student at Trinity School of Natural Health.

In 2014, Ms. Smith moved from Oregon to Missouri to attend ministry vocational school. Despite growing up on a farm with a general awareness of ticks and Lyme disease, she was not taught to take steps to avoid or check for ticks. While taking a hike on the 600-acre school campus, she discovered a small tick on her arm. Shortly thereafter, she exhibited acute Lyme disease symptoms such as fatigue, flu symptoms and brain fog.

Her acute symptoms dissipated in a few weeks and she “did not notice any decline in her health” until 3 years later when she again suffered flu symptoms, lost an “alarming amount of weight,” followed by severe joint pain, mental struggles, and heart palpitations.

The debilitating symptoms sent her to a Naturopathic doctor who diagnosed her with Lyme disease after she tested CDC positive on a Western Blot blood test.

For the next several years, she battled through a grief cycle and both sides of the pride and imposter syndrome coin before learning to become a good steward of her life and health. Today, she is “105%” healthier than before she suffered the tick bite.

If you would like to learn more about how chronic Lyme disease sent a minister on a “New Path” for healing and a school to study natural health, then tune in now!

Lauren Less is a 29-year-old Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), real estate broker and nutrition enthusiast.

While attending summer camp at the age of 13, she was bitten by a tick that she removed without adult assistance. After returning home from camp, she began to suffer classic acute Lyme disease symptoms including fatigue, joint pain and brain fog.

For the next 15 years, Ms. Less’ symptoms progressed and became chronic. She sought answers for the cause of her illness from “many doctors,” all of whom told her she was “fine” and not in fact ill.

Unfortunately, these 15 years caused her to suppress and lose touch with her body signals. Fortunately, she located an Integrative Medical Doctor that utilized blood testing to diagnose her with Lyme disease.

Through her research Ms. Less determined that she would need to prepare herself physically, emotionally, and socially to battle Lyme. Additionally, she recognized that becoming reacquainted with her body signals was vital to successful healing.

If you would like to learn how a young woman from the mid-west is using Oura Ring technology to validate her body signals and to support her healing journey, then tune in now!

Adina Bercowicz is founder and executive director of LymeTV. She is a 44-year-old tick-borne illness advocate, wife, and mother living in Portland, Maine.

Prior to getting sick, Ms. Bercowicz was working full time as an executive leader for a nonprofit in India, regularly attended yoga and martial arts classes, had an active social life, and traveled frequently for work. She was “active and at the top of [her] game, life was perfect.”

Ms. Bercowicz became sick with Lyme disease when she was 36 years old shortly after a tick bite during her pregnancy. Some of her early symptoms included chronic fatigue, sharp joint pain, memory loss, cognitive decline, phantom smells, dizziness, and chronic migraines.

Once diagnosed with chronic neurological Lyme disease, she was mistreated with oral antibiotics and her health continued to decline. She kept fighting for her health and found a doctor that helped her get on a 90-day course of IV Rocephin (Ceftriaxone) for Lyme disease, Malarone (Atovaquone / Proguanil) and Mepron (Atovaquone) for Babesia, and a bunch of supplements.

Ms. Bercowicz is currently working with a team of specialists and dealing with damage to her body and secondary diseases that were triggered from her late-stage tick-borne illnesses, such as Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy (CIDP), small fiber neuropathy, and dysautonomia. She is treating with Intravenous Immunoglobulin (IVIG) to address these 3 degenerative nervous system disorders.

If you would like to learn more about how a dedicated professional who has given back to the community since she was a child is now giving back and inspiring great changes in the Lyme disease community, then tune in now!

Ally Lopes is a 24-year-old National Board-Certified Health and Wellness Coach (NBC-HWC) and kindergarten teacher from the New Jersey Lyme belt.

Ms. Lopes’ Lyme disease journey began with severe vertigo and flu-like symptoms the day before she flew to Walt Disney World for her high school senior class trip. She was initially diagnosed with a stomach virus and a sinus infection.

During the following 2 years, her symptoms progressed forcing her to seek treatment from so many doctors she finally lost count. She was finally diagnosed with Lyme disease using a Western Blot blood test by the doctor that diagnosed her mother with Lyme disease one year earlier.

Ms. Lopes treated with her mother’s practitioner for 1 year and then decided to take responsibility for building her own treatment team. Blazing her own trail introduced her to eastern and western treatment tools and practitioners resulting in Ms. Lopes making sufficient health gains to allow her to complete her undergraduate degree in elementary education.

Inspired by her health journey and a desire to assist others overcome chronic Lyme disease, Ms. Lopes studied Wellness Coaching at the prestigious Mayo Clinic School of Continuous Professional Development.

If you would like to learn more about how Lyme disease inspired an elementary school teacher to diversify her professional skills to bring her lessons from her personal journey to other people battling Lyme disease, then tune in now!

Madi Peters is a 22-year-old medical school student from Canada training to become a Naturopathic Doctor (ND). Her Lyme disease experience has shaped her life, values, and passions. She soon will be helping others suffering from chronic Lyme disease once she completes medical school.

Prior to getting sick, Ms. Peters was a very active teenager engaged in competitive dance, teaching gymnastics, participating in her school’s swim team, and actively serving as a member of her school’s student council. Suddenly, she went from an extremely active, social, and academically successful teenager to becoming debilitatingly ill and bedridden.

Ms. Peters’ Lyme journey began when she was 16 years old in eleventh grade. She visited over 20 doctors during a one-year period prior to getting her Lyme disease diagnosis. Some of Ms. Peters’ symptoms included debilitating migraines, extreme fatigue, noise and light sensitivity, dizziness, brain fog, and many more neurological and systemic symptoms.

Many doctors misdiagnosed Ms. Peters’ with things like a concussion, chronic daily tension headaches, stress, overexertion, and some even said she was making it all up in her head. She had numerous MRIs, CAT scans, spinal taps, and other tests which couldn’t find anything wrong with her.

Finally, Ms. Peters found Dr. Maureen McShane in New York who diagnosed her with Lyme disease through a clinical assessment followed up with an IGeneX blood test. She has also used ArminLabs in Germany as well as the Immunosciences Lab out of California to validate her Lyme diagnosis.

Ms. Peters first treated with Dr. McShane using oral and IV antibiotics prior to treating at the Sponaugle Wellness Institute in Florida which utilized heavy detox protocols, IV supplements, herbal tinctures, infrared saunas, colonics, and more for 4 months. The institute also discovered that she had mold toxicity and fungal infections which were preventing her from healing. She continued with the recommended treatment once back home in Canada. Once stopping treatment last year, Ms. Peters has stayed on a maintenance protocol which includes immune support and detox tools.

If you would like to learn more about how a young woman didn’t let Lyme disease take her down and is now using her experiences to help others in the Lyme disease community, then tune in now!

Liz Campbell is a 23-year-old Health Coach residing in the shadow of South Carolina’s storied Clemson University. She is working to enhance her coaching skill sets by enrollment in a Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) course of study.

Ms. Campbell’s Lyme disease experience began with a month-long flu followed by severe fatigue. Weight gain, joint pain, and insomnia were added to her fatigue symptoms triggering a health crash that rendered her housebound and unable to attend school for 9 months.

The changes caused by her health decline rendered Ms. Campbell unrecognizable to herself and her family. When doctors were unable to provide her with a diagnosis, she began to feel that she was “lazy” and “had abandoned herself.”

She was finally diagnosed with Lyme disease by a doctor utilizing muscle testing. A diagnosis allowed her to build a team of health care practitioners that offered a diverse set of treatment tools including antibiotics, herbs, homeopathic medicine, ozone therapy, and high dose vitamin C.

She was unable to overcome her final hurdle until she realized her “brain was working against her.” Utilizing brain retraining (DNRS) she reset her brain, learned how to manage her stress levels, and returned to a life where she could do “whatever [she] wants to do.”

If you would like to learn more about how a health coach is teaching her clients how to use self-regulation of the nervous system to break the chains of Lyme disease bondage, then tune in now!

Crystal Hefner is a multi-talented 35-year-old artist, model, entrepreneur, philanthropist and travel blogger from Los Angeles, California.

The foundation for Ms. Hefner’s chronic Lyme disease journey was built on the footings of the iconic Playboy lifestyle. While married to Playboy founder Hugh Hefner, she resided in a mold infested mansion surrounded by emotionally unhealthy people.

In 2015, Ms. Hefner fell ill and sought treatment from medical doctors. Confused by classic Lyme symptoms, her doctors settled on a “waste basket diagnosis of stress.” Unfortunately, the opportunity for an early diagnosis was missed because Ms. Hefner accepted the conventional wisdom that “there is no Lyme disease in California.”

Diagnosed with Lyme, Bartonella, and Babesia by IGeneX labs, she began to treat with an elite Lyme Literate Medical Doctor (LLMD). All treatment tools were rendered ineffective until Ms. Hefner honored her “intuition” and took steps to remove all toxins from her environment. She underwent breast explant surgery, contracted a $2 million mold remediation of her home, and removed toxic people from her social circle.

If you would like to learn how a multi-talented artist discovered that healing from Lyme disease begins with removing all physical, emotional, and social toxins from your environment, then tune in now!