Question about lavender

[SarahJane]

I'm a PANDAS Mom, but thanks to this forum, I have a working knowledge & total paranoia about Lyme. Does anyone know if lavender can set off latent Lyme Disease or other tick-borne illness? I used Tom's of Maine wild lavender deodorant for 6 days before I figured out it was making me sick. But I'm still sick after not using it for 4 days. The 1st day my knees hurt. 2nd day I just felt lousy & laid in bed. 3rd & 4th day GI issues. General nausea. Fatigue. Feel sick after I eat. Joint pain (knees, ankles, & 1 day wrists). Insomnia. Low appetite (have lost 5 lbs). Vomiting on Sat followed by spending day in bed. Felt ok on Sunday but now GI issues are back. All these are on the list of Lyme symptoms. It could be a virus, (that would fit the symptoms too), but I have had no fever & have been feeling bad for over a week. My ds & dh haven't gotten it either (tho' ds is sleeping fitfully tonight, but it is a full moon too). I really feel like it was the lavender that set things off since in retrospect I started getting sick the 1st day I used it. Figured it was an allergy, which would explain a few things I'd experienced in the past in regard to lavender. Also, I'd used Tom's unscented for over a week prior to switching to the wild lavender, so that natural fragrance would be what changed. Have a phone consult with my ND on Thurs & had planned to talk to her about Lyme testing anyway even prior to having this reaction. (Not sure which lab she uses but don't think it's Igenex.) Just wondered if anyone here knew of a lavender connection. I found online that you can use it as a tick repellant. Just wondering what would happen if traces of essential lavender oil go into your lymph system via deodorant applicaton...seems like it could be bad even tho' Lyme & ticks are different species. ::shudder:: Thanks.

Edited April 18, 2011 by SarahJane

[pixiesmommy]

Someone probably has more info, but wanted to put my thoughts out here too...

 

 

-Lyme can cause chemical sensitivity increases, so that sounds to me like what is happening. I have used many natural products and even the ones that aren't supposed to be toxic have wreaked havoc on my system.

 

-Lavender has properties that mimic estrogen. We avoid it for this reason. It could be that the hormone changes it caused, particularly near your lymphs, created a reaction that would be more powerful than if you say, just smelled it.

[SarahJane]

See the PANDAS/PITAND board for what I found out about lavender & strep. Am going to do Lyme testing too, but I don't know that it was my issue these past few weeks.