tickborne disease

Tapp Francke, owner of Aegle Healthing Center in Watermill, Nutrition Counselor, artist, and mom of two, is offering One Healthy Hamptons’ readers 10% off of her proven tick and mosquito repellent, “Hit the Road, Bugs!” It’s OHH’s go-to bug repellent. ‘Tis the season – time to tell those little suckers to bug off! Read all about Tapp’s story below and pick some “Hit the Road, Bugs” for yourself and your family to prevent consequential tickborne illness. To purchase, just email tapp@tappstips.com and mention OHH to save 10%. Tapp ships the product all over, so you don’t have to be in the Hamptons to take advantage of this offer!

Eight years ago, my world turned upside down. I woke up one morning with what felt like an intense flu. Everything hurt. My head pounded, my vision was blurred, and when I stood up, I found that I had vertigo. I was exhausted down into my bones; I laid in bed for three straight days. I finally dragged myself to the doctor. My tests came back weakly positive. I had Lyme disease. The doctor prescribed me three weeks of doxycycline. Initially, it worked. My eyes cleared and I got the spring back in my step. Somewhere in the third week of my antibiotic treatment, my symptoms returned. I was told it’s not uncommon and that I’d be back to myself again within six months. Not even close.

My symptoms persisted as I bounced from doctor to doctor. One diagnosed migraines, another suspected Lupus, still another, Neuropathy and POTS. I was tested for Lymphoma, Graves disease, and Multiple Sclerosis, among others. I was sent to a Hematologist, a Rheumatologist, an Endocrinologist, and 3 different Neurologists. I had a total of nine MRIs, two CT scans, three EKG’s, biofeedback, and countless blood tests. I even landed in the E.R. 3 times. I was given pain medication and anti-anxiety pills and sent on my way. It appeared that the traditional medical world was done with me.

My husband had gotten Lyme at the same time as I did. He was treated the same way and he got back to 100% normalcy within three weeks. Why was I still struggling? Not too long ago, I had gone to yoga five days a weeks, run every day in the woods with our dogs, and was social and excited about life. That me had been replaced by this exhausted, anxiety-ridden, socially anxious person who got lost in the supermarket and very rarely left the house. It was as though I had been dropped off in an alien land. I couldn’t remember people’s names or follow simple conversation. I couldn’t think, had anxiety attacks, my head hurt all of the time, and I had no energy to do anything. I became absent in my own life.

My struggle to get my life back from chronic Lyme took nearly five years and cost me all of my savings and then some. I tried intensive antibiotic therapy, numerous herbal protocols, acupuncture, vitamin IV’s, and IVIG. In the end, the only thing that worked for me was a strict diet with no gluten, dairy, or sugar, high in nutrient-dense vegetables, and copious amounts of green juice. I also followed an alternative protocol that included liver flushes, coffee enemas, colonics, Infrared Sauna, ozone therapy, and a rife machine. It took me nearly two years to complete and now, I can finally say that I am completely symptom free.

I’m back to myself again, but after my horrific experience with Lyme disease, my main goal is to prevent others from going through what I went through. The only way to guarantee prevention is not getting bitten in the first place. I have two young boys and the only thing that allows me to sleep at night and not have a panic attack every time they step in grass is the tick repellent I created, “Hit The Road, Bugs!” I tested various different oil blends on live ticks to see what the ticks responded to. This combination of essential oils literally made them run away. Beginning in early spring, I cover my boys’ whole bodies every morning with “Hit the Road, Bugs!” tick repellent and off they go to school, soccer, the playground, or to camp, while I calmly go about my day. Please be cautious and prevent a similar experience. Email me at tapp@tappstips.com to get your “Hit the Road, Bugs” today!