In 2011, I was booked for a physical with my general practitioner.  While waiting in the examination room, the nurse gave me a gown and left.  I stared at the gown for several minutes because I didn’t know what it was or what to do with it.   It was just a piece of fabric to me.

A few months after that, I was taking a shower and couldn’t remember how to turn it off.  Even though I had taken thousands of showers in that same stall, I panicked, staring at the knob for about three minutes before I finally remembered how to operate the darn thing.

I NEVER SAW THAT TICK COMING
Most people don't know that I've been dealing with late stage, chronic Lyme Disease ever since I was first diagnosed over fifteen years ago.  It has affected my speech, mobility, and cognizant abilities and it’s the reason why I had to stop hosting live radio shows and teaching writing and color therapy workshops in public.  

Here in Rhode Island, there is a serious Lyme Disease epidemic.  Both of the specialists who treated me for Lyme told me that they have the disease, as well as their families and most of their neighbors.  

In my case, I have no recollection of a bull’s eye nor finding a tick on me. I  only know that I had the "flu" for three months before a dear friend urged me to get a Western Blot test.  Thank goodness I listened to her!  The results confirmed that I indeed had Lyme and my doctor put me on antibiotics immediately for a month or so.  

The disease appeared to go dormant for about seven years and then, in 2010, my symptoms returned with a vengeance.

WHERE DOESN'T IT HURT?
The pain associated with Lyme was frequently unbearable, so I was constantly searching for relief.  For a time, I chewed dried Goji berries and was amazed to find that the pain was almost non-existent, that I could actually get upstairs to our bedroom in a few seconds (not minutes.) Unfortunately, this euphoria lasted only a few weeks. 

Believe me, I’ve had plenty of days where I felt "sick and tired" of feeling sick and tired. Reading through my laundry list of "new" symptoms, it’s no wonder why:

* Both eyes twitch frequently.
* Light flashes on right side.
* Entire body in constant pain, mostly in legs, knees, and feet.
* Frequent memory loss.
* Frequent word searching and speech errors.
* Frequent shooting pains in feet.
* Frequently dropping things.
* Frequent falling and stumbling.
* Numbness in fingers.
* Frequent itchiness in feet and hands.
* Chronic coughing.
* Severe fatigue with frequent napping throughout the day.

As if this wasn’t enough of a challenge, I developed vertigo and plenty of fears.  Besides a fear of falling, I was afraid to drive over Mount Hope Bridge or ride the escalator at Providence Place Mall, two activities I had done hundreds of times without issue.

After a major setback where I was afflicted with a Herxheimer reaction (this is when the Lyme bacteria is being killed off, causing you to feel about ten times worse), my brain was wonkier than ever.  

BACK TO COLOR
As a color therapist, I’m fortunate to possess a variety of color tools. I kept getting "the nudge" that relief was as simple as wearing my color therapy glasses a few hours a day.

Over the years, I had found successful emotional balance from the glasses but had rarely used them for physical challenges. In this case, the vibration of color is absorbed through the eyes and I was curious to see what would occur when I was diligent with the glasses.

With so many issues to address (and the fact that I didn’t want to spend my entire day in treatment), I decided to schedule a more aggressive color therapy regimen. I would only use my color therapy glasses—just five colors—spread out into thirty-minute sessions. 

Since the opposite of fear is Love, I began each morning with Pink, the color of compassion, self-love, and the High Heart Chakra.  Green was next.  Its color vibration corresponds to the Heart Chakra and is known to reduce pain and expand overall balance.  

After breakfast I wore Yellow, which helps with concentration and intellect.  My afternoon color was Violet (the complementary color of yellow), selected for its ability to release fear and alleviate the symptoms associated with vertigo and other neurological disorders.  Finally, I wore relaxing Blue just before bedtime.  In addition to its calming properties, blue assists with communication and inflammation.

After twenty-eight days, I evaluated my progress and was pleased to acknowledge that the glasses had helped me tremendously. My anxiety had lessened, my speech had improved, and I managed to walk up the stairs without stumbling.

I keep a set of color therapy glasses in my bedroom and downstairs office, using them whenever I need color support. They may not have eradicated Lyme, but they certainly help me to cope with my situation and for that I am grateful.

Author's Bio: 

Eleyne-Mari Sharp is a Color Luminary, certified color therapist, and the director of Aura House School of Color and Light. She is the founder of Color Healing Radio, Color Therapy Month, and the author of "Mad About Hue: A Memoir in Living Color." www.colortherapyschool.com