Breaking Up is Hard to Do

Over the holidays, I have strayed far, far away from my strict gluten- and dairy-free Lyme diet. As a result, my joints are extra inflamed and my poor lactose-intolerant stomach is an angry, unhappy mess. Okay, so maybe picking up a pint of Ben and Jerry's Phish Food yesterday wasn't the best idea I've had in a while.

Even harder for me than getting back on the gluten- and dairy-free diet, is putting an end to my raging sugar addiction that, try as I might, I haven't been able to kick. All day long my body screams for sugar (read: chocolate!) as loudly as an alcoholic fiends for another drink. I eat breakfast: I want chocolate. I eat lunch: I WANT CHOCOLATE. You get the picture. Did I mention I REALLY love sugar?!

The Lyme spirochetes that I've been working so hard to eradicate from my body love sugar; maybe even more than I do! They crave it, which in turn makes me crave it, and they thrive on it. It seems to be an aphrodisiac for them, because they eat it and . . . ahem . . . like to get busy making little spirochete juniors (well, technically they divide, but I'm sure you liked the first image better).

What my sugar addiction means for me in regards to my Lyme disease is that I can expect an increase in Lyme-related inflammation and a severely weakened immune system, which to my already incredibly over-taxed immune system is not a good thing! Rumor has it that people have been cured of Lyme disease by eliminating sugar from their diet. Shouldn't knowing that be enough of a kick in the butt for me to ditch this nasty sugar habit once and for all?

Now I've never been a fan of New Year's resolutions, because a change in calendar doesn't typically generate enough willpower to successfully kick a bad habit. But with The Cookie Holiday officially over, it's high time for me to come down off of my Christmas-induced sugar buzz (and if you want to get technical, my sugar buzz didn't exactly start this Christmas), so this year it looks like I will have a New Year's resolution, after all.

I am heartbroken to announce that I am now mailing this letter to my (starting-tomorrow) old flame, Sugar.

Dear Sugar,
We're just not good for each other. It's not you, it's me. I love you, but I'm not in love with you. I know this hurts, but it's over. I'm breaking up with you. For real this time. I will always love you!

Love,
Alyson