My Approach to Treating My Own Tetanus, Symptoms, and Associated Blood Poisoning
None of the following is medical advice. Purely my story and what I did to save my life.
If you're in a rush, scroll down to the section titled: "The Protocol". However, due to the confusing and conflicting information out there about Tetanus, reading the entire post is worthwhile.
My Story
One summer I did contract Tetanus from rust on a relative's vehicle introduced to my bloodstream. I was working underneath the vehicle, rolling about in piles of rust. The corrosion was so bad that hammering on the suspension saw mounds of rust forming about the ground beneath. Bug bites, glass shards, and rust all can introduce Tetani bacteria to the human body if the wound is not cleaned right away. I got a metal needle that fell out from the wire brush I was using to clean rust, work its way up my shorts as I rolled around on the ground working - and when I rolled over again I pressed it to just barely puncture into my tissue. I didn't clean the wound that night. I had zero symptoms other than the wound seemed oddly to not want to disappear for how tiny it was.
Seven days later it had incubated long enough to suddenly start swelling the area and spreading a patch of red up my body from the area. My lymph nodes nearby swelled up. It became very painful to walk on that leg. These symptoms persisted and worsened for five weeks. My left leg was the wound area, but the right leg began to lose its motor skills as well, and my pelvis was so painful that even if I were strong enough to walk, it hurt too bad. I was bedridden many days; the pain was so bad. The muscular spasms/paralysis set in on week 2 and worsened until week 5's end. They moved into my lower back and upper back, shoulders, and eventually my jaw – as is classic with Tetanus. I felt like needles were constantly pricking me all over, and I could tell my blood was just full of trash. My brain felt toxic. Classic sepsis / blood poisoning symptoms.
I halted and reversed the symptoms temporarily several times utilizing the protocol described below. Ultimately, my body fought off the infection without antibiotics or medical treatment. I probably saved my own life. Three phone calls to licensed medical facilities yielded a confirmation that I indeed had Tetanus, based on my symptoms. No test needed, no test available anyway. I was told there is no test for tetanus, by medical professionals. I was also informed that the anti-toxin must be administered within a few days after the infection begins. It was week three by the time I became afraid for my life and called. Therefore, antibiotics were the only treatment at that point. Many licensed physicians claim tetanus shots do nothing to help a patient already infected with tetanus, so I discounted that too – but also because I disagree with certain deadly ingredients used in vaccines. The medical staff I spoke to mirrored this opinion, saying it probably isn't an option.
The three facilities I called all tried to send me to an emergency room. I tested their patience asking why I should waste money on that as an uninsured person who will just be prescribed antibiotics at this point anyway. One facility agreed to allow me to come in for discounted treatment at a smaller Urgent Care facility, to look at antibiotics. I just needed to secure this option as a last hope; I never went because I have healed many illnesses before using methods successfully practiced thousands of years by native peoples alongside reaching to touch the divine for healing. I wanted to try doing this myself. So I chose to research how the native peoples in various countries healed tetanus. Feel free to fact-check all my research- it should all be valid – but
Here is what I found:
Tetanus Facts Summarized
Tetanus is a bacteria that enters through bug bite or metal / glass puncture wounds and incubates 3-21 days after wound but mostly by day 14. There is no test for tetanus in modern medicine currently. There was an antitoxin that if administered within a few days could halt the infection, but it has a 20% chance to cause death. The newer anti-toxin has a chance to cause death still; but it is apparently much lower than the old anti-toxin. Tetanus cases recorded in the USA are fewer than 50 per year, according to data I found – though I believe it is much higher. Tetanus shots do not cure tetanus. Tetanus works by attacking the brain and nervous system. It damages axial nerves responsible for coordination in the motor skills control area of the brain. Thus causing ataxia, and convulsions, spasm, cramps. From the site of the bite or puncture, the bacteria moves into the surrounding lymph nodes where the body tries to keep it stored from spreading. The colonies produce from here and send bacteria into the bloodstream. Therefore, not only are treatments for the central nervous system / neurotoxins needed, but also lymph / skin infection cleansers, and blood / bacteria cleansers. Some of the following herbs perform two or all three functions:
Tetanus Treatments
Herbal Treatments
Herbal treatments used by natives are very large doses, very frequently, 5-8 times a day, for treatment of Tetanus.
Philippines & Chinese Natives
Used large doses of whole Mangosteen including rind and seed – to treat malaria, and bacterial infections – and have specifically used it successfully for Tetanus victims.
Ancient Chinese Medicine
Used Bai Shao (Root of White Peony Flower) for fever related with Tetanus (Japanese modern scientist have also studied White Peony to treat real Tetanus cases with success adjunct to other medicines). Also indicated by nih.gov medical research archives to successfully treat muscle spasm and cramps.
Ancient Chinese also used Tian Ma (Gastrodia Elata Plant)
For its anti-convulsant power via interaction with the central nervous system. To keep the muscles from seizing up in Tetanus. Also a lymph / skin infection cure.
Turmeric
Indicated for bacterial blood poisoning in India with Ancient Ayurvedic medicine, and the American government has studies published in medicine that it proves effective in halting the neuro-paralysis of tetanus toxin in infected humans.
Ginger
A blood and lymph cleanser used by many cultures.
Sodium Ascorbate Form Vitamin C
Vitamin C in various forms including fruit has been used across the globe in large doses to cure deadly infections of various sorts including catching sepsis early on.
Native Americans and Early Settlers of Northern America
Used large doses of Skullcap to effectively keep mad dog disease / rabies (another form of sepsis/blood poisoning like tetanus essentially) at bay in people and some dogs bitten by infected animals – long enough for the symptoms to subside permanently – alongside other herbs of course.
Magnesium
Internally and externally for the muscle pain and cramps.
Curare and Parrot Flower Herbs
Used for tetanus in South America, though I didn't use these. Parrot Flower is difficult to source… And I didn't yet know about Curare back then.
Some Doctors in Other Countries
Inject their patients with Carbolic acid several times a day for a period of days until symptoms subside and found it effectively cures tetanus. I did not find a doctor who offered this.
There is a Patent Filed in 1994 for a Tetanus Medicine
With a 98% cure rate by the Chinese made up of six ingredients found in nature: Patent – Jujube tree bark, xanthium fruit (mangosteen), Gastrodia tuber(TianMa), ledebouriella root, arisaema tuber, Calculus Bovis (dried gallstones of cattle).
One thing all the above ( mostly) have in common is they can get to the brain where the bacteria is. They all act on the nervous system in some way whether directly crossing the Blood Brain Barrier or indirectly in ways I am unaware of.
The Protocol
I sourced all my ingredients on Amazon via 1-day shipping to get them as fast as possible. Some I had here already.
I being a 30-year-old 130 lb / 56 kg man used the following protocol, dosed five times a day minimum, or more as needed:
Boil a pot of water
Add the following to a glass/ceramic dosing cup:
- 1 tbsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp sodium ascorbate vitamin C powder
- 1/4 tsp of ginger powder
- 3 drops magnesium chloride liquid (50/50 magnesium chloride crystals and water)
- 1 dropper full of Tian Ma / Gastrodia extract liquid
- 1 dropper full of Bai Shao / White Peony extract liquid
Pour about 1 to 2 oz of hot water into the herbs and stir.
Let cool enough to drink.
With the drink, I took:
- 1 mangosteen extract pill
- 1 skullcap extract pill
Massaged magnesium oil topically into my jaw, lower back, and various areas where cramps were intolerable.
The doses may seem high, but – they needed to be. Any less wasn't effective enough. A word on the bad rep herbalism gets from the general public opinion: Most people aren't aware that it requires large, frequent dosing to really cure an illness with herbs. And, that information is generally inaccessible unless you do your due diligence or ask in the right place; online however some of it is outright suppressed. Bear in mind native people have been literally curing diseases with plants for thousands of years. It is an innocent yet ignorant arrogance to just discount that history in favor of a new experimental system of chemical medicine that is still well – mostly experimental - just because 'anecdotal' (yet proven) 'theories' haven't been studied by science yet.
Other Important Things I Included in My Protocol at Least Once a Day Were:
I ordered a tube of ivermectin horse wormer online because I researched that the Japanese use ivermectin for hundreds of infections, illnesses, and the like – not just for parasite control. It is indicated in killing Lyme bacteria in the blood and brain – and I am aware Lyme disease is similar to sepsis when left untreated. I took an amount of paste the size of a pencil eraser once a day. All tubes sold in stores typically have the same % concentration of ivermectin regardless of brand.
I also made sure to get my body moving even though my axial nerves were so damaged I could hardly trot let alone jog like I used to. I walked in the sun and sat in the sunlight as long as I could.
I also was home from work the entire month of the infection.
I took several full-body epsom salt baths using approx 1 cup epsom salt to as hot of water as possible.
I continuously tried using charcoal and clay poultices on the wound to keep it clean. I continued to apply antiseptic like alcohol and iodine to it, though treating the wound didn't seem to help beyond just relieving pain.
Baking soda paste and aloe vera seemed to greatly help with the pain on the direct wound.
Made myself eat as much animal meat as I could to nourish my muscles and tissue during the carnage. Eggs, in particular, are steroidogenic and stimulate tissue regrowth in all systems of the body.
I slept as often as I could.
I prayed to my higher power and called on the spirit of the herbs for help, and expressed my gratitude each time I made a new herbal drink.
On week 4, I was greatly overcoming the illness after just 7 days of dosing the herbs. Relief was immediate upon each dose. I found I could go about 2-3 hours after a dose feeling almost entirely normal and spasm-free. That's how I knew to dose again, when the spasm and paralysis/pain returned.
On week 5, I decided to add Ivermectin once a day alongside the protocol. To be honest, I believe this is what eliminated the disease. I can't say for sure if it would have been effective by itself. If I had to do it all over again, I'd take the herbs AND the Ivermectin. I just remember the Ivermectin pretty much killing the infection overnight. So I took the entire tube until it was gone, and bought 2 more tubes to dose daily well past week 6 when I was fully healed.
For reference; if you're going to survive Tetanus, doctors say end of week 6 to week 8 is when it about runs its course naturally.
Also, I pulled my youth vaccine records. I had a tetanus shot and 4 boosters over a 6-year period. But my last booster was around age 9 or 10 – that was 20 years ago. According to medicine in USA, it's better than nothing, but considered not effective in preventing Tetanus unless you get a booster every 10 years...you basically aren't protected at all. So, do with that information what you will: But I believe those booster shots helped mitigate the severity of the disease.
Though, I would personally just teach my offspring to clean wounds properly and personally not give them 4 tetanus boosters after the 1st shot. And I would use various things like sea kelp, magnesium, and charcoal to get the toxic metals out of my offspring's body by dosing them as an absorbent prior to and following the administration of such a vaccine. The UK Ministry of Medicine officially acknowledges sea kelp (spirulina and chlorella) when used in a multiple ascending dose format, with large amounts of cilantro at the peak, and then descending dose format - as a form of highly effective and gentle non-harmful chelation of most toxic metals including aluminum and mercury (both found in most vaccines). Although, that documentation has since been censored from the internet and I can no longer source it until I find it in my archive.
Again none of this is medical advice, purely just me sharing my journey.
Sources
Conjecture on efficacy of tetanus shots before or during an infection: Weston A. Price Foundation
Gastrodia (Tian Ma): Patent
Peony Flower (Bai Shao): ResearchGate, NCBI
Mangosteen (Xanthium fruit): Patent, WartaOneTV, World Today News
Curcumin (Turmeric): NCBI
Carbolic Acid: Henriette's Herbal
More misc. info: Herbpathy