Out of the Lyme Light and into the Sunlight tells of the journey undertaken by the author, Bob Bell, after developing a bizarre set of increasingly debilitating symptoms, eventually leading to a diagnosis of Lyme disease. He describes his experiences, including the various allopathic and complementary medical treatments he received, and his frustrations in dealing with a skeptical Canadian medical system, which resulted in him seeking out-of-country medical treatment.
Amidst an exhausting barrage of medications, fiery nerve pain, overwhelming fatigue, and chronic pain, Bob turned to his love of nature and discovered the therapeutic benefits of birding to his health. He reflects on birding as his ideal therapy for dealing with both chronic disease and chronic pain, and provides tips on how to begin birding, and enjoy it, too, regardless of one’s physical ability.
This book is the result of the author’s desire to make this potentially life-changing hobby accessible to everyone and to give hope to those seeking to feel better.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. INTRODUCTION . 9
2. ABOUT ME: BACKGROUND AND ADVENTURES . 13
3. THE FRUSTRATION BEGINS . 25
4. LYME DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
5. ADJUSTING TO RETIREMENT . 49
6. WHY BIRDING? . 57
7. BACKYARD BIRDING FOR BEGINNERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59
8. BEYOND BACKYARD BIRDING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .79
9. EVEN BIRDING HAS POLITICS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .95
10. WHY I LOVE BIRDING . 99
11. BIRDING CHALLENGES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
12. CATS! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
13. LYME VALIDATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
14. THE RIFE MACHINE AS THERAPY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
15. BIRDING AS THERAPY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
16. EPILOGUE . 141
17. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
18. NOTES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
19. REFERENCES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
20. APPENDIX A: BIRD EXPRESSIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
21. APPENDIX B: RESOURCES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
22. APPENDIX C: BOOKS ON MINERAL EXPLORATION AND DEVELOPMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
Об авторе
Bob Bell was born and raised in northern Ontario. He spent thirty-five years as a mineral exploration geologist, working globally as both a field geologist and, later, a mining company executive. At some point in his travels, he contracted Lyme disease, which led to his premature retirement at the end of 2015. He quickly discovered the health benefits of birding, and found himself suddenly immersed in a whole new world of joy and excitement. His passion for birding kept his mind off his ailing body, and facilitated his transition to living and coping with a chronic illness. Bob is passionate about sharing the joy of birding with people of all skill levels, meeting them wherever they may land on the spectrum of health and wellness. You can follow him on Twitter @Thebirder Bob.