BORRELIA burgdorferi 

ALTERNATIVE TREATMENTS COMPARED

                                      
ALTERNATIVE TREATMENT:
 A Lyme disease alternative treatment is one that is considered not to be an orthodox or conventional treatment for Lyme disease.   Most MD's and DOs will prescribe antibiotics as a main therapy in the treatment of Lyme disease. Other prescription medicines may be use to treat the symptoms of Lyme disease. Alternative treatments are other than prescription drugs though do not necessarily preclude the use of antibiotics or other prescriptions in conjunction with them.

ALTERNATIVE TREATMENT PLAN:
Lyme disease alternative treatment plans are ones that are likely to include several alternative treatments or therapies. The utilization of several alternative therapies at the same time will most often have a compound positive effect. While some alternative therapies may not have a direct killing effect on Borrelia burgdorferi (Bb) they may act to support the body’s functions in a variety of ways or simply alleviate the symptoms of Lyme disease.  Support may be in up-regulating the immune system, enhancing the elimination of neurotoxins or aiding in the repair or function of tissues and organs that are negatively impacted by Lyme disease (the nervous system, the heart, the liver, etc.).  A plan for the treatment of Lyme disease is best designed with the inclusion of alternative treatments, even if one chooses antibiotics as the main Bb killing agent in their treatment program.

SPECIFIC ALTERNATIVE TREATMENTS FOR TREATING LYME DISEASE:
The treatments and therapies discussed below are utilized not only in the alternative treatment of Lyme disease, they are often employed in the treatment of many chronic diseases.  Their inclusion in this discussion is a result of them having been successfully used by many for the treatment of Lyme disease.
Understand that the information about each specific treatment or therapy offers only a brief overview and you are encouraged to research them more fully in designing your alternative treatment plan.  Also, while others have benefited from these treatments, you are an individual with your own presentation of Lyme disease and your own bodily strengths and weakness.  As such, not all of the therapies below will work as well for you as they may have for others, and, some will work better.  It is important to design a good plan and stick with it. 

     THERE ARE MIRACLES, FEW OF THEM COMING QUICKLY.

While there are many specific alternative treatments for Lyme disease, only the more common ones will be reviewed here.  If you have found one that works especially well for you feel free to contact me with information about it. 

These are in no particular order.

RIFE TREATMENT

  ROYAL RIFE

Rife machines are designed to generate very specific electromagnetic frequencies.  In the treatment of Lyme disease, and other diseases that are associated with an infectious organism like a bacteria, the machine generates a frequency which is said to be lethal to the organism.  The person with the infection is exposed to the frequency which surrounds and penetrates the body.  While presumably no harm is done to the person being exposed, the organism is killed. Rife, and others, observed this effect on bacteria being exposed to a lethal frequency while looking at the organisms through a very powerful microscope that was designed by Rife.

PROS:

• Frequency can penetrate any tissue in the body and therefore kill Borrelia that is in deep tissue and not just in the blood or gut.
• Can kill the cysts of Borrelia
• Is easy to use
• Can be self administered at one's home
• May be used in conjunction with other alternative or conventional therapies
• Most units are portable and may be traveled with

CONS:

• The cost can make this therapy prohibitive for many people
• Finding a machine which actually does what it is designed to do may be difficult
• Determining which frequencies and the duration of exposure for each person can be difficult
• Treatments are often recommended that they be done daily, or at least several times a week for minutes to an hour.

MARSHALL PROTOCOL

  Vitamin D

The Marshall Protocol, as an alternative treatment for Lyme disease, is difficult to explain briefly. Although this is not a truly an alternative treatment, due to the fact that several prescription drugs are often employed during the treatment, it has been included in this discussion because it is not conventional either and many people claim to have been helped by using it. The utilization of several prescription drugs in its application puts this protocol in a different category than the other alternative treatments discussed.
In essence, late stage Lyme disease patients are tested for vitamin D levels and subsequently placed on a very restrictive intake of vitamin D to dramatically lower one’s blood levels of vitamin D.  In conjunction with this, the Rx drug olmesartan (Benicar) is taken four times a day  {taking this drug is said to up-regulate cellular vitamin D receptors and decrease inflammation in the body, the latter helping to decrease the symptoms of Lyme disease}.  Next low dose antibiotics are added to the regime.

• Vitamin D receptors need to be activated and are suppressed in patients with chronic Lyme disease
• Olmesartan is a vitamin D receptor agonist (stimulator)
• Patients with chronic Lyme disease have chronic inflammation, this is known
• Borrelia burgdorferi forms biofilm, this is known
• Low dose antibiotics will be affective if the other aspects of the program are followed

This treatment is very controversial in the medical community as the present science shows that a deficiency of vitamin D is associated with a variety of chronic diseases and in those cases increasing vitamin D intake is recommended.  Having said that, many new and brilliant ideas in the medical field are initially met with criticism, if not overt confrontation.

PROS:

• Many people claim to have recovered from chronic Lyme disease using this protocol
• The treatment is "affordable"
• The treatment is not difficult to implement
• Olmesartan is a TNF alpha inhibitory drug (anti-inflammatory)
• Monitoring is done by physician who is prescribing Olmesartan who is hopefully Lyme literate

CONS:

• Requires doctor’s approval and prescription
• Possible reaction to prescription drugs
• Usually requires years of using the protocol to maintain benefit
• Vitamin D deficiency has serious consequences
• Long-term antibiotic therapy can lead to super-infections.
• Olmesartan has recently been deemed contraindicated in patients with diabetes
• Cost can be high, for some, due to the price of the prescription meds

BUHNER PROTOCOL

  Polygonum cuspidatum (Knotweed)

The Buhner protocol as an alternative treatment for Lyme disease involves the utilization of many natural substances that may deal with the Borrelia directly and/or alleviate the symptoms of Lyme disease.  Some of the herbs or nutritional substances may help the body by preventing the damage Lyme disease can cause or aid in the repair of damaged tissues.  This is particularly helpful in people suffering from late-stage Lyme disease.
At the core of the treatment are three herbs which have been shown to either directly kill Borrelia, aid the body in killing Borrelia or decrease the inflammation and damage caused by the inflammation associated with Lyme disease (thereby alleviating the symptoms of Lyme disease).  As stated, there are suggestions for many more substances than the herbs in the core treatment.     
The three herbs included are; Andrographis, Polygonum (Japanese knotweed) and Uncaria (Cat’s claw).  These herbs have the following properties, most of which have been proven in scientific studies,:

• Andrographis
  Anti-spirochetal
  Immune modulator
  Anti-inflammatory
  Brain: anti-spirochetal, calming agent
  Enhances liver function
  Crosses blood-brain barrier and accumulates in the central nervous system.

  
  Polygonum (Knotweed)
  Anti-spirochetal
  Immune modulator
  Reduces Lyme endotoxin damage
  Crosses blood-brain barrier and specifically protects brain from inflammatory damage caused by Borrelia toxins
  Contains Resveratrol

  
  Uncaria (Cat's claw)
  Immune modulator
  Anti-inflammatory - arthritis and muscle pain
  Enhances central nervous system and cognitive functions
  Increases CD57 white blood cell count
        
       For more information on these herbs see:  http://lymeaid.net/Lyme-Recovery.htm      

      PROS:

• Treatment can be implemented at home
• Treatment can be done without prescriptions from a doctor
• Herbs and supplements are readily available
• Many have claimed to be improved or “cured” by the treatment
• The systems and tissues of the body are supported by this alternative treatment plan even if one is not “cured” of Lyme disease by it

CONS:

• Not everyone can tolerate the herbs in the protocol
• High dosages of some of the herbs are required
• The treatment can be cost prohibitive for some if high doses of all of the herbs are being taken
• Herx reactions are likely, not necessarily a bad thing: See HERX

SALT AND VITAMIN C

The Salt/Vitamin C protocol should be done with caution if one chooses this alternative therapy.  Basically, one takes salt (there are several types suggested but they are all essentially sodium chloride) and vitamin C (again, several forms are suggested and buffered ones are probably better tolerated) in progressively higher doses until a maximum dose of 8-12 grams of each are being taken daily. The specific maximum dosages are determined by body weight and symptoms. 
Here again, people claim improvement from this treatment.  While the scientific literature does not show that either sodium chloride or vitamin C kill Borrelia it is known that high salt intake will eliminate intestinal parasites and that high doses of vitamin C will deal with viruses and some pathogenic bacteria in the body.  Therefore, some of the improvement may be a result of eradicating pathogens other than Borrelia.

PROS:

• Very low cost
• Easily administered at home
• Substances easily obtained at most any store

CONS:

• Requires monitoring by a doctor for signs of high blood pressure and kidney dysfunction
• Salt in high doses is taxing to the kidneys and may increase blood pressure
• Salt in high doses may disrupt the sodium/potassium balance, as well as the balance of other electrolytes, in cells and blood
• Vitamin C taken for an extended period will acidify the blood and bodily fluids
• Vitamin C taken for an extended period can lead to loss of bone minerals
• There are many more potentially negative results from taking high dosages of salt and/or vitamin C over an extended period of time

COWDEN PROTOCOL

The Cowden protocol, when applied to late-stage Lyme disease, has been helpful in dealing with Borrelia as well as the symptoms of Lyme disease.
This protocol utilizes several herbal preparations and nutritional substances.  Some of the herbs have a direct killing effect on Borrelia, or other pathogens.  Other herbs aid the body in the elimination of toxins.  Like the Buhner Protocol, there are core herbs that are used.  The primary herbs used have changed as the protocol has evolved but the ones mostly used are:

Cat’s claw;

This is in a form that is TOA free, unlike the whole herb used in the Buhner Protocol   (attributes similar to above in ‘Buhner Protocol’).

Cumada (Campsiandra a.)

Burbur (Desmodium m.)

Quina (Cinchona c.)

Octoba sp.

Houttuyia c.

The specific medicinal value of the above herbs is discuss on the NutraMedix web site.  There have been some scientific studies to support some of the claims made with regards to their usage in the treatment of Lyme disease.

Nutritional substances incorporated are also discussed on the NutraMedix site and are similar to ones recommended in the Buhner protocol and those utilized in many other chronic diseases.

PROS:

• Many of the herbs in this alternative therapy are affective against several type of pathogens
• Many have claimed to be improved or “cured” by the treatment
• Treatment can be done at home
• No prescriptions medications are required
• Systems of the body are supported by several of the substances recommended

CONS:

• TOA free Cat’s claw has not been proven to be the form of choice in the treatment of Lyme disease.
• Many of the herbal preparations are only available from one source and can therefore be expensive
• Following the protocol can be cumbersome though there are schedules available that help
• Not every one can tolerate the herbs in the protocol