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 It is very easy for healthy
people to criticize the desperate actions of those who are so ill. But only those who are suffering can know the
desperation that drives people to take radical chances to get well. --C Walker, Excerpt from the book Bull's Eye
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The standard treatment protocol for Lyme disease is 20-30 days of antibiotic therapy. Treatment can be very successful
in early or localized stage of the disease. Early stage is medically defined as a visible erythema migrans (EM)
rash at the site of the tick bite with possible minor aches, headache and/or fever. Most doctors will treat as
soon as possible if you develop the bulls eye rash or suspect a tick bite in the localized area with early stage
symptoms. The latter may be need supportive criteria such as environmental circumstances. It is important to note
that some doctors may not treat at all with early stage symptoms or even an embedded tick in the area because some
cases may resolve without treatment in 3-4 weeks. The risk involved in this approach is what may happen in the
future if it does not resolve.
Antibiotics, Lyme disease and insurance coverage can get very complicated for the patient and the medical doctor
once you get past the early stage of the disease and still showing symptoms in early disseminated or late disease.
Unfortunately, assumptions can be made that you really do not have Lyme disease. The patient can be told they have
something else going on due to no response to treatment. Assumptions can be a very dangerous thing especially when
we do not have all the answers of Lyme disease due to little research. Factors that determine illness can be the
infection rate of the embedded tick(s) which range from 24 to 72 hours depending on the particular strain of bacterium
as well as transmission location of the pathogen; mid gut or salivary glands. Other factors are the number of tick
bites, dosage level of pathogens, other tick-borne (coinfections) pathogens transmitted and infestation areas of
the body effected. To make things worse, standard conventional tests for Lyme disease are unreliable. The clinical
diagnosis is most effective way of getting treatment for the disease.
Some doctors are willing to go beyond the 30 day treatment protocol, usually up to 60 or 90 days. Beyond that point,
further treatment will require a Lyme disease specialist who will usually treat the long term. The specialist will
review your case and look at history and symptoms, past immune function, previous antibiotic's treatments and recent
laboratory work as well films (i.e. MRI, SPECT). The doctor will rule out other tick-borne coinfections such as
babesiosis and ehrlichiosis. Coinfections may be found in the same tick that presents Lyme disease or Borrelia
burgdorferi (Bb), the bacterial corkscrew shape called a spirochete.
The antibiotics most commonly used to treat Lyme disease are tetracyclines, penicillins, cephalosporins and macrolides
(see Table 1). Antibiotics can be administered orally, intramuscularly or intravenously
depending on the severity of the disease. When Lyme disease is detected early, oral antibiotics are used. In later
stages of the disease, a patient may use both oral and intravenous therapy at different treatment phases. The percutaneous
intravenous catheter (PIC), allows the patient to receive medicine intravenously (in the vein) for a long period
of time. It can be tolerated very well and remain in place for several weeks or more. Some patients may require
the inpatient intravenous therapy (IV) that we are usually familiar with in the hospital setting.
The microbiology of antibiotics can works in two ways: bactericidal (bacteria-killing) versus bacteriostatic (bacteria-inhibiting).
Bacteriostatic agents must work with the immune system to remove the microorganisms from the body. They interfere
with bacteria protein production, DNA production and cellular metabolism. High concentrations of most bacteriostatic
agents are also bactericidal, whereas low concentrations of bactericidal agents are only bacteriostatic. Cell wall
deficient (CWD) strains of Bb cannot be killed by cell wall activated antibiotics. Research has shown that Bb can
revert to a cyst form (CWD) to evade detection from the immune system making it very difficult to treat Lyme disease.
This may be one of the reasons that after long term treatments of Lyme disease, relapses can occur because CWD
strains can revert back to the spirochete. Side effects of antibiotics can range from yeast (candida) infection,
rash, nausea, fever, diarrhea and more. Allergic reaction to antibiotics can also cause problems, particularly
penicillin that can be life threating.
Integrative medicine uses combination of conventional and alternative treatments. Therapies used by alternative
medicine physicians support antibiotic therapy for Lyme disease and may incorporate diet, nutritional supplementation,
herbal and other types as outlined in Table 2. Dr. W. Lee Cowen, a medical doctor says,
"It's sad where we are with this disease. You're supposed to go through the 'standard' treatment first, before
turning to alternative treatments. We need to turn this around into a logical, integrated approach."
At present, to find a medical doctor to treat the disease long term can be very difficult. Because of the lack
of understanding of the disease and controversay surrounding it, it is up to the patient to educate their doctors.
The future of Lyme disease treatment will be determined by the patient and advocacy groups. Patients should not
have to endure a long treatment trail to get help due to non believers of chronic lyme disease, battles with insurance
companies and in some cases, told they have a psychtriact disorder.
Patients realize there is no single or simple cure to this disease in late stages. Patients realize that medical
doctors do not have all the answers. What patients do ask for is at least a chance of treatment with best the conventional
and alternative medicine and hope they will get well in the future.
Table 1  Antibiotic Treatment of Lyme Disease
| Antibiotic Class |
Generic Name |
Brand Name |
| Tetracyclines |
Doxycycline |
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Minocycline |
Minocin |
| Penicillins |
Amoxicillin |
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Benzathine |
Bicillin |
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Penicillin G |
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| Cephalosporins |
Cefuroxime axetil |
Ceftin |
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Cefotaxime |
Claforan |
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Ceftriaxone |
Rocephin |
| Macrolides |
Azithromycin |
Zithromax |
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Clarithromycin |
Biaxin |
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Table 2
Conventional and Alternative Treatments
| Type |
Treatment Approach |
| Pharmaceuticals |
Bacterial, psychiatric, sleep, pain. |
| Naturopathic |
Nutritional and herbal therapy. |
| Homeopathic |
Natural medicine remedies. |
| Detoxification |
Chelation, bowel, diet. |
| Oxidation |
Hyperbaric medicine, hydrogen oxide, ozone therapy. |
| Energy |
Acupuncture, magnetic, cell therapy, Bowen, TENS, EAV. |
| Bodywork |
Exercise, yoga, massage, aquatic. (Rehabilition only) |
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Table 3 Most Common Treatment
Protocols
| Protocol |
Descripition |
| Longterm antibiotics |
Oral and/or intravenous antibiotic therapy |
| Hyperbaric medicine |
Oxygen with hyperbaic pressurized chamber. |
| Marshall Protocol |
1,25D hormonal control and pulsed antibiotic therapy. |
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