Guest Editorial

Why Lyme Treatments Fail

Part 2:

Additional Reasons

If you are reading this, please also read Part 1 of “Why Lyme Treatments Fail” [Townsend Letter July 2009], or you may not experience the improvement that you desire. It can be found on TownsendLetter.com.

Our average patient has been to 10 to 50 smart, sincere, and concerned physicians, but has not returned to his/her baseline level of functioning. We also inherit many treatment failures, which allow us to see by indirect and direct diverse types of testing what worked before they came to us.

1. The notion of “Lyme Disease” is a 1990s notion

   . If a clinician uses advanced, direct, and highly important indirect testing to look for the increasing number of infections carried by deer ticks, it is clear that organisms besides Lyme are present routinely in deer ticks. The idea that deer ticks only carry one infection is a disaster. They carry multiple bacteria, parasites, and viruses. For example, Bartonella is far more common than Lyme disease.

2. There is no correct starting dose for virtually any medication.

   I was asked years ago by two top editors to write an article on “sensitive and careful dosing in clinical practice.” They noticed within my various papers that we were pointing out the need for tailored dosing instead of chemical battery. So all medicines are started with a first dose that is below a full tablet or capsule, because sometimes it is 20 times more effective than normal. Always start with a fraction of the lowest-dose pill, and this can be increased over a mere 24 hours.

Further, one never should increase or start two treatments at once. This is chaos, and causes confusion over the reason for a side effect or a good benefit. Also, if patients develops uncomfortable feelings, either from the die-off of an organism or from medication side effects, they become demoralized, and the cause is unclear with many treatments. Simply, no two people have even been treated by me the same from start to finish, and this is why a cure book on all major tick-borne infections cannot be published.

3. Is the new explosion of

   “Lyme literate,” or LL-MD, experts really trained to do more than basic screening?

   Generally, when I am trying to pursue expertise in something, I spend years full time reading on the topic and try to engage with the leaders around the world who know the most about it. Unfortunately, as of 2010, “Lyme literate” really means that you have gone to a couple of conferences, learned the basics from the last 5 to 10 years, perhaps shadowed one or two physicians for days to a week while they see patients. These are a good starting place, but do not make one “tick-infection literate” in any serious manner. Finding someone who knows how to use a wide range of labs, has read thousands of articles, and checks for a direct and indirect presence of the infections in ticks is extremely rare in the world. Yet we do need every screening healer we can get!

4. Routine speed IV treatment of most new patients is

   a mistake.

   Some individuals treating Lyme disease do a fairly rapid assessment and quickly put all of their patients on an IV as if they are running a mill. It is almost as if they say, “It is nice to meet you; let’s get you started on your IV quickly.” There are many problems with this approach, far too many to discuss here, but the first problem is that the volume of spirochetes that can die with an invasive IV could be too many, due to the release of Lyme debris; Lyme biotoxins, such as Botox I; and increased inflammation. It also ignores the fact that Bartonella, with increasing numbers of human species found yearly, suppresses immunity, so that an IV will never be as effective as it could be when the most current Bartonella treatments that are clearly proven to work are used alone or in combination. We find new such treatments every few seasons. As previously stated in Part 1, the most common treatments for Bartonella come from a mere 25 basic Bartonella treatment articles or infection handbooks. They lead to relapse, even when they appear to work for variable periods of time.

5. IV gall bladder emergencies are too frequent.

   One reason that some insurance companies do not want to do prolonged IV treatment is because of gallbladder emergencies. I am fairly stunned that the only thing given to protect the gallbladder and liver with the use of IV medications is Actigall, and some practitioners do not prescribe anything when giving IV treatment. Many have little knowledge of advanced ways to protect the liver, and yet use liver-stressing treatments.

6. Following the guidelines of practitioners with famous names, university titles, or organization leadership positions is an error in judgment.

   If a healer is famous or has a title or “chair” or is high in an organization, the more brutally busy the healer can be, sometimes working 12 hours virtually every day. So this healer can never read high volumes of new material published this season. Therefore, no organization, website, or person has the definitive information on tick-infection medicine in the US or the world. No single organization or group of organizations can provide people with authoritative instruction in how to treat an individual patient.

7. All guidelines for medicine are flawed and outdated within one month of publication.

   The explosion of new published material and unpublished discoveries by hundreds of international healers make guidelines mere suggestions.

Hundreds of thousands of articles are published every few months. In our practice, we have only published 5% of what we have found. Similarly, many fellow researchers whom I know also have limited time to publish their discoveries.

Further, the great philosopher of science, Kuhn, has shown that there are so many variables affecting all scientists, the notion that any group of physicians can give unbiased pure scientific recommendations is impossible. Obvious guideline errors are present in all current tick- and flea-borne infection guidelines.

Different guidelines have outrageously specific treatment plans – inappropriate even for cars, which in this current age have different types and recommended amounts of oil. The human body when infected with a cluster of tick-borne pathogens is a billion times more complex than any automobile. Some guidelines use highly dated doses from studies that are 15 years old. Others do not even mention infections such as persistent human atypical Bartonella, which has vastly more vectors than Lyme disease or Babesia, and suppresses the immune system in highly specific ways that some agencies and groups seem to totally ignore. In one case report, the treatment with a new Bartonella agent, which lowers fevers and may lower some antibodies of deer tick infections, resulted in an explosion of western blot Lyme disease bands, and all major deer tick infection antibody titers suddenly rose to profound levels because the immune system was no longer suppressed against them by Bartonella. Therefore, merely by the use of this newly uncovered Bartonella treatment, all this patient’s labs at a large national lab turned positive after being repeatedly negative.  

8.

The use of fetish, “cult” medications; herbs; or new “discovered” causes of prolonged illness.

Of course, any healer studying traditional or progressive medications is serving all. My appeal in this criticism is not to reject the fine work done by at least 200 people internationally on traditional antibiotics, protozoa medications, antivirals, herbs used for a wide range of infections, essential oils, and at least 50 progressive alternative treatments.

However, like the experience of falling in love, when one person becomes all that you think about, you can become enamored with a few treatments – and this is not optimal medicine. For example, minocycline, tetracycline, clarithromycin, rifampin, azithromycin, HBOT, Rife, special saunas, ozone, IV nutrients to “boost immunity,” chelation, confused detox formulas, Artemisia derivatives, essential oil combinations, IV medications, various weak alcohol-based herbal programs, various energy machines, and 100 other options found in chat rooms and Lyme disease “information” sites are not meant to be the sole or primary style of all patient treatment. Carpenters use select tools at select times for select needs. Nevertheless, while I give thanks for the above passion of those who promote these and hundreds of others of treatments, they still have to pass blind rigorous simple direct and indirect testing to show that they work; and very few know how to do such testing. I think that it is an error to only use an antibiotic which has limited mechanisms for killing bacteria.

I have published the most current textbook on Artemisia derivatives, including Artemisinin (qinghaosu) and many other toxic forms that should be avoided. And yet, despite being the most recent practical clinical book on the topic, based on a year of full-time study with Chinese and World Health Organization consultants, it has been ignored by some who have little herbal training or reading. Why?

The final approach worthy of mention is the “I only do natural treatments” approach. Unfortunately, when I interview some of these individuals, many of whom are quite smart and well read, they are aware of allopathic medication side effects but not the toxic components of the herbs that they are using. Individuals using essential oils, including those who prescribe them, usually have never read a book on the various toxicities and safety concerns of essential oils. Some have excellent effects and others can provide help but also have side-effect risks, and still others should never be used internally at all in anything more than a minimal dose.

9. The “new” yearly or biyearly cause of Lyme disease treatment failures is possibly wrong.

   I appreciated that a few brilliant researchers found that the Bb Lyme spirochete had a biofilm in recent years. Useful. But I was actually stunned this was thought to be new, since spirochetes routinely have biofilms, and dental spirochetes have immense research going back many years on biofilm promoting dental disease. A review of the major world literature shows about 25 treatment options to handle biofilms. No one has offered more than a small number of basic options to beat this problem. Perhaps it increases treatment relapses and failures, but that is not what I usually see.

10. Rejection of top thought leaders because of cost.

    When I think back over the hundreds of physicians, PhDs, herbal experts, nurses, alternative healing practitioners, and even poorly educated addicts whom I treated decades ago, it is clear to me that, while none of them was perfect, all have helped us immeasurably. Currently at least 50 physicians who make valuable contributions toward the treatment of tick-borne infections are defamed for their fees – which could ultimately end their careers.

The same applies to bonding with a healer. I often seek the wisdom of people who may be annoying, irritable, tired, simplistic, insulting, or confusing. But virtually every healer whom I have known, regardless of specialty, philosophy, or ideology, has taught me a lesson that helps patients.

I have seen patients go with physicians who have virtually no knowledge of tick-borne disease because they were “caring and friendly.” Further, some want a “local” physician, as if geography were the same as expertise and knowledge.

The appeal of many smart patients is to tell you this: it takes many appointments to get better, and there is no better use of any income than on your health and the health of your loved ones, instead of wasting it on healer after healer who is sincere, but does not have a complete passion to master these illnesses, and a good track record of improving lives, including those of very ill patients. A mere few sessions usually will not cure all your tick-borne infections.

12. The use of herbal treatments without solid follow-up by direct and indirect means.

    Currently, one finds herbs mixed in grain alcohol with 1/50th the potency of a capsule that are supposedly cures to tick-borne disease. In our examination of inherited treatment failures, we have not found cures. Others offer high-priced herbs and “know” that they are successful, and often recommend one size for all adults living on the earth. Often, their understanding of advanced herbal processing, standardization, and the multiple chemicals in any herb is limited. In any event, in our outcome studies, we have found that these herbs at best may limit body infection volume slightly.

11.

Advice from websites and chat rooms does not usually apply to you.

No two people are ever to be treated the same. To seek advice on the Internet is a concern of most physicians and healers.  Sometimes you can find mature, balanced support from those who are healthy, but not new advanced and solid credible information for your medical care. Many leaders in tick-infection medicine report that they are quoted incorrectly, and that the information is often wrong, sometimes dangerous, and wastes time and money.

James Schaller, MD

239-263-0133

www.personalconsult.com

James Schaller, MD, has been elected by his physician peers a “Best Doctor in America.” He has published more books on tick infections than probably any physician in history. He is the author of 26 books and 27 papers published in highly respected medical journals on topics covering 10 areas of medicine. His publications include:

• Babesia Update 2009: A Cause of Excess Weight, Migraines and Fatigue? A Common Reason for Failed Lyme Disease Treatment

• The Health Care Professional’s Guide to the Treatment and Diagnosis of Human Babesiosis: An Extensive Review of New Human Babesia Species and Advanced Treatments

• Artemisinin, Artesunate, Artemisinic Acid and Other Derivatives of Artemisia Used for Malaria, Babesia and Cancer

• The Diagnosis, Treatment and Prevention of Bartonella: Atypical Bartonella Treatment Failures and 40 Hypothetical Physical Exam Findings; A Laboratory Guide to Human Babesia Hematology Forms.

• Mold Illness and Mold Remediation Made Simple: Removing Mold Toxins from Bodies and Sick Buildings

• When Traditional Medicine Fails … Your Guide to Mold Toxins

• A.D.D., Irritability and Oppositional Disorders: Cutting Edge Solutions Sincere Therapists and Doctors Miss

• Suboxone: Take Back Your Life From Pain Medications