Unproven and unorthodox treatments for Lyme disease proliferate on the internet, a new study has revealed, and these therapies appeal to those who think that they have chronic Lyme disease.
Researchers of the study, which was published in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases on April 6, reported that urine therapy, which involves drinking one's own urine, stem cell transplants, magnet therapy and a device, which costs a whopping $13,000 that claims to get rid of the bacteria's cell by beaming light through a patient's skin, are just among the over 30 alternative Lyme disease treatments that are promoted online.
The researchers were not able to find good evidence that that the therapies work when they looked at medical literature. Study researcher Paul Lantos, from the Duke University Medical Center, and colleagues reported that most of the treatments did not go through scientific studies and while some treatments were indeed tested, these studies were questionable.
One study, for instance, which looked at the use of hyperbaric oxygen for treating infection with the bacteria responsible for Lyme disease, was done in mice. The researchers likewise noted that in majority of the therapies, no biological plausibility exists that they would work.
Lyme disease is caused by the Borrelia burgdorferi, a bacteria spread through the bite of infected black-legged ticks. Its early symptoms include fever, fatigue, headache and a skin rash known erythema migrans.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that most cases of Lyme disease can be treated successfully with use of antibiotics albeit up to 20 percent of those who were infected may experience recurring symptoms after treatment with necessitates taking antibiotic for several weeks.
The researchers noted that the alternative treatments attract people who think they have chronic Lyme disease but according to medical experts, this condition does not exist. These individuals were not tested for infection using CDC- approved tests but think they were infected based on their symptoms. Although some have positive results from private laboratories, these were based on assays that government agencies claim to be not accurate.
Besides being costly, some treatments are also dangerous. Bismacine, for instance, which has elevated amount of bismuth, was responsible for one death in the U.S. in 2006.
"Providers of alternative therapies commonly target patients who believe they have Lyme disease. The efficacy of these unconventional treatments for Lyme disease is not supported by scientific evidence, and in many cases they are potentially harmful," the researchers wrote.
Photo: Chris Booth | Flickr
