Lyme is an individual disease. What works as a successful treatment for one person does not necessarily work for the next person, be it antibiotic or alternative treatments.

For example, docycyline is one of the first ABXs usually prescribed for new infections (along with amoxicillan). It works successfully for many people, but not everyone. The same is true for flagyl, which helps many, but, for example, did nothing for me. Unfortunately, each patient has to find what works for them.

The Bowen test certainly holds the promise of letting the country know how wide spread Lyme actually is. However, and tell me if I am wrong on this, but just because you test positive on a Bowen test does not mean you have active Lyme disease.

Doesn't their test needs interpretation, and for that reason there has been some abuse by health professionals who use Bowen's mostly positive Lyme results to sell their particular form of Lyme treatments?

The only established, 100% accurate Lyme test that I know of is if you get a positive PCR result. Hopefully, in time the Bowen test will become accepted by even mainstream Lyme MDs, which it isn't yet.

In the meantime, for most people Lyme remains a clinical diagnosis based on exposure and symptoms and needs to be done by a Lyme literate MD, at least according to Dr. Burrascano, who continues to write the bible on allopathic Lyme treatment each year. See http://ilads.org/files/burrascano_0905.pdf. His is one view.

Bryan Rosner wrote the book on Lyme and Rife and he has a very good Yahoo group that has helped many, many Lyme patients find relief using something other than ABX, which, by the way, are crucial to stop new Lyme infections, but will not cure most chronic cases.

There is much we do not know about Lyme, just as with metal toxicity. Both the diagnosis and treatment of Lyme disease are controversial, in part, because each patient needs such individual care....again, just like heavy metal toxicity.

I wish things were more clear cut with Lyme and metals and I also wish that there wasn't all of this controversey and unclarity around both diagnosis and treatment for both.

In the meantime, all we can do is try to learn, and help each other.