Customer Reviews

Insights Into Lyme Disease Treatment: 13 Lyme-Literate Health Care Practitioners Share Their Healing Strategies

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Finally, we get to hear from the experts who are actually treating this disease. Other than a few big names (Burrascano, Stricker in SF, Klinghardt, etc.), many doctors aren't willing to put themselves out there with Lyme disease. They're afraid of the fallout, which has been huge in some areas, particularly the East Coast. Doctors have lost their practices due to their non-conformist treatment of Lyme. I'm grateful that the practitioners in this book have agreed to share their thoughts on Lyme, it's incredibly enlightening and has helped me choose which courses of treatment to follow. It's empowering to know that different doctors have different ways of treating this disease (although antibiotics are pretty much a given according to many of the veteran Lyme doctors profiled in this book). I'm also grateful to Connie Strasheim for pursuing this information. Until now, most of what has been written about Lyme for the common person has been researched and written by Lyme sufferers themselves. We rarely heard from the doctors first-hand. This book changes that, and it's about time. Although most people with Lyme should be under the care of an LLMD (Lyme literate MD), you can find a lot of info in this book for self-treatment. Specific supplements are discussed (even brand names), and lifestyle tips are discussed. Lastly, if nothing else, this book is a huge validation to people who are struggling with Lyme. Many people fail to receive adequate support from friends and family because they don't believe that Lyme is "real" and/or can't relate to the unusual symptoms. Well, here's some excellent reading for skeptical family members, straight from the doctors' mouths.

Contracted Lyme...had it for a while. Honestly disappointed the "standard lab tests" did not catch it, but thankfully found Igenex and lots of good info.

This book was suggested to me. I had it sent overnight-express and I was seriously looking forward to it. I think the goals are laudable, the authors sincere (this is compendium of 13 physicians and how they treat Lyme). But here is why I only give this book two stars:

- A lot of New-Age treatments: This might garner five stars from some folks, but reviews are subjective and for me the distracting emphasis on techniques that do not conform to well-recognized and accepted practices is concerning. I wanted to read about the results of double-blind clinical studies and how those lessons could help me. Instead, there significant time is spent focusing on things like the "Emotional Freedom Technique", to "employ training methods anyone can do to influence their autonomic brain and thereby correct poor immune response." (info from an EFT website)

And this gem: "This is a new process that has been developed over the past nine years...the body can heal from disease without any outside intervention..."

In fairness, several of the physicians who talk about "psychic healing" and various potions of herbs, oils, vitamins, drum-beating and crying to the trees also honestly admit that none of it works without...(wait for it)...antibiotics. Not the super-fancy antibiotics, but the really basic stuff like Doxycycline. How simple is the antibiotic treatment? Well, my pharmacy would not even charge for a 7 week supply of it. It was free.

- The tone of the book is really a bit haphazard. This has nothing to do wth content, but more grammar and readability. It appears the book is nothing more than a re-print of answers to a questionnaire. Or at least, that's how it reads. There is little to no narrative, no segue between items and almost zero introduction of concepts and terms.

Which leads to the third issue...

- It has a built-in audience that does not include me. Terms and remedies are name-dropped literally every paragraph. Some quick work with google (I really tried getting into this book) shows that the name-brand remedies mentioned are pretty well-known in the new-age medicinal world. If you know what "Psych-K" is, you will feel at home. The rest of us are forced to wonder, though it is mentioned many times. There are many cases here where I think I am reading an infomercial (the phrase "money back guarantee" is actually used herein to hawk a remedy).

OVERALL: This book contains some tidbits of information that appears acceptable to the larger medical community. There is an acceptance (grudging though it is) of the primary role that basic antibiotics play in treating Lyme.

I will give a special note of appreciation to the info provided by Steven Harris, M.D. regarding the danger of incorporating and using intravenous antibiotics early into a treatment regime. He calls out the medical risks associated with it and notes the lack of clinical evidence that it does much more than oral Doxy for the vast majority of patients. In a society where everyone wants "the best", I have heard many Lyme patients feel let-down when they didn't get plugged into an IV drip.

If you are into New-Age treatments and already know all the vernacular, this book is made for you and I suspect you will cherish it.

If you are like me - not averse to thinking outside the box but still more interested in traditional remedies backed by clinical studies - then you'll want to pass.

This review is going to get panned. But before you post a sharp rebuttal, understand that not everyone comes from the same place. I'm not into the New-Age stuff but am not knocking those who are. If it makes you feel good...go for it. This review is specifically written for other people like me, who wait anxiously to receive the kind of information they want and find it is not here. Rather than be disappointed, they should move on.

As for me, ten days into oral Doxy and my energy is up. The aches are backing down and I see a big response. The next step is clearing all that high grass out back to prevent a recurrence from yet another bug bite. Good luck all.

First, a confession: I met Connie in a Lyme disease discussion group and we have since become friends. So feel free to factor that into your review of my review. :-)

I've been trying to get the Lyme spirochetes out of my system since I was bitten in 2001. They are very tenacious. It would have been a lot easier to figure out what to do about them if I had had access to this book back then. What I love about this book is the whole approach: Interview a bunch of doctors and health practitioners who have been treating Lyme. Find out what they've learned. Put it all together in a way that is easy to read and benefit from.

If you have Lyme, every page in this book will help you. For example, on page 53, Steven Harris, M.D., says it takes nine months to three years to be free of Lyme. On page 124, Ginger Savely, DNP, says "If there's one thing I have learned from treating Lyme patients for so many years, it is that the more antibiotics they are able to take and tolerate, the better off they will be. It's important to flood the system with antibiotics."

Both of these statements, by the way, fly in the face of the doctors who think two weeks of antibiotics after a bite is sufficient. As I learned doing my own research, the problem with Lyme is, when the tick first bites you, the spirochetes are in your blood - and therefore reachable via antibiotics, which is why some people are "cured" right away. But if some of those twisted worms (that's what they look like under a microscope) start boring into the "non-blood" areas of your body - your nerves, joints, heart, brain, cartiladge, and so on - they go beyond the reach of antibiotics. That's when life gets really challenging. Short term memory loss, numbness, tingling, pain, "brain fog," "brain creaks," joint inflammation...and that's just a few of the symptoms I've had to work through since 2001.

I tried just about everything - a lot of what is in this book - and am 95% well now.

I know how difficult it was for Connie to get this book written, given her own personal battle with Lyme. It's hard work writing a book when you're well, much less unable to stand up for more than 15 minutes at a time. But she pulled it off, and I think the result is an informative, useful resource for anyone who has Lyme or anyone who loves someone who has Lyme. Traditional and non-traditional treatments are covered, as are the nutritional and co-infection issues that "Lymies" must pay attention to, in order to help themselves recover.

And recovery is a wonderful thing. As Ginger Savely says on page 143: "While treating Lyme disease is a great challenge, for me, it's also so exciting to watch people get their lives back. There's nothing like it. Watching the transformation of those who once lost it all, were in the dumps, couldn't function and who felt like their lives were over, is wonderful and what makes my job worth the sacrifice."

I'm a compulsive researcher who has suffered from Lyme symptoms since 1991. Even after doing countless hours of my own research and seeing a few dozen doctors, I was only diagnosed with Lyme earlier this year (18 years after the tick bite). Connie's book has provided an exciting short-cut in my research. I was starting to do this research on my own by calling various LLMDs and attending appointments with friends to learn from their doctors, but I'm thrilled I don't have to do that anymore!

Getting to read how 13 Lyme-literate physicians treat Lyme helped me not only see the commonalities in their treatments, but also the subtle and vast differences. Connie gathered 13 doctors who do not follow a cookie-cutter approach to treating Lyme. Every time I finished a chapter, I thought, wow, I'm sure the next one won't say anything new, but I was delighted with each new chapter as there were tons more insights and treatment options to learn.

I finished the book and am now re-reading chapters that explain therapies I'd like to pursue. I've also marked all the approaches to one of my worst symptoms, insomnia, so I can dip in and try something new any time I need it.

I have a new understanding of Lyme disease thanks to Connie's book. I can see that not only is it important to kill the bugs, but to detoxify the body. I didn't understand the connection between these two sides before. Another common theme was to address the emotional aspects of your life, which can hold you back from healing. I've explored the mind-body connection to death, but it was presented in a new light from the mouths of many physicians. A light that held new meaning for me.

I also really appreciate knowing all the less-toxic and non-toxic approaches to treating Lyme. To know they are successful in other patients has given me much hope, since I am not using pharmaceutical antibiotics.

I'm keeping this book within arm's reach for the duration. I'm sure my healing will be much more successful thanks to Connie's great effort in putting this book together. Thank you Connie!

If you want to be told how to think, this is the wrong book. It is NOT for the thought police.

It is also NOT for those trying to control who are the approved healers and physicians of people who are still ill.

It is a buffet book. I like buffets, not because I like all foods the same, but I get to explore. When did intellectual exploration become a vice? If people are still ill after five years, with fatigue, disability, or personality troubles, perhaps it is time to rethink some things. Connie offers SOME ideas to ponder, with no expectation the reader will like any one position. She has no wish to control any reader. She is not afraid of diverse ideas. She is not a controller. I was not asked to change a single word in my submission.

Connie does NOT presume to limit herself to any one treatment ideology, and so offers exposure to many people in this book.

If you just want a set system, with double blind clinical control trials, you will not only miss some useful pearls, but you will be placing yourself outside of ALL HEALING. For example, most physicians use most medications in off label uses.

[By the way, is this "real me" or not? Hardly simple and anyone can take any identity in five minutes--including the authors, mine or your name].

Thank you Connie for your patience, and tolerance with my delays, and allowing me to offer some thoughts in your text.

I know this was no fun. I know it was not done to make money. Since that would be "bad," but also unrealistic book economics. Thanks for your efforts.

This is not a text for courts or medical boards. Because it was written for ill patients, she was able to offer highly diverse opinions. In the halls of deep academics, wide reflections, speculations, and opposing perspectives were always felt to add to debate and the search of truth and superior thought. When did that stop? It should never stop. And certainly do not feel obligated to eat every food at the buffet--that was not the goal here.

Good luck in your search for healing.

Insights Into Lyme Disease Treatment" is tremendous. Imagine having a clear roadmap that explains even a single doctor's ideas on the treatment of Lyme disease. In this book, not one, but thirteen Lyme-literate practitioners clearly spell out their treatment approaches! It would take countless hours and significant dollars to gather the kind of information available in this single book.

Lyme disease is something that can be lived with proper care. "Insights into Lyme Disease Treatment: 13 Lyme-Literate Health Care Practitioners Share Their Healing Strategies" is a compendium of advice to help readers better combat Lyme disease, using scientifically proven methods from real doctors around the world, reflecting on how they have combated their own lyme disease and the lyme disease of their patients. "Insights into Lyme Disease Treatment" is an absolute must for any sufferer who wants to have a complete and comprehensive reference on hand.

Insights into Lyme Disease Treatment interviews 13 Lyme Literate Practitioners, from the United States and Germany. Treatments discussed range from plant stem cells, herbals and pharmaceuticals to homeopathy and electromedicine. The author has actually obtained treatment from some of the practitioners she interviewed, which adds additional credibilty to information in the book. It was refreshing to read Dr. Schaller's comment that hyperbaric oxygen treatment for Lyme Disease is a waste of money. This book could definitely save patients some money.

Many treatments and tests I had not heard of previously, including plant stem cells,Zyactinase, Ecklonia, Amantilla, Rapid Eye Therapy, Quantum Neurology Rehabilitation and the Lymphocyte Transformation Test were discussed.

This book contains a wealth of valuable information and would be very useful for Lyme Disease sufferers, their families and practitioners.

Many clinical pearls, including how to distinguish the various common co-infections, Bartonella, Babesia, Ehrlichia were explained.

Most of the practitioners recommend a holistic approach integrating diet, exercise, herbals, pharmaceuticals, neurotransmitter balancing, heavy metal and gastrointestinal detoxification, allergy elimination, anticoagulation and immune enhancement. I definitely agree anticoagulation, hormonal balancing, immune enhancement and nutritional supplementation are vital components of treating Lyme Disease. I was pleased to read about other practitioners using Intravenous Vitamin C, glutathione and magnesium which may be the most gentle Lyme Disease treatment

Interestingly, almost every practitioner recommended gentle, mild or moderate exercise as a vital component of Lyme Disease treatment, although microcirculation impairments and mitochrondrial cellular energy production are usually severely impaired, in Lyme Disease and many Lyme Disease patients also suffer considerable joint and muscle pain. Some practitioners recommended Yoga and stretching, which would appear more compatible with the physical impairments caused by Lyme Disease. Telling Lyme patients they need to exercise more, might be harder than telling them they are allergic to chocolate!

The author, Connie Strasheim, and many of the practitioners interviewed in the book are recovering from Lyme Disease. Their personal stories are inspiring and should give Lyme sufferers much needed hope and encouragement.

Steven Sponaugle

Easy and fascinating reading for anyone, including us with "brain fog". I read a chapter a day and could not wait until the next day to learn more. It was like having appointments with 13 new doctors and getting their opinions on what treatments are best. Doing this without this book would be time consuming and expensive. I was able to do all of this from my arm chair for just the cost of the book.

Thank you Connie for this tremendous resource! This book is a must read for anyone fighting lyme disease and for anyone who knows someone who is fighting lyme disease. It's well written, easy to read, contains actionable information, and gives the reader the luxury of comparing 13 practitioner strategies and philosophies. A wealth of valuable information!