Customer Reviews

The Top 10 Lyme Disease Treatments: Defeat Lyme Disease with the Best of Conventional and Alternative Medicine

5 star:		(30)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

I am a Lyme patient and Lyme educator in Georgia. In reading Rosner's book there were some problems that caused me to question its validity. Before writing this review I consulted with a couple of experienced Lyme doctors (ILADS members). Before my thoughts, let me say that I will give the book 2 stars because it is well-written and easy to read.

The first problem is that Mr. Rosner is not a medical practitioner. The medical practitioner whom I personally see and the other one whom I discussed this with both agree that most of those "top 10" were in fact not particularly effective in their population of Lyme patients - except for antibiotics (not necessarily Rosner's suggestions however). Both said that probably the main reason that chronic Lyme patients don't get well is that co-infections are not properly diagnosed and aggressively treated. (That was my case with "chronic Lyme" that turned out to be Babesia).

The next comment was about the claim that the Marshall protocol is somehow a wonderful treatment. Both thought that it was potentially very dangerous to induce a Vitamin D deficiency is a person. Very few credible Lyme docs still promote the Marshall protocol. In fact, Dr. Klinghardt (recognized expert) from the West Coast used to promote it and now says that his results have been very disappointing. Both my docs said that they would avoid it, and that the people who did manage to improve on it probably did so because of the use of low dose antibiotics.

Finally, both my docs chuckled when they learned that Mangosteen was one of the top 10 Lyme treatments. (One of them had never heard of it and the other said that it didn't help anyone except one person's sleep problem.) Seems like someone is pushing a specific product for a reason. (I'll leave it at that.) Apparently, there are a lot of useful "natural" substances that should have made the list before Mangosteen.

In summary, while there is some good information in the book, overall I would not recommend it to serious students of Lyme disease.

I am a preventive medicine specialist and do not actively treat Lyme Disease with antibiotics, but I definitely end up diagnosing this condition in many people who come to me with a wide variety of chronic, multi-system complaints. I refer out to LLD's, and help patients keep their hormones, adrenal function and toxicity clearance in stable condition while they pursue treatment. I watch them, as some get better, but many also get worse. For those who feel as Bryan Rosner felt, after consulting a multitude of physicians and paying thousands of dollars for the very latest treatments, that you are not better and you are "on your own", get this book. Chronic Lyme disease sufferers are often on their own, with not even the enlightened health care practitioner to turn to, if antibiotics fail to heal them. Mr. Rosner, a journalist, a Lyme disease sufferer and a very intelligent man, found himself on his own in this way and began a journey to recovery that he shared with many thousands of others, trying to heal from Lyme disease using alternative, often unusual techniques. He is careful to tell us when he is simply offerring an opintion (such as with his use of the Marshall protocol), and to tell us that he is not a healthcare practitioner but he has worked hard to get a concensus view from hundreds if not thousands of people who are trying alternative treatments with success. He tells us about the war-like controversies among the medical professionals about how to treat this condition, and aptly points out that even the most enlightened of these does not guarantee a cure for people who have suffered with the condition for many years, especially if they have severe adverse reactions to antibiotics. I deeply appreciate this survey of what is working for people who have not gotten help from antibiotics alone or herbs alone. We desparately need such dialogue. The book is cogently written, easy to follow, very well organized and thorough. These treatments may or may not work for you if you have Lyme Disease, but you will have gained a good deal of insight and knowledge about the disease and about what many other people are doing to get well. The bottom line is that it is up to you, and if you find yourself abandoned by medicine or unable to tolerate antibiotic treatment, this book is definitely worth the read.
Dr. Tedde M. Rinker, Redwood City, CA.

My LLMD and naturopath were concerned about this book and asked me to share these ideas here because it looks like everyone just goes along that this book is terrific. They say this is not so, and so do other patients and doctors. They were really upset that someone could write a book and declare 10 Best Treatments with no real authority or OK by the LL doctors and that gives the impression that these are treatments used by good LLMDs and good alternative doctors. It makes them all look weird and it is hard enough to get help for patients doing the smart things they do. They had many concerns because all they see is people saying this book is great and that is not so but no one says anything because they feel they will be attacked. I can only have room for a few.

These 5 core treatments that even include the author's way of how to take antibiotics is his only and does not reflect what LL doctors want their patients to do. The book really pushes Rifing as the basic core treatment even with antibiotics, something that only a very small group of people follow. The author makes it sound like it is an accepted practice or should be. The title of the book misleads you. The basic therapies have been pushed on the internet a lot , and potential harm can come from these things to patient health and finances and delay in getting real help. Taking salt at high doses can be harmful as can like the silver therapy and herbs are very potent and must be used very very carefully. He pushes mangosteen, an overpriced fruit juice, that has all sorts of cure claims all over the internet so that the FDA even had to step in. My naturopath said that this is what gives his profession and other alternative professionals a bad name. He said you can't just take supplements and herbs from some book or the internet because they can hurt you like regular medicine. The author says to use trial and error with these things and my doctors say they have a hard time sorting out what is going on when their patients are sicker from they don't know what. The therapies are not backed by good evidence as is said all over the place. He just leads you in to feel it is OK to do this and that, but don't blame him if it doesn't work.

The doctors know that patients get desperate for help and when they read books like this or see all sorts of fringe stuff on the internet that is Okayed by other people, they want to try it. Too often they get in much worse shape. I know as a Lyme patient how this feels, and I also am ashamed to say that I have been sucked in to trying a few useless protocols and a number of ones that hurt me.

Having been diagnosed just 1-1/2 years ago with Lyme Disease, I was pretty unsure as to how to go about treating it as I was concerned about having to take antibiotics for years like a lot of other lyme sufferers that I knew. I was referred to this book by my doctor--a real MD who had slowly moved into a more natural medicine/prevention approach. I got the book, started treatment starting with a few of the supplements mentioned in the book for both killing off the bacteria (both lyme and coinfections) and supplements to replenish things in my system the lyme/coinfections had depleted.

I was seeing progress, which was very encouraging. This helped me to decide to take the plunge and by a rife machine--two, actually. Being a Mechanical Engineer, I was a bit skeptical as electromagnetic medicine all seemed a little hokey. But when I understood the science behind it, especially as relating to natural harmonic frequency, I realized that it could really work. The only question I had was whether the rife machines recommended by Bryan Rosner's books (this book and his first one called When Antibiotics Fail) would actually be strong enough to actually destroy bacteria in the human body. I can now confidently say that I progressed in my recovery even faster than before!

To understand how far I've come, before I started treatment or was diagnosed I had to use a cane, was constantly sore, could not sleep through the night, the right side of my body was weak like I had a stroke (I didn't), I had aphasia, emotional rollercoaster, strange bouts of dyslexia (something I've never had), and many other little symptoms. You get the point. After only a year of treatment, I feel like I'm at about 85% of normal, whereas I felt at about 40% before treatment began. Thank you Bryan and others who have helped me along the way!

Another reviewer mentioned mangosteen and how his/her doctors said that they hadn't even heard of it before. Well, my recovery really kicked into overdrive when I started taking mangosteen in pill form about 3 months ago. It can be very expensive if you buy it as a juice, which I did for a while. But I found that it wasn't really helping me. When I found out the mangosteen pericarp (the rind where most of the antibacterial "stuff" is located) could be purchased in pill form for a fraction of the cost of equivalent juice doses, and when others mentioned having success with it, I thought I'd give it another try. It has really worked great for me in the pill form.

So thank you for your books, Bryan. And I appreciate your honesty when you mention clearly in your books that the treatments you describe may not work for everyone, as we lyme sufferers all have different coinfections and other issues, and it can be a complex, often trial-and-error, process to figure out what works for each of us. The books, along with a knowledgeable lyme doctor, make for a great starting point for anyone trying to sort out the mess that Lyme Disease can make of our lives.

this is the first time I am writing a book review and only feel compelled to do so in warning other people about this book. I would recommend renting this book first before considering purchasing it. this author seems very stuck on his previous book about rife machines and keeps referring to it saying there is information in that book not contained in this one which came off to me as very salesman-like and marketing. also there is some downright bizarre material in here which I found to be eerie. one was suggesting huge intakes of salt and vitamin C together; a protocol developed by some people who just thought the idea up based on their own theory. another suggestion which was quite bothersome and which the author felt strongly helped him was something called the "marshall protocol." google it and check out what doctors have to say about it. yeah the guy who thought it up was a doctor, but it isn't mentioned in the book that he was not a medical doctor but rather specialized in a completely non-medical field (from what I found out online). and the protocol from this guy who is apparently not a medical doctor at all is to completely reduce vitamin D from your system which involves wearing sunglasses whenever exposed to light (someone mentioned even computer screens??), not eating anything that contains vitamin D, staying out of the sunlight like a vampire, and getting on Benicar; a heart medication. there are no references in this book to medical or scientific literature.

Having Lyme for many years I did not appreciate this book. As a matter of fact some of this author's ideas do not match that of my very competent LLMD. On page 81 he discusses cell wall inhibitors and says they are never indicated for lyme and should be avoided. And he also brings in that Trevor Marshall, PhD (Marshall Protocol) says we should avoid them. The problem is that this isn't true in all cases. My LLMD (Lyme Literate Medical Dr.) did not agree with this when I questioned him about it. (And we have had lyme for 10 years, not acute.) In our family we have used 2 of the cell wall inhibitors that he says should be avoided and have had tremendous success with them. We just follow the treatment with cyst antibiotics. The good thing is the author admits his position is investigational and open for debate. The problem is that lyme sufferers already are grasping for help and newly diagnosed patients may not be open to these drugs after reading this. Also I believe most of the info in this book can be found on the internet or better yet with an appointment with a great lyme doctor. I personally felt this was a waste of my money.

This is an interesting read for a lyme disease sufferer as I am, but a lot of the information is questionable at best. It gives you hope at first, but then I realized most of the information in the book is not substantiated with any real medical studies - there are no footnotes or references for treatments Rosner suggests. When I read the part about Vitamin D I got very upset.
On the upside, this book is easy to read and does provide some general health info that is necessary in treating lyme. Glad I only borrowed it from the library.

The Top Ten Lyme Disease Treatments





Chronic Lyme patients are unique. Usually it is not just the Lyme spirochete they are left to deal with but those who are chronically ill often harbor several, if not many pathogens. This creates a situation where symptoms can affect every part of the body and there is no way to be sure which pathogen is causing what symptom. With the many allopathic and natural treatments we are bombarded with, especially for Lyme patients with cognitive problems, it is difficult to effectively decide where to begin. What treatments are most effective? How should they be combined? What are our most affordable options, where we as patients have more control?

Many times I have just thrown up my hands in defeat and decided not to deal with any of these questions. Because antibiotics alone seemed to be working for me, the rest was just too complicated to sort out. However, at some point we may not have access to antibiotics for the use with chronic Lyme. Another consideration is that antibiotics don't always remain effective forever, and for some people they just don't seem to work. These drugs can also build up in your system and cause toxic side effects.

This is where Bryan Rosner's book "The Ten Top Lyme Disease Treatments" comes into play. The author has created a practical resource that is organized and easy to understand and implement. Being a Lyme patient himself, he has done much research and experimentation. He offers information gleaned from his experience and the experience of others.

Antibiotics alone have not been the complete answer for curing or effectively controlling Lyme disease. Most people will come to the same conclusion concerning natural treatments. The Lyme disease germ (borrelia burgdorferi) is a very smart bug, is able to evade the immune system, antibiotics and current available testing.

Bryan Rosner's solution is to offer us valuable information concerning both allopathic and natural medicine and how to use them together to form a comprehensive treatment plan. He emphasizes 5 core treatment protocols and other supportive treatments. He suggests that antibiotics be rotated and used for fairly short periods of time. The author warns us that treating Lyme disease and the co-infections is more of a marathon event as opposed to a sprint. If we approach the treatment of Lyme with this in mind, it will help us to avoid discouragement.

On page 293 of Rosner's book he says, " Because Lyme disease is caused by a bacterial infection, the core of a Lyme disease treatment protocol is comprised of antibacterial therapies. The most effective antibacterial therapies are pharmaceutical and non pharmaceutical antibiotics, the Marshall Protocol, and Rife Machine therapy. At all times during the recovery process, at least one of these three therapies should be in use."

Bryan believes that Rife machine therapy should be the foundation of an antibacterial treatment and tells us why. He discusses the Rife Machine in this book but for those who want a more comprehensive understanding of this type of electromedicine, one should read his first book "Lyme Disease and Rife Machines."

The book stresses that we need to strengthen the immune system through diet, eliminating exposures to toxic and allergic substances, detoxification, electromedicine and herbs. He also points out that there is no magic remedy and that patients must become proactive and take the time to adjust their priorities.

Rosner does an excellent job making sure the patient understands what can and cannot be expected from the various holistic and allopathic treatments. Many of us are aware of the raging Lyme wars (disagreement on the testing and treatment of Lyme disease) that are keeping patients from getting proper treatment. Here is what Rosner has to say about that. "The debate has recently reached a boiling point, involving the passions, fears, biases, personal experiences --- and let us not forget, financial interests --- of those involved. Amidst the inferno, it has been largely forgotten that the goal of health care is not to establish exclusive, single-minded medical truths, but instead, to utilize all available medical treatments that cure disease --- regardless of which paradigm they belong to."

There is so much practical information and so many helpful resources listed in this book that I could go on and on but I am sure you would rather read the book. I highly recommend "The Top Ten Lyme Disease Treatments " to anyone who wants to better understand the realities of treating Lyme disease and what it takes to get well.

When you are sick with lyme disease, there is a desperation that takes over...Why do I feel so horrible? Who can help me? Why don't physicians care about this illness?

You become the victim of a terrible "perfect storm" where a painful, devastating illness crosses paths with ignorance, arrogance and political corruption.

Bryan's book gets you out of the victim role and back into the driver's seat. He acknowledges that there is no easy way to beat chronic lyme but offers up the major "known" therapies-both eastern and western approaches and brings them together in one place.

Like anything I read about lyme treatments, I take his advice with a grain of salt (and vit c)...but it is another book to put on your lyme reference shelf (and we all have plenty of room on that shelf.)

Since reading the book I have gotten myself to a naturopathic physician to begin taking a more serious approach to my "total" treatment, depending less on antibiotics and doctors and more on creating the healthiest body I can for the long long battle ahead.

Thanks Bryan!

This book was helpful in determining what action to take after almost 3 years of antibiotics with very few results. The various protocols were explained very well and it was especially valuable having been written by someone with Lyme Disease. This book cuts to the chase and leaves you feeling like there actually is light at the end of the tunnel.