Mary Ann-
sorry I am so late to respond to you here about this. Clearly primary care over the last year plus has keep us busier than even usual!
In short, I think that your friend should find a lyme literate MD (if he hasn’t already). I recommend (especially for a busy physician who doesn’t have time to mess around with trial and error) to use a combination of multiple complementing antibiotics. These combinations would need to include both intracellular and extra-cellular coverage, as well as coverage for all 3 forms of lyme (l-form, spirochete, and cyst) at the same time. The best way to handle this, is working with someone who has seen/treated/put into remission many patients with Lyme already.
One pearl I will state here (since I don’t see many use it, but it works great for my patients), is to use IM bicillin three times weekly IF neuro-lyme is the major complaint. This is a painful option, but is great at getting into the CSF and has IV equivalent effectiveness there for most Lyme sufferers …. And, for me, has kept the patients I have treated from needing to consider port placement.
(again this should be done only under the guidance of an experienced MD as there can be issues like brain swelling with die off around day 3, etc).
Having said all of the above…. LL-37 is a wonderful adjunct for my patients with Lyme who have already been in remission, where the Lyme is trying to gain hold again, or as a support for the body’s own fight against these pesky and tricky pathogens with initial antibiotic treatments. I use 0.1ml daily subcutaneously, and I use it as long as needed. (I know if still needed by trialing off every month or so…. And seeing what happens.) I have used it for as long as a year in those who needed it, with excellent effect… most of the time limiting the need for any antibiotics to be restarted in these patients who had been in remission prior.
(I would add here, that of course ideally I wouldn’t have to use LL-37 for such a prolonged course. But if my options are; long term use WITH continued remission or short term use with regular episodes of non-functioning and low quality of life due to symptoms…. The choice of the less of these two evils is easy for me!)
Of course there are lots of natural treatment options (Lyme cocktail by biopure, or the Byron White remedies, to name two)….. however, as much as I like using non- Rx options whenever possible…. I have just not found these effective as initial treatment options for the severity of illness in the patients who find me.
And, as I have mentioned in my other posts on Lyme, I think it bears mentioning again…. That often Lyme treatment most importantly consists of removing barriers in that person that do not allow their immune system to be stronger than the Lyme. I am speaking here about mold toxins(CIRS), parasites, etc. This is not a little thing/point (this need to remove these hindering issues right away), as I have seen this make or break many patients ability to be successfully treated with even the of best protocols.
I hope that this helps.
warmly,
Cynthia
