HealingWell
Search Close Search
☰

Advanced Laboratory Services Testing?

Support Forums
>
Lyme Disease
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply
❬ ❬ Previous Thread |Next Thread ❭ ❭
Posted 6/18/2013 6:17 PM (GMT 0)
Trying to figure out if it is worthwhile and worth the money to have the Advanced Laboratory Services Lyme culture test performed at my LLMD's recommendation. I have been undergoing treatment since the end of 2009 and have both good and bad periods during that time. Currently off all meds and struggling terribly to keep going. How many have had this testing done? What were the results? Also if this testing is such a breakthrough why hasn't it been more widely adopted?
Posted 6/18/2013 7:35 PM (GMT 0)
That depends on whether you're skeptical you have Lyme to begin with. Sounds like you're not since you've been treating for a few years. If you still have symptoms then I don't see the point in shelling out a minimum of $595 for the test just to disprove how you are feeling.

As far as the test goes, I've never had it done but it's supposed to be somewhere around 80% accurate. It may miss some because Borrelia like to hide in tissues and tendons and bone so I'm not sure if it would always be detected in the blood. Also, what if your symptoms now were because of another bacterium such as Bartonella. The test would then come out negative yet you still would be dealing with an infectious situation.

Posted 6/18/2013 10:27 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Cmack!
Welcome to our little community! I'm so glad you found us!!

If you haven't already, it would be helpful for you to start with reading through the thread at the top of the forum titled,"New to Lyme?...Start here!!", as it is packed full of important information, symptom lists (as Lyme rarely occurs by itself), helpful links and pdf's, how to detox when one has these infections, and a list of questions that you can ask any doctor that you are seeking treatment from!

We also have a pretty good search function on this forum to help you narrow down your search for information from past posts. We must be our own health advocates now and the best thing to arm yourself with is knowledge about our infections and the different ways to treat them!

Any of the tests - done by any lab that relies on the immune system response is only accurate about 50% of the time, so I wouldn't suggest anyone use those tests honestly. The most knowledgeable LLMD's will diagnose clinically (by symptoms) and hope to have the tests to back up the results.

Your last question actually answers your question!"Also if this testing is such a breakthrough why hasn't it been more widely adopted?"

May I ask why you are currently off all your meds?
Posted 6/19/2013 1:30 PM (GMT 0)
The Advanced Lab Testing is relatively new and does not depend on immune response. This test actually cultures viable spirochetes from human blood and it is recommended that you be off all treatment for 4 weeks prior to testing in order to maximize the chances of spirochetes being present in the blood.

Please see the following which explains more about the testing -
www.advanced-lab.com/news/AdvancedLabBooklet.pdf
Posted 6/19/2013 10:16 PM (GMT 0)
Have you read the whole thing? If so, why don't you tell us what makes this a superior test?

I'm sorry, but my life is pretty busy right now and to sit and read 15 pages - well, I'm afraid that by the end of page 3, I'd be sound asleep!! LOL!

Did I read that they use skin samples to run this test?
Posted 6/20/2013 3:53 PM (GMT 0)
I posted that paper because it was the most technical and most indepth information I could find regarding the Advanced Laboratory Services Lyme culture testing. I do not pretend to understand all of the information it contains, but figured I would provide too much rather than too little info. After all you never know who is reading this stuff, there could be a Dr or biochemistry genius on here. The testing is clearly much different from all the Western Blot and ELISA testing methodologies that have been used. Although as I mentioned it is somewhat troublesome that the testing has not been widely adopted since it has been introduced.

This paper is a shorter more concise summary of what the testing is all about.
http://www.betterhealthguy.com/images/stories/PDF/brochure%20january%202012.pdf
Posted 6/20/2013 4:04 PM (GMT 0)
Ahhh!! Thank you!! Much, much easier to get through!!

Well, I'm a big skeptic on many things, especially on Lyme testing, so forgive me. This is what still bothers me (from the bottom of page 2):

"So far, of the experimental samples, nearly all the CDC+, clear cut Lyme cases have been positive, and there have not been any instances of false positives or contamination. Sequencing data have shown that these all are Borrelia burgdorferi, but with wide strain variation."

They've only used CDC positive cases. This doesn't include but 1/2 of those that are truly infected.

Again, I would say, as you did in your first post - if this testing method is so good, why isn't it being used everywhere yet?

Hopefully with us talking back and forth, someone who has used this method - or at least knows more about it than I do (LOL!) will chime in soon!
Posted 6/20/2013 4:23 PM (GMT 0)
I agree with your skepticism, better to be skeptical than to trust blindly. I do believe they are using CDC positive Lyme cases in testing because those are the cases that everyone including the CDC cannot argue are infected with the disease. If they tested people who were CDC positive and they came back negative the test would be invalidated.
Posted 6/21/2013 1:55 AM (GMT 0)
I am glad my husband was tested through Igenex. An ALS diagnosis is devastating to hear so it gave Toby and our family lots of hope. I understand people not getting any testing done and just experimenting with healing methods to see if they improve. I don't think I would spend the money if I didn't think it was necessary. When I have more time, I will read the link. Thanks for the info. cmack66. We appreciate it when people offer innovative healing methods and other information to aid in the healing process.
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply