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Posted 6/25/2018 10:11 PM (GMT 0)
I had someone message me and tell me the test results (link to image below) I received are very suspicious for a false positive because I tested positive for IGM and not IGG after a 6 week period. The CDC site states the following: "The immunoblot should not be run without first performing an EIA or IFA.
The immunoblot should not be run if the EIA or IFA tests are negative. If you’ve been ill for longer than 4-6 weeks and the IgG immunoblot test is negative, it is unlikely that you have Lyme disease, even if the IgM immunoblot is positive."

Can someone help me out in explaining false positives and how likely they are? I tested as reactive for one IGG band and non-reactive for all others, reactive for 3 IGM bands. I don't think I had an 'EIA' or 'IFA' test at all.

VIEW IMAGE
Posted 6/25/2018 10:19 PM (GMT 0)
Honestly-these tests are all bad. Lyme should be a clinical diagnosis and using blood work as a tool, not a definitive. Sorry I don't have a better answer for you. If you are having symptoms, find an LLMD that will work with you!

~beth
Posted 6/25/2018 10:31 PM (GMT 0)

sunvsmoon said...
I had someone message me and tell me the test results (link to image below) I received are very suspicious for a false positive because I tested positive for IGM and not IGG after a 6 week period. The CDC site states the following: "The immunoblot should not be run without first performing an EIA or IFA.
The immunoblot should not be run if the EIA or IFA tests are negative. If you’ve been ill for longer than 4-6 weeks and the IgG immunoblot test is negative, it is unlikely that you have Lyme disease, even if the IgM immunoblot is positive."

Can someone help me out in explaining false positives and how likely they are? I tested as reactive for one IGG band and non-reactive for all others, reactive for 3 IGM bands. I don't think I had an 'EIA' or 'IFA' test at all.

VIEW IMAGE

Don’t go by what the CDC says

You have a positive test result..

With other diseases after several weeks the IgM switches to IgG, but with Lyme, IgM can persist.
Dr J writes about it on his website - it represents a reactivation of the infection.
I’ll try to find it on his site


Edit: here’s what LLMD JJ wrote:

“In virtually all infections, the IgM class of antibody (immunoglobulin) appears first and therefore represents a marker for an early infection. In most immune models, the IgM antibody gives way to the well-known IgG antibody class, usually regarded as the major enduring antibody response in chronic infectious diseases or other immune models. In almost all infection models, after just a few weeks, the IgM antibody level wanes to the point of being non-detectable and does not recur. However, a confounding fact in Bb infections is that the IgM antibody may persist for years, a very unusual situation in most disease states. Logically, one would have to conclude that this reflects an ongoing reactivation or persisting and continually renewing infectious state of Bb infection. Most active diagnostic laboratories involved with LD tend to agree with this notion.”
Posted 6/25/2018 10:37 PM (GMT 0)
Btw - you also showed band 93 reactive on IgG

That is a Lyme specific band
Posted 6/26/2018 1:54 AM (GMT 0)
You can get false positives, but there is a lot of cross-reactivity between these infections. If you are sick, then treat. Sometimes an 'autoimmune' condition can cause a positive with the Western Blot, but many 'autoimmune' disorders are caused by infections, such as Lyme, and especially a Bartonella infection. One test to help distinguish between a chronic Lyme disease infection and something else is the CD57 Natural Killer Cells blood test. There are only two labs that do this test effectively, one is LabCorp, and the other I can't remember right now, but it's not Quest. It's a specialty lab.

Also, the C6 Peptide is a good test for Lyme disease, and you can do that test with Quest Diagnostics.

Remember, if you are having symptoms, then most likely you are being affected by Lyme disease and/or one or more of the Co-infections if you tested positive for it.

If you don't want to take antibiotics, you may want to try treating with Botanicals, and find yourself a good Naturopathic Physician who is very familiar with treating people with these conditions.

You can get better. Persistency and the right treatment plan is the key to success.

Best wishes, and God bless!
Posted 6/26/2018 2:54 AM (GMT 0)
Justin -
There isn’t “a lot of cross reactivity”

A few of the bands, yes but there are Lyme specific bands that only Lyme will trigger a +

An autoimmune disease doesn’t cause a positive Lyme WB...

I believe the cd57 shows a problem with the immune system - which can be from Lyme but not specific to Lyme.
Posted 6/26/2018 3:46 AM (GMT 0)
I am going to second what Girlie said...this test looks for specific protein bands of the Lyme bacteria. While some bands may include protein bands across other organisms there is no such thing as it coming up for an autoimmune disease. If you test positive for a Lyme specific band (which you did) Lyme is in your body.

I would not go by the 6 week time frame...if I test positive for a current infection (IGM) for EBV, the doctor is going to treat it as a current infection. They aren't going to say I'm sorry you got sick 8 weeks ago I can't treat you.

I wouldn't wait until it changes to IGG to treat as it's much harder to treat at that point.
Posted 6/26/2018 3:58 AM (GMT 0)

Lvg123 said...


I wouldn't wait until it changes to IGG to treat as it's much harder to treat at that point.


If/when that even happens.

I had symptoms for 14 months and I was positive IgM

My husband has had it for many years (at least 10) and he was also IgM positive.

You could be waiting a long time for it to switch to IgG.

I bet the doc would just say it was an old infection and no treatment needed if you pulled out a positive IgG anyway...
Posted 6/26/2018 3:04 PM (GMT 0)

Lvg123 said...
I am going to second what Girlie said...this test looks for specific protein bands of the Lyme bacteria. While some bands may include protein bands across other organisms there is no such thing as it coming up for an autoimmune disease. If you test positive for a Lyme specific band (which you did) Lyme is in your body.

I would not go by the 6 week time frame...if I test positive for a current infection (IGM) for EBV, the doctor is going to treat it as a current infection. They aren't going to say I'm sorry you got sick 8 weeks ago I can't treat you.

I wouldn't wait until it changes to IGG to treat as it's much harder to treat at that point.

If I already tested positive for IGG band 93, does that mean it's already switched over to IGG? Or would more IGG bands come back as reactive?

I am currently on 21 days of Doxy at 100mg 2x per day. I've had a few people mention that it should be a higher dose (200mg) and for about 2 months. Would you tend to agree? I currently don't have an LLMD (requested a list from ILADS a few days ago) and have to rely on my naturopath for the antibiotics, but am not sure she is super familiar with Lyme which is why I am trying to get advice.

Post Edited (sunvsmoon) : 6/26/2018 9:09:47 AM (GMT-6)

Posted 6/26/2018 3:08 PM (GMT 0)

Girlie said...

Lvg123 said...


I wouldn't wait until it changes to IGG to treat as it's much harder to treat at that point.


If/when that even happens.

I had symptoms for 14 months and I was positive IgM

My husband has had it for many years (at least 10) and he was also IgM positive.

You could be waiting a long time for it to switch to IgG.

I bet the doc would just say it was an old infection and no treatment needed if you pulled out a positive IgG anyway...

Did both of you test IGG positive when you tested IGM positive as well? I still don't quite understand how those two sets of bands work. Were you able to beat it, and if so, how?
Posted 6/26/2018 3:29 PM (GMT 0)
Hello Girlie, that's not true. Rheumatic types of 'autoimmune' disorders can cause a false positive with the Western Blot. Though, I believe that Lyme disease, as well as other infections, are some of the major causes of these so called 'autoimmune' disorders.

With regard to the 'cross-reactivity,' I was referring to the Co-infections. There are a lot of cross-reactivity reactions. For instance, Brucella is a cousin of Bartonella, meaning that if you are positive for Bartonella, you may test positive for Brucella and not actually have Brucella. Additionally, some people test positive for RMSF, yet have no symptoms. You either have symptoms, or you don't. If no symptoms, then that means it doesn't affect you, at least not right now, with exception to something like RMSF. There is a strand of RMSF that causes a lot of false positives as well, called rickettsia amblyommii. It is self-limiting and doesn't have the same dangerous symptoms as RMSF. There are a few recent scientific articles regarding it. There are many others as well, but the point here is that I agree that you treat either way.

As for the CD57 Natural Kill Cells test, the researchers who studied it found that it is highly specific to chronic Lyme disease, and that if it is low, than that means that there is chronic Lyme disease state. That distinguishes it from an 'autoimmune' condition. That's not to say that there isn't an autoimmune condition going on, but as I stated earlier, 'autoimmune' conditions are caused by many things, including possibly infections from microbes, such as the Lyme spirochette. It can get very complicated, and no one diffinitively knows exactly what's happening with regard to these infections, as well as all other diseased states, but we do have some clues.

There have been other researchers and doctors that critiqued the CD57 NK Cells test findings, but if you read the researchers' response (the ones who studied it and found it useful), they explained that there were many flaws in the critiquing of the original study. Either way, nothing is perfect, and the Western Blot is definitely far from it. It is only 35% sensitive, meaning that at least 65% of the people who actually have Lyme disease are missed by the test. That's terrible.

Additionally, more and more we are finding out that it really doesn't matter if you are IgG or IgM positive, you can still have the disease, and have had it for a while, or you may not. It all depends on your immune system and how and when it officially reacts to the infections, as well as what ever other issues are going on in your body. Like I said, it's very complicated and there isn't any 100% definitive
answers with these things. That's why I highly lean towards Naturopathic treatment. It addresses the body on so many levels.

Best wishes, and God bless!

Post Edited (Justin01) : 6/26/2018 9:35:59 AM (GMT-6)

Posted 6/26/2018 3:36 PM (GMT 0)

Justin01 said...
You can get false positives, but there is a lot of cross-reactivity between these infections. If you are sick, then treat. Sometimes an 'autoimmune' condition can cause a positive with the Western Blot, but many 'autoimmune' disorders are caused by infections, such as Lyme, and especially a Bartonella infection. One test to help distinguish between a chronic Lyme disease infection and something else is the CD57 Natural Killer Cells blood test. There are only two labs that do this test effectively, one is LabCorp, and the other I can't remember right now, but it's not Quest. It's a specialty lab.

Also, the C6 Peptide is a good test for Lyme disease, and you can do that test with Quest Diagnostics.

Remember, if you are having symptoms, then most likely you are being affected by Lyme disease and/or one or more of the Co-infections if you tested positive for it.

If you don't want to take antibiotics, you may want to try treating with Botanicals, and find yourself a good Naturopathic Physician who is very familiar with treating people with these conditions.

You can get better. Persistency and the right treatment plan is the key to success.

Best wishes, and God bless!

I will have to ask my doctor for both of these tests as well. I have a current Epstein Barr infection and was recently diagnosed with Hashimoto's. I have the read that these two issues are found commonly in people with Lyme. I also had a positive ANA.

I reached out to ILADS for doctors but haven't heard anything back yet. There is a naturopath here who has written books on Lyme and the like, but her initial consultation is $500 for an hour! But, may just need to bite the bullet. I get the feeling my current naturopath doesn't know a whole lot about Lyme. She has me on 21 days of doxy at 100mg (which she had to look up on Google) when I've read the protocol should be 1 - 2 months at 200mg. I am pretty worried I've wasted time taking a sub-optimal dose and wasting time.
Posted 6/26/2018 3:58 PM (GMT 0)

sunvsmoon said...

Girlie said...

Lvg123 said...


I wouldn't wait until it changes to IGG to treat as it's much harder to treat at that point.


If/when that even happens.

I had symptoms for 14 months and I was positive IgM

My husband has had it for many years (at least 10) and he was also IgM positive.

You could be waiting a long time for it to switch to IgG.

I bet the doc would just say it was an old infection and no treatment needed if you pulled out a positive IgG anyway...

Did both of you test IGG positive when you tested IGM positive as well? I still don't quite understand how those two sets of bands work. Were you able to beat it, and if so, how?


No, not positive IgG. I believe we both had one IgG band 41

Nope I haven’t reached remission yet - I’m almost at 4 years now - and still have a handful of stubborn symptoms left. ( about 8 - with a couple that still make my life miserable) I had close to 40.

Husband hasn’t treated - has manageable symptoms
Posted 6/28/2018 1:54 AM (GMT 0)

Girlie said...

sunvsmoon said...

Girlie said...

Lvg123 said...


I wouldn't wait until it changes to IGG to treat as it's much harder to treat at that point.


If/when that even happens.

I had symptoms for 14 months and I was positive IgM

My husband has had it for many years (at least 10) and he was also IgM positive.

You could be waiting a long time for it to switch to IgG.

I bet the doc would just say it was an old infection and no treatment needed if you pulled out a positive IgG anyway...

Did both of you test IGG positive when you tested IGM positive as well? I still don't quite understand how those two sets of bands work. Were you able to beat it, and if so, how?


No, not positive IgG. I believe we both had one IgG band 41

Nope I haven’t reached remission yet - I’m almost at 4 years now - and still have a handful of stubborn symptoms left. ( about 8 - with a couple that still make my life miserable) I had close to 40.

Husband hasn’t treated - has manageable symptoms

The fact that you had about 40 symptoms and are down to 8 gives me hope! Do you just continue to test through Igenex to track your progress or go purely on symptoms?
Posted 6/28/2018 2:00 AM (GMT 0)
Based on your result, I'll agree with your ND that it appears to be an acute infection. Nip that in the bud!
Posted 6/28/2018 2:46 AM (GMT 0)

sunvsmoon said...

Girlie said...

sunvsmoon said...

Girlie said...

Lvg123 said...


I wouldn't wait until it changes to IGG to treat as it's much harder to treat at that point.


If/when that even happens.

I had symptoms for 14 months and I was positive IgM

My husband has had it for many years (at least 10) and he was also IgM positive.

You could be waiting a long time for it to switch to IgG.

I bet the doc would just say it was an old infection and no treatment needed if you pulled out a positive IgG anyway...

Did both of you test IGG positive when you tested IGM positive as well? I still don't quite understand how those two sets of bands work. Were you able to beat it, and if so, how?


No, not positive IgG. I believe we both had one IgG band 41

Nope I haven’t reached remission yet - I’m almost at 4 years now - and still have a handful of stubborn symptoms left. ( about 8 - with a couple that still make my life miserable) I had close to 40.

Husband hasn’t treated - has manageable symptoms

The fact that you had about 40 symptoms and are down to 8 gives me hope! Do you just continue to test through Igenex to track your progress or go purely on symptoms?

No haven't done a lyme WB since. It can't be used to gauge treatment.

There are too many false negatives..

...and you can still produce antibodies even after you're in remission, so on a test, it looks like you still have it. I don't know how long those antibodies can continue.
Posted 6/28/2018 2:49 AM (GMT 0)

Justin01 said...
Hello Girlie, that's not true. Rheumatic types of 'autoimmune' disorders can cause a false positive with the Western Blot. Though, I believe that Lyme disease, as well as other infections, are some of the major causes of these so called 'autoimmune' disorders.

With regard to the 'cross-reactivity,' I was referring to the Co-infections. There are a lot of cross-reactivity reactions. For instance, Brucella is a cousin of Bartonella, meaning that if you are positive for Bartonella, you may test positive for Brucella and not actually have Brucella. Additionally, some people test positive for RMSF, yet have no symptoms. You either have symptoms, or you don't. If no symptoms, then that means it doesn't affect you, at least not right now, with exception to something like RMSF. There is a strand of RMSF that causes a lot of false positives as well, called rickettsia amblyommii. It is self-limiting and doesn't have the same dangerous symptoms as RMSF. There are a few recent scientific articles regarding it. There are many others as well, but the point here is that I agree that you treat either way.

As for the CD57 Natural Kill Cells test, the researchers who studied it found that it is highly specific to chronic Lyme disease, and that if it is low, than that means that there is chronic Lyme disease state. That distinguishes it from an 'autoimmune' condition. That's not to say that there isn't an autoimmune condition going on, but as I stated earlier, 'autoimmune' conditions are caused by many things, including possibly infections from microbes, such as the Lyme spirochette. It can get very complicated, and no one diffinitively knows exactly what's happening with regard to these infections, as well as all other diseased states, but we do have some clues.

There have been other researchers and doctors that critiqued the CD57 NK Cells test findings, but if you read the researchers' response (the ones who studied it and found it useful), they explained that there were many flaws in the critiquing of the original study. Either way, nothing is perfect, and the Western Blot is definitely far from it. It is only 35% sensitive, meaning that at least 65% of the people who actually have Lyme disease are missed by the test. That's terrible.

Additionally, more and more we are finding out that it really doesn't matter if you are IgG or IgM positive, you can still have the disease, and have had it for a while, or you may not. It all depends on your immune system and how and when it officially reacts to the infections, as well as what ever other issues are going on in your body. Like I said, it's very complicated and there isn't any 100% definitive
answers with these things. That's why I highly lean towards Naturopathic treatment. It addresses the body on so many levels.

Best wishes, and God bless!

No, autoimmune disorders do not cause lyme specific bands to be positive. That is why they're called lyme 'specific' bands.
Many (including THE Dr. J) will not use the CD57 to gauge response as it's not reliable enough.
Posted 6/28/2018 3:10 AM (GMT 0)

Girlie said...

sunvsmoon said...

Girlie said...

sunvsmoon said...

Girlie said...

Lvg123 said...


I wouldn't wait until it changes to IGG to treat as it's much harder to treat at that point.


If/when that even happens.

I had symptoms for 14 months and I was positive IgM

My husband has had it for many years (at least 10) and he was also IgM positive.

You could be waiting a long time for it to switch to IgG.

I bet the doc would just say it was an old infection and no treatment needed if you pulled out a positive IgG anyway...

Did both of you test IGG positive when you tested IGM positive as well? I still don't quite understand how those two sets of bands work. Were you able to beat it, and if so, how?


No, not positive IgG. I believe we both had one IgG band 41

Nope I haven’t reached remission yet - I’m almost at 4 years now - and still have a handful of stubborn symptoms left. ( about 8 - with a couple that still make my life miserable) I had close to 40.

Husband hasn’t treated - has manageable symptoms

The fact that you had about 40 symptoms and are down to 8 gives me hope! Do you just continue to test through Igenex to track your progress or go purely on symptoms?

No haven't done a lyme WB since. It can't be used to gauge treatment.

There are too many false negatives..

...and you can still produce antibodies even after you're in remission, so on a test, it looks like you still have it. I don't know how long those antibodies can continue.

Goodness, this disease is complicated! It sounds like remission is almost solely diagnosed on symptoms. I need to start paying more attention to mine.
Posted 6/28/2018 3:45 AM (GMT 0)
Re acute vs chronic - you had symptoms for 3-4 months before starting treatment, right?

I’d say you’re maybe early disseminated - with your symptoms of swollen neck, brain fog and fatigue -

So in between acute when you catch it in the first few weeks and chronic.

Do you have any other symptoms?

You do need to treat until symptom free.
Posted 6/28/2018 9:08 PM (GMT 0)

Girlie said...
Re acute vs chronic - you had symptoms for 3-4 months before starting treatment, right?

I’d say you’re maybe early disseminated - with your symptoms of swollen neck, brain fog and fatigue -

So in between acute when you catch it in the first few weeks and chronic.

Do you have any other symptoms?

You do need to treat until symptom free.

Yes, that is correct. However, I also tested positive for a recent Epstein-Barr infection and was diagnosed with Hashimoto's, so that could have been what caused brain fog and all that jazz 3 - 4 months ago as well. Perhaps I've had Lyme for way longer than I ever realized but never thought that the 'symptoms' were abnormal and not just everyday life/getting older. I was hoping there would be a better way to tell how long I've actually had it looking at the WB test. Is there any way at all to get a rough idea besides using symptoms?
Posted 6/28/2018 9:20 PM (GMT 0)

sunvsmoon said...

Girlie said...
Re acute vs chronic - you had symptoms for 3-4 months before starting treatment, right?

I’d say you’re maybe early disseminated - with your symptoms of swollen neck, brain fog and fatigue -

So in between acute when you catch it in the first few weeks and chronic.

Do you have any other symptoms?

You do need to treat until symptom free.

Yes, that is correct. However, I also tested positive for a recent Epstein-Barr infection and was diagnosed with Hashimoto's, so that could have been what caused brain fog and all that jazz 3 - 4 months ago as well. Perhaps I've had Lyme for way longer than I ever realized but never thought that the 'symptoms' were abnormal and not just everyday life/getting older. I was hoping there would be a better way to tell how long I've actually had it looking at the WB test. Is there any way at all to get a rough idea besides using symptoms?

Nope, and in the long run - either way - you need to treat until symptom free.
Posted 6/28/2018 9:24 PM (GMT 0)

sunvsmoon said...

Justin01 said...
You can get false positives, but there is a lot of cross-reactivity between these infections. If you are sick, then treat. Sometimes an 'autoimmune' condition can cause a positive with the Western Blot, but many 'autoimmune' disorders are caused by infections, such as Lyme, and especially a Bartonella infection. One test to help distinguish between a chronic Lyme disease infection and something else is the CD57 Natural Killer Cells blood test. There are only two labs that do this test effectively, one is LabCorp, and the other I can't remember right now, but it's not Quest. It's a specialty lab.

Also, the C6 Peptide is a good test for Lyme disease, and you can do that test with Quest Diagnostics.

Remember, if you are having symptoms, then most likely you are being affected by Lyme disease and/or one or more of the Co-infections if you tested positive for it.

If you don't want to take antibiotics, you may want to try treating with Botanicals, and find yourself a good Naturopathic Physician who is very familiar with treating people with these conditions.

You can get better. Persistency and the right treatment plan is the key to success.

Best wishes, and God bless!

I will have to ask my doctor for both of these tests as well. I have a current Epstein Barr infection and was recently diagnosed with Hashimoto's. I have the read that these two issues are found commonly in people with Lyme. I also had a positive ANA.

I reached out to ILADS for doctors but haven't heard anything back yet. There is a naturopath here who has written books on Lyme and the like, but her initial consultation is $500 for an hour! But, may just need to bite the bullet. I get the feeling my current naturopath doesn't know a whole lot about Lyme. She has me on 21 days of doxy at 100mg (which she had to look up on Google) when I've read the protocol should be 1 - 2 months at 200mg. I am pretty worried I've wasted time taking a sub-optimal dose and wasting time.

Definitely find another Naturopathic Physician that is more experienced. The most important thing to remember when being treated is to do the following:

1. Cleanse your body from as much toxins as possible, and keep doing this throughout the whole treatment process. It increases circulatory flow and lymphatic flow, which helps your body to dump toxins more efficiently, as well as to transport nutrients more efficiently to the cells of the body.

2. Eat a clean (organic) diet, full of green leafy vegetables, bean, some small white fish, and try to minimize meat intake when possible. Avoiding the following tends to help as well: sugars, processed foods, sodas, dairy, gluten, and other foods that are inflammatory to you (food sensitivities and allergies testing can be very beneficial as well). Additionally, supplementation when needed can be beneficial too.

3. The above will reduce the inflammatory state and help with tissue repair. Tissue damage is the cause of the symptoms. Taking good quality natural anti-inflammatory supplements additionally may help.

4. Go after the microbes, if you choose. Many people tend to get better just by doing the above. Though, using antimicrobials (natural, and pharmaceutical, which ever you feel more comfortable taking) can help knock these microbes back until your body becomes strong enough to fight off these infections.

A good Naturopathic Physician, if trained in the old school ways of Natural Cure, can be your best bet in recovering from the effects of this disease.
Posted 6/28/2018 9:39 PM (GMT 0)

Justin01 said...
ons.


Definitely find another Naturopathic Physician that is more experienced. The most important thing to remember when being treated is to do the following:

1. Cleanse your body from as much toxins as possible, and keep doing this throughout the whole treatment process. It increases circulatory flow and lymphatic flow, which helps your body to dump toxins more efficiently, as well as to transport nutrients more efficiently to the cells of the body.

2. Eat a clean (organic) diet, full of green leafy vegetables, bean, some small white fish, and try to minimize meat intake when possible. Avoiding the following tends to help as well: sugars, processed foods, sodas, dairy, gluten, and other foods that are inflammatory to you (food sensitivities and allergies testing can be very beneficial as well). Additionally, supplementation when needed can be beneficial too.

3. The above will reduce the inflammatory state and help with tissue repair. Tissue damage is the cause of the symptoms. Taking good quality natural anti-inflammatory supplements additionally may help.

4. Go after the microbes, if you choose. Many people tend to get better just by doing the above. Though, using antimicrobials (natural, and pharmaceutical, which ever you feel more comfortable taking) can help knock these microbes back until your body becomes strong enough to fight off these infections.

A good Naturopathic Physician, if trained in the old school ways of Natural Cure, can be your best bet in recovering from the effects of this disease.

I do agree with some of your recommendations BUT - not minimizing meat intake. Opinions on which diet is the best differed from person to person.
good, lean protein from meat isn't unhealthy.
And no it's not recommended to just change your diet and add anti-inflammatories.

Do you know people who have gotten better ie symptom free/healed by just doing that?
Posted 6/29/2018 2:47 PM (GMT 0)

Justin01 said...

sunvsmoon said...

Justin01 said...
You can get false positives, but there is a lot of cross-reactivity between these infections. If you are sick, then treat. Sometimes an 'autoimmune' condition can cause a positive with the Western Blot, but many 'autoimmune' disorders are caused by infections, such as Lyme, and especially a Bartonella infection. One test to help distinguish between a chronic Lyme disease infection and something else is the CD57 Natural Killer Cells blood test. There are only two labs that do this test effectively, one is LabCorp, and the other I can't remember right now, but it's not Quest. It's a specialty lab.

Also, the C6 Peptide is a good test for Lyme disease, and you can do that test with Quest Diagnostics.

Remember, if you are having symptoms, then most likely you are being affected by Lyme disease and/or one or more of the Co-infections if you tested positive for it.

If you don't want to take antibiotics, you may want to try treating with Botanicals, and find yourself a good Naturopathic Physician who is very familiar with treating people with these conditions.

You can get better. Persistency and the right treatment plan is the key to success.

Best wishes, and God bless!

I will have to ask my doctor for both of these tests as well. I have a current Epstein Barr infection and was recently diagnosed with Hashimoto's. I have the read that these two issues are found commonly in people with Lyme. I also had a positive ANA.

I reached out to ILADS for doctors but haven't heard anything back yet. There is a naturopath here who has written books on Lyme and the like, but her initial consultation is $500 for an hour! But, may just need to bite the bullet. I get the feeling my current naturopath doesn't know a whole lot about Lyme. She has me on 21 days of doxy at 100mg (which she had to look up on Google) when I've read the protocol should be 1 - 2 months at 200mg. I am pretty worried I've wasted time taking a sub-optimal dose and wasting time.

Definitely find another Naturopathic Physician that is more experienced. The most important thing to remember when being treated is to do the following:

1. Cleanse your body from as much toxins as possible, and keep doing this throughout the whole treatment process. It increases circulatory flow and lymphatic flow, which helps your body to dump toxins more efficiently, as well as to transport nutrients more efficiently to the cells of the body.

2. Eat a clean (organic) diet, full of green leafy vegetables, bean, some small white fish, and try to minimize meat intake when possible. Avoiding the following tends to help as well: sugars, processed foods, sodas, dairy, gluten, and other foods that are inflammatory to you (food sensitivities and allergies testing can be very beneficial as well). Additionally, supplementation when needed can be beneficial too.

3. The above will reduce the inflammatory state and help with tissue repair. Tissue damage is the cause of the symptoms. Taking good quality natural anti-inflammatory supplements additionally may help.

4. Go after the microbes, if you choose. Many people tend to get better just by doing the above. Though, using antimicrobials (natural, and pharmaceutical, which ever you feel more comfortable taking) can help knock these microbes back until your body becomes strong enough to fight off these infections.

A good Naturopathic Physician, if trained in the old school ways of Natural Cure, can be your best bet in recovering from the effects of this disease.

Thank you for all of these recommendations! I had a pretty healthy lifestyle and diet prior to being diagnosed with this so it was very defeating. My naturopath also did a food sensitivity test so am avoiding the ones I can that came back high (a TON came back reactive indicating leaky gut, so she has me focusing on the worst offenders). She has me on turmeric, NAC, probiotics, an immune support supplement, a digestive enzyme, and supplements for specific vitamin deficiencies. I try and do magnesium salt baths every other day for detoxing and drink a lot of water. I know there are so many other recommendations out there for things to do, but are there one or two items that you would recommend that I am not doing and are important?
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