[tweet_box]Alternative Lyme disease treatments are popular — either used alone (31%) or in conjunction with antibiotics (38%).[/tweet_box]

The most effective alternative Lyme disease treatments reported

Two important things to note here. First, the most effective alternative treatment reported is herbal protocols, while the least effective reported is stem cell. Herbal protocols, many of which have antimicrobial properties, were the most popular alternative treatment—with 68% of patients who used them reporting that they were either moderately or very effective, with a low side effect profile.

Only 3% of the 331 patients who used stem cells said that they were effective in treating their Lyme disease. The rest either said that they were unsure or that the treatment was not effective. And remember, stem cell treatment can be very expensive, inconvenient –often involving traveling long distances, and has been invasive in terms of procedures.

View MyLymeData video about Lyme disease alternative treatment study

[arve url=”https://youtu.be/DisSlelVcrc” title=”MyLymeData Lyme Disease Alternative Treatment Study”]

Alternative Lyme disease treatment side effects

We also asked about side effects experienced by patients who used alternative lyme disease treatments. A lot of people think that because alternative treatments are natural, they don’t have side effects. but they do. Detox had the most reported side effects, and, was the second most popular, and rated the third most effective. Rife, which was almost tied in terms of having the most side effects, was not reported to be very effective — 69% reported it was either not effective or they were unsure. Not surprising, it was not very popular.

Lyme disease treatment decisions — whether they are antibiotics or alternative treatments – always involve benefit/risk trade-offs.

These vary for different people. But it is important for patients to know how other patients have respond to alternative treatments and to take this into account when selecting treatment options.

If you are a patient who is not enrolled in MyLymeData,  please enroll today. If you are a researcher who wants to collaborate with us, please contact me directly.

The MyLymeData Viz Blog is written by Lorraine Johnson, JD, MBA, who is the Chief Executive Officer of LymeDisease.org. You can contact her at lbjohnson@lymefaces.com. On Twitter, follow her @lymepolicywonk.