They [Bowen] confirmed this, sort of, by saying that Bowen has not yet been authorized to test specimens from NY state.
Since I also live in NY state, I proceeded to ask them that if I had a doctor from say NJ or CT (which are authorized to use Bowen), if that would enable me to get tested at Bowen.
They didn't believe so since Bowen is not allowed to test specimens from NY state...or so they thought.
They were, however, not absolutely sure and told me to call back tomorrow.
Does any of this sound familiar to some of you, and what did you do about it?
It just doesn't seem reasonable that I can't use the Bowen facility.
I mean, it's almost like telling NY residents that they can not buy [taxfree] clothes in NJ.
Michael
a bowen positive doesn't equal anything anyway since it is not liscened as a dianostic test in any state.
and since you're already under the care of an LLMD and the clinical diagosis has been made it seems pretty redundant to have a bowen test.
There are two reason why I wanna persue Bowen.
First, I want to track the degree of Bb infection in my blood via the titer level.
This way I get some kind of evidence if the treatment program I'm on is working or not.
Second, I want to know if I have Babesia. Supposedly, they can identify several different strains.
Who's your doctor? And do you live in NY state?
Michael
the bowen buffy coat blood smear can be helpful in determining babesia as they test for two strains, i believe b. microti and WA-1. i could be wrong about this, but i'm fairly sure.
titers could be up regardless of symptoms anyhow. cure is subjective, not by empirical evidence.
i had a low bowen titer but am very symptomatic compared to others i have spoken to with higher titers.
obviously you could pick a dozen reasons for that including natural immunity, ixodes strain, etc.
anyhow i thought you just started mino/plaq and are adding amoxy. probably jumping the gun to see progress from an objective point already???
anyhow i'm suprised they don't take ny specimens, odd.
maybe you could go to a quest or enzo lab in ct and have the specimen drawn there and sent out?
but it's probably depedent on referring doc.....
My son & I have had both Bowen & Igenex positive tests. My former LLMD refused to see my son, unless he had the Bowen Lab test done. ABX do not interfere with the results.
Here's an opinion from Dr. McnTeddy on Lymenet. No, he's not masquerading as a doctor. He's the real deal & truly has LD.
From Dr. McnTeddy:
"I disagree with having a test at Bowen is a waste of money. For one thing they have been proved 100% accurate with their test for Borrelia by another lab using long term culture method with all results coinciding on over 300 same blood specimen tests.
As regards wasting money, what they ask for a donation (around $200) for testing is fractional to what other labs would charge. They rely on donations. They test samples from 9 or10 different countries and the director of the lab is one of the top microbiologists in the country and honored so by the WhiteHouse.
They have brilliant, dedicated microscopists.I have visited the Bowen lab a number of times and can verify the above. The lab was the first to diagnose positively my Borreliosis, Ehrlichiosis and Babesiosis."
Source; (You'll have to scroll down to the 20th reply ----long thread)
http://flash.lymenet.org/ubb/Forum1/HTML/027469.html
Hope this helps.
Take Care,
Jan
My Bowen test said positive for lyme and no coinfections. Testing through Igenex proved I have a whopping case of babs.
Bowen for lyme but Igenex for coinfections is my advice.
regards
Lymelady
In my case, the Bowen test was positive for Babesiosis, but my previous tests for Babs had been negative at 2 other reliable labs.
In the mid 1990s, test at BBI Lab in CT was negative for Babs. (This lab was bought out some years ago.)
In the late 1990s, test at Medical Diag Lab was negative for Babs.
In 2001, Bowen test was positive for Babs.
This was quite a surprise.
Since I had two previous negative tests & my symptoms were so subtle, I had not suspected Babesiosis. Thought all my symptoms were due to LD.
After treating Bartonella & Babs, I've been off antibiotics since March 2003.
In my case, the Bowen tests made the difference.
quote:
Originally posted by zipzip:
anyhow i thought you just started mino/plaq and are adding amoxy. probably jumping the gun to see progress from an objective point already???
The point is to get a baseline "measurement" to start tracking emperical improvements.
And the time is NOW since it seems the mino/plaq/amox are working...unlike all the other meds I've been on.
I can see how titers can be low while being symptomatic and vice versa how titers can be high while not being symptomatic.
Nevertheless, the Bowen QRIBb method seems to be the best of all available methods to at least provide some feedback wrt a treatment programs ability to kill the bugs.
Michael
Bowen does not accept specimens from anybody in NY state.
Not from doctors, nor from residents.
So a NY resident has to have a residence in another state, such as NJ or CT, AND use a doctor from another state, such as NJ or CT.
zip, I'm surprised you got away with it. Who was your doctor?
In any case, even though this is a bit inconvenient, I can just go "live" with inlaws in NJ for "a while". At least during the visit to a NJ LLMD...
Bowen also told me that they were not able to identify Babesia strains. They only report positive/negative infection.
Though I got the impression that the person I spoke to wasn't 100% what she was talking about.
So I'll try calling again later to hopefully speak to another person.
Michael
[This message has been edited by cmichaelo (edited 04 January 2005).]
quote:
Originally posted by mcnteddy:
I think New York must be another country and not part of the USA not allowing Bowen tests. NY has a huge number of Lyme cases and I assume they don't want them diagnosed, it might cause too much expense to treat. Ted
That's not a bad theory you have there, Ted.
As you probably know, our esteemed Gov. Pataki just vetoed the OPMC reform bill.
I know it's not nice to say this, but I'm sure we would all benefit if Pataki gets bitten.
Naturally, I hope for Pataki that he doesn't get bitten.
Michael
I had not only the lyme but HGE, HME and babs. I am now free from the co-infections.
We trust this lab completely. The blood tests are political also. I also thought that NY could not use Igenex either. Bowen is patented and has filed for FDA approval. Remember, they are a 501(c)(3) organization where your donation can come off of your taxes. This lab works for all of us to make our life as a lyme victim worth living as you know what you are facing.
Happy New Year to All! 
Thanks Michael for the heads up about Bowen. I had no idea New York residents were not able to get it.
I usually recommend the IGENEX Lab first to everyone, but I still believe Bowen is good.
Good luck on your testing,
Jan
------------------
Lyme Disease Help
http://www.wildcondor.com
quote:
Originally posted by WildCondor:
Is this temporary? last year I was able to use Bowen from NY and with a NY doctor with no problems. This stinks!!
Bowen has a pending request with NY for testing specimens.
I would think that Bowen never had permission to test specimens from NY since that is probably something that has to be granted by the state.
Or maybe this is a new law in NY state. I don't know.
But if I give full freedom to my imagination, I can certainly come up with some other explanations.
email me off the list to discuss.
Michael
quote:
Originally posted by MammaLyme:
Bowen can see all of the strains of Babesia.
there are 13 known genomic strains of babesia that have been identified, Bowen does not and cannot culture them all.
[This message has been edited by zipzip (edited 06 January 2005).]
Alex
quote:
Originally posted by Alexbabets:
Talked to Bowen. They have made application with fees to New York which will allow residence to order lab test from Bowen. New York hasn't returned the application or fees...perhaps it just takes time to process?Alex
Did they say when they submitted the application?
Alex