They are concerned about the high number of positives and are under the impression that even people that don't have Lyme get a positive test from Bowen.

What do we really know about the level of false positives from the Bowen test?

Have any methodical tests been conducted to determine the accuracy?

Michael
 

Lida Mattman has also found many many patients positive for Bb in the chronic illness population. In fact, she is finding it very difficult to find blood free of Bb for control purposes. It is interesting to note that Lida Mattman's lab was closed down evidently due to her uncovering of the magnitude of this pandemic. Many patients who send their blood to the Bowen lab have already been clinically diagnosed with lyme. This may partially account for the high number of positives. The Bowen test...instead of looking for antibodies (which are rarely present in chronic lyme), isolates the actual organism. I tested positive for lyme and babesia at the Bowen lab. I feel I must have had babesia for the 15 years I was ill with sweats and chills, shortness of breath etc. I was tested for babesia at other labs throughout the years and never tested positive. Adding malaria drugs to my list of meds has helped immensely...plus it confirmed that I was positive for lyme.

I feel that the Bowen lab is showing the extreme extent of the lyme/coinfection epidemic
 

if bowen is fda approved (if and when) that would be fantastic... but in the meantime.

dr. whitaker does seem to have very good cred though (though not street cred lol) :
http://seminoles.collegesports.com/sports/w-baskbl/spec-rel/101104aab.html

you could always fork out the $150 and send blood of someone you positively know is not lyme infected to bowen and see what the results are???

[This message has been edited by zipzip (edited 27 October 2004).]
 

Yesterday I spoke with a technician who said they do have controls with negative results. She said my doctor was welcome to call the lab supervisor if he had any questions or concerns.

I think it is an epidemic and could have easily been spread with contaminated blood across the country. However a "healthy" person can probably keep it suppressed enough not to have symptoms. As soon as we can afford it I want my husband to get tested, too, just to see how different our titers are on the test (he has no symptoms). Maybe there are some genetic factors that make some of us more susceptible (I think I've seen some posts about that).

Probably the other reason they're not as well accepted right now is the fact that you have to pay and insurance is unlikely to reiumburse. My doctor was concerned about that, but I told him I'd rather pay the $250 and know for sure and have a baseline for our treatment than keep getting negative tests. If I have a high titer I will go ahead and test with Igenex to see if it shows up on the Western Blot.

I wish Bowen would put some kind of explanatory statement on their website about the results and their controls so more doctors would be willing to accept it.

Jan
 

Like daystar, I tested negative for Babesia at other labs, but Bowen Lab saw it in my red blood cells. I saw a lot of improvement after treatment.

Also had positive results for Bartonella at Med Diag Lab in NJ.

After treating for Babesiosis & Bartonella, I've been off antibiotics for 18 months.

Without the Bowen test, I would not have gotten the diagnosis of Babesiosis.

I agree with MADDOG, I think the increasing number of cases of Lyme disease are just the tip of the iceberg. Just the more seriously ill are seeking drs & a diagnosis.

Kinda like people having "walking pneumonia" & not knowing why they're dragging around not feeling well.

To me, it is scarey the way this disease is being ignored or trivialized.
 

I think about this every day!!
Why is the medical profession ignoring this disease?!!!!

I even had a doctor go so far as to indicate that if Lyme is so common, then how come I am so sick - as if he were saying it was my fault I was extremely ill with lyme!!

I am sure there are thousands of undiagnosed very ill people out there - I just want to find them all and offer them some hope for treatment!
However, it would be nice if there were more money spent on trying to find more accurate tests and better treatments!

What can we do?

This test saved my life. I was bitten in 1994 and did not know I had lyme until 2000 when the LUAT came out. I then sent my blood to CT. for the Peptide 6, showed me babesia; Quest band 41; Positive Eliza; PCR from Igenex showed lyme and they found no coinfections; MDL found nothing. When I heard one of the LLMD's speak about Bowen in 2001, I then went to this lab that showed me I had not only lyme but HME, HGE and babs.
I have gone to 16 doctors before this test who thought I had MS, Lupus etc. etc.

They are the best lab to show the coinfections. My husband and I only use this lab and follow our lyme count.

Go to: www.lymediseaseinformation.com and see the pamphlet from Pizer that shows the co-infections the same as Bowen.

If you really want to know what is in your blood only go there.

Go
 

Recently, she also tested pos. for babs through Igenex FISH. She is now 5, and is still fighting it.

This made me wonder if I really did give it to her. I sent my blood to Bowen a few months ago.

I was NEGATIVE for ALL coinfections, but HIGHLY postive for lyme.

Scarier yet, Jones was right all along- my babe had been reinfected as a toddler in the Texas hill country on an Easter Egg hunt, years ago!! Looking back, I even remember the rash and fever! I thought she just had a virus!

I believe in their methods now. =)

Kristin
 

These two LLMDs refuse to send to Bowen. And one LLMD said that NY state is not even allowed to send to the Bowen lab. I forget the reason for this.

And what I can not fathom either is why the Bowen lab doesn't advertise the accuracy of their technique by showing some hardcore facts about false negatives and false positives.

Michael