What do you think about the Bowen Lyme test. I have considered testing there because they send pictures and all of the different types of Lyme. I have heard though that everyone who tests there comes back positive.
I read on their site that out of 2600 people who were clinically diagnosed with Lyme that 100% of those were positive.
What is your take? Have you been tested there? Was it worth it?
They also ask for a suggested donation of $250. Do you always send in the $250?
Thanks, Hope
Posted by JeffM (Member # 8919) on :
Not well respected by the LLMDs i have seen.
Posted by bettyg (Member # 6147) on :
I had my blood sent there for co-infections; found NONE and verified I did have chronic lyme.
I was very disappointed; no photos since they found nothing. Just a simple letter saying you sent them $250 tax deductible.
Yes, $250 is mandatory; never heard of anyone getting by for less!
I'd suggest either:
Igenex, Calif. which has the breakdown of EACH protein band shown with positive, negative, ind. or MD Labs, New Jersey; they also found my 3 types of EBV/epstein barr virus/mono in me, HHV-6, and simplex herpes virus in me BUT that was another test in addition to lyme.
I was pleased with both IGX and MDL. Bettyg
Posted by hiker53 (Member # 6046) on :
I had the Bowen test (my gyno agreed to it) before I knew about Igenex. Since I came back positive as most people do, it was a wake-up call to my general practioner who knows nothing about Lyme. So, if you need a positive test to get your duck listening, Bowen is the place. But I do not think it is as accurate as Igenex. Hiker
Posted by daystar1952 (Member # 3255) on :
I personally am very happy I had the Bowen Test. It confirmed a lyme diagnosis and showed I had babesiosis. Other tests taken for the babesiosis were negative. I have been treated for the babesiosis and improved greatly. I also am being treated consistently for the lyme and am doing much better.
The Bowen is an immune flourescent assay which shows the actual microbe. The other tests are antibody tests which depend on your immune response....which can be blunted for many reasons.
Posted by jwf (Member # 6292) on :
Although the Bowen antigen test for Lyme disease is not favored by the medical profession it has been confirmed visually by microsope to be 100% accurate.
As of this writing, the Bradford Research Institute/Ingles Hospital has 100% confirmation between Lyme morphology obtained utilizing the Bradford High Resolution Microscope and the Bowen fluorescent antibody test, 36 patients with positive correlation and 3 controls with negative correlation.
Blue Skies.........John
Posted by Nal (Member # 6801) on :
Thats a tough call. I know that my LLMD does not like Bowen and always used Igenx. I guess I would definately do more research into both labs and go from there.
Nancy
Posted by pab (Member # 904) on :
We go to one of the best LLMDs and he thinks the test is very accurate but he wishes they had a larger control group.
Posted by SForsgren (Member # 7686) on :
Useful, but I would not use it as the primary diagnostic tool. I would use IgeneX first, then maybe Bowen. For me, it missed all the coinfections that were later confirmed via other labs.
It also IMO is not a good indicator of progress. # of bugs in blood increasing or decreasing does not tell you much. What's better? More in the blood or less in the blood but more in the brain?
I find IGeneX much more useful overall.
Posted by Truthfinder (Member # 8512) on :
I, too, am happy that I went with the Bowen test. It suited my purposes. I have the highest level of Bb in my blood that the Bowen test recognizes, but because I have had this bug for so long, my chances were pretty good of testing negative with Igenex.
No one has been able to prove that the Bowen test is inaccurate. Accuracy has been confirmed both by high-power electron microscope and by culturing.
If you have the Lyme bug in your blood, the Bowen test will show it. On the flipside, every antibody test out there - even Igenex and MDL - has false-negatives.
As Hiker pointed out, if you are dealing with a Duck, then a positive Bowen test might at least get your duck to listen to you. On the other hand, if you get several negative tests back from Igenex, your Duck will think you are a Loon.
If you are seeing an LLMD, then go with whatever testing he/she recommends because they can diagnose you with or without a positive test.
Testing for co-infections using Bowen may be a different matter.
Sadly, part of the reason Bowen does not have a larger control group is that we are running out of ``controls'' in the U.S. There are many people with Bb in their blood who are not symptomatic. So it isn't just the presence of Bb that makes people sick. Remember that this is a ``disease complex''. There are still people in the U.K, Germany, and other parts of Europe who test negative with the Bowen test.
When I had my Bowen test done in December, the donation cost at Bowen for JUST the Bb (Lyme) test was $150.
The $250 donation was if you wanted to be tested for Babesia, Ehrlichia, and pathogenic E-coli in addition to the Bb test. The information on their website has changed, so it might be worth a call to Bowen if you need clarification. They are no longer listing an e-mail address in their contact information.
I have a nice picture of my Bb, suitable for framing.
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