Prior to starting treatment a couple weeks ago with Biaxin and Plaquenil, my mother was taking a multi-vitamin and a B Complex vitamin. He told her to stop those, but he didn't suggest that she add anything else. He didn't even recommend probiotics.

I have read that there are only certain supplements that Dr. D instructs his patients not to take. Obviously, the multis and B vitamins are two of those.

- Can anyone tell me what other supplements he instructs his patients not to take?

- Any that he does suggest but may have forgotten to tell my parents about?

- What is his position on probiotics?

I believe he instructs his patients not to take any supplements. He doesn't give instructions for taking acidophilus but I do believe he thinks his patients should be taking it. So, I think your mother will need to figure out her own dosages and timing for it. Some people here could probably suggest good brands (I get one from my doctor's office called Co-Biotic) and how often to take them (I take two pills three times a day).

Peace and healing,
Annie

------------------

Lyme Out Retreat Website

Lyme Disease Awareness Products

Click here to join Lyme Pals.

quote:

---

Originally posted by sofy:
I just saw him for the first time.

I saw another doc for over a year and took a ton of supplements and didnt get one bit better so I have nothing to loose following his protocol for a while.

He said no vitamins, antioxidents like the coQ10 I was taking and vit c is a no no.

I had osteopinia so have to take supplements for my bones so I will be taking calcium, magnesium , zinc, copper boron and vit d and k.

I had a terrible time finding one that didnt have vit c or b in it but finally found one and ordered it.

He was ok with those supplements and the probiotic I take. No doc ever told me how to take probiotic. I tried a zillion of them until I found Primal Defense and it works for me and Im sticking with it.

I wish your mother well.

He didnt say anything but I do follow a very healthy diet so that I get all my vitamins thru food. Lots of fresh organic greens etc.

I also take vegetable digestive enzymes with each meal to be sure Im using what I eat.

---

I think your question shows the kind of shaky trust we can have in the doctors we have. I truly think it will help your parents if you can project confidence in Dr D, at least for now. A feeling of trust and hope and confidence can help healing, in my opinion.

Okay, so...Dr D is fine with probiotics, but like many won't go into it. Get the kind that is refrigerated. We get Ultra Flora Plus forma chiropractor's office, and send away for Custom Probiotics (they are online), but there are good cultures in probiotics in health stores, which we used to rely on. Try and rotate so you get a variety of bacteria. I think 10-15 billion live organisms/capusle is good. Yogurt helps too!

Dr. D won't suggest supplements. He will tell you not to take anything that the Lyme bacteria can feed on. But if you e-mail him with questions about specific supplements, he will tell you which ones are okay. He is flexible! The B vitamins are the biggest no-no.

He does not sell supplements in his office. You not leave his office with empty pockets.

He was one of the most sincere and caring person I have met in my life.

The only supplements he has issues with are the B's and C's.

His background is not only infectious disease he is also a bacteriologist. I have a feeling he would have insights into what feeds Lyme.

He has also been agreable to test for coinfections.

I have just never seen the point. How would treatment change?

Take care and peace.

[This message has been edited by prconn (edited 10 August 2005).]

prconn said: >> He has also been agreable to test for coinfections. I have just never seen the point. How would treatment change?

My mother has already tested + for Babesia and Ehrlichia, so testing is not the issue. Treatment would most definitely change, certainly for Babesia, which is a protozoan and requires anti-protozoans such as Mepron. I believe that there are also medications specifically needed to treat Ehrlichia, including Doxycycline, which my mother has not (at least yet) been given.

As I understand it, he says that these vitamins feed the bacteria.

It is a catch 22. We are likely deficient in these nutrients both because the bacteria are consuming them and our immune system is using them. So what to do? If we take them, there's more for the ketes. If we don't, our immune system grows weaker.

At the moment, I'm doing six months of supplementation to see how I do. Then I will stop and see what happens.

I have just never seen the point. How would treatment change?
Take care and peace. [QUOTE]

I concur with tickedntx.

The point was HUGE in my case. I tested negative for Babs, yet had all the clinical signs of Babs. I made zero progress for close to a year until I switched LLMDs and was treated with Mepron and a macrolide for Babs.

This treatment from another LLMD got me out of bed after being bedridden for months. Babs treatment gave me some of my life back and for that I'm very appreciative.

you need to be tested adn ASK to see the results of coinfection testing...it is totally different treatment, and most llmd s say you will not get rid of lyme until coinfections are treated.

dr. d is a sweet man adn a great researcher. HE was my first llmd, adn I wanted to stay with him because he took insurance..but i went steadily down hill because of his no supplement , no treatment for coinfection rules...

Had i stayed with him any longer than I did (7 months, ) I think I would be dead or in a wheelchair at the minimum now...coinfections are nothing to wait on for tx.they can give you seizures, paralysis etc..even death...

don't go with niceness...go with the best tx. get a second opinion . the longer you wait the longer those keets have time to burrow into your cns and brain...for lifetime of problems.....

I know...just my opinion...but my suppport group is full of his patients who left..some in wheelchairs etc....

I wish you the best on your road to recovery. I've never been one to hold my tongue re: dr. d. Do a search on here adn see all the controversy..it's not good.

Candida elimination: http://flash.lymenet.org/ubb/Forum1/HTML/021412.html

He told me to avoid supplements particularly Bs & C saying they feed the Lyme and his patients seem to do better when they avoid bs & C. He encouraged me to eat a healthy diet including lots of fresh vegetables.

I'm making a lot of progress on his protocol and am getting my life back.

I emailed him a few months ago to ask if I should start taking magnesium &/or coQ10. He said he would prefer I didn't. He did say my current supplements: Primal Defense (probiotic)milk thistle & fish oil are fine.

At this point, I need to feel that they are in capable hands because there's not a thing I can do about it. They are not well enough to travel off the Cape.

If she is not making progress by next spring, I will probably need to move back up there so I can take her to another doc, and otherwise make sure they are doing the right things.

btw Dr. Donta is now retired and only works 2 days a week. In our conversations I am not a part of any type of research. If one is they would need to sign a release.

Maybe more folks should hold their tongues. I have not seen any other docs with miracle cure rates.

As for being dead or in a wheelchair. LOL. 7 months is a very short treatment period. It appears your treatment continues with another for over 29 months.

I think Lyme can make us all a bit frustrated with the slow progress involved with recovery.

We are all struggling to cope with a miserable illness.

Attempts to cause paranoia or second guessing is just plain cruel. When folks are already sick both physicaly and mentally.

What works for one may not work for another.

If one does any research on Lyme they will quickly discover Dr. D has been a pioneer in the diagnosis, treatment and true insight into Lyme and how it functions. Attempts to discredit him are simply unfounded.

Take care and peace.

[This message has been edited by prconn (edited 11 August 2005).]

Thank you for your post. While I do appreciate hearing both sides of this story, it is difficult to deal with the alarmist approach of people who do not agree with Dr. D's approach.

I do, though, understand why someone who felt that they became worse in a doctor's care might respond that way. It's the same reason why some people who do well with a specific treatment conclude that that is the only way to go for everyone.

I had stopped supplements last November to start the Marshall Protocol. Two weeks after I started my current treatment regimen, I had two really, really good weeks. Feeling so encouraged, I decided to splurge and spend the money to start most of the supplements recommended by my doctor. Within days, my really, really good weeks were over.

Of course, I can't say that it was the supplements because, at the time, I knew that I was not likely to continue to feel that way, recognizing the normal course of ups and downs with Lyme treatment. When my current supply of supplements run out at the end of the year, I'll try going without them for a while and see what happens.

Prconn, when you felt worse after resuming supplements, which ones had you started?