posted
Hi, I am supposed to be getting this test IF my doctor will call me back about it. Still waiting.
I am wondering just how it works. I am reading here that once Lyme gets into the tissues and organs, it won't be detected in the blood and Bowen won't pick it up. Is this correct?
IF I've had this for as many years as I think I may, then it is probably very buried by now and a negative test is going to do me absolutely no good.
Is it worth the money to do the test if I've had Lyme for years? Is the IgenX (is that right?) more accurate? If so, how does it work?
So many questions. Sorry.
-------------------- Sick and Tired of Being Sick and Tired Posts: 185 | From Colorado | Registered: Sep 2006
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posted
I asked my LLMD about doing a Bowen test. He wouldn't do it. He says they always come back positive. He does the Igenex western blot.
Posts: 16 | From Ohio | Registered: Sep 2006
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posted
Hi, I appreciate your response. Not sure I totally agree with your doctor. I have some friends with Lyme and they told me that they know people that have had negative Bowen tests.
There are a lot of positives because these are sick people with clinical Lyme looking for answers getting this test.
But there is also the chance that people very ill with Lyme can have negative and near negative Bowen tests and that is what concerns me.
Thanks!
-------------------- Sick and Tired of Being Sick and Tired Posts: 185 | From Colorado | Registered: Sep 2006
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Ann-OH
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 2020
posted
Here is the information published on the renovated Bowen website.
I am skeptical about the test. They have been doing a study for so many years, but have never published in any journal. Until the test can be done in other laboratories and has FDA approval, I guess I won't support it.
Truthfinder
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 8512
posted
quote:I am reading here that once Lyme gets into the tissues and organs, it won't be detected in the blood and Bowen won't pick it up. Is this correct?
No, the Bowen test will pick it up. It is highly unlikely that there would be NO Bb in the blood if Bb is present in the body.
It is the antibody tests, such as the Western Blots, that tend to be negative if you have had Lyme for a long time - not the Bowen test. I'm not sure about PCR tests.
Sickandtired, you are right - there are people who test negative on the Bowen test. It appears that most people with chronic illness have Lyme in their system. To what degree that Lyme is the cause of their illness is the question, since general immune system health and co-infections can play such a huge roll.
I will tell you what I posted to someone else in a recent topic:
Use Igenex or MDL - for the Western Blots (or PCRs) - if you want to prove to a doctor or the medical community that you have Lyme. They are not 100% accurate either, but they are the best of the lot.
If you want to prove to YOURSELF that you have Lyme, then do the Bowen Q-RIBb test. It is very definitive. But don't expect to impress any doctors with this test. It is not an antibody or DNA test - it detects the actual Bb antigen in both cyst and L-forms present in your blood. It will cost you $150.00 and your insurance will NOT cover it. (However, it is a write-off as a donation if you itemize on your taxes.)
The Bowen test has never been proven to be inaccurate - in fact the results have been verified by both electron microscope and culturing - but most docs do not believe in it because most Bowen test results are positive. (Well, duh. Healthy people usually don't go around getting tested for Lyme, now do they?)
Ann posted the link to the page about the Q-RIBb test. Please ignore the typos and other general errors on the Bowen page if you go there. They have been without a computer system for several weeks, and their website is still under construction. Admittedly, it is a bit of a mess still.
Ann may not realize this, but my research indicates that there is only ONE Lyme test that has ever been approved by the FDA. And it turned out to be only slightly more reliable than the standard ELISA (40% accurate) test, so it isn't used much.
ANY laboratory can do the Bowen test if they get the proper authority to do so from Bowen, since it is a patented test. Also, the Bowen test can be done in a doctor's office, again with the proper authorization and the proper equipment. It only takes about 20 minutes to get the results.
Until the Bowen test is found to be flawed or inaccurate, I still think it is the best test around for determining whether or not you have Bb in your system.
Tracy
-------------------- Tracy .... Prayers for the Lyme Community - every day at 6 p.m. Pacific Time and 9 p.m. Eastern Time � just take a few moments to say a prayer wherever you are�. Posts: 2966 | From Colorado | Registered: Dec 2005
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posted
Hi Tracey, I really appreciate your response. I just wish I could get this test done and over with. I have left messages for my GP who is supposed to be ordering the test but he hasn't called me back. I am starting to think he is blowing me off. I hope not. He doesn't seem like the type and he's been my doctor for over 10 years.
This test has to be ordered by a physician and costs a $250 donation. Maybe it was less before now.
Thanks again!
-------------------- Sick and Tired of Being Sick and Tired Posts: 185 | From Colorado | Registered: Sep 2006
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posted
During my search for an answer to my health problems I was seeing a naturopath and I had a Bowen test done I had the 1:128, highest level and I also had an Igenex WB that was IND because I had 4 + and 5 IND and 1 + and 3 IND. WHen I tried to talk to my family MD he laughed at the Bowen and it really made it harder for him to hear anything else I had to say regarding Lyme.
So for any type of interface with mainstream MDs I would avoid it using it for that.
Bowen coinfection testing seems to be in question. Mine said negative but I had positive tests from Igenex for Babs and made significant improvement with Babs treatment. My LLMD said he isn't sure about Bowne Lyme testing but does not trust the coinfection testing.
-------------------- Lucy Posts: 342 | From Hawaii | Registered: Nov 2005
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