posted
Are any of our LLMDs publishing their success with long term abx...like in a some type of case study compilation? This is something I haven't been able to find, and "long term" for other studies is usually only like 3 mos and one drug. It would seem to me that, lacking the resources for full blown clinical trials, that case studies would be an accessible option...particularly if it had the ability to help influence the perspctive of the medical community at large. I must be missing something, what is it? Pants
Posts: 67 | From Fredericksburg, VA USA | Registered: Jun 2005
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No you are not missing anything. What is missing is published case studies. Unfortunately the IDSA and atandard AMA (American Medical Association) docs control most of the medical journals and can prevent such studies from being published.
Also, since treatment is so individualized it is unusual for even one physician to have multiple patients on exactly the same protocol.
There is one published book called - Treatment of Chronic Lyme Disease: Fifty-one Case Reports by Burton Waisbren.
Bea Seibert
Posts: 7306 | From Martinsville,VA,USA | Registered: Oct 2004
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Amanda
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 14107
posted
In addition to what Bea said, I would add
1. Any doctor that does manage to get a case study in a "less establishment" journal, puts themselves in the position where everyone in medical community knows they treat lyme with long term abx.
And even if they live in a state with laws that prevent removing the doctors license just for treating lyme with long term abx, they could be ostracized in other ways. They might lose all hospital privileges. Other specialist may refuse to see their patients, etc..
Or perhaps an insurance company sues them.
2. Even with a case study, you still need a situation where as many variables as possible are controlled. Which is very hard to find with those of us with complicated lyme.
Then there is the time it take to write (and edit)the case study article. My old advisor use to tell me the difference between junk and genius was around 100 drafts. then you have to submit it and submit it and submit it until you find someone willing to print it. All that takes time, and the LLMDs are already swampled with patients
Dr. Stricker did manage to get a rebuttal article in the IDSA journal a few years back. Nice summary of the research at the time.
No one paid attemtion.
I sometimes feel the reason lyme is such a political battle is because really lyme is the future of medicine. And aside from oil, medicine is the next highest profit industry. There are plently of doctors who see the research and KNOW that the pillars at the IDSA are at least partially wrong. But no one will dare speak agasint it.
ENORMOUS amounts of money in the last decade and beyond are made for testing, individualized pharmaceuticals, research, and insurance and who is going to get what cut of the profits
But if lyme patients are able to show that the system is screwing patients, it sets up a precedent that could pose problems for aforementioned industry for not just lyme, but other long term complicated illnesses like aids and cancer.
Wow tht was a lot more than I had planned to say
-------------------- "few things are harder to put up with than the annoyance of a good example" - Mark Twain Posts: 1008 | From US | Registered: Dec 2007
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