Skip to main content
. 2015 Apr 6;60(12):1776–1782. doi: 10.1093/cid/civ186

Table 1.

Examples of Alternative Medical Therapies Marketed to Patients for the Treatment of Lyme Disease

Categories of Therapy Examples
Oxygen

  • Hyperbaric oxygen

  • Hydrogen peroxide

  • Ozone
Energy and radiation

  • Ultraviolet light

  • Photon therapy

  • “Cold” lasers

  • Saunas and steam rooms

  • “Rife” therapy (electromagnetic frequency treatments)

  • Magnets
Metal/chelation

  • Mercury chelation and removal

  • Dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA)

  • 2,3-Dimercapto-1-propanesulfonic acid (DMPS)

  • Alpha lipoic acid (ALA)

  • Ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA)

  • Removal of dental amalgam

  • Colloidal silver

  • Bismuth
Nutritional supplements

  • Vitamins C and B12

  • Herbs

  • Garlic, cilantro, Chlorella, Sarsaparilla, Andrographis, Turmeric, Olive leaf, Cat's claw

  • Burnt mugwort (moxibustion)

  • Glutathione

  • Fish oil

  • Magnesium

  • Salt
Biological and pharmacologic

  • Urotherapy (urine ingestion)

  • Enemas

  • Bee venom

  • Hormonal therapy

  • Dihidroepiandrostenedione, Pregnenolone, Cortisone, Hydrocortisone

  • Synthetic thyroid hormone

  • Lithium orotate

  • Olmesartan

  • Cholestyramine

  • Naltrexone

  • Sodium chlorite (bleach)

  • Intravenous immune globulin (IVIG)

  • Apheresis

  • Stem cell transplantation