![]() The most common non-cancer entities treated were rheumatic diseases, chronic fatigue syndrome, arterial hypertension, allergies, borreliosis, diabetes, atherosclerosis, and depression. The most common anticancer services were intravenous vitamin C infusion, saltwater, intravenous infusion of glutathione, colon irrigation, an anticancer diet, bio-resonance, and intravenous ozone infusions. The analysis included 91 CAM institutions matching the inclusion criteria. For each specific search term, the first three Google pages were analyzed. Data on the use of CAM were obtained from Google searches. The most frequent CAM users are patients with cancer, but patients with other chronic diseases also utilize these methods. Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is widely used by patients. The efficacy of these unconventional treatments for Lyme disease is not supported by scientific evidence, and in many cases they are potentially harmful. Providers of alternative therapies commonly target patients who believe they have Lyme disease. Review of the medical literature did not substantiate efficacy or, in most cases, any rationale for the advertised treatments. More than 30 alternative treatments were identified, which fell into several broad categories: these included oxygen and reactive oxygen therapy energy and radiation-based therapies nutritional therapy chelation and heavy metal therapy and biological and pharmacological therapies ranging from certain medications without recognized therapeutic effects on Borrelia burgdorgeri to stem cell transplantation. Websites with patient testimonials (such as discussion groups) were excluded unless the testimonial appeared as marketing on a commercial site. Websites were included in our review so long as they advertised a commercial, nonantimicrobial product or service that specifically mentioned utility for Lyme disease. We subsequently used the PubMed search engine to identify any scientific studies evaluating such treatments for Lyme disease. Internet searches using the Google search engine were performed to identify the websites of clinics and services that marketed nonantimicrobial therapies for Lyme disease. This study was designed to identify and characterize the range of unorthodox alternative therapies advertised to patients with a diagnosis of Lyme disease. These patients are commonly targeted by providers of alternative therapies. Some patients with medically unexplained symptoms or alternative medical diagnoses suspect that they chronically suffer from the tick-borne infection Lyme disease.
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