Healing Lyme Disease Coinfections

July 1, 2013

Herbal medicine proponent Buhner (Herbal Antibiotics: Natural Alternatives for Treating Drug-Resistant Bacteria) tackles the worrisome issues of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and asymptomatic infections, particularly Lyme disease and its coinfections. The author describes the pathology of the two most common of these, bartonella and mycoplasma, and the inflammatory process each initiates in an infected patient. Buhner is not opposed to antibiotic treatment but makes the point that bacteria are evolving and that the traditional "kill the invaders" approach is becoming increasingly ineffective. Many different herbs and supplements, he claims, can enhance immune function and allow the body to heal on its own, or together with prescription antibiotics, and should be a part of the treatment protocol. VERDICT Buhner takes pains to make his book user-friendly by including easy-to-read summary chapters aimed at the patient or nonmedical reader, and comprehensive data and scientific discussions for the practitioner. That said, this book is quite technical and dense and may not be of interest to those with less than a clinical interest. Holistic medical practitioners and those open to alternative treatments, however, will find much to appreciate in this well-researched effort.--Linda Petty, Wimberley, TX

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