Experts around the world agree that chronic Lyme diagnosis and treatment is inappropriate. While there is substantial peer reviewed literature regarding the social phenomenon of “chronic Lyme disease,” there has been relatively little commentary accessible to the public.
Below are educational articles by doctors and scientists, presented for a lay audience. More commentaries are listed in our papers section.
We’ve also gathered stories from former quacks who became advocates for science.
Dr. Rachel Pearson, MD: The Challenge of ‘Chronic Lyme’
Dr. Lawrence Zemel, MD and Dr. Paul Auwaerter, MD: Treating ‘chronic Lyme disease:’ Is it medical fraud?
Dr. Edward McSweegan, PhD:
- Lyme Disease: Questionable Diagnosis and Treatment
- La maladie de Lyme: diagnostic et traitements douteux
- When Worlds Collide- Lyme Disease
Dr. Peter Lipson, MD:
- Lyme disease—who is credible?
- Fake diseases, false compassion
- How not to think
- Define the disease first
Dr. Harriet Hall, MD: Does Everybody Have Chronic Lyme Disease? Does Anyone?
Panel of Yale professors: Discussion of the propaganda film Under Our Skin
Dr. Vincent Iannelli, MD:
Dr. Karen Ravin, MD: Debunking myths surrounding Lyme disease
Dr. Lori Handy, MD: Lyme Disease: Facts & Fiction
Dr. Henry M. Feder, MD: Long-Term Lyme Disease Unsubstantiated
Dr. David Scales, MD:
- Lyme Disease, Climate Change, and Science (or the Lack of It)
- In France’s Battles Over Lyme Disease, Lessons in Science Communication
- 7 Things I Learned While Reporting On Lyme And Other Tick-Borne Diseases
- What I’ve learned reporting about Lyme Disease, a contested illness
Dr. Stephen Salzberg, PhD: Long-Term Antibiotic Use For Lyme Disease Doesn’t Work, Study Finds
Dr. Jonathan Howard, MD: Neurologist explains chronic Lyme false assumptions
Dr. Nikki Stamp and Pixie Turner: (Un)Well 05: Bee Stings: The Bees Knees? 🔊
Dr. Samantha Ahdoot, MD: Lyme Disease 101
Dr. Chad Hayes, MD: Citations Needed: The curious “science” of integrative medicine
Dr. Lucy McBride, MD: The health risks of supplements and alternative medicine
Dr. Lynora Saxinger, MD:
- Addressing ‘alternative facts’ about Lyme disease
- featured in “3 surprising facts about Lyme disease“
- featured in “Don’t let the hype around Lyme disease lead to unnecessary treatment, warns U of A researcher“
Dr. Lynora Saxinger, MD and Dr. Stan Houston, MD: Addressing ‘alternative facts’ about Lyme disease
Dr. J. Marc Girard, MD: An example of pseudoscience: Chronic Lyme disease
Dr. Susan O’Connell, Consultant Medical Microbiologist: Re: Lyme Wars
Dr. Steven Novella, MD:
- The NEJM Takes On Lyme Quackery
- The Chronic Lyme Conundrum
- Chronic Lyme Disease – Another Negative Study
- Jarisch-Herxheimer and Lyme disease
- Connecticut Legislature Intrudes on Debate Over Chronic Lyme Disease
- CT Politicians Protect Lyme Quackery
- Chronic Lyme Disease
- The Skeptics Guide to the Universe, episode 203 (podcast, transcript) 🔊
Dr. Mark Crislip, MD:
Dr. Sunil K. Sood, MD: Lyme disease often misdiagnosed, resulting in unnecessary antibiotics
Dr. Phil Baker, PhD:
- Julia Bruzzese and the need for media responsibility
- When do symptoms mean Lyme disease?
- Does Chronic Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever Exist?
- Book review of “Beating Lyme”
- Reviews of “Under Our Skin” and “Under Our Skin 2: Emergence”
- Many other commentaries as executive director of the American Lyme Disease Foundation
Dr. David Gorski, MD:
- Chronic Lyme disease: Fake diagnosis, not fake disease
- Deaths and complications due to treating the fake disease known as “chronic Lyme disease”
- Kris Kristofferson: The latest celebrity quackery victim
- The Chicago Tribune, “chronic Lyme disease,” and demands for false balance
- Still more evidence that Morgellons disease is most likely delusional parasitosis
- Your Friday Dose of Woo: Applied kinesiology, but only more woo-ful [Discussion of Dietrich Klinghardt]
Dr. John Snyder, MD: Lemons and Lyme: Bogus tests and dangerous treatments of the Lyme-literati
Anonymous infectious disease doctor in Australia: Letter about “Lyme-like illness” in Australia
Dr. Leonid Schneider, PhD: Christian Perronne and other Chronic Lymericks
Dr. Erin Welsh, PhD and Dr. Erin Allmann Updyke, PhD: This Podcast Will Kill You: Lyme Disease: I’d like to check you for ticks 🔊
Dr. Sydnee McElroy, MD: Sawbones Podcast: Lyme Disease 🔊
Dr. Albert Fuchs, MD: Prolonged antibiotics don’t help in Lyme Disease
Dr. Stephen Barrett, MD of Quackwatch:
- Some Notes on Nonstandard Lyme Disease Tests
- Romney Campaign Embraces Lyme Quackery
- Be Wary of “Fad” Diagnoses
- Index to “Fad” Diagnoses
- Index of Lyme-related government actions
Dr. Brad McKay, MBBS: Does Lyme disease exist in Australia?
Dr. Martin J. Blaser, M.D.: Lyme disease treatment is source of contention
Dr. Sam Telford, Sc.D:
- No, Lyme disease is not an escaped military bioweapon, despite what conspiracy theorists say
- Por qué la enfermedad de Lyme es un asunto serio y no un arma biológica, como afirman conspiracionistas
Dr. Sam Telford, ScD, Dr. Michael Jacobs, MD, Dr. Jim Butterick, MD, and Dr. Michael Loberg, PhD: Visiting physician’s statements about Lyme disease require correction
Dr. Daniel Summers, MD:
- Predator Doctors Take Advantage of Patients With ‘Chronic Lyme’ Scam
- Real Housewife, Fake Disease
- Once more unto the breach: chronic Lyme disease
Dr. Mark Borigini, MD: Don’t Get Ticked Off Over Chronic Lyme Disease
Dr. Mark Drapkin, MD: Lawmakers overreach in casting themselves as infectious disease specialists
Dr. Eugene D. Shapiro, MD and Dr. Gary P. Wormser, MD: The ‘Chronic Lyme Disease’ Label Isn’t Helpful
Dr. Gary P. Wormser, M.D. and Dr. Raymond J. Dattwyler, MD: Myths and Reality of Lyme Disease
Dr. Usha Nellore, MD: Lyme disease: Not the epidemic that MPT film claims
Dr. Alex Carignan, MD, Dr. Karl Weiss, MD, Dr. François Boucher, MD, and Dr. Louis Valiquette, MD (French-Canadian): La maladie de Lyme: nouveau bastion de l’antiscience (Lyme disease: new bastion of antiscience)
Dr. Robert Strang, MD: Nova Scotia’s health system has a handle on Lyme
Dr. Bonnie Henry, MD and Dr. Muhammad Morshed, PhD: Lyme disease in British Columbia: Are we really missing an epidemic?
Dr. Lyle R. Petersen, MD: Long-term antibiotics not warranted for Lyme treatment
Dr. Todd Gleeson, MD: Lyme Disease: Diagnosis and Management in Military Treatment Facilities (slides, talk transcript)
Dr. Mark Hoofnagle, MD:
Dr. Matan Shelomi, PhD, Professor of Medical Entomology: What are the typical long term symptoms of Lyme disease?
Richard S. Bedlack Jr., MD, PhD: Podcast and paper debunking attempts to connect Lyme to ALS
Dr. Jeremy Devine, MD: Bill C-442 and “Chronic Lyme Disease”: the parallels with “chronic brucellosis”
Skeptical Raptor:
- Chronic Lyme disease – is there any scientific evidence supporting it?
- Lyme disease vaccine on the way – if only the anti-vaxxers stay away
- Chronic Lyme disease treatments – unproven and dangerous
Dr. Paul Auwaerter, MD: Videos on Lyme disease (see third video)
Dr. Karmela K. Chan, MD: Commentary: a disturbing conversation
Dr. David Robert Grimes, PhD: Fundraising appeals for the desperately ill are moving, but evidence is crucial
Dr. Jonathan Howard, MD: Neurologist explains chronic Lyme false assumptions
Erin Foeri, PharmD candidate: Caution advised in use of alternative medicines for chronic Lyme disease
Aaron Hentoff, MPH student: White Tears: Chronic Lyme Disease
Dr. Todd Murray, MD (son of Polly Murray and one of the first recognized Lyme patients): Comments on “Maybe it’s Lyme”
Dr. Ric Arseneau, MD: Symptoms attributed to Chronic Lyme Disease
Dr. William G. Wilkoff, MD: Ticked off
Scott Gavura, pharmacist: Avoid prolonged antibiotics for “Chronic Lyme”
Dr. Edzard Ernst: Lyme disease (imagined and real): an easy target for charlatans
Michael Kruse, medical student and paramedic: Elizabeth May, Do More Scientific Research Before You Discuss Diseases
Colin Blenis, RN, DNP student: No Easy Answers for Lyme Disease: Chronic Lyme is not a Real Diagnosis
Dr. Alan Barbour: Let Scientists Do Their Jobs (New York Times Editorial)
Dr. Lawrence Zemel, MD: Law Would Allow Risky Treatment For Lyme Disease
Dr. Erin Welsh, PhD and Dr. Erin Allmann Updyke, PhD: Lyme Disease: I’d like to check you for ticks
Dr. Omar Abu Saleh, MBBS: Help in the fight against Lyme disease
Dr. Eric R. Brenner, MD: Long-term Therapy for Lyme Disease — or Not?
Dr. Brandon Beaber, MD: Multiple sclerosis is not Lyme disease
Dr. Leyla Sanai: The snake-oil salesmen who prey on schizophrenics
Dr. Henrik Vogt (Norwegian):
- Kampen om årsaken (The Battle for the Cause)
- Hva betyr “kronisk borreliose”? (What does “chronic borreliosis” mean?)
- Nei, Justin Bieber har sannsynligvis ikke borreliose (No, Justin Bieber probably doesn’t have Lyme disease)
Dr. Mats Reimer (Swedish): Kronisk borrelia smittas via media (Chronic Lyme disease infects via the media)
Prof. Dr. med. Heidelore Hofmann (German): „Antikörper sind kein Beweis für eine Borreliose“ (“Antibodies are not evidence of Lyme disease.”)
Dr. Marc Gozlan (French): « Maladie de Lyme chronique » : le danger des traitements prolongés par antibiotiques (“Chronic Lyme Disease”: The Danger of Prolonged Antibiotic Therapy)
Dr. Cédric Lemogne and Dr. Pascal Cathébras (French): Non, vous n’avez pas la maladie de Lyme! (No, you do not have Lyme disease!)
Dr. Yves Hansmann (French): VIDEO. «La maladie de Lyme peut être handicapante si elle est traitée tardivement», explique le professeur Hansmann (“Lyme disease can be disabling if treated late,” says Professor Hansmann)
Pr. Marc Gentilini (French): Le vrai scandale de la maladie de Lyme (The true scandal of Lyme disease)
Dr. Jean-Claude Desenclos (French): L’élaboration des recommandations de prise en charge de la maladie de Lyme : un nécessaire questionnement éthique (Development of management guidelines for the management of Lyme disease: an ethical dimension is needed)
Pr. François Bricaire and Pr. Marc Gentilini (French): Halte aux fantasmes sur la maladie de Lyme! (English translation: Stop fantasies about Lyme disease!)
Dr. Pierre Kieffer (French): Le point de vue d’un praticien (The point of view of a practitioner)
Dr. Daniel Christmann (French): « Il n’y a aucune raison d’alimenter une angoisse autour de Lyme » (“There’s no reason to fuel any anxiety around Lyme.”)
Dr. Arnica (French): Maladie de Lyme: on a surtout besoin d’y voir clair (Lyme disease: we especially need to see clearly)
Dr. Pierre Tattevin, MD, PhD (French): Maladie de Lyme: attention au sur-diagnostic! (Lyme disease: beware of over-diagnosis!)
Dr. Nicolas de Prost, Dr. Alice Raffetin, Dr. Sébastien Gallien, and Dr. Saskia Ingen-Housz-Oro (French): « Faux Lyme, vrai Lyell ! Quand le non-respect des recommandations HAS conduit une patiente en réanimation… » (“False Lyme, true Lyell! When non-compliance with French National Authority for Health recommendations leads a patient to intensive care… “)
Dr. Preben Aavitsland, MD (Norway): En epidemi av borreliose? (An Epidemic of Borreliosis?)
Dr. Luc Bonneux (Dutch): Lyme: Chronic lyme takes place in the magical world of quackery
Dr. Jan Keppel Hesselink, MD, PhD and Dr. Lex Bouter, PhD (Dutch): ‘Science is also only an opinion’
Dr. André Weel (Dutch): Een nieuw begin, ook voor lyme? (A new beginning, also for Lyme?)
Dr. Cees Renckens (Dutch):
- Kwakzalvende medici verantwoordelijk voor rechterlijke dwaling over chronische Lyme? (Quacking physicians responsible for legal error about chronic Lyme?)
- Chronische Lyme of chronische kwakzalverij? (Chronic Lyme or chronic quackery?)
Dr. Emile Keuter (Dutch):
- Lyme is de engste SOLK (Lyme is the scariest MUPS- Medically Unexplained Physical Symptoms)
- Lyme.eerder, Zorg.nu
Dr. David Patrick, MD TV interview: Explaining the mysteries of Lyme disease 📺
More chronic Lyme posts can be found at Science-Based Medicine
List of resources from Norway
Other relevant LymeScience posts
- Good journalism on chronic Lyme pseudoscience
- Papers on chronic Lyme disease
- Minnesota Doctors: Dispelling the Chronic Lyme Disease Myth
Updated November 17, 2020