Canadians are seeking alternative medical treatment for Lyme disease in Mexico

Medical tourists continue to favour Mexico as their preferred location for aesthetic procedures. However, Canadians are now turning to Mexico for more than just cosmetic surgery. They’re seeking alternative treatment for Lyme disease, health experts say.

Lyme disease is an infectious, tick-borne illness caused by the bacterium Borelia burgdorferi. Most commonly, symptoms include an expanding skin rash, fatigue, muscle and joint pain, and fevers. 

Across Canada, diagnostic numbers for the condition have spiked significantly in recent years. According to the Public Health Agency of Canada, there were 144 reported cases in 2009. In 2021, 3,147 people were reportedly diagnosed with Lyme disease. 

In Mexico, alternative medical treatment for Lyme disease includes extended antibiotic use, stem cell therapy, and hyperthermia.

Dr. Lynora Saxinger, an infectious diseases specialist and professor at the University of Alberta, dubbed it a “para-scientific system” lacking evidence-based diagnoses and treatment. 

“It really is preying on people who, for whatever reason, have symptoms that are not yet diagnosed,” Dr. Saxinger says

According to Dr. Saxinger, mainstream medical diagnoses of Lyme disease employ validated testing methods. However foreign and alternative laboratories use methods which lack quality-control, and often yield high false positive rates, Dr. Saxinger said. In addition, the labs often rely on anecdotes and “basic science data” to back their claims, instead of controlled clinical trials.

Although Lyme disease manifests differently for those infected, Dr. Saxinger said the illness is treatable with antibiotics. Usually, antibiotics have a positive outcome.

Alternative diagnostic pathways often prescribe repeated courses of treatments — possibly for several years — using broad spectrum and intravenous antibiotics. 

“We don’t necessarily have any evidence that [patients] require treatment off and on for the rest of their lives,” she explained. 

According to Dr. Saxinger, these drugs might cause more complications. In addition, alternative medicine practitioners make “significant profits” off of patients. 

“When people receive this diagnosis, ordinarily they will then seek treatment. [It’s] a sort of parallel system that also results in significant expenditures for people, which worries me,” Dr. Saxinger said. “It really is preying on people who, for whatever reason, have symptoms that are not yet diagnosed.”

Alternate treatment falsely recognizes chronic Lyme disease, may delay appropriate diagnoses 

There is no recognition of chronic Lyme disease (CLD), beyond an alternative medical system, Dr. Saxinger said. CLD refers to a persisting B. burgdorferi bacterium in the patient. However, Dr. Saxinger said that post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome (PLDS) does exist. PLDS recognizes symptoms which persist after Lyme disease treatment. 

“After having had a whole lot of disruption from an infection, you can have … almost a state of imbalance that can lead to persistent, multi-system symptoms,” Dr. Saxinger said. “But, the treatment for it is not treating an organism that is not there.” 

Additionally, a misdiagnosis of Lyme disease may delay individuals from accessing appropriate care, Dr. Saxinger said.

“People don’t like uncertainty, and they don’t like being told there’s not a clear, easy treatment. If they see something that looks legitimate, gives them a clear diagnosis, and something to do about it, it can feel quite empowering.”

According to Dr. Saxinger, patients may, however, misattribute symptoms for quickly progressing diseases, such as cancer, to Lyme disease. 

“People lose the opportunity to try to figure out what’s really going on. And to me, that’s probably the most imminent risk.” 

Dr. Saxinger attributes alternative treatment use to misinformation and “a system failure”

Dr. Saxinger expressed she has sympathy for people who feel compelled to seek alternative treatment.

“Our health care system is overwhelmed. There’s quick visits, and if the tests are negative … we move on,” Dr. Saxinger said. “I think people feel underserved when they have a difficult condition, that would tend to drive them more towards alternative medicine therapy.”

Dr. Saxinger said she doesn’t feel like people are trying to circumvent evidence-based medicine. Rather, they’re “being misled” by misinformation. 

“People who do go down that path — they’re not stupid people. Very sophisticated, intelligent professional people can go looking for information on the internet and come away with an idea that I think is fundamentally incorrect,” Dr. Saxinger said.  

Dr. Saxinger thinks patients are seeking alternative medical treatments, due to a loss of trust in the Canadian health care system. 

“And I think that’s a system failure, honestly. But, it’s also something that’s really incredibly hard to battle back when it’s so established.”