I've been re-reading info in Newbies section. Again, this is an excellent section and we appreciate it!
There are so many of you complaining of no herxes, no improvement, even doubts that you have the disease when you have positive bands. I think we've all read this, but I believe it needs to be emphasized again, because I want to at least try to help. I don't know the solution for the problem, tho, but I have found this info in so many different studies and papers. I don't know HOW Drs will ever figure this out!!
"Borrelia burgdorferi, the causative agent of Lyme disease, has the most complex genetic structure of any known bacteria.18 Experimentally, Bb has been shown to “hide” intracellularly in the presence of bactericidal levels of antibiotics. Intracellular bacteria are notoriously difficult to treat and cure.3
Another aspect of Bb that makes it resistant to treatment is its ability to change form in response to antibiotics. In addition to the well-known corkscrew-shaped form of the spirochete, at least two other forms are known to exist: the cell wall–deficient, or “L” form, and the dormant, inactive cyst form.9 The spirochete may exist latently in the host for years or decades in the cyst form. The three forms require different types of antibiotics for treatment, and Bb’s constantly changing morphology often necessitates the use of drug combinations and frequent changes of antibiotic agents to treat chronic Lyme disease.19
The slow replication rate of Bb is another factor in treatment. Many antibiotics do their work when organisms are dividing, and the longer the time between replications, the less opportunity the antibiotic has to kill the bacteria."