A Holistic, Do-It-Yourself, or Antibiotic Complementary, Treatment Protocol for Chronic Lyme Disease

The Buhner protocol is a holistic, do-it-yourself Lyme disease treatment protocol developed by master herbalist Stephen Harrod Buhner. The core protocol itself uses 3 herbs and employs 5 points of philosophy for treating Lyme disease. In order of their importance, the 5 main points of philosophy are:​

• Support the collagen structures of the body in order to halt the damage the Lyme bacteria causes
• Restore and support the immune system so that it can ultimately fight off the Lyme bacteria itself
• Stop inflammation in order to reduce symptoms and prevent further bodily damage
• Address and treat the symptoms caused by the Lyme bacteria to restore quality of life
• As a last priority for treating Lyme disease, if warranted, kill the Lyme bacteria

Success Rate and Buhner Protocol Complements

The Buhner protocol employs 3 herbs to heal from Lyme disease with a success rate (i.e., those who say they feel cured) reported back to Stephen Buhner of about 75%.

​These patients expanded upon the core Buhner protocol and addressed symptoms. 15% experienced a great reduction in most symptoms, if not, all symptoms. 5% reported a little help from the Buhner protocol while the remaining 5% reported no help from the Buhner protocol at all.

​While Stephen Buhner himself doesn’t condone the use of biofilm dissolvers, patients have reported the Buhner protocol to be much more effective when a biofilm dissolver was added such as lumbrokinase.

The Buhner protocol can be used with antibiotics, which "will increase the positive outcomes from antibiotics considerably", or as a stand alone treatment protocol for Lyme disease.

​Dr. Dietrich Klinghardt, MD also uses the herbs from the Buhner protocol as part of his treatment protocol for Lyme disease. At the recommendation of Stephen Buhner, Dr. Klinghardt suggests that some 80% of people with Lyme disease don’t get better until a condition know as kyptopyrroluria (KPU) is addressed.

Addressing Co-infections and the Duration for Healing

​Stephen Buhner says that a person with chronic Lyme disease should know in about a month’s time whether or not the Buhner protocol is working for them, and that progress is linear. It takes about 8-12 months to make a complete recovery from Lyme disease on the Buhner protocol, but those who have severe cases of the Lyme disease may need more time.

People who aren’t finding much success with the Buhner protocol for Lyme disease should seriously consider the possibility of coinfections on top of the Lyme infection. Stephen Buhner has also developed holistic treatment protocols for several co-infections and the information for these treatment protocols can be found in his books:​

• Bartonella and Mycoplasma holistic treatment protocols can be found in Stephen Buhner’s book “Healing Lyme Disease Coinfections: Complementary And Holistic Treatments For Bartonella and Mycoplasma”.
• Babesia, Anaplasma, and Ehrlichia holistic treatment protocols can be found in Stephen Buhner’s book “Natural Treatment For Lyme Coinfections”.
• Chlamydia and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever holistic treatment protocols can be found in Stephen Buhner’s yet to be released book “Healing Lyme: Natural Healing of Lyme Borreliosis and the Coinfections Chlamydia and Spotted Fever Rickettsiosis, 2nd Edition”.

How to Start and Use the Buhner Protocol

Starting the Buhner protocol can be done within a day of deciding to do so as most health food stores carry Cat's Claw and Herb Pharm Eluthero. Here are the tools you’ll need to start the core Buhner protocol:​

• The 3 herbs Cat’s Claw, Japanese Knotweed, and Herb Pharm Eluthero.
• Stephen Buhner’s book “Healing Lyme”, but be prepared for the updated and revised version of this book which is due out in the Fall of 2015. In “Healing Lyme”, you’ll find all the information you'll need about the herbs used for the Buhner protocol as well as their dosing, treating the symptoms caused by Lyme, practitioners who treat Lyme disease with the Buhner protocol, and a detailed elaboration of the Buhner Protocol's 5 points of philosophy for treating Lyme.

Expanding the Core Buhner Protocol (Optional) and Support

The core Buhner protocol consists of just 3 herbs for treating Lyme disease, however, treating co-infections and addressing symptoms will expand the Buhner protocol. Expanding the core Buhner protocol is really optional for treating Lyme disease, but in some cases, expanding the Buhner protocol and addressing co-infections and certain symptoms may be needed to make a complete recovery.

​Support for the Buhner protocol can be found on Stephen Buhner’s website where he answers questions about treating Lyme disease and co-infections. Also, sparks notes taken by Scott Forsgren of betterhealthguy.com of Stephen Buhner's Lyme conference in Sturbridge, Massachusetts in 2013 possess a wealth of Stephen Buhner's knowledge. You can also read Tired of Lyme's exclusive interview with Stephen Buhner.

Resources

• "Buhner Healing Lyme Frequently Asked Questions." Buhner Healing Lyme. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Sept. 2015.