> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.foodconsumer.org/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Dr. Charles Crist on Lyme Disease - URL: https://www.foodconsumer.org/dr_charles_crist_on_lyme_disease_0601110721/ - Published: 2011-06-01T08:20:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-09-22T18:37:07.000Z - Description: An interview with Missouri physician Charles Crist, who treats what he calls Borreliosis or Master's disease, a tick-borne infection he says is similar to but distinctly different from New England Lyme disease, and who describes the mix of treatments he uses. - Author: Food Consumer - Tags: Disease, Health News, #vivvo-import Posted By [Dr. Mercola ](http://articles.mercola.com/members/Dr.-Mercola/default.aspx?ref=foodconsumer.org) Dr. Charles Crist M.D. is a practicing physician in Missouri, specializing in the treatment of lyme disease. Here, he discusses the modalities with which he’s been able to achieve a high rate of success. ### Sources: ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/c2/f5c28c07-f2c7-440d-8161-125a09d9bc91/content/images/2026/08/ad07fcc2c1b88ea962a7acfb617d9fce0d5472f0.gif) [Video Transcript](http://mercola.fileburst.com/PDF/ExpertInterviewTranscripts/Interview-DrCrist.pdf?ref=foodconsumer.org) | Dr. Mercola's Comments: | [![Follow Dr. Mercola on Twitter](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/c2/f5c28c07-f2c7-440d-8161-125a09d9bc91/content/images/2026/08/a4a7fe91740be807a56b49c07f3e67c1ed28df18.png)](http://twitter.com/mercola?ref=foodconsumer.org) [![Follow Dr. Mercola on Facebook](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/c2/f5c28c07-f2c7-440d-8161-125a09d9bc91/content/images/2026/08/700da0f79cfbf8a75ff7b3eaa55a474b9e406ce6.png)](http://www.facebook.com/doctor.health) | | ----------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | > I first met Dr. Charles Crist nearly 10 years ago at a conference, and he impressed me with his holistic view of Lyme disease, and his ability to integrate a number of different modalities to achieve a significant improvement rate for this challenging disease. > > Dr. Crist graduated from the University of Missouri at Kansas City in 1982\. After completing his medical residency, he joined a group that included Dr. Ed Masters, who, in 1988, discovered the first case of Missouri Lyme disease. Over the past 22 years, much of Dr. Crist's work has dealt with the issue of Lyme disease, and it is currently the primary focus of his medical practice. ## The Two Types of Lyme Disease > The Lyme disease found in the central part of the United States is not [New England Lyme disease](http://www.northernnewengland.com/ticks/index.shtml?ref=foodconsumer.org), but rather what's called Borreliosis, or Master's disease. Dr. Masters published 52 articles on this before he passed away a few years ago. > >> *"It's absolutely crystal clear, we do not have New England lyme disease in the middle part of America,"* Dr. Crist explains*. "Where you are, up in around Chicago, since you're close to Wisconsin and Minnesota, you may have more of the New England type presentation. I want to clarify that—that we have a different disease here. It's very similar but it is distinctly different."* > > Borreliosis is a tick-borne infection that appears to be quite prevalent. As explained on [Dr. Crist's website](http://www.drcharlescrist.com/?ref=foodconsumer.org): > >> *Borreliosis is thought to be due to an infection caused by a bite from a tick that is infected with Lyme bacteria. Borrelia burgdorferi is the name of the bacteria most commonly associated with borreliosis.* >> >> *Ticks carry other germs that may infect people when they are bitten. Some of these other infections are Rocky Mountain spotted fever, tularemia (rabbit fever), ehrlichiosis, babesiosis and bartonellosis (cat scratch disease). In fact, ticks may transmit an "infectious soup" to those who are bitten.* > > Many people have Lyme antibodies yet present no symptoms. Many also have an immune response, yet remain asymptomatic. According to Dr. Crist, of those who *have* symptoms, such as chronic pain, fatigue, brain-, eye- or neurological problems, and have at least *one* antibody, 97 percent will improve through treatment with antibiotics, which I'll review in a moment. But first, properly diagnosing Lyme disease begins with testing. ## Why Conventional Screening Tests are Not Recommended > One of the primary challenges with Lyme disease is that the traditional methods for diagnosing it are notoriously insensitive so many cases are missed, while others get false positives. > >> *"I have done a lot of research in that area,"* Dr. Crist says*. "For example, back in 1994… I showed that the screening test, the EIA (Enzyme Immunoassay), the ELISA (Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay), IFA (Immunofluorescent Assay), PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) are often negative when the Western blot is positive. I have no use for those screening tests. They're really not of any value in my opinion.* >> >> *... I go straight to the Western blot. … If you use a reliable reference laboratory and do Western blots, usually you'll find evidence of the Borrelia if the patient does have \[symptoms\]."* > > Dr. Crist uses [IGeneX labs](http://www.igenex.com/lyme%5Fdisease.htm?ref=foodconsumer.org) in California. Immunosciences is another good one, but there may be other good specialty labs out there as well—just avoid using most commercial medical labs for this test. Since the Western blot test must be ordered by your doctor, hopefully he would know of a reputable specialty lab if he doesn't use either of the two just mentioned. > > According to Dr. Crist, the false positive rate using the Western blot test is just three percent, and the false negative rate is between 18-24 percent. > >> *"A lot of times the laboratory will give it an official interpretation of negative,"* Dr. Crist says. *"But again, what I learned after seeing over 7,000 patients over the last 22 years \[is that\] if there is one significant antibody on the Western blot, 97 percent of those patients get better with antibiotics.* >> >> *What I'm trying to tell you is that *even if the laboratory calls it negative, if it's positive for at least one significant antibody, then that's clinically significant*."* ## Lyme Disease is a Complex Disease > However, borrelia infection usually isn't the only factor involved. According to Dr. Crist, most of his Lyme disease patients also have a number of other health problems, such as: > > - Low hormone levels > - Low metabolism > - Hypercoagulation (a blood clotting disorder) > - Allergies > - High levels of toxic metals > > Interestingly, about 48 percent also test positive for streptococcus, and 59 percent of those tested for nasal staph tested positive. > >> *"\[T\]hese patients are very complex,"* Dr. Crist says*. "The good news is we have many, many ways to try to help them."* > > By far, the primary underlying issue is *chronic infection*. ## First Line of Defense: Antibiotics and Probiotics > As mentioned earlier, most people who present symptoms and have at least one antibody respond well to antibiotics. Dr. Crist uses a variety of antibiotics, most of them oral. Only one percent of his patients receive intravenous (IV) antibiotics. > > He usually starts his patients on doxycycline, a broad spectrum antibiotic that has a 63 percent response rate. Other antibiotics used include: > > - Ceftin or Cefuroxime > - Zithromax or azithromycin > - Flagyl or metronidazole > > After that he targets the Babesia—a protozoa that attacks your red blood cells—with a 10-day treatment of Clindamycin and quinine, rotated with 10 days of Biaxin. Rotating the antibiotics reduces the risk of developing colitis and bone marrow suppression. > >> *"With that protocol we see a 54 percent response rate. \[A\]fter that we use Rifampin to go after Bartonella, and that has a 45 percent response rate,"* Dr. Crist explains. > > While on antibiotics, all patients also take Nystatin—an antifungal drug that combats candida—along with probiotics. Even more importantly, patients aggressively adhere to a no-sugar diet, and many adopt gluten-free diets as well. Of those who quit gluten, 67 percent notice improvement. ## Lyme Disease Requires a Holistic Treatment Plan > As discussed above, most patients also present a variety of other health issues, and *all those other factors* must also be addressed on an individual basis, from hormone levels to toxicity, in order for treatment to be effective. > > Aside from thyroid hormones, he also tests women for estradiol, progesterone, free testosterone, aldosterone, and cortisol. Men are tested for free testosterone, aldosterone, and cortisol. > > Dr. Crist and I both agree that bioidentical hormones are the preferred choice whenever possible. One exception is aldosterone. Most of Dr. Crist's patients are low in this hormone, but the bioidentical version is cost prohibitive for most. > >> *"In that case we do use prescription medication that's not bioidentical, the fludrocortisone cortisone,"* Dr. Crist explains. > > He frequently uses transdermal preparations, such as transdermal estradiol and testosterone. But for progesterone, he reports getting better results with oral progesterone. > > I've previously written about Dr. Jonathan Wright's views on this topic, as he is commonly recognized as the one who introduced bioidentical hormones into the United States. In his experience, [progesterone cream](http://www.mercola.com/article/progesterone/cream.htm?ref=foodconsumer.org) allows the hormone to build up in your fat stores and cause what's known as "dermal fatigue." This is when your fat tissue has become saturated to the point that the hormones stop working. In some cases your symptoms might even worsen. > > I too have found that many of the women who used the cream have terribly elevated levels of this hormone. Progesterone is normally a cyclical hormone and the body really needs to see a change in the concentration to affect a proper physiological response. If the level is constantly above the concentration that it recognizes as "off" or low, this is not possible. > > Dr. Wright recommends using [rectal or vaginal transmucosal application](http://www.mercola.com/article/progesterone/cream.htm?ref=foodconsumer.org) to bypass this side effect. Not only is absorption through these membranes more complete than through your skin, but hormones absorbed through your vaginal membranes enter the very same pelvic plexus of veins that your ovaries normally empty into. From here the hormones are carried to your heart and lungs and distributed to your tissues just as if your ovary had actually produced them. > > Dr. Crist, however, has not found the transdermal application to cause problems for his patients. ## Beneficial Supplements > Dr. Crist also monitors his patients' vitamin D levels, with the aim to maintain their levels between 80-120 ng/ml, which is slightly higher than [the levels recommended](http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2002/02/23/vitamin-d-deficiency-part-one.aspx?ref=foodconsumer.org) for the treatment of heart disease and cancer. > >> *"I'm pretty aggressive with that,"* Dr. Crist says*. "That's one of our cornerstones—trying to get people to take vitamin D, plus magnesium, iodine, and multiple vitamins. We try to promote good nutrition."* > > Interestingly, Dr. Crist has been promoting and incorporating vitamin D in his treatment for at least 10 or 15 years—long before its health benefits were widely known. Many have told him that optimizing their vitamin D levels changed their life; although, admittedly, it's sometimes difficult to pinpoint exactly which part of the overall treatment made the greatest difference. ## Success Rates > The typical treatment program takes two to three years. Less than one percent of patients are cured within the first four months. Dr. Crist likens the borrelia pathogen with leprosy or tuberculosis in that it's a slow-growing pathogen. So treating it requires patience, because it does not respond like most common infections. > > Patience can, and usually does, pay off however. > >> *"Overall 97 percent of our patients get better,"* Dr. Crist says. > > After reviewing the charts of 106 of his current patients: > > - 16 percent were cured > - 17 percent reported 90 percent improvement > - 33 percent reported 70 percent improvement > - 24 percent improved by 50 percent, and > - 10 percent saw only a 20 percent improvement > >> *"One of the things I would like to do is to call 1,000 former patients to find out what our long term success rate is, but I have just not had the chance to do that yet,"* Dr. Crist says. ## Final Thoughts >> *"What I tell patients is: Look for the horse before the zebras. In other words, go see your family doctor and make sure you're not missing something simple like anemia or low thyroid,"* Dr. Crist says. > > If you still suffer with fatigue, pain, and neurological symptoms—symptoms that might indicate Lyme disease—ask your doctor for a Western blot test. And, as Dr. Crist says, "keep turning over stones" until you find someone who's able to help you. > > [The Academy of Environmental Medicine](http://www.aaemonline.org/?ref=foodconsumer.org) is a great resource for medical professionals who focus on promoting optimal health through prevention, and the safe and effective treatment of the underlying causes of illness, including environmental causes such as toxic and infectious exposure. > > For more information about Master's disease, please review [Dr. Crist's online PowerPoint presentation](http://aaemonline.org/mastersdisease.pdf?ref=foodconsumer.org). You can also read more about his treatment plans on his website at [DrCharlesCrist.com](http://www.drcharlescrist.com/index.htm?ref=foodconsumer.org).