Canadians are travelling to Mexico for Lyme disease treatments. That worries health experts – CBC

Number of cases in Canada has risen, from 144 in 2009 to more than 3,000 in 2022

Oct 09, 2023

Medical tourism has drawn foreigners to Mexico for decades, but the attraction is no longer limited to breast augmentations, porcelain veneers and rhinoplasties.

Clinics are now specializing in alternative treatments for chronic and life-altering diseases such as cancer, diabetes and, increasingly, Lyme disease.

In the case of Lyme, the interventions include things such as hyperthermia (which induces a fever meant to kill bacteria associated with Lyme), stem cell therapy, extended antibiotic use and plasmapheresis treatment (plasma exchange).

Marnie Freeman from Vancouver says she was diagnosed with Lyme disease in 2019 through a German lab after her Canadian tests came back negative. Her symptoms, which included facial numbness and chronic pain, prompted her to seek treatment in Mexico.

Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/lyme-disease-mexico-treatment-1.6982720