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Rife Machines for Lyme Disease

rife-machine-lyme-disease
Updated: January 24, 2025

Probability of Health Improvement

  • My clinical experience: 40 percent
  • MyLymeData: 35 percent (14 percent very effective, 21 percent moderately effective)
  • Other research: no published research
  • Placebo effect benefit of any prescription medicine: 30-40 percent

About Rife and Rife Machines

In the early 1900s, Royal Raymond Rife developed special microscopes using prisms to see germs and electromagnetic machines to kill the germs. His claims of being able to see the germs and kill various microorganisms using electromagnetic frequencies were never scientifically validated by other researchers.

Rife machines are now manufactured by a variety of different companies. They use various technologies to generate electromagnetic waves that are intended to vibrate a germ covering—eventually bursting and killing the germ.

For a more detailed explanation of various Rife machines and the process of performing a Rife regimen, I suggest the book by Bryan Rosner called When Antibiotics Fail: Lyme Disease and Rife Machines, with Critical Evaluation of Leading Alternative Therapies.

In theory, Lyme and the various coinfections each respond to different types of frequencies. See The Handbook of Rife Frequency Healing: Holistic Technology for Cancer and Other Diseases by Nina Silver for a list of various frequencies some claim are helpful.

Marty Ross MD Discusses Rife Machines

Issues with Rife Machines and Lyme Disease

About The L-form Intracellular Lyme

As I note above, for Rife frequencies to work effectively, the germ must have a covering. The Lyme germ, Borrelia, has two different forms with coverings. These two forms are the spirochete and the cyst. Lyme also lives in cells as an L-form, but these germs do not have coverings. Therefore, even if Rife frequencies burst germs by vibrating with them, it is very doubtful they can kill Lyme living in cells. To get around this problem, a person may need to use herbal or prescription intracellular antibiotics while undergoing Rife regimens. For possible herbal or prescription intracellular antibiotics, refer to A Lyme Disease Antibiotic Guide.

User Beware – Experimental Device and Safety

If you are considering using a Rife machine to address Lyme, be aware the FDA recognizes these as experimental devices and does not support any health claims about Rife Machines. In fact, the FDA has prosecuted physicians who have used Rife machines in their offices. Also, there are no safety studies I am aware of regarding repeated use of Rife machines.

Be aware that including information about Rife Machines in this book does not mean I endorse Rife Machines for Lyme or tick-borne diseases care.

Effectiveness

Research about the effectiveness of Rife machines is almost non-existent, so who really knows if this works. There is only one published study that includes information about Rife Machine effectiveness. This was conducted by LymeDisease.org as part of its MyLymeData project. MyLymeData shows that 35 percent of people who used Rife Machines found it to be moderately (21 percent) to very effective (14 percent).

There are no published laboratory studies showing that suggested Rife frequencies by Nina Silver and others really kill the targeted germs.

In my medical practice, several people have tried Rife regimens on their own. From their experiences, it looks like 40 percent of people get some benefit.

The Benefits Could Be a Placebo Effect

Keep in mind that the average drug in clinical trials has a placebo effect of 30-40 percent. This means 30-40 percent of people in clinical trials improve by taking an inert pill without an active ingredient—a so-called sugar pill. Therefore, some of the benefits from Rife Machines could be a placebo effect.

Disclaimer

The ideas and recommendations on this website and in this article are for informational purposes only. For more information about this, see the sitewide Terms & Conditions.

References

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About The Author

Marty Ross, MD is a passionate Lyme disease educator and clinical expert. He helps Lyme sufferers and their physicians see what really works based on his review of the science and extensive real-world experience. Dr. Ross is licensed to practice medicine in Washington State (License: MD00033296) where he has treated thousands of Lyme disease patients in his Seattle practice.

Marty Ross, MD is a graduate of Indiana University School of Medicine and Georgetown University Family Medicine Residency. He is a member of the International Lyme and Associated Disease Society (ILADS), The Institute for Functional Medicine, and The American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine (A4M).

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