Lyme Article on Huffpost

[filinha1]

So all I really wanted to do was go trolling on Huffpost for some mindless entertainment, but smack-dab in the middle of the page was a link to an article called 'Lyme Disease Myths'. Mindless entertainment was derailed and yet another evening was spent on the topic of Lyme disease. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/20/lyme-disease-myths-facts_n_3287872.html?utm_hp_ref=mostpopular

 

Reading the outraged comments following the article - which was filled with inaccuracies - provided some great links. Here are a few:

 

Interview with Luc Montagnier, awarded Nobel in 2008 for his part in discovering the AIDS virus. He discusses Lyme as we on this forum have come to know it and validates those in the medical field treating w/ long-term abx -

 

All natural insect, tick etc. repellent I had never heard of, backed up by research - http://www.greenbugallnatural.com/index.html

 

Blogpost written by a physician with Lyme disease, addressed to her colleagues - http://www.zubcevik.com/2013/05/20/lyme-disease-manifesto-for-my-dear-colleagues/

 

Now I'm just too tired to find out if Beyonce is pregnant again.

 

Heather

[rowingmom]

It was his interest and treatment of autism with long term antibiotics that got me. I had seen this link and a couple of others on his work 1.5 years ago. DD's autistic tendancies have gradually resolved with her long-term lyme/bartonella treatment. Of course he talks about the energy frequencies produced by these organisms, so will be dismissed as a quack. Definately something to think about though - for those of us who are into thinking (which includes everyone on this forum)!

 

Thanks for the other links as well. No mindless googling for me this evening either!

Edited May 22, 2013 by rowingmom

[beeskneesmommy]

It really bothers me that the CDC is still using data that seems to indicate that Lyme can really only be contracted in the NE states. I don't think that there is any new data to officially support it, but it seems negligent to downplay the possibility of infection in other areas of the country. They are inadvertently instructing the populace to dismiss concerns unless they have been exposed in the NE. I live in the Raleigh area and there are many cases of Lyme here...and growing!

[rowingmom]

It's too bad the author of the blog you mentioned hasn't enabled the comments. Doctors have no idea what goes on with chronic lyme infection, and won't until they find themselves infected. She needs to keep an eye on her baby.

 

I had to laugh at her quote "Two of the three physicians do not charge me for their services, the third one takes insurance. I am unable to afford treatment otherwise. It is expensive on so many levels". Welcome to our world! She needs a link to this forum.

Edited May 22, 2013 by rowingmom

[Dedee]

What frustrates me is what they are teaching in medical school. I have a nephew who is in medical school. At our last family gathering he told me he didn't think my daughter could have lyme because we live in the south and he had learned that it was practically impossible to get it anywhere but in the NE. I told him what he had learned was CRAP! Oops, I sort of let my frustration show in front of everyone. Oh well, won't be the first time if he keeps talking that nonsense.

 

Dedee

[rowingmom]

Dedee - good for you. Sometimes I feel like letting loose on my GP cousin who admits to never having heard of PANDAS. People need to wake up, and the process is rarely kind, I think.

Edited May 24, 2013 by rowingmom

[EAMom]

Ha ha ha ha...

 

A quote from the article: "One such problematic insect is the tick, and its most commonly associated illness, Lyme disease."

 

LOVE the commenter that pointed out that tics are not insects, they are arachinds.

 

"First myth: ticks are insects, as you reported! They're not. They are arachnids, 8-legged, just like spiders."

and then:
"Right? It's hard to take an article about fact vs. myth seriously with such a basic error!"

 

Seriously, the difference between ticks and archnids is 3rd or 4th grade material....

[EAMom]

Deedee...show your nephew this Lyme disease map. If dogs are getting Lyme in the South, I'm sure people are too! (note: you might have to selct "lyme" then "dog" on the link.)

 

http://www.capcvet.org/parasite-prevalence-maps/

Edited May 23, 2013 by EAMom

[rowingmom]

I forgot to mention - we lived in Louisiana for 13 years (1987 - 2000). During that time our labrador retriever had two bull-eye rashes on the hairless skin of his stomach. Both my husband and I looked at it and said "Wow, a bulls-eye rash!" and didn't know to think further. Some biologists we are (fisheries biologists, can you blame us?) Two ACL replacements later, the dog lived to be 15 yo. I don't think lyme effects dogs as severely as it does people.

[EAMom]

rowingmom,

 

My understanding if that many dogs tolerate Lyme well until something else "tips the boat" in wrong direction and the dog will get sick. This could be another tick coninfection (anaplasmosis is one), or even a bad hot spot (staph infection), or even stress. That said it is my understanding that dogs aren't likely to need months/years of antibiotics to put symptoms in remission, like people do, even though the 1 month of antibiotics won't clear Lyme, it controls things so that a percentage of dogs will clear eventually (years).

 

The big exception the this is something called "Lyme nephritis", which is more common in labs and goldens. Lyme nephritis is almost always fatal.

 

I also wonder how many old dogs out there have arthritis due to Lyme?

Edited May 26, 2013 by EAMom

[EAMom]

More on Lyme Nephritis in dogs http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23461642