Hi Frazzled Mom,
I'm laughing a hard but unfortunately bitter laugh at the idea the docs will allow the article to change their minds. I sure hope they are not so closed minded that they remain deniers but....
I see you are a new member. I've been gone for a while so I don't have any idea how much you've looked about on this site. I recommend using the Google custom search button at top right and look for Kids with Lyme, California Lyme, Children with Lyme and maybe even California Cat because there's lots there about Doc's not believing it's out here. Maybe only look for a little while because the real use of this site is help healing, and support getting past the roadblocks. The past bit I mention will help show you are very much not alone. (It also may help you see kid specific symptoms to be aware of.)
My dawning impression is that until everyone knows someone who knows they have Lyme and hears the nightmare getting diagnosed and treatment can be, our progress will continue to be quite slow. I think the petition to get a congressional hearing will get us some attention, if not the actual hearing. I'm hoping for both. The kind of attention I'd prefer is my cat in my lap, purring. But...
Hey, Cali Lyme can we see the article your prof. wrote? You know those ticks didn't make ANY babies between 1970 and now. There is no Lyme in California!
Alright, now here's my latest theory. Something eats ticks, right? I read an article - probably suggested by someone here - that Guinea Fowl (fat, speckled chickeny birdies) can clear an area of ticks. While covering California with an imported bird is a bad idea for lots of ecological reasons, increasing the bird population in general will reduce the bug population in general. Ask Mormons about seagulls! Although birds can carry Lyme infected ticks, they also eat them when they preen their feathers and elsewhere. Think staying home for leftovers and dining out. Bear with me here...
Remember when you were a kid and you saw half a zillion birds sitting on the telephone wires? I bet you don't see as many now. The older you are, the bigger the difference. Here in So. Cal. we have converted lots of wild land into concrete. Even the open areas are often too well kempt for much wild life. Except perhaps for sneaky teenagers after dark. We have a two HUNDRED mile city stretching from well north of LA until about Camp Pendleton!
There's enough spaces for the hearty critters (possums, squirrels, raccoons, rats, mice) throughout that area. The deer have to make do with freeway underpasses to connect their territories, which blip and blop on the map. But, if we must teach trees how to be properly thin (Hollywood strikes! A fluffy, fully leafed tree is too thick! Hasn't anyone heard of shade?) and avoid anything with messy fruit which might - get ready to gasp - STAIN the sidewalk, we provide no livelyhood for many birds. And if you've looked at a tick nymph, they're really only appetizer size, not main course.
I read that deer were being culled back east to limit Lyme spread. I wonder. Does that help, or leave ticks homeless, and questing for alternate hosts?
Hey, one cat, now purring on my lap! Yay!
Anyways, If you have more trees, you'll have more birds, and, bonus, more oxygen. I personally like oxygen. I recommend a daily dose to everyone. 