Wow! Is the epidemic finally catching up?!
Good goin' finding & relaying this!
It is still apparently one of the top searches for Labcorp, #2 in the past 30 days.
Also I will cut & paste these recent articles, "Is there a Chronic Form of Lyme Disease" & REP CHRIS SMITH HAILS ADVANCE OF NEW LYME BILL (Feel free anyone to send an email/tweet to the authors or publications if inspired).
"IS THERE A CHRONIC FORM OF LYME DISEASE"
Heather Salerno, For The Journal News6:59 a.m. EDT June 2, 2015
Lyme disease, a tick-borne illness, is one of the fastest-growing infectious diseases in the country. In 2013, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that about
300,000 new cases are diagnosed each year, about
10 times higher than previously thought.
It's particularly common in the Lower Hudson Valley – and it's also sometimes difficult to diagnose. Most patients recover after receiving antibiotics. If left untreated, it can spread to the joints, heart and nervous system.
Dr. Daniel Cameron, whose practice is in Mount Kisco, has treated Lyme disease patients for nearly 30 years. He's also president of the International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society (ILADS), a nonprofit group that has criticized the treatment approach suggested by the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA), which are widely followed by the medical community.
The two organizations also disagree on whether a chronic form of Lyme disease exists.
Lyme can sometimes look like other conditions. What can ensure a proper diagnosis?
There are tests that we use called ELISA and the Western Blot, but they're not as reliable as we need. Half the time a blood test doesn't even show the illness. And if you have an atypical rash, or don't have a rash, it's very easy to be told it's something else. The "bulls-eye" rash makes for a great photo op, but you (usually don't) get a pretty picture like that. Most of the time it's a flat, red rash, or scaly. It can even look like a spider bite.
It's common to be told you have fibromyalgia or chronic fatigue…sometimes patients can be told they have multiple sclerosis, lupus or rheumatoid arthritis. So whatever diagnosis you have, if you're still sick, it's important to follow up. Don't eliminate Lyme because a test is negative. Always keep it in the back of your mind.
ILADS recently suggested new guidelines for treating Lyme. Why do you think current protocol offered by the IDSA is inadequate?
We're not convinced that two pills of doxycycline recommended by the IDSA (following removal of a tick) will prevent any of the chronic, neurological Lyme disease problems. We recommend a minimum of three weeks (of antibiotics) and a follow-up evaluation…and if you finish your evaluation and are still sick, we encourage re-treatment. The IDSA does not encourage re-treatment.
Many doctors don't believe there is a chronic form of Lyme disease.
Some physicians feel that Lyme is nothing more than aches and pains of daily living. ILADS' position is that some people can be chronically sick and not be able to attend school or work. There are too many risks of neurologic Lyme disease. We feel we should treat longer when patients first get sick, and re-treat if they're still sick.
It's important to have shared decision-making. You can make the patient aware that there are some risks associated with antibiotics, but there are also risks with becoming chronically ill. ILADS is also concerned because there are a growing number of different types of bacteria in the tick. The infection we're most concerned with is babesia - a (malaria-like) parasite - that requires a different kind of treatment. Doctors might be treating Lyme disease but overlooking babesia.
http://www.lohud.com/story/news/health/2015/06/02/health-lyme-chronic-disease/28326469/
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
REP CHRIS SMITH HAILS ADVANCE OF NEW LYME BILL
Asbury Park Press
Jerry Carino, @NJHoopsHaven8:40 a.m. EDT June 3, 2015
he fight against Lyme disease got a boost Tuesday with news that a key funding initiative cleared hurdles in the House of Representatives.
A total of $5 million for Lyme disease research was included in the Department of Defense spending bill that passed the House appropriations committee.
"The funding in the DOD bill will go a long way to find better treatments for the men and women in our military who have contracted Lyme," said Congressman Chris Smith (R-4), a strong supporter of the research. "Confirmed cases of Lyme disease in the military services have been diagnosed at more than 120
locations worldwide -- and the advances in research and treatments made on behalf of our men and women in uniform have substantive and beneficial applications for patients in the greater population."
This comes on the heels of the Energy and Commerce Committee's passage of the 21st Century Cures Act (HR 6), which includes provisions to boost research into Lyme and other tick-borne diseases.
New Jersey consistently ranks among the top five states in terms of diagnosed cases of Lyme, and is one of the epicenters of an ongoing controversy over the existence of a chronic or long-term form of the disease.
"The 21st Century Cures Act . . . will establish a much-needed Interagency Lyme and Tick-Borne Disease Working Group that will operate in a transparent and
open manner and for the first time include a broad range of stakeholder input and public involvement, including those who suffer from chronic Lyme," Smith said.
Staff writer Jerry Carino:
[email protected].
http://www.app.com/story/news/health/2015/06/03/lyme-disease-rep-chris-smith/28400427/