Lyme in the News

[blimeyitslymie]

The New York Times
New York NY
October 8, 2006

MAGAZINE

DIAGNOSIS

Pregnant With Possibilities

By LISA SANDERS, M.D.

Published: October 8, 2006

1. Symptoms

[Photos omitted on LymeInfo – go to URL at top of page to view photo
captioned below.]


Illustration by Jan Schwochow

Fever Drenching sweats alternated with chills at night. Body aches
Not just in the neck, but hotness and soreness all over. Liver
abnormalities Revealed by blood tests.

It was the woman's husband who noticed the first symptom. The couple
were walking along a street of town houses on the Upper West Side of
Manhattan. Her husband had pointed to some architectural detail and
looked to see her reaction. The young woman tipped her whole body
back in order to look up. "What's wrong with your neck?" her husband
asked. "Are you O.K.?" As soon as he asked, she realized that her
neck felt stiff and that she wasn't O.K. She was well into her fifth
month of pregnancy and was used to the minor aches and pains of her
new shape, but this, this was different. She felt hot, achy, sore —
not just in her neck but all over. They walked to a pharmacy and
bought a thermometer. Her temperature was 101.

They had looked forward to this Friday-evening visit to the city,
but now the woman felt too ill to enjoy it. They decided to go back
home to Connecticut. She phoned her OB-GYN's office and spoke with
the doctor on call. After listening to her symptoms, he said he
wasn't worried. It was probably a virus. He recommended Tylenol and
rest. That night, the woman alternated between teeth-rattling chills
and a fever that left her drenched in sweat.

The next morning she still had the fever and aches. She thought it
over. She was a physician, an internist — she should be able to
figure this out. Lying in bed, she tried to think about herself the
way she might any other patient. She was 30 and she was healthy. She
didn't smoke and hadn't touched a drop of alcohol since she found
out she was pregnant. Her pregnancy had been problem-free until
three weeks earlier, when blood tests showed that her liver was a
little abnormal. Her OB had screened her for the most common forms
of hepatitis, but the tests were all fine. The doctor was going to
follow up at her next appointment. Could those liver abnormalities
be linked to this fever? About a week after the liver results, she
found a tick on her thigh, which she recognized as the type that
could carry Lyme disease. Could this illness be Lyme? She had been
on the lookout for the telltale rash but hadn't seen anything.

2. Investigation

Being a doctor, she was surrounded by doctors. "Sandy thinks you
have ehrlichiosis," her husband, also an internist, announced after
speaking with a friend who had gone through residency with the
couple. Ehrlichiosis, too, can be transmitted by a tick and can
cause both fever and transient liver abnormalities. A good
diagnosis, but the timing was wrong. The liver tests were abnormal
the week before she found the tick.

She called the OB-GYN again. He thought ehrlichiosis was pretty
unlikely. Even a healthy pregnant woman could get a viral illness,
he reasoned. Bed rest and Tylenol for the weekend, and they would
see how she was doing on Monday.

The patient hung up the phone completely unsatisfied. She couldn't
wait another day. What if this illness was hurting her baby? She
wanted a second opinion. She called a favorite professor of hers,
Vincent Andriole — an infectious-disease specialist. Right away he
wanted to look for the ehrlichia in her blood. One interesting thing
about these bacteria is that if you use the right stains, you can
sometimes see the organisms under the microscope. The tiny bugs look
like little clusters of round black dots trapped inside white blood
cells. "Morulae" are what these little clusters are called, Latin
for mulberries. He invited her to come immediately to the lab. She
sat miserably with her head in her arms as Andriole and her husband
scanned the blood smear under the microscope. No little clusters.
Too bad, Andriole said. That would have been a great diagnosis.

Normally, she might have just soldiered on, but there was her baby
to think about. The next day, she called another former teacher,
Michele Barry, who told her to come by the following morning. Barry
is a tiny tornado of a woman who exudes a restless energy that
leaves an impression of movement even when she's sitting still.

The patient looked tired but not severely ill, Barry noted as she
listened to her story. She didn't have a fever, and her blood was
getting enough oxygen. She had no rash. Her throat was a little red,
but her lymph nodes weren't swollen, and the rest of her exam was
normal. But she was pregnant, a time of reduced immunity. The body
is less able to fight off infections on its own. Also, whatever this
problem was, the treatment had to be one that would cure the mom
without injuring the fetus.

So what were the possibilities? Mononucleosis usually presents with
these very symptoms: fever, a reddened throat and abnormal liver-
function tests. The organism that causes mono, Epstein Barr, has
been implicated in a few reports of fetal abnormalities, though this
is a very rare complication. And in any case, there is no treatment
for mono. H.I.V., the virus that causes AIDS, was also possible. It
can cause this kind of fever and body aches. The patient's job as a
physician put her at higher risk for this disease, though she
couldn't recall any recent exposures. Still, if she had H.I.V. and
it wasn't diagnosed, the fetus could be infected at birth.
Toxoplasmosis was also a worry. This disease, which is found in
undercooked meat and is carried by cats, can cause terrible injury
to the unborn child. The woman did have a cat, and like most
pregnant women, she had been tested early on. That test showed that
she had never been exposed to the disease. Could she have it now?

3. Resolution

Barry would need to send blood for tests to look for each of these
infections. Finally, there was still the possibility of
ehrlichiosis. Morulae are seen in only one-third of ehrlichiosis
cases, and if you aren't able to see them under the microscope, it's
not easy to confirm the diagnosis. There are other tests, but they
won't be positive until the worst of the disease is over. Because of
this, diagnosis is usually based on the clinical picture, and
treatment, a strong antibiotic called doxycycline, tends to be
started before infection is confirmed. The patient's pregnancy made
this difficult, however. Physicians are loath to start any
medication during pregnancy, and doxycycline is particularly
dangerous for a fetus. Fortunately, Barry knew of a researcher who
was developing a diagnostic blood test for ehrlichiosis that could
quickly detect the DNA of the bacterium itself. The researcher
agreed to test the woman's blood that day.

Late that afternoon, Barry's pager chirped: the researcher had news.
He had found the bacteria's DNA in the patient's blood; she had
ehrlichiosis. Barry immediately called the patient with the news.
She had read of at least one case in which a pregnant patient had
been successfully treated with another antibiotic, rifampin, and put
the mother to be on it that day. "I started to feel better almost
immediately," she told me recently. When her liver was tested two
weeks later, the abnormalities had disappeared. Still, the sequence
of events troubled her. How could her liver have been abnormal
before she was even bitten by the tick? Could she have missed the
tick for all that time? That seemed unlikely. Was it possible that
the abnormal liver tests were just a coincidence? That seemed
unlikely, too. She favored another explanation, the two-tick theory —
that she'd been bitten by not one but two ticks and simply missed
the first. "If I hadn't been so persistent," the patient told me
recently, "I don't know how long it would have taken me to get a
definitive diagnosis. Maybe never." Barry agrees: "There was a rush
to get this diagnosis, and there should have been." Barry has seen
reports of cases in which ehrlichiosis is passed from mother to
fetus. Early intervention can prevent that, she said. And it seems
to have worked. Four months later, the patient gave birth to a
healthy baby girl.

If you have a solved case to share with Dr. Sanders, you can e-mail
her at LSanders@pol.net. She is unable to respond to all e-mail
messages.

*****
Letters to the Editor:
letters@nytimes.com

[blimeyitslymie]

Posted by: "Rose" toil_for_lyme@yahoo.com toil_for_lyme
Mon Oct 9, 2006 10:43 am (PST)
RoseNote: This article is from the Co-Cure archives (ME/CFS and
Fibromyalgia Information Exchange Forum). "ME" stands for Myalgic
Encephalomyelitis.
=========

http://listserv.nodak.edu/cgi-bin/wa.exe?A2=ind0610a&L=co-
cure&T=0&P=4190

From ME Essential, Issue 100. October 2006 pages 20 and 21.

Lyme Disease - let's dispel the myths

LD specialist Dr. Darrel Ho-Yen urges caution over the bug that can
be confused with ME.

The Internet has fuelled hysteria about Lyme disease. Lyme disease
(LD) was discovered in 1975, with the first human case due to
Borrelia burgdorferi being identified in 1983.

Whereas many may know that I wrote the first book on ME, Better
Recovery from Viral Illnesses, in 1985, and that this book is now in
its fourth edition, many may not know that my first scientific
publication on Lyme disease was in 1989, and that our laboratory in
Inverness provides a Lyme testing service for Scotland.

More importantly, I receive many emails, letters and telephone calls
on LD from all over the world. Such communications have one thing
in common: patients are worried about LD. Such anxieties and
concerns are based on what they have heard or read and what they are
being told by friends and relatives.

These myths are many and varied:

The Internet has the best information on Lyme disease

This seems a very reasonable statement as the Internet has access to
the most experts worldwide. The difficulty is separating the right
information from the wrong. There needs to be judgement on what is
being said. Unfortunately, looking for the right information can be
like looking for a needle in a haystack. It may be difficult to
find. In many cases, information on LD and ME is wrong.

Doctors are ignorant of LD

This appears to be an outrageous statement but has elements of truth
in it. LD is a recently identified illness and is described as "an
emerging infection." This means that many doctors have not studied
this infection at medical school and that more information is
emerging on this disease. This is not uncommon in medicine and
indeed is to be expected. It also has to be balanced by the fact
that not all areas of Britain have equal prevalence of LD. There
are many urban areas where LD is very uncommon whereas in rural
areas there is greater awareness and knowledge. Again, this is not
a judgement on the medical profession but simply a reflection of
reality. Those doctors in rural areas have to diagnose and manage
LD.

Most ME is Lyme Disease

LD is characterised by early and late disease. The clinical
syndromes of early disease are well recognised, such as the
characteristic rash (erythema migrans); whereas late disease has
characteristic clinical syndromes (for example, dermatological,
cardiac, rheumatoid), but also includes a fatigue state. Therefore,
it is only the late disease fatigue state that has common features
with ME. Overall, this may represent only 10% of all LD
infections. It is certainly not the majority of LD infections and
most ME sufferers do not have LD. In the Highlands of Scotland, we
have the greatest tick populations and it has been my routine in the
investigation of ME patients to have them tested for LD. In this
large series of patients who have had very significant exposure to
ticks, the number of ME patients who have LD as the cause of their
illness is around 5%.

Antibiotics can cure LD

This is a very attractive proposition. The truth of the matter is
that in LD, early disease is amenable to antibiotic treatment and is
curative.

Unfortunately, late disease does not have the same response to
antibiotics. In other countries, this has meant that prolonged
treatment with antibiotics (often a year or longer) has been
recommended. The very need for such prolonged treatment with
antibiotics suggests that the success rate is not good. Indeed, it
is difficult to separate the natural improvement that occurs with
chronic disease from the effects of antibiotic treatment.

Antibiotic treatment has limited success in late LD patients with
symptoms comparable to that of ME. Instead, such patients should be
managed, as is explained in my book, Better Recovery from Viral
Illnesses, fourth edition, www.dodonabooks.co.uk

All laboratories produce dependable results

All NHS laboratories in Britain have to be accredited by Clinical
Pathology Accreditation (UK) Ltd. If there is a diagnosis of LD
without such accreditation, the diagnosis is suspect. Many patients
are also seeking diagnosis by European or American Laboratories, and
many such laboratories do not have appropriate accreditation. It is
important to recognise that accreditation allows the user to have
confidence in the report. Unaccredited laboratories can produce
suspect results and may be influenced by the patient paying for the
test. Within the accredited laboratory, all of its procedures have
to be reproducible and subject to internal and external quality
assurance. This guarantees that quality of the product to the user.
Anyone receiving a diagnosis of LD should ensure that this is from
an accredited laboratory.

Misleading expert comment

Experts have said that LD is ten times more common than is reported.
This is absolutely true. Unfortunately, this statement is usually
applied to all LD infections: from asymptomatic, flu-like illness to
the well-defined clinical presentations. The number of patients
that fall into the group of late LD with a comparable illness such
as ME is small. LD accounts for 5% of ME patients in an area where
there is great tick exposure. In future, if there is better
diagnosis of LD, the amount of patients could double. However, the
important consideration is how these patients should be managed.

Summary

LD is a new, emerging infection. Much is being written and
discovered about this infection, and most of it is exciting and very
helpful. Unfortunately, the Internet and certain groups have
emphasised 10% of the information on LD rather than the 90%. It is
important that all ME patients have a balanced approach to
information on LD, especially as the management of late LD patients
is similar to that of ME patients in which there are no obvious
infectious disease causes. The answer is in making a balanced
judgement, taking responsibility for your illness and sticking to
guidelines. To blame others for not getting a diagnosis or
appropriate management may not be helpful. In the end, it is a
matter of what makes you better.

*Dr. Darrel Ho-Yen is head of microbiology at the Raigmore Hospital,
Inverness.
<snip to end>

****TOIL for Lyme****
T = Teach tolerance
0 = Overcome ignorance
I = Initiate insurance reform
L = Labor for Lyme literacy/advocacy

[blimeyitslymie]

Dr. Stricker to Debate at IDSA Symposium - Oct. 12, Toronto
Posted by: "Rose" toil_for_lyme@yahoo.com toil_for_lyme
Thu Oct 12, 2006 10:30 am (PST)
"This controversial topic will be debated at a symposium at this
year's IDSA meeting in Toronto on Thursday October 12th. "
========

Controversies in Lyme Disease Treatment and Diagnosis
to be Debated at Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA)
Symposium

International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society (ILADS) President
Featured

WHAT:
Medical experts agree about the importance of diagnosing Lyme
disease early enough to obtain the best treatment outcome and most
favorable prognosis, but some ask the question, Does Long-Term
Antibiotic Therapy Improve Persistent Symptoms Associated with Lyme
Disease? This controversial topic will be debated at a symposium at
this year's IDSA meeting in Toronto on Thursday October 12th.

WHERE:
Metro Toronto Convention Center, Room 801 A-B
Thursday, October 12, 2006, 2pm-4pm symposium, with debate beginning
at 3pm

WHY:
Clinical Practice guidelines issued this month by the Infectious
Diseases Society of America (IDSA) raise serious questions about
Lyme disease diagnosis and treatment options for patients and
practitioners. The International Lyme and Associated Disease Society
(ILADS), a non-profit, international multidisciplinary medical
society dedicated to the diagnosis and proper treatment of Lyme
disease, has its own set of guidelines that differ dramatically from
IDSA guidelines. More information at www.ilads.org.

WHO:
Dr. Raphael Stricker, ILADS president, will debate Dr. Paul
Auwaerter of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Dr.
Stricker is Medical Director of Union Square Medical Associates, a
multispecialty medical practice in San Francisco where he treats
more than 900 Lyme disease patients.

CONTACT:
To set up an interview with Dr. Stricker, or for more information,
please contact: Sarah Habib,
MS&L Public Relations, Phone: 416- 847-1312, sarah.habib@ mslpr.ca


John F. Coughlan, President
Massachusetts Lyme Disease Awareness Assoc.
Cape Cod, MA
E-Mail: MassLyme@aol. com
Ph: (508) 564-7445

****TOIL for Lyme****
T = Teach tolerance
0 = Overcome ignorance
I = Initiate insurance reform
L = Labor for Lyme literacy/advocacy

[blimeyitslymie]

Posted by: "Rose" toil_for_lyme@yahoo.com toil_for_lyme
Sat Oct 14, 2006 10:10 am (PST)
"In looking at Lyme disease, abnormal QEEG patterns were found in 75
percent of active Lyme disease patients. With neurofeedback
treatment, 54 percent had continued cortical dysfunction."
=========

http://www.newswise.com/articles/view/524158/

NewsWise
October 9, 2006

Using Neurofeedback to Aid Medical Patients

Libraries
Medical News

Keywords
QUANTITATIVE ELECTROENCEPHALOGRAPHY, BIOFEEDBACK, NEUROFEEDBACK,
BRAIN WAVES,LYME DISEASE, SYSTEMATIC LUPUS, ERYTHEMATOSUS,
MIGRAINES, IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME, FIBROMYALGIA AND CHRONIC
FATIGUE

Newswise — A new article reviews the literature of quantitative
electroencephalography (QEEG) that documents abnormal brain wave
patterns accompanying several medical conditions. The research
implies that neurofeedback training may partially or fully normalize
these brain wave patterns, and improve the physical and mental
functioning of people with these conditions. The article is in the
latest issue of Biofeedback.

The literature demonstrates that it is common to find disturbed
electrophysiological patterns associated with Lyme disease,
systematic lupus, erythematosus, migraines, irritable bowel
syndrome, and cardiopulmonary bypass surgery patients. Abnormal EEG
patterns are also commonly found in fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue
and in individuals with chemical sensitivities and those who have
been exposed to toxic substances or extensive radiation.

In looking at Lyme disease, abnormal QEEG patterns were found in 75
percent of active Lyme disease patients. With neurofeedback
treatment, 54 percent had continued cortical dysfunction. This is
one example of how some conditions in which viral agents persist
continue to need ongoing treatment in addition to neurofeedback.

The use of neurofeedback training can produce positive results for
those suffering from many diseases and disorders that are associated
with abnormal brain waves. The article can help to inform therapists
using neurofeedback by providing information for comparison with
their own assessments.

To read the entire study, click here:
http://www.allenpress.com/pdf/87-94_BIOF3403-art03.pdf

Biofeedback is a quarterly journal of the Association for Applied
Psychophysiology and Biofeedback (AAPB). For more information about
AAPB, visit http://www.aapb.org

****TOIL for Lyme****
T = Teach tolerance
0 = Overcome ignorance
I = Initiate insurance reform
L = Labor for Lyme literacy/advocacy

[blimeyitslymie]

Neurofeedback Training May Help Normalize Some Abnormal Brain Wave
Posted by: "Rose" toil_for_lyme@yahoo.com toil_for_lyme
Sat Oct 14, 2006 10:17 am (PST)
"According to Newswise, individuals with Lyme disease, systematic
lupus, erythematosus, migraines, irritable bowel syndrome, and
cardiopulmonary bypass surgery patients typically have disturbed
electroencephalography patterns."

========

http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7005156955

All Headline News
October 12, 2006

Neurofeedback Training May Help Normalize Some Abnormal Brain Wave
Patterns

October 12, 2006 1:47 p.m. EST

Linda Young - All Headline News Staff Writer

Salt Lake City, Utah (AHN) - A new study reveals that neurofeedback
training may help normalize abnormal brain waves caused by some
medical conditions.

The study was published in the latest edition of Biofeedback a
journal published by the Association for Applied Psychophysiology
and Biofeedback.

According to Newswise, individuals with Lyme disease, systematic
lupus, erythematosus, migraines, irritable bowel syndrome, and
cardiopulmonary bypass surgery patients typically have disturbed
electroencephalography patterns.

Other conditions that may produce abnormal EEG patterns are
fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue and exposure to toxic substances or
large doses of radiation.

The study found that 75 percent of patients with Lyme disease had
abnormal EEG patterns. After neurofeedback treatment that declined
to 54 percent of those treated.

The report stated that these results could be used as baseline to
help therapists treat patients with abnormal brain wave patterns.

The study focused on children with migraines. The study was done by
D. Corydon Hammond, Ph.D., University of Utah School of Medicine.

****TOIL for Lyme****
T = Teach tolerance
0 = Overcome ignorance
I = Initiate insurance reform
L = Labor for Lyme literacy/advocacy

[blimeyitslymie]

From: Phyllis Mervine, President of CALDA
Subject: Fall Issue of the Lyme Times

Dear People,
The fall issue of the Lyme Times just went to the printer. It's a great
issue, 30 pages of interesting articles, including a description of a
highschooler' s project investigating a possible link between MS and
Lyme; a photo essay on alternate forms of borrelia by pathologist Alan
MacDonald, MD; a n article on "The Power and Peril of Paradigms" by Dave
Moyer; an article on the Marshall Protocol; one on pain; update on
federal bills and more. Please make sure your CALDA membership is up to
date (your expiration date is printed on the mailing label of your last
issue). Please consider ordering bulk issues (CALDA members get a
special discounted price) and using them for public education. We also
have back issues of the 2 children's issues (great for schools),
insurance issue, and patient's issue. Please contact Nancy Brown
<calda@dcacable. net> for bulk orders.

Sign up for a CALDA membership at www.lymedisease. org

To view archive issues go to www.lymetimes. org

The archives have only the pre-cover issues, our old newsprint style.

[blimeyitslymie]

http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/October2006/13/c8045.html

CNW Group
Canada
October 13, 2006

Attention News/Health Editors:

Warning - Health Canada warns consumers not to use unauthorized
intravenous health products due to potential health risks

OTTAWA, Oct. 13 /CNW Telbec/ - Health Canada is warning
consumers and health practitioners not to use the unauthorized
intravenous products Bismacine (also known as Chromacine),
Dioxychlor (also known as DC-3) and Sulfoxime because they may pose
a serious risk to health.

These products have been promoted as an intravenous protocol to
treat Lyme disease, a tick-bourne illness. Additionally, Dioxychlor
and Sulfoxime injections have been promoted for the treatment of
other health conditions. Together, Sulfoxime and Dioxychlor are
promoted as anti-microbial agents.

Bismacine is not an authorized health product in Canada;
however, it has been available for sale from compounding pharmacies
in the United States. Bismacine contains high amounts of bismuth, a
heavy metal that is authorized for use in some oral medications to
treat Helicobacter pylori, a bacterium that can cause stomach
ulcers. However, using bismuth through injection may result in
cardiovascular collapse, kidney failure or death.

There is evidence that Dioxychlor and Sulfoxime, although not
authorized by Health Canada, have been purchased by Canadians, in
Ontario, Quebec and Nova Scotia, from a U.S. Internet pharmacy.

Bismacine, Dioxychlor or Sulfoxime injections are not recognized
naturopathic practices in Canada and they are not used by licensed
naturopathic doctors in Canada for the treatment of Lyme disease or
any other condition.

All three products are manufactured by American Biologics of
Chula Vista, California. The same manufacturer markets a device
called the Bradford High Resolution Microscope as a tool to diagnose
Lyme disease. This device has not been reviewed or approved by
Health Canada.

Lyme disease occurs mainly during the summer. It is treated with
antibiotics, either orally or intravenously, depending on the
severity of the disease. Visit the It's Your Health fact
sheet
(http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/iyh-vsv/diseases-maladies/lyme_e.html) for more information on Lyme
disease.

To date, no adverse reactions suspected to be associated with
these products have been reported to Health Canada. However, there
has been one death and several reports of injury related to
treatment with Bismacine in the United States.

Health Canada is advising consumers and health practitioners not
to use Bismacine, Dioxychlor or Sulfoxime for the treatment of any
medical condition, including Lyme disease. Individuals who believe
they have suffered side-effects from using these products are
advised to seek medical attention immediately. Health Canada is also
advising consumers and health practitioners not to use the Bradford
High Resolution Microscope to diagnose any medical condition.

Consumers requiring more information about this advisory can
contact the Health Canada public inquiries line at (613) 957-2991,
or toll free at 1-866-225-0709.

To report a suspected adverse reaction to these or any other
health products, please contact the Canadian Adverse Drug Reaction
Monitoring Program (CADRMP) of Health Canada by one of the following
methods:

Telephone: 1-866-234-2345
Facsimile: 1-866-678-6789

CADRMP
Marketed Health Products Directorate
Tunney's Pasture, AL 0701C
email: cadrmp@hc-sc.gc.ca

The CADRMP adverse reaction reporting form, including a version
that can be completed and submitted online, is located on the
MedEffect portal (www.medeffect.gc.ca) of the Health Canada Web site.

Egalement disponible en fran*ais

For further information: Media Inquiries: Health Canada, (613) 957-
2983;
Public Inquiries: (613) 957-2991, 1-866 225-0709

[blimeyitslymie]

http://www.lymediseaseassociation.org/NewsReleases/20061018.html

Lyme Disease Association Website
October 18, 2006

Media Advisory:
October 18, 2006

Contact: Vicky Jaffe, 617-937-2578,
Vicky.jaffe@mslpr.com

Latest Lyme Disease Research to be Presented Oct. 20-22 in
Philadelphia
Featured Presentations include Lyme Disease Link to Alzheimer's

The recent frost unofficially ends the high-risk season for Lyme
disease infection, but with warmer, wetter weather over the past
year, and ticks continuing to be active over the winter, experts
predict 2006 may surpass 2005 for the number of reported Lyme
disease cases. In the United States, 23,305 Lyme disease cases were
reported by the Centers for Disease Control in 2005, but only 10
percent of cases meeting the CDC criteria are actually reported.
Therefore, about 233,050 U.S. cases that met the CDC criteria
occurred in 2005. Other physician-diagnosed cases that do not meet
the narrow CDC criteria are not counted anywhere. The continued toll
of Lyme disease brings together hundreds of physicians, researchers,
health care providers, advocates and patients looking for the latest
information about the most common tick-borne disease in the world
today.

The 7th Annual Lyme Disease Association (LDA) Lyme & Other Tick-
Borne Diseases Conference will be held on Friday, Oct. 20 at the
Crowne Plaza Hotel, Center City, Philadelphia, jointly sponsored by
the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons which
offers physicians continuing medical education credits for the one
day session.

Highlights of presentations include:
• Pathologist Alan B. MacDonald, MD, will present his findings at
3pm on Friday, Oct. 20 that Borrelia burgdorferi (the bacteria that
causes Lyme disease, typically found in a spiral form) can take
different shapes when it invades mammals, including cystic forms and
granular forms that may be found inside of neurons in Alzheimer's
disease in the Hippocampus. Three abstracts of Dr. MacDonald's were
accepted at this year's International Meeting of the Alzheimer's
Disease Association in Madrid, Spain and have been published
in "Alzheimer's and Dementia," a publication of the Alzheimer's
Society.

• On Friday at 8:15 am, keynoter David Ecker, Ph.D., Chief
Scientific Officer at the Ibis Division of Isis Pharmaceuticals in
Carlsbad, CA, will discuss universal biosensor detection of emerging
infections, which has applications for Lyme, as well as other
infectious diseases.

• On Friday at 10:40am, Dr. Jeffrey D. Rothstein of Johns Hopkins
University will discuss the ability of antibiotics to stimulate
Glutamate Transporter Expression and delay the loss of neurons and
muscle strength in animal models with ALS.

The International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society (ILADS)
Scientific Session on tick-bore diseases will follow over the
weekend.

[blimeyitslymie]

"A few of the participants have been diagnosed with 3rd stage Lyme
disease and failed to improve with pharmaceutical treatment,
including antibiotics."

http://www.npicenter.com/anm/templates/newsATemp.aspx?
articleid=16751&zoneid=18

NPI Center
October 9, 2006

Allimax Nutraceuticals US starts clinical trial for treating Lyme
disease
2006-10-09 - Allimax Nutraceuticals US

________________________________________

Allimax Nutraceuticals US, in conjunction with the Health Healing
and Hope Foundation, have started their Lyme disease double blind
clinical study being conducted in Texas by Dr.'s Joan Vandergriff
ND, Hamid Moayad DO, William Keller Ph.D., Hugo Rodier M.D. The
study is being sponsored by Natures Sunshine Products and Allimax
International L.T.D. The purpose of the study is to show eradication
of the blood born Borrelia Spirochete causing Lyme disease.

Lyme disease can affect every organ in the human system and can
decimate health. A few of the participants have been diagnosed with
3rd stage Lyme disease and failed to improve with pharmaceutical
treatment, including antibiotics. Some pilot investigation was done
using a rotation of drugs combined with natural therapies. Despite
improvement, Lyme protocol dictates a rotation of allopathic/natural
therapy. The goal is to show alternative therapies can make a
difference in 3rd stage Lyme disease using a uniform natural therapy
regimen.

The company has chosen patients who failed to respond or improve
from conventional therapy. In the study the natural treatment
Allimed® group will be compared to at least the same matching number
of other patients of approximately the same age, sex, blood type and
degree of illness who continue to receive conventional therapy
without natural therapies (the control group).

James R. Walton, President
Allimax Nutraceuticals US
312-421-6132 Office
312-421-6133 Fax
www.allimax.us
www.allimed.us

[blimeyitslymie]

http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/061002/nym075a.html?.v=1

Yahoo Finance
October 2, 2006

Press Release Source: Novozymes

Novozymes Expands Product Portfolio with Efficacious Biological
Insecticide for Deer Ticks, Lyme Disease

Monday October 2, 10:00 am ET

Company completes acquisition of Connecticut-based Earth
Biosciences, Inc.

SALEM, Va., Oct. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Novozymes today announced it has
acquired a natural insecticide which may deter Lyme disease by
controlling the deer tick, one of the carriers of the disease.
Acquiring the insecticide came as part of the recently completed
acquisition of Earth Biosciences, Inc. (EBS), which closed September
30, 2006. Novozymes will incorporate EBS into its ROOTS ® Plant Care
Group.

Lyme disease is caused by a spirochete pathogen and is spread to
humans by deer ticks. The infectious disease, which can cause
arthritis, neurological and heart problems, is more prevalent
throughout the northeastern and midwestern states of the U.S. and in
Europe.

In the transaction, Novozymes will add two new alternative pesticide
technologies to its portfolio. These include the insecticide
Metarhizium anisopliae and the fungicide Bacillus subtilis, both
naturally occurring microorganisms. The Metarhizium portfolio will
include a full registration package with approved U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency and European registrations. This new insecticide
product is currently approved for residential outdoor control of
ticks and the control of important ornamental pests such as black
vine weevils, a very serious nursery pest in the US, Holland, Italy,
Germany, France, UK and Spain.

The acquisition combines ROOTS ® Plant Care Group technical and
sales support, development tools and biostimulant and micronutrient
product portfolio for growth enhancement in the turf and nursery
industries, with EBS' proven and trusted technology for insect
control.

"With the acquisition of ROOTS ® Plant Care Group three years ago
and now the acquisition of EBS, Novozymes continues to strengthen
its position as the world leader in the research, development and
manufacture of biotechnology products and natural pest
technologies," stated John Sedivy, Novozymes director of business
development.

"The acquisition of EBS simultaneously meets Novozymes' objectives
for strategic growth: we are entering an attractive new market
segment as well as expanding our positions into important geographic
markets that we already serve."

According to Novozymes Biologicals president Ted Melnik, the company
will make additional investments to bring these new technologies to
market and begin production. "The investment of additional funds in
the technology acquisition should signal our full-fledged commitment
to the biological pesticide market and reaffirm our position as a
biotechnology leader, and the right company to make this happen," he
said.

With a technology platform of applied microbiology, Novozymes
Biologicals produces live microbial products for a variety of
applications, including cleaning and odor control for institutional
and household products, industrial and municipal waste treatment
products, and new technologies for animal health and plant care.
Novozymes' microorganisms business and all related activities are
the responsibility of Novozymes Biologicals, Inc., a wholly owned
subsidiary of Novozymes A/S.

Novozymes A/S is the biotech-based world leader in enzymes and
microorganisms. Using nature's own technologies, we continuously
expand the frontiers of biological solutions to improve industrial
performance everywhere. Visit www.novozymes.com.

________________________________________

Source: Novozymes

[Sonsie]

"Invasion of neural cells by B. burgdorferi provides a putative mechanism for the organism to avoid the host's immune response while potentially causing functional damage to neural cells during infection of the CNS."

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entr...&DB=pubmed

Microbes Infect. 2006 Sep 22; [Epub ahead of print]

Invasion of human neuronal and glial cells by an infectious strain of Borrelia burgdorferi.

* Livengood JA,
* Gilmore RD Jr.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Vector-borne Infectious Diseases, 3150 Rampart Road, CSU Foothills Campus, Fort Collins, CO 80522, USA.

Human infection by Borrelia burgdorferi, the etiological agent for Lyme disease, can result in serious acute and late-term disorders including neuroborreliosis, a degenerative condition of the peripheral and central nervous systems. To examine the mechanisms involved in the cellular pathogenesis of neuroborreliosis, we investigated the ability of B. burgdorferi to attach to and/or invade a panel of human neuroglial and cortical neuronal cells. In all neural cells tested, we observed B. burgdorferi in association with the cell by confocal microscopy. Further analysis by differential immunofluorescent staining of external and internal organisms, and a gentamicin protection assay demonstrated an intracellular localization of B. burgdorferi. A non-infectious strain of B. burgdorferi was attenuated in its ability to associate with these neural cells, suggesting that a specific borrelial factor related to cellular infectivity was responsible for the association. Cytopathic effects were not observed following infection of these cell lines with B. burgdorferi, and internalized spirochetes were found to be viable. Invasion of neural cells by B. burgdorferi provides a putative mechanism for the organism to avoid the host's immune response while potentially causing functional damage to neural cells during infection of the CNS.

PMID: 17045505 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

[blimeyitslymie]

"'With California's temperate climate, adult ticks are abundant
throughout the cooler months between late October and March.'"
=========

http://cbs5.com/localwire/localfsnews/bcn/2006/10/25/n/HeadlineNews/T
ICK-SEASON/resources_bcn_html

Bay City News Wire – CBS5
San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose
California
October 25, 2006

HEALTH OFFICIAL: COMING MONTHS ARE HIGH SEASON FOR TICKS

10/25/06 8:40 PDT

October begins the season in California most likely to bring out
bloodthirsty ticks, a public health official warns, including those
capable of transmitting Lyme disease.

"Although most people associate ticks with summertime outdoor
activities, adult western black-legged ticks are more likely to be
encountered in late fall and winter,'' Mark Horton, California's top
public health officer, said this week. "With California's temperate
climate, adult ticks are abundant throughout the cooler months
between late October and March.''

Ticks are slow, flightless arachnids that often cling to tall grass
or to low bushes in naturally vegetated areas.

While many species of ticks can be found, the carrier species for
Lyme disease is the western black-legged tick, which is mostly
reddish brown in color and about the size of the tip of a match
stick. It can be found in most California counties but primarily in
humid northwestern coastal areas and the western slopes of the
northern Sierra Nevada, health officials said.

Typically an animal or human brushes past natural vegetation and a
waiting tick comes aboard for a meal.

Ticks dig their mouthparts inside their host and stay there until
fully engorged with blood, which can take days, health officials
said. By then Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever,
anaplasmosis, ehrlichiosis and babesiosis can be transmitted.

The best ways to avoid ticks are avoiding the edges of trails,
grassy areas and brush. It is easier to notice a tick on light-
colored clothing and health officials advise periodically inspecting
yourself and others, especially in the scalp and hairline areas.

Long pants and shirts make it harder for ticks to get beneath
clothing, particularly if tucked in, and applied repellents
containing DEET are considered helpful.

A tick bite can appear like a mosquito bite but more often has
a "bull's eye'' of inflamed tissue or redness surrounding the bite
in the first 24 hours after the bite. Symptoms of Lyme's disease
include a spreading rash accompanied by flu-like symptoms such as
fever and body aches.

If you find a tick attached to yourself or someone, use tweezers to
grasp the tick close to the skin, and steadily pull up. Wash your
hands and apply some antiseptic to the spot of the bite. Consult a
doctor if symptoms develop.

[blimeyitslymie]

"In a point-by-point analysis of the guidelines, Dr. Stricker states
IDSA's position reflects a biased view of the disease that's either
unsubstantiated or refuted by existing peer- reviewed medical
literature. `The IDSA's 'one-size fits all' approach to Lyme
diagnosis and treatment will result in misdiagnosis and denial of
care to thousands of patients annually,' writes Dr. Stricker in the
letter to Dr. Gorbach, `creating a public health burden
as...patients become chronically ill and disabled.'"
========
http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=75220

U.S. NewsWire
Washington
October 27, 2006

ILADS Demands Retraction of New IDSA Guidelines for Treatment of
Lyme Disease

10/27/2006 5:12:00 PM

________________________________________

To: National Desk, Health Reporter

Contact: Raphael Stricker, 415-823-4007 or Richard Horowitz, 845-229-
8977 or Barbara Buchman, 301-263-1080, all of International Lyme and
Associated Diseases Society

WASHINGTON, Oct. 27 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Recently published Lyme
disease guidelines from the Infectious Diseases Society of America
(IDSA) "threaten to harm patients and patient care," writes Dr.
Raphael Stricker, president of the International Lyme and Associated
Diseases Society (ILADS) in an angry and highly unusual letter to
Dr. Sherwood Gorbach, editor of 'Clinical Infectious Diseases.' The
letter calls for retraction of the article, "The clinical
assessment, treatment, and prevention of Lyme disease, human
granulocytic anaplasmosis, and babesiosis: Clinical practice
guidelines by the Infectious Diseases Society of America."

Authors used exclusionary data selection, writes Dr. Stricker, which
substantially biased the resulting diagnosis and treatment
recommendations and ignored opposing or dissenting views.

Lyme disease is a major public health problem caused by a complex
bacterial agent carried and spread by ticks. Lyme bacteria have the
ability to evade immune destruction, entrench themselves deep within
tissues and migrate throughout the body causing a multi-system
illness. There is no single reliable diagnostic laboratory test and
there is no universally accepted treatment for Lyme disease.

In a point-by-point analysis of the guidelines, Dr. Stricker states
IDSA's position reflects a biased view of the disease that's either
unsubstantiated or refuted by existing peer- reviewed medical
literature. "The IDSA's 'one-size fits all' approach to Lyme
diagnosis and treatment will result in misdiagnosis and denial of
care to thousands of patients annually," writes Dr. Stricker in the
letter to Dr. Gorbach, "creating a public health burden
as...patients become chronically ill and disabled."

"We believe the same principles of scientific integrity that apply
to medical research should also apply to practice guidelines,"
states Dr. Stricker. The IDSA authors deliberately excluded
divergent points of view, he adds. As a result, ten of IDSA's
central recommendations are based solely on opinion, considered the
weakest level of evidence in science circles.

ILADS demands immediate retraction of the guidelines article and
subsequent CDC notification; creation of a new Lyme disease
guidelines committee comprised of diverse points of view to
reformulate the guidelines; and then submission of revised
guidelines for outside peer review to a medical journal independent
of IDSA.

Dr. Stricker's letter was widely distributed to CDC, NIH, FDA and
leading national physician organizations.

ILADS ( http://www.ilads.org ) is a multi-specialty medical society
comprised of all sub-specialists who treat Lyme disease, including
infectious disease specialists, neurologists, rheumatologists,
psychiatrists, endocrinologists and internal medicine physicians.
President Dr. Raphael B. Stricker is medical director of Union
Square Medical Associates in San Francisco.

http://www.usnewswire.com/

[blimeyitslymie]

IGeneX quality assurance data
Posted by: "Rose" toil_for_lyme@yahoo.com toil_for_lyme
Sat Oct 28, 2006 9:00 pm (PST)
RoseNote: The entire website is too complex to put here on LymeInfo. Please
go to the website below, and scroll through the entire site for
excellent info on IgeneX testing and accreditation. It includes a letter from Nick Harris, tables, and certificates. We're posting the introduction to the site. However, the rest is contained in a PDF file.

http://www.personalconsult.com/articles/igenexcerts.html

SAMPLE IGENEX FEDERAL AND STATE
LICENSES AND CERTIFICATIONS

Many studies show that the kits used for Lyme disease testing are often unreliable. They should not be trusted for serious diagnostic decisions on Lyme and other co-infections. Especially since many physicians do not listen to patients, and instead blindly follow questionable blood tests.

Some of these inferior Lyme test kits use Lyme strains that do not accurately represent the vast complexity of Lyme forms throughout the world or even just the United States. The Lyme used in these test kits is not cultured to yield a full range of surface proteins which we know clearly vary over time, in the same way humans change their clothes each day. Further, few labs take the effort to make sure the amount of Lyme proteins tested is uniform between the proteins tested. In some lab tests some question the integrity of showing a lab is reliable and has "quality" assurance, when they use as their Lyme-free group (their "negative control" group) people who are from areas that are hyper endemic with Lyme. This seems to be like testing to see if someone is an Irishman in the middle of Ireland.

IGeneX is the most dedicated Tick-infection lab in the US. They have spent years perfecting Tick-infection diagnosis. They offer a small number of carefully chosen labs, which are not a few tests among thousands. They do a small number of tests right. They have saved the lives of my children. They have saved the lives of friends and relatives. When I send them clear positives such as individuals with massive numbers of tick bites, the Lyme specific bands come back positive, and when I send patients who should not have Lyme, such as from 100% year round city dwellers, the results are always negative.

Some individuals are too lazy to research much in medicine, and are too lazy to research the immense quality assurance at IGeneX, and the many federal and state certificates they have earned. Why study when you can just listen to your local drug representative for education? Unfortunately, some sincere physicians are still in an adolescent hero mode of blindly following academicians with little experience in the treatment of tick illness?

I have posted these materials below to end the foolish comments to the media by some poorly informed physicians and government health agencies who are not willing to look at the extreme effort IGeneX has taken to offer superior tick disease testing. What follows is just a small taste of what they have achieved in advancing the diagnosis and treatment the leading vector illness in America. A serious bacteria that has the capacity to harm any organ in the body.

<snip to end>

RoseNote2: Please go to URL at top of page, scroll past the message above to see letter, tables, and certificates.

[blimeyitslymie]

A New View On Lyme Disease: Rodents Hold The Key To Annual Risk

In the United States, Lyme disease incidence has skyrocketed from 497 cases reported in 1982 (the first year national statistics were collected) to a record 23,763 in 2002.

Lyme disease, like other zoonoses, is transmitted by a vector that picks up the pathogen during a blood meal from a vertebrate host. In the eastern and central United States, the spirochete bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi infects blacklegged ticks, Ixodes scapularis, which feed on a wide variety of birds, lizards, and mammals, including mice, deer, and humans. Since human risk is a function of the prevalence of infection among vectors, outbreak prevention depends in part on understanding what controls infection rates among the agents of transmission.

In a new study published in the open access journal PLoS Biology, Richard Ostfeld, Felicia Keesing, and colleagues examined the ecological determinants of Lyme disease over a 13-year period in southeastern New York, a hot zone for the disease. Combining field data with computer simulations, they analyzed trends in interannual variation and found two powerful predictors of entomological risk of Lyme disease in a given year: abundance of tick hosts--white- footed mice and chipmunks--in the previous year and abundance of acorns--which sustain the rodents--two years out.

Their findings upset the long-held view that deer and climate are the best indicators of disease risk.

I. scapularis larvae hatch in midsummer and acquire infection after feeding on an infected mouse or other small animal. Larvae detach after several days of feeding, then molt into nymphs and enter a nearly year-long dormant stage. After another round of feeding, nymphs fall off and molt into adults, which prefer the blood of larger mammals. Larvae and nymphs can acquire and transmit infection, but people are most likely to contract Lyme disease from nymphs. A person's risk of exposure to Lyme disease depends on the population density of infected nymphal ticks.

Many studies have examined variations in climate and white-tailed deer population dynamics as determinants of tick abundance and disease risk. But few have investigated the impacts of fluctuations in the abundance of hosts for larval ticks, and none have examined all of these variables--temperat ure, precipitation, deer, mice, chipmunks, and acorns--simultaneou sly over such a long period.

>From 1991 to 2004, the researchers collected temperature and precipitation data, and estimated the abundance of acorns and animals on six plots of land. From this 13-year dataset, they developed computer models to estimate how each of the 11 variables (including multiple climate and deer indexes) contributed to yearly variations in the density of infected ticks and thus risk of human exposure.

While none of the climate variables influenced nymphal infection prevalence, higher temperatures in the previous year and precipitation patterns in the current year had weak, though unexpected, effects on total density and density of infected nymphs. It's thought that higher temperatures keep tick populations down, but the models showed them increasing both total density and density of infected nymphs. And though tick survival is expected to rise with precipitation, the models found the highest tick numbers at intermediate precipitation levels.

These inconsistencies can be explored by incorporating other variables with documented effects into the approach outlined here. Also surprising, the researchers found that even a 3-fold variation in deer numbers had no impact on subsequent nymph abundance.

Density of infected nymphs--the principal determinant of Lyme disease risk--varied significantly from year to year, fueled mostly by large fluctuations in total nymph density, which in turn depended mostly on fluctuations in abundance of acorns, mice, and chipmunks. Interestingly, though chipmunk densities are generally lower than mice, their numbers were the best predictor of total nymph density in the subsequent year, likely reflecting their inferior grooming skills.

Overall, the results found that acorns were the best predictor of Lyme disease risk--stemming from their crucial role in supporting white-footed mice, chipmunks, and likely other small animals, which in turn provide large reservoirs for B. burgdorferi. Acorns will not be a universal predictor of risk, the researchers acknowledge, since the disease occurs in areas without oaks. But the strength of these findings suggests that the observed link between increased Lyme disease risk and high rodent densities indicates that important food sources--or predators--of the rodent hosts of nymphs will be valuable predictors of disease risk.

Citation: Ostfeld RS, Canham CD, Oggenfuss K, Winchcombe RJ, Keesing F (2006) Climate, deer, rodents, and acorns as determinants of variation in Lyme-disease risk. PLoS Biol 4(6): e145.

[blimeyitslymie]

"The Infectious Disease Society of America's (IDSA) new guidelines
were published online earlier this month after being approved in
late August. Many Lyme advocates had objected to the IDSA's previous
guidelines for being too strict and outdated, and are even less
happy with the new set."
========

http://stardem.com/article.asp?article=21289&paper=1&cat=1

The Star Democrat
Easton MD
October 31, 2006

Lyme disease groups upset by new guidelines
Infectious disease group says only `bulls-eye rash' good for
clinical diagnosis
By STEVE NERY
Staff Writer
October 31, 2006

CENTREVILLE — While National Lyme disease patient advocates are
protesting the Infectious Disease Society of America's new
diagnostic and treatment guidelines, a group of Maryland advocates
recently resigned from a state Lyme disease subcommittee largely
because of the state's support for the new strict guidelines.

The Infectious Disease Society of America's (IDSA) new guidelines
were published online earlier this month after being approved in
late August. Many Lyme advocates had objected to the IDSA's previous
guidelines for being too strict and outdated, and are even less
happy with the new set.

While erythema migrans, or the "bullseye rash" that appears on some
patients, is enough for a clinical diagnosis, according to the new
IDSA guidelines, nothing else is. The IDSA recommends blood testing,
which has been found unreliable by many studies, while the Centers
for Disease Control had been recommending clinical diagnosis.

Lyme disease is caused by the bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi,
transmitted through tick bites. Less than half of all infected
people recall the tick bite, according to the International Lyme and
Associated Diseases Society (ILADS), and more than half never
develop the bullseye rash.

ILADS President Dr. Raphael Stricker wrote a letter to Dr. Sherwood
Gorbach, editor of "Clinical Infectious Diseases," which also
published the IDSA guidelines, demanding a retraction of the
article. Stricker wrote that the guidelines were written by a
biased, one-sided group and threaten to harm patients and patient
care, according to U.S. Newswire.

Pat Smith, president of the Lyme Disease Association (LDA), also
issued a "call to action" for people affected by the
disease. "Effectively banning clinical discretion and classes of
drugs, alternative treatments and even supplements for any
manifestation of Lyme" is reprehensible, Smith wrote in a letter to
Lyme groups across the nation.

The LDA started a petition in protest, available on the group's Web
site at www.LymeDiseaseAssociation.org. The new guidelines "take the
place of a long-standing policy of deference to the clinical
discretion of the treating physician in both diagnosing and treating
the disease," the petition reads.

In Maryland, four patient advocates resigned from the Department of
Health and Mental Hygiene Lyme Disease Advisory Subcommittee in mid-
October. Lucy Barnes, director of the Lyme Disease Education and
Support Groups of Maryland, said she was initially hopeful about the
role patient advocates might play on the subcommittee, which met
three times beginning in October 2005.

"We went in there with big hopes that we could educate and make a
difference for people with Lyme, but right from the beginning, it
didn't look promising," Barnes said.

"We're not quitting because we're mad," she added. "We're quitting
because it's a brick wall in front of us."

Barnes said she and other advocates hoped to get the state to
support more "patient-friendly diagnostics."

Johns Hopkins University published a study last fall rating
conventional Lyme disease testing methods — especially the common
two-tiered blood test — as "unreliable," one of many studies
questioning the accuracy of traditional diagnostic methods.
Ironically, Hopkins has been criticized by Lyme groups for failing
to adequately address the disease itself.

"Although the laboratory testing for diagnosis of Lyme disease is
improving, the degree of sensitivity needed for a high level of
assurance at the time of early Lyme disease is still not obtainable,
even through combinations of various laboratory tests," the Hopkins
report concluded. "Thus, clinical suspicion based upon well-
recognized cardinal features of Lyme disease is still the most
appropriate approach."

Barnes said there are better testing methods and treatment
guidelines out there. IGeneX, a California testing lab, has
developed alternative tests, while ILADS has diagnostic and
treatment guidelines online at www.ilads.org. Nearly 500 people
showed up at Chesapeake College earlier this year when ILADS
guidelines author Dr. Joseph Burrascano Jr. spoke at a Lyme disease
symposium.

"It's like using leeches instead of modern lab equipment to draw
blood," Barnes said of the IDSA guidelines, adding she believes it
will set them back 20 years.

There's no money going to fight the disease, she added.

"A handful of chronically ill people can't do it alone," she said.

Barnes said she is hopeful legislators will take steps to fight a
growing regional problem. Lyme disease advocates have received
support from some local politicians, including U.S. Rep. Wayne T.
Gilchrest, R-Md.-1st.

Barnes said different people, including a man from an insurance
company, showed up to the three DHMH subcommittee meetings. Other
members included DHMH workers and veterinarian staff workers. Two of
the four Lyme disease patient advocates were allowed to attend each
subcommittee meeting.

Barnes said she continues to get several calls a day from people
looking to get treated and people who haven't been cured. She has
spoken to people who have been denied treatment based on the new
IDSA guidelines, she noted.

According to the IDSA, a doctor can administer a single dose of
doxycycline after a tick bite as a preventative measure if the
doctor can identify the tick as a certain species, if it is within
72 hours of tick removal and if the rate of Lyme infection among
ticks in the area is higher than 20 percent.

Barnes said one pill is not enough for prevention, and questioned
how many doctors can accurately identify ticks. She also said she
believes the IDSA recommends doxycycline rather than other more
effective drugs because it is much less expensive.

The IDSA guidelines also state that a few weeks of antibiotics
produces a highly favorable outcome, and urges doctors not to
administer alternative treatments, while Lyme support groups favor
treatments on a case-by-case basis.

****
Letters to the Editor (online form):
http://stardem.com/content.asp?contentid=185

[blimeyitslymie]

Posted by: "Rose" toil_for_lyme@yahoo.com toil_for_lyme

Fri Nov 3, 2006 9:51 am (PST)
"In July, the North Carolina Medical Board placed restrictions on
the Lyme disease practice of Dr. Joseph Jemsek, but allowed him to
continue seeing patients. Jemsek was disciplined for diagnosing and
treating Lyme disease outside of mainstream medical standards.

The Chapter 11 filing allows his clinic to continue operating while
it tries to restructure its debt."
=======

http://www.wilmingtonstar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?
AID=/20061101/APN/611011838

Wilmington Star
Wilmington NC
November 1, 2006

Clinic run by controversial Lyme disease doctor files bankruptcy

A Huntersville clinic run by a doctor disciplined by state
authorities for his work with Lyme disease patients has filed for
bankruptcy.

The Jemsek Clinic, which was recently renamed the Jemsek Specialty
Clinic, owes more than $2 million to its top 20 creditors, according
to documents filed in U.S. District Court in Charlotte and reported
Wednesday in The Charlotte Observer.

In July, the North Carolina Medical Board placed restrictions on the
Lyme disease practice of Dr. Joseph Jemsek, but allowed him to
continue seeing patients. Jemsek was disciplined for diagnosing and
treating Lyme disease outside of mainstream medical standards.

The Chapter 11 filing allows his clinic to continue operating while
it tries to restructure its debt.

"For 27 years, I have been focused on patient care, and that focus
will not change," Jemsek said in a statement.

Among the creditors Jemsek names in the court filing are Scottish
Bank ($1.2 million) and First Citizens Bank ($716,000), as well as
Mecklenburg County, which is owed $22,000 in taxes.

Joyce Poole, a spokeswoman for Jemsek, said many insurance companies
terminated their contracts with Jemsek around the time of his
medical board hearings earlier this year. Patients must now pay out
of pocket at the time of service and seek reimbursement from their
insurers later.

Once one of the region's best known doctors in the field of AIDS/HIV
treatment, Jemsek has now decided to focus solely on Lyme disease.

Jemsek was charged by the board with incorrectly diagnosing people
with the tick-carried disease and with administering intravenous
antibiotic treatments that went on for much longer than recommended
by infectious diseases experts.

The board now requires that Jemsek's patients sign consent forms
indicating they understand that Jemsek's treatments differ from
those offered by other doctors.

---

Information from: The Charlotte Observer, http://www.charlotte.com

****TOIL for Lyme****
T = Teach tolerance
0 = Overcome ignorance
I = Initiate insurance reform
L = Labor for Lyme literacy/advocacy

[blimeyitslymie]

New Lyme disease guidelines prompt patient protests (NJ)
Posted by: "Rose " toil_for_lyme@yahoo.com toil_for_lyme
Sat Nov 4, 2006 9:59 am (PST)

“’If a disease can be so controversial, how can any guidelines be rigid or accepted as the standard of care?’ asked Robert C. Bransfield, a Red Bank psychiatrist who sees many late-state patients suffering from depression, fatigue and cognitive impairment.”

RoseNote: Letters to the Editor are strongly encouraged (see end of article for email address).
=======

http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/index.ssf?/base/news-9/1162535614121120.xml&coll=1

The Star-Ledger
Newark NJ
November 3, 2006

New Lyme disease guidelines prompt patient protests
Friday, November 03, 2006
BY ANGELA STEWART
Star-Ledger Staff

New guidelines that discount the existence of a chronic form of Lyme disease and discourage long-term antibiotic treatment are stirring up controversy about how best to manage the tick-borne illness.

The guidelines also recommend against combining antibiotics to treat the disease, in addition to giving a thumbs-down to experimental or alternative therapies -- things like hyperbaric oxygen therapy and vitamins/nutritional supplements.

Members of the Infectious Diseases Society of America, which wrote the new guidelines, contend they are based on the best scientific evidence available. The Alexandria, Va.-based society represents physicians, scientists and other health care professionals. The guidelines were published in the Oct. 2 issue of the Journal of Clinical Infectious Diseases.

"These guidelines are based on more than 25 years of (clinical) experience and scientific studies ... unproven and experimental therapies are not endorsed," said Eugene D. Shapiro, a professor at Yale University School of Medicine who helped draft the guidelines.

But some Lyme patients and advocacy groups, as well as doctors, said those suffering from the disease will be harmed.

"They remind me of the Ten Commandments. They are full of 'Thou Shalt Nots,'" said Jeannine Phillips, 56, of East Brunswick, who heads LymeQuest, a local support and advocacy group.

The Jackson-based Lyme Disease Association Inc., a national patient education and advocacy organization, has started a petition drive on its Web site (www.LymeDiseaseAssociation.org) to protest the guidelines. More than 9,000 signatures have been collected, as have many personal stories.

For instance, there are reports from other states of pharmacists refusing to fill antibiotic prescriptions for patients, Phillips said.

The standard course of antibiotic treatment for Lyme is three to four weeks, but some patients end up being treated well beyond that, in some cases for months or years.

"One person had their insurance company deny treatment because the guidelines do not recognize Lyme can be a chronic disease," said Pat Smith, who heads the association. "These (guidelines) are absolutely devastating."

Lyme disease is transmitted by a tick bite and is sometimes characterized by a round, red lesion with a bull's-eye appearance. People who are bitten may experience joint pain and flu-like symptoms, such as muscle aches, fever and fatigue.

If left untreated, the bacteria can cause heart palpitations, arthritis, severe joint pain and swelling, short-term memory loss and chronic neurological problems.

The number of Lyme disease cases in New Jersey surpassed 3,000 for the first time last year, making the Garden State third in the nation for reported Lyme cases.

Shapiro, a professor of pediatrics, epidemiology and investigative medicine at Yale, said more than 95 percent of those who get Lyme respond to a short course of antibiotic treatment.

"If there was evidence that prolonged antibiotic treatment was beneficial, I would jump right on the bandwagon," he said.

If kept on antibiotic therapy too long, patients developing antibiotic resistance or even infection from intravenous lines, he said.

Shapiro said the new guidelines, which address treatment at different stages of the disease, provide "plenty of room for clinical judgment," are meant to assist doctors, not dictate to them.

Because Lyme symptoms can be very nonspecific and in some cases mimic other diseases, such as multiple sclerosis, diagnosis can be difficult. This is especially true in cases that lack the identifying rash or for which there is no positive blood test.

And when it comes to chronic Lyme, the new guidelines contend "there is no convincing biologic evidence" to support its existence in patients who have been appropriately treated with recommended antibiotic therapy.

Officials at Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey called it "rare" that antibiotic therapy -- either orally or intravenously - would be necessary for more than four weeks.

"This is the period of coverage defined in our policy," said Stanley E. Harris, Horizon's senior medical director.

That may be so, but expect patient suffering to increase, as it will be hard to find doctors willing to treat them, others contend.

"If a disease can be so controversial, how can any guidelines be rigid or accepted as the standard of care?" asked Robert C. Bransfield, a Red Bank psychiatrist who sees many late-state patients suffering from depression, fatigue and cognitive impairment. "They are a step backward.”

Other doctors, however, say they welcome the additional direction the guidelines provide.

"I personally think they are on the money," said Jerome Levine, chief of the Infectious Disease Division at Hackensack University Medical Center.

Angela Stewart covers health care. She may be reached at
astewart@... or (973) 392-4178.

****
Letters to the Editor:
eletters@starledger.com

[blimeyitslymie]

http://www.northern-
times.co.uk/news/fullstory.php/aid/877/Call_to_provide_better_informa
tion_on_illness.html

The Northern Times
Sutherland, UK
November 3, 2006

Call to provide better information on illness

By Caroline McMorran

Published: 03 November, 2006

THE mother of Lyme disease sufferer Margaret Thomson has called on
public agencies to do more to warn people about the illness.

Sandra Clubb of Judge's Court, Camore, Dornoch, has helped support
her daughter in her battle against the disease over the past year.

She told the Northern Times this week that notices should be put up
at the start of public walks, outdoor visitor attractions and other
amenity areas where ticks are likely to be found.

"The Forestry Commission should have something up on the boards they
erect at the start of forest walks about ticks and the risk of
contracting Lyme disease," she said.

"But there is absolutely no information about it at all. I know,
because I have made a point of going round the local walks. There
are plenty of interpretation panels, but they tell you about the
different insects, birds and animals to look for. There is no
mention of ticks.

"I've been to these areas and seen people walking around in shorts
and tops with shorts sleeves. I don't want to frighten folk, but
they should be made to realise just how easy it is to pick up ticks
and exactly what to do about it." Mrs Clubb said that since her
daughter became ill she had heard from more and more people who had
been bitten by ticks.

"People should be aware of how small they are and that they can
burrow into anywhere in the body. I know of a small boy in the past
couple of weeks who discovered a tick between his toes and went on
to develop the red ring which is a sign that it was infected," she
said.

Fellow sufferer Sue Helal of Dornoch backed her call for better
information.

"There definitely should be warnings in forest and woodland walks,
and I also think information about ticks should be available in
tourist information offices," she said.

"Visitors should be told if they're going to an area where ticks are
prevalent," she said.

A spokesman for national tourism agency VisitScotland told the NT
this week: "The countryside in Scotland is one of the safest
environments to explore regarding the risk of contracting insect-
borne diseases.

"As with any activity visitors undertake, there is always a small
element of risk involved and it is important that VisitScotland
strikes the correct balance in providing the appropriate information
to visitors.

"We meet regularly with a number of public health organisations
regarding any issues which are a risk to visitors. Lyme disease has
been discussed and we have been advised that no action is currently
necessary on this risk to visitors. This is reviewed on an on-going
basis."

Malcolm MacDougall, Dornochbased district forester for planning and
the environment with Forestry Commission Scotland, commented:

"The chances of picking up ticks on a forest walk are very unlikely,
but even if people do stray off the path only a very small number of
ticks carry the disease so the chances of contracting it are very
small."

*

LYME Disease is caused by an infection resulting from a tick bite.
Ticks are tiny spider-like creatures which live in woodland,
moorland and grassy areas, but only a very few ticks carry the
bacteria which leads to the disease.

Ticks burrow their heads into the skin but they can be removed with
gentle pressure from tweezers.

The disease may first show itself as an expanding reddish, round
rash in the area of the bite, and early symptoms may resemble flu.
The disease has a variety of symptoms, including changes affecting
the skin, heart, joints and nervous systems. Anyone with any of
these symptoms who suspects they may have been bitten by a tick
should visit their doctor.

Lyme disease is treatable with antibiotics and the earlier it is
diagnosed the better. It is a notifiable disease, with cases
steadily rising from three in 1996 to 57 in 2005. Climate change is
thought to be one reason for the increase in reported cases.

carolinem@northern-times.co.uk

****
Letters to the Editor:
editor@northern-times.co.uk

****TOIL for Lyme****
T = Teach tolerance
0 = Overcome ignorance
I = Initiate insurance reform
L = Labor for Lyme literacy/advocacy

[blimeyitslymie]

Brockville Recorder & Times. Canada
November 1, 2006


Beware of ticks, outdoor lovers told

People who enjoy a fall stroll in the country or preparing for
hunting season are advised by public health officials to beware of
ticks.

The Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit warns ticks
carry several diseases with Lyme disease being one. Lyme disease is
caused by the bite of a black-legged tick infected with a bacteria
called Borrelia burgdorferi.

Recent field studies indicate this tick is present in some locations
of the 1,000 Islands region. In addition, Lyme disease has been
found in ticks along the north shore of Lake Erie, Long Point, Point
Pelee, New York State and the eastern seaboard of the United States.

The health unit advises people to minimize their exposure to ticks
by wearing appropriate clothing, check your entire body for ticks
after returning from the outdoors and to watch for signs of
infection if bitten.

Other information is available at www.healthunit.org or by calling
613-345-5685 or the health action line at 1-800-660-5853.

[blimeyitslymie]

"While there's no rule that physicians must follow IDSA
recommendations when treating Lyme disease, insurance companies
often base their treatment coverage on these types of guidelines.
State medical boards might also consult the recommendations when
reviewing alleged malpractice cases."
======

http://www.healthday.com/view.cfm?id=535816

HealthDay
November 9, 2006

New Lyme Disease Guidelines Spark Showdown
Expert panel says they're based on science, but foes say patients
will suffer

By E.J. Mundell
HealthDay Reporter

THURSDAY, Nov. 9 (HealthDay News) -- Battle lines have been drawn
over new clinical guidelines on spotting and treating Lyme disease.

Depending on whom you talk to, the new recommendations from the
Infectious Disease Society of America are the "best that science has
to offer" on the illness, or a medical "travesty" that will lead to
the suffering and even death of those affected by the tick-borne
disease.

The former view is held by Dr. Gary Wormser, the infectious disease
specialist who chaired the panel that drew up the new guidelines,
which are published in the November issue of Clinical Infectious
Diseases.

Specifically, the updated IDSA recommendations -- the first since
2001 -- state that "95 percent of cases of Lyme disease are cured
with 10-28 days of oral antibiotics."

They also state that there is currently no credible scientific
evidence that infection with Borrelia burgdorferi -- the tick-bone
bacteria that cause the painful illness -- extends much past this
period in patients who are treated soon after diagnosis.

That runs counter to the notion, held by many, that longer-
term, "chronic" Lyme disease exists as a clinical condition.

The guidelines also strongly object to the use of antibiotics in
patients beyond those 30 days, since long-term antibiotic treatment
comes with its own medical risks.

While there's no rule that physicians must follow IDSA
recommendations when treating Lyme disease, insurance companies
often base their treatment coverage on these types of guidelines.
State medical boards might also consult the recommendations when
reviewing alleged malpractice cases.

All this means that "patients are now contacting us in droves all
the time about their inability to get treatment," said Pat Smith,
president of the New Jersey-based Lyme Disease Association, which
represents 24 patient-advocacy groups across the United States.

Smith and other patient advocates are vociferous in their opposition
to the IDSA guidelines. They argue that the recommendations are
based on an incomplete, biased review of the science and fly in the
face of observed clinical outcomes.

"I will tell you that from my experiences with tens of thousands of
people from across the country, these chronic patients are helped by
antibiotics," said Smith, who has two daughters affected by Lyme
disease. "If they are helped by antibiotics, they should be allowed
to have them."

Instead, she said, insurance companies are citing the
recommendations as they cut off many patients' access to treatment.

Dr. Raphael Stricker is a San Francisco Lyme disease specialist and
president of the International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society
(ILADS) -- the largest medical organization devoted to Lyme
illnesses. His group recently sent a letter to Clinical Infectious
Diseases, asking that the journal retract the IDSA guidelines.

Stricker said he routinely ignores the guidelines in his own
practice. But he added that he is able to do so because California
has laws in place that protect physicians "who want to treat
according to their own best judgment." Most states do not have such
laws.

"So, if I were practicing in another state that did not have this
protection, I would be very scared right now because of the IDSA
guidelines -- I might be brought up before the board," Stricker
said. "I think the guidelines are definitely having a chilling
effect in the rest of the country."

Smith said she's also heard "from several people whose insurance
companies have cut them off [from treatment] without anything but
pointing to the new guidelines."

But Wormser said his group based the new recommendations on solid
evidence.

"We looked at almost all the science that we could find on the
subject," said Wormser, who is chief of infectious disease at New
York Medical College, in Valhalla, N.Y. "In the guidelines, we
actually cite over 400 studies."

He said the evidence from all this data was clear: There is no good
evidence that Borellia bacterial infection persists past the first
few weeks of treatment. That means that the risk to patients of long-
term antibiotic therapy is unwarranted.

He also pointed to studies that show that people with a prior Lyme
infection are no more likely than others to develop long-term
problems.

Wormser stressed that he and his colleagues do not deny that the
symptoms patients complain of are real. However, instead of labeling
these symptoms "chronic Lyme disease," Wormser prefers "post-Lyme
syndrome." The distinction is an important one -- similar language
has long been used to describe individuals who were once stricken
with polio and who go on to develop a constellation of long-term
symptoms called "post-polio syndrome," for example.

Wormser said intensive research is needed to determine what causes
debilitating, long-term symptoms in patients with no trace of
Borrelia in their cells. Right now, he said, doctors don't even
agree on what symptoms characterize long-term illness. "How do you
know when a person has it? What definition is there for it?"

According to Wormser, long-term sufferers complain of a wide variety
of symptoms, many of which can be caused by other ailments.

"So, if you don't rely on some other test method -- just on your own
[physician] intuition -- you can't possibly diagnose it correctly,"
he said.

Stricker takes another view, however.

"I have over 900 Lyme patients, and there is actually a lot of
consistency in the type of symptoms patients have," he said. "So, my
response to Dr. Wormser is that when you have a lot of clinical
experience treating patients, you see patterns and you understand
that things are treatable."

Stricker also contends that the IDSA panel did not, as Wormser
claims, survey "all" the literature on Lyme disease. He said that,
since the disease first emerged 30 years ago, more than 18,000
papers have been published on the illness. "He just looked at all
the studies that he considered significant -- that's about 2 percent
of the literature," Stricker said.

The IDSA guidelines do include one important disclaimer: A note that
the recommendations "are not intended to supplant physician judgment
with respect to particular patients in special clinical situations."

But critics called the disclaimer little more than window-dressing.

"That's not the way the guidelines are going to be interpreted,"
said Tom Forschner, executive director of the Lyme Disease
Foundation, another patient-advocacy group. "Docs and insurance
companies are going to look at [certain treatments] and say, 'Well,
that violates the IDSA guidelines, therefore you are not going to be
reimbursed or treated.' And that's where patients will suffer."

A Web search on Wormser quickly turns up scathing epithets from
detractors who call him a "mass murderer" and "Dr. Death." Wormser
said he's been puzzled by the animosity the guidelines have
generated.

"We're not trying to do anything evil, we're actually very concerned
about these patients' symptoms," he said. "We really encourage
people to do further studies to find out what's causing this."

But Stricker believes the IDSA panel ignored the collected evidence
and has now boxed itself into a kind of intellectual corner.

"At this point, it's really just politics," he said. "Politicians
don't want to admit that they are wrong, and these guys don't want
to admit that they are wrong, either."

More information

The full IDSA Lyme disease guidelines can be found [at]:
http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/CID/journal/issues/v43n9/40897/40897
.html?erFrom=6322807316939635255Guest
or
http://tinyurl.com/yxpd9w

SOURCES: Gary Wormser, M.D., chief, division of infectious disease,
and vice chairman, department of medicine, New York Medical College,
Valhalla, N.Y.; Pat Smith, president, Lyme Disease Association,
Jackson, N.J.; Raphael Stricker, M.D., president, International Lyme
and Associated Diseases Society, and physician and medical director,
Union Square Medical Associates, San Francisco; Tom Forschner,
executive director, Lyme Disease Foundation, Tolland, Conn.;
November 2006 Clinical Infectious Diseases

Copyright © 2006 ScoutNews, LLC.

[blimeyitslymie]

Lyme Video - Houston PBS Station
Posted by: "Rose" toil_for_lyme@yahoo.com toil_for_lyme
Sat Nov 11, 2006 10:24 am (PST)
RoseNote: Video on Lyme disease by the Houston PBS station. Please
click on the link below to view this program on your computer.

http:/****eo.google.com****eoplay?docid=-4726635875489946625

****TOIL for Lyme****
T = Teach tolerance
0 = Overcome ignorance
I = Initiate insurance reform
L = Labor for Lyme literacy/advocacy

[blimeyitslymie]

http://www.sciencedaily.com/upi/index.php?feed=Science&article=UPI-1-
20061107-10420700-bc-switzerland-ticktests.xml

Science Daily
November 7, 2006

Animal testing trick has ticks trembling

NEUCHATEL, Switzerland, Nov. 7 (UPI) -- Swiss scientists are
developing a technology to replace animals used in testing new
pesticides by tricking ticks into laying eggs on faux cow hides.

The fake hides developed at the University of Neuchatel consist of a
skin-like silicone membrane, complete with hair that rests over a
layer of cow blood. The ticks, researchers said, become so
comfortable with the faux-cowhide that they set up home, copulate
and lay eggs.

But it's the ticks' knees that are of interest in measuring
pesticide toxicity. The scientists use the ticks' leg trembling to
observe the early stages of central nervous system damage --
something that is not possible using live animals.

The research is detailed in the magazine Chemistry & Industry.

Copyright 2006 by United Press International. All Rights Reserved.

[blimeyitslymie]

From the Jemsek Specialty Clinic website -
http://www.jem****pecialty.com/legislation.php

Twelve states have legislation in place or pending which either
protects Lyme treating physicians and/or mandates insurance
coverage. Below is a summary of the legislation.


Legislative Recap
Compiled by Lorraine Johnson, JD, MBA
Executive Director, California Lyme Disease Association (CALDA)

The following information is up-to-date as of October 2006.
As legislation is added, either on a state level or a federal level,
this list will be updated.

California
Physician protection bill passed 2005.
AB 592 expands the existing alternative/complimentary safe harbor to
include Lyme disease. If a medical practice does not result in death
or serious bodily harm, a physician shall not be subject to
disciplinary action for providing complimentary or alternative
medicine practice, including the practice of Lyme disease. To
qualify for this "safe harbor", the physician must have performed a
good faith prior medical exam of the patient, obtained informed
consent from the patient, and given the patient information
regarding conventional treatment as well as the CV of the treating
physician.

Medical Board of California: Physicians who treat Lyme disease
longer term are now authorized to review Lyme disease cases. This
will ensure that physicians who treat Lyme disease long term will
not be subject to medical board actions.

Mandatory lab reporting: Lyme disease is now laboratory reportable.
The DOH will call physicians to confirm that the cases meet the CDC
definition for surveillance purposes before including these cases in
their surveillance numbers.

Connecticut
Mandatory insurance coverage passed 1999.
Although the Connecticut bill limited insurance coverage to 30 days
for IV treatment and 60 days of oral treatment, the District
Attorney of the state has been monitoring the coverage provided by
insurers and holding regular hearing to increase the awareness and
address treating physician concerns.

Delaware
Delaware Task Force on LD created by '04 legislation to make
recommendations for the prevention of Lyme disease and for
educational programs to raise awareness about long-term effects of
misdiagnosis of Lyme disease. Task Force ready to present
recommendations to DE senate

Maryland
Bill introduced for doctor protection & mandatory insurance
coverage. Effort unsuccessful in 2005.

Massachusetts
Ayer held Joint Health Committee LD Hearings, where a panel
including Lyme community representatives and the public spoke.
Promised future action on LD

Minnesota
Physician protection and mandatory insurance passed in 1998.
This legislation has been challenged in the courts by Blue Cross.

New Hampshire
Legislature passed resolution supporting federal Lyme legislation
(Sen. Kenney).NH declared May Lyme Awareness Month.

New Jersey
State Board of Medical Examiners
NJ SBME has appointed several physicians who treat Lyme disease long
term to review Lyme disease cases. This will ensure that physicians
who treat Lyme disease long term will not be subject to medical
board actions. New Jersey also has several bills in the legislature
for mandatory insurance coverage for Lyme disease.

New York
Office of Professional Medical Conduct
June 2005, OPMC Director issued memorandum to OPMC staff

Memorandum endorses and memorializes principles currently in place
regarding the investigation of physicians who use treatment
modalities not universally accepted by the medical profession, "...
such as the varying modalities used in the treatment of Lyme and
other TBDs" Current law shall not be construed to affect or prevent
physician's use of whatever medical care, conventional or non*-
conventional, which effectively treats human disease, and that
practice by itself cannot constitute professional misconduct. It is
contrary to OPMC policy/practice to investigate or charge doctors
solely for above treatments.

Pennsylvania
New Lyme bill sponsored by Merle Phillips to provide physician
protection, mandatory insurance, and a task force to increase
awareness and disseminate information. -HB 1534 passed P A House now
in Senate.

Rhode Island
Physician protection bill passed 2002.
Mandatory insurance coverage passed 2003.

The Lyme Disease and Diagnosis and Treatment Act of 2002 prevents
the Rhode Island Board of Medical Licensure and Discipline from
prosecuting physicians solely because they prescribe and give long-
term antibiotics for clinically diagnosed Lyme, provide that they
document the diagnosis and treatment plan in the patient's medical
record. A year later the legislature passed a bill mandating
insurance coverage for long term antibiotic therapy when necessary.

NATIONAL - Washington, DC
Legislation pending in both the House (Smith, Kelly) H-3427 and the
Senate (Dodd/Santorum) S-1479. Over 90 groups, including ILADS,
support companion bills 3427/1479:

$100mil over 5 years
Research & education, delineated goals
Task Force w/ physicians, public, & government

[blimeyitslymie]

New Lyme disease treatment guidelines cause controversy (NY)
Posted by: "Rose" toil_for_lyme@yahoo.com toil_for_lyme
Wed Nov 15, 2006 10:37 am (PST)
"Dr. Henry Masur, the president of the 8,000-member Infectious
Diseases Society of America, said his organization had listened to
the other group's point of view, but stood by its guidelines.

"We don't think that their arguments are convincing enough to
suggest that we should modify or change our guidelines," Masur said."
=====

http://www.thejournalnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?
AID=/20061115/NEWS01/611150343/1019/NEWS03

The Journal News
White Plains NY
November 15, 2006

New Lyme disease treatment guidelines cause controversy

By Melissa Klein
The Journal News
(Original Publication: November 15, 2006)

New treatment guidelines for Lyme disease recommend that select
patients receive a single preventive dose of an antibiotic after a
tick bite and also seek to define which patients truly have
lingering symptoms, the most controversial area of the illness.

The guidelines, which also discourage the use of long-term
antibiotics, were put out this month by the Infectious Diseases
Society of America. They update the last set of recommendations,
which were made in 2000.

"These guidelines represent the best that medical science has to
offer at this point in time," said Dr. Gary Wormser, the lead author
of the recommendations and the chief of the division of infectious
diseases at Westchester Medical Center and the affiliated New York
Medical College in Valhalla.

Wormser said the guidelines were drafted by a group of 14 experts
from nine institutions and that adherence to them by doctors was
voluntary.

But another medical group, the International Lyme and Associated
Diseases Society, has called for the journal that published the
guidelines, Clinical Infectious Diseases, to retract them, saying
they are biased and threaten to harm patients. The group supports
the long-term use of antibiotics in some cases.

"I think that if you have patients who have a chronic infection,
which is what we believe chronic Lyme disease may be, then
withholding therapy for that is harmful," said Dr. Raphael Stricker,
a San Francisco internist who is president of the 300-member group.

Dr. Henry Masur, the president of the 8,000-member Infectious
Diseases Society of America, said his organization had listened to
the other group's point of view, but stood by its guidelines.

"We don't think that their arguments are convincing enough to
suggest that we should modify or change our guidelines," Masur said.

Lyme disease is caused by the bite of a deer tick. The infection can
cause a red rash, muscle and joint pain, and facial paralysis in the
early stage. It can later lead to arthritis and neurological
symptoms.

The early stage is usually treated with antibiotics such as
doxycycline or amoxicillin. There is little disagreement that when
treated promptly, patients usually fare well.

Provisional counts from the state Health Department for this year
put the number of Lyme disease cases in Rockland County at 201; in
Putnam County, 123; and in Westchester County, 116.

The best prevention methods included using tick repellents, wearing
protective clothing and vigilantly checking the body for ticks,
according to the guidelines.

To ward off an infection, the doctors' group recommends giving one
200 milligram dose of doxycycline to appropriate patients if a tick
has been attached to them for at least 36 hours. The treatment must
be started with 72 hours of removing the tick.

"We don't recommend that every tick bite be treated with
doxycycline, (just) one dose of doxycycline," Wormser said.

A study done at New York Medical College demonstrated success with
this type of treatment.

Dr. Janice Montague, a pediatrician in Tuxedo Park, said parents
often push for treatment if they discover a tick on their child.

"I think having that option with a one-dose regimen is a really
great thing, but I think we still have to be prudent not to over
treat them," she said.

The treatment is not recommended for children younger than 8.

How to treat patients who continue to have symptoms is among the
most contentious areas of Lyme disease. These patients are said to
have chronic Lyme.

"Unfortunately, it is apparent that the term chronic Lyme disease is
also being applied to patients with vague, undiagnosed complaints
who have never had Lyme disease," the treatment guidelines say.

Some patients may simply have "aches and pains of daily living," the
document says.

In order to clarify this condition, the doctors proposed guidelines
for what they are calling "post-Lyme disease syndrome." That
definition includes patients who have fatigue, widespread muscular-
skeletal pain and cognitive difficulties for at least six months
after finishing initial antibiotic treatment.

Prolonged antibiotic therapy for such lingering symptoms "has not
proven to be useful," the paper says.

"To me, the jury's out on that," said Ann Ciriello of North Salem.
Ciriello said her 37-year-old son, Christopher, was debilitated by
Lyme disease and several rounds of prolonged antibiotic therapy did
not help him.

But, she said, he did find significant relief after traveling to
Italy, where he underwent 18 days of therapy with a drug cocktail
that included antibiotics.

In drafting the treatment guidelines, Wormser said the group
reviewed at least 400 studies.

"From my perspective, we really tried to consider all points of
view," he said. "We really tried to look at all the available
scientific studies including ones in our judgment that were not of
high quality, but we considered them."

Among the points of disagreement that Stricker said his group had
with the guidelines is that patients with persistent symptoms were
often very ill, not merely suffering from aches and pains and, when
treated, they often get better.

"We believe in open-ended therapy - that you have to tailor the
treatment to the patient and if that means long-term therapy, that's
what may be necessary," he said.

=====

Updated guidelines suggested
- Recommends that select patients, under certain circumstances, get
a single preventive dose of an antibiotic after a tick bite.
- Adds treatment information for two other tick-borne infections:
human granulocytic anaplasmosis (previously called ehrlichiosis) and
babesiosis.
- Proposes a definition of chronic Lyme or post-Lyme disease
syndrome.
- Guidelines are available at www.idsociety.org

****
Letters to the Editor:
letters@LoHud.com

[blimeyitslymie]

"The investigation, the latest chapter in a bitter controversy over
the use of long-term antibiotics to treat Lyme disease, comes as the
state Medical Examining Board wraps up a hearing for a New Haven
doctor [Dr. Charles Ray Jones] accused of violating standards of
care in treating two young patients he diagnosed with the disease."
=========

http://www.courant.com/news/local/hc-
ctlyme1117.artnov17,0,1670696.story?coll=hc-headlines-local

The Hartford Courant
Hartford CT
November 17, 2006

Lyme Disease Guidelines Focus Of Antitrust Probe

By ELIZABETH HAMILTON
Courant Staff Writer

November 17 2006

Attorney General Richard Blumenthal said Thursday that he has
launched an investigation into whether the Infectious Diseases
Society of America has violated antitrust laws in setting new
guidelines for diagnosing and treating Lyme disease.

The investigation, the latest chapter in a bitter controversy over
the use of long-term antibiotics to treat Lyme disease, comes as the
state Medical Examining Board wraps up a hearing for a New Haven
doctor accused of violating standards of care in treating two young
patients he diagnosed with the disease.

The attorney general's investigation, which could result in a
lawsuit, revolves around guidelines set last month by the IDSA and
since adopted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Blumenthal and others say the guidelines are being used by insurance
companies to determine - and sometimes deny - coverage to people
asking for certain types of treatment for Lyme disease.

The IDSA is an influential organization composed of 8,000 members
with training in infectious diseases. A panel of physicians and
scientists at the organization set the latest guidelines, which
critics say are predicated on the belief that Lyme disease can be
diagnosed by confirming specific, objective symptoms, such as the
bull's-eye rash, and that it can be cured with a limited course of
antibiotics.

But a smaller group of doctors and academics believe the medical
establishment has it wrong and is effectively denying patients
desperately needed treatment by setting such restrictive guidelines.

Blumenthal said the disagreement over Lyme disease, and the effect
the new guidelines are having on Lyme disease patients, is what
prompted him to look into the IDSA's conclusions and how they were
reached.

"These guidelines were set by a panel that essentially locked out
competing points of view," Blumenthal said. "Presumably, the IDSA is
a non-profit making organization, but such organizations can still
be used for anti-competitive purposes."

Blumenthal also said his office has received numerous complaints
from both patients and doctors about the guidelines.

"One of the common complaints we've received relates to denials of
insurance coverage, that XYZ insurer won't cover this form of
treatment because the guidelines make no provisions for it," he
said. "It's a very chilling economic effect."

Diana Olson, the director of communications for the IDSA in
Virginia, did not return a call for comment Thursday.

The announcement of Blumenthal's investigation came as the medical
board hearing against Charles Ray Jones continued Thursday at the
Legislative Office in Building in Hartford.

Jones is considered by some to be one of the nation's leading
pediatric Lyme disease physicians. He was charged last year by the
state Department of Public Health with violating standards of care
for two siblings who live in Nevada after a complaint was brought by
their father. The father was involved in a custody dispute with the
children's mother at the time he brought the complaint, according to
previous published accounts.

Jones is accused of diagnosing the children with Lyme disease and
prescribing antibiotics for the children over the phone, without
having examined them, after their mother, an emergency room nurse,
contacted him. He is also charged with failing to consider other
reasons for their symptoms.

Jones, who has denied all the charges against him, could lose his
medical license if the board finds against him.

About 150 former and current patients of Jones, along with their
parents, packed the hearing room to show support for Jones. Also in
the audience was Pat Smith, the president of the Lyme Disease
Association Inc. in New Jersey.

Smith said the case against Jones, coupled with the new IDSA
guidelines, comes at a time when doctors who don't subscribe to the
established views on diagnosing and treating Lyme disease are being
increasingly targeted.

"Oftentimes what is used against them is what is written in these
guidelines," Smith said.

Diane Blanchard, the co-president of the Connecticut-based
organization Time for Lyme, said the research on Lyme disease isn't
conclusive enough yet to rule out entire realms of treatment.

"These guidelines are becoming the de facto standard of care and
that is not OK," Blanchard said. "We are all guinea pigs at this
point. Why would anyone think they have all the answers? It's not
right."

Contact Elizabeth Hamilton at ehamilton@courant.com.
Copyright 2006, Hartford Courant

****
Letters to the Editor:
readerep@courant.com

Reader Rep's Online Blog:
http://blogs.courant.com/news_opinion_hunter/

[blimeyitslymie]

"Dr. Keith Hopkins, who has had a veterinary practice on Plymouth
Street in Halifax for more than 23 years, said he is seeing a steady
increase in the number of Lyme disease cases in horses and dogs."
========

http://enterprise.southofboston.com/articles/2006/11/16/news/news/new
s02.txt

The Enterprise
Brockton MA
November 16, 2006

Unseasonably mild weather raises Lyme disease threat

By Kelly Fernandes, Enterprise Correspondent

WAREHAM — It is not every year Amy Hughes looks forward to the onset
of cold weather, but this season it will be a welcome relief.

The Wareham resident, who owns two cats and two dogs, is tired of
the toll deer ticks have taken on her pets.

"I just pulled one off my cat, Baby Lucky Boy, last night and I'm
sure it was a deer tick. Once in a while, I see one crawling around,
but not attached. Usually, Frontline or Advantage repels them, but
it's not working this time, even on the fleas," said Hughes.

She is one of many residents seeing a surge in deer ticks because of
the unusually warm fall weather.

Carver veterinarian Dr. Samuel Rice said clients are coming in daily
with deer ticks attached to their pets.

"Sometimes I have 20 cases, sometimes less, depending on the amount
of surgeries I have scheduled. Usually, people see ticks in the
early spring, but the ticks are very active right now because of the
weather, and it's been damp. We had a very wet spring, which also
may be contributing to it," said Rice.

Dr. Keith Hopkins, who has had a veterinary practice on Plymouth
Street in Halifax for more than 23 years, said he is seeing a steady
increase in the number of Lyme disease cases in horses and dogs.

"It's certainly a major problem in this area, no doubt about it,"
Hopkins said. "First of all, it's hard to control ticks in horses.
There aren't available as (many) good products for horses as dogs.
They're not really effective. It's also hard to spot ticks on horses
because of their sheer size and ticks burrow into the tail more
mane."

He said pet owners who use Frontline but are still seeing ticks
should continue to use it.

"We have good success with Frontline products. To my knowledge there
is no evidence the ticks have developed a resistance to Frontline.
It's more of a factor that there are just a greater number of ticks.
But be aware that Frontline does not kill a tick until it bites a
dog. It's still a No. 1 product," he said.

Hopkins said veterinarians routinely test for Lyme disease during
annual pet checkups.

"When we test dogs for heartworm they are also being tested for Lyme
disease and two other tick diseases, ehrlichia canis and
anaplasmosis. These are a real threat to dogs and horses so you
should have them checked once a year as far as a routine physical
and talk with your vet about tick control," he said.

A deer tick, also known as a black-legged tick, can carry Lyme
disease, an infection caused by the corkscrew-shaped bacteria
Borrelia burgdorferi.

The infection can cause serious long-term joint, heart and nervous
system problems in humans if not treated early.

Symptoms in humans can vary greatly from one person to another.

A red ring-like rash occurs in about 60 percent of cases and begins
three to 32 days after the bite of an infected tick. Often this rash
is accompanied by flu-like symptoms.

The state Department of Public Health Web site says the most
important way to avoid ticks is for people to check themselves and
pets once a day if they are at risk of exposure.

Deer ticks acquire Lyme disease by feeding on small mammals infected
with the bacteria, particularly the white-footed mouse.

Massachusetts is currently in the middle of hunting season, which
runs from Oct. 16 to Dec. 30.

Wildlife experts say the increase in the whitetail deer population
this time of year, which is about 95,000 statewide, is directly
correlated to the increase in the number of ticks.

Bill Woytek, deer project leader for the Division of Fisheries and
Wildlife, said restrictions on deer hunting are related to the
increase in deer ticks.

"If a town prohibits hunting or has conservation restrictions, that
provides areas for deer to live, but no population control. In
places around Brockton, we've been very aggressive to reduce deer
numbers, which in turn will reduce tick numbers," said Woytek.

Department of Public Health spokesperson Donna Rheaume said "there
has been a steady increase in Lyme disease in humans."

"The numbers are going up all across the state," she said. "Lyme
disease has been around in this part of the country for several
years and it is a concern to us, but from our standpoint it is
preventable with common sense prevention. Check yourself for ticks
after going out in the woods. If you're going out of hiking, wear
long socks, long sleeves, pants, etc. And use insect repellent with
DEET."

Dr. Rice encourages residents to check their pets after being
outdoors.

"I suggest if you see a tick, pull it out gently with tweezers,
don't handle the tick. Put it in a vile of rubbing alcohol. People
should know there will be a little irritation or bite mark where it
was stuck on a cat or dog, but it will go away. You can put a bit of
Bacitracin on the area, but if you're concerned, see your
veterinarian. It's certainly a valid thing to be concerned about,"
Rice said.

****
Letters to the Editor:
letters@enterprisenews.com

[blimeyitslymie]

This past July, however, Smith discovered a "bull's-eye" rash on
his right knee - early evidence of Lyme disease. Caused by bacteria
often transmitted through deer tick bites, the debilitating disease
attacks the nervous system and can produce effects ranging from
headaches and flu-like symptoms to more severe problems, such as
fatigue, sore muscles and joints and heart problems."
===========

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/college/football/bal-
sp.bradysmith18nov18,0,2654046.story?coll=bal-college-football

The Baltimore Sun
Baltimore MD
November 18, 2006

Driven by tragedy

BC's Brady Smith is motivated by the memory of how 'one play can ...
change your life forever'

By Lem Satterfield
Sun reporter

November 18, 2006

Each time Brady Smith places his left hand on the ground, the Boston
College defensive end glances at the white tape on his right hand,
where the initials VB and the number 25 are drawn in bold, black
magic marker.

"I still consider Van Brooks to be one of my teammates, so every
time I look down and see it, I want to push that much harder," says
Smith, whose 20th-ranked Eagles host No. 21 Maryland today in a key
Atlantic Coast Conference football game at Alumni Stadium.

"I want to show Van that ... every time I'm on the field, I'm
pushing harder, playing harder because of him," says Smith, a 6-foot-
2, 285-pound redshirt freshman who starts on the left side. "It's
been that way for the more than two years since it happened - ever
since I saw, with my own eyes, how one play can take you from the
top of the world and change your life forever."

Smith was a Loyola High senior when Brooks, a talented junior
defensive back, was paralyzed after his head collided with the leg
of a Georgetown Prep running back while making a tackle in the
fourth game of the 2004 season.

Brooks, who uses a wheelchair to get around, says Smith motivated
him as he endured intensive therapy to increase movement in his
fingers and legs, returned to and graduated from Loyola, and
enrolled at UMBC, where he's taking 12 credits toward an economics
major.

"I've admired how Brady's played through injuries," says Brooks, 18,
who advocates embryonic stem cell research as his best chance to
walk again. "Brady's provided me with a lot of lasting memories.
When I'm going through tough situations, they're some of the reasons
I'm able to pull through."

Smith's father, Jim, recently delivered to Brooks a hooded Boston
College sweat shirt whose gold lettering reads "football" and "No.
25." Its maroon lettering reads "B.C. Eagles."

"Van's made the most of his situation, but I feel ... something was
taken away from him," says Smith, 19. "In my own small way, I'm
trying to give something back, playing for Van the same way I know
he'd be playing for me."

One of four non-seniors on the Eagles' defensive line, Smith enters
today's game with eight solo tackles and 23 overall. Smith became
the Eagles' starting left defensive end despite a preseason bout
with Lyme disease.

The Eagles (8-2, 4-2) are in third place in the ACC's Atlantic
Division behind Maryland (8-2) and No. 14 Wake Forest (9-1), which
are tied for first place at 5-1 in the division.

"It's a huge game as far as the conference standings, Maryland being
home state, and my knowing a bunch of their guys," says Smith,
referring to Maryland's Erin Henderson (Aberdeen), Jeremy Navarre
(Joppatowne), Darrius Heyward-Bey (McDonogh) and Keon Lattimore
(Mount St. Joseph). "Maryland recruited me, but never offered me a
scholarship. I'm happy where I am, but that's in the back of my
mind."

Smith never has been far from Brooks' thoughts - and vice versa -
since that day in late September 2004, when Brooks lay motionless on
the field for nearly 25 minutes before being flown by helicopter to
the Maryland Shock Trauma Center.

"Brady would always come sit with me in the hospital, saying how I
was an inspiration to him," Brooks says.

"Going into my senior year, we were the two leaders on the team,"
says Smith, recalling Brooks' acrobatic touchdown reception as a
sophomore in a rout of state power Urbana, and his dramatic scoring
run against Georgetown Prep moments before his injury. "Until then,
we were in similar situations with recruiting."

A defining moment for the pair came on Thanksgiving Day of 2004 at
M&T Bank Stadium. Loyola and Calvert Hall were tied at 7 in the
first quarter of their annual Turkey Bowl when Brooks emerged from
an end-zone tunnel and was wheeled onto the Dons' sideline.

Drawing strength from Brooks, the emotionally charged Dons scored 14
straight points in a 21-13 win. Smith rushed for all three Loyola
touchdowns despite having sprained the medial collateral ligament in
his right knee in the second quarter.

The Dons finished 9-1, with Smith having endured a major concussion,
a fractured ankle, broken fingers and a chronic knee injury while
playing linebacker, defensive end, quarterback, running back and
wide receiver.

"Brady says the way I handled my injury made his injuries small and
mediocre," Brooks says, "like, 'Why should I complain about
these?' "

A former two-time All-Metro selection who was named The Sun's
Defensive Player of the Year as a junior, Smith spent last season as
an understudy to defensive end Mathias Kiwanuka, a 6-5, 265-pound
player who was chosen in the first round by the New York Giants.

This past July, however, Smith discovered a "bull's-eye" rash on his
right knee - early evidence of Lyme disease. Caused by bacteria
often transmitted through deer tick bites, the debilitating disease
attacks the nervous system and can produce effects ranging from
headaches and flu-like symptoms to more severe problems, such as
fatigue, sore muscles and joints and heart problems.

"I was hospitalized for three days with a high fever, achy joints.
They pumped me with antibiotics. I pretty much slept the whole
time," says Smith, who believes he was bitten in June while fishing
with friends near his Finksburg home. "I was tired for a good two,
three weeks."

Unable to train "for about a month," Smith saw his weight balloon to
nearly 300 pounds. Rehabilitation began in early August with an
exercise bike. Later, there were 100-yard sprints and light run-
throughs in a helmet and shoulder pads.

Smith's hard work was rewarded Aug. 31, when he entered his first
college game in the first quarter - a 31-24 win at Central
Michigan. "First game back, I had so much trouble with the speed of
the game, my head was spinning," Smith recalls. With every game,
however, Smith gained confidence. On Sept. 30, Smith earned his
first college start against Maine. Substituting for injured
sophomore defensive tackle Ron Brace, Smith had nine tackles, five
of them solos, and forced a fumble in a 22-0 win.

Brace returned to the lineup a week later against Virginia Tech and
Smith shifted to left-side end.

"[Smith's] done a great job on the outside," Boston College coach
Tom O'Brien says. "He's learning a new position on the run, and he's
done it well."

Smith's lone tackle in last Saturday's 28-7 win over Duke was among
the game's biggest plays. With the Eagles leading 14-7 in the third
quarter and Duke driving on second-and-five at his 6, Smith dropped
running back Clifford Harris for a 3-yard loss. Two plays later,
Duke turned the ball over on downs.

"What Brady's gone through is a testament to his toughness. He'd
never hear of missing a game because of injury," Brooks says. "The
fact that he attributes some of that to me, yeah, that means a lot."

lem.satterfield@baltsun.com

Copyright © 2006, The Baltimore Sun |

[blimeyitslymie]

from Pat Smith, President, Lyme Disease Association, Inc. (LDA)



NEW ACTION!
1. Individuals can send the LDA statement about the new guidelines
_Historic Move by CT Attorney General to Investigate IDSA Guidelines Process_
(http://lymediseasea ssociation. org/NewsReleases /20061116. html) to your local media with a note saying how the guidelines have impacted you and your family if they have done so. (See gray box on homepage _
www.LymeDiseaseAss ociation. org_
(http://www.lymedise aseassociation. org/) )


2. Groups carry a lot of weight, so sending this statement with cover note
from your group saying you agree with it is desirable.


UPDATE From Lyme Rights Protest Rally Group

1. Details for this protest on Nov. 30 can be found at, Lymenews.org.
The site is changing periodically so please continue to check it for updates.
2. Lyme Rights Group is looking for people who are interested in doing
interviews at this protest. Contact them if you are attending the protest and
the IDSA guidelines have adversely affected you as follows:
* Were you recently denied treatment based on negative laboratory
testing, and subsequently clinically or lab retested positive?


Has your treatment been cut off by your insurance company?
Has your pharmacy refused to fill you prescription?
Has your disability insurance been denied?
Have your children been denied accommodations in school?
Go to Lymenews.org and submit a brief summary of your situation with your
phone number so they can call you to discuss your story in more detail.



ONGOING ACTIONS!
1. Continue to get signers onto the LDA petition. We have over 16,000, keep
it up! All signatures must be entered online to be accepted. If you are
entering someone*€™s signature, they must have first physically signed a hard copy
which you then send to LDA for its files with a note that you have entered it
online already. We will not enter any un entered names that are mailed to
us, we do not have the staff to do that unfortunately.
2. Continue VERY IMPORTANT STILL
* Contact (phone/email) all of your FEDERAL legislators: your own US
Congressman and your two US Senators by November 30 at Washington, DC office
only . The contact should be with current legislator, NOT any newly elected
who do not take office until new year (actions may take this session still so
need support of current legislators) .
* Groups should contact all Congressmen within their range (area they
cover).

*



US Reps. & Senators DC contact information
_http://www.visi. com/juan/ congress/ _ (http://www.visi. com/juan/ congress/)
*· Tell them how Guidelines impact you/family/friends.
*· Tell them CDC has essentially adopted the Guidelines (on their
website)
4. Those patients already impacted by new guidelines, a form was sent out
online for you to fill out. Thanks to those who have already responded, and if
you still want to respond, please email _Lymeliter@aol. com_
(mailto:Lymeliter@aol. com) for the form. You must have been denied services after Oct 2, 2006 with the Guidelines used as basis.


Keep up the actions please. Thanks!

Pat Smith, President
Lyme Disease Association, Inc.
PO Box 1438
Jackson, NJ 08527
888-366-6611 information line
732 938-7215 fax
www.LymeDiseaseAsso ciation.org

[blimeyitslymie]

"Most of the conventional treatments for treating a long-term
infection are listed as ''not recommended'' in the new guidelines,
which are posted on the federal Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention Web site."
=======

http://www.capecodonline.com/cctimes/lymeguidelines20.htm

Cape Cod Times
Hyannis MA
November 20, 2006

Lyme guidelines outrage sufferers

By ROBIN LORD
STAFF WRITER

Lyme disease activists are hailing Connecticut Attorney General
Richard Blumenthal's recent decision to investigate whether
antitrust laws have been violated by new Infectious Diseases Society
of America guidelines for diagnosing and treating the illness.

[Photos omitted on LymeInfo – go to URL at top of page to view photo
captioned below.]
A Lyme disease tick from cover of BBI --North American Clinical
Laboratories brochure, "Lyme Disease Testing."
(Associated Press)
________________________________________

The new guidelines by the nonprofit medical group, which were
released in October, deny the existence of a chronic form of Lyme
disease.

Most of the conventional treatments for treating a long-term
infection are listed as ''not recommended'' in the new guidelines,
which are posted on the federal Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention Web site.

''This is just a travesty,'' said Patricia Smith, president of the
Lyme Disease Association, who urged Blumenthal to investigate the
new protocol. ''I have people e-mailing me every day saying they
can't get treatment for themselves or their children.''

Blumenthal's office is looking into whether the guidelines are being
used by insurance companies to decide whether or not to cover
certain kinds of Lyme disease treatment.

But Cape Cod Hospital infectious disease specialist Dr. Alan Sugar
said the society's new guidelines ''make perfect sense'' because
they endorse scientifically based medicine.

''Why should insurance companies pay for (long-term antibiotic
therapy) if it's not evidence-based medicine?'' Sugar said.

The Infectious Diseases Society is ''cooperating fully with the
Connecticut Attorney General's Office subpoena regarding the
development of our Lyme disease clinical practice guidelines,''
society spokeswoman Diana Olson said Friday.

''We stand behind our method of developing and issuing guidelines,
and we believe IDSA's guidelines on Lyme disease represent the best
that science currently has to offer.''

Guidelines called voluntary

The guidelines are voluntary and carry no penalty for noncompliance,
she said. ''No guidelines can replace a doctor's judgment with
respect to particular patients or special clinical situations.''

But many doctors and their patients believe they will get pressure
from insurance companies, who will refuse to reimburse for treatment
if they do not adhere to the new protocol.

Whether there is such a thing as a long-term or chronic form of the
tick-borne illness - and how it should be treated - has been hotly
debated in the medical community for some time.

Many of those who have been diagnosed with a chronic form of the
disease claim long-term antibiotic therapy is the only treatment
that has helped their symptoms. They argue that diagnosis is often
difficult because of a lack of accurate blood tests and the wide
range of symptoms.

Risks of infections in patients' intravenous lines and of developing
resistance to antibiotics are two of the reasons to stick to short-
term treatment for Lyme, according to Sugar. The new protocol calls
for antibiotic treatment from 14 to 21 days.

Sufferers urge action

At an October 2005 Statehouse forum, Massachusetts legislators heard
from dozens of Lyme disease sufferers and others who urged them to
protect doctors who choose to diagnose and treat for chronic Lyme.

Patients told of years of suffering from muscle and joint pain,
insomnia, fatigue, memory loss and a host of other problems, which
got better only after lengthy - sometimes years - of antibiotics.

State Rep. Shirley Gomes, R-Harwich, filed a bill in May, co-
sponsored by 34 other lawmakers, that would have prevented the state
Board of Registration in Medicine from disciplining doctors who
prescribe long-term antibiotic treatment.

The bill died in committee without ever having been heard. Gomes
said on Friday that at least one legislator, state Rep. Jennifer
Callahan, D-Sutton, plans to refile the legislation when the next
session begins in January.

Gomes said she fully expects the bill will make it to a hearing if
it is filed early next year.

Many Massachusetts physicians, as well as IDSA, objected to the
proposed bill this year because they disagree with legislating
medical practice.

But Gomes said the Legislature is involved in many health issues,
and the Lyme controversy ''needs a lot more light.''

Robin Lord can be reached at rlord@....

(Published: November 20, 2006)

Copyright © Cape Cod Times. All rights reserved.

[blimeyitslymie]

"The guidelines outraged Lyme disease specialists, and prompted the
attorney general of Connecticut last week to launch an official
investigation into the association's guideline development process."
=======

http://www.insidebayarea.com/sanmateocountytimes/localnews/ci_4691074

San Mateo County Times
San Mateo CA
November 20, 2006


QUIET WAR ON SILENT ILLNESS

Often misdiagnosed, Lyme Disease can cause serious health problems

Patients caught in deep divide over therapy

By Suzanne Bohan, STAFF WRITER
Inside Bay Area

Article Last Updated:11/20/2006 06:49:15 AM PST

SHELL CARBON, 35, and her husband, both vintage car aficionados,
visited a Danville home in the foothills last November to check out
an automobile for sale.

But their young son and daughter, both now 8 and 12, were getting
bored, so Carbon wandered into a nearby field with them.

Little did she know that she would soon enter into among the most
contentious medical debates — the diagnosis and treatment of Lyme
disease.

Back home in San Mateo, Carbon was alarmed at a large bump
developing on her right leg. She went to her doctor, who asked if
she was recently bitten by a tick. Carbon didn't think so. Doctors
ran an SRI to see if it might be caused by a blood clot. That proved
negative, so they took a watch-and-wait approach to monitoring the
strange lump. She's now convinced a tick bite did cause the 7-inch
lump.

Over the next few months, the usually active woman, who'd been
working for 18 years as an insurance adjuster, became horrified as
she developed joint and neck pain, weakness in the right side of her
body that forced her to limp, and problems with peripheral and night
vision. The right side of her face began sagging, a condition called
palsy, and she occasionally had seizures.

After a neighbor suggested she might have Lyme disease, Carbon asked
for what's called an ELISA test to see if antibodies had formed to
attack the bacteria, Borrelia burgdorferi, which causes Lyme
disease. The test, however, misses the antibodies about half the
time. Her ELISA test was negative, as was another given several
months later. Meanwhile, she endured a battery of tests and
treatments while visiting numerous doctors to find the cause of her
deteriorating condition.

"I very quickly reached the point where I couldn't function," she
recalled Saturday, speaking in a voice that her husband
calls "Slurred and robotic," compared with her articulate speech in
the past.

Then Carbon read an article this summer about a San Mateo woman
who'd been misdiagnosed for years as having multiple sclerosis, when
a more sophisticated test called a Western blot showed she had Lyme
disease. The woman, Denise Springer, who was pregnant while
believing she had MS, delivered a boy later diagnosed with Lyme
disease. While the data is mixed on whether Lyme disease can be
transmitted through the placenta, Springer needs no convincing that
it does.

Cajbon contacted Springer, who referred her to Dr. Raphael Stricker,
a San Francisco physician who's one of a handful of local
specialists in treating Lyme disease.

Stricker prescribed the more precise Lyme disease test, which found
that Cajbon was infected with borrelia, along with another tick-
borne bacteria. "Ticks have been called the 'sewers of infection,'"
Stricker noted.

Lyme disease is both misdiagnosed and underappreciated as a health
risk in California, another Lyme disease specialist noted.

"People are not going to be thinking 'Lyme disease' in San Jose, but
they should," said Dr. Christine Green, a Palo Alto physician who
expanded her practice to include Lyme disease treatment after
infectious disease doctors declined to fully test or treat her
referrals.

One of the enduring misunderstandings about Lyme disease is that
it's largely confined to a few Northeastern states like Connecticut
and New York. While the prevalence is high in those regions,
Northern California is also listed by the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention as a hot spot for what's now the most common
form of tick-borne disease nationwide.

The Western black-legged tick carries the Lyme disease bacteria on
the West Coast. The California Department of Health Services
recently issued a warning, noting that between October and March
adult ticks may transmit Lyme disease. During these cooler months,
adult ticks climb to the tips of vegetation, often near trails, and
wait for a host to brush against them. The field Cajbon wandered
into in Danville likely contained such a tick.

About half the time after a bite by a tick infected with borrelia, a
large, circular rash develops. In many cases, flu-like symptoms are
contracted, along with fever and body aches.

After Cajbon's test was positive for Lyme disease, Stricker
prescribed intravenous antibiotics to kill the borrelia.

Since then, Cajbon said her health has improved, although she still
walks with a limp.

"My clarity in my head has gotten better," she said. The treatment,
she added, "gave me a little ray of hope."

But the intravenous antibiotics are expensive, so Cajbon insisted
her regular doctor, covered by insurance, prescribe it. She received
six weeks of treatment, which ended Nov. 7, and her health insurance
company is now refusing to provide her with any more intravenous
antibiotics. She's now paying for it on her own, because her doctor
believes she has chronic Lyme disease that needs continued
treatment. If an initial infection is not treated within about two
months it can become chronic.

In one of the stranger sagas in medicine, the condition that
Stricker and other Lyme disease experts call chronic Lyme disease is
not even acknowledged by the Infectious Diseases Society of America,
an influential group that sets treatment protocols.

On Nov. 1, it issued updated Lyme disease treatment guidelines which
called for a four- to six-week course of antibiotics and advised
against long-term IV antibiotics.

The guidelines outraged Lyme disease specialists, and prompted the
attorney general of Connecticut last week to launch an official
investigation into the association's guideline development process.

Dr. Gary Wormser, one of the guideline authors and chief of
infectious diseases at the New York Medical College, said long-term
exposure to antibiotics pose serious health risks and isn't
supported by scientific evidence for the treatment of Lyme disease.
He doesn't believe that Lyme disease becomes chronic — one course of
antibiotics should clear out any borrelia. If symptoms remain, they
may be caused by another disease.

Stricker and others counter that the microbe can evade detection.

"It's probably one of the most complex microorganisms that's ever
been described," he said.

"There's this disconnect between the science, which shows this very
complex organism, and the clinical approach, which says you can
treat it with antibiotics for four weeks and it's cured," Stricker
said.

Infectious disease specialists like Wormser, he added, "have staked
out a position and they don't want to admit their wrong."

Wormser countered that "infectious disease docs, like all
physicians, want to do the best for their patients. The best
available evidence indicates that the potential risk of long-term
antibiotics outweighs any benefit."

Wormser said many patients come to him after having been treated for
chronic Lyme disease, when they've in fact had other conditions such
as cancer or hepatitis.

Dr. Paul Mead, an epidemiologist with the CDC, added that studies
have shown that people treated for Lyme disease had other
conditions. He cited the example of a boy diagnosed as having Lyme
disease when he in fact had leukemia.

"That kid with leukemia has been cited about five million times,"
responded Stricker. "The reality is most of these patients come to
me after every other known disease has been ruled out." About three-
quarters of his patients recover after going off antibiotics, he
said.

While the rancorous debate, often called "the Lyme War" rages,
patients desperate for effective treatment get caught in the middle.

When asked what the medical community is doing to bridge the chasm
between physicians regarding the diagnosis and treatment of Lyme
disease, Stricker had little to point to, other than a proposal
languishing in Congress to create a National Lyme Disease Advisory
Council.

"I agree this is very undesirable," emphasized Wormser. He said the
Infectious Diseases Society of America has expanded its Web site to
better explain Lyme disease and that "other ways to address this
very issue are under consideration."

Both Wormser and Mead recognized the relief that many people
experience after finally receiving a Lyme disease diagnosis, but
emphasized their concern that the patients may not be getting the
right therapy.

"What I tell people is that I recognize that they're suffering,"
said Mead. "And many are in horrible ways," he added. "But the best
thing is to keep an open mind. Getting the wrong answer isn't going
to cure you."

Contact Suzanne Bohan at (650) 348-4324 or sbohan@....

****
Letters to the Editor:
smctletters@...

[blimeyitslymie]

"Cameron has just published a paper refuting assumptions by one of
the quoted references in the IDSA guidelines, and has had another
Lyme-related study accepted and about to be published by another
peer-reviewed journal."
.
In "Generalizability in two clinical trials of Lyme disease" in the
current issue of Epidemiologic Perspectives & Innnovations.
Cameron's "Analytic Perspective" takes aim at a commonly-cited study
on long-course treatment of patients with Lyme disease."

[RoseNote: To view Dr. Cameron's excellent article, click on:
http://www.epi-perspectives.com/articles/top/browse.asp
Please be sure to click on Full Text to make Dr. Cameron's article
the most-accessed site!]
=======

http://www.theopenpress.com/index.php?a=press&id=14472

The Open Press
November 30, 2006

Lyme Wars: Lyme Disease Expert Critical of New Treatment Guidelines

Mount Kisco, NY (OPENPRESS) November 28, 2006 -- A nationally-
recognized expert in the study and treatment of patients with Lyme
Disease, Dr. Daniel Cameron, a New York internist, epidemiologist
and medical author, is criticizing the recently-released Lyme
treatment guidelines published by the Infectious Diseases Society of
America (IDSA). He is not alone. Other professional medical
organizations and the Lyme Disease Association are vehemently
questioning the new guidelines, and, the Connecticut Attorney
General has taken unprecendented legal action.

Cameron says, "The guidelines are based on flawed assumptions. The
guidelines recommend against treating Lyme disease patients more
than once, possibly leaving them chronically ill."

"The clinical assessment, treatment, and prevention of Lyme disease,
human granulocytic anaplasmosis, and babesiosis: Clinical practice
guidelines by the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA)," is
co-authored by Dr. Gary Wormser, chief of the division of infectious
diseases at Westchester Medical Center and the affiliated New York
Medical College in Valhalla, NY. The last IDSA guidelines were
published in 2000.

During his two decades in the Northeast, Cameron has seen Lyme as a
growing epidemic locally and throughout the US. He has seen the
number of patients needing long-term treatment steadily increasing.

"It's amazing to me that Dr. Wormser and I can be seeing patients
from the same pool of people and have a totally different take on
this disease. I am truly concerned for the people of Westchester if
someone associated with the region's academic medical center is
turning their backs on the realities and complications of Lyme
disease and other tick-borne illnesses," says Cameron.

The International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society (ILADS), of
which Cameron is a board member, has called for a retraction of the
guidelines. Cameron is the lead author of ILADS' "Evidence-based
guidelines for the management of Lyme disease," published in 2004.

Seen as another accepted standard of care for tick-borne disease,
the ILADS guidelines call for long-term treatment with antibiotic
therapies for persistent Lyme disease or co-infection complications.
According to ILADS, Lyme disease testing is more often than not
inaccurate and it is up to the doctor to make a clinical diagnosis.
A clinical diagnosis is one based on the physician's evaluation of
the patient, his symptoms, and knowledge of the disease.

The IDSA, on the other hand, says Lyme must be diagnosed by a
visible rash and/or common two-tiered blood tests, is easily treated
with standard 21 to 28 days of antibiotics, and even questions the
existence of chronic Lyme disease. Earlier guidelines and the CDC
stated that Lyme disease is a "clinical diagnosis," supported by lab
testing. The new IDSA guidelines do an about face.

Cameron reminds his colleagues, "There is no test to measure the
disease infecting a patient, only a measure of antibody response
which can be compromised by the action of the bacteria itself."

Cameron has just published a paper refuting assumptions by one of
the quoted references in the IDSA guidelines, and has had another
Lyme-related study accepted and about to be published by another
peer-reviewed journal.
.
In "Generalizability in two clinical trials of Lyme disease" in the
current issue of Epidemiologic Perspectives & Innnovations.
Cameron's "Analytic Perspective" takes aim at a commonly-cited study
on long-course treatment of patients with Lyme disease. Simply known
as "Klempner, et al. trials," published in the New England Journal
of Medicine in 2001, this small study has been generalized in
medical literature and certainly by insurance companies to be the be-
all proof that 12 weeks of antibiotics for sick patients does not
help. Cameron pulls apart the science of the study, and makes it
clear that the study is not useful when dealing with a broader
population.

His concern, like that of many of his colleagues, is that Guidelines
published by America's large professional organizations are often
seen by the medical community at large, by insurers and the Centers
for Disease Control (CDC) of the National Institutes of Health
(NIH), as the final word on treatment. And the wording in this one
leaves very little room for the clinical diagnosis of the disease.

"The IDSA guidelines do not offer an answer for the thousands of
individuals with Lyme disease left with a poor quality of life after
their 21 to 30 days of treatment," says Cameron. "How can we, as
scientists and physicians, turn our backs on all the things we do
not yet know about this complex emerging disease and its long-term
affects on individuals and our communities?"

Even if the blood tests were 100 percent accurate they cannot be
performed on a patient for four to six weeks after onset – which may
cause a treatment delay and its possible consequences. That is
another issue tackled in Cameron's work. His next article to be
published has been accepted by the Journal of Evaluation in Clinical
Practice. "Consequences of Treatment Delay in Lyme Disease," a
research letter, discusses "the poor outcome after treatment delay
(of 4 wks to 8 yrs in his study group) supports the hypothesis that
treatment delay is a major risk factor for developing chronic Lyme
disease."

Again, this study flies in the face of the IDSA guidelines. Lyme
Disease is America's most common and fastest growing vector-borne
disease. The spiral-shaped bacteria, Borrelia burgdorferi (Bb),
which causes Lyme Disease, can be spread by the bite of ticks
carried by birds, deer, house pets and rodents. It can be
transmitted through human blood and from mother to child in utero.
According to the CDC, "Typical symptoms include fever, headache,
fatigue, and a characteristic skin rash called erythema migrans. If
left untreated, infection can spread to joints, the heart, and the
nervous system. Lyme disease is diagnosed based on symptoms,
physical findings (e.g., rash), and the possibility of exposure to
infected ticks; laboratory testing is helpful in the later stages of
disease." (cdc.gov)

(It should be noted that human granulocytic anaplasmosis (HGA) was
formerly known as human granulocytic ehrlichiosis (HGE) or its
common name, ehrlichiosis.)

Dr. Cameron is a member of the IDSA and ILADS, and is an attending
physician at Northern Westchester Hospital, Mount Kisco, NY.

For more information on Daniel Cameron, MD, please go to
www.Lymeproject.com
Media contact: media@... 914-238-7197
###
Professional Free Press Release News Wire


THANKS TO ROSE at lyminfo.com for this

[blimeyitslymie]

"For years, factions within the medical community have disagreed
over the duration, diagnosis, and treatment of Lyme disease, a
problem affecting roughly 1,000 Texans (some research suggests ten
times the reported number) since 1994 according to the Department of
State Health Services. But now, the ongoing debate has heated up
into a bitter controversy as the Infectious Disease Society of
America released new guidelines last month for diagnosing and
treating Lyme disease."

"The ongoing debate will be the topic of discussion at the next
Austin Lyme Disease Support Group meeting at 11 a.m. Saturday Dec.
12 at the Brick Oven at Jollyville and Braker next to HEB. Guest
speaker will be nationally known Lyme disease expert practitioner
Ginger Savely, FNP-C. For more information, email lymesf@gmail.com."
======

http://www.timesguardian.com/2006/112906/112906-1.html

The Canyon Lake Times Guardian
Canyon Lake TX
November 29, 2006

Lyme disease debate heats up

by Caroline Turney

In 1934, Canyon Lake resident Harriet Bishop was six years old. Her
parents noticed a red bulls-eye rash on her back as her brother
commented, "We could use you for target practice!" Bishop
recalled, "From that time on, I had painful symptoms throughout my
lifetime, and I just managed it, thinking everyone had these
problems."

It wasn't until 71 years later that Bishop was diagnosed with Lyme
disease in May 2005. Bishop believes she suffers from a chronic form
of the disease.

For years, factions within the medical community have disagreed over
the duration, diagnosis, and treatment of Lyme disease, a problem
affecting roughly 1,000 Texans (some research suggests ten times the
reported number) since 1994 according to the Department of State
Health Services. But now, the ongoing debate has heated up into a
bitter controversy as the Infectious Disease Society of America
released new guidelines last month for diagnosing and treating Lyme
disease.

The IDSA is an organization of 8,000 members with infectious disease
training. The latest guidelines for Lyme were set by a panel of
doctors and scientists. Critics say the guidelines are based upon
the belief that Lyme disease can be cured with short-term
antibiotics, and can be diagnosed through observing specific
symptoms such as a bull's eye rash.

Groups such as the Lyme Disease Association, a national advocacy
organization, and the International Lyme and Associated Diseases
Society, an organization which supports Lyme specialists, contend
that the symptoms can be vague making the disease difficult to
diagnose and that the illness itself can exist in a chronic form
requiring ongoing antibiotic treatment. Recently, ILADS President
Dr. Raphael Stricker demanded a retraction of the IDSA's guidelines
saying the guidelines were based upon "exclusionary data selection"
which may have biased the publication results.

Patients and health care providers who oppose the new guidelines are
organizing nationally to respond to the recent changes in Lyme
disease treatment guidelines. Posted through Lymenews.org is an
imperative to the public to join a Lyme rights protest tomorrow from
noon until 3 p.m. at the Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla, New
York. According to Lymenews.org, the New York Medical
College/Westchester Medical Center is home to three of the IDSA
committee members. A letter from the Lyme rights site states, "We
will not quietly tolerate them harboring this group." Lymenews.org
also issued statements saying, "This insidious disease is
devastating the lives of children, families and our communities,
while much of the medical establishment continues to deny the
severity of this public health crisis."

The response from an advocacy group in the Lone Star state was
similar. On Nov. 14, the Texas Lyme Disease Association issues a
statement calling the new IDSA Lyme disease treatment
guidelines "callous, politically and financially motivated, and not
based on sound medical practice." Texas Lyme Disease Association
President Donna Reagan said, "To deny needed medication to Lyme
patients suffering from the ravages of the nation's fastest-growing
infectious disease is nothing short of inhumane, and a travesty to
the American medical system. It is ironic that our country provides
medicine to third-world nations to treat such illnesses, yet
according to the new IDSA guidelines, our own citizens will be
denied access to medications prescribed by Lyme specialists because
insurance companies have already begun to adopt the IDSA guidelines
as a means to deny coverage of expensive antibiotics and additional
treatment therapies."

However, statements by the IDSA contend that "The singular mission
of the IDSA guidelines panel is to provide the highest quality of
standards for treating patients; in addition, input from a variety
of sources was welcomed and evaluated." IDSA accounts further
supported the organization's position by explaining that 95 percent
of patients diagnosed with Lyme disease are cured within a few weeks
of treatment. The remaining 5 percent, the group believes, have
ongoing symptoms related to misdiagnoses and wrong treatment,
simultaneous infection with another disease, contraction of a new
illness having similar symptoms but being unrelated to Lyme, or
subsequent tick bites causing re-infection. The IDSA denies the
validity of data supporting ongoing antibiotic treatment
stating, "In more than 20 years there has not been one
scientifically valid study published in the peer-reviewed medical
literature that proves that the benefit of long-term antibiotic
treatment out weighs the risk."

The ongoing debate will be the topic of discussion at the next
Austin Lyme Disease Support Group meeting at 11 a.m. Saturday Dec.
12 at the Brick Oven at Jollyville and Braker next to HEB. Guest
speaker will be nationally known Lyme disease expert practitioner
Ginger Savely, FNP-C. For more information, email lymesf@gmail.com.

Regardless of new guidelines for treatment, Lyme disease patients
like Harriet Bishop and Fulton resident Dana Mercer, DVM believe
ongoing antibiotic treatment is necessary for living a normal life.
Mercer said, "I can tell you that when I wasn't taking daily
antibiotics I felt like I wasn't going to live to see tomorrow. I
was spending 18 hours a day in bed." Bishop recalls years of similar
debilitating weakness. At times, she was so weak her husband had to
feed her. "Before proper medication, I was dizzy and nauseous on a
daily basis. Every night at bedtime I took an anti-nausea pill. Even
then, some days I suffered attacks of vertigo so bad that I could
not go on with my normal plans for the day."

****
Letters to the Editor:
editor@timesguardian.com

[blimeyitslymie]

"Protesters from as far away as California and Texas waved a sea of
neon-green signs at passing cars at the intersection of Woods and
Grasslands roads, some of which personally mocked the doctor with
messages like, `Wormser lies ... Patients Die' and `Dr. Wormser -
You Make Me Sick!' Others read, `Gross Medical Neglect,' and `Stop
the Ignorance.'"
======

http://www.thejournalnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?
AID=/20061201/NEWS02/612010394/1018/NEWS02

The Journal News
Westchester NY
December 1, 2006

Hundreds rally to protest new Lyme disease treatment guidelines.

By Liz Anderson
The Journal News
(Original Publication: December 1, 2006)

VALHALLA - Hundreds of people rallied yesterday outside Westchester
Medical Center to decry new treatment guidelines for Lyme disease
that discourage the use of long-term antibiotics to treat lingering
symptoms.

The voluntary guidelines were issued last month by the Infectious
Diseases Society of America; the lead author was Dr. Gary Wormser,
chief of the division of infectious diseases at the hospital.

Protesters from as far away as California and Texas waved a sea of
neon-green signs at passing cars at the intersection of Woods and
Grasslands roads, some of which personally mocked the doctor with
messages like, "Wormser lies ... Patients Die" and "Dr. Wormser -
You Make Me Sick!" Others read, "Gross Medical Neglect," and "Stop
the Ignorance."

Lyme disease, caused by the bite of a deer tick, can lead to an
initial infection including a rash and muscle and joint pain; later
it can result in arthritis and neurological symptoms. The new
guidelines call for a bite to be treated with a single dose of
preventative antibiotics, but say prolonged antibiotic
treatment "has not proven to be useful." They also seek to
differentiate between patients with "post-Lyme syndrome" and those
with just the "aches and pains of daily living."

Patients and advocates yesterday said the study did not take their
illnesses, or their efforts to find successful treatment, seriously
enough.

"We are here today to fight back," declared Karen Gaudian of
Ridgefield, Conn., who decried the new regulations as the result of
organizations "corrupted by the quest for financial gain."

Pat Smith, president of the Lyme Disease Association, brought a
clock that runs backward to illustrate a study she said was "taking
us back in time."

"We cannot and will not allow the IDSA and their followers to take
our disease away," she declared.

Protesters cheered Dr. Joseph Burrascano, vice president of the
International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society, which supports
the use of long-term antibiotics in some cases and has called on the
IDSA to retract the recommendations.

"If they weren't so seriously flawed, I would say it was a joke," he
said of the guidelines. He urged those at the rally to fight
back "by uncovering the truth."

Doug Maass, 62, of Sleepy Hollow said he came to the rally because
he was concerned he and thousands of other patients would lose
insurance coverage or be cut off from treatment for chronic Lyme
disease. He believes that he has had the disease since 1988, and
that it is the cause of symptoms like his recurring left-side
headaches and swollen glands; his wife, who is also ill, has
symptoms that are even worse, he said.

"I've been on nine different antibiotics over six years," he
said. "When I'm on antibiotics I feel pretty good. I go off for six
or seven months, and the symptoms come back."

An attempt to reach Wormser for a response through a Westchester
Medical Center spokeswoman was unsuccessful.

****
At a glance
The debate at hand is how to treat patients with long-term symptoms
that appear to be caused by Lyme disease.
New guidelines from the Infectious Diseases Society of America say
prolonged antibiotic treatment "has not proven to be useful."
A different group, the International Lyme and Associated Diseases
Society, supports the use of long-term antibiotics in some of these
cases.
Patients and advocates at yesterday's rally oppose IDSA and back the
ILADS position.

****
Letters to the Editor:
letters@LoHud.com

[blimeyitslymie]

"Maryland's Lyme-literate physicians and their patients would have
had some protection against the IDSA guidelines had a prescient bill
addressing this issue made it through the state legislature in 2005.
By the time the bill came up for a final vote, it was so watered
down in favor of the insurance industry that even its original
backers sanctioned its demise."
========

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/bal-
ed.lyme30nov30,0,5772970.story?coll=bal-opinion-headlines

or

http://tinyurl.com/y6nkbb

The Baltimore Sun
Baltimore MD
November 30, 2006

opinion

Missing the mark

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED NOVEMBER 30, 2006

Lyme patients - many of them afflicted with debilitating ailments
that began with the bite of a tiny tick - have traveled from
Maryland and a dozen other states to a medical center in Valhalla,
N.Y., where today they will demand that the Infectious Diseases
Society of America retract medical treatment guidelines it released
last month. Lyme disease sufferers experience headaches, fatigue,
chills, fever and, in advanced cases, heart and nervous system
problems. The last thing they needed was to have their pains
burdened additionally by a segment of the medical community that by
recommending against long-term antibiotic use essentially threatens
to reduce the quality of care they receive.

Maryland averages about 17 reported cases of Lyme disease per 1,000
residents, ranking it seventh in the country. Most of the cases can
be found on the Eastern Shore, where not only are infected ticks
plentiful, but Lyme disease education is promoted aggressively by
volunteer health-service activists who also happen to be Lyme
patients.

The illness is easily misdiagnosed and frequently undertreated. Lyme
patients have no shortage of horror stories about how their early
symptoms were casually dismissed as arthritis, a lack of sleep and
proper diet or, even worse, an emotional disorder, before they found
a sympathetic physician who finally pinpointed the problem and
prescribed antibiotics. In too many cases, the prognosis came late
and the patient had to accept living with the disease.

The most contentious piece of the new IDSA guidelines is a claim
that long-term use of antibiotics is not a remedy and that they
should not be prescribed beyond initial preventive doses. Lyme
patients and their doctors are understandably shocked by this
assertion. Their own experiences tell them differently. And though
adherence to the guidelines is voluntary, the implications are that
insurance companies and HMOs will refuse to pay for further
antibiotic treatment and that doctors, even against their better
judgment, will stop prescribing for fear of being brought up before
medical boards.

Maryland's Lyme-literate physicians and their patients would have
had some protection against the IDSA guidelines had a prescient bill
addressing this issue made it through the state legislature in 2005.
By the time the bill came up for a final vote, it was so watered
down in favor of the insurance industry that even its original
backers sanctioned its demise.

On the matter of helping Lyme patients cope with the disease, the
IDSA - like the 2005 legislature - missed the mark by a mile.

****
Letters to the Editor:
letters@baltsun.com

[blimeyitslymie]

'Lyme Wars' patients rally in Westchester (NY)
Posted by: "Rose" toil_for_lyme@yahoo.com toil_for_lyme
Sat Dec 2, 2006 10:30 am (PST)
RoseNote: Please note that this article uses the wrong acronym when
referring to Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA). The
writer uses `ISDA' repeatedly throughout the article. However, it is
very good that this rally attracted the attention of WABC!
======

http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=local&id=4809819

WABC-TV
Channel 7
New York NY
November 30, 2006

'Lyme Wars' patients rally in Westchester

7 Eyewitness News

(Valhalla - WABC, November 30, 2006) - Hundreds of Lyme Disease
patients rallied outside the Westchester Medical Center Thursday, in
protest of new disease guidelines released by the Infectious Disease
Society of America (ISDA) in October.

The guidelines have ignited the latest round of patient outrage in
what is sometimes referred to as "The Lyme Wars."

At least 300 protesters, hailing from the tri-state area and as far
as California, are expected to attend.

The patients say the previous diagnostic and treatment protocols
were already misleading and inadequate.

The Westchester Medical Center is home to three ISDA committee
members, including lead author Dr. Gary Wormser.

The new guidelines recommend any clinical diagnosis be supported by
a positive test or a bull's eye rash, despite the fact that experts
say the tests are unreliable and the rash does not occur in 50
percent of cases.

(Copyright 2006 WABC-TV)

----------------------------------------------
thanks to rose
****TOIL for Lyme****
T = Teach tolerance
0 = Overcome ignorance
I = Initiate insurance reform
L = Labor for Lyme literacy/advocacy

[blimeyitslymie]

Thanks to lymenews.org for these links to articles and photos of the protest rally in NY.

Blimey

http://www.lymenews.org/html/protest_news.html

[blimeyitslymie]

"The biggest beneficiaries of the new report, he said, are insurance
companies, who can now use the guidelines to justify not
compensating victims for treatment beyond the 30-day period."
========

http://www.rep-am.com/story.php?id=16549&p=1

The Waterbury Connecticut Republican-American
Waterbury CT
December 9, 2006

Lyme disease report spurs patients' rights protests

Saturday, December 9, 2006

BY GENNADY SHEYNER

Copyright © 2006 Republican-American

A new report on diagnosis and treatment of Lyme disease has divided
the medical community and outraged patients' advocates, who claim
the new guidelines will further endanger victims of the tick-borne
disease.

And now, Attorney General Richard Blumenthal is investigating
whether the Infectious Diseases Society of America discounted
competing views when it published its controversial new guidelines
in the November issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases.

Among the report's most controversial points is its finding that the
vast majority of Lyme disease cases can be treated in less a month,
an assertion that has infuriated activists who believe the new
guidelines will mislead physicians, restrict treatment options for
patients and allow insurance companies to refuse compensation for
treatment.

Sandy Berenbaum is a Southbury resident who struggled with the
disease for six years before it was finally diagnosed in 1990. A
social worker who runs a counseling clinic in Brewster, N.Y.,
Berenbaum has seen many children ravaged by the disease over her
years of practice.

One boy suddenly turned psychotic and had to drop out of school.
Another one couldn't walk or speak and became so sensitive to noise
that he had to wear noise suppressors on his ears. In both cases,
she said, the patients ultimately recovered after years of Lyme
treatment.

"These guidelines take away the ability of doctors to use their
clinical judgment," Berenbaum said. "They are extremely restrictive
and they are essentially claiming that anything beyond 30 days is
not an active, persistent infection and should not be treated."

On Oct. 30 [sic] , Berenbaum was one of about 300 people from 16
states at a rally at Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla, N.Y.,
which employs three members of the IDSA committee that issued the
report, including lead author, Dr. Gary Wormser. Also in attendance
were Maggie Shaw, a registered nurse from Newtown who co-founded the
Newtown Lyme Disease Task Force, and Colleen Collins, a Wolcott
resident who became a patient activist after her four children
contracted the disease in 2003.

[RoseNote: The Westchester Medical Center rally in NY was held on
Nov. 30, not Oct. 30.]

Both Shaw and Collins have suffered from Lyme disease and say
doctors have repeatedly misdiagnosed their symptoms. Shaw said her
son Ryan, now 18, suffered from the disease between the ages of 4
and 10, during which time his symptoms included severe anxiety,
arthritis in every joint of his body, intense rages and partial
facial paralysis. Her daughter Taylor, now 15, developed a rash on
her face when she was 12, but her doctor told her to consult a
dermatologist. When Taylor developed six more rashes the next day,
Shaw knew the problem was more severe than initially feared.

Her other son, Grant, 10, suffered hallucinations until he began to
regularly take antibiotics.

"Almost every drug we used, the IDSA guidelines say we shouldn't
take," Shaw said.

Collins's problems began in May 2003, when her daughter Kaelee, now
10, was bitten by two ticks and became infected. But even as Kaelee
suffered through seizures, headaches and severe nausea, none of the
doctors she consulted could tell her what's wrong. Her three
siblings also contracted Lyme disease and suffered symptoms ranging
from leg paralysis, intense blinking, burning sensations and dilated
pupils.

Collins and Shaw said their children's conditions only started
improving after they consulted Dr. Charles Ray Jones, a New Haven-
based Lyme disease specialist. Most other doctors, Shaw said, are
misinformed about the disease and will become even more confused
because of the ISDA guidelines, which are treated as more or less
sacrosanct by the Centers for Disease Control, which links to the
guidelines from its Web site.

"These guidelines are keeping doctors ignorant of the disease,"
Collins said.

Dr. Eugene Shapiro, one of the 14 authors of the IDSA report, said
that while it's possible for people who previously suffered from
Lyme disease to develop paralysis or other symptoms after their
disease was treated, that doesn't mean that the new symptoms are
necessarily related to Lyme disease. The report, he said, is based
on the best scientific evidence, which he said argues against use of
antibiotics.

"There is no evidence of benefits from prolonged courses of
antibiotics and substantial evidence of multiple risks to patients
and society," said Shapiro, a professor at Yale University School of
Medicine Department of Pediatrics. "We had numerous reports of
people dying from complications, including cases of red blood cells
breaking apart and problems with gall bladders.

"The key is to base your approach on scientific evidence, not
anecdotes," he said. "If someone says they have Lyme disease, what
evidence do they have that it's really Lyme?"

Dr. Raphael Stricker, a San Francisco-based Lyme disease specialist,
said such a response ignores the pattern of symptoms exhibited by
victims of Lyme disease months and years after the initial
diagnosis. Stricker serves as president of the International Lyme
and Associated Disease Society, an organization of about 300 Lyme
experts that has its own guidelines for treating the disease.
Shortly after the IDSA report was published, Stricker wrote a letter
to Clinical Infectious Diseases calling for a retraction.

"They took ILADS guidelines and took out everything we recommended,"
Stricker said. "This is a clear attack on what physicians are doing
and it's extremely restrictive.

"These guidelines will have a chilling effect on physicians, who
will now be unwilling to treat diseases because otherwise they will
have to explain to medical boards why they aren't following the IDSA
recommendations," he continued.

The biggest beneficiaries of the new report, he said, are insurance
companies, who can now use the guidelines to justify not
compensating victims for treatment beyond the 30-day period.

Blumenthal agreed. Last month, he launched an investigation to
uncover whether IDSA excluded dissenting opinions when putting the
report together. While he said there is no evidence that any laws
have been violated, he pointed out that the panel "seemed to have
been limited to physicians with one point of view." As a result,
consumers may find that their options for receiving treatment are
severely restricted, he said.

"Whatever the physician and the patient decide is appropriate must
be covered," Blumenthal said. "These guidelines potentially restrict
the treatment and diagnostic measures and, thereby, enable insurance
companies to restrict their coverage."

In Connecticut, where Lyme disease was first recognized, there were
1,810 reported cases of Lyme disease in 2005, a 34 percent increase
from the previous year, according to CDC. Only New York,
Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Massachusetts had more reported cases.

****
Letters to the Editor:
smacoy@rep-am.com

[blimeyitslymie]

"'There is no well-accepted definition of post-Lyme disease
syndrome," reported the ISDA. "This has contributed to confusion and
controversy and to a lack of firm data.'"
======

http://www.paysonroundup.com/section/localnews/story/26475

Payson Roundup
Payson AZ
December 8, 2006

New regulations could cost Lyme disease patients

By Felicia Megdal, Roundup staff reporter

Friday, December 8, 2006

Ann Prow contracted Lyme disease more than 20 years ago after
walking through the forests of Door County, Wis.

A tick burrowed under her skin and released the bacteria that causes
Lyme disease. After two decades of misdiagnosis and what she said
was a lack of medical knowledge, her condition worsened. The
bacteria pulsed through her body, sapping energy, creating pain and
wasting away her mental acuity.

Then, in 2001, a specialist discovered the root of the problem. Prow
had developed what's known as chronic Lyme disease. It's a lifelong
illness that -- if not treated -- can cause death and disability.

If diagnosed earlier, Prow believes she could have overcome the
illness.

Now that she has regained her strength, she's fighting a new battle
against the Infectious Disease Society of America (ISDA). The
organization has published guidelines that call into question the
validity of Chronic Lyme Disease.

"There is no well-accepted definition of post-Lyme disease
syndrome," reported the ISDA. "This has contributed to confusion and
controversy and to a lack of firm data."

Without a treatment plan or diagnosis standards, Prow worries that
patients with Chronic Lyme disease will continue to live undiagnosed
and without proper insurance coverage.

Katherine Morrison, another Payson resident living with Lyme
disease, was involved in a Nov. 30 protest rally in New York,
speaking out against the ISDA's guidelines.

"My concern is that my insurance will use these guidelines to deny
the medication that is helping me regain my health," the Payson
resident and Lyme disease sufferer said. "I was very saddened and
frustrated at first when I heard about these guidelines.

"It was encouraging that there was such a good turn out for the
protest. But, my heart dropped when I saw the sign being held by a
little girl. It said, `All I want for Christmas is my meds.' That is
the bottom line and what this is all about."

Lyme disease is contracted when a tick carrying the offending
spirochete -- a type of bacteria -- floods the bloodstream. Early
symptoms include a bullseye-like rash on the affected area. As the
illness progresses, joint pain, cognitive impairment and chronic
fatigue can overwhelm the patient.

"It's hard to get rid of and once you've had it in your body for 20
years, it's hard to eradicate," Prow said.

Prow and her husband, Joe, both have Lyme disease. He, like many
others with the illness, was diagnosed with ALS, otherwise known as
Lou Gehrig's disease -- a degenerative condition that erodes the
nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. Joe is losing his ability
to swallow. Doctors also misdiagnosed Prow. They thought she had
chronic fatigue syndrome, characterized by ongoing and profound
physical and mental exhaustion.

"Lyme disease is devastating the lives of hundreds of thousands of
individuals and we are all at risk," wrote veterinarian Scott
Taylor, for the Autoimmunity Research Foundation. "Many patients are
suffering with chronic Lyme disease and continue to be misdiagnosed
and mistreated. In many cases of Lyme disease, a correct diagnosis
doesn't occur until after several months or more often many years of
suffering with the disease. By then, it has caused severe illness,
disability and permanent damage."

But there's hope. Prow said with immediate medical attention and
knowledge, Lyme disease is curable.

For more information about Lyme disease, contact Prow at (928) 468-
1410. She is wired into a support network of specialists and fellow
patients.

****
Letters to the Editor:
editor@payson.com

[blimeyitslymie]

"In general, if you're healthy and you get bit by a Lyme tick and you
go to the doctor and take antibiotics, you're fine. But if you're
sick, run down or under tremendous stress, and you get bit by a Lyme
tick and take antibiotics, [the antibiotics] push it deeper into your
body."

=====
http://www.palisadespost.com/content/index.cfm?Story_ID=2455

The Palisadian Post
Homeopathy: The Energy Medicine

December 06, 2006

Alyson Sena , Associate Editor

Treating illness is black-and-white for some people: take an aspirin
for a headache, antihistamines for a cold, antibiotics for a bacterial
infection. But if more people knew about alternative, natural remedies
that worked and were easy to find, they might use them, says Dr. Lynne

Paige Walker, a homeopath based in Pacific Palisades.

Homeopathic remedies are said to work on an energetic level to
stimulate the body's own healing energy. They are made from minute
doses of natural mineral, plant or animal substances.

"I think people are not satisfied with Western medicine," says Walker,
who has more than 25 years of experience as a pharmacist, including
five years at Capitol Drugs homeopathic pharmacy in Sherman Oaks. "I
think people need a different approach to medicine."

Homeopathy attempts to treat "like with like." The principle is the
same as pharmaceutical vaccination, but vaccines are macromolecules
that can produce unwanted side effects while homeopathic remedies are
so dilute that no molecules of the original substance are left in the
solution.

"When you take molecules and pull them apart, the
'communication'becomes stronger, which is the whole idea behind
homeopathy--that the more dilute they are, the more the molecules are
pulled apart and the stronger they communicate [with the body],"
Walker says. "There's less physical effect and more mental."

Walker, who grew up in the South Bay area, started her career as a
hospital pharmacist but became interested in natural alternatives
after she was diagnosed with a large fibroid tumor in her late 20s and
was told she needed a hysterectomy.

Acupuncture and Chinese herbs helped shrink the tumor, which
encouraged Walker to begin studying these alternative therapies. She
earned a master's degree in traditional Chinese medicine from
imperor's College in Los Angeles and a doctorate in homeopathy from
Hahnemann College in London.

Prior to establishing her practice in the Palisades three years ago,
Walker practiced homeopathy in Sun Valley, Idaho and the Hamptons (she
returns to both places several times a year to treat patients). She
also operated homeopathic pharmacies in Sun Valley.

Walker's varied experience has helped her see the benefits of a broad
range of natural remedies for a wide variety of ailments. She has
treated chronic diseases (hepatitis, fibromyalgia, and chronic fatigue
syndrome) since 1990, when she learned a German homeopathic "nosode"
treatment (made from a disease or pathological product) developed by
Dr. Reinhold Voll. She later applied Dr. Voll's method to treat Lyme
disease when she lived in Sag Harbor, New York, across from Lyme, Connecticut.

"There aren't very many good treatments of Lyme disease," Walker says.

"In general, if you're healthy and you get bit by a Lyme tick and you
go to the doctor and take antibiotics, you're fine. But if you're
sick, run down or under tremendous stress, and you get bit by a Lyme
tick and take antibiotics, [the antibiotics] push it deeper into your
body.

"The homeopathics boost your immune system and push [the disease] out,
so when you initially take the remedies, you look like you're worse
and you feel like you're getting worse because your symptoms come out,
but then they clear."

When Walker worked as a pharmacist at Capitol Drugs, she recalls, "I
would give remedies to people and tell them to come back and tell me
what worked and what didn't work. There was so much flow through
Capitol Drugs that it was easy to see what was working."

One female customer took camphor, a natural remedy, for a large tumor
on her tongue. "She had a surgery scheduled in eight days," Walker
says. "When she went to the pre-op and opened her mouth, the tumor was
gone."

Eventually, Walker compiled 200 consistently successful natural
treatments for a book entitled "The Alternative Pharmacy," which she
co-authored with medical researcher Ellen Hodgson Brown in 1998.

Yet Walker acknowledges that natural medicine and, particularly,
homeopathy, can be complicated and, at times, frustrating for the
practitioner and patient because some remedies don't work for certain
people or in certain situations.

"What I'm seeing now is that people are more toxic than ever--from the
environment, from the way they're eating," Walker says. "The remedies
are still effective; it just takes longer to get a reaction."

How Walker treats someone with a cold depends on what stage the cold
is in when the person comes to her. If the cold is just developing,
she tends to use a homeopathic remedy.

"The homeopathics stimulate your immune system at the very first
stage, knocking out the shock and quick-onset [of disease] and setting
you off on a different path," she explains. However, "if the cold is
acute, I go to a Chinese remedy, which is effective on the first,
second or third day."

Taking a pharmaceutical to kill the cold, Walker says, "commits you to
being sick for a week to 10 days. The antihistamines actually stop
your immune process'they've got Tylenol or aspirin in them so they
actually decrease your fever, but your body's using [the fever] to
fight the bacterial or viral infection. So [the antihistamine] gives
your body nothing to work with and automatically makes you sicker. It
might make your symptoms feel temporarily better, but ultimately it
makes you sicker longer."

Walker meets with new patients for 1-1/2 to 2 hours and uses a
biofeedback machine to get a sense of a patient's overall energy and
to learn where his or her body is out of balance. Biofeedback uses
instruments to identify involuntary changes--such as brain activity,
blood pressure or heart rate--in response to stressors.

"The machine puts frequencies into the body and checks the response,"
Walker says. "So if the machine puts the frequency of a normal liver
into your body and your liver is abnormal, your body energy responds
to it and it shows up on the screen.

"While we're doing that, we talk about what's going on in the
patient's life. I believe there's an emotional cause for every
disease, so I kind of focus on what that emotional cause is and how to
get those trapped emotions to move. Classic examples are that widows
usually get lung or pneumonia problems a year after their spouse dies
because the grief has settled in their lungs."

If a patient's body energy is low, Walker often prescribes a
homeopathic remedy that will help raise his or her energy before
treating the actual problem. "The homeopathic remedies stimulate your
own body's energy, so if your energy is low, you might not have enough
'umph' to make the [second] remedy work," Walker explains.

Her patients range from babies to adults in their 90s. She treats
hormone-related problems such as menopause and age-related problems
such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol.

"I think that menopause is a really amazing time of life, during which
a woman's energy is shifting," Walker says. "It's a time when
homeopathic remedies can help women release all the buried emotions
that are trapped and move on to the next phase of giving back to their
community."

Walker helps men with everything from prostate problems to depression.
"I teach men how to be more successful with their lives and more
successful at business by releasing their attachments to their old
belief systems [relating to attitudes about life or health]."

The two things she says are illegal to treat with homeopathic remedies
are epilepsy and cancer. "So I never treat cancer but I can help
patients with the symptoms of cancer," Walker says, referring to
nausea and pain, as opposed to the actual tumor. "I've had many
patients with cancer who have gone into remission."

Walker has co-authored eight books with Ellen Brown, including her
most recent book, "A Woman's Complete Guide to Natural Health." Her
Palisades office is located in suite 105 of the 984 Monument medical
building. Contact: (310) 230-0616.

***
Publication's Contact Info:
info@palipost.com

[blimeyitslymie]

[Note: This reply published in the Journal News is regarding LymeInfo
post http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/LymeInfo/message/3512
on Dec. 1 entitled "Hundreds rally to protest new Lyme disease
treatment guidelines."

Letters to the editor that dispute the statements found below are
highly encouraged. Please send to: letters@thejournalnews.com or see
http://www.nyjnews.com/contact/letters.php3?address=letters ]
*****

http://tinyurl.com/yd6rzn

http://www.thejournalnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061209/OPINION/612090321/1076/OPINION03

The Journal News
White Plains NY

Guidelines present a rational approach to Lyme disease
By GARY P. WORMSER, M.D.
(Original publication: December 9, 2006)

Editor: This reply is also signed by Drs. Robert Nadelman and Raymond
Dattwyler, both of Westchester Medical Center and New York Medical Center.

While we respect the right of individuals to express their feelings
regarding the Infectious Diseases Society of America's Lyme disease
guidelines that were published Nov. 1, we are concerned about personal
attacks and misrepresentations (Dec. 1 news article about protest
outside Westchester Medical Center). The Infectious Diseases Society
of America has more than 8,000 members and is the largest professional
society of its kind in the United States. It issues guidelines that
are intended to improve the care of patients. Its guidelines are
voluntary. They are not intended to replace a physician's judgment,
but they are intended to help doctors and patients make good decisions
based on the best available science.

The guidelines were based on an exhaustive review of the published
medical literature on the clinical assessment, treatment and
prevention of Lyme disease in the U.S. The 14-member panel drew upon
experts in adult and pediatric infectious diseases, neurology,
rheumatology, immunology and entomology, from 10 leading medical
centers and universities in three countries. We three physician
researchers from New York Medical College and Westchester Medical
Center have had collectively more than 70 years of clinical experience
in the care of Lyme disease patients and have performed numerous
research studies on Lyme disease. One of us, Dr. Dattwyler, was also
the director of the Stony Brook Lyme Disease Center for more than 20
years.

The IDSA guidelines recommend against treating patients with Lyme
disease with prolonged courses of antibiotics, meaning many months to
years of therapy. This recommendation is neither new nor unique to
IDSA. No mainstream medical group or authoritative source has ever
advocated such prolonged therapy: not the IDSA in the prior Lyme
disease guidelines published in 2000; not the American Academy of
Pediatrics; not the American College of Physicians; not the Medical
Letter, not the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nor the
National Institutes of Health; not any of the leading textbooks of
internal medicine or infectious diseases; and not review articles in
major medical journals such as the New England Journal of Medicine.

The updated Lyme disease guidelines document exactly why prolonged
treatment courses are not scientifically justified and why such
prolonged therapies pose serious health risks to the individual
receiving them, including even death, and to society at large through
the emergence of antibiotic-resistant "superbugs." The new guidelines
discuss in detail major flaws in all the studies that have been cited
to justify prolonged treatment. The IDSA Lyme guidelines also cite
numerous studies that have shown that the majority of patients who
receive the diagnosis of "chronic Lyme disease" have never in fact had
Lyme disease at any point. In one of these studies, more than 50
percent of the misdiagnosed patients had other treatable medical
disorders.

These findings are completely consistent with our own clinical
experience at the Lyme Disease Practice of the Westchester Medical
Center. We encourage anyone who is diagnosed with so-called "chronic
Lyme disease" to get a second opinion. We strongly advise that people
with Lyme disease avoid long-term antibiotic treatment, which is
ineffective, costly and potentially very dangerous. We recommended
this in 2000, and the evidence in support of this recommendation is
even more compelling in 2006.

IDSA members have been at the forefront of preventing and treating
Lyme disease. Our singular mission is to find out what is best for
patients. IDSA believes that the Lyme disease guidelines represent the
best that science has to offer. For reliable, scientific-based
information on Lyme disease, we would direct your readers to sources
such as the Web sites of the American College of Physicians
(www.acponline.org) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (www.cdc.gov), as well as that of IDSA (www.idsociety.org).

Wormser is chief of Infectious Diseases, professor of medicine,
Westchester Medical Center and New York Medical College. Nadelman is
attending physician, professor of medicine, Infectious Diseases,
Westchester Medical Center and New York Medical College. Dattwyler is
chief of Allergy, Immunology and Rheumatology and professor of
medicine, Westchester Medical Center and New York Medical College.

[blimeyitslymie]

"The biggest beneficiaries of the new report, he said, are insurance
companies, who can now use the guidelines to justify not
compensating victims for treatment beyond the 30-day period."
========

http://www.rep-am.com/story.php?id=16549&p=1

The Waterbury Connecticut Republican-American
Waterbury CT
December 9, 2006

Lyme disease report spurs patients' rights protests

Saturday, December 9, 2006

BY GENNADY SHEYNER

Copyright © 2006 Republican-American

A new report on diagnosis and treatment of Lyme disease has divided
the medical community and outraged patients' advocates, who claim
the new guidelines will further endanger victims of the tick-borne
disease.

And now, Attorney General Richard Blumenthal is investigating
whether the Infectious Diseases Society of America discounted
competing views when it published its controversial new guidelines
in the November issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases.

Among the report's most controversial points is its finding that the
vast majority of Lyme disease cases can be treated in less a month,
an assertion that has infuriated activists who believe the new
guidelines will mislead physicians, restrict treatment options for
patients and allow insurance companies to refuse compensation for
treatment.

Sandy Berenbaum is a Southbury resident who struggled with the
disease for six years before it was finally diagnosed in 1990. A
social worker who runs a counseling clinic in Brewster, N.Y.,
Berenbaum has seen many children ravaged by the disease over her
years of practice.

One boy suddenly turned psychotic and had to drop out of school.
Another one couldn't walk or speak and became so sensitive to noise
that he had to wear noise suppressors on his ears. In both cases,
she said, the patients ultimately recovered after years of Lyme
treatment.

"These guidelines take away the ability of doctors to use their
clinical judgment," Berenbaum said. "They are extremely restrictive
and they are essentially claiming that anything beyond 30 days is
not an active, persistent infection and should not be treated."

On Oct. 30 [sic] , Berenbaum was one of about 300 people from 16
states at a rally at Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla, N.Y.,
which employs three members of the IDSA committee that issued the
report, including lead author, Dr. Gary Wormser. Also in attendance
were Maggie Shaw, a registered nurse from Newtown who co-founded the
Newtown Lyme Disease Task Force, and Colleen Collins, a Wolcott
resident who became a patient activist after her four children
contracted the disease in 2003.

[RoseNote: The Westchester Medical Center rally in NY was held on
Nov. 30, not Oct. 30.]

Both Shaw and Collins have suffered from Lyme disease and say
doctors have repeatedly misdiagnosed their symptoms. Shaw said her
son Ryan, now 18, suffered from the disease between the ages of 4
and 10, during which time his symptoms included severe anxiety,
arthritis in every joint of his body, intense rages and partial
facial paralysis. Her daughter Taylor, now 15, developed a rash on
her face when she was 12, but her doctor told her to consult a
dermatologist. When Taylor developed six more rashes the next day,
Shaw knew the problem was more severe than initially feared.

Her other son, Grant, 10, suffered hallucinations until he began to
regularly take antibiotics.

"Almost every drug we used, the IDSA guidelines say we shouldn't
take," Shaw said.

Collins's problems began in May 2003, when her daughter Kaelee, now
10, was bitten by two ticks and became infected. But even as Kaelee
suffered through seizures, headaches and severe nausea, none of the
doctors she consulted could tell her what's wrong. Her three
siblings also contracted Lyme disease and suffered symptoms ranging
from leg paralysis, intense blinking, burning sensations and dilated
pupils.

Collins and Shaw said their children's conditions only started
improving after they consulted Dr. Charles Ray Jones, a New Haven-
based Lyme disease specialist. Most other doctors, Shaw said, are
misinformed about the disease and will become even more confused
because of the ISDA guidelines, which are treated as more or less
sacrosanct by the Centers for Disease Control, which links to the
guidelines from its Web site.

"These guidelines are keeping doctors ignorant of the disease,"
Collins said.

Dr. Eugene Shapiro, one of the 14 authors of the IDSA report, said
that while it's possible for people who previously suffered from
Lyme disease to develop paralysis or other symptoms after their
disease was treated, that doesn't mean that the new symptoms are
necessarily related to Lyme disease. The report, he said, is based
on the best scientific evidence, which he said argues against use of
antibiotics.

"There is no evidence of benefits from prolonged courses of
antibiotics and substantial evidence of multiple risks to patients
and society," said Shapiro, a professor at Yale University School of
Medicine Department of Pediatrics. "We had numerous reports of
people dying from complications, including cases of red blood cells
breaking apart and problems with gall bladders.

"The key is to base your approach on scientific evidence, not
anecdotes," he said. "If someone says they have Lyme disease, what
evidence do they have that it's really Lyme?"

Dr. Raphael Stricker, a San Francisco-based Lyme disease specialist,
said such a response ignores the pattern of symptoms exhibited by
victims of Lyme disease months and years after the initial
diagnosis. Stricker serves as president of the International Lyme
and Associated Disease Society, an organization of about 300 Lyme
experts that has its own guidelines for treating the disease.
Shortly after the IDSA report was published, Stricker wrote a letter
to Clinical Infectious Diseases calling for a retraction.

"They took ILADS guidelines and took out everything we recommended,"
Stricker said. "This is a clear attack on what physicians are doing
and it's extremely restrictive.

"These guidelines will have a chilling effect on physicians, who
will now be unwilling to treat diseases because otherwise they will
have to explain to medical boards why they aren't following the IDSA
recommendations," he continued.

The biggest beneficiaries of the new report, he said, are insurance
companies, who can now use the guidelines to justify not
compensating victims for treatment beyond the 30-day period.

Blumenthal agreed. Last month, he launched an investigation to
uncover whether IDSA excluded dissenting opinions when putting the
report together. While he said there is no evidence that any laws
have been violated, he pointed out that the panel "seemed to have
been limited to physicians with one point of view." As a result,
consumers may find that their options for receiving treatment are
severely restricted, he said.

"Whatever the physician and the patient decide is appropriate must
be covered," Blumenthal said. "These guidelines potentially restrict
the treatment and diagnostic measures and, thereby, enable insurance
companies to restrict their coverage."

In Connecticut, where Lyme disease was first recognized, there were
1,810 reported cases of Lyme disease in 2005, a 34 percent increase
from the previous year, according to CDC. Only New York,
Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Massachusetts had more reported cases.

****
Letters to the Editor:
smacoy@rep-am.com

[blimeyitslymie]

"'There is no well-accepted definition of post-Lyme disease
syndrome," reported the ISDA. "This has contributed to confusion and
controversy and to a lack of firm data.'"
======

http://www.paysonroundup.com/section/localnews/story/26475

Payson Roundup
Payson AZ
December 8, 2006

New regulations could cost Lyme disease patients

By Felicia Megdal, Roundup staff reporter

Friday, December 8, 2006

Ann Prow contracted Lyme disease more than 20 years ago after
walking through the forests of Door County, Wis.

A tick burrowed under her skin and released the bacteria that causes
Lyme disease. After two decades of misdiagnosis and what she said
was a lack of medical knowledge, her condition worsened. The
bacteria pulsed through her body, sapping energy, creating pain and
wasting away her mental acuity.

Then, in 2001, a specialist discovered the root of the problem. Prow
had developed what's known as chronic Lyme disease. It's a lifelong
illness that -- if not treated -- can cause death and disability.

If diagnosed earlier, Prow believes she could have overcome the
illness.

Now that she has regained her strength, she's fighting a new battle
against the Infectious Disease Society of America (ISDA). The
organization has published guidelines that call into question the
validity of Chronic Lyme Disease.

"There is no well-accepted definition of post-Lyme disease
syndrome," reported the ISDA. "This has contributed to confusion and
controversy and to a lack of firm data."

Without a treatment plan or diagnosis standards, Prow worries that
patients with Chronic Lyme disease will continue to live undiagnosed
and without proper insurance coverage.

Katherine Morrison, another Payson resident living with Lyme
disease, was involved in a Nov. 30 protest rally in New York,
speaking out against the ISDA's guidelines.

"My concern is that my insurance will use these guidelines to deny
the medication that is helping me regain my health," the Payson
resident and Lyme disease sufferer said. "I was very saddened and
frustrated at first when I heard about these guidelines.

"It was encouraging that there was such a good turn out for the
protest. But, my heart dropped when I saw the sign being held by a
little girl. It said, `All I want for Christmas is my meds.' That is
the bottom line and what this is all about."

Lyme disease is contracted when a tick carrying the offending
spirochete -- a type of bacteria -- floods the bloodstream. Early
symptoms include a bullseye-like rash on the affected area. As the
illness progresses, joint pain, cognitive impairment and chronic
fatigue can overwhelm the patient.

"It's hard to get rid of and once you've had it in your body for 20
years, it's hard to eradicate," Prow said.

Prow and her husband, Joe, both have Lyme disease. He, like many
others with the illness, was diagnosed with ALS, otherwise known as
Lou Gehrig's disease -- a degenerative condition that erodes the
nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. Joe is losing his ability
to swallow. Doctors also misdiagnosed Prow. They thought she had
chronic fatigue syndrome, characterized by ongoing and profound
physical and mental exhaustion.

"Lyme disease is devastating the lives of hundreds of thousands of
individuals and we are all at risk," wrote veterinarian Scott
Taylor, for the Autoimmunity Research Foundation. "Many patients are
suffering with chronic Lyme disease and continue to be misdiagnosed
and mistreated. In many cases of Lyme disease, a correct diagnosis
doesn't occur until after several months or more often many years of
suffering with the disease. By then, it has caused severe illness,
disability and permanent damage."

But there's hope. Prow said with immediate medical attention and
knowledge, Lyme disease is curable.

For more information about Lyme disease, contact Prow at (928) 468-
1410. She is wired into a support network of specialists and fellow
patients.

****
Letters to the Editor:
editor@payson.com

[blimeyitslymie]

"For the record, Dr. Wormser, chief of Infectious Diseases at New
York Medical College and Westchester Medical Center, is an
internationally recognized authority in infectious diseases."
=======

http://www.thejournalnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2006612070334

The Journal News
White Plains NY
December 7, 2006

Lyme guidelines protest misguided

(Original publication: December 7, 2006)

Lyme guidelines protest misguided

I was dismayed by your Dec. 1 article about a demonstration against
the updated Infectious Disease Society of America treatment
guidelines for Lyme disease. The article extensively quoted negative
comments regarding these guidelines and one of its authors, Dr. Gary
Wormser, with minimal context. For the record, Dr. Wormser, chief of
Infectious Diseases at New York Medical College and Westchester
Medical Center, is an internationally recognized authority in
infectious diseases. A simple literature search would have revealed
that he co-authored 260 articles in the peer-reviewed medical
literature, including 116 papers on various aspects of Lyme disease
since 1990.

It is high time that clarity and logic be infused into the discourse
regarding Lyme disease. Lyme disease is defined in the medical
literature as an ailment caused by infection with a specific
bacterium. The infection can only be acquired after a tick bite. By
definition, individuals who have never been bitten by a tick, or who
have never been infected, cannot be suffering from Lyme disease.
This is not meant to diminish the anguish and suffering of those
individuals who are experiencing debilitating symptoms. But, we do
not do such patients any favors by misdiagnosis or mistreatment.
Disease entities are studied and defined by an accepted set of
medical criteria. These include carefully designed and rigorously
controlled clinical trials that are then disseminated to the medical
community by established peer-review and publication in the medical
literature. Progress in the prevention and treatment of Lyme disease
will not be achieved by misguided public demonstrations.

Ira Schwartz

Valhalla

The writer is professor and chairman of the Department of
Microbiology and Immunology at New York Medical College.

[blimeyitslymie]

Highlights of IDSA Guidelines with Commentary

Posted by: "Rose" toil_for_lyme@yahoo.com toil_for_lyme
Mon Dec 4, 2006 10:33 am (PST)

RoseNote: Excellent article written by Lorraine Johnson, JD, MBA. The
file is in a PDF format. Click on URL below to view.

http://lymenews.org/g_2006_11_080_one_pager_IDSA_guidelines.pdf

[blimeyitslymie]

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/letters/bal-ed.le.14ddec14,0,6132991.story

Baltimore Sun (MD)
Letters to the Editor
Originally published December 14, 2006

Clinical evidence of chronic infections

As the letter "Lyme guidelines scientifically sound" (Dec. 9) shows,
the infectious disease community unfortunately is largely hiding
behind the scientific literature's "evidence base" and ignoring the
clinical evidence about chronic Lyme disease patients that is all too
evident to other physicians.

Only a few decades ago, the infectious disease community scoffed at
the notion of infectious agents causing chronic illnesses.

But we now have incontrovertible proof that infectious agents are
associated with chronic diseases. For instance, H. pylori bacteria
infection causes ulcers; C. trachomatis causes inflammatory arthritis;
and the Epstein-Barr virus can cause cancer.

Chronic Lyme disease patients are ill-served by the squabbling and
territorial in-fighting that is only hindering productive inquiry into
this debilitating condition.

Instead, the infectious disease community should take this moment to
bring intelligent minds together to find effective treatments that can
prevent or ameliorate the consequences of such chronic diseases.

Sheila West
Baltimore
The writer is a professor of opthalmology and epidemiology at the
Johns Hopkins University.

***

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/letters/bal-ed.le.09ddec09,1,1544346.story?ctrack=1&cset=true

Baltimore Sun (MD)
Letters to the Editor
Originally published December 9, 2006

A culture in denial over Lyme infections

Thanks for the editorial on Lyme disease and the Infectious Disease
Society of America's guidelines ("Missing the mark," Nov. 30).

I have a son whose bipolar symptoms are very much related to Lyme
disease and associated infections. Even though I wrote a book on the
subject, and he has tested positive repeatedly not only for Lyme but
for associated infections, he persists in the belief that he doesn't
have Lyme disease.

Until there is a change in the culture, my son and thousands like him
will either remain ignorant about the care they need or refuse to
accept it.

Thanks again for a timely and right-on editorial.

Dave Moyer
Penn Valley, Calif.
The writer is a member of the International Lyme and Associated
Disease Society.

Lyme guidelines scientifically sound

There is nothing more heartbreaking to conscientious doctors than to
read the charge, as made in The Sun's editorial "Missing the mark"
(Nov. 30), that they are not meeting the needs of their patients.

But to the 8,000 members of the Infectious Disease Society of America
(IDSA), the controversy about Lyme disease and the IDSA guidelines
raised by a handful of doctors has done a grave disservice to patients.

First, some facts:

• The IDSA guidelines are based on established national criteria for
evidence-based medicine. This means the panel of Lyme disease experts
who developed the guidelines did so by reviewing all valid,
peer-reviewed scientific literature on the subject.

• Contrary to the statement in the editorial that the IDSA guidelines
claim no antibiotics should be prescribed "beyond initial preventive
doses," the guidelines do recommend treatment for up to 28 days with
antibiotics for those who have clinical signs confirming the disease.
The guidelines also include recommendations for retreatment if
objective signs of the disease are established and symptoms persist.

• The guidelines clearly acknowledge that their recommendations do not
and should not take the place of the judgment of individual
physicians. We know that every person, every patient is different and
that each doctor must do what he or she thinks is best for the individual.

• Those who have been diagnosed with so-called "chronic Lyme disease"
(i.e., who did not recover after the initial course or courses of
antibiotics that cure the disease in the great majority of patients)
often have generalized symptoms that may be caused by many diseases
other than Lyme. To automatically assume they continue to suffer from
Lyme disease, without considering other options, is simply not good
medicine.

Also, a small percentage of people do have persistent symptoms such as
fatigue and musculoskeletal aches after Lyme disease. But there is no
evidence that continued treatment with antibiotics leads to
substantial improvement.

Medicine is always evolving, which is why we review the literature at
regular intervals and update our guidelines.

When we do, we are obligated to base our guidelines on the best
information available.

As new information becomes available, we will respond accordingly.

For the time being, however, our guidelines are based on the best
scientific evidence that is available.

Dr. Donald Poretz Alexandria Va.
Dr. Paul G. Auwaerter Baltimore
The writers are, respectively, the president-elect of the Infectious
Diseases Society of America and the clinical director of the Division
of Infectious Diseases for the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.

[blimeyitslymie]

http://www.conntact.com/article_page.lasso?id=40546

Connecticut Business News Journal
Business
New Haven
12/11/2006

*****
Letter: Uptick in AG's Popularity

I want to congratulate [state Attorney General] Richard Blumenthal for sticking up for the infectious-disease doctors who do everything in their power to help the sometimes extremely sick Lyme and other tick-borne disease patients (BNH, November 27). I congratulate him for taking seriously a very serious health issue and for doing everything in his power to help the thousands of very ill people around the country to get the best and most comprehensive care that they need.

I do not congratulate the Infectious Disease Society of America for ignoring clinical research and treatment success stories from these experienced and highly esteemed doctors from all over the country and the world. I do not congratulate them for writing guidelines that are unrealistic because they do not follow the unfortunate reality of these illnesses. [Blumenthal last month issued a subpoena to the IDSA over guidelines that discourage long-term antibiotic treatment for Lyme disease.]

The story of these tick-borne diseases is still a mystery that needs to be unraveled. If we obstruct doctors from treating and patients from getting better, a couple of things may happen:

1) These tick-borne diseases will continue to be a mystery. The research into treatments and cures will slow because the research seem to be fueled by infectious-disease doctors' own success stories. But because of these new guidelines, everyone will be too afraid to do anything, which results in less research and more seriously ill people.

2) The incidence of curing or of getting the disease into remission will naturally fall, possibly causing millions of dollars being wasted in hospital bills because if the patient was allowed to be treated the right way at the beginning, there would be much less late-stage illness and fewer serious complications.

The incidence of these diseases will continue to rise because of the warm falls and winters and the rising number of deer and rodents. We could either ignore this health issue even though the incidence of these illnesses rises every year, or we could actually face it head on and figure out how to better diagnose it and how to better cure it.

For me, these new guidelines would not have worked. I would not be here today and would certainly not be able to write this if my doctor had followed these guidelines. Seven years ago I was 21 and could not walk, hold a conversation and could barely even form a cohesive sentence. Thanks to my doctor and to long-term antibiotics, today I can.

Monica Frate
Darien
*****

Letters to The Editor: letters@businessnewhaven.com

BNH copyright 2002-2005

[blimeyitslymie]

Globe and Mail
National
Web-Exclusive Comment
12/12/06 2:07 AM EST

*****
Lyme disease: the invisible illness in Canada
GWEN BARLEE
Special to Globe and Mail Update

Seventeen years ago, before I was bitten by a tick infected with Lyme disease, I went to the gym several times a week and played tennis and squash regularly. I dragon-boat raced and biked to my studies at the University of British Columbia. I prided myself on being fit, athletic and in control of my life. I almost never went to the doctor and didn't know what it was like to have a headache.

In the summer of 1989, my life changed. Several days after jogging in the woods, I noticed a round rash on my thigh, about 15 centimetres in diameter. I didn't think much about it, other than to point it out to my friends, because of its large size. It wasn't itchy or sore and, after about a week, it went away, so I didn't give it any further thought.

Because I was attending school full-time and working nights at a campus bar, I didn't think it was unusual when I started getting tired, really tired, so tired I started falling asleep in class. I also didn't think it was unusual when I began to get crushing headaches, combined with an extremely sore neck and back, because several months earlier I had been hit by a car while biking home from the university. Slowly though, over the years, I also developed arthritis, gout, hair loss, tinnitus, muscle pain, heart problems, trouble with my memory and dozens of other odd ailments that would wax and wane with no apparent reason.

I changed my diet, modified my exercise habits and stopped drinking.

Although these changes helped, I was still ill. I hate going to doctors, but I started seeing them regularly after developing problems with my thyroid and hormone levels. My doctor sent me to a variety of specialists, and each specialist looked at my problems in isolation, all while I continued to get sicker.

Finally, in 2005, someone mentioned that my symptoms sounded like Lyme disease. I had never heard of Lyme disease, but, by this time, I was desperate for answers, so I began to research. Eventually, I stumbled across www.canlyme.com. When I found Canlyme, I felt like I had been hit over the head with a two-by-four. The website, home to the Canadian Lyme Disease Foundation, lists 75 common Lyme disease symptoms. I went through the list one by one and discovered I had 51 of the 75 symptoms. Suddenly, everything fell into place. The mysterious rash I had was actually an erythema migrans rash, which occurs in 30 per cent to 50 per cent of Lyme disease patients.

My myriad medical problems were the result of a borrelia infection — a serious tick-borne bacterial infection that causes Lyme disease. In a fluster, I went to my endocrinologist to tell him I had finally figured out what was wrong with me. My euphoria was short-lived when he flatly announced: "We don't have Lyme disease in Canada." I was perplexed because I had done enough research to realize that Lyme disease is one of the fastest-growing infectious diseases in North America and Europe.

The United States reports 20,000 cases annually, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says Lyme disease is likely underreported by six- to 12-fold.

Although ticks that carry Lyme disease are found throughout Canada, only 31 cases of Lyme disease are reported annually —half of which Health Canada deems to have been acquired outside of the country.

I soon realized Lyme disease is a very politicized illness. It is called the "great imitator" for a reason: Its disparate symptoms are similar to many other illnesses, making it difficult to diagnose. Blood tests are notoriously inaccurate, and treatment for Lyme disease is problematic. If diagnosed quickly, Lyme disease can usually be successfully treated with antibiotics; but if diagnosed when the disease has disseminated throughout the body, it can be extremely challenging to eradicate and can take months, if not years, of antibiotic therapy to resolve. Add to the mix recent studies that show Lyme disease occurs in an unknown percentage of multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer's, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis and chronic-fatigue cases and you have a perfect recipe for controversy.

Because of these challenges, Lyme disease remains an invisible illness in Canada. As such, it forces patients to become sleuths and advocates in order to regain their health. For instance, before I was officially diagnosed, I had to identify, and then refer myself to one of just two Lyme disease-specialists in Canada, and pay out of pocket for specialized blood tests in the United States.

Canadians deserve better. It is time our provincial and federal health authorities improved testing, education, treatment, research and funding for this serious tick-borne illness. Ignoring Lyme disease isn't the solution — it is part of the problem.

Gwen Barlee lives in Vancouver.
*****

Comments, Editorials and Letters to the Editor: letters@globeandmail.com

© Copyright 2006 Bell Globemedia Publishing Inc

[blimeyitslymie]

"In close to 20 years of clinical practice, seeing the growth in the
number of patients with Lyme disease, I feel the solution to chronic
Lyme disease in my practice is to look for appropriate ways to care
for my patients and add to the body of knowledge about this complex
disease, rather than to deny its existence."
=====

http://www.thejournalnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2006612140335

The Journal News
Lyme disease more than a simple bug
(Original publication: December 14, 2006)

Lyme disease more than a simple bug

In his Dec. 7 letter, "Lyme guidelines protest misguided," Ira
Schwartz, professor and chairman of the Department of Microbiology and
Immunology at New York Medical College, wrote that the hundreds of
participants in the Nov. 30 rally against new Lyme disease diagnosis
and treatment guidelines were partly misguided because "the infection
can only be acquired after a tick bite."

If that were true, the American Red Cross, the Food and Drug
Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
would not stop Lyme disease patients from donating blood. This is in
their guidelines: "Lyme disease: If this is a chronic condition you
cannot donate. If you were treated with antibiotics and completely
recovered, you can donate 12 months after the last dose of antibiotics
was taken." This same information is posted on the CDC Web site
(cdc.gov). American Red Cross also states that anyone who has ever had
babesia can never donate blood. Babesia is another tick-borne disease,
often a co-infection with Lyme and other diseases. Other studies have
found Borrelia burgdorferi spirochetes (the bacteria that causes Lyme
disease) in mother's milk and in newborns. While the CDC does not
confirm those studies, it does state on its Web site: "Lyme disease
acquired during pregnancy may lead to infection of the placenta and
possible stillbirth."

Obviously, Lyme disease is not a simple bug caught in the backyard only.

Helen Jonsen
Chappaqua

Documented evidence of chronic Lyme

Drs. Gary Wormser, Robert Nadelman and Raymond Dattwyler and Professor
Ira Schwartz of the New York Medical College were dismayed by the Nov.
30 Lyme disease protest outside Westchester Medical Center in response
to the new Lyme disease treatment guidelines from the Infectious
Disease Society of America. Patients were protesting on the basis that
the guidelines would further restrict their access to care and create
a new generation of people with chronic Lyme.

I was not surprised by the protest. I see it as a natural response to
the new guidelines' views that the symptoms of chronic Lyme disease
are merely the "aches and pains of daily living," and that chronic
Lyme disease may not even exist. Key evidence that chronic Lyme
disease remains a serious problem has already been published in the
evidence-based guidelines by the International Lyme and Associated
Diseases Society and listed at the U.S. government's National
Guideline Clearinghouse (guideline.gov).

In close to 20 years of clinical practice, seeing the growth in the
number of patients with Lyme disease, I feel the solution to chronic
Lyme disease in my practice is to look for appropriate ways to care
for my patients and add to the body of knowledge about this complex
disease, rather than to deny its existence. You can obtain a copy of
the ILADS guidelines at ILADS.com

Daniel Cameron, M.D.
Mount Kisco
The writer is the chief author of "Evidence-based guidelines for the
management of Lyme disease," published by ILADS.

Thousands suffer from chronic Lyme disease

There are thousands upon thousands of people internationally who have
been treated and are significantly better as a direct result of
longer-term antibiotics (including my daughter). How is it that Dr.
Gary Wormser could not find even one patient? One has to wonder (even
a lay person like me) what Ira Schwartz and Dr. Wormser's motivations
are? It is quite clear that something else must be motivating these
two individuals to ignore the experience of the International Lyme and
Associated Diseases Society. The ILADS group has treated hundreds of
thousands of people with Lyme disease.

Interestingly, Schwartz' letter focused on Dr. Wormser's literary
credentials. My question is, has he treated thousands upon thousands
of patients with chronic Lyme disease? There is no substitute for
experience. Of course, Dr. Wormser could not have treated thousands
upon thousands of Lyme patients. How could he? He doesn't even believe
chronic Lyme disease exists. So, if he has not treated patients with
chronic Lyme disease, how can one call him an expert on it?
Furthermore, we know there are 300 strains of Lyme disease and then
there are co-infections. We know that depending on which strain and
combination of co-infection one has that the disease presents itself
differently and might require different treatment.

Reviewing 400 cases of Lyme disease, as Dr. Wormser admits, is hardly
adequate. His findings are discredited on this point alone.

Marie Bess
Putnam Valley

**
[Note: These letters from the Journal News are in response to
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/LymeInfo/message/3536
entitled "Guidelines present a rational approach to Lyme disease" and http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/LymeInfo/message/3526 entitled "Lyme guidelines protest misguided."]

**
Letters to the Editor:
letters@thejournalnews.com

[blimeyitslymie]

http://vision.org/visionmedia/printerfriendly.aspx?id=1895


A Modern Menace: Emerging Infectious Diseases

Fall 2006 Issue

In Queens, New York, an 80-year-old man mowed his front lawn and
began complaining of extreme fatigue to his wife. Unable to eat, he
vomited, then went to bed. The next morning he woke up with a
sweltering fever and struggled to utter even single-syllable words.
A little later he collapsed in a chair and was rushed by ambulance
to the emergency room. Before the end of the day his organs began to
fail, and he suffered a heart attack and died.

This may sound like an episode from a television drama, but it's an
actual medical case from August 1999. Just a short time before his
death, the man had been bitten by a mosquito carrying the West Nile
virus, a pathogen that had never before been seen in the Western
Hemisphere. He was the first North American to die from the disease,
but in the weeks that followed, others in the New York metropolitan
area succumbed to the same mysterious illness. Since then there have
been over 20,000 reported human cases of West Nile virus in the
United States, more than 800 of which ended in death. In addition,
countless similarly infected crows, chickens, pelicans and other
birds have died. The virus has proved to be an elusive enemy as
mosquitoes carry it across the continent.

At first, of course, there was a media uproar over the West Nile
virus, yet it is just one of a long list of emerging infectious
diseases in the world today—caused by contagions that have only
recently been discovered. Avian Flu (see "Preparing for the Next
Pandemic") has also grabbed the headlines, but others on the list
include dengue, Ebola and Marburg hemorrhagic fevers; Nipah virus
encephalitis; Hendra virus disease; Lassa fever; hantavirus
pulmonary syndrome; monkeypox; Lyme disease; SARS; and drug-
resistant forms of tuberculosis, malaria, staphylococcal infection
and salmonellosis. All of these have the potential to wreak havoc on
humanity, just as another virus on the list, the human
immunodeficiency virus (HIV), has already done. June 5, 2006, marked
the 25th anniversary of the first reported cases of the HIV-related
disease that came to be known as acquired immunodeficiency syndrome,
or AIDS. Since then an estimated 25 million people worldwide have
died from it.

But, many ask, how can this be? After all, medical science has made
incredible advances in the last century. "By the early 1970s, people
were looking at progress with antibiotics and vaccines and thought
the real problems of mankind were going to be related to old age
rather than communicable diseases," observes Klaus Stohr, director
of the Influenza Task Force for the World Health Organization (WHO)
in Geneva, Switzerland.

This optimism led to a widespread belief that humankind had won the
war against infectious diseases. Medical researchers began to focus
their efforts on chronic ailments such as cancer and heart disease
rather than communicable diseases.

Yet today, Stohr continues, "there are far more virulent, difficult-
to-treat infectious diseases than there were 20 or 30 years ago.
Many new diseases have been emerging, and there has also been a
resurgence of infections like malaria and tuberculosis."

According to WHO, at least 30 new infectious diseases have emerged
in the last 20 years, many of which evade traditional therapies and
have no cure. With so many deadly pathogens coming on the scene,
notes Stohr, "infectious diseases are once again the leading cause
of death in the world—something that hasn't been the case since the
pre-antibiotic era of the early 1900s."

THREE OF A KIND

Emerging infectious diseases can be grouped into three categories of
causation: viruses that have mutated or genetically recombined to
become new strains or novel microbes; viruses that had previously
existed only in one part of the world and started appearing in new
regions; and viruses that may have existed for millennia but weren't
discovered until recent years.

A disease that fits into the first category is AIDS, which came into
being through genetic recombination, says Roy Anderson, fellow of
the Royal Society and professor of infectious disease epidemiology
at the University of London's Imperial College. "Recombination is
when two different viruses infect the same cell, then the genomes
get jumbled and something totally novel comes out," he explains.
HIV, for instance, is thought to be a fusion of the simian
immunodeficiency virus (SIV), which infects monkeys and apes, and a
similar virus that infects humans.

An example of the second category is the West Nile virus. This
pathogen was first isolated in Uganda in 1937. It confined itself to
Africa, the Middle East and Europe for about six decades before
showing up in the United States. Migrating birds may have carried
the virus to Europe, but how it got to North America is uncertain.
One widely expressed theory is that an infected mosquito was inside
someone's luggage on a flight to New York.

Lyme disease is an example of the third category. "Lyme disease was
first identified in 1976 in the Northeastern United States, but it
was probably around long before that," suggests Bruno Chomel,
professor of zoonoses at the School of Veterinary Medicine at the
University of California, Davis. "Mankind suddenly came in contact
with the virus," he theorizes, "when housing developments started
being built closer and closer to the woodlands where a large number
of white-tailed deer lived. The deer were the reservoir hosts of the
Lyme disease virus" (see "The Zoonotic Connection").

All three types of emerging infectious diseases have one thing in
common, scientists say, and that is the human role in facilitating
the new pathogens' emergence. "In almost every case humans are the
most important single factor in the surge of new diseases, whether
it's feeding cow tissue to cattle, causing mad cow disease; people
eating exotic animals, as in the case of Ebola; or air travel
spreading dengue around the world," claims Thomas Monath, chief
scientific officer with Acambis, a vaccine development company in
Cambridge, Massachusetts. He explains that people are not simply
victims of emerging infections but are actually helping to cause or
exacerbate them through changes they make to the natural world.

PEOPLE PROBLEMS

One of the primary ways in which humans have facilitated the
emergence of new diseases is by making alterations to animal
ecosystems. "There are environments in the developing world that
used to be quite remote but are now much less so as a result of
human activities like deforestation, dam projects, irrigation, road
construction and extensive agriculture," says Jim Hughes, director
of Global Infectious Disease Programs at Emory University and former
director of the National Center for Infectious Diseases at the
Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia.

Wilderness areas are often home to unique microbes—bacteria,
parasites or viruses not found anywhere else. When people enter
these ecosystems, they may encounter these pathogens for the first
time. If they become infected, they take the pathogens with them
wherever they go, thereby spreading disease.

Following the human disruption of ecosystems, animals themselves can
also contribute to the spread of deadly microbes. "Once forests are
cleared, the wildlife that used to live there have no choice but to
migrate farther out in search of food and land in which to live,"
says Stephen Corber, manager of Disease Prevention and Control at
the Pan American Health Organization in Washington, D.C. "Often they
end up in suburbs and farming communities, where they make contact
with people. If they're bringing diseases with them, that's when you
have problems."

A CHANGE IS IN THE AIR

Weather patterns can also come into play. In much of the world,
average daily temperatures appear to be rising. Whether this warming
is primarily an anthropomorphic effect—a result of automobile and
truck exhaust, the use of fossil fuels, emissions from coal-powered
generating plants, and other so-called greenhouse gases that have
entered the atmosphere—or primarily the result of cyclical changes
in the climate makes little difference to the pathogen. Either way,
higher temperatures can greatly affect disease transmission.

"As the environment becomes warmer, it becomes more hospitable to
insect vectors [disease-transmitting organisms] such as mosquitoes,"
says David Freedman, professor of medicine at the University of
Alabama's Division of Geographic Medicine. Mosquitoes don't do well
in very cold or very dry climates, he notes. Rising temperatures,
along with increased rainfall (which can occur in association with
global warming), make it possible for mosquitoes to survive in
previously inhospitable climates, thus broadening their range. Some
mountainous regions in Africa never had a malaria problem in the
past because the higher altitudes were too cold for the mosquitoes
to breed. But in recent years, Freedman says, "as average
temperatures become warmer, we're starting to get reports of malaria
in some of those regions, because the mosquitoes are now able to
survive at those higher altitudes."

Warmer temperatures can also have a dramatic effect on the
transmissibility of viruses carried by vectors. "When a mosquito
feeds on an individual carrying a virus, that virus then has to
replicate for a period of time before it can be transmitted by the
mosquito as it feeds on another host," Monath explains.

- go to URL for end of story (wouldn't fit here)

REBECCA SWEAT
rebecca.sweat@visionjournal.org

[blimeyitslymie]

"Attorney General Richard Blumenthal began an investigation in
mid-November. "We issued a subpoena to the IDSA because its guidelines
may severely constrict choices and legitimate diagnosis and treatment
options for patients," he said."
*****

http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2006/12/25/hlsa1225.htm

amednews.com

------o the newspaper for america's physicans o------

HEALTH & SCIENCE

Lyme disease debate provokes treatment divide, legal action

In what may be a first, the government has taken steps to investigate
the drafting of medical guidelines.

By Susan J. Landers, AMNews staff. Dec. 25, 2006
http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2006/12/25/hlsa1225.htm

*****
Washington -- Dueling guidelines developed by two medical
organizations for treating patients with Lyme disease have sparked
such an uproar that Connecticut's attorney general has stepped in to
see if one side ran afoul of antitrust statutes.

The Infectious Diseases Society of America and the International Lyme
and Associated Diseases Society each assembled expert panels that sat
down separately and examined the evidence on the nature of and best
treatment for this tick-borne illness. But they arrived at different
conclusions.

IDSA, a scientific organization of physicians, scientists and other
health care professionals who specialize in infectious diseases,
characterizes Lyme disease as primarily acute and treated successfully
in the vast majority of cases with, at most, a few weeks of
antibiotics. ILADS, which is a multidisciplinary medical society
focused on the diagnosis and treatment of Lyme disease, holds out the
possibility that the disease is chronic and may need months of
antibiotics.

The differing conclusions call into question how best to treat the
more than 20,000 people who contract the infection each year. Although
Lyme disease has been reported in nearly all states, most cases are
found in the Northeast, mid-Atlantic and North Central regions of the
nation. Left untreated, the infection can spread to joints, the heart
and the nervous system, according to the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention.

It is not unusual for different medical and scientific groups to take
varying clinical positions on specific conditions. But this particular
situation quickly has become far from typical. The battle over how to
treat the infection grew so heated that, in Connecticut, the state in
which the disease was first recognized and named, Attorney General
Richard Blumenthal began an investigation in mid-November. "We issued
a subpoena to the IDSA because its guidelines may severely constrict
choices and legitimate diagnosis and treatment options for patients,"
he said.

Advocacy groups in the state and elsewhere had expressed outrage over
the IDSA guidelines and applauded Blumenthal's action. "Clinical
guidelines now drive the standard of care, and these IDSA guidelines
have already been published on the CDC Web site," said Pat Smith,
president of the Lyme Disease Assn. The advocacy community contends
that the guidelines deny the existence of chronic Lyme disease and
could lead to limits on physicians' treatment options.

IDSA, which notes that it is responding fully to the subpoena,
believes its guidelines are based on the best that science currently
has to offer. It was the association's development and Nov. 1
publication in Clinical Infectious Diseases of an updated version of
its guidelines that resulted in the current furor. For its part,
ILADS finds the rival guidelines to be very restrictive to the point
of limiting treatment options and even excluding certain treatments
that have been used by physicians for years, said the group's
president, Raphael Stricker, MD.

What's more, insurance companies may deny coverage of treatments not
supported by the infectious diseases society guidelines, said Daniel
Cameron, MD, MPH, who led the panel that developed ILADS' guidelines.
These perspectives have contributed to the guidelines' scrutiny. "At
this stage, to debate the guidelines is a bit like debating religion
or science," said Paul Auwaerter, MD, clinical director of Baltimore's
Johns Hopkins School of Medicine's Division of Infectious Diseases and
a fan of the IDSA guidelines. "I don't think there is anyone in the
middle," he noted. "I'm sure both of us are right in some regards and
wrong in other regards. But that's always the case with medicine."

Gary Wormser, MD, who led the IDSA team in the development of its
guidelines, pointed out that they are, after all, recommendations and,
according to a statement included on the document's first page, are
not intended to replace physician judgment.

20,000 people contract Lyme disease each year.

"We don't dispute that there are patients who had Lyme disease and who
continue to have symptoms, whatever the reason," he said. "We think
this illness is a real problem and definitely needs more research and
attention. But I think where we differ is the idea of treating these
individuals indefinitely with antibiotics." Antibiotic overuse has
been seen as a major contributor to the rising number of infections
that are resistant to these once-powerful weapons, and the IDSA has
been among those campaigning for their judicious use.

ILADS supporters point out that diseases such as tuberculosis are
treated with longterm antibiotic use and no one questions that
treatment's validity and effectiveness. Although a spectrum of
opinions is not unusual in medicine, the issuing of a subpoena is rare
when it comes to guidelines. "We have done other investigations of the
health care industry, but none, as far as I can recall, having to do
with guidelines," Blumenthal said. His inquiry triggered a variety of
responses from those closely involved.

"While I don't support in principle the government interfering with
medical affairs, I think in this situation, IDSA has so overstepped
its bounds and abused its power in promulgating these guidelines that
I think there is no other option," said ILADS' Dr. Stricker. The
response from Dr. Auwaerter, an IDSA guideline proponent: "My sense is
that [Blumenthal] won't find anything improper." Dr. Cameron's: "The
attorney general's response is in reaction to the frustrations
patients are having with getting more attention to the problems of
chronic Lyme disease." Dr. Cameron, who was the ILADS panel leader,
and lives in Westchester County, N.Y., coincidentally just a few miles
from Dr. Wormser, pointed to one study showing that significant
numbers of Lyme patients in his area had persistent symptoms.

In general, guidelines continue to have a key place in physicians'
toolkits -- a likely reason why this debate has been so intense.
"There is so much data out there that we rely on expert panels to
review available evidence and come up with recommendations," said Dr.
Auwaerter. More than 1,800 guidelines are posted under the
"disease/condition" heading on the federal National Guideline
Clearinghouse Web site. Both IDSA and ILADS guidelines are there. The
site gets more than 100,000 visits each month, said Jean ****sky,
MSPH, director of outcomes and evidence at the Agency for Healthcare
Research and Quality, the overseeing agency.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Treating Lyme disease

The National Institutes of Health has posted the following treatment
information on its MedlinePlus Web site for Lyme disease:

¥ Antibiotics are prescribed based on disease stages and
manifestations. Doxycycline, tetracycline, cefuroxime, ceftriaxone
and penicillin are some of the choices.

¥ Anti-inflammatory medications, such as ibuprofen, are sometimes
prescribed to relieve joint stiffness.

¥ If diagnosed in the early stages, the disease can be cured with
antibiotics. If left untreated, complications involving joints, the
heart and the nervous system can occur.

Weblink
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on diagnosis, treatment and
prevalence of lyme disease (www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/lyme)
National Guideline Clearinghouse's list of Lyme disease guidelines,
including those of the International Lyme and Associated Diseases
Society and the Infectious Diseases Society of America (
www.guideline.gov/search/searchresults.aspx?type=3&txtsearch=lyme&num=20 )
Infectious Diseases Society of America (www.idsociety.org)
International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society ( www.ilads.org )
*****

Letters to the Editor:
http://www.ama-assn.org/apps/amednews/public/edlet.pl

Copyright 2006 American Medical Association

[blimeyitslymie]

"Based on research on Nantucket in the 1970s, Dr. Spielman's
observations of deer ticks proved valuable in understanding the
transmission of Lyme disease, which was in the early stages of its
diagnosis."

======
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/23/obituaries/23spielman.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

New York Times
New York NY
December 23, 2006

Andrew Spielman, 76, Expert on Insect-Borne Diseases, Dies

By JEREMY PEARCE

Published: December 23, 2006

Andrew Spielman, an entomologist at Harvard whose studies of
mosquitoes, ticks and other insects shed light on the diseases that
parasites carry to humans, most notably malaria, the West Nile virus
and Lyme disease, died on Wednesday in Boston. He was 76.

His family confirmed the death.

Based on research on Nantucket in the 1970s, Dr. Spielman's
observations of deer ticks proved valuable in understanding the
transmission of Lyme disease, which was in the early stages of its
diagnosis. He had been studying another potentially fatal parasitic
illness, babesiosis, which deer ticks carry.

Dr. Spielman suggested that reducing deer populations would lead to
a decline in the disease. The strategy is now widely applied to
prevent the spread of Lyme, which deer ticks also transmit.

Earlier, he investigated the mosquito's role in transmitting malaria
and dengue. He was interested in how environmental disturbances
brought about by agriculture and other activities encouraged
outbreaks of the sicknesses in Africa and saw the mosquito as a
potential carrier for other diseases, including Rift Valley virus.

He explored the subject in a book written with Michael
D'Antonio, "Mosquito: A Natural History of Our Most Persistent and
Deadly Foe" (2001). Durland Fish, an entomologist and a professor of
epidemiology at Yale, said the book was "required reading, as an
excellent overview of how mosquitoes have influenced, and continue
to influence, humanity."

In the '90s, Dr. Spielman continued working on Lyme disease and
helped supervise a vaccine trial. The vaccine, Lymerix, developed by
SmithKline Beecham, was tested on volunteers on Block Island, R.I.,
and at other tick-infested sites. It was intended to kill ticks
after they had attached themselves and drawn blood.

A collaborator on the trial, Dr. Peter J. Krause, a professor of
pediatrics at the University of Connecticut, said the vaccine proved
to be effective, although it became entangled in lawsuits and was
withdrawn. Andrew Spielman was born in Brooklyn. He earned a
doctorate in pathobiology from Johns Hopkins in 1956.

After working on mosquito control for the Navy, he joined Harvard as
an instructor in 1959. He became a professor of tropical public
health in the department of immunology and infectious diseases. He
was also director of the malaria epidemiology program at the Harvard
Center for International Development.

Surviving is his wife of 51 years, the former Judith Miller. The
couple lived in Needham, Mass., and Grafton, N.H.

Also surviving are a son, David, of Sudbury, Mass.; two daughters,
Deborah, of Newton, Mass., and Sue, of Belmont, Mass; a brother,
Herbert, of Long Beach, N.Y.; and by seven grandchildren.

****
Letters to the Editor:
letters@nytimes.com

[blimeyitslymie]

"A majority of the 19-member panel also recommended that Ketek
should carry a so-called black box warning about its rare but
potentially serious side effects, which include liver failure,
visual disturbances, loss of consciousness and serious aggravation
of myasthenia gravis, a neuromuscular condition. The warning is the
strongest that the F.D.A. can require drug makers to include on a
drug's label."
======

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?
sec=health&res=9806E2D81231F935A25751C1A9609C8B63

The New York Times
New York NY
December 16, 2006

Antibiotic Receives Low Grade From Federal Panel, Which Urges Limits
and Warnings

By STEPHANIE SAUL

Published: December 16, 2006

The risks of the controversial antibiotic Ketek outweigh its
benefits for minor illnesses and it should not be sold to patients
with sinusitis or bronchitis, a federal advisory panel concluded
yesterday.

The panel stopped short of taking Ketek off the market, voting 16 to
3 that it could still be used for mild to moderate pneumonia, the
most serious of the three conditions for which it is prescribed. But
even for that illness, the drug should be a secondary alternative to
other medicines, the panel said.

A majority of the 19-member panel also recommended that Ketek should
carry a so-called black box warning about its rare but potentially
serious side effects, which include liver failure, visual
disturbances, loss of consciousness and serious aggravation of
myasthenia gravis, a neuromuscular condition. The warning is the
strongest that the F.D.A. can require drug makers to include on a
drug's label.

The panel's recommendations came at the end of a two-day hearing
that also resurrected broader questions about the use of antibiotics
for conditions like sinusitis and bronchitis, which often go away by
themselves, as well as the casual way the drugs are prescribed,
often over the phone.

Of 12 patients who suffered liver failure while taking Ketek, only
two were being treated for a serious illness.

''I myself would not take that risk,'' said one panel member, Joan
Hilton, an associate professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at
the University of California, San Francisco. The F.D.A. has
attributed nine deaths worldwide to Ketek's use.

The F.D.A. is not bound to abide by the recommendations of its
scientific advisory panels, but it usually follows them. And the
panel's vote could signal a virtual death knell for Ketek in the
United States. Despite the hopes of its makers, the French company
Sanofi-Aventis, it has never captured a huge part of the antibiotics
market.

Nearly six million prescriptions have been written for Ketek in the
United States since it was approved in 2004, but sales dropped
sharply after safety issues were raised this year and the F.D.A.
issued a warning about the drug's potential liver toxicity. Sales of
the drug in 2005 were $148 million and they are down substantially
this year, according to prescription data.

Sanofi-Aventis presented data Thursday at the hearing that the drug
was safe, and the company has argued that the liver problems
associated with Ketek are in line with those of some other
antibiotics.

The two-day advisory hearing was the culmination of a torturous
regulatory history for the drug, which faced protracted approval
delays and became the focal point of a criminal investigation and a
Senate investigation.

The F.D.A. first raised questions about liver problems associated
with Ketek in 2001, a year after the company first applied for
approval. The agency required an additional safety study before it
would approve the drug.

That study of 24,000 patients was fraught with problems. A doctor in
charge of one study site ended up in jail for fraud, and another
lost his medical license.

Then, last spring, Sanofi-Aventis announced a pause in its clinical
trials of Ketek to treat ear infections and tonsillitis in children
after The New York Times reported on an internal memo written by an
F.D.A. official, Dr. Rosemary Johann-Liang, questioning the safety
of the drug. Shortly afterward, the F.D.A. warned that Ketek could
cause liver problems, noting 110 adverse reports involving the drug,
including 12 of liver failure and 23 involving serious liver injury.
Ketek was one reason for a long delay in the Senate confirmation
hearings of Dr. Andrew C. von Eschenbach as the F.D.A. commissioner,
which were postponed after Senator Charles E. Grassley of Iowa
accused him of withholding data from the Senate.

Highlighting the intense controversy over Ketek, a former F.D.A.
medical officer, Dr. David Ross, took the unusual step of testifying
against the drug during the public hearing portion of yesterday's
advisory panel meeting in Silver Spring, Md.

''Management was so bent on approval that I was pressured to soften
my review,'' Dr. Ross told the panel.

Liver problems have been associated with other antibiotics, but an
F.D.A. analysis found that the rate of adverse reports with Ketek
was higher. The Ketek rate, however, was lower than the liver
problems linked to an antibiotic that had been taken off the market.

The comparison was difficult because doctors voluntarily report
adverse events and there is no way to know how many other adverse
events occur that are not reported.

But an internal review found that Ketek also was associated with
more cases of exacerbation of myasthenia gravis, a rare
neuromuscular disease, than eight comparison drugs. At least six of
the cases were serious.

F.D.A. officials also said that the drug had been linked to visual
disturbances and loss of consciousness, in one case resulting in a
traffic accident in which a pedestrian was killed.

****
Letters to the Editor:
letters@nytimes.com

[blimeyitslymie]

http://www.acorn-online.com/news/publish/article_11941.shtml

The Redding Pilot
Redding CT
December 28, 2006

Redding: Chronic Lyme disease
New guidelines spark controversy

by MAR WALKER
mwalker@acorn-online.com

When medical practitioners and researchers disagree among
themselves, when clinical guidelines and the common experience
diverge, patients are left scratching their heads.

Lyme disease is caused by a bacterium and spread to humans by the
tiny deer tick, a pest all too present in woodsy Connecticut. The
disease is cured in the majority of cases by a 10-day to a month-
long course of antibiotics. But when it's not, an expensive, long-
term battle can begin that leaves sufferers discouraged and
sometimes disabled.

New guidelines issued in October by the Infectious Disease Society
of America (IDSA) deny the existence of this chronic form of Lyme
disease. The new guidelines list as "not recommended" most of the
conventional medical treatments prescribed for chronic Lyme disease
by physicians, as well as alternative treatments often chosen by
patients. These can include long-term oral or intravenous treatment
with antibiotics. Both of these carry risks of their own, including
the development of secondary infections, colitis and antibiotic
resistant strains, according to the Infectious Disease Society of
America's Web site.

Conversely, the new guidelines recommend some treatment without any
testing, which was previously discouraged. Doctors may now use an
immediate single-dose treatment with 200 milligrams of doxycycline
for adults without Lyme disease symptoms and without a Lyme-positive
test, but only under certain circumstances:

• when the tick is the right kind of tick,

• has been attached for 36 hours,

• and if the medicine can be given within 72 hours of the removal of
the tick

• and if the tick was picked up in an area where 20% or more of
ticks are infected, according the Infectious Disease Society of
America Web site. The release states most of New England falls into
this category.
No recourse

While this may nip new infections in the bud, it leaves those with
lingering manifestations from long-term infection without an
approved way forward. The new guidelines have already been used by
insurance companies to deny treatment to long-term sufferers of
Lyme. A month after the new guidelines were issued, Connecticut
Attorney General Richard Blumenthal announced he would investigate
the possibility of antitrust violations. The announcement sparked
plaudits and press releases from a number of Lyme disease advocacy
groups, including the Lyme Disease Association and the Lyme Disease
Coalition of New York and Connecticut, but was labeled as
an "unprecedented move."

Dr. Daniel Cameron, an internist and Lyme specialist in New York,
said he is concerned that the IDSA guidelines do not offer an answer
for patients left with a poor quality of life after a three- or four-
week treatment.

"How can we, as scientists and physicians, turn our backs on all the
things we do not yet know about this complex emerging disease and
its long-term effects on individuals and our communities?" he asks
in a press release from the Lyme Disease Association.

"We worked to make the guidelines as comprehensive as possible based
on a thorough review of all credible scientific literature," said
Gary P. Wormser, MD, chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases
and vice chairman of the Department of Medicine, New York Medical
College. Dr. Wormser in large part wrote the guidelines and headed
the panel of experts that developed them, according to a press
release from the Infectious Disease Society of America.
Lessor known tick bug

Another feature of the new guidelines points up two lesser known,
less common infections that deer ticks carry which are often
misdiagnosed: HGA and babesiosis. HGA is a tick-borne bacterial
disease. Its most common symptom are headache, fever, chills, muscle
pain, and fatigue. Babesiosis is a parasitic infection that affects
the red blood cells; it resembles malaria and is also transmitted
through the bite of a deer tick. In the United States, the disease
usually does not cause symptoms in healthy individuals and is most
likely to affect those who are elderly or have compromised immune
systems, according to the guidelines.
Research Needed

When asked about the controversy surrounding chronic Lyme disease,
Dr. Lawrence Leibowitz, the town's health director, said more
information is needed on the topic.

"We need research. There is a problem out there and we have had a
great deal of difficulty quantifying the problem," Dr. Leibowitz
said.

"It's an issue that will require ongoing exploration in terms of its
clinical manifestation as well as its treatment options," he said,
adding it is imperative to come up with "an evidence-based
consensus."

One Wilton-based nonprofit group, the National Research Fund for
Tick-Borne Diseases Inc. (NRFTD), has mounted an ongoing effort to
make that exploration possible, according to a November article
published in The Wilton Bulletin.

The group has raised more than $80,000 for scientific research into
Lyme and other tick-borne diseases. It was founded in 1999 to
address the complex research questions raised by thousands of
patients afflicted with emerging tick-borne diseases, including Lyme
disease, relapsing fever borrelia, anaplasmosis, babesiosis,
bartonella, and ehrlichiosis.

Dr. Leo J. Shea III, chair of the group's board of directors, said
the group's mission is "to raise funds and deliver them as quickly
as possible to scientific researchers who have been carefully
screened."

The group's board is composed of nationally respected scientists
who said they have no preconceived ideas about Lyme and other views
about tick-borne diseases. An external committee of other scientist-
evaluators from prominent medical institutions helps keep the group
unbiased, according to Dr. Shea.

"The balance of theoretical beliefs allows the board to take an
unbiased view of the research, evaluate all of the grant proposals
in an objective fashion, and select only those grants that offer the
most promising possibilities," Dr. Shea said.

For information, go to the group's Web site, nrftd.org.
Adult and nymph ticks

While research continues, evading ticks might be paramount.

"This year it's been mild and we have still been having ticks coming
in for testing," said Kirby Staffford, state entomologist.

He said infection can result from bites from both the tiny deer tick
nymph as well as the adult tick.

"Adults ticks are twice as likely to be infected," he said. "You can
expect about one out of five of the nymphal ticks to be infected.
Some years the average is higher, some it is lower. For the adult
ticks it's 40% or 50%. ... sometimes higher, sometimes lower ... the
changes are not that dramatic," he said.

Of course, the adults are easier to see and to remove before
infection occurs, he said.

Mr. Stafford noted that Lyme disease is also a problem in Europe,
where there "are a lot of different strains ... it's very dynamic,"
he said. "One strain is more associated with arthritis and one with
neurological problems," he said

"Lyme disease is always an issue in a town as rural as Redding,"
health officer Doug Hartline said last week. "Everybody in town
knows somebody or has themselves been impacted by Lyme disease. This
department has had an ongoing educational effort to disseminate
information ..." he said. His office offers a brochure on prevention
measures, he said.

Another option is deer management. Many Fairfield County towns,
including Redding, have adopted deer control measures and are
working with the 16-town Fairfield County Municipal Deer Management
********, which aims to promote regional approaches to the multiple
problems of overabundant deer. Information on the group may be found
on its Web site, www.deer********.com. Reddingite Georgina Scholl,
MD, is the ********'s research chair.

[blimeyitslymie]

and Learning.http://elibrary. bigchalk. com

Lyme Disease; Researchers at University of Texas have published new
data on lyme disease
Science Letter
Lyme Disease; Researchers at University of Texas have published new
data on lyme disease
Type: Expanded Reporting

2006 DEC 19 - (NewsRx.com) -- Researchers detail in "Identification
of potential virulence determinants by Himar1 transposition of
infectious Borrelia burgdorferi B31," new data in lyme disease. "
Lyme disease Borrelia organisms are highly invasive spirochetes that
alternate between vertebrate and arthropod hosts and that establish
chronic infections and elicit inflammatory reactions in mammals.
Although progress has been made in the targeted mutagenesis of
individual genes in infectious Borrelia burgdorferi, the roles of
the vast majority of gene products in pathogenesis remain
unresolved," scientists writing in the journal Infection and
Immunity report.

"In this study, we examined the feasibility of using transposon
mutagenesis to identify infectivity- related factors in B.
burgdorferi. The transformable, infectious strain 5A18 NP1 was
transformed with the spirochete-adapted Himar1 transposon delivery
vector pMarGent to create a small library of 33 insertion mutants.
Single mouse inoculations followed by culture of four tissue sites
and serology were used to screen the mutants for infectivity
phenotypes. Mutants that appeared attenuated (culture positive at
some sites) or noninfectious (negative at all sites) and contained
the virulence-associate d plasmids lp25 and lp28-1 were examined in
more extensive animal studies. Three of these mutants (including
those with insertions in the putative fliG-1-encoded flagellar motor
switch protein and the guaB-encoded IMP dehydrogenase) were
noninfectious, whereas four clones appeared to exhibit reduced
infectivity. Serological reactivity in VlsE enzyme-linked
immunosorbent assays correlated with the assignment of mutants to
the noninfectious or attenuated-infectiv ity groups," wrote D.J.
Botkin and colleagues, University of Texas.
The researchers concluded: "The results of this study indicate that
random transposon mutagenesis of infectious B. burgdorferi is
feasible and will be of value in studying the pathogenesis of Lyme
disease Borrelia."

Botkin and colleagues published their study in Infection and
Immunity (Identification of potential virulence determinants by
Himar1 transposition of infectious Borrelia burgdorferi B31.
Infection and Immunity, 2006;74(12): 6690-9).

Additional information can be obtained by contacting D.J. Botkin,
University of Texas Medical School at Houston, Dept. of Pathology
and Laboratory Medicine, Houston, TX 77225-0708 U.S.

The publisher of the journal Infection and Immunity can be contacted
at: American Society Microbiology, 1752 N St. NW, Washington, DC
20036-2904, USA.

Keywords: United States, Houston, Borrelia, Infectious Disease, Lyme
Disease.

This article was prepared by Science Letter editors from staff and
other reports. Copyright 2006, Science Letter via NewsRx.com.

Keywords: States;University of Texas, U.S.;All News;Professional News

(c)Copyright 2006, Science Letter via NewsRx.com

[blimeyitslymie]

"Which is more of a strain upon insurance providers and the health
care system, extended antibiotic treatment protocols or chronically
ill and disabled Lyme patients?"
=====

http://www.eastbayri.com/story/287830350732419.php

East Bay Newspapers
Bristol RI
December 27, 2006

Lyme treatments need more attention

To the editor:

As a co-author of a book on Lyme disease released in 2006, I
interviewed scores of patients prior to selecting 14 from across the
U.S. and Canada for profiling in "Confronting Lyme Disease, What
Patient Stories Teach Us."

Among these is the story of a 12-year-old girl named Lauren, who
contracted Lyme disease in southeastern Wisconsin and presented with
two bull's-eye rashes on her leg. The ER physician and consulting
pediatrician prescribed 21 days on an antibiotic, which according to
IDSA guidelines should have cured her. When she followed up with her
pediatrician in Oregon, the treatment was extended another five
weeks as a precautionary measure. Surely, a total of eight weeks on
antibiotics would cure her, according to IDSA guidelines. However,
it did not.

Some symptoms persisted after treatment was finished, and four
months later, she exhibited neurological involvement. ELISA and
Western blot blood tests were performed simultaneously at this time
and both came back positive for Borrelia burgdorferi (Lyme). After
following the IDSA guidelines for treatment, why would her blood
tests show a positive result for Lyme disease? The obvious
conclusion is that short term antibiotic treatment is not always
curative for the disease. What eventually did cure Lauren was a
reasonably prescribed and monitored treatment protocol using
antibiotics until she was symptom free. She reached that state after
nine months of treatment, and she has been symptom free ever since.
Treating Lyme disease could be that simple.

Why should a reasonable course of extended antibiotic treatment be a
topic for such heated debate when patient experiences like Lauren's
demonstrate that open-ended antibiotic treatments work? Which is
more of a strain upon insurance providers and the health care
system, extended antibiotic treatment protocols or chronically ill
and disabled Lyme patients? Clearly, there is something else at the
center of this controversy than medical science.

Karen P. Yerges

Imbler, Ore.

[blimeyitslymie]

"Nationally, the two biggest stories of the year were Vice President
Dick Cheney's hunting accident and the epidemic spread of the fish-
killing Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia virus."

"The top two news stories in this state [CT] were the push to allow
Sunday hunting and the dramatic increase in Lyme disease cases.
Earlier this year, the state Department of Public Health released a
report indicating 1,810 new human cases of the tick-borne Lyme
disease were discovered in 2005 — a 34 percent increase from the
previous year. Medical experts are expecting greater increases in
2006 and 2007 because of mild winters that allow the tick population
to flourish. "
===========

http://www.connpost.com/sports/ci_4928408

Connecticut Post
Bridgeport CT
December 31, 2006

Cheney's misfire, virus among top 2006 stories

Frank McKane Jr. Correspondent
Connecticut Post Online

Article Last Updated:12/31/2006 05:52:31 AM EST

Before we toast the New Year tonight, we should take a look back on
the significant outdoor news from the exiting year. We can learn
from our mistakes and look forward to the upcoming fishing, hiking,
boating and hunting seasons. Highlights from 2006 in the outdoor
sports were:

Nationally, the two biggest stories of the year were Vice President
Dick Cheney's hunting accident and the epidemic spread of the fish-
killing Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia virus. In February, Cheney
accidentally shot his hunting companion, Texas lawyer Harry
Whittington. The incident brought about a national debate on hunting
safety. In the end, the accident had little adverse impact on the
sport. But the story did serve as a reminder that all hunters need
to understand and obey the hunting safety rules.

Throughout the spring and summer, fisheries biologists discovered
major fish-kills caused by a virus called Viral Hemorrhagic
Septicemia. This disease, which killed thousands of fish across the
northern part of the country, forced the U.S. Animal and Plant
Health Inspection Service to issue a federal order in late October
prohibiting the transportation of live fish from two infected
Canadian providences and eight states, including neighboring New
York. The order almost upended the state Department of Environmental
Protection's walleye program because the fish used in the stocking
efforts come from an infected state.

The top two news stories in this state were the push to allow Sunday
hunting and the dramatic increase in Lyme disease cases. Earlier
this year, the state Department of Public Health released a report
indicating 1,810 new human cases of the tick-borne Lyme disease were
discovered in 2005 — a 34 percent increase from the previous year.
Medical experts are expecting greater increases in 2006 and 2007
because of mild winters that allow the tick population to flourish.

Hunters won a major battle in March when the state Legislature's
Environment Committee approved a bill that would allow limited deer
hunting on Sunday. Sadly, the bill never made it through the
legislative process because the state budget dominated the
legislative session this year. Perhaps the bill will pass in 2007.

Local anglers scored big wins this past summer, especially Danny
Bocchino of Shelton, who won the $25,000 grand prize in the WICC
Greatest Bluefishing Tournament on Earth with an 18.46-pound
bluefish. Bocchino, who also won the tournament in 2002, became the
first two-time winner in the 30-year-old event.

The Milford Striped Bass Club won a year's worth of bragging rights
by taking top honors in the prestigious Budweiser Interclub Bluefish
Tournament last August. During the event, Ralph Bershefsky from the
Pootatuck Yacht Club in Stratford earned both the "High Boat Award"
with 34.14 pounds for three bluefish and the "Al Bennett Award" for
the heaviest individual fish, which weighed 14.84 pounds.

Speaking of the late Al Bennett, most long-time outdoor enthusiasts
remember his column in this newspaper. I hope that readers will
remember mine. This is my final column for the Connecticut Post.
Over the last 17 years, I was fortunate enough to meet and work with
the best group of outdoorspeople in this state. And I want to
sincerely thank the loyal readers. I will endeavor to continue
serving the local sporting community.

Letters to the Editor:
edit@ctpost.com

[blimeyitslymie]

“A recent article that appeared on amednews.com, an online newspaper sponsored by the American Medical Association, discussed the differing conclusions reached by two groups: the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) and the International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society (ILADS).”
=======

http://www.orovillemr.com/news/chico/ci_4930251

Oroville Mercury-Register
Oroville CA
January 1, 2007

Two schools of thought on Lyme
By LARRY MITCHELL - Staff Writer
Article Launched: 01/01/2007 12:00:00 AM PST

One big reason Lyme disease is so controversial is that there's no sure-fire test to determine who has it and who doesn't, said Mitch Hoggard, a Chico pharmacist who's taken a special interest in the ailment.

That creates uncertainty for patients.

Adding to the uncertainty are physicians' differing views about "chronic Lyme," where symptoms of the disease recur despite treatment with antibiotics.

A recent article that appeared on amednews.com, an online newspaper sponsored by the American Medical Association, discussed the differing conclusions reached by two groups: the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) and the International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society (ILADS).

According to the article, "IDSA, a scientific organization of physicians, scientists and other health-care professionals who specialize in infectious diseases, characterizes Lyme disease as primarily acute and treated successfully in the vast majority of cases, with, at most, a few weeks of antibiotics.

"ILADS, which is a multidisciplinary medical society focusing on the diagnosis and treatment of Lyme disease, holds out the possibility that the disease is chronic and may need months of antibiotics. The differing conclusions call into question how best to treat the more than 20,000 people who contract the infection each year."

Hoggard said it's too bad the two groups have not been able to sit down together and objectively discuss their differing views.
"As we gain more knowledge, we'll find both sides are right on some issues and wrong on some issues," he said.

He said he's disturbed by new Lyme-treatment guidelines that IDSA, a prestigious association of disease experts, issued in October. These said a course of antibiotics of 10 to 28 days will cure most patients of Lyme. While a second course of antibiotics is sometimes needed, "more prolonged therapy is not recommended and may be dangerous," according to the guidelines.

The guidelines also stated "there is no convincing biologic evidence for symptomatic, chronic ... infection after completion of the recommended treatment for Lyme disease." Patients with persisting symptoms were advised to explore with their doctors whether they might have some illness other than Lyme disease.

Hoggard said he's encountered many Lyme disease patients whose continuing symptoms have been relieved for a time by lengthy courses of antibiotics.

Pat Smith, president of the Lyme Disease Association, a national patient-advocacy organization, issued a statement criticizing the IDSA guidelines.

"Clinical guidelines now drive the standard of care, and these IDSA guidelines have already been published on the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) Web site," she stated. "They are being used to deny treatment reimbursement and will have a continued chilling effect on the small numbers of treating physicians, since clinical discretion is not recommended in the guidelines."

Hoggard originally became interested in Lyme disease after his son was diagnosed with it.

He and some other local people started a hyperbaric oxygen therapy center because they believed it was a promising treatment for Lyme disease. It hasn't turned out to work as well as he hoped, although some Lyme patients have been helped, Hoggard said in an interview Friday.

Hoggard continues to operate the center in Chico. However, he said, only a fraction of the patients treated there are suffering from Lyme disease. In hyperbaric oxygen therapy, patients spend time breathing oxygen in a pressurized chamber.

Hoggard remains interested in Lyme disease and is on the boards of directors of state and national organizations concerned with the illness.

Lyme disease is caused by bacteria carried by certain types of ticks.

In the late 1990s, a surge of reported cases of Lyme disease in Butte County heightened interest in the illness. In 1997, of 178 cases reported in California, 61 reports came from Butte. However, health officials said they didn't think infected ticks were more common here. Rather, they said, it seemed more local doctors were reporting Lyme cases than physicians in other parts of the state.
At that time, testing showed relatively high percentages of ticks locally — especially in certain areas — carried the Lyme bacteria, according to Dr. Mark Lundberg, Butte County's health officer.

These days, ticks that are tested locally turn out to be negative for Lyme bacteria. And the number of human cases of Lyme in recent years has dropped dramatically. In the last six years, just 10 cases have been reported to the county Public Health Department.

But Lundberg said it has to be recognized that many more people than that are being treated for Lyme locally. Part of the reason for the small number of reported cases is that the criteria for a reportable case are so strict, he said. Quite a few people locally may have the disease, but their symptoms and test results don't meet those requirements.

By far the greatest number of Lyme cases in the United States appear in the Mid-Atlantic states, such as New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, according to Lundberg.

He said he thinks the two groups of physicians and scientists that disagree on how to treat Lyme patients both have good intentions.
"Both are trying to be helpful here," he said. "No one wants anyone to suffer."

[blimeyitslymie]

"Losee created Win the Fitness Game while rehabilitating herself
from a 5-year battle with Lyme disease, contracted on her 2000 solo
through-hike of the Appalachian Trail at age 59."

http://www.prweb.com/releases/2006/12/prweb493763.htm

PRWeb
Press Release
Week of December 24, 2006

Finally -- Fitness Made Easy at the Bank or on the Couch

An evolutionary approach to weight loss and fitness gain. Get fit
quick doesn't work any better than get rich quick. Both health and
wealth require on-going, consistent attention and focus.
www.winthefitnessgame.com provides day-by-day information and
inspiration to help you go from flab to fab without depressing diets
or marathon workouts. Stay home and get fit in front of the
television, or while waiting in line at the bank, or sitting in
traffic.

Brunswick, ME (PRWeb) December 24, 2006 -- Forks and spoons are
dangerous weapons. Obesity kills 300,000 Americans a year according
to a Journal of the American Medical Association. The projection is
that 200 years of increasing longevity for Americans is about to
shift downward for the first time. Diet obsessed for decades,
Americans keep getting fatter and fatter.

"We've got a complete home fitness handbook," comments personal
development and achievement expert, Rita H. Losee, ScD, RN, author
of a groundbreaking fitness plan, www.winthefitnessgame.com. "We
need to use our silverware less and our arms and legs more,
consistently day in, day out. We may not like that reality, but if
we want to lose weight and enjoy lifetime fitness we have to accept
it. People think it's hard to lose weight; those beliefs are part of
the problem. It's about loving yourself, not a fitness for dummy
approach. It doesn't require fitness equipment, health club fees, or
personal trainers."

The e-book, "How to Lose Fat, Get Fit, and Stay Trim Forever"
contains dozens of ways to increase activity and decrease food
intake leading to lifetime fitness and long term weight control. The
strategies are simple and easy to implement. The downloadable videos
demonstrate dozens of fitness moves that can be made as one goes
about one's day, without having to dash off to the gym, saving time,
stress and money. "Weight loss programs and diet plans don't work;
only healthy eating and lifetime fitness actions work," observes Dr.
Losee. "Workout routines must fit into our normal way of living or
we simply quit."

Losee created Win the Fitness Game while rehabilitating herself from
a 5-year battle with Lyme disease, contracted on her 2000 solo
through-hike of the Appalachian Trail at age 59. A lifelong self-
described "jockette," Losee had previously completed the Hawaii
Ironman and climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro. "It was so very difficult to
lose my incredible fitness and see my body get so flabby," she
comments. "I created "win the fitness game" moves and was surprised
about how well they worked. I know that time-compressed,
overstressed folks can use these moves to their health advantage.
Little moves and small steps done repeatedly for long periods of
time are much more effective at weight control than big, dramatic
fitness programs that are too arduous or time-consuming to continue.

"We need to move it to LOSE it! If you can't get off the couch to
move, I'll show you how to do 'couchercise.' It's easy and it's
fun ... and it works! Exercise and weight control opportunities
abound throughout anyone's day. I love showing people how to get the
work in without doing a workout."

Dr. Losee adds, "Any woman whose waist is more than 35 inches or a
man whose waist is over 40 inches doesn't have any more time to
delay. Their life is in danger. I grew up fat and I've been fit; fit
is much, much better!" A preview of the fitness videos is available
at www.winthefitnessgame.com.

Losee, an InspirACTional speaker, can be reached by e-mail or by
phone at 207-725-5443.

Rita H. Losee, ScD, RN
Creator - www.winthefitnessgame.com

###

Contact Information
Rita Losee, ScD, RN
InspirACTional Enterprises
http://www.winthefitnessgame.com
207-725-5443

[blimeyitslymie]

After a tick bit her six years ago, Christiana Conser was told not
to worry about Lyme disease."

====

http://www.orovillemr.com/news/chico/ci_4930267

Oroville Mercury-Register
Oroville CA
January 1, 2007

Mom-to-be hopes to beat Lyme disease symptoms

By LARRY MITCHELL - Staff Writer

Article Launched: 01/01/2007 12:00:00 AM PST

[Photos omitted on LymeInfo – go to URL at top of page to view
photo captioned below.]
Larry Berlin listens to his girlfriend, Christiana Conser, talk
about dealing with Lyme disease...

After a tick bit her six years ago, Christiana Conser was told not
to worry about Lyme disease.

Today, she has plenty of worries.

She believes she has what some call "chronic Lyme disease" and that
it threatens her future and the future of her unborn daughter.

She also has money worries. Her insurance company has told her it
won't pay for the long-term antibiotic therapy her doctor has
prescribed.

Like it or not, she's now entangled in the web of controversy
over "chronic Lyme disease." Some doctors doubt the reality of
chronic Lyme and say people who seek treatment for it with long-term
antibiotics and "non-standard" therapies are wasting their money and
possibly endangering themselves. But other doctors say the ailment
is real and that the therapies really help.

Six years ago, Conser, who now lives in Magalia, was a Marin County
resident who enjoyed an active life with her boyfriend, Larry
Berlin. She said she was an avid hiker and rock climber.

Conser, 36, is a field biologist employed by River Partners of
Chico, which is involved in habitat restoration along local rivers.
Berlin is a brewmaster with a Chico brewery, Butte Creek Brewing Co.

Conser said she was hiking in Marin County in February of 2000 when
she was bitten by the kind of tick that carries Lyme disease. She
saw a doctor, she said, and he reassured her that the likelihood of
catching Lyme disease was very remote and said she didn't need
antibiotic treatment. So Conser went on with her life.

But over the next year she experienced headaches and joint pains
that grew increasingly worse. She was extremely tired, yet couldn't
sleep. Her symptoms got so bad, she said, that for four or five
months she was virtually confined to her home and forced to be in a
wheelchair most of the time.

At first she didn't think she had Lyme disease. Her primary-care
doctor sent her to a specialist who tested her for lupus and
multiple sclerosis. Those tests were negative.

Her case frustrated the doctors she saw, she said. "After a while
they don't know what to do with you anymore."

Arthritis in her hips made her suspect Lyme disease. She said one
blood test she had for Lyme was negative but a second one was
positive.

She found a doctor who treated her with a four-month course of
intravenous antibiotics.

"I improved enough that I could start doing physical therapy," she
said.

And after that, she felt well enough to take a job doing biological
research in Mexico. But after six months, her symptoms returned.

She saw a Lyme disease specialist in North Carolina and had another
six-month course of antibiotics and seemed to recover, she said.

In 2004, she and Berlin moved to Butte County. Late last year, she
said, her symptoms returned — aches, fatigue, joint pain, and then
increasing weakness.

She saw a local doctor who prescribed a six-month course of
antibiotics and she also had four months of treatment at the Chico
Hyperbaric Center. At the center, patients enter a pressurized
chamber and breathe oxygen.

Conser said she improved once again. She said her doctor and Mitch
Hoggard, who runs the Chico Hyperbaric Center, felt she had
completely recovered.

Conser said she and Berlin had wanted to have a child but were
waiting until she was well.

Now, the time seemed right, and soon Conser was pregnant. The baby
is due in April.

Unfortunately, her symptoms flared up again in the fall. About a
month ago, her doctor prescribed a month of intravenous antibiotics,
and her obstetrician agreed such treatment was the right thing to
do.

However, Conser said her insurer, Blue Cross of California, has
refused to cover the therapy. That will leave her with a $2,000
bill, she said. Her parents will take money they can't spare out of
their savings account to cover the cost.

The family feels the therapy is essential so she'll be in decent
shape when her baby is due and to avoid possibly passing Lyme
disease on to the child, she said.

Shannon Troughton, a spokeswoman for Blue Cross, said a doctor
employed by the company reviewed Conser's case and concluded more
drug therapy was not medically necessary. Troughton said Blue Cross
has already paid for several courses of antibiotics for Conser. She
noted that at one point during her illness, Conser appealed to the
state Department of Managed Health Care, which ruled that more long-
term antibiotic therapy was "experimental" and should not be
covered.

Conser said she brought her case to the attention of the Enterprise-
Record in the hope that public awareness of Lyme disease will lead
to changes that will make it easier for patients to get the
treatment they need.

At this point, she said, the future looks uncertain. She wonders if
she'll face continual relapses and problems paying for therapy that
can help her.

And she wonders if she'll once again be able to lead an active life.

Staff writer Larry Mitchell can be reached at 896-7759 or
lmitchell@chicoer.com.

[blimeyitslymie]

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6685822

Health & Science

Dropping Old Diseases, Discovering New Ones

by Melody Joy Kramer

The ancient Greek physician Galen believed the body was regulated by
four fluids: blood, yellow bile, black bile and phlegm. National
Library of Medicine

The definition of disease can drastically shift from era to era, or
even from year to year. Female hysteria, for example, seemed a very
real illness to 18th- and 19th-century physicians but has since
vanished from medical books. Other ailments, like Lyme disease and
chronic fatigue syndrome, are now considered bonafide diagnoses --
although that wasn't always the case.

Here are just a few of the many ailments that have been added,
dropped or reclassified over the years:

EXTINCT DISEASES

Humoral Imbalance -- Second century doctor Galen popularized the
ancient notion that the health of every human is controlled by a mix
of four bodily fluids: blood, yellow bile, black bile and phlegm. An
imbalance of these humors, Galen said, was behind every illness.
Recommended treatment included bleeding a patient until the humors
were restored.

Irritable Heart -- Both combat and non-combat Civil War soldiers
were diagnosed with this condition, which shared some symptoms with
modern-day post-traumatic stress disorder. Doctors believed
civilians also suffered from the illness; an unidentified infectious
agent was said to be the cause. Symptoms included shortness of
breath, palpitations, burning chest pain, headache, dizziness,
diarrhea and sleep problems.

Female Hysteria -- This diagnosis was used to explain any of a
number of symptoms in women, including shortness of breath,
insomnia, muscle spasms and irritability. First used by ancient
Greek doctors, the term persisted as a psychological diagnosis until
1952, when the American Psychological Association dropped it.

Neurasthenia -- First characterized in 1869, this condition combined
a variety of symptoms -- fatigue, anxiety, headache, depression and
overexertion -- in another grab-bag diagnosis. Doctors believed that
the affliction mainly affected "extremely civilized people," and
that symptoms were due to the ever-increasing speed of modern life.
Shortly after World War I, the disease fell out of vogue.

NEW DISEASES

Lyme Disease -- This illness got its name in 1985 from a cluster of
cases that occurred in Lyme, Conn., a decade earlier. Doctors first
thought the patients had a form of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis,
but subsequent sleuthing revealed that the bite of a tick
transmitted the bacterial illness to humans. The illness can produce
a variety of symptoms, including skin rashes, arthritis and various
neurological components; if caught early, it can be easily treated
with antibiotics.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome -- This illness, first medically defined by
a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention task force in the1980s,
described patients who experience severe fatigue not relieved by
sleep or rest. Since then, the definition has been amended to say
that such fatigue must last at least six months. In addition,
patients must have four or more other symptoms, which include severe
short-term memory problems, multijoint pain with swelling or
redness, post-exercise fatigue, a sore throat and enlarged lymph
nodes. The underlying cause of the illness has not yet been pinned
down.

(Sources: David Barnes, History of Medicine, University of
Pennsylvania; U.S. Naval Medical Research Institute; American
Psychological Association; Dan Ruiz, Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention.)

[blimeyitslymie]

"Blumenthal, who once led an effort to secure mandatory coverage for
the disease, said the society's guidelines might also violate anti-
trust rules, depending on how the guidelines were reached. He sent
an administrative subpoena last month to the group as part of his
investigation."
=========

http://leisure.newstimes*********/news/updates.php?id=1027245

Danbury News-Times
Danbury CT
December 30, 2006

State investigating doctors' group over Lyme disease guidelines

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) - Connecticut attorney General Richard
Blumenthal has launched an anti-trust investigation against a
Virginia-based doctors' group, saying its new diagnosis and
treatment guidelines might harm Lyme disease patients.

The Infectious Diseases Society of America might be effectively
limiting insurance coverage and medical options for those patients
through its overly strict recommendations for diagnosing and
treating Lyme disease, Blumenthal said.

"These rules diminish the options available to doctors and their
patients in ways that can sanction insurance company decisions to
deny coverage, so they have an economic impact that could be very
serious, not to mention the health care effect," Blumenthal said.

The society is a nonprofit organization based in Alexandria, Va.,
and represents about 8,300 health care professionals nationwide.

Society spokesman Steve Baragona said its new guidelines, enacted in
October, are carefully researched and sound. They are only
suggestions, however, and are not intended to alter any individual
doctor's judgment, he said.

"We're not trying to claim that these people aren't suffering, but
we're not sure that what they have is Lyme disease," Baragona
said. "They may travel to a doctor who doesn't know what's wrong
with them, and we know that's frustrating for them and for their
doctors."

Experts agree that a course of antibiotics is the best treatment for
Lyme disease, but physicians, advocacy groups, legislators and
patients often disagree about when and how long to administer those
antibiotics.

Lyme disease, a tick-borne illness named for the Connecticut town in
which it was first identified in 1975, can cause severe headaches,
heart palpitations and arthritis.

According to the Connecticut Department of Public Health, 1,810 new
cases were reported in the state last year, an increase of 34
percent over 2004.

The doctors' society believes most Lyme disease patients are cured
with a single course of 10 to 28 days of antibiotics, with some
requiring a second course. Those with chronic Lyme disease, where
symptoms such as fatigue and joint pain persist, should not get more
antibiotics, according to the society.

The group wants to avoid the possibility that a Lyme strain might
develop resistance to the medication, as well as preventing
potential infections caused by intravenously administered drugs,
Baragona said.

However, many patients and others who have researched the disease
believe the bacterium that causes might survive in the body through
the first round of treatment, evading the immune system and short-
term antibiotics courses.

Greenwich resident Debbie Siciliano, co-president of Time for Lyme
Inc., an affiliate of the national Lyme Disease Association, said
the society's strict guidelines have limited treatment and insurance
coverage for some patients.

"They're the people that others look to for answers for infectious
diseases and these current guidelines are very restrictive, and this
is where it's going to hurt people," said Siciliano, whose son has
been treated for Lyme disease.

Blumenthal, who once led an effort to secure mandatory coverage for
the disease, said the society's guidelines might also violate anti-
trust rules, depending on how the guidelines were reached. He sent
an administrative subpoena last month to the group as part of his
investigation.

Baragona said the society is cooperating fully.

****
Letters to the Editor (online form):
http://leisure.newstimes*********/opinion/lettersform.php

[blimeyitslymie]

"Although the state Department of Public Health does not have
figures yet for 2006, Groton officials say the problem is not going
away soon and that Lyme disease remained a serious issue in the past
year."
========

http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/01/07/lyme_disease_ale
rt_issued_as_number_of_cases_rises/

The Boston Globe
Boston MA
January 7, 2007

Lyme disease alert issued as number of cases rises

Spike in rate worries officials

By Matt Gunderson, Globe Correspondent | January 7, 2007

An unsettling number of Lyme disease cases has prompted officials in
Dunstable and Groton to notify residents about threats posed by the
tick-borne illness.

According to state data, the number of cases of Lyme disease in
Middlesex County almost doubled in 2005 from 2004.

Although the state Department of Public Health does not have figures
yet for 2006, Groton officials say the problem is not going away
soon and that Lyme disease remained a serious issue in the past year.

Groton Selectman Joshua Degen, whose 11-year-old daughter was
hospitalized for three days after contracting the disease last year,
said he knows anecdotally of at least 12 new human cases in town
last year, including two employees who work out of his Groton home.

A Groton dentist is also reported to have died recently from the
disease, according to Susan Horowitz, a member of the Groton Board
of Health and a local veterinarian.

To inform the town about Lyme disease, officials brought up the
topic at a televised selectmen's meeting in December. Horowitz spoke
about the necessity for caution even in the winter months, when deer
ticks, the insect responsible for spreading the disease from animals
to pets and humans, are still active.

"A lot of people get into trouble because they don't even know they
have a problem," Horowitz said during a recent telephone
interview. "It's all about vigilance."

Horowitz often advises people to wear long pants when taking nature
walks and to check their skin and hair for deer ticks after being
outside.

Symptoms of Lyme disease typically manifest as a bull's-eye and
colored rash on the skin. Though treatable with antibiotics, the
disease can result in long-term joint, heart, and nervous-system
troubles, if not caught early, according to the Department of Public
Health web site.

The department did not confirm how many deaths in the state have
been linked to the disease, but spokeswoman Donna Rheaume said
fatalities from the disease are rare.

"As a public health issue, we want to stress prevention," she said.

No human vaccine exists for Lyme disease, though one has been
created for dogs, Horowitz said.

Middlesex County has the highest number of Lyme disease cases per
year in Massachusetts, though other areas of the state, such as Cape
Cod, have much higher incidence rates per 100,000 people, according
to the site.

In 2003, there were 257 cases reported in Middlesex County. In 2004,
the figure fell to 244. But in 2005, the number jumped to 438
documented cases in the county.

That year, cases total ed 2,312 statewide, up from about 1,500 in
2004.

Horowitz said he suspects the spike is related to the recent surge
in deer populations in the region. Deer are said to maintain and
transport deer ticks.

In Dunstable, Board of Health chair woman Maria Amodei said she
knows of at least two human cases locally. In addition, five of her
six dogs have contracted Lyme disease, she said.

The nurse's office at Dunstable's Swallow Union School recently
issued a warning about Lyme disease in a newsletter to parents of
students at the elementary school.

It recommended wearing light-colored clothes to spot ticks easily,
and to tuck pants into one's socks when walking in the woods as a
preventive measure.

In an interview last week, school nurse Beverly Johnson said she has
had to remove deer ticks from students in the last few months, while
some others had tick bites. Citing medical privacy issues, she
declined to say whether any students had contracted Lyme disease.

Degen said his daughter has fully recovered from the disease, but
that the recovery process was a tense period for his family.

"It was a scary ordeal," he said. "It was a very touch-and-go
situation there for a while."

© Copyright 2006 The New York Times Company

Letters to the Editor:
letter@globe.com

[blimeyitslymie]

"He [Mr. Telford] said another good thing is that this time of year
the deer tick is easier to spot. "
====
http://www.telegram.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?
AID=/20070107/NEWS/701070453/1101

Worcester Telegram & Gazette News
Worcester MA
January 7, 2007

Warmth keeps Lyme disease-carrying ticks active
By Bradford L. Miner TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF
bminer@telegram.com

Tick tock.

The calendar would have us believe that hard winter should be here
in earnest, with strings of days when the temperature never reaches
32 degrees, snow blankets the landscape and every few days or so a
few more inches fall just for good measure.

That's not the case, however, and everyone from deer hunters to pet
owners and veterinarians, and those who take extended walks in the
woods for exercise or enjoyment of nature, are reporting more ticks
than usual for this time of year.

According to Sam R. Telford III, associate professor at Cummings
School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University in Grafton, that's
reason for concern.

The common wood ticks that burrow into one's skin and back out with
a little prompting are a spring variety and not present now.

Ticks that could hitch a ride on pets or humans right now are the
Lyme disease-carrying deer tick.

"We have a rule of thumb that if it's too cold for a person to be
outdoors for 10 minutes without gloves, then it's too cold for the
ticks as well. They just hunker down in the leaf litter and don't
come out," Mr. Telford said.

"When there's snow on the ground and the temperatures are well below
freezing, it's safe to walk in the woods without concern about
picking up a tick, but those aren't the conditions we're seeing
right now," he added.

He said the only tick around right now that people need to think
about is the deer tick.

"Fortunately, most people are dressed for the cooler weather and
aren't wearing shorts and a T-shirt as they would be during the
summer months when tick bites are most common. This time of year,
most people are dressed in clothes that cover most of their skin,
and if they pick up a tick, there's a good chance it will get
brushed off or fall off on its own," Mr. Telford said.

He said another good thing is that this time of year the deer tick
is easier to spot.

"If you plot out the incidence of Lyme disease cases at hospitals
throughout the region, 90 percent will occur between the months of
June and August. That's because the deer tick is much smaller then,
and much more difficult to spot. A nymphal tick, or baby tick, is
about the size of a sesame seed or smaller. The adult tick that one
would encounter in the woods and fields this time of year is about
the size of an apple seed," Mr. Telford said.

By way of anecdotal evidence, Marion Larson, spokeswoman for the
state Division of Fisheries & Wildlife, said hunters bringing deer
to the state's biological checking stations during muzzleloader
season at the end of December reported a much higher occurrence this
year of deer ticks on both deer and themselves.

"In just about every instance they attributed the greater number of
ticks to warmer temperatures.

That has not, however, resulted in a correspondingly higher number
of cases of Lyme disease.

Kelly Bishop, a spokeswoman for UMass Memorial Medical Center in
Worcester, said she spoke with doctors in the hospital's infectious
disease department, and neither the outpatient clinics nor inpatient
staff report any increase in the number of Lyme disease cases.

Dr. Robert L. King of the Wickaboag Veterinary Clinic in West
Brookfield said he has encountered a few more dogs with ticks this
winter, but he said he is surprised the number is not higher, given
the warmer than usual temperatures and the lack of snow cover.

"These are ideal conditions right now for the deer tick to remain
active," he said, and, as a result, he's encouraging his clients and
all pet owners to continue to apply topical flea and tick protection
until weather conditions change and the threat is reduced.

He said he hadn't seen a cause and effect result, but attributed
that to the fact that there's usually a delay of several weeks to a
couple of months before the symptoms of Lyme disease in a dog —
lameness, fatigue and loss of appetite — are prominent enough to be
recognized.

"We may see an increase in Lyme disease in dogs later this winter or
early next spring," he said.

Dr. King said pet owners should regularly do a coat check for ticks
on dogs that spend any time outdoors.

"We will check for ticks during a routine examination at the clinic,
but owners need to be observant, as well," he said.

Besides Lyme disease, the deer tick carries an additional organism,
anaplasma, that can be a much more serious disease because it
attacks the dog's blood cells and can be life-threatening.

"We've picked up a few cases of dogs that were positive for
anaplasma," he said. "The treatment for both Lyme and anaplasma is
the same — the antibiotic doxycycline."

Dr. Heather L. MacFarlane at Abbott Animal Hospital in Worcester
said in general she sees dogs with ticks year-round, even during
normal winter weather.

This year, she said, she's seeing a greater number of ticks on dogs
she's examined and believes that can be directly attributed to the
warmer than usual temperatures.

"In any area where ticks are present, I'm recommending that pet
owners apply tick protection year-round," she said.

She encouraged pet owners to check the coats of their dogs,
especially long-haired breeds, regularly.

"It's important that if they find a tick, they remove it as quickly
as possible before it can transmit any disease to their dog. If they
find a tick and don't feel comfortable removing it themselves, they
should definitely bring their pet to their vet," she said.

[blimeyitslymie]

"The foundation is holding a physicians' Think Tank on January 26-
28th in San Diego, CA to discuss this recent finding. Co-founder
Tami Duncan states, "The Think Tank is an opportunity to bring the
Lyme disease specialists and the autism specialists together to
create testing and treatment options for our kids." This is a
groundbreaking effort which hopefully will analyze this even further
to provide some answers to families."
=====

http://www.prweb.com/releases/Lyme_disease/Autism/prweb495433.htm

PR Web
Press Releases for January 9, 2007

Think Tank to Examine Link Between Autism and Lyme Disease January
26-28

Why are doctors saying that up to 90% of children with autism are
infected with Lyme disease? The Lyme Induced Autism Foundation is
holding a physicians' Think Tank on January 26-28th in San Diego, CA
to discuss this recent finding.

Corona, CA (PRWeb) January 9, 2007 -- New reports indicate up to 90%
of children with autism are infected with Lyme disease. With autism
at a staggering 1 out of 166 children, parents are questioning this
new finding.

Doctors and parents alike have been examining the potential causes
of autism for years, some of which include thimerosol filled
injections, environmental factors and most recently Lyme disease.
With more doctors supporting the link between Lyme disease and
autism, parents have joined forces to create the Lyme Induced Autism
Foundation.

The foundation is holding a physicians' Think Tank on January 26-
28th in San Diego, CA to discuss this recent finding. Co-founder
Tami Duncan states, "The Think Tank is an opportunity to bring the
Lyme disease specialists and the autism specialists together to
create testing and treatment options for our kids." This is a
groundbreaking effort which hopefully will analyze this even further
to provide some answers to families.

Duncan says, "We are not saying that Lyme disease is the exact cause
of autism for every single child. Let me clarify; what we are saying
is that Lyme Disease could be an inciting factor that is suppressing
the child's immune system, which would make them more susceptible to
heavy metal toxicity, environmental factors, etc. There are a large
subset of autistic children in which this is happening. However,
most children with Lyme Induced Autism cannot begin to heal until
this infection is under control. Parents want their children healed
of autism."

Where is the proof that Lyme disease is a factor in autism?
Currently, several doctors have stepped forward talking about this.
Dr. Warren Levin of Vienna, VA recently appeared on the online radio
show on www.autismone.com hosted by Duncan called "The Lyme-Autism
Connection". He stated that of the 10 children with autism he tested
for Lyme disease, 100% of them also came back positive for Lyme
disease.

But more proof is needed to convince parents and the medical
community to take action. The Lyme Induced Autism Foundation has
announced its first fundraiser called "Laughter for Healing" at the
Improv comedy club in Irvine, CA on February 24th, 2007.

Duncan states, "The whole goal of the fundraiser is to raise money
for our research program. We would like to fund a study that will
test children with autism for Lyme disease to determine what actual
percentage of children are infected. Only then will we be able to
pull the top researchers and physicians together to come up with
some answers. Lyme disease can be fatal, parents are scared, we need
to help these kids now."

For more information on Lyme Induced Autism, please log onto
www.lymeinducedautism.com. Interested parties may also purchase
tickets or become a sponsor for the "Laughter for Healing" Improv
comedy event online.

About Autism
Autism is a disorder that currently affects 1 out of 166 children.
Boys are the majority of those affected. The numbers of autism cases
spiked in the mid-late 90's and continues to remain high. The exact
cause of autism is still unknown, however, many theories exist. Most
children do improve with some sort of bio-medical intervention.

About Lyme disease
Lyme disease is generally caused by a tick bite. Symptoms of Lyme
disease include, achy joints, confusion, slurring words or word
retrieval problems, brain fog, sensitivity to light and sound. Lyme
disease in its late stage can be fatal, causing MS like symptoms and
debilitating its victims. Treatment for Lyme disease consists of
antibiotic therapy.

About the Lyme Induced Autism Foundation
The foundation was started in September 2006 by parents of children
with autism and Lyme disease. Kathy Blanco of Beaverton, OR and Tami
Duncan of Corona, CA are the founders. The foundation's goals are to
educate families and physicians on the link between Lyme and autism,
bring physicians together to form a consensus for testing and
treatment options and to provide funding for research studies
related to autism and Lyme disease.

Contact information:
Tami Duncan
Lyme Induced Autism Foundation
1771 Honors Lane
Corona, CA 92883
(951) 817-1173

###

Contact Information
Tami Duncan
Lyme Induced Autism Foundation
http://www.lymeinducedautism.com
951-817-1173

[blimeyitslymie]

http://www.thestamfordtimes.com/stamford_templates/stamford_story/326
306459530293.php

Stamford Times
Stamford CT
January 2007

Lyme advocate takes issue with new diagnosis and treatment

By AMANDA PINTO

apinto@thestamfordtimes.com

STAMFORD — Twelve years ago, lifetime city resident Janet Vaccaro
fell inexplicably ill. What began as a rash, fever and general
fatigue rapidly progressed into ankle and shoulder pain, facial
twitching and neurological problems.

"I had gone downhill so quickly," she said. "I was getting lost in
Stamford and I've lived here my whole life. I remember one day I was
trying to get to the Jewish center and I just pulled over on the
side of the road and cried because I couldn't figure out how to get
there."

After living with a variety of symptoms for two years, Vaccaro was
diagnosed with Lyme Disease and treated over a six week period.
Although she suffered two relapses, today Vaccaro feels better.

Her experience has led her to take issue with the new diagnosis and
treatment guidelines established in October by the Infectious
Diseases Society of America [IDSA].

If she received the care the IDSA outlined, she said, it would have
prevented her from recovering.

"With these new guidelines I would never have been able to get the
treatment I needed, because they have such restrictions on the
antibiotics you can use and how long you can use them," she said.

Lyme Disease, which the Lyme Disease Foundation describes as a multi-
system bacterial infection transmitted by tick bite, is effectively
treated in 10-28 days for 95 percent of patients, although
occasionally a second course is necessary, according to the IDSA
guidelines.

Prolonged antibiotic treatment may harm the patient, creating "super
bugs," which can also be dangerous for the community at large, said
Dr. Eugene Shapiro, a professor of pediatrics at Yale who helped
author the guidelines.

Research found that there is not substantial evidence to
support "chronic" Lyme Disease, and that ongoing sufferers often are
afflicted with another disease, Shapiro said. The guidelines, he
said, are meant to be a reference point for physicians treating Lyme
disease.

"It's not intended to encompass every conceivable situation but the
important point is that it's all based on scientific evidence," he
said.

Vaccaro, who has served on the board of the Greenwich-based Lyme
education, research and advocacy group Time for Lyme since 2001,
said the guidelines themselves could be harmful.

She said suggesting that "chronic" Lyme Disease does not exist and
rather stems from other diseases takes power away from doctor's who
might otherwise think Lyme Disease is the culprit.

"We do know that prolonged antibiotics, for some people, gives them
a better quality of life, and for the IDSA to say that it doesn't is
inexcusable," said Diane Blanchard, co-president of Time for Lyme.

Blanchard also said the specific symptoms the guidelines require for
a Lyme diagnosis prevent sufferers from being identified early.

"This is not a cookie-cutter disease," she said. "We all respond
differently."

Shapiro and IDSA officials stressed that the guidelines are intended
to be just that — a guide — and it is not mandatory for doctors to
strictly abide by them.

"The guidelines are voluntary and I would stress that no guidelines
would replace a doctor's discretion about a patient's health," said
Diana Olson, director of communications for the IDSA.

However, Blanchard said the guidelines serve as the "de facto,"
standard of care because of the notoriety of the IDSA.

"They're really the gatekeepers of what goes into medical journals
and what hospitals follow and who gets called in as a second
opinion," she said.

In November, Attorney General Richard Blumenthal subpoenaed the
IDSA, launching an investigation into what Blumenthal said
could "severely reduce choice for patients and physicians in
diagnosis and treatment thereby violating the anti-trust laws that
protect consumers."

"I don't know what the IDSA means when it says [the guidelines]
aren't mandatory, they are not statutory but they have very far-
reaching impact on care that's provided," he said.

The IDSA is fully cooperating with the investigation, Olson said.

"We stand behind our guidelines and the methods we use to develop
guidelines," she said.

Blanchard and Vaccaro said they'd like to see the current guidelines
changed, for the sake of Lyme Disease patients.

Dr. Dan Cameron, a Mount Kisco New York physician who helped draft
different guidelines for the International Lyme and Associated
Diseases Society, said although he doesn't follow the IDSA
guidelines, he thinks they should be changed to reflect the needs of
the "large number of chronic sufferers."

"I was disappointed that the idea of the guidelines were not more
balanced and didn't take into account patient views," he said. "They
left patients with a poor quality of life, and with a poorly
balanced treatment approach with no alternatives."

[blimeyitslymie]

"Perceptions" article on Lyme - Applied Neurology, December 2006
Posted by: "Rose" toil_for_lyme@yahoo.com toil_for_lyme
Sat Jan 13, 2007 10:36 am (PST)


"'Lyme disease should be on the differential diagnosis of anyone
suffering with neurologic issues 'whether or not the person has
spent time in a tick-ridden area,' wrote Christina Caskey of
Flagstaff, Arizona, quoting a portion of the Applied Neurology
article on the subject."

RoseNote: Christina Caskey is a LymeInfo member who responded to the
September 2006 issue of Applied Neurology's article "Two Opposing Camps Offer Insight Into


Treatment of Neurologic Lyme Disease," (LymeInfo post
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/LymeInfo/message/3431 ). The
editor wrote back saying she would write a special article, written
from the patient's point of view rather than the clinicians, in the
Perceptions section of their December 2006 issue (see below). Other
letters received by Applied Neurology were written by Lee Lull and
Phyllis Mervine. Great job, everyone!
==========

http://appneurology.com/showArticle.jhtml?articleId=196800711

Applied Neurology
December 2006

Perceptions

APPLIED NEUROLOGY

In the September 2006 issue, we ran an article on neurologic Lyme
disease ("Two Opposing Camps Offer Insight Into Treatment of
Neurologic Lyme Disease," pages 44-46). I had an interest in placing
the article because I've known quite a few persons who have had
prolonged bouts with the disease, including a cousin who landed in
the hospital with psychotic symptoms.

Because we are an open-access journal, anyone performing a Web
search can stumble upon articles that have appeared in Applied
Neurology. Thus, we've begun to receive provocative letters from
persons who have sought treatment for Lyme disease.

"Lyme disease should be on the differential diagnosis of anyone
suffering with neurologic issues 'whether or not the person has
spent time in a tick-ridden area,'" wrote Christina Caskey of
Flagstaff, Arizona, quoting a portion of the Applied Neurology
article on the subject. She recounted a harrowing odyssey of symptom
expression and reported that she had consulted 4 neurologists; none
suspected Lyme disease. When she suggested to the fourth neurologist
that Lyme disease might be the diagnosis, "he rolled his eyes."
Indeed, one neurologist allegedly told her, "I only treat nerves. If
your stomach or joints are bothering you, you need to see someone
else."

Caskey related that she went from being an athletic person who took
17-mile runs up and down mountains to being someone who had to lean
against a wall to stand upright. She also noted that her medical
expenses in 2005 came to $65,000 as a consequence of disability and
misdiagnosis.

Caskey eventually found specialists who treated her according to
guidelines set by the International Lyme and Associated Diseases
Society (ILADS), the views of which--as discussed in the September
issue's article--butt heads with that of another leading advocacy
group, the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA). Lee Lull,
who identified herself as the Marin County, California, Lyme Disease
Support Group Coordinator, and Phyllis Mervin, president of the
California Lyme Disease Association in Ukiah, both made special note
of this in their letters to Applied Neurology. Both Lull and Mervin,
like Caskey, related their frustrations with care providers and
reported back data they had gleaned from the literature about
controversies regarding sensitivity and specificity of Lyme disease
tests and empirical treatment based on clinical findings. "I am
forever grateful to the physician who treated me in the face of
mainstream medicine disapproval," Lull wrote, referring to the
controversy between the ILADS and IDSA views. Mervin voiced the same
sentiment.

Indeed, the controversy was set aflame this past October when the
president of ILADS, Raphael Stricker, MD, submitted a formal
request[1] to the editor of Clinical Infectious Diseases that an
article on IDSA guidelines for the diagnosis and management of Lyme
disease that was published online ahead of print and then in the
November 2006 issue of the journal[2] be retracted. Stricker's letter
includes a point-by-point addendum that challenges points made in
the guidelines paper. The documents--Stricker's letter and the IDSA
guidelines--are available online at
www.ilads.org/files/press_release_10_25_06.doc and
www.journals.uchicago.edu/CID/journal/issues/v43n9/40897/40897.html.
You can decide where the truth lies and whether Lyme disease will be
at the forefront of your mind when a patient with puzzling symptoms
knocks on your office door.

Both Caskey and Mervin related that they endured about 10 years of
illness, disability, and misdiagnoses before they received
appropriate care. Caskey reported that long-term (4½ months)
intravenous antibiotic therapy brought her "back to the land of the
living." As for Lull, she reported that she was able to "rejoin the
work force within 2 years" after receiving long-term antibiotic
therapy.

IN THIS ISSUE

We dedicated this issue to spinal cord injury (SCI). Our cover story
discusses the difficult subject of managing pain--a multifactorial
problem--in patients with SCI. It is complemented by a comprehensive
review on interventions for the many sequelae of SCI and how these
interventions contribute to rehabilitation. *

REFERENCES
1. Letter from Raphael Stricker, MD, president, International Lyme
and Associated Diseases Society, to Sherwood Gorbach, MD, editor,
Clinical Infectious Diseases. Available at:
www.ilads.org/files/press_release_10_25_06.doc. Accessed November
10, 2006.
2. Wormser GP, Dattwyler RJ, Shapiro ED, et al. The clinical
assessment, treatment, and prevention of Lyme disease, human
granulocytic anaplasmosis, and babesiosis: clinical practice
guidelines by the Infectious Diseases Society of America. Curr Infec
Dis. 2006:43:1089-1134.

****
Letters to Editor:
Dee Rapposelli
Editor, Applied Neurology
Cliggott Publishing - CMP Healthcare Media
Direct dial: 203 662 6522
Email: drapposelli@cmp.com

[blimeyitslymie]

http://leisure.newstimes*********/opinion/letters.php?id=1028223

News-Times
Danbury CT
January 12, 2007

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Chronic Lyme not recognized

Jan 12 2007

The controversy over the Infectious Diseases Society of America's
guidelines for the treatment of Lyme disease is that it not only
dismisses chronic Lyme disease, but in doing so ignores numerous
clinical articles that have defined the microbiologic complexity of
the bacterium -- a complexity which enables persistence and chronic
infection.

Borrelia burgdorferi, the spirochete that causes Lyme disease, is a
multi-talented bug: It can evade antibiotics and cause long-term
illness.

The bacterium's survival strategies include: a long replication
time, rapid transmission throughout the body, an ability to change
form to avoid inhospitable environments, an ability to hide in
privileged sites within the host, and a capacity for latency.

By summer 2007, it will be 32 years since Drs. Willy Burgdorfer and
Allen Steere put Lyme disease on the medical history map. Three
decades of more than 18,000 articles illustrate the presentations of
this multi-systemic illness. Indeed, there's enough research in
animal studies that already shows persistence of the Lyme bacterium.

In two papers by Dr. R. K. Straubinger, an experiment with Lyme-
infected beagles demonstrated that after the dogs had
been "adequately" treated with 30 days of antibiotics, they had live
spirochetes six months post-infection.

Advanced research on a non-human primate model of Lyme disease also
documented early invasion and persistence of Lyme spirochetes in the
brain and heart.

For IDSA to create treatment guidelines that discount these findings
shows a total disregard for people suffering from this illness. It's
time that IDSA acknowledges the existence of chronic Lyme disease,
and revises its guidelines to reflect it.

Suzanne Stuttman
REDDING

****
Letters to the Editor (online form):
http://leisure.newstimes*********/opinion/lettersform.php

[blimeyitslymie]

http://www.the-scientist.com/article/home/36660/

The Scientist
Volume 20 | Issue 12 | Page 20
By Stephen Pincock

NOTEBOOK

Use the force, bacteria

A couple of years ago, Australian postdoc Nate Lo was working at the
University of Milan, looking for human pathogens in the tick species
Ixodes ricinus, the main vector for Lyme disease. It was all routine
until the day his PCR screening protocol revealed a novel 16S rRNA
sequence. When his team took a tick apart to look for the new bug,
they found it in the ovaries. And, when they looked closely at
electron micrographs of infected ovarian tissues, they could see
that the microbes were intracellular - living not in the cytoplasm
of tick ova, but within their mitochondria.

"We'd never seen anything like this before," Lo says, as he opens
the image files on his laptop on a rainy afternoon in Sydney. "They
seem to get in between the inner and outer mitochondrial membranes
and eat the mitochondria up. In the end you've just got this empty
sack."

"It's a very novel observation," says Scott O'Neill, a specialist in
invertebrate endosymbionts and head of the School of Integrative
Science at the University of Queensland, who wasn't involved in the
research. O'Neill, whose recent work has focused on the bacterium
Wolbachia, says he wasn't aware of any other bacteria that live
inside mitochondria. "It's pretty surprising to see a bacterial
species living inside the mitochondrion, which itself was a
bacterium," he says. "I think it is significant." Bill Ballard, a
mitochondrial specialist from the University of New South Wales,
agrees. "This is, as far as I know, the first [bacterium] that
actually infects within the mitochondria," he says. "It's a pretty
cool paper."

Lo's newly found organism doesn't seem to have any negative effects
on the ticks. "About half the mitochondria don't get infected," he
says, "so perhaps they are only destroying old ones. We don't really
know what's going on."

Lo moved to his current post at the University of Sydney, and then
wrote to scientists across Europe, Russia, North Africa, and the
Middle East, asking them to send ticks for him to screen. Sure
enough, he found his bugs, nestled into the ovaries of 100% of
female ticks.

Soon, Lo and his colleagues began looking for a name for their new
genus, which proved easier said than done. The morphology of the
organism didn't present any immediate clues, and there weren't any
eminent tick bacterium researchers in whose honor it could be named.

So Lo started surfing the Web, looking for ideas and finding nothing
until one link took him to a page on the Wikipedia Web site
describing midichlorians. He discovered that George Lucas had
invented these creatures while dreaming up his Star Wars movies. The
mysterious intracellular organisms apparently reside within the
cells of almost all living things and communicate with the Force.

"I quite liked the earlier Star Wars movies, but I'd never heard of
these midichlorians before," Lo explains. Although he's not what
you'd call a Star Wars fanatic, Lo began thinking perhaps he should
name his real-life organism after the imaginary ones. After all, he
says, "Art is often imitating science, but it doesn't often go the
other way."

In May of this year, Lo and his colleagues submitted a paper to the
International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology
suggesting that their new species be called Midichloria
mitochondrii. They crossed their fingers and waited for the
publishing process to take its course.

Meanwhile, one of Lo's coauthors started to get a little nervous.
Weren't midichlorians the intellectual property of George Lucas?
Might he sue? While the paper was out for review, Lo wrote to Lucas
and sought his permission. "I was really praying he wouldn't say
no," Lo says. Lucas' assistant wrote back graciously to say that
George was fine with the whole thing, and on June 20, the journal
accepted the paper. "One reviewer was very negative about the name,
but fortunately the editor was fairly open-minded," Lo says.

The journal published the paper early last month. It turns out that
Lo and his colleagues had submitted their suggestion just before the
well-known French rickettsia expert, Didier Raoult, had proposed the
name Nicolleia massiliensis. "As far as we know it's the first
species to be formally named after anything in the entertainment
industry," Lo says. "There's plenty of science in Star Wars but not
enough Star Wars in science as far as I'm concerned."

*****
Post an online comment:
Go to URL at top of page; scroll to bottom; click on Post a Comment
to enter a comment or read posted comments.

[blimeyitslymie]

http://www.acorn-online.com/news/publish/article_12410.shtml

New Canaan Advertiser
New Canaan CT
January 11, 2007

Lyme disease: Victims rally for help
By Laura Kenyon

In the wake of an unprecedented move by State Attorney General
Richard Blumenthal to investigate Lyme disease treatment guidelines
put forth by the Infectious Disease Society of America (IDSA),
victims of and experts on the disease are speaking out about its
precarious place in the medical world.

In November, Mr. Blumenthal's office filed a Civil Investigative
Demand to look into possible anti-trust violations by the IDSA
during the development of its updated guidelines, which are often
used by doctors and insurance companies to determine treatment of
Lyme.

The voluntary guidelines discourage the use of long-term antibiotics
to treat lingering symptoms. They call for a bite to be treated with
one dose of preventative antibiotics, but say prolonged use of such
antibiotics "has not proven to be useful."

Also stirring the controversy is IDSA's conclusion that there is a
difference between "post-Lyme syndrome" and simply "the aches and
pains of daily living." The guidelines state that there is "no
convincing biologic evidence" for the existence of "chronic" Lyme
disease.

In the first of two articles, the Advertiser will explore the
experiences and opinions of those who had, have, or have watched
loved ones battle Lyme disease.

Mystery disease

Shortly after raking leaves in her driveway one June day in 1981,
New Canaan resident Jane Kinne said she developed "what looked like
the biggest case of viral flu you could imagine." On her way to
South America with her husband, Russ, she "took whatever anti-
inflammatory, fever controlling stuff we had with us," and the
symptoms went away in a couple of days.

She would live on and off with those recurring symptoms for the next
eight years, however, before finally being diagnosed with Lyme
disease in 1989.

One day she became so weak and her arm so sensitive, Ms. Kinne
recalled, that her boss made her take off from work to seek an
answer to her mysterious health problems.

Bouncing between doctors who prescribed "what they thought would be
appropriate for what they thought to be a viral infection" and a
rheumatologist who eliminated every disease that could possibly have
been afflicting her, Ms. Kinne was finally diagnosed with Lyme by
Dr. Ray Dattwyler, then of the State University of New York in Stony
Brook.

Dr. Dattwyler — now chief of Allergy, Immunology and Rheumatology at
Westchester Medical Center — is one of the authors of the
controversial guidelines.

Having already completed two month-long cycles of oral antibiotics
before her diagnosis, Ms. Kinne was put on a month of intravenous
antibiotics and within 48 hours, she said, it was like night and day.

"The next day my head was clearer, my sight was better, and my
hearing was more acute," she said. "I have a strong personal
opinion, backed by nothing but my personal experience, that up to a
month of intravenous (antibiotics) can be very effective."

New Canaan Director of Human Services Cheryl Jones had a similar
reaction to intravenous antibiotics when she discovered, after being
diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in 1990, that many of her
symptoms — including loss of sight in one eye — were those of Lyme.

Within three days of starting rocephin, she said, her eyesight
returned. Within two to three months, she noticed a difference in
memory and muscle aches. She remained on the intravenous antibiotics
for four months, when her insurance carrier stopped covering the
treatment.

After another year of oral antibiotics — carefully monitored through
pregnancy — she has been symptom-free for at least the past three
years, despite "serious issues" with joint and muscle problems.

"I think the intravenous and the oral long-term antibiotics, for me,
were the only choice," she said. "I think the people who have had
Lyme long-term, who have been misdiagnosed, I'd like to see them
able to have those choices because I don't think short-term
antibiotics (are enough)."

Adverse Reaction

Judy Larson of New Canaan has watched her now 30-year-old daughter,
Amanda Montanaro, battle an extreme case of Lyme disease since age
12.

Often unable to attend school, she said her daughter "basically
hasn't had a life because of Lyme disease." Neither oral nor
intravenous antibiotics worked well for her, one causing the need to
remove her gall bladder.

"It's a dilemma," Ms. Larson said, "because the antibiotics seem to
help at least temporarily but there are side effects, and after a
while they become toxic to your liver and things, so I can
understand how they can say long-term antibiotic treatment is not a
good idea.

"But there's not another idea. Someone needs to come up with another
idea."

At one point during her recovery, Ms. Kinne attempted to return to
the intravenous antibiotics that worked so well earlier, only to
have a quite different reaction.

"When I attempted to go back on it," she said, "I began to get
significant side effects and my doctor with my complete agreement
said, `We're getting into more trouble than we're getting out of.'"

It took about three months for her to reclaim her former strength,
and although some scars still remain — loss of "a great deal" of her
peripheral nerves and the inability to blink involuntarily — she
believes "the Lyme is long gone."

Ms. Kinne believes antibiotics are "all important" but may not be "a
good idea" after a certain length of time, depending on the
individual.

It should be "a joint decision" between the patient and the doctor,
however, as "it varies from person to person."

First Selectman Judy Neville, who was "aggressively treated" for
Lyme disease for almost seven years in the 1990s, agreed that
although there are risks associated with any drug, it is a choice
patients and their doctors must make together.

"Anyone who has suffered with debilitating Lyme knows within the
first few months what antibiotics and/or drugs work for them," she
said, adding, "The door should not be closed to further treatment."

Freedom of Choice

The conclusions about long-term antibiotic treatment and chronic
Lyme especially, Mr. Blumenthal told the Advertiser, "are
extraordinarily significant and far-reaching in their potential
impact on diagnosis and treatment."

Ms. Neville commended him for "battling the insurance companies. I
think what he's doing is necessary to protect Lyme patients."

The attorney general's main concern is that treatment choices are
made by patients and their physicians, "not by government officials
or insurance company officials. And the IDSA guidelines may
encourage and support insurance companies denying coverage for
certain kinds of treatment, which is directly contrary to our
Connecticut law."

If that inhibits competition, there may be violations of anti-trust
laws.

"We want to make sure a disease as serious and pernicious as Lyme is
addressed as effectively as possible," Mr. Blumenthal said, "giving
maximum respect to choices made by physicians and patients."

Over the past 13 years, since her daughter was diagnosed, Ms. Larson
said she has seen medical bills ranging from $100,000 to $200,000
because some insurance companies would not cover the treatments.

"It's something insurance companies don't want to pay for because it
is unrelenting and it is constant," she said.

In terms of chronic Lyme disease, she said it exists in the sense
that the body can begin attacking itself, similar to autoimmune
diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and Multiple Sclerosis — which
Lyme can often be misdiagnosed as.
Ms. Larson calls it "the great imitator."

There is a dire need for more research about Lyme disease, she
said, "an epidemic that people haven't really recognized in the
medical community."

"What's so disheartening to people who have a family members or have
Lyme themselves is the fact that the medical community has this
insane war going on as to whether its real," she added. And for the
person who is suffering, "it's mentally abusive"

"I worry so much about the young people," Ms. Kinne said, citing how
difficult the ordeal was for an adult with myriad avenues of
support. "I think of kids in college and on their first job, and who
on earth is going to give them that much latitude?"

[blimeyitslymie]

The Trailblazers riding club will host a lecture on Lyme's disease
in horses on Thursday, Jan. 18, at 7 p.m. at the Virginia Tech
Middleburg Agricultural Research and Extension Center in Middleburg.
Marshall veterinarian and endurance riding veteran Dr. Jeannie
Waldron will speak on the debilitating disease that has become very
prevalent in Virginia's Piedmont region.

Waldron, who herself contracted Lyme's disease, will explain signs,
treatment and prevention techniques of Lyme's.

The lecture is free, but reservations are required as seating is
limited. There will be light refreshments offered. For reservations,
call (540) 349-1412.

[blimeyitslymie]

"The world's largest Meeting on training and changing the brain
without drugs or surgery is being held at the Hilton Palm Springs,
January 19-22, 2007."
=========

OpEdNews

http://www.opednews.com/articles/genera_rob_kall_070110_neuro_biofeee
dback_2cp.htm

January 10, 2007

Neuro Biofeeedback,Positive Psychology and Story Come Together in
One Meeting

By Rob Kall

Drug Free Treatments for ADHD, Aspbergers, Anxiety, Trauma, Lyme
Disease, INsomnia. Chronic Pain, Borderline Disorder .... are
described in cutting edge presentations.

The world's largest Meeting on training and changing the brain
without drugs or surgery is being held at the Hilton Palm Springs,
January 19-22, 2007.

Speakers and attendees from all over the world are exploring Ways to
improve mental and Physical functioning and health using positive
psychology approaches, brain, heart and breath biofeedback,
electrical, magnetic, sound and light stimulation of the brain.

The meeting brings together many of the world's leaders in these
fields, where a revolution in health care is brewing-- a revolution
based on high tech combined with taking personal responsibility for
one's health. Over 60 talks, workshops and panels occur during the
meeting.

New first-time reports are being presented on approaches to treating
aspbergers, , reactive attachment disorder, asthma, anxiety, fear,
PTSD, Lyme DIsease, Isomnia, Chronic Pain, and borderline
personality disorder.

The meeting also Covers Optimal Functioning and Positive Psychology,
exploring peak performance, consciousness, spirituality, and
approaches bringing out the greatest strengths and abilities in
individuals and groups.

The technology is cutting edge, highly visual, with video games
controlled by the brain, designed to help kids overcome ADD without
drugs. Creative people who have experienced closed head injuries,
who look whole on the outside, but whose creativity has been
devastated.

Previous meetings have included many first time reports which ended
up on national TV and in national media such as TIME, NEWSWEEK, and
more.

The meeting exhibit hall includes highly photo- and video-genic
technology and displays, with people's heads wired, sound and light
machines, screens portraying slick graphics controlled by brain and
other body waves.

The conference also includes another fascinating element-- StoryCon.
The Summit Meeting on the Art, Science and Application of Story. The
power of story to help us understand ourselves and to make changes
in our lives is enormous. This aspect of the meeting teaches how to
understand story and use it to help people heal, to create better
entertainment or to be more persuasive-- as a marketer, minister,
attorney or consultant.

For information, for press passes for the meeting, interviews on the
meeting or any of the people mentioned in the article, and all
Futurehealth Winter Brain Meeting, Optimal Functioning and Positive
Psychology or StoryCon speakers, check brainmeeting.com or Contact

Rob Kall rob at futurehealth dot org

Authors Bio: Rob Kall is executive editor and publisher of
OpEdNews.com, President of Futurehealth, Inc, and organizer of
several conferences, including StoryCon, the Summit Meeting on the
Art, Science and Application of Story and The Winter Brain Meeting
on neurofeedback, biofeedback, Optimal Functioning and Positive
Psychology. He is a frequent Speaker on Politics, The art, science
and power of story, heroes and the hero's journey, Positive
Psychology, Stress, Biofeedback and a wide range of subjects.

[blimeyitslymie]

"Other agents such as human herpes virus- 8 (HHV-8-Kaposi's sarcoma
virus) and Borellia (Lyme disease) and, perhaps, avian flu virus,
are known to have a viremic phase, but have not yet been proved to
be transfusion-transmitted."
===========

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?
db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=17198845&query_hl=
1&itool=pubmed_docsum

1: Semin Hematol. 2007 Jan;44(1):32-41. Links
Emerging infectious diseases that threaten the blood supply.
• Alter HJ,
• Stramer SL,
• Dodd RY.

Infectious Diseases Section and Department of Transfusion Medicine,
National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD.

Following the devastating effects of blood-transmitted human
immunodeficiency virus (HIV), blood establishments have become
increasingly vigilant for the emergence or re-emergence of new
threats to the safety of the blood supply. Many agents have
fulfilled the broad definition of emerging blood-transmitted
infections, including West Nile virus (WNV), Trypanosoma cruzi,
Plasmodium spp., Babesia spp., parvovirus B19, dengue virus, and the
prions that cause variant Creutzfeld-Jacob disease (vCJD). Other
agents such as human herpes virus- 8 (HHV-8-Kaposi's sarcoma virus)
and Borellia (Lyme disease) and, perhaps, avian flu virus, are known
to have a viremic phase, but have not yet been proved to be
transfusion-transmitted. In the wake of these threats, transfusion
services use a variety of donor screening interventions, including
serologic assays, nucleic acid assays, and geographic exclusions
based on potential exposure. The ultimate safeguard may be a pre-
emptive pathogen inactivation strategy that will disrupt all nucleic
acid-containing agents (though not prions). Considerable effort and
resources have been invested in this arena, but currently no single
technique is effective for inactivation of both liquid and cellular
blood products and toxicity issues have not been completely
resolved. The blood supply is remarkably safe with the risk of major
pathogens such as hepatitis C virus (HCV) and HIV now reduced to
less than one transmission per 2 to 3 million exposures. However, to
approach near-zero infectious disease risk for emerging and re-
emerging pathogens, new strategies such as pathogen inactivation or
multi-pathogen microarray technology will need to be developed or
refined.

PMID: 17198845 [PubMed - in process]

[blimeyitslymie]

----- Original Message -----
From: pacbird
Subject: URGENT! Dr. Jones Hearing Tomorrow Postponed-For
Distribution!

Hi All,

I just got a phone call from Dr. Jones. The Hearing that was to
take place tomorrow has been postponed to next Thursday January 25th.

The prosecuting attorney is unable to attend due to illness.

Please contact anyone who may not be online, especially any Media
contacts we have notified.

Dr. Jones apologizes for any inconvenience this may have caused but
he was just notified of this change minutes ago.

Thank you for your support.

Paula

[blimeyitslymie]

RoseNote: This is the second of two articles published by the New
Canaan Advertiser. The first article, titled "Lyme disease: Victims
rally for help" was posted on LymeInfo January 15, 2007. To view, go
to http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/LymeInfo/message/3611
==========

http://www.acorn-online.com/news/publish/article_12750.shtml

New Canaan Advertiser
New Canaan CT
January 18, 2007

Medical experts weigh in on Lyme disease
By Laura Kenyon

Amidst the start of an unprecedented investigation by Connecticut
Attorney General Richard Blumenthal into Lyme disease treatment
guidelines, victims of and experts on the disease are speaking out
about its precarious place in the medical world.

In the second of two articles about Lyme disease, the Advertiser
considers the varying opinions medical professionals hold regarding
such guidelines, the existence of chronic Lyme disease, and long-
term antibiotic treatment.

The previous article, published in last week's issue, focused on
local victims.

Freedom of Choice
According to the Centers for Disease Control, 1,810 cases of Lyme
disease were reported in Connecticut in 2005, more than any other
state besides Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania.

In October, the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA)
released an updated version of its 2000 Lyme treatment guidelines,
which are often used by doctors and insurance companies to determine
treatment.

Prompting national contention from many organizations, doctors and
sufferers, the guidelines discourage the prolonged use of
antibiotics to treat lingering symptoms, saying it "has not proven
to be useful."

They also conclude that there is no "convincing biologic evidence"
for the existence of "chronic" or "post-Lyme syndrome."

These particular findings prompted Mr. Blumenthal, he told the
Advertiser, to worry that treatment choices and coverage for long-
term Lyme sufferers would be determined by government officials or
insurance companies rather than patients and their physicians.

In November, he filed a Civil Investigative Demand to look into
possible anti-trust violations by the IDSA during the development of
its new guidelines.

The Lyme Disease Association (LDA), a nonprofit
organization "representing more Lyme disease patients than any
organization in the United States," quickly issued a press release
applauding his move as "vitally necessary to protect the welfare of
chronic Lyme patients nationwide."

Clinical guidelines currently drive the standard of care, it said,
and are sometimes used to deny treatment reimbursement. The IDSA
guidelines list as "not recommended" "most of the conventional
medical treatments prescribed by physicians as well as alternative
treatments often chosen by patients for any Lyme manifestation."

Dr. David Reed, New Canaan's assistant director of health, does not
believe IDSA had "ulterior motives" or "some sort of political
agenda." Calling the attorney general's move "highly unusual," he
said it will have "repercussions."

"These are nonprofit organizations. They don't have, in my opinion,
profit motives," said Dr. Reed, who declined the opportunity to
speak about chronic Lyme or long-term antibiotics.

First Selectman Judy Neville, who battled the disease for seven
years in the 1990s, said treatment choices should be made only by
patients and their doctors and Mr. Blumenthal is "doing what is
necessary to protect Lyme patients."

The Lyme Disease Association contends that the guidelines will
negatively affect the number of treating physicians "since clinical
discretion is not recommended by the guidelines" — a statement that
Dr. Raymond Dattwyler, chief of Allergy, Immunology and Rheumatology
at Westchester Medical Center and one of the authors of the IDSA
guidelines, said is false.

"I think that one should really read the guidelines first before
they should really make any judgments," he told the Advertiser
Friday. "They're guidelines. They're not cast in stone, and
ultimately it states that that they allow individuals' physicians to
make their own judgments."
Many Sides

Dr. Steven Phillips of Wilton, who served as president of the
International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society (ILADS) from 2003-
05, estimates that more than 25 percent of Lyme victims develop
chronic symptoms and finds it "unsettling" the IDSA would exclude "a
significant percentage of the Lyme disease population" in its
findings.

"A great number of patients derive benefits from long-term
antibiotics," he told the Advertiser.

Chronic Lyme has been documented in thousands of medical journals,
he said, but in composing its guidelines the IDSA referred to just
400 of more than 10,000 studies, many of which support the existence
of chronic Lyme.

"If they're going to pick a random sample," he said, "it has to be
random."
They should have taken a "more even stance," he added.

Dr. Dattwyler said between everyone who worked on the IDSA
guidelines, "we probably read the overwhelming majority of stuff
that's ever been published on Lyme disease."

The guidelines cited 405 papers. They were chosen, Dr. Dattwyler
said, based on criteria including study design and the quality of
the publishing journal. The group primarily choose articles in
the "premier" journals, as rated by the National Library of
Medicine, such as the New England Journal of Medicine, Nature and
Annals of Internal Medicine.

"It's really just a review of the literature published in respected
medical journals," he said, adding that there are "some really
bizarre papers" out there.

"Most of us wrote a lot of these papers," he said, citing one of his
own published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Both ILADS and IDSA offer guidelines for Lyme disease, and both
differ in their findings.

While IDSA concludes that long-term antibiotic treatment "is not
proven to be effective and may be dangerous," and that there is
no "convincing" evidence for the existence of "so-called `chronic'
Lyme disease," ILADS believes antibiotic treatment should
be "tailored to the individual" and cites chronic Lyme as "a growing
epidemic."

The 30-year-old daughter of New Canaan resident Judy Larson, who has
battled Lyme since age 12 and was featured in last week's
Advertiser, initially improved while on intravenous antibiotics, but
suffered "toxic" side effects — one forcing the removal of her gall
bladder.

On the other side, New Canaan Director of Human Services Cheryl
Jones was on intravenous antibiotics for four months in 2000 and
oral antibiotics for more than a year, and said "for me, (they) were
the only choice."

Ms. Jones was initially diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in 1990
and believes the Lyme was overlooked during the next 10 years — not
a rare story in either direction, according to Dr. Dattwyler.

Many people — "80 percent or more," he said — are misdiagnosed with
Lyme disease when they really have something else. That is why IDSA
states that patients who believe they have "chronic" Lyme symptoms
should ensure they do not in reality have another affliction, such
as Multiple Sclerosis or cancer.

A year-long study at the Yale University Lyme Disease Clinic that
studied 209 patients with a "presumptive diagnosis" (by their
physicians, themselves or both) — published in the March 1, 1998,
Annals of Internal Medicine and cited by Dr. Dattwyler — found that
only 21 percent met the criteria for active Lyme disease, 19 percent
were previously but no longer infected, and 60 percent had no
evidence of current or previous infection.

A study published in the June 24, 2003, issue of Neurology, cited by
Dr. Phillips, found that patients given 28 days of antibiotic
treatment (ceftriaxone) showed improvement in "disabling fatigue."
The study also found adverse side effects and little or no
improvement in cognitive or persistent function, however, and
concluded that it "does not support the use of additional antibiotic
therapy with parental ceftriaxone in post-treatment."

The study was penned by Stony Brook University Medical Center
doctors, including Dr. Dattwyler.

Authors of an April 15, 2004, Journal of Clinical Investigation
article explored both sides, stating that a small percentage of
patients with "well-documented Lyme disease" may develop post-Lyme
disease syndrome symptoms (including musculoskeletal pain and
fatigue) for months or years after antibiotic treatment, but that
prolonged antibiotic therapy "may be harmful." When treating those
with chronic Lyme, they advocated following the guidelines for
chronic fatigue syndrome or fibromyalgia, a "similar" affliction.
The Future

"The biggest problem," Ms. Larson said, "is nobody really knows what
the answer is and it's a very elusive thing that can take many
forms. There needs to be a lot more research on it. I think it's an
epidemic that people haven't really recognized in the medical
community."

Many diseases, "not only tick-borne infectious diseases," are in
need of further study, Dr. Dattwyler said, but organizations such as
the National Institutes of Health and the Center for Infectious
Disease need more funding in order to do so.

While its existence may be controversial, he said that the pain felt
by those diagnosed with chronic Lyme disease is real and modern
medicine does not always provide them with the answers they are
seeking.

The bottom line on both sides, Dr. Phillips said, is that patients
must become educated about Lyme and other diseases, and
become "their own advocates."

****
Letters to the Editor:
editor@ncadvertiser.com

[blimeyitslymie]

I think this is interesting because many of us with Lyme were told that we had CFS. I have had Epstein Barr and other viruses ...


http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/01/070108191506.htm

Science Daily

Source: Stanford University Medical Center
Date: January 9, 2007

New Therapy For Chronic Fatigue Syndrome To Be Tested

Science Daily — A preliminary study suggests there may be hope in
the offing for some sufferers of chronic fatigue syndrome with a new
therapy being tested by researchers at the Stanford University
School of Medicine.

José Montoya, MD, associate professor of medicine (infectious
diseases), and postdoctoral scholar Andreas Kogelnik, MD, PhD, have
used the drug valganciclovir - an antiviral often used in treating
diseases caused by human herpes viruses - to treat a small number of
CFS patients.

The researchers said they treated 25 patients during the last three
years, 21 of whom responded with significant improvement that was
sustained even after going off the medication at the end of the
treatment regimen, which usually lasts six months. The first patient
has now been off the drug for almost three years and has had no
relapses. A paper describing the first dozen patients Montoya and
Kogelnik treated with the drug was published in the December issue
of Journal of Clinical Virology.

"This study is small and preliminary, but potentially very
important," said Anthony Komaroff, MD, professor of medicine at
Harvard Medical School, who was not involved in the study. "If a
randomized trial confirmed the value of this therapy for patients
like the ones studied here, it would be an important landmark in the
treatment of this illness."

Montoya has received a $1.3 million grant from Roche Pharmaceutical,
which manufactures the drug under the brand name Valcyte, to conduct
a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind study set to begin
this quarter at Stanford. The study will assess the effectiveness of
the drug in treating a subset of CFS patients.

Montoya is speaking about his efforts at the biannual meeting of the
International Association for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome in Fort
Lauderdale on Jan. 11 and 12.

Chronic fatigue syndrome has baffled doctors and researchers for
decades, because aside from debilitating fatigue, it lacks
consistent symptoms. Although many genetic, infectious, psychiatric
and environmental factors have been proposed as possible causes,
none has been nailed down. It was often derided as "yuppie flu,"
since it seemed to occur frequently in young professionals, though
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says it's most common
in the middle-aged. But to those suffering from it, CFS is all too
real and its effects are devastating, reducing once-vigorous
individuals to the ranks of the bedridden, with an all-encompassing,
painful and sleep-depriving fatigue.

More than 1 million Americans suffer from the disorder, according to
the CDC. The disease often begins with what appears to be routine
flulike symptoms, but then fails to subside completely - resulting
in chronic, waxing and waning debilitation for years.

Valganciclovir is normally used against diseases caused by viruses
in the herpes family, including cytomegalovirus, Epstein-Barr virus
and human herpes virus-6. These diseases usually affect patients
whose immune systems are severely weakened, such as transplant and
cancer patients. Montoya, who had used the drug in treating such
patients for years, decided to try using it on a CFS patient who
came to him in early 2004 with extremely high levels of antibodies
for three of the herpes family viruses in her blood. At the time,
she had been suffering from CFS for five years.

When a virus infects someone, the levels of antibodies cranked out
by the immune system in response typically increase until the virus
is overcome, then slowly diminish over time. But Montoya's patient
had persistently high antibodies for the three viruses. In addition,
the lymph nodes in her neck were significantly enlarged, some up to
eight times their normal size, suggesting her immune system was
fighting some kind of infection, even though a comprehensive
evaluation had failed to point to any infectious cause.

Concerned about the unusual elevations in antibody levels as well as
the swelling of her lymph nodes, Montoya decided to prescribe
valganciclovir. "I thought by giving an antiviral that was effective
against herpes viruses for a relatively long period of time, perhaps
we could impact somehow the inflammation that she had in her lymph
nodes," said Montoya.

Within four weeks, the patient's lymph nodes began shrinking. Six
weeks later she phoned Montoya from her home in South America,
describing how she was now exercising, bicycling and going back to
work at the company she ran before her illness. "We were really
shocked by this," recalled Montoya.

Of the two dozen patients Montoya and Kogelnik have since treated,
the 20 that responded all had developed CFS after an initial flulike
illness, while the non-responders had suffered no initial flu.

Some of the patients take the drug for more than six months, such as
Michael Manson, whose battle with CFS has lasted more than 18 years.
The former triathlete was stricken with a viral infection a year
after his marriage. After trying unsuccessfully to overcome what he
thought were lingering effects of the flu, he had no choice but to
drastically curtail all his activities and eventually stop working.

During his longest period of extreme fatigue, 13 1/2 weeks, Manson
said, "My wife literally thought I was passing away. I could hear
the emotion in her voice as she tried to wake me, but I couldn't
wake up to console her. That was just maddening."

Now in his seventh month of treatment, Manson is able to go
backpacking with his children with no ill after-effects. Prior to
starting the treatment, Manson's three children, ages 9 to 14, had
never seen him healthy.

Montoya and Kogelnik emphasized that even if their new clinical
trial validates the use of valganciclovir in treating some CFS
patients, the drug may not be effective in all cases. In fact, the
trial will assess the effectiveness of the medication among a
specific subset of CFS patients; namely, those who have viral-
induced dysfunction of the central nervous system.

"This could be a solution for a subset of patients, but that subset
could be quite large," said Kristin Loomis, executive director of
the HHV-6 Foundation, which has helped fund a significant portion of
the preparatory work for the clinical trial. "These viruses have
been suspected in CFS for decades, but researchers couldn't prove it
because they are so difficult to detect in the blood. If Montoya's
results are confirmed, he will have made a real breakthrough."

"What is desperately needed is the completion of the randomized,
double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial that we are about to
embark on," Montoya said.

Note: This story has been adapted from a news release issued by
Stanford University Medical Center.

[blimeyitslymie]

Hey Everyone,

How y'all been the past month. I was banned from Braintalk ... reason below. I realized in retrospect that the Dr. Jones hearings are considered political, so I won't be posting about them anymore. I also won't be posting about certain LDA issues; including information about the Lyme Center at Columbia. I can't think of anything else I did that would cause me to be banned ... I appealed saying that Lyme is a polarized field and that I was trying to help inform people, but to no avail.

The moderator said something about setting up some kind of information thread, but I'm having such bad cognitive probs these days that I can't remember what he/she said. (So if you're reading this moderator, please respond to this so the group can help contribute information to you.)

Be well,
Blimey

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reason:
-------
Posting private email address solicitation of funds and political posts

blimeyitslimey,

You are hereby suspended for multiple posting violation for a period of
one month. These viloations include posting a private email address,
solicitation of funds, and political posts. Should you try to avoid this
ban or make similar posts in the future your suspension will become
permanent.
-------

Warnings serve as a reminder to you of the forum's rules, which you are
expected to understand and follow.

All the best,
BrainTalk Communities
***************

[blimeyitslymie]

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?
db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=17295680&query_hl=
4&itool=pubmed_docsum

PubMed

1: APMIS. 2007 Feb;115(2):134-41.
Full Text: http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1600-
0463.2007.apm_538.x

Propensity to excessive proinflammatory response in chronic Lyme
borreliosis.

• Kisand KE,
• Prukk T,
• Kisand KV,
• Luus SM,
• Kalbe I,
• Uibo R.

Department of Immunology, Institute of General and Molecular
Pathology, Centre of Molecular and Clinical Medicine, Tartu, Estonia.
The clinical course of Lyme borreliosis is extremely variable.
However, all the clinical manifestations, acute or chronic, are
characterized by strong inflammation. Borrelia burgdorferi can
induce the production of several proinflammatory and anti-
inflammatory cytokines. The aim of our study was to find out whether
the balance between inflammatory and regulatory mechanisms is
important in determining the course of Lyme borreliosis. 13 patients
with early Lyme borreliosis, 8 patients with chronic Lyme disease
with neurological or joint manifestations, and 15 age- and sex-
matched healthy controls were studied. Chronic forms of Lyme
borreliosis were characterized by stronger TNF-alpha response by
monocytes to lipopolysaccharide as well as to borrelia antigen
compared to early Lyme borreliosis and the healthy state. The
percentage of IL-10-secreting monocytes in response to borrelia
lysate was lower in the Lyme borreliosis patients than in healthy
controls. The percentage of CD4(+) CTLA-4(+) regulatory T cells
showed the highest values in early Lyme borreliosis. We conclude
that chronic forms of Lyme borreliosis can evolve due to an aberrant
innate proinflammatory response.

PMID: 17295680 [PubMed - in process]

[blimeyitslymie]

The website is quite interesting. There is an abundance of
information, including test description, test validation, and test-
ordering information, etc.
======

http://centralfloridaresearch.com/lab/

Central Florida Research, Inc. is replacing the laboratory
operations of Bowen Research and Training Institute, Inc. The new
laboratory is located in Lake Alfred at the same location as Bowen
Research and Training Institute, Inc., 245 N. Seminole Avenue, Lake
Alfred, Florida.

The new Borrelia burgdorferi antigen test Central Florida Research,
Inc. will be offering is a much more sensitive test than the Western
Blot. A Borrelia burgdorferi fluorescent antibody is used to detect
the antigen in whole blood. The test is set up manually and read by
Flow Cytometry.

The Flow Cytometer can count the number of organisms in 100,000
events in 2 minutes and 50,000 in 1 minute. To visually count the
organisms in 100,000 events or 50,000 events using a microscope
would be almost an impossibility. The Flow Cytometer counts the
number of all events passing through the aperture and enumerates the
organisms that react with the antibody. The test result will be
reported as a percent of the counted events.

This test detects the antigen or spirochete in the blood. The
antigen may not be present in the sample tested if there are very
few spirochetes within the blood or if they are in some other organ
of the body. Therefore, a negative test does not mean the patient
does not have Lyme disease. It means that we were unable to detect
Borrelia burgdorferi in the specimen.

The test was compared using our instrumentation and the
instrumentation of our Flow Cytometer supplier. The test also was
compared using Western Blot. However, this could not be used
exclusively, as the Western Blot has only a 60% to 70% accuracy for
Lyme disease. Data on 56 of the samples evaluated showed 97% of the
tests that tested negative by Flow Cytometry were negative by
Western Blot. 86% of the Western Blot positive tests were positive
by Flow Cytometry. Only 29% of the tests positive by Flow Cytometry
were positive by Western Blot. This was expected because the
antibody may not be present in a person with Lyme disease.

We feel this test will be a valuable aid for the physician in the
diagnosis of Lyme and other diseases when used with symptoms and
other tests for Borrelia burgdorferi.

[blimeyitslymie]

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/morgellons-disease/SN00043

The Mayo Clinic
March 2, 2007

Morgellons disease: Managing a mysterious skin condition

Morgellons disease is a mysterious skin disorder characterized by
disfiguring sores and crawling sensations on and under the skin.
Although Morgellons disease isn't widely recognized as a medical
diagnosis, experts from the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) are investigating reports of the condition.

If you suspect that you have Morgellons disease, you may have many
questions about the condition. Here's what you need to know about
Morgellons disease, including practical tips for managing your signs
and symptoms.

What are the signs and symptoms of Morgellons disease?

The Morgellons Research Foundation lists six primary signs and
symptoms of the condition:

- Skin lesions accompanied by intense itching

- Crawling sensations on and under the skin, often compared to
insects moving, stinging or biting

- Fatigue significant enough to interfere with daily activity

- Inability to concentrate and difficulty with short-term memory

- Behavioral changes

- Fibers — which can be white, blue, green, red or black — in and on
the lesions

These signs and symptoms might appear along with changes in vision,
stomach pain or other gastrointestinal symptoms, and changes in skin
texture and pigment.

Morgellons disease shares characteristics with various recognized
conditions, including attention-deficit disorder, chronic fatigue
syndrome, Lyme disease, obsessive-compulsive disorder and a mental
illness involving false beliefs about infestation by parasites
(delusional parasitosis).

How long has Morgellons disease been around?

In 1674, English physician and writer Sir Thomas Browne used the
term "Morgellons disease" to describe "black hairs" emerging from
childhood skin lesions. Today, the Morgellons Research Foundation
doesn't claim that the disorder described by Browne is the same as
Morgellons disease. Rather, the foundation adopted the term as a
convenient label for a set of signs and symptoms.

How widespread is Morgellons disease?

Reports of Morgellons disease have been made in every state in the
United States and 15 countries around the world. Most reported cases
are clustered in Calfironia, Texas and Florida.

What do researchers know about Morgellons disease?

Beyond anecdotal reports, researchers know little about Morgellons
disease. The Morgellons Research Foundation reports no known causes
of Morgellons disease and no successful treatment for the condition.
Whether Morgellons disease is contagious remains a mystery.

How controversial is Morgellons disease?

Current attitudes toward Morgellons disease fall into various
categories:

Some health professionals believe that Morgellons disease is a
specific condition likely to be confirmed by future research.

Some health professionals believe that signs and symptoms of
Morgellons disease are caused by another condition, often mental
illness.

Other health professionals don't acknowledge Morgellons disease or
are reserving judgment until more is known about the condition.

Some people who suspect Morgellons disease claim they've been
ignored, criticized as delusional or dismissed as fakers. In
contrast, some doctors say that people who report signs and symptoms
of Morgellons disease typically resist other explanations for their
condition.

How can you cope with the signs and symptoms of Morgellons disease?

The signs and symptoms linked to Morgellons disease can be
distressing. Even though health professionals disagree about the
nature of the condition, you deserve compassionate treatment. While
research continues, take positive steps to manage your signs and
symptoms.

- Establish a caring health care team. Find a doctor who
acknowledges your concerns and does a thorough examination. Since
Morgellons disease often requires frequent follow-up visits, a local
health care team may be most convenient.

- Be patient. Your doctor will likely look for known conditions that
point to evidence-based treatments before considering a diagnosis of
Morgellons disease.

- Keep an open mind. Consider various causes for your signs and
symptoms, and follow your doctor's recommendations for treatment —
which may include long-term mental health therapy.

- Seek treatment for other conditions. Get treatment for anxiety,
depression or any other condition that affects your thinking, moods
or behavior.

- Keep track of the latest news about Morgellons disease. Supplement
the information you find online with articles published in peer-
reviewed medical journals. Remember that some sources are more
reputable than are others.

To learn more about Morgellons disease or to report suspected cases
of Morgellons disease, call the CDC Morgellons information and voice
mail line at 404-718-1199.

[blimeyitslymie]

http://www.seacoastonline.com/news/03022007/opinionletters-p-
edit02.html

The Portsmouth Herald
Portsmouth NH
March 2, 2007

Lyme disease becomes tough issue for schools

We will have to wait until later this month or longer to find out
the result of a federal investigation alleging that Portsmouth High
School discriminated against a student stricken with Lyme disease.

A recent Herald story reported that the father of the student filed
a complaint alleging high school officials reneged on an education
agreement to cover his son while he recovered from the sometimes
fatal bacterial disease -- if left untreated, infection can spread
to joints, the heart and the nervous system.

The father then contacted the U.S. Department of Education, which
decided to launch a formal investigation through its Office of Civil
Rights.

In the wake of the story, Patricia Smith, the president of the New
Jersey-based Lyme Disease Association, contacted the Herald to share
her concerns about a growing problem -- the amount of misinformation
and outright ignorance about the disease among school officials
across the country. Smith said she has unique qualifications to talk
about the subject: as a state education official in New Jersey and
the mother of a child who missed four years in school due to the
disease.

"Districts discriminate against students with Lyme primarily for
either of two reasons -- they do not understand Lyme disease and
accuse students of laziness, faking illness, or wanting to remain
out of school," Smith said. "Or they do understand Lyme disease and
do not want to expend the funds necessary to provide the
accommodations which are essential to the well being of these
children."

Smith said that cities such as Greenwich, Conn., and Ipswich, Mass.,
and states like New Jersey have developed special curriculums for
Lyme-stricken students, and there is no shortage of studies showing
just how debilitating the disease is.

In 2005, New Hampshire ranked ninth in the country per capita for
the disease, and it would be wise for school teachers and officials
at all levels in the region to be as informed and prepared as
possible -- it's likely they will have to deal with this difficult
situation again and again.

-- Portsmouth Herald

****
Online Comments:
To view or post online comments, click on
http://www.seacoastconnects.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2579

[blimeyitslymie]

"The test used, called the 4Dx, looks for three tick-borne
illnesses — Lyme disease, ehrlichia canis and anaplasmosis — as well
as heartworm, which is transmitted by mosquitoes. The test is
produced by IDEXX, a company based in Westbrook, Maine, and replaces
the 3Dx, which did not test for anaplasmosis."
=========

http://www.fosters.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?
AID=/20070303/NEWS0201/103030215

Foster's Daily Democrat
Dover NH
March 3, 2007

Test reveals tick illness similar to Lyme disease

By GRETYL MACALASTER
Democrat Staff Writer

[Photos omitted on LymeInfo – go to URL at top of page to view photo
captioned below.]
Portsmouth K-9 Officer Rebecca Hester's partner Viktor recently
tested positive for anaplasmosis, a tick-borne illness.
(John Huff/Staff photographer)
* Order a print of this photo

PORTSMOUTH — When Portsmouth police K9 Viktor became lethargic last
summer, Officer Rebecca Hester had no idea what was wrong and had
him tested for Lyme disease. The test came back negative and within
a short time his symptoms went away.

A couple of months later he tested positive for anaplasmosis, also
called ehrlichia equi, a different tick-borne illness veterinarians
only began testing for last summer.

Some area veterinarians think it is indicative of improvements in
testing and new illnesses being brought in. Others believe it is
causing unnecessary worry in dog owners.

The test used, called the 4Dx, looks for three tick-borne illnesses —
Lyme disease, ehrlichia canis and anaplasmosis — as well as
heartworm, which is transmitted by mosquitoes. The test is produced
by IDEXX, a company based in Westbrook, Maine, and replaces the 3Dx,
which did not test for anaplasmosis.

Heather Good, a licensed veterinary technician at Sagamore Animal
Hospital where all Portsmouth K9s are treated, said since they began
using the 4Dx about five months ago, they see between one and three
positive tests for anaplasmosis each day. Of that number, only a
very small percentage are exhibiting symptoms.

Dr. Julie Matthews, founding veterinarian at the Village Veterinary
clinic in York, Maine, said since she began using the test in July,
40 percent of dogs tested came up positive for anaplasmosis, but
only four were actually sick and needed antibiotics.

Because the test only indicates antibodies are present and not at
what levels, it does not prove a dog is sick with the disease,
Matthews said.

Anaplasmosis in particular is a mild illness that a dog usually
overcomes without treatment, Matthews said. Symptoms are often
similar to Lyme disease and can be treated using the same
antibiotics.

Good said the vets at Sagamore recommend doing a complete blood
count, or CBC, to see if white and red blood cells are being
affected, indicating an active infection before starting dogs on
antibiotics. If blood counts are normal, they probably will not
treat the dog, Good said.

While Viktor's blood counts were normal, he was given antibiotics as
a precaution.

Kathy Campbell, a veterinary assistant with Lafayette Animal
Hospital in Portsmouth, said when Lyme disease was first brought to
the public's attention, there was similar controversy over whether
it was something important to watch.

Even now some veterinarians are not testing for it, Good said.

"We are getting better control on Lyme disease and now all of a
sudden there is this other illness where dogs ... are showing a lot
of the same symptoms — joint stiffness, lameness, fever, down-and-
out acting, which is most commonly Lyme," Campbell said, "What is
going on now is that we started to collect data and see they are
carrying other diseases as well."

Matthews is not convinced the test actually proves anything.

When a dog is exhibiting symptoms it will not necessarily test
positive as antibodies have not yet had time to develop. When
antibodies do show up, it could simply mean the dog was exposed to
the illness and not that it is suffering from it.

Matthews said this is similar to Feline HIV, where cats may test
positive but are not suffering from the disease.

For this reason, Matthews think the test is unnecessary and said she
will probably stop using it in her practice.

New Hampshire State Veterinarian Steve Crawford said he had not
heard about any cases of anaplasmosis in the Granite State but that
does not mean it is not out there.

"Any activity that puts (dogs) at an increased risk of exposures to
ticks would increase the opportunity, not necessarily the
likelihood, but would increase the opportunity to be exposed to a
tick which in turn may or may not be carrying the disease," Crawford
said.

Matthews studied veterinarian medicine at North Carolina State
University where tick-borne illnesses are more common because dogs
are exposed to more ticks.

Campbell thinks the migration of people between the Northeast and
the South, as well as more ticks in the area, are contributing to
rises in the illnesses that were not seen here before.

Clinics are not required to submit data on tick-borne diseases to
the state, therefore few, if any, statistics are available at the
state level.

IDEXX could not be reached for comment for this story.

[blimeyitslymie]

http://www.medscape.com/medline/abstract/17172516

The use of local isolates in Western blots improves serological
diagnosis of Lyme disease in Scotland.
J Med Microbiol. 2007; 56(Pt 1):47-51 (ISSN: 0022-2615)

Mavin S ; Milner RM ; Evans R ; Chatterton JM ; Joss AW ; Ho-Yen DO
Microbiology Department, Raigmore Hospital, Old Perth Road, Inverness
IV2 3UJ, UK. microbiology@haht.scot.nhs.uk

Nine Scottish Borrelia burgdorferi isolates were investigated in IgG
Western blot tests. Sera previously found to be positive and negative
when tested by routine Western blots prepared from reference strain B.
burgdorferi sensu stricto antigen had different outcomes with these
isolates. Two isolates, E5 (Borrelia afzelii) and G4 (B. burgdorferi
sensu stricto) performed well, reproducing Western blot-positive
results in 90 and 95% of tests, respectively. When antigens from both
isolates were incorporated into a single IgG Western blot, the results
of a panel of sera were improved when compared to the routine
reference strain IgG Western blot. All of the sera positive by the
routine Western blot remained positive using the Scottish isolate
antigen mix. Twenty-three of the 25 negative sera remained negative
and two produced an equivocal result. Of the 15 samples that tested
IgG Western blot equivocal with the B. burgdorferi sensu stricto
reference strain, 11 (73%) became weak or strong positive when tested
with the B. afzelii/B. burgdorferi sensu stricto antigen mix
(chi(2)=14.35, Yates' correction, P<0.001). In seven of these, a
clinical picture of Lyme disease was consistent with the new results.
The use of Scottish strains of B. afzelii and B. burgdorferi sensu
stricto to provide antigen for the IgG Western blot improves the
diagnosis of Lyme disease for patients in Scotland.

* PreMedline Identifier: 17172516

[blimeyitslymie]

"In Connecticut, where Lyme disease was first discovered three
decades ago, one of every 2,500 people caught it in 2003, according
to a Los Angeles County Department of Public Health report. In Los
Angeles County, though, the illness only reaches about one in every
2million residents each year. One cause for the disparity? Lizards."
========

http://www.sgvtribune.com/news/ci_5357972

San Gabriel Valley Tribune
West Covina CA
March 5, 2007

Lyme disease-immune lizards stem spread of illness in area

By Elise Kleeman Staff Writer
San Gabriel Valley Tribune

ALTADENA - Each late fall to early spring is tick season, when the
tiny adult arachnids emerge on cool days to fill their bellies with
blood.

Crawling to the end of branches and grasses, the ticks wait with
front arms outstretched to latch onto passing animals. Their bite
can be irritating or painful, but more worrisome are the diseases
they carry. Of those, the most common is Lyme disease, which in the
West is carried by the black-legged tick.

In Connecticut, where Lyme disease was first discovered three
decades ago, one of every 2,500 people caught it in 2003, according
to a Los Angeles County Department of Public Health report. In Los
Angeles County, though, the illness only reaches about one in every
2million residents each year. One cause for the disparity? Lizards.

In 1998, a pair of UC Berkeley scientists discovered that Western
fence lizards, also known as blue-bellies, were immune to the spiral-
shaped bacterium that causes Lyme disease. What's more, they
transferred their immunity to the juvenile ticks that feasted on
their blood.

These medium-size, grayish lizards with a complicated pattern of
dark stripes and chevrons on their backs and their famous blue
undersides "are one of our most abundant lizards," said Mickey Long,
natural areas administrator for the Los Angeles County Department of
Parks and Recreation.

As a result, less than 5 percent of black-legged adult ticks carry
the disease in the Western United States, said Robert Lane, one of
the Berkeley entomologists who first drew the connection between the
lizards and Lyme disease.

By comparison, in the Northeastern United States about 50percent of
adult deer ticks, the Eastern carrier of the disease, contain the
offending bacterium, according to the Los Angeles County Health
Department.

The difference is significant. The disease, which usually starts as
an expanding bull's-eye rash, often causes fever, aching and fatigue
if left untreated with antibiotics, and can progress to neurologic
symptoms and chronic arthritis within weeks or years.

Adolescent ticks, called nymphs, are also carriers of Lyme disease.
Though the poppy-seed-size critters seem to have a strong
predilection for feasting on lizards, Lane said, they also latch
onto grey squirrels and, at times, humans.

"They tend to occur in leaf litter in woodlands, and sometimes they
tend to get on wood or logs," he said. "Sitting on a log, gathering
wood for a fire ... in some areas that kind of behavior can be very
high risk."

Nymphs are active in spring and summer. West Coasters, fortunately,
are less likely to encounter either nymphs or adults than
Northeasterners, who are more likely to live surrounded by the
undeveloped land ticks favor, Lane said.

In fact, it is that difference, he said, which causes much of the
disparity between West Coast and East Coast Lyme disease rates.
According to the county health department report, the majority of
local cases are contracted outside the county.

"It's not our worst thing in the wild. There are rattlesnakes and
poison oak. You need to be careful of that, too," Long said.

elise.kleeman@sgvn.com

(626) 578-6300, Ext. 4451

****
Letters to the Editor (online form):
http://www.sgvtribune.com/writealetter

[blimeyitslymie]

"Sabota wants to canvas the county schools and public events because
her mother was infected by a deer tick bite and contracted an
incurable strain of Lyme Disease."
==========

http://www.nj. com/news/ bridgeton/ index.ssf? /base/news- 1/11724738315142 0.xml&coll=10

Bridgeton News
Bridgeton NJ
February 26, 2007

Sabota wears county crown

Monday, February 26, 2007
By SANDRA JOHNSON

Staff Writer

UPPER DEERFIELD TWP. -- She's got a new crown, $650 in scholarships
and a way to get the word out about preventing Lyme Disease this
year.

In the midst of a "Hawaiian Holiday" with beach balls, lei and
glittering palm trees, Maggie Sabota, 19, of Upper Deerfield, was
crowned Miss Cumberland County 2007 on Saturday.

Sabota also won the Swimsuit Competition Award, Director's Choice
Award and Hostess Award.

She will compete for the title of Miss New Jersey in Ocean City come
mid-June.

Sabota wants to canvas the county schools and public events because
her mother was infected by a deer tick bite and contracted an
incurable strain of Lyme Disease.

She feels people should be more aware of it because out of 23,000
people diagnosed nationally in 2005, 3,000 of them were in New
Jersey, ranking third in the U.S.

"It's a bacterial infection, and it affects your nervous system,"
she said. "It'll affect your vision, and it'll give you really
severe headaches.

"The first sign of it is a ring rash."

Another problem, she said, is that Lyme Disease can be misdiagnosed.

"The number of cases that are reported are so much lower than the
actual cases because a lot of people don't know they have it,
because a lot of symptoms are like the flu," Sabota noted. "(People)
think they have the flu, so that's confusing in a way. It's a big
issue here because we have so many wooded areas and really tall
grass."

Millville's Kaitlyn Davis took what seemed to be a close first-
runner up, after winning the talent and tying in the interview
competition with Sabota.

Davis, 19, took away a $350 scholarship, a trophy and flowers.

She noted that pageants get a bad rap from some, but they've helped
make her a better person all around.

"I've done pageants since I was younger and I've always felt that it
helped me develop a poise and a presence that I continually would
have lacked otherwise," Davis said. "I'm very active in community
theater, and I do a lot of public speaking at school. I'm sure my
interviewing skills would not be nearly what they are.

"I've interviewed for intern positions and summer jobs and things
like that, where people have said, You're so comfortable in your own
skin. Where did you develop a poise at 19 years old?' I'm completely
aware that it came from pageantry. In actuality, pageantry helped me
to discover my passion (in theater)."

Taking the second runnerup $200 scholarship was Vineland's Meaghan
McGoldrick, 21, who jazz-danced her talent to a snappy beat with the
music "Since You've Been Gone."

All That Dance's Exquisite Dance Company girls entertained during
breaks with colorful and tropical attire and hula dances to songs
like "Surfin' Safari" and "The Hukilau."

Sabota had mixed feelings about the Miss America pageant's move to
Las Vegas.

"I really liked having it here in Atlantic City, and I thought that
was nice. It was closer to home," she said.

However, she said she preferred the organization's original idea of
moving the pageant from state to state.

"I think that it should be a different state each year, because I
think that each girl should have a chance to have it in her own
state," Sabota added.

Davis also wished it remained nearby.

"I would love for it to be here because it would be so much more
convenient to go and to learn from the girls who are there and to
keep your eyes peeled for what successful and what's really working
at the national level," she said.

Other prize winning contestants, taking home $50 Savings Bonds and
trophies, were Elizabeth McCann -- Community Service Award, Katie
Watkins -- Matt Mixner Congeniality Award and Danielle Musso -- Ad
Award.

It was Musso's first time in a pageant, but it was her twin sister
Dominique's idea to go for it.

"(My sister) pushed me (to do it)," Musso said. "She was like, Let
me know how it is. You do it. You go first.'

"She pushed me out there like I was the guinea pig. I hope next year
that we do it together. Now that she saw that I had a lot of fun
with it, I think she'll definitely do it.''

© 2007 Bridgeton News

[blimeyitslymie]

http://www.yorkdispatch.com/local/ci_5374423

The York Dispatch
York PA
March 7, 2007

Lyme-infected ticks hit early this year

KATHY STEVENS The York Dispatch
York Dispatch

Article Last Updated:03/07/2007 10:57:13 AM EST

Jan Klinedinst was on it.

She'd scheduled Lyme disease vaccinations for both of her 8-month-old Labradors long before the tick season supposedly begins. Lionheart, the blond retriever, and Bear, the chocolate, were to receive vaccines while she was away on vacation.

But she returned to bad news: both already were infected.

"If we have an outbreak in March, I have a feeling it's going to be a bad summer," she said, and warns York County residents to beware both for their own health and that of their pets.

While she's no expert on Lyme disease, she knows that deer ticks usually decrease in numbers during the winter. She knows the deer tick season runs from mid-spring through late fall.

Still, Klinedinst suspects the warm start to winter might have helped tick survival. But, like some health officials, she suggests that if her dogs are infected, it likely signals a problem for humans.

High numbers: According to the state Department of Health, York County is among the worst in the state when it comes to Lyme disease. In 2005, 386 county residents tested positive for the disease, which initially mimics flu symptoms such as headache and fatigue.

The number of human cases for 2006 is not yet available; state departments of health and agriculture do not track the disease in animals. Still, health department spokesman Richard McGarvey says humans should remain cautious.

Lyme disease is caused by bacteria called Borrelia burgdorferi, and if left untreated can spread to joints, the heart and nervous system. The disease is transmitted to animals and humans by infected blacklegged ticks, also known as deer ticks.

Veterinarian Erich Hoffman of Shiloh Animal Hospital said area vets have seen a marked increase in pets testing positive for the disease in the past two years. He said that's due to a ramped-up test for heartworm, which also tests for Lyme, and increased deer tick population.

"One of 10 dogs test positive for Lyme," Hoffman said. He explained that while many test positive, all do not get sick or show symptoms. Still, he said, a month hasn't passed when area vets don't find ticks -- of various types -- on dogs and cats.

Unlike for humans, there are vaccines for dogs for about $20. And dogs that have contracted the disease can be treated successfully with antibiotics. Lyme is fatal for some dogs if the disease attacks the kidneys, causing them to fail.

Hoffman advises pet owners to look for symptoms such as flu-like symptoms, joint pain and fatigue. As in humans, these symptoms are typical of Lyme.

Incubation time: While he said it's more common to see dogs with Lyme in the fall, vets still are unsure what the incubation time for the disease from bite to onset. In laboratories, that's usually three to five months.

"In the wild, we honestly don't know," he said.

As for animals signaling a bigger problem for humans, Hoffman said he's not sure.

"Dogs probably are more likely to contract ticks than (humans) are because they run through the briars," he said. "Whereas humans tend to walk on the path." But McGarvey, who lives in York County, said he takes precautions every time he is in tick-prone areas and advises fellow residents to do the same.

Deer ticks congregate in tall grass and brush, such as that found near Klinedinst's home in Lower Windsor Township.

And the ticks are minuscule, often no bigger than the head of a pin.

"Most people think they're like dog ticks, the big ones that you would feel walking on you," McGarvey said. "You can't even feel these crawl across your skin."

He advises residents to take a few minutes every time they come indoors from tick-prone areas to take five minutes for the "tick check."

Look for black dots on the skin or on the scalp; also, check for the bulls-eye shaped rash associated with the deer tick bite. Those who've been bitten are advised to see a doctor.

"It's worth five minutes to check your hair and skin," he said. "(Lyme) is treatable if it's caught early."

-- Reach Kathy Stevens at 505-5437 or kstevens@yorkdispatch.com.

****
Online comments:
Click on URL at top of page; scroll down to bottom of page; click on Comments

[blimeyitslymie]

http://www.seacoastonline.com/news/03062007/opinionletters-p-ltrs06.html

Portsmouth Herald
Portsmouth NH
February 26, 2007

<snip>
Lyme disease near epidemic

Feb. 26 -- To the Editor:

I am writing to you to let people know about a serious problem that I believe is becoming an epidemic in Maine if it isn't already: the spreading of Lyme disease.

What bothers me the most is how little is known or being done about this disease. Three people I know have been diagnosed with Lyme disease in the last year. The worst part is all three were missed diagnosed. This wasted valuable time, which is crucial at catching it in the early stages. In the later stages it can have much more devastating and irreversible damages. Keep in mind that once you do catch it you never get rid of it.

I truly believe there are many people out there that don't even know they have it. Not one of these had the so-called bull's eye rash, so if you feel something is not right or during your yearly physical, ask your doctor to do a Lyme disease blood test.

I'm not trying to scare you, but make you realize there are many thousands of us out there that don't even know we may have it. As you can see, the disease is rapidly spreading throughout the state, making me believe it is becoming an epidemic in Maine.

The state needs to take drastic measures. Call your state representatives demanding immediate action before it's too late.

Ken Aucoin

Hollis, Maine

[blimeyitslymie]

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?
db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=17295680&query_hl=
4&itool=pubmed_docsum

1: APMIS. 2007 Feb;115(2):134-41.

Propensity to excessive proinflammatory response in chronic Lyme
borreliosis.
• Kisand KE,
• Prukk T,
• Kisand KV,
• Luus SM,
• Kalbe I,
• Uibo R.

Department of Immunology, Institute of General and Molecular
Pathology, Centre of Molecular and Clinical Medicine, Tartu,
Estonia. Kai.Kisand@ut.ee

The clinical course of Lyme borreliosis is extremely variable.
However, all the clinical manifestations, acute or chronic, are
characterized by strong inflammation. Borrelia burgdorferi can
induce the production of several proinflammatory and anti-
inflammatory cytokines. The aim of our study was to find out whether
the balance between inflammatory and regulatory mechanisms is
important in determining the course of Lyme borreliosis. 13 patients
with early Lyme borreliosis, 8 patients with chronic Lyme disease
with neurological or joint manifestations, and 15 age- and sex-
matched healthy controls were studied. Chronic forms of Lyme
borreliosis were characterized by stronger TNF-alpha response by
monocytes to lipopolysaccharide as well as to borrelia antigen
compared to early Lyme borreliosis and the healthy state. The
percentage of IL-10-secreting monocytes in response to borrelia
lysate was lower in the Lyme borreliosis patients than in healthy
controls. The percentage of CD4(+) CTLA-4(+) regulatory T cells
showed the highest values in early Lyme borreliosis. We conclude
that chronic forms of Lyme borreliosis can evolve due to an aberrant
innate proinflammatory response.

PMID: 17295680 [PubMed - in process]

[blimeyitslymie]

http://www.lymeinducedautism.com/seminarregistration.html

Lyme Induced Autism Foundation Presents.....

The Lyme-Autism Connection Conference and Physician's Round-Table
Physicians from across the country are invited to learn about lyme
disease and it's impact on our children. Hundreds, if not
thousands of children have been diagnosed with Lyme Disease and
Autism. It's time to bring the experts from each of these areas
together to find answers for our kids. Please join us and learn
about proper testing, diagnosis, the unique needs of an autistic
child and participate in the physicians roundtable to search for the
best treatments. This conference is appropriate for parents of
children diagnosed with autism, lyme disease , add/adhd, asperger's
syndrome or adults with lyme disease. Agenda and list of speakers
will be posted soon, so keep checking back.

When: Saturday, June 23rd & Sunday June 24th, 2007

Where: Hyatt Regency Hotel in Irvine, California

Early Bird Registration: Register by May 30th - $150
Late Registration: Register after May 30th - $175

Parents: we are looking for volunteers for this event, if you are
interested in volunteering, please e-mail:
Tamiduncan@lymeinducedautism.com

RoseNote: There is much more information on this event. Please click on
URL at top of page to view.

[blimeyitslymie]

"For a long time, clinical studies of diseases and conditions
affecting both men and women were carried out almost entirely on
men. One reason for this is that it was assumed that differences in
the health of men and women were largely restricted to their
reproductive systems. The other main reason for excluding women from
clinical trials was the entirely laudable desire to protect unborn
children."
=====

http://cordis.europa.eu/fetch?
CALLER=EN_NEWS&ACTION=D&SESSION=&RCN=27270

Cordis News
Europe

Exclusion from clinical trials harming women's health

[Date: 2007-03-08]
Women are still largely under-represented in clinical trials in
Europe, and there is a growing body of evidence showing that this is
having a detrimental effect upon their healthcare.

For a long time, clinical studies of diseases and conditions
affecting both men and women were carried out almost entirely on
men. One reason for this is that it was assumed that differences in
the health of men and women were largely restricted to their
reproductive systems. The other main reason for excluding women from
clinical trials was the entirely laudable desire to protect unborn
children.

However, in the late 1980s and early 1990s, researchers began to
realise that in fact there were many differences between men and
women which caused a wide range of diseases to run differently in
the sexes, or the body to respond to drugs in a different way. Some
of these differences can be attributed to the social differences
between men and women; as they often do different jobs and perform
different tasks, they are exposed to different disease risk factors.
Other differences are biological, resulting from genetic, hormonal
and metabolic differences.

One example of a disease which behaves differently in men and women
is Lyme disease, which is transmitted by ticks and if not treated
quickly can have severe consequences on the central nervous system.
A doctor in Sweden noticed that women over 40 were being diagnosed
with the disease later than men. One of the most important signs of
the disease is a red ring on the skin, but after the menopause,
women did not show this classical symptom, displaying instead a red
spot. Immunological tests revealed that the reaction to infection
with Lyme disease is related to hormones.

Medicines can also behave differently in men and women. The drug
digoxin was designed to help heart failure patients by helping their
hearts pump better. The trials were carried out on a group which was
80% male, and the results showed that although the drug did not
prolong life, patients taking the drug had fewer hospitalisations.
On the basis of this, guidelines in both Europe and the US
recommended that the drug be given to improve quality of life.

Some years later, researchers carried out a post-hoc analysis which
looked at the results separately for men and women. They found that
while men taking digoxin did better than those on a placebo, women
taking digoxin died earlier than those taking a placebo. However,
because they made up such a small proportion of the initial study
group, this effect had not been picked up.

This difference could be due to the fact that while men tend to
develop heart disease after a heart attack, heart disease in women
is more often brought on by diabetes or hypertension, and these
conditions may affect the heart in different ways.

These examples show how women's health is being seriously
compromised by their ongoing exclusion from clinical trials. Dr
Clara Moerman of the University of Amsterdam believes the issue is
one of justice.

'Everyone in society has the right to receive good quality
healthcare,' she says emphatically. 'You have to have knowledge to
do this and you have to do research which takes this into account.'
She also points out that including both sexes in research is good
scientific practice. 'If you exclude women, this means you don't
generate knowledge on them,' she notes. 'If there are differences,
these should be interesting for researchers.'

And while it is perfectly legitimate to want to protect the unborn
child, Dr Moerman points that not all women of childbearing age are
planning to get pregnant, and furthermore those running trials can
ask female participants to use birth control for the duration of the
study. 'This is a barrier which can usually be overcome!' she says.

In the US, legislation has been in place since 1993 which requires
clinical studies funded by the National Institutes of Health to
include men and women as well as people from ethnic minorities in
their study populations. A year ago the rules were broadened to
include all NIH-funded health research. Effectively these rules
enshrine the right of every citizen to participate in research and
share in the benefits and risks it brings.

In the EU, the Commission works to promote gender balance in
research on the one hand, but questions of ethics often refer back
to the Helsinki Declaration, which focuses on protecting people
taking part in research. 'What is missing is the issue of justice
and fairness to all people in society,' said Dr Joke Haafkens, also
of the University of Amsterdam.

Dr Moerman and Dr Haafkens recently led an EU-funded study
investigating whether Research Ethics Committees (RECs) in five EU
Member States paid attention to gender equality when evaluating
trial protocols. They found that none of the committees studied had
formal requirements to include experts on sex and gender issues on
their panels. 'An evaluation of equitable inclusion of women and men
in studies is required neither in regulations nor in tools
supporting ethical assessment procedures,' they write. 'This is also
true for gender-specific analysis of risks and benefits associated
with study participation.'

However, it is not enough to just include women in research. As the
digoxin example shows, scientists also need to present their results
in such a way that differences between men and women can be
analysed. In a recent paper, Spanish researchers Maria Teresa Ruiz
Cantero and Maria Angeles Pardo point out that trials of the
osteoarthritis drug Vioxx included more women than men. However, 80%
of the trials did not describe the efficacy of the drug by sex, and
only one study reported side effects by sex. 'In this respect, it is
noteworthy that 78% of the side effects reported to Vioxx in Spain
occurred in women,' they write.

This is also a problem in America; a recent study found that three
quarters of clinical cardiovascular trials published in the top
journals in the field failed to provide a sex-based analysis of
their results, although trials funded by the NIH were more likely to
provide this information than other trials.

'Heart disease is the number one threat to a woman's health and we
need to be able to tell women whether the diagnostic tests we order
are accurate and how treatments will effect them, but today we don't
have enough data specific to women,' says Sharonne Hayes of Mayo
Clinic's Women Heart Clinic.

Solving this problem requires action from many stakeholders,
including the EU. 'In our opinion, the EU Directive on clinical
research should also include provisions to enhance gender equality
in ethical review of clinical research - both by encouraging
equitable representation of men and women in RECs and by demanding
that protocol evaluation should be more sensitive to gender-specific
health needs and other possible sex and gender-specific
differences,' Moerman and Haafkens write in their paper. They also
recommend that DG Research initiate a debate among
stakeholders 'against the background of the need for equitable
inclusion and equitable distribution of benefits and risks
associated with study participation.'

Meanwhile the Spanish paper calls for greater input from the
European Medicines Agency (EMEA), which, it states, has not
developed gender specific guidelines or strategies. 'The EMEA should
provide a regulatory clout to ensure safety and effectiveness for
the women who use the drugs,' they write.

Action is also need from journals. 'A change by the NIH and other
sources of funding to encourage sex-specific research is just the
beginning,' says Dr Mary Norine Walsh of The Care Group in
Indianapolis, one of the authors of the American heart study. 'More
sustained change will occur when those planning large clinical
trials include enrolment of enough women to allow for pre-specified
end-point analysis, and when journal editors and reviewers uniformly
require such analysis.'

Doctors also need to be sensitised to these issues, and this should
start in medical school. According to Dr Haafkens, Dutch medical
schools have recently started to place more emphasis on these issues
in their courses.

Patients also have a role to play. 'When a physician recommends a
certain treatment or test to a woman, she should ask, 'Were women
included in the research?',' says Dr Hayes. 'When I tell a
patient, 'You need this medication or test or procedure,' I should
be able to say, 'This has been tested in women.' In many cases now,
I cannot say that. But I think those questions from women can drive
our behaviour and push us to make sure future research is more
applicable to them.'
Category: Miscellaneous
Data Source Provider: CORDIS News interviews and press sources
Document Reference: Based on information from CORDIS News interviews
and press sources
Programme or Service Acronym: FP7-HEALTH, FP7-SIS
Subject Index: Medicine, Health; Policies; Safety; Social Aspects
RCN: 27270

[blimeyitslymie]

http://members.forbes.com/forbes/2007/0326/022.html

Forbes
Readers Say
03.26.07

Ticked Off

"Lyme Inc." (Mar. 12) unfairly linked my investigation into the
Infectious Diseases Society of America's (IDSA) Lyme disease
guidelines to disciplinary proceedings against a small group of Lyme
disease specialists. These cases played no role in my decision to
launch this investigation. Your implication that the true purpose of
my investigation is to shield doctors from sanction was untrue and
irresponsible.

My investigation seeks to assure that all scientific and medical facts
were and are considered in their formulation. My office launched the
investigation after receiving complaints from medical experts and
patients alleging that the IDSA excluded or ignored certain
information, resulting in flawed guidelines. I have a legal obligation
to investigate these serious allegations, including possible antitrust
violations that would arise if insurers or others improperly
influenced the process by excluding competing views and information
for their economic benefit. Lyme disease is a persistent and prevalent
medical problem in Connecticut. My office has a duty to ensure that
the thousands of state residents stricken with this sometimes
crippling disease receive the most medically effective treatment.

Richard Blumenthal
Connecticut Attorney General
Hartford, Conn.

***
Letters:
readers@forbes.com

[blimeyitslymie]

"Lately she's been painting something more personal — cells and blood
and the microbe associated with Lyme Disease, the disease that's been
making her sick lately."
=====

http://www.telluridegateway.com/articles/2007/03/08/news/news04.txt

Telluride Daily Planet (CO)
Published: Wednesday, March 7, 2007 7:12 PM CST

Valley Cows cartoonist finds art on a cellular level
Judy Kohin shows her range; opening reception 5 p.m. today at Ah Haa

By Reilly Capps

All art is personal. Even propaganda murals in North Korea have at
least a fleck of the artist's personality.

But despite appearances, Judy Kohin isn't sure how personal her art is.

She's known for her relationship to cows, especially to the Valley
Cows, which she paints and draws for cartoons, T-shirts and post cards.

Lately she's been painting something more personal — cells and blood
and the microbe associated with Lyme Disease, the disease that's been
making her sick lately.

But she doesn't want to overstate her relationship with the little
bacteria.

"I'm just expressing myself and these are the images that came out,"
Kohin said. "It's not like I'm doing this to feel better about my
illness."

These paintings, along with collages, sculptures, and, of course,
paintings of cows, will go on display at the Ah Haa's Silver Bell
Gallery. The show opens with a reception today from 5 to 7 p.m.

The show is called "Udders and Others." (In a Brooklyn accent, Udders
and Others are pronounced the same.)

Though the cartoons she publishes in the newspaper are simplified,
anthropomorphic stick figures, the cows she painted with oil on canvas
are full of lush color and depth. There are also more abstract,
vibrant, fauvist cows. And there are sketches of cows where you almost
feel like you can feel their emotion. And there are udders, painted
up-close and in bold strokes.

But, like the title of the show says, there are udders but there are
also udders … uh, others. These include large mixed-media collages.
One has these words: "My heart feels so damn huge … Why doesn't anyone
else notice?"

Some of her newer work, which includes the little microbe figures, are
encaustic. Encaustic, says the dictionary, is a work of art formed by
adding layers of colored wax. This gives the pieces a real depth and
vibrancy.

Her art has flourished lately partly because she's had more time to
develop it. She ran the Ah Haa school for 15 years and didn't get much
time in the studio. After she continued to struggle with the effects
of Lyme Disease — which is carried by ticks and which she contracted
in 2004 — she decided to resign that position to take care of her
health. This has given her time to pursue her own artistic interests
and explore new horizons.

She had been doing research on her ailment and those cell-like images
have been dancing through her head. They inevitably ended up in her art.

"Art is created from your thoughts," she said, "and in a lot of my
thoughts, I'm imagining on a very minute level what's going on inside
my body, with my body fighting off this disease."

It would be easy to say that the art has been a coping mechanism for
her. But she thinks it might just be the visuals she happened to have
in her head at the time she was making the art.

"I think I'm finally moving away from the cows and moving on to
something new," she said. "I don't really know where it'll take me."

The show runs through April 7.

***
Letters to the Editor:
editor@telluridenews.com

[blimeyitslymie]

Portland Press Herald
Portland ME
March 9, 2007

Maine rock 'n' roll icon Bill Chinnock dies at 59

By DAVID HENCH, Staff Writer

Bill Chinnock, a lifelong rock 'n' roller who was an icon of the
Maine music scene, died Wednesday at his home in Yarmouth at age 59.

Chinnock's high-energy rock and passionate blues spanned five
decades. He cut his teeth as a performer on the Jersey shore with
the likes of Bruce Springsteen and Southside Johnny and the Asbury
Jukes, played the club scene in New York City and created country
albums in Nashville. But he remained devoted to his adopted state of
Maine.

"Truthfully, he was one of the best singers I've ever played with,
just a great voice," said John Kumnick, a Kennebunk bass player who
joined Chinnock's band in New York City in 1982 and played with him
on and off since then. "He knew how to connect with people."

Chinnock started playing clubs in Maine in the early 1970s and moved
here full time in 1974. His shows drew throngs of dedicated fans and
won respect from critics for their energy, showcasing his musical
and songwriting talents.

One reviewer said Chinnock was "all energy. When he wails the blues,
he does it with the conviction of a lifelong indigent."

In recent years Chinnock struggled with Lyme disease, a chronic
condition that ultimately attacked his immune system and left him in
severe pain. He took his own life Wednesday, friends said.

Chinnock was a self-taught innovator who, besides mastering the
guitar and the harmonica, also made films and dabbled in computer
graphics. He had his own studio and also worked as a producer.

His sister, Caroline Payne of Yarmouth, recalled an older brother
who used to playfully give her noogies and who took care of their
parents as they aged.

"He was such an incredibly talented person, and a great brother, a
beautiful brother," she said. "He was a funny, wonderful,
entertaining guy."

She remembers growing up in the Jersey shore music scene when
Springsteen used to be the opening act for her brother's band. It
was a heady time. The band practiced in the basement while her
mother cooked up plates of food for the musicians.

Eventually, Chinnock left his band and his place was taken by
Springsteen. The band went on to superstardom as Bruce Springsteen
and the E Street Band.

Payne said her brother was never envious of the band's record-
breaking success.

"I never saw him have any of that," she said. "I never saw any
frustration in him, any jealousy like that. He thought Bruce
Springsteen was phenomenal."

What was unfortunate, she said, was that her brother's music would
sometimes be described as a Springsteen imitation, even though he
was genuine and original.

"He was a tough taskmaster," said Steve Fazio, a sax player who was
with Chinnock when he signed briefly with Atlantic Records in
1980. "He had this perfectionist streak in him, which is probably
why didn't make it nationally real big. He stuck to his soul. He
didn't sell out and get glitzy like the record companies wanted."

But he had the pipes, Fazio recalled.

"He was filling in for Michael McDonald with the Doobie Brothers
when Michael couldn't make it," Fazio said.

Chinnock was not confined to a given musical style, playing blues,
boogie, rock and country.

"I thought his best was blues, but he was very versatile," his
sister said.

Chinnock married into one of the seminal country music families in
Maine when he married Dick Curless' daughter, Terry.

The couple have been estranged for months, but Chinnock was close to
the elder Curless and they often played together.

"He was a real inspiration to my brother," Caroline Payne said.

Chinnock, who also had a home and studio in Fairfield, came down
with Lyme disease eight years ago, she said.

"It just took a bad course for him, branched into other areas and it
really took him," she said. "I think he suffered a lot of pain. It
affected his nerves."

Despite the pain, he continued playing throughout his struggle with
the disease. "He fought a courageous battle," his sister said.

Their mother, who had lived with Chinnock and with whom he was very
close, died about 10 days ago.

Kumnick said he talked to Chinnock last week. Chinnock complained of
pain, and he wasn't one to complain.

"Physically, I always thought he was very strong, and he had a
tremendous amount of energy. Lyme changed that. It became a very
pervasive thing in his life the last six or seven years," Kumnick
said.

The nature of his friend's death is puzzling, he said.

"It really seemed the opposite of the Bill that I know," he said. "I
don't know if 'indomitable' is the word, but he was always up,
always energetic, always doing something."

Chinnock's wife also suffered from a milder form of the condition
years ago, but she recovered.

Chinnock made 13 albums and in 1987 won an Emmy for his
song, "Somewhere in the Night." A duet he later recorded with
Roberta Flack became a theme song for the soap opera "Guiding Light."

His albums include "Blues," "Badlands," "Alive at the Loft," "Dime
Store Heroes," "Livin' in the Promised Land" and "Out on the
Borderline."

In addition to performing at venues in Maine and around the country,
Chinnock wrote music for films and television.

Chinnock is survived by his 9-year-old son William in Bangor and his
32-year-old son John, who lives in New Jersey and plays rhythm
guitar.

Staff Writer David Hench can be contacted at 791-6327 or at:

dhench@pressherald.com

View reader comments at
http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/news/state/070309chinnock.html#begi
n
or go to URL at top of article and scroll down to end.

[blimeyitslymie]

Two more articles about Chinnock

****

http://www.sunjournal.com/story/202468-
3/LewistonAuburn/Legend_of_North_Country_Bill_Chinnock_dies_at_59/

Sun Journal, ME

'Legend of North Country' Bill Chinnock dies at 59

By Emily Burnham , Bangor Daily News staff
Friday, March 9, 2007

YARMOUTH - Bill Chinnock, a songwriter, guitarist, Emmy-award-
winning composer and longtime Maine resident, died Thursday. He was
59.

Chinnock had been suffering from Lyme disease, and police said they
were called to his home by his live-in caregiver. Lt. Dean Perry
would not comment on the cause of death but said, "It is not of a
suspicious nature."

Chinnock's manager, Paul Pappas, told WCSH-TV, Portland, that he had
committed suicide.

"He fought a hard battle with his disease," said Chinnock's sister,
Caroline Payne of Yarmouth.

Chinnock was born and raised in Newark, N.J., and as a young
musician became involved in the Asbury Park music scene that
fostered stars such as Bruce Springsteen and Southside Johnny and
the Asbury Jukes. Chinnock regularly performed in the same
nightclubs as Springsteen, and several of his former band mates
later became part of Springsteen's E Street Band.

Legendary Columbia Records producer John Hammond Sr. took Chinnock
under his wing, and encouraged him to get away from New Jersey and
to focus on his songwriting and guitar playing. At the age of 20,
Chinnock moved to Maine, where he remained for most of the rest of
his life.

Chinnock released 10 albums over the course of 30 years, from the
hard-edged R&B of 1978's "Badlands," released on Atlantic Records,
to the rootsy, more blues-influenced sound of his most recent
release, 2002's "Livin' In the Promised Land."

Chinnock toured and performed with the likes of Albert King, John
Lee Hooker and the Doobie Brothers during his long career.

Until recent years, Chinnock was a fixture on the Maine music scene,
performing throughout the state in venues as small as the now-
defunct Ram's Horn at the University of Maine, to ones as large as
the Bangor Auditorium and Merrill Auditorium in Portland, as well as
the Bangor State Fair. His devotion to the Maine music scene earned
him the nickname "The Legend of the North Country."

In the mid-1990s Chinnock formed The Artist Group, a business
devoted to filmmaking, graphic design, computer animation, Web site
design and music composition.

He also was a prolific composer for film and television, and
received an Emmy Award in 1987 for Musical Direction and Composition
for his song "Somewhere in the Night." He was nominated for a
composing Emmy again the following year, and in 1992 recorded a duet
with Roberta Flack that became a theme song for the soap
opera "Guiding Light."

In addition to composing for film, Chinnock directed several
features, including "Forgotten Maine," a documentary that explored
Maine's changing face in a corporate world, and a documentary
profile of the Cianbro construction company.

Chinnock is survived by his wife, Terry, and sons William and John.
Funeral arrangements have not yet been announced.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.


http://www.upstagemagazine.com/articles/getarticle-new.php?
ID=4787&wherefrom=mainpage

Upstage Magazine
March 8, 2007

Bill Chinnock Passes Away at Age 59

(MARCH 8, 2007) -- The Associated Press has reported that Bill
Chinnock passed away yesterday in his home. Bill was one of the
founding members of the Asbury Park rock and roll scene and went on
to become one of the biggest artists in Maine. Upstage Magazine has
set up a tribute to Bill on our AsburyMusic.com website and we're
seeking any photos or comments from fans for a future article.

The tribute is located at http://www.asburymusic.com/billchinnock -
fans and friends of Chinnock may post comments or memories about him
there.

Chinnock was a native of Newark, New Jersey and had bands featuring
many musicians who would go on to play in the E Street Band with
Bruce Springsteen. He moved to Maine in the seventies and recorded
13 albums. Career highlights include winning an Emmy for the
song "Somewhere in the Night" and recording a duet with Roberta
Flack which became a theme song for "Guiding Light" soap opera.

Bill had been suffering from Lyme Disease. His manager, Paul Pappas,
told a tv station in Portland, Maine that the disease led to him
ultimately committing suicide. It was the second time he had been
afflicted with the disease. He was 59 years old.

[blimeyitslymie]

http://www.lymediseaseassociation.org/NewsReleases/20070309.html

March 9, 2007
National Contact Pat Smith
888-366-6611
Lymeliter@aol.com
www.LymeDiseaseAssociation.org (pictures available)

PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

National Lyme Disease Association President Addresses Maryland House
of Delegates Rural Caucus
Focus on research and help for Maryland patients who cannot get
diagnosed & treated

Annapolis, March 9—In a presentation before the Maryland House Rural
Caucus, 40 delegates heard the President of the national Lyme
Disease Association (LDA) provide an overview of Lyme disease, types
of research being carried out on the disease in Maryland, and
examples of why Maryland patients often cannot get diagnosed or
treated.

According to LDA President Pat Smith, whose organization has
affiliated groups in Maryland, cases here have drastically
increased, and Maryland is now "7th in total case numbers in 2005
(1235) and 9th in rate of incidence (22.1/100,000 pop.). The Centers
for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) states that only 10% of cases
that meet its narrow surveillance criteria are reported, therefore
about 12,350 new cases of Lyme disease occurred in Maryland in 2005.
That number does NOT, in any way, count the number of people
contracting Lyme who do not meet the CDC criteria, which are for
surveillance, not diagnostic, purposes." She expressed grave
concern for the risk to children, since CDC statistics indicate Lyme
is most common in boys ages 5-19 and combined boys & girls, ages 5-9.

Throughout her presentation, Ms. Smith mentioned spreading tick
populations, new strains of the bacteria that cause Lyme and new
organisms being carried by ticks. The LDA has funded research
mapping the genome of different strains of the Lyme disease
bacterium, the mapping carried out by The Institute for Genomic
Research, TIGR, in Rockville. The research has shown that different
strains can mix their genetic material, giving the bacteria better
survival characteristics.

LDA has also funded a joint NASA/NIH research project taking place
at the National Institutes of Health which is looking at the
bacterium found in a much more aggressive tick which is expanding
its range--traditionally a southern one, and now as far north as
Massachusetts and Maine. The lone star tick carries a bacterium
similar to the one which cases Lyme disease but it produces a Lyme-
like disease called STARI (Southern tick-associated rash illness)
which is found in Maryland patients.

The LDA and the Army have been sharing tick research information,
and she informed the delegates about work from US Army CHPPM,
Aberdeen Proving Grounds, which has developed a laptop sized device
which can test ticks in the field for any known pathogen so that
troops could eventually be able to receive immediate treatment for
tick-bites in the field. This research needs to be brought into the
civilian arena, she told the Army on her visit there.

Unfortunately, the government is not focusing enough monies on the
disease, $32.6 million in 2005 compared to West Nile Virus at $80.8
million. Therefore, LDA and its allied organizations support the
passage of HR 741, introduced into the US House of Representatives
in January 2007. Six of 8 Maryland Congressman are already co-
sponsors of the Smith/Stupak bill, which provides $100 million over
5 years for research, prevention, physician education and formation
of a federal task force.

LDA and four congressmen including Wayne Gilchrest (MD-1) met with
CDC Director Dr. Julie Gerberding in July of 2006 to discuss the
lack of focus on the disease and policies which affect diagnosis and
treatment of patients. The CDC and LA have had continued dialogue on
this issue.

Ms. Smith made the delegates aware of the investigation initiated by
Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal. This action has
been taken against the Infectious Diseases Society of America who
recently released guidelines that recommend against doctor
discretion and against all forms of treatment for chronic Lyme
disease. The restrictive guidelines are causing insurance companies
to cut off patients and causing some doctors not to treat chronic
Lyme disease, a debilitating condition which can attack the joints,
muscles, heart, and the brain

LDA and Time for Lyme, its Connecticut affiliate, are preparing to
announce the opening of the first endowed chronic Lyme disease
research center at Columbia University in New York in the Spring of
2007. "All patients can benefit from a major institution focusing on
chronic Lyme disease research," says LDA President. "If government
won't provide the focus, patients will," she added.

Last Modified:

Check out LymeInfo's VERY informative website:
http://www.lymeinfo.net

[blimeyitslymie]

"Although Lyme disease was first diagnosed more than 30 years years
ago, much about the illness remains a mystery. Claims are made and
rumors are spread as people cope."
==========

http://www.sunjournal.com/story/203797-
3/MaineNews/Lyme_remains_a_mystery/

The Sun-Journal
Lewiston ME
March 18, 2007

Lyme remains a mystery

By Lindsay Tice , Staff Writer
Sunday, March 18, 2007

A blood test will detect it.

A blood test won't always detect it.

It can be cleared up with antibiotics.

Antibiotics don't always cure it.

Everyone already has it, but they don't know it yet.

Everyone doesn't have it, but it's underreported.

Although Lyme disease was first diagnosed more than 30 years years
ago, much about the illness remains a mystery. Claims are made and
rumors are spread as people cope.

How is it diagnosed? What's the best treatment? How long can Lyme
linger?

The answers are controversial.

The Infectious Disease Society of America has told doctors that Lyme
must be diagnosed by a rash or blood test. It claims that Lyme is
easily treated by a round of antibiotics and that chronic Lyme may
not really exist.

Many Lyme experts, patients and advocacy groups have cried foul,
claiming exactly the opposite is true. They say that not every Lyme
patient comes down with a rash and that the two blood tests
available are not accurate enough to reliably catch Lyme. They say
it often takes more than one round of antibiotics or alternative
therapies to cure disease. And they tell horror stories of sufferers
who were not treated early enough and who retain symptoms - pain,
fatigue, and confusion - for years.

"It takes me an hour to fold the laundry. There are some days I
can't even do that," said Gail Richard of Livermore Falls, who's
been dealing with Lyme since 2000. "Sometimes I'll be talking to my
husband and forget the names of things in the house. Like the
dishwasher."

Advocacy groups have called for the society to retract its
guidelines. They say insurance companies have begun to use them as a
reason to deny treatment.

Richard's insurance refused to pay for more than 30 days of
antibiotics, she said, even though her doctor requested at least 90
days. It's refused to pay for some medications and refused full
doses of others. She's paid for a lot of it herself, spending about
$3,000 not including deductibles.

"They say I should have been cured with the first round of
antibiotics," she said. "They say we don't exist."

Even a basic question - How many people have Lyme? - is up for
debate.

Some Lyme patients believe that almost everyone has the disease,
though symptoms only appear in certain people. Others don't go that
far, but do believe Lyme is drastically under-reported and that
people diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease, fibromyalgia or other
illnesses actually have Lyme.

The National Centers for Disease control says just over 23,300 new
cases were reported in 2005, nearly 250 of them in Maine. But even
government agencies aren't really sure how many Lyme patients are
actually out there.

"We would definitely assume that Lyme disease is definitely under-
reported," said Geoff Beckett, epidemiologist with the Maine CDC.

****
Letters to the Editor (online form):
http://www.sunjournal.com/contact/lettertoeditor.php

[blimeyitslymie]

http://www.lymediseaseassociation.org/

AVAILABLE NOW! Time for Lyme Curriculum for Schools

In a cooperative effort between Time for Lyme, Inc.(TFL) and school administrators, TFL created a tick-borne diseases curriculum with age-appropriate goals, activities, and measurable guidelines—one that includes tick awareness, prevention tips, proper tick removal, and the signs and symptoms of Lyme disease. This curriculum is designed for use in elementary school (grades K and 3), middle school (grade 6), and high school (grade 9).

*

A curriculum about tick-borne diseases for grades K, 3, 6 and 9 with age appropriate goals, activities and measurable guidelines. The curriculum includes tick awareness, prevention tips, proper tick removal, and the signs and symptoms of Lyme disease. The curriculum is designed for use in elementary school (grades K and 3), middle school (grade 6) and high school (grade 9). The K and 3rd grade programs focus on what ticks look like, where they live, and what to do if you find a tick with activities designed to ensure understanding of the program. The 6th grade program introduces more sophisticated concepts of prevention that is also delivered in a 22 minute DVD. The ninth grade program adds a discussion of the psychological, emotional and social ramifications of Lyme disease, best described in the words of the high school students through a 20-minute DVD, specifically designed to address this complex issue. Our hope is that education will prevent Lyme disease in those
who are well, and promote empathy, understanding and compassion for those who are struggling to overcome their illness.

In addition to the curriculum (including the 6th and 9th grade DVD’s, the packet also includes:

I. Tick Removal Kit- A complete tick removal kit including fine point tweezers with attached magnifier in a travel case, designed in collaboration with the American Red Cross and the Greenwich Department of Health.

II. Nurses Information Packet- A general packet of information about Lyme disease symptoms as well as a protocol that can be used in schools to help identify students at risk for Lyme disease.

[blimeyitslymie]

"But a delegation of experts say they want to know why Blumenthal
keeps butting in on what they see as the wrong side of that debate -
and they want him to stop."

RoseNote: The term "experts" relates to the researchers who have
aligned themselves with the infectious disease society's guidelines,
not those of Lyme-treating physicians, Lyme advocates, and ILADS..

Letters to the editor are highly encouraged. See end of article for
email address.
======

http://www.courant. com/news/ health/hc- lymewars0321. artmar21,
0,1090157. story?coll= hc-headlines- health

The Hartford Courant
Hartford CT
March 21, 2007

Lyme Disease Experts: Butt Out, Blumenthal

By WILLIAM HATHAWAY
And HILARY WALDMAN Courant Staff Writers

March 21 2007

Attorney General Richard Blumenthal has long been a prominent
fixture in the impassioned debate over how best to treat Lyme
disease.

But a delegation of experts say they want to know why Blumenthal
keeps butting in on what they see as the wrong side of that debate -
and they want him to stop.

The researchers, from Yale University and the University of
Connecticut, are meeting with Blumenthal today in a bid to convince
him that he has been misled by advocates who argue that treatment
with long-term antibiotics can alleviate the possibly debilitating
symptoms associated with the tick-borne disease.

The scientists hold the more mainstream view that the benefits of
attacking Lyme with months and months of antibiotics have never been
proven - and could be dangerous. They see Lyme as a bacterial
infection that can be simply diagnosed and, in most cases, easily
treated with a three-to-four-week course of antibiotics.

"To have good science questioned by the attorney general is very
disturbing," said Durland Fish, a professor of epidemiology at Yale
University.

The latest round in the battle was touched off in November when
Blumenthal acknowledged that he had launched an antitrust
investigation into the Infectious Diseases Society of America's
development of treatment guidelines for Lyme disease.

The guidelines say in most cases a 30-day course of oral antibiotics
should be sufficient to cure the disease.

Advocates on the other side of the debate argue that researchers
have ignored evidence that Lyme disease can persist for years and
require treatment with antibiotics for six months or longer.

Although treatment standards for most illnesses are developed by
experts in the field, Blumenthal argued that the process used by the
infectious disease society to develop its guidelines was anti-
competitive and may have excluded valid scientific research.

Blumenthal said his investigation has uncovered "conflicts of
interest that are credible and powerful."

For instance, the chairman of the infectious diseases panel that
developed the guidelines, Gary P. Wormser, of the division of
infectious diseases at New York Medical College in Valhalla, has
received consulting fees from Baxter, a company that is developing a
Lyme disease vaccine.

It is possible that Baxter might benefit from the new guidelines,
Blumenthal said.

Wormser's relationship with Baxter is disclosed in a journal article
outlining the guidelines, as are other potential conflicts of
interest of panel members involving consulting fees, patent rights
and involvement with existing businesses.

Blumenthal said he is concerned the guidelines could prompt
insurance companies to deny payment for long-term antibiotic
treatment - a therapy some doctors and patients insist is the only
way to help people with intractable Lyme-like symptoms.

The attorney general's position on the issue has put him at odds
with people like Fish, one of the authors of the infectious disease
society's guidelines, and Dr. Lawrence Zemel, professor of
pediatrics at the University of Connecticut and chief of the
rheumatology division at the Connecticut Children's Medical Center.

They believe the indiscriminate use of antibiotics can harm patients.

They also note that some doctors make a lot of money prescribing
dangerous, long-term antibiotic treatments costing $50,000 or more
to desperate patients with no valid evidence that they have Lyme.

The meeting "is really to educate [Blumenthal] about what's science
and what is non-science," Zemel said. "Frankly, what Mr. Blumenthal
is basing this on is non-science."

Blumenthal counters that he is not questioning the guidelines or
advocating any medical position. He said he is only investigating
whether the researchers who drafted the guidelines excluded
scientific evidence that might support long-term antibiotic use to
treat Lyme.

"I am not qualified to make scientific judgments," Blumenthal
said. "I am only interested in the process."

But Fish and Zemel say that, for nearly a decade, Blumenthal has
encouraged the perception that he favors the "long-term Lyme" camp
by appearing at charity fundraising events or rallies organized by
advocates who believe Lyme disease often becomes a chronic disease.

Blumenthal "is a hero to the Lyme community," said Diane Blanchard,
co-president of Greenwich-based Time for Lyme. "You cannot continue
to ignore an entire population of sick people. What are you going to
do? Leave patients suffering?"

In 2005, Blumenthal presented an award to New Haven Dr. Charles Ray
Jones, who later became the subject of a state disciplinary hearing
for allegedly prescribing antibiotics to a child in Nevada without
seeing the patient.

Jones has received an outpouring of national support from Lyme
disease groups because of his willingness to treat patients
suspected of having chronic Lyme with long-term antibiotics.

"Is there a perception that I am advocating a position? Yes,"
Blumenthal acknowledged. But he insisted the perception is incorrect.

Although Blumenthal says he has taken no position on Jones'
disciplinary battle, national publicity about the hearing and his
own antitrust investigation have fanned the flames. The Lyme debate
has been raging almost since the very first tick-borne spirochete
was identified in1983 as the culprit in a rash of arthritis cases in
Lyme, Conn., in the 1970s.

There is broad agreement on this much: Most infections of Borrelia
burgdorfi, the bacterium that causes Lyme, can be easily cleared up
with relatively short courses of antibiotics if treated early after
infection.

But after that, common ground is difficult to find.

The long-term Lyme camp believes that the infection can survive
early antibiotic treatments and at low, sometimes undetectable
levels, cause a host of persistent and debilitating symptoms
collectively known as chronic Lyme - fatigue, muscle palsy,
arthritis and neurological and cognitive deficits.

Doctors and advocates on that side of the debate argue that standard
diagnostic tests often miss the presence of Lyme, leaving it
woefully under-diagnosed. Affected patients, they say, needlessly
suffer for years although long-term courses of antibiotics would
cure them.

They point to studies that suggest bacteria can persist after
treatment, and that additional courses of antibiotics can help and
should be covered by insurance companies.

But a majority of doctors say there is a clear lack of evidence to
support those positions.

They say most patients who have been treated for Lyme and remain ill
probably have other treatable diseases such as depression, multiple
sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis or Parkinson's.

Zemel says patients with no evidence of Lyme infection can suffer on
two fronts from long-term antibiotic use.

They may develop antibiotic resistance, and their doctors may
overlook the real cause of their illness.

Contact William Hathaway at whathaway@courant.com
Copyright 2007, Hartford Courant

****
Letters to the Editor:
letters@courant.com

[blimeyitslymie]

RoseNote: There are other interesting releases written by this
member at the end of this article. To access them, click on URL
below and scroll to bottom of page. Click on appropriate hot link.

http://www.prweb.com/releases/2007/3/prweb512323.htm

Clinical Study Tests Herbal Protocol for Effectiveness in
Treatment of Chronic Lyme Disease; Successful Protocol Interests
Doctors and Lyme Patients Seeking Alternatives to Antibiotics

Clinical trial underway to test effectiveness of specific herbal
protocol in the treatment of Lyme Disease. Herbs under scrutiny are
Samento, Cumanda and Burbur. Lyme-literate physicians and study
director discuss the protocol's success. Study interests doctors and
Lyme patients seeking successful alternatives to the use of orthodox
antibiotics.

Asheville, NC (PRWEB) March 19, 2007 -- A year-long clinical study
is underway to test the effectiveness of an herbal protocol in the
treatment of Chronic Lyme disease. Samento, Cumanda and Burbur are
under scrutiny, herbs that have long been used in South America in
the treatment of malaria and other serious diseases. Study results
are encouraging to Lyme experts and patients seeking safe
alternatives to conventional medicine.

According to the study director, pharmacist Philip Kielman of the
Netherlands, the twelve week preliminary report shows a sixty five
percent reduction in symptoms in the treatment group, and a twenty
percent reduction in symptoms in the placebo group. "I think that's
great," says Kielman, noting that conventional pharmaceutical drugs
are often approved with a treatment group success rate of only
thirty percent.

Physician and medical researcher Wm. Lee Cowden uses Samento to
treat patients diagnosed with Lyme disease, and has refined his
protocol by adding Cumanda, Burbur and other herbs. Dr. Cowden says
the herbs used in his protocol are available through Nutramedix,
which imports them directly from Peru to the US and the UK. Jean
Reist, RN, of Pennsylvania, recommends that her patients who have
been diagnosed with Lyme use Burbur to encourage lymph drainage,
which, she explains, is "critical for healing from Lyme disease." Dr
Andrew Wright of the UK, has used Samento to treat over five hundred
patients diagnosed with Chronic Lyme disease. "Samento is safe and
well-tolerated in most patients," he says.

For additional information about the use of herbal protocols in the
treatment of Lyme disease, visit http://www.lyme-disease-research-
database.com/lyme_disease_research_press.html. Access to up-to-date
news from experts on Lyme disease is available immediately.

About LDRD (http://www.lyme-disease-research-database.com):
LDRD offers two tiers of service. 1) Free basic information about
the disease for visitors to the web site, 2) Membership to the
website. Members gain access to Conversations with Experts, a unique
audio interview series in which Lyme disease experts discuss all
aspects of the illness, including diagnosis, prevention and
treatment. Private health and wellness advocates have been gathering
information on conventional and integrative approaches to heal from
Lyme disease since 2005.

###

Other Releases by this Member

Lyme Experts Discuss Alternatives to Antibiotics for Treatment of
Lyme Disease on Interview Series 2006-12-18

Healthy Survivor of Lyme Disease Discusses Successful Therapy on
Lyme Research Interview Series 2006-11-09

Naturopath Discusses the Role of Stress in Lyme Disease in Interview
Series 2006-09-25

Lyme Disease Researchers Announce Audio Interview Series with Lyme
Experts 2006-09-13

Documentary Filmmaker Discusses his New Film About Lyme as Part
of "Lyme Experts" Interview Series 2006-09-08

[blimeyitslymie]

http://www.prweb.com/releases/2007/3/prweb513070.htm

PRWeb Release
Week of March 21, 2007

LIA Foundation Hosts the First Conference Dedicated to Educating on
the Link Between Lyme disease and Autism

With autism at epidemic proportions and the new apparent linking of
Lyme disease to autism, parents need answers and ways to help their
children. The LIA Foundation is holding the first ever conference to
educate families and physician's on the proper treatment for
children with Lyme disease and autism.

Corona, CA (PRWEB) March 21, 2007 -- Doctor's are suggesting that up
to 90% of children with autism are infected with the borrelia
bacteria which is in fact the bacteria which causes Lyme disease.
With autism numbers increasing to a staggering 1 out of 150
children, it is clear that physicians and parents need to educate
themselves on how to help these children.

Parents have formed the LIA Foundation with goals focusing on
awareness, education and research. The LIA Foundation held it's
first physician's "think tank" in January, which was considered a
great success. However, it is clear that more work needs to be done.

The foundation is holding it's first conference titled "Lyme-Autism
Connection Conference" in Irvine, CA on June 22nd through the 24th.
The conference is geared for parents, practitioners and Lyme disease
patients. Co-Founder Tami Duncan states, "The Lyme-Autism Connection
conference is a fabulous opportunity to bring the most knowledgeable
of the Lyme physicians and autism physicians together to educate us
on the proper treatments available. Parents want to know how to help
their child. Our conference will bring the most cutting-edge,
updated information so that parents can do just that, help heal
their child."

The conference will consist of a very intensive program which
includes a general sessions with topics such as, chronic co-
infections in autism spectrum disorders, immunology of Lyme disease
and associated disorders, a story of recovery, nutritional and
biomedical approaches to patients with chronic infections and much
more. Also, a special physician's roundtable session in which
physician's can learn proper testing, diagnosis and treatment
methods. Duncan says, "We are absolutely pleased to announce that
the leading Pediatric Lyme Specialist in the country, Dr. Charles
Ray Jones, will be conducting the physician's training and is our
keynote speaker." Jones is a pediatrician in which children are sent
from thousands of miles away to get proper treatment of their
disease. He has treated ov