
Lyme Disease Is on the Rise Again - toymachine
https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2018/05/07/607782359/lyme-disease-is-on-the-rise-again-heres-how-to-prevent-it
======
mmjaa
I have been suffering with this for the last year. I have to say, its really a
heinous condition.

First, I didn't think much of ticks - I thought they were a nuisance, but
nothing serious. So, after I got particularly attacked one warm summer
evening, I didn't really care much for it. 3 ticks in one day - okay, not
ideal, but I wasn't going to freak (I've been stung by jellyfish, bitten by
snakes, hundreds of spider bites, the odd encounter with a wasp or two ..
Australian problems...)

But, a few days after I brushed it all off, I noticed the tell-tale signs of
the red bullseye targets .. and I did nothing. I simply was ignorant that it
could get so bad.

Three weeks later, I was feeling awful - just totally shit. I happened to
mention that I was in an area known for ticks, and my friend said "well, have
you been bitten recently?" .. I recalled the event, and they promptly sent me
straight to hospital for a blood test.

Yup, I came back positive for Borellia. 6 weeks of antibiotics, and real
hellish symptoms - lethargy like no other I've ever experienced, headaches,
lack of attention and sometimes real cognitive problems. Aches in every bone
in my body.

Take this one serious, folks. Get yourself tested within days of a tick bite.
Its really not something you want to go through, believe me ...

~~~
astura
>Get yourself tested within days of a tick bite

Lyme Disease is very serious, but this is bad advice.

[https://www.uptodate.com/contents/what-to-do-after-a-tick-
bi...](https://www.uptodate.com/contents/what-to-do-after-a-tick-bite-to-
prevent-lyme-disease-beyond-the-basics)

>There are many different types of ticks in the United States, some of which
are capable of transmitting infections. The risk of developing these
infections depends upon the geographic location, season of the year, type of
tick, and, for Lyme disease, how long the tick was attached to the skin.

> _While many people are concerned after being bitten by a tick, the risk of
> acquiring a tick-borne infection is quite low, even if the tick has been
> attached, fed, and is actually carrying an infectious agent._ Ticks transmit
> infection only after they have attached and then taken a blood meal from
> their new host. A tick that has not attached (and therefore has not yet
> become engorged from its blood meal) has not passed any infection. Since the
> deer tick that transmits Lyme disease typically feeds for >36 hours before
> transmission of the spirochete, the risk of acquiring Lyme disease from an
> observed tick bite, for example, is only 1.2 to 1.4 percent, even in an area
> where the disease is common.

>The organism that causes Lyme disease, Borrelia burgdorferi, lies dormant in
the inner aspect of the tick's midgut. The organism becomes active only after
exposure to the warm blood meal entering the tick's gut. Once active, the
organism enters the tick's salivary glands. As the tick feeds, it must get rid
of excess water through the salivary glands. Thus, the tick will literally
salivate organisms into the wound, thereby passing the infection to the host.

>If a person is bitten by a deer tick (the type of tick that carries Lyme
disease), a healthcare provider will likely advise one of two approaches:

>●Observe and treat if signs or symptoms of infection develop

>●Treat with a preventive antibiotic immediately

> _There is no benefit of blood testing for Lyme disease at the time of the
> tick bite; even people who become infected will not have a positive blood
> test until approximately two to six weeks after the infection develops_
> (post-tick bite).

>The history of the tick bite will largely determine which of these options is
chosen. Before seeking medical attention, the affected person or household
member should carefully remove the tick and make note of its appearance
(picture 1). Only the Ixodes species of tick, also known as the deer tick,
causes Lyme disease.

.....

>Need for treatment — The clinician will review the description of the tick,
along with any physical symptoms, to decide upon a course of action. The
Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) recommends preventive treatment
with antibiotics only in people who meet ALL of the following criteria:

>●Attached tick identified as an adult or nymphal Ixodes scapularis (deer)
tick

>●Tick is estimated to have been attached for ≥36 hours (based upon how
engorged the tick appears or the amount of time since outdoor exposure)

>●The antibiotic can be given within 72 hours of tick removal

>●The local rate of tick infection with B. burgdorferi is ≥20 percent (known
to occur in parts of New England, parts of the mid-Atlantic states, and parts
of Minnesota and Wisconsin)

>●The person can take doxycycline (eg, the person is not pregnant or
breastfeeding or a child <8 years of age)

>If the person meets ALL of the above criteria, the recommended dose of
doxycycline is a single dose of 200 mg for adults and 4 mg/kg, up to a maximum
dose of 200 mg, in children ≥ 8 years.

>If the person cannot take doxycycline, the IDSA does not recommend preventive
treatment with an alternate antibiotic for several reasons: there are no data
to support a short course of another antibiotic, a longer course of
antibiotics may have side effects, antibiotic treatment is highly effective if
Lyme disease were to develop, and the risk of developing a serious
complication of Lyme disease after a recognized bite is extremely low.

......

>Signs of Lyme disease — Whether or not a clinician is consulted after a tick
bite, the person who was bitten (or the parents, if a child was bitten) should
observe the area of the bite for expanding redness, which would suggest
erythema migrans (EM), the characteristic rash of Lyme disease (picture 3).
Approximately 80 percent of people with Lyme disease develop EM; 10 to 20
percent of people have multiple lesions. (See "Patient education: Lyme disease
symptoms and diagnosis (Beyond the Basics)".)

>The EM rash is usually a salmon color although, rarely, it can be an intense
red, sometimes resembling a skin infection. The color may be almost uniform.
The lesion typically expands over a few days or weeks and can reach over 20 cm
(8 inches) in diameter. As the rash expands, it can become clear (skin-
colored) in the center. The center of the rash can then appear a lighter color
than its edges or the rash can develop into a series of concentric rings
giving it a "bull's eye" appearance. The rash usually causes no symptoms,
although burning or itching has been reported.

>In people with early localized Lyme disease, EM occurs within one month of
the tick bite, typically within a week of the tick bite, although only one-
third of people recall the tick bite that gave them Lyme disease. Components
of tick saliva can also cause a rash; however, this rash should not be
confused with EM. The rash caused by tick saliva typically occurs while the
tick is still feeding or just after the tick detaches, and usually does not
expand to a size larger than a dime.

>If EM or other signs or symptoms suggestive of Lyme disease develop (table
1), the person should see a healthcare provider for proper diagnosis and
treatment. (See "Patient education: Lyme disease treatment (Beyond the
Basics)".)

~~~
phaedrus441
Thought I'd reply with another great resource I've used with patients:
Tickborne Diseases of the United States from the CDC
([https://www.cdc.gov/lyme/resources/TickborneDiseases.pdf](https://www.cdc.gov/lyme/resources/TickborneDiseases.pdf)).
Great PDF to keep on hand (and in fact, UpToDate references it).

Coincidentally, I am in northern Virginia, went for a run and found a small
tick on me tonight (for the first time ever).

------
marmottus
Got bitten in 2010 while camping in Czechia, we failed to remove the tick
properly and the head stayed in my skin so we had to butcher me a bit more and
it left a tiny wound. Two days later I got the famous painful rash that I had
no clue about, red circle, swollen and painful. I went to the doctor who
immediately told me "you might have Lyme disease", I had never heard of this
before but I understood that it required 3 weeks amoxicillin. I did several
blood tests and got positive once to the borreliosis then negative after the
treatment. So I thought everything was over but a month later I was feeling
extremely tired, body and brain wise, I started to freak out that the disease
was still there but blood tests were negative. This was during my exams period
and as a student I was under high stress and the spot where I got bitten was
still a bit swollen. The doctor told me that it was normal but the only way to
be sure that the disease is completely gone at this stage (around 2 months
after being bitten) is to do a lumbar puncture which I did (kudos to pregnant
women who go through this ! I'll never do it again). The test showed negative,
there was no way that I could still have the disease so it calmed me down and
I accepted that it was just due to stress and hypochondria. Today I'm totally
fine, this was my first bite and I hope the last one. This little bug is a
pure nightmare.

~~~
trumped
I got 3 ticks in the past but luckily no lime disease... it's crazy how you
don't feel them get in your skin.

~~~
mlok
(It is written "Lyme" like the town in Connecticut where the disease was first
described back in 1975, not "lime" like the fruit)

~~~
trumped
thanks.

------
stevehawk
Just FYI - when I lived in Northern Virginia I discovered that in my area the
main transmission method of Lyme disease was actually mice. So make sure if
you find them in your house that you do something about it.

Also be careful when you remove via tweezers. If you squeeze their body you're
likely to cause them to regurgitate into you which almost guarantees an
infection.

I use a tick removal tool (actually used it yesterday while building a fence
on the wooded side of my yard) that uses a tear drop shape to try and pinch
the tick at the neck minimize regurgitation.

~~~
baud147258
A long time ago, I tried to remove a tick with tweezers. I failed horribly and
left the head in my upper skin layer, having removed only the body. So I had
to use a a rather sharp pen knife to remove the rest.

Two year later, while camping, I had to remove a handfull of ticks and a tick
removal tool (shaped like a crowbar) was very usefull.

~~~
baud147258
Of course I would recommend everyone to use proper tools to deal with ticks,
if that's not clear from my comment. There's less risk to leave pieces behind.

All over, I must have remove a dozen of ticks, but luckily I've never caught
anything.

------
rb808
I've stopped hiking and camping largely because of this. Its just not worth it
any more.

This page has an uncommon photo of just how small the nymph deer ticks are.
[https://sectionhiker.com/backpacking-lyme-disease-
prevention...](https://sectionhiker.com/backpacking-lyme-disease-prevention/)

~~~
nonbel
Something is wrong here. How did humanity survive living most of their lives
outdoors for so long in the presence of these ticks? Did lyme disease really
not exist until 1975?

I see there is some kind of "blame everything on lyme disease" movement going
on as well:
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyme_disease_controversy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyme_disease_controversy)

~~~
maxerickson
Tick populations have expanded greatly in recent years.

Things like climate change and wildlife management practices are thought to be
a factor.

(warmer winters->less ticks die, more deer->more deer ticks)

~~~
zip1234
Need more Wolves!

~~~
notadoc
And bird of prey, fox, coyote, bear, wildcats, mountain lions, human hunters,
etc.

The entire ecosystem has been overmanaged to reduce predators, and the
consequences are dire.

------
js2
In my neck of the woods you're more likely to be bitten by the lone star tick,
which seems not to be able to communicate Lyme disease, but sometimes its bite
can leave you with an allergy to red meat:

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpha-
gal_allergy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpha-gal_allergy)

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amblyomma_americanum](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amblyomma_americanum)

Parasites suck.

~~~
Fomite
Please note that the Lone Star Tick can transmit a number of _other_ diseases
that are quite scary (various Ehrlichia, Tularemia), as well as STARI
(Southern Tick Associated Rash Infection) which is very Lyme-like.

------
Tharkun
I got lyme disease after my first and only (as far as I know) tick bite. A
round of antibiotics seems to have killed it, though I am still noticeably
more tired than before the infection (anacdata, could just be because I'm
getting older and under a lot of stress).

I reported where and when the infection took place on a local website which
tracks these things. I informed the city council (considering this happened in
a very busy public park) and I was pretty much told that nothing would be
done. More green spaces would help. Keeping certain animals (like chickens)
might also help. Killing the fuckers outright is another possibility, but I
have to admit to being relucant about spraying toxic crap in public parks.

~~~
wilsonnb
Encouraging a local opossum population, if they live in your area, would help.
They eat a lot of ticks. Allegedly they eat 90% of the ticks that they
encounter, which can be up to 5000 per opossum in a season.

~~~
nonbel
>"up to 5000 per opossum in a season"

It looks like a single tick may produce 500 - 15,000 ticks per "ovipostion"
(egg-laying session).

LABORATORY STUDIES ON THE OVIPOSITION, EGG-SIZES AND SHAPES AND EMBRYONIC
DEVELOPMENT OF DERMACENTOR VA RIA BILlS, RHIPICEPHALUS SANGUINEUS AND
AMBLYOMMA MACULATUM
[http://www1.montpellier.inra.fr/cbgp/acarologia/export_pdf.p...](http://www1.montpellier.inra.fr/cbgp/acarologia/export_pdf.php?id=2424&typefile=pdf)

~~~
wilsonnb
We're going to need a lot of opossums then!

I'd be curious to know how long the average life span of each tick is. I
wonder exactly how many opossums I would need per square foot to ensure that
my yard is 99.99% tick free.

------
overcast
If you're a hiker, permethrin. Spray down your socks, pants, shirts. Let it
dry. You're good to go for a dozen outings. Non toxic to humans, and
orderless.

~~~
Tiktaalik
Not legal in Canada.

Then again there's few ticks in Canada's north, so Canadian hikers should just
explore the northern part of their provinces.

~~~
jammur
Not legal to sell, but legal to possess. I go across the border and stock up
at REI in Bellingham. No problems bringing it back across. Apparently this is
quite common for lower mainland residents. When I brought 4 big bottles of the
stuff up to the register, the first thing they asked was if I was Canadian.

~~~
Tiktaalik
Ah yeah that's a good distinction that I should have made.

I think I read somewhere that it's used by the Canadian Forces as well, but
not made available to civilians.

~~~
jammur
I wonder why you can't sell it here. They even recommend it on the
government's travel site:

[https://travel.gc.ca/travelling/health-safety/insect-
bite](https://travel.gc.ca/travelling/health-safety/insect-bite)

------
4restm
Once a tick has been removed, be sure to place it in a ziplock baggie and
store it in the freezer. This way if anything crops up you'd be able to bring
the tick in with ya to the doc

~~~
jjeaff
If you said this in the south, you would get a good long laugh.

~~~
dailyrorschach
I see you in multiple places on this thread with comments like these. So
here's something to consider, Lyme Disease is actually not at all that
prevalent in the South.
[https://www.cdc.gov/lyme/stats/maps.html](https://www.cdc.gov/lyme/stats/maps.html)

Where it is prevalent, this is standard good advice, advice that we even
taught in the BSA 18 years ago in the NE. Lyme is a really nasty thing to get,
and not everyone even realizes they were bit, or is symptomatic at first. My
case was when I was 15, worked at a camp, got bit, came out before I could
notice, no rash. At some point later that summer came down with flu like
symptoms, which went away in a standard flu timeframe.

Two months later I had extreme fatigue, I'm talking couldn't stay awake longer
than 6 hours. Luckily a blood test confirmed it, but not before it had spread
to my spinal fluid, requiring two hospitalizations, over 30 days of IV
antibiotics and additional treatment.

So perhaps what works for you down South doesn't work where this is an issue,
and hopefully it won't ever be something you or your neighbors need to worry
about the way we do.

~~~
jjeaff
Valid point. But mine was simply that the idea of careful removal and keeping
of ticks would be laughable in the south.

Find any outdoorsy kid in the south during the summer, and there is a good
chance their legs look like this most of the summer:
[https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8241/29056330235_19aeb3585e_b....](https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8241/29056330235_19aeb3585e_b.jpg)

Imaging carefully removing each one and storing it and classifying it for
future lab testing.

The advice is only applicable in the NE.

------
simonsarris
Ticks were bad last year in NH, but not 5 ticks on a stick bad:
[https://imgur.com/a/bGdAvLD](https://imgur.com/a/bGdAvLD)

Photo taken yesterday. I bought some old farmland and it has been a completely
insane year so far for ticks. I wish I could do a prescribed burn of the field
but it's not well set up for that.

~~~
cujo
The good news there, is that none of those appear to be deer ticks (lyme
carriers). If my amateur eye is correct, those are dog ticks.

~~~
lymeeducator
Any tick species can carry infections (Lyme, Bartonella, Babesia, etc), not
just the deer tick.

------
loeg
It's a good idea to check your groin and armpits after walking through high
grass or other vegetation in a tick area.

------
notadoc
This article and many others focuses on Lyme in the northeastern US, but Lyme
has spread to the interior and the west coast. It's in up to 25% of ticks in
many western states and around the west coast.

I find ticks constantly on dogs after taking walks/hikes in
California/Oregon/Washington, even if they have tick/flea treatment. I've had
one embedded in me that was so small and flush it looked just like a new tiny
mole had appeared, it wasn't until it squirmed around after being brushed over
a few times that I realized it was a tick. They can be quite a challenge to
remove properly even with tweezers.

The tick population has surged dramatically in the western states and east
coast, largely from an overpopulation of deer, mice, and other rodents, and an
increasing lack of predators to those common tick carriers. Ultimately we to
allow predators to return to the natural landscape and in abundance, with
birds of prey, foxes, coyote, etc to take out the mice and smaller carriers,
and we many more large predators, bear, wolf, mountain lion, human hunters
included, to reduce the dramatic deer overpopulation.

And yes, thinning of known tick carriers like mice and deer is demonstrably
proven to work.

[http://www.ct.gov/caes/lib/caes/documents/publications/fact_...](http://www.ct.gov/caes/lib/caes/documents/publications/fact_sheets/entomology/deer_&_ticks_fact_sheet.pdf)

------
IpV8
I grew up in Connecticut, not far from the town of Old Lyme where the disease
gets its name from! Most people who spend any amount of time outside there
know the symptoms well and doctors give away doxycycline prescriptions like
their going out of style. I've gone through it three separate times. If you
catch it quick, the antibiotics crush it and you're on your merry way. Ignore
it and you'll suffer for life.

------
EODjugornot
People around here (Niagara Falls area, NY) get it all the time too. Last year
was horrible for ticks. I have 3 German Shepherds and some days i was pulling
10 or more ticks off them of multiple species. Reading this post makes me feel
more confident for this year because i just got myself more than 30 chickens,
but already this year my oldest brought home a tick. Hopefully they aren't as
bad this summer.

------
aethertap
I live in tick central, and for anyone else in that situation who doesn't
already have a tick mitigation strategy, here's what I do (and I'd love to
hear other things that work that aren't on the list):

1\. Clear all debris (wood chips, leaves, etc) from places people frequent,
and keep the grass cut short

2\. Permethrin-laced cotton balls inside PVC tubes scattered liberally around
the area. Small animals pick these up and make nests out of them, which kills
the ticks while they're on the rodent hosts.

3\. Permethrin on footwear, and safe insect repellent (DEET or picaridin, also
geranium oil seems to help) on skin and lower-half clothing

4\. Chickens in the yard seem to eat more than they host

5\. Daily checks for everybody in the house

------
cody8295
I live in Connecticut, where Lyme disease was discovered. I go hiking a lot
and it's a big concern for many including me. I don't use sprays or anything I
just wear light colored clothing and when possible (spring and fall) long
pants. Wearing lighter colored clothing allows you to notice ticks before they
get to your skin. And post hike, full body tick checks are mandatory. it's a
good thing most don't bite until you've stopped moving and stay still for a
while. I've pulled dozens of ticks off of my body, luckily only a few that dug
in

~~~
cody8295
Forgot to mention, biggest tip I have is to avoid tall grass and don't touch
any branches or bushes but if you do then check you hand and whole arm.

------
cjslep
As an American that moved to Europe, I was already aware of the Lyme disease
risks of ticks here. What I didn't realize - and am in the 1 year process of
getting vaccinated against - is that ticks here carry a virus that induces
encephalitis. Tick borne encephalitis is not in the Western Hemisphere as far
as I am aware, so it wasn't until this spring that I found out about it. The
vaccine is not available in the USA and requires a year to complete, which
makes me wonder how hikers or visitors spending only a few months in Europe
fare.

~~~
yread
Grandma got both. Encephalitis is definitely nastier (and can have permanent
effects on brain if not caught in time). She also got bitten by the only
poisonous snake we have around here. It still hasn't stopped her from hiking
in the woods all the time

~~~
rimliu
But at least you can get vacinated against encephalitis. Where is no vacine
against the Lyme disease.

------
dbbolton
Here are some links to the CDC's statistics and maps on Lyme disease for those
interested:

[https://www.cdc.gov/lyme/stats/graphs.html](https://www.cdc.gov/lyme/stats/graphs.html)

[https://www.cdc.gov/lyme/stats/maps.html](https://www.cdc.gov/lyme/stats/maps.html)

[https://www.cdc.gov/lyme/stats/tables.html](https://www.cdc.gov/lyme/stats/tables.html)

As an aside, it's tricky interpreting certain stats regarding epidemiology.
The incidence is the number of new cases in the population in a given time
frame, and prevalence is the total number of people known to have the disease
in the population. Sometime a disease can appear to be "on the rise" because
there is increased surveillance and screening for the disease, or because
diagnostic methods have improved, which naturally lead to an increased
incidence and prevalence.

Disclaimer: I'm not arguing that Lyme Disease isn't real, isn't serious, or
anything along those lines. But from a medical perspective, we deal with
_fear_ of Lyme way more often than the actual disease. Some parents will bring
their child into the clinic every time they think they may have seen a tick
within arm's reach of them. And when someone presents with an attached tick,
it's more often than not an adult wood tick (which can transmit RMSF and
tularemia but are not B. Burgdorfi vectors).

When you are bitten by a tick, or any insect, some inflammatory response is
expected, i.e. your skin will probably turn red. It doesn't automatically mean
it's erythema migrans (bull's eye rash). But to muddy the waters even further,
as little as 50-80% of confirmed LD cases had the EM sign, and many don't
recall a tick bite whatsoever.

But if you are in an endemic area, clinical suspicion for LD is high, we
should be able to prove you have the disease with lab tests, right? Well,
unfortunately Borrelia are notoriously difficult to culture, so that's out.
The CDC recommends a two-step testing process.

Step 1 is the Enzyme Immunoassay (EIA). If your EIA is negative, LD is ruled
out. If it is positive or "indeterminate" (2nd most common outcome after
negative in my experience), you move on to the Western blot which looks for
antigenic proteins associated with the disease. It is considered positive if 2
specific bands are visualized or if at least 5 of a list of 10 other bands are
seen. The problem is that these bands can take up to 6 weeks after exposure to
become detectable. If you have no idea when/if you were actually exposed, this
test is a shot in the dark. To top it all off, it can also come back "mildly"
to "moderately" positive for LD.

So if your EIA is negative, or if your WB is 2/2 or 5+/10 positive, we can
give you a definitive answer. Otherwise, it comes down to clinical judgment
and weighing the risks and benefits of treatment. If you were bitten by a
tick, got a rash, had no drug allergies, the safer play is to assume LD, give
antibiotics, and forgo the serologic testing that may or may not give an
answer.

TLDR - Lyme Disease is complicated.

~~~
lymeeducator
The CDC is actually harmful with the misinformation and test suggestions they
provide. I have Lyme, Bartonella, Mycoplasma, at least from 1 tick bite.
Western medicine does a horrible job at analyzing the symptoms, testing,
educating and treating their patients. The labs are pretty unreliable as are
the antibody requirements for + test. 1) It's very common to get more than 1
infection from a single tick bite (CDC says it's not). This greatly
complicates recovery. The study that the CDC relies on suffers from a small
sample size and heavy selection bias (see uptodate.com). 2) Ticks can transmit
multiple bacteria in less than 30 minutes depending on circulation and host.
3) CDC recommended tests have a false negative rate approaching 60%. ELISA
does not even have repeatable results from the same blood sample. Western Blot
ignores 2 Borellia specific antibodies (31,34) that were part of a problematic
vaccine in the mid 1990s. 4) Vaccines are improbable given how the bacteria
can adjust its outer surface protein (triggering antibodies) and its multiple
forms (spirochete, biofilm, round body). 5) The CDC treatment guidelines are
bullshit and usually result in a relapse 4+ months later as low energy,
headache, sore tendons, brain fog, arthritis, heart, etc symptoms. Thus most
people are unsuccessfully treated with short term doxycycline, steroids (make
it worse), anti-depressants, MS treatments, etc... all expensive
pharmaceutical treatments that fix some symptoms while hurting the long term
health of the patient without every discovering the underlying cause. 6) I've
gone through part of the CDC treatment before educating myself and realizing
it was mostly bullshit. I know a number of people that have had similar
difficulties. 7) A healthy immune system combined with prolonged pulsed herbal
medicines(TCM/western) and/or multiple pulsed antibiotics (hard on GI and its
immune function) seem to be the best treatment option. 8) There are number of
bacteria in our natural environment that our immune system eventually cannot
fight off. Many of them result in things like MS, Alzheimers, arthritis, heart
damage, etc. 9) Medical science needs better testing of immune signaling
(cytokines, chemokines, etc) before and after treatments. Most labs cannot
test for many of these and insurance won't cover it. 10) Labs like igenex,
fry, galaxy, dnaconnexions, etc have much better procedures for testing and
will look at all specific/shared antibodies than common labs. For example, 41
is an early Lyme antibody shared with Chlamydia. The CDC requires 3+ Lyme
specific antibodies to make a positive (IgG and IgM). 11) Reading "Healing
Lyme" by Buhner gives a scientific overview backed by a ton of research that
the CDC ignores. 12) ilads.org is comprised of doctors who actually treat Lyme
and deal with patients ...

~~~
adsfqwop
You should format your post. I think many people auto-downvote such a wall of
text.

Other than that, I think it's information worth considering. Lyme has become a
huge political disease, which is really unfortunate for the chronically ill
patients who are left in the middle of this battle.

~~~
lymeeducator
I reposted and this time the format took. I agree on the politics. I paid for
multiple tests out of pocket. In one case to prove to my functional medicine
doctor that I had Bartonella as well (the classic striped rashes were
apparently not enough evidence for my primary or infectious disease doctor and
the fact that I had a known tick bite).

One vial of blood for a PCR test to a local lab that the insurance covered
(negative).

One vial of blood to Igenex for a FISH test (positive).

I had multiple rashes (spotted and striped) so I was over 90% sure at that
point. My primary care doctor apologized and admitted that the CDC data seemed
faulty. The infectious disease doctor never got back to me. Herbal
(TCM/Western) is helping, but it's not quick. I believe pulsing treatments
working with the human immune system offers the best approach these days.

------
fletchowns
There was an interesting segment about Lyme Disease on KQED's Forum the other
day: [https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101865065/lyme-disease-on-
the...](https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101865065/lyme-disease-on-the-rise-in-
northern-california)

~~~
Rafuino
Is there a TL/DL for that segment? Going backpacking this weekend and this
whole forum has me worried...

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sydd
the sad thing about lyme disease is that we dont have a vaccine due to anti
vaxxers: [https://www.vox.com/science-and-
health/2018/5/7/17314716/lym...](https://www.vox.com/science-and-
health/2018/5/7/17314716/lyme-disease-vaccine-history-effectiveness)

~~~
graeme
Since the patent is expired, what stops is from being brought back as a
generic?

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Glyptodon
Fingers crossed there will be a vaccine back in production within a couple
years.

~~~
Alex3917
Given that there are 16+ tickborne illnesses, the impact would be limited. If
you get bitten by a tick then you should probably just go on antibiotics
anyway, since there is no comprehensive test for tickborne illnesses.

~~~
DennisP
True, but according to the article, "Lyme disease accounts for about 80
percent of the tick-borne illnesses in the U.S."

Plenty of people who get Lyme don't get the rash, and don't necessarily even
know they were bitten by a tick. Deer ticks are tiny and you have to check
yourself thoroughly to see them. An effective vaccine would be very helpful.

~~~
Alex3917
> Lyme disease accounts for about 80 percent of the tick-borne illnesses in
> the U.S.

I mean how would we actually know that though if we don't even know what all
the tickborne illnesses are, and if there is no test for many of them?

~~~
DennisP
They probably mean the known tickborne illnesses. When illnesses are unknown
it's often because they're rare, so it's probably a good estimate.

In any case, Lyme disease is very common and on that basis alone, a vaccine
would prevent a lot of suffering, regardless of what other suffering remains
in place.

------
rectang
I wonder how widespread Lyme Disease has to get before the economic incentives
to develop a new vaccine reach a tipping point.

There used to be a vaccine but it was discontinued because of insufficient
demand.

[https://www.niaid.nih.gov/diseases-conditions/lyme-
disease-v...](https://www.niaid.nih.gov/diseases-conditions/lyme-disease-
vaccines)

 _" In April 2002, GSK announced that even with the incidence of Lyme disease
continuing to rise, sales for LYMErix declined from about 1.5 million doses in
1999 to a projected 10,000 doses in 2002."_

How do we square this with the number of cases rising so much over the last
few years?

~~~
raesene9
LYMErix suffered from actual or imagined side-effects that led to lawsuits,
which were a factor in GSK discontinuing it. From
[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2870557/](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2870557/)

"Spawned by the press coverage of vaccine risks and the ongoing litigation,
vaccine sales fell off dramatically in 2001. "

there's at least one new vaccine in development
[http://www.valneva.com/en/rd/vla15](http://www.valneva.com/en/rd/vla15)

~~~
jobu
Aside from the rare negative effects, the major issues with it were the
efficacy of around 80% and that it interfered with Lyme tests. (All of the
people that took the vaccine test positive for Lyme Disease.) This uncertainty
made it challenging to know the cause of future illness.

~~~
mobilefriendly
And only 80% effective means you still need to take all precautions like DEET
and such.

------
jaequery
Anyone that have Lyme, please look into PEMF solutions such as Ampcoil or
Ryfe. It seems to be highly effective in treating Lyme disease.

~~~
cpncrunch
These are scams by charlatans.

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Rife](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Rife)

The best treatment for Lyme disease is a course of antibiotics.

~~~
lymeeducator
The best treatment for Lyme is a balanced immune system. Some people can be
treated by a single course of Doxycycline, most relapse after 6 months and CDC
incorrectly indicates that the cause is unknown. It's still Lyme. 2 of the 3
Lyme forms are resistant to antibiotics. Proper treatment will take months, or
longer if coinfected, and require multiple, pulsing of antibiotics or herbals
(yes, they are quite effective on me and others).

~~~
gamblor956
Couldn't find any published scientific results on the efficacy of "herbal"
treatment for lime disease or "pulsed" antibiotic treatments from
websites/doctors that weren't trying to sell the treatment.

Do you have any actual scientific evidence to back up your claims or are you
part of what the New Yorker has termed the lyme quackery?

~~~
adsfqwop
Herbal treatments can be quite helpful. Plants have developed compounds to
fight various organisms over millions of years.

It's quite logical to assume, even without requiring a peer-reviewed double
blind placebo controlled 100 million study, that nature has made it so,
otherwise we would have single groups of organisms ruling the planet
unhindered.

The fact that life on earth displays tremendous diversity and balance, from
the macro level down to the micro level, means almost every organism has an
equal and opposite adversary somewhere.

Plants and trees have a tremendous number of compounds developed over millions
of years to fight diseases with. There is a reason, for example, that the
Materia Medica for Chinese medicine is over 1300 pages of microscopic text.
It's over 2000 years of accumulated experience on plant substances, while our
modern pharmaceutical medicine is barely a few hundred years old.

There is also a reason why many pharmaceutical companies spend resources
investigating and cataloging native plant substances. It's not that they want
to sell herbal medicine, it's because they want to develop synthetic analogs
for patenting purposes.

Which is also the reason you will never find as many scientific articles on
herbal medicine, as you will find on pharmaceutical medicine. One is a billion
dollar patent-protected industry, while the other is not.

------
jamisteven
I have this and was un-diagnosed for years, ended up doing all the research
and ordering the lab tests myself as western medicine doctors were proving
useless. For anyone struggling I would highly recommend this protocol from Dr.
Buhner. [http://www.tiredoflyme.com/the-buhner-protocol-for-lyme-
dise...](http://www.tiredoflyme.com/the-buhner-protocol-for-lyme-disease.html)

