[Harp-L] Subject: Lyme Disease across the US/ Outdoor exposure

[EGS1217@xxxxxxx]

Okay, I understand this is not 'harp-related' per se. BUT - there isn't an
area of the Country which isn't affected by this problem (with the
exception of  perhaps Montana and South Dakota which had the fewest cases as  of
2007)....BUT - there are outdoor concerts: people congregating together 
outside to play.. sitting on the grass, playing in the woods, enjoying not only
picnics but outdoor shows, so it's 'related' if you forgive this tenuous
connection.
I was deluged by so many offlist positive responses to the tinnitus post, I
 feel I would be remiss in not passing on this information to my many
friends  within the harmonica community who could be exposed whether or not they
have animals especially since many of us are going to California in August.
The  SPAH Hotel surrounds a Lake, and I imagine quite a few of us will be
partaking of outside festivities. The Lyme disease link contained at the end
 of this article has lots more important information for  which I didn't
have to sign up.
Elizabeth
_Click here:  Lyme Disease Association_
(http://www.lymediseaseassociation.org/Maps/index.html)

"Could  You Have Lyme Diseaseâ
And Not Know It
Dr. Stephen Sinatra, Cardiologist
With the summer months upon us, itâs more important than ever to be alert
to  the symptoms of Lyme disease. Itâs estimated that in the United States
there are  about 64,000 cases of Lyme disease per yearâbut even more troubling
are the  thousands of cases that go undiagnosed!
This happened to a young woman I know in her 30s. She was told she had
fibromyalgia due to her aches and pains. Then, her memory started failing  herâ
she even forgot where she was driving one day, mid-trip! At that point they
tested her for a brain tumor, which came up negative. In fact, it took two
years before she was properly diagnosed with Lyme disease, and she is
finally on the road to recovery.
The trouble with Lyme is that 91% of the time, there isnât a  bullâs-eye
rash
Most people know to look for the characteristic bullâs-eye rash if theyâve
 been bitten by a tickâbut the trouble is, that rash only appears a
fraction of  the time. In fact, 91% of the time, youâll get just a general rash
(not a  bullâs-eye) or no rash at all. Or, the tick can imbed itself in areas
like the  scalp, underarm, or genital
area where body hairs hide it  and the resultant rash.
So what happens in the overwhelming majority of people with Lyme disease is
 that they are completely unaware of what might be causing their symptoms.
Many  go from doctor to doctor for unresolved flu-like symptoms such as a
sore throat,  headaches, chills, fatigue, and muscle achesâonly to be
repeatedly given the  wrong diagnosis.
Then, if the symptoms go undiagnosed for too longâlike the woman I
mentioned  earlierâsevere neurological symptoms can set in. We call this âstage III
Lyme  diseaseâ and itâs often accompanied by profound fatigue, memory
loss, severe  muscle and joint pain, and a headache. Sadly, even at this
advanced stage you  and your physician may not associate these symptoms with Lyme.
In fact, Lyme can look like and be misdiagnosed as an autoimmune disease
like  chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), fibromyalgia, lupus, or rheumatoid
arthritis  (RA), as well as neurodegenerative disorder like multiple sclerosis
(MS).
Fortunately, with the right information you can  protect yourself
I live across the river from Lyme, Connecticutâa heavily wooded, central
coastal town where Lyme disease was first discovered back in 1975. It was so
named because of the large number of cases of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis
 found in and around that area. But it actually took years for
epidemiologists to  put the puzzle pieces together that would identify that deer ticks
were the  primary culprits.
Weâve learned a lot about Lyme disease prevention in my area of the  country
âand as with many diseases, prevention is your best defense. During the
warmer months, you want to check for ticks oftenâand if youâre in the woods,
wear insect repellent and cover exposed skin. Since ticks go for the areas
of  body hair, like the scalp, arm pits, ears, and groin areaâcheck yourself
and  family members thoroughly for ticks after being outdoors.
Another carrier of ticks can be our beloved household pets that spend time
outside, especially cats and dogs. I know my now grown son found a tick
embedded  in his stomach during the winter months when he was in high school.
We had to  take him to a local surgeon to have the head removed and sent to a
lab. Most  likely, that tick had been enjoying life on the family dog; but
ours was not an  uncommon scenario.
If you have any suspicious signs or symptoms, seek immediate medical
attention. Donât be afraid to be proactive with your health care  providerâ
especially since many of the traditional tests given for Lyme can miss  the
disease.
Hereâs how to get a proper diagnosis
The major problem with getting a proper diagnosis is that even when your
doctor is savvy enough to be looking for proof of Lyme disease, many blood
tests  can fail to pick it up. Unfortunately, the Lyme titer and other
diagnostic blood  tests have been unreliableâwith huge rates of false negatives.
While there are several new tests out there, I recommend requesting the 
IGeneX panel 6050, which includes IFA, IgG & IgM Western blots as well as  PCR
(whole blood and serum). Problem is, the weakened immune system may not be
able to generate a response to this test. So should this test come back
negative  but you still suspect Lyme, you can request the Lyme Dot Blot/PCR
panel #875 to  check your urine for pieces of bacteria and DNA of the Borrelia
burgdorferi.
Putting yourself on the road to recovery
Lyme disease is one of those cases where you definitely want to go the
route  of traditional medicineâand time is of the essence. If you know youâve
had a  tick bite, you want to start treating it within two to three days.
Usually, 10  to 21 days of oral antibiotics is needed.
But even if the infection moves into your bloodstream, Lyme disease is
still  treatable with antibiotics. In some cases, oral antibiotics are used. And
in  more advanced cases, your doctor may prescribe intravenous antibiotics
to get  the antibiotics directly into your bloodstream.
Itâs also imperative if you have, or suspect you have, Lyme disease to find
a  specialist in your area. Thereâs a Web site,
_www.lymediseaseassociation.org_ (http://www.lymediseaseassociation.org/)   that has an MD referral
section. You do have to sign up and use a password to  access the site, but itâ
s easy to do.
To Your Health,

Stephen Sinatra, M.D., F.A.C.C., F.A.C.N.P.S. Because Lyme disease is  such
a serious disease, and thereâs far too much misinformation out there, I
encourage you to forward this e-mail to others you know. You could save
someone  from years of needless suffering!
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