News
NEWS: Shasta (CA) vector district undertaking large tick study
05
Mar
Though Shasta County, CA, is known to harbor lots of ticks, few tick studies have been done in the area. Since November, a pair of district technicians have spent a day each week collecting tick samples from 20 spots around the district, which stretches from Castella to Cottonwood and French Gulch to Shingletown.
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NEWS: Dramatic heart surgery saves Ohio child felled by Lyme disease
04
Mar
"As Lucille Ashford's mom raced the 10-year-old toward a Cleveland emergency room last month, the girl lost consciousness. Lucille's heart was struggling to keep her alive. Doctors quickly intervened and saved the child's life. Then it took a team at Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital a couple of days, a slew of tests and even more cooperation from the exceptionally brave child to figure out what was wrong. Lucille had Lyme disease, and it nearly killed her."
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NEWS: Canadian siblings stopped in tracks by Lyme disease
03
Mar
"I have two kids who have lost seven and five years of their lives at such a crucial stage," said mom Susan Jasper. "If somebody had suggested to us six years ago that maybe you should look at Lyme, that might have saved Russell and Katie losing so many years of their life."
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NEWS: Crime and punishment in CT; analysis of recent medical board action against Dr. Jones
02
Mar
From the UNDER OUR SKIN blog: "Last year the medical board punished 43 physicians for serious charges such as substance abuse, sexual misconduct, mental illness, and negligence; not one of these physicians received a fine larger than $5,000. And only one other physician, accused of drug abuse, received a longer supervised probation period than Dr. Jones--though this drug-addict doctor did not receive the additional $20,000 in fines levied on Dr. Jones."
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NEWS: Oregon Lyme advocate challenges IDSA viewpoint: "Lyme is indeed in Oregon."
23
Feb
Theresa Denham, president and founder of the Oregon Lyme Disease Network, takes on a recent Eugene Weekly columnist who maintained that Lyme was not a serious threat to Oregonians.
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NEWS: CALDA president takes IDSA defender to task in Oregon newspaper.
18
Feb
CALDA president Phyllis Mervine had a sharp response to a "Eugene Weekly" guest editorial, written by a doctor who claimed there was little chance of any one suffering serious effects from Lyme disease. Mervine suggested the doctor "examine the evidence herself and not accept at face value the interpretation of powerful, self-appointed authorities who have vested interests to protect."
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NEWS: New Hampshire House approves Lyme doctor protection bill
18
Feb
"Any medication has the potential to have a problem, but we allow long-term antibiotic use for treatment of acne -- acne of all things," said Rep. Jen Coffee, R-Andover. "Why wouldn't we allow it for Lyme disease?"
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NEWS: Connecticut medical board disciplines Dr. Charles Ray Jones
17
Feb
The CT medical board voted to discipline Lyme-treating pediatrician Dr. Charles Ray Jones. Their sanctions will include a $10,000 fine and a four-year license probation during which Jones' practice will be monitored.
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NEWS: Lyme patient comes out of long coma. Dad asks: Is this "Awakening" or "It's a Wonderful Life"?
15
Feb
When a 21-year-old Florida man started having severe problems after a tick-bite in 2008, doctors first accused him of illegal drug use and then said he was schizophrenic. Finally, he was diagnosed with Lyme disease and fell into a coma around Christmas 2009. A few days ago, he woke up. His family is calling it a miracle.
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NEWS: Kennebunk town manager, wife fight to educate public on dangers of Lyme disease
11
Feb
After years of misdiagnosis and despite testing CDC-negative, Maine patient's drastically declining health turned around after being diagnosed with chronic Lyme and given long-term therapy. Now, the husband and wife strive to raise awareness of the increasing incidence of tick-borne disease in their state.
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NEWS: Lyme disease a growing concern in the Netherlands
10
Feb
From Radio Netherlands: Half a million Dutch Lyme patients, 25% tick infection rate, 65,000 sign petition calling for government action.
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NEWS: Student's research paper on Lyme disease ranks nationally
02
Feb
A Virginia high school senior's research paper on Lyme disease is getting national recognition for proposing a method of early detection that cuts diagnosis time from a month to mere minutes. She chose this topic because 3 of her family members suffer from Lyme disease.
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NEWS: FDA issues recall of infusion needles (such as those used with chest ports)
27
Jan
FDA Announces Class I Recall of Certain Infusion Set Needles--
Huber needles used in implanted ports to withdraw blood, inject medications, and other solutions
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NEWS: Packed audience sees UNDER OUR SKIN in York, PA
24
Jan
The acclaimed Lyme documentary draws big crowd in York. Says one audience member, "just about anybody you talk to in York County either has Lyme disease or knows somebody who's had it."
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NEWS: Learning about Lyme disease the hard way
23
Jan
A month ago, Bart Fenolio was told he had Lou Gehrig's disease and had two months to live. Doctors advised his wife, Heidi, to take him home and call a hospice. But Fenolio is proving the doctors wrong. Instead of getting worse, he's growing stronger each day, thanks to antibiotics. That's because he doesn't have Lou Gehrig's disease, which isn't curable. He has Lyme disease, which is
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NEWS: UNDER OUR SKIN trailer playing in NYC cabs 66,000 times a day
23
Jan
A 30-second trailer for UNDER OUR SKIN is now showing in 1,200 cabs in New York City, playing 66,000 times a day in a 24-hour period. That means the video will get around 1.8 million impressions a month!
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NEWS: Dr. Fallon publishes new research on neuro-Lyme
21
Jan
Dr. Brian Fallon, Director of Columbia University's Lyme research center, and colleagues have recently published a new paper about how Lyme disease affects the central nervous system.
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NEWS: 2-hr cable TV program to explore Morgellons Disease
21
Jan
Two-hour cable TV program devoted to Morgellons Jan 28, will repeat Jan 29. Hear from experts about this little-known disease that's often associated with Lyme.
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NEWS: Tennessee family crusades against Lyme disease
19
Jan
Two Germantown teenagers--brother and sister--have been battling serious bouts of Lyme disease for over two years now. After traveling out of state for treatment and shelling out over $200,000, they are finally showing improvement. Their local newspaper spotlights the family and how they hope to raise awareness of Lyme disease in their community.
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NEWS: Five in Pennsylvania family diagnosed with Lyme disease
15
Jan
The Wellsboro Gazette, a weekly paper in Wellsboro, Pennsylvania, features a local family coping with Lyme. Five of its seven members have been diagnosed with the disease.
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NEWS: Actress Jane Alexander tells LA Times she's had Lyme herself, and she's pushing hard for "Under Our Skin" to get an Oscar nomination
12
Jan
Not only has Jane Alexander had Lyme disease twice, she's had friends "suffer severely from it."
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NEWS: IDSA panel misses its Dec. 31 target for Lyme guidelines decision; Under Our Skin blog analyzes where we stand now
10
Jan
The Infectious Diseases Society of America IDSA) has missed its target date of Dec. 31, 2009, for rendering a decision about whether to rewrite its controversial Lyme disease treatment guidelines. The "Under Our Skin" blog takes a look at where this leave Lyme patients now.
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NEWS: CT's Sen. Dodd to retire; AG Richard Blumenthal to run for his seat
06
Jan
Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, whose civil investigation of the IDSA brought about last summer's historic Lyme hearing in Washington, says he will run for seat of retiring Senator Christopher Dodd. Dodd is a co-sponsor of the proposed Lyme research bill currently in Congress.
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NEWS: Special issue of Lyme Times devoted to persistence of infection in chronic Lyme
05
Jan
Steven Phillips, MD, a treating Lyme physician, past president of ILADS, and a speaker at last summer's IDSA Lyme hearing, presents an extraordinary analysis of the evidence supporting the persistence of Borrelia burgdorferi in chronic Lyme disease.
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NEWS: When is a delusion NOT a delusion? Unraveling the mystery of Morgellon's Disease
01
Jan
When patients manifest a certain set of strange symptoms, mainstream medicine often labels it "Delusions of Parasitosis." But a growing body of evidence calls that into question. Lyme specialist Ginger Savely, DNP, and Cindy Casey, RN, examine the mysterious condition called Morgellons Disease.
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NEWS: Yale study shows birds play significant role in spread of Lyme disease
23
Dec
The range of Lyme disease is spreading in North America and it appears that birds play a significant role by transporting the Lyme disease bacterium over long distances, a new study by the Yale School of Public Health has found. The study appears online in the journal Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment
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NEWS: Germany grapples with a profusion of disease-carrying ticks. Effect of climate change?
17
Dec
"A German Armed Forces special unit wearing snowy white protective suits complete with hoods and respiratory masks hacks its way through the Bavarian undergrowth. The ghostly figures are here to carry out a reconnaissance mission. Their enemy has eight legs and a dangerous weapon."
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NEWS: "Comeback Queen" overcomes Lyme disease to become top runner
04
Dec
In an interview with University of Toronto's student newspaper,the Varsity, star runner Megan Brown opens up about the seemingly impossible odds she has overcome to run one of her best cross-country seasons ever.
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NEWS: Connecticut study finds Lyme in 90% of area deer ticks
29
Nov
A new study of ticks collected in Connecticut finds 90% infected with Lyme and 30% infected with babesia.
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NEWS: Thanksgiving in the Lyme world
23
Nov
Our Gratitude List: 2009 has been a remarkable year for the Lyme community. Here are some things we're grateful for this Thanksgiving season.
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NEWS: Under Our Skin makes "short list" for Academy Award consideration
18
Nov
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced that the Lyme documentary was selected as one of 15 finalists competing for "Best Documentary Feature" in the 82nd Academy Awards.
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NEWS: Canadian TV takes powerful look at Lyme disease--why are so many being misdiagnosed?
17
Nov
CTV's W5: "Why some Canadian doctors are misdiagnosing a crippling disease caused by a shape-shifting superbug -- until it's too late."
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NEWS: California's Lyme Disease Advisory Committee to hold phone meeting on Nov. 18.
17
Nov
The public is invited to participate in the teleconference meeting of the state's Lyme Disease Advisory Committee, starting at 9:30 Wednesday.
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NEWS: Nurses start Lyme education group in southern Oregon
15
Nov
Two nurses who have personal experience with Lyme disease plan to use their nursing experience and training to assist Rogue Valley residents who may not even know they have Lyme disease.
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NEWS: LA Times blogger roots for "Under Our Skin" to be nominated for an Oscar
13
Nov
Says the LA Times' Tom O'Neil: "Let's hope the Oscars cite "Under Our Skin" next week when the academy unveils the shortlist of titles in the running for best documentary feature. It's not only a compelling work of filmmaking; it's important because of its shocking message: Lyme disease may be going undiagnosed as a greater and more widespread threat to Americans' health than AIDS."
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NEWS: Hollywood looks at "Under Our Skin" and Lyme disease
13
Nov
An entertainment industry screening of the Lyme documentary was followed by a Q & A session with director Andy Wilson and actresses Joanna Kerns and Tracey Silver, whose lives have both been affected by Lyme disease. The film was was included a series showcasing possible Oscar contenders.
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NEWS: Lyme disease robbed Jackie Zani of her high school years, but not her spirit
12
Nov
When Jackie Zani and her four siblings were all felled by serious cases of Lyme disease some years ago, her future seemed bleak indeed. Then, her family found Lyme specialist Charles Ray Jones. Under his care, she not only recovered her health, she's now playing college-level women's soccer.
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NEWS: Should Minnesota protect its Lyme doctors?
10
Nov
Minnesota Medicine, published by the Minnesota Medical Association, takes a look at Lyme disease and proposed legislation to protect doctors who prescribe long-term antibiotics for Lyme.
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NEWS: LDA honors “Cure Unknown” author Pamela Weintraub
06
Nov
The Lyme Disease Association honored the science journalist at the group’s October conference in National Harbor, MD.
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NEWS: Tick warnings issued for Sarasota, Florida--Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever & Lyme disease
04
Nov
The Sarasota County Health Department has issued a tick-borne disease advisory. This comes on the heels of a local case of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. Officials warn that tick-borne illnesses such as RMSF and Lyme disease are present year-round throughout Florida.
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NEWS: Latest "Lyme Times" examines IDSA hearing in detail
31
Oct
The latest issue of the Lyme Times is devoted to July 30's historic IDSA Lyme guidelines hearing.
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NEWS: CD-ROM of 2009 ILADS Lyme conference on sale
03
Nov
The full 2009 ILADS Lyme disease conference program is available in electronic format for PCs.
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NEWS: Dispatches from the front lines of autism and Lyme disease
29
Oct
The Townsend Letter, a journal of alternative medicine, focuses on the strong connections between autism and Lyme disease.
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NEWS: New Borrelia species found in California & South Carolina
29
Oct
The Journal of Clinical Microbiology reports on Borrelia americana, a newly described species of Borrelia found in ticks collected in California and South Carolina.
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NEWS: Georgia Lyme Disease Association unveils new website
16
Oct
The Georgia Lyme Disease Association has launched a new website. It highlights the Lone Star tick, widespread in that state, which many believe is a vector for Lyme disease.
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NEWS: Visalia woman's battle with Lyme disease leads to film showing in CA central valley
19
Oct
The Visalia Times-Delta newspaper profiles Beverly Santos, whose struggle with Lyme disease led to this week's screenings of Under Our Skin--the first theatrical showings of the film in California's central valley.
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NEWS: Donate to Dr. Jones--Funds urgently needed
14
Oct
Dr. Charles Ray Jones, the pediatric Lyme specialist featured in the documentary UNDER OUR SKIN, is still being dragged through the courts. His legal defense fund has evaporated and he needs to pay his legal counsel $8,000 by October 16 in order to continue to fight.
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NEWS: Lyme disease lepers--Canadian TV investigates
14
Oct
The Canadian TV investigative news show "16:9--the Bigger Picture" takes a look at the Lyme controversy.
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NEWS: XMRV retrovirus may impact CFS, autism and other conditions
12
Oct
Last week, researchers startled the medical world with the announcement that the XMRV retrovirus appears to be implicated in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. It now turns out the same researchers are finding a connection between XMRV and autism, as well as other conditions.
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NEWS: Mouse virus linked to Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
08
Oct
According to a study in Scientific American, the retrovirus XMRV has been found in many people with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. The discovery may lead to more reliable diagnosis and possible treatments.
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NEWS: Olbermann mentions Lyme in hour-long presentation about health care
08
Oct
MSNBC news commentator Keith Olbermann delivered an hour-long "special comment" on health care reform Wednesday. Included was a poignant example of a friend's daughter suffering from Lyme disease.
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NEWS: CanLyme blasts government for lack of Lyme research in Canada
06
Oct
"Lyme disease has spread unchecked under their watch, is under-diagnosed, and has been shown in research to be present in several disease processes of which Canada has some of the highest rates in the world, all while making the medical business machine very rich."
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NEWS: FDA warns new heparin standards will cut drug potency
05
Oct
If you are a Lyme patient who takes heparin along with IV meds, you should discuss the potency change with your doctor.
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NEWS: Part 3 of California doctor's own Lyme story
05
Oct
The concluding portion of the series, Dr. Jon Sterngold discusses how the IDSA guidelines impede the treatment of Lyme disease.
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NEWS: Connecticut school district makes life difficult for family battling Lyme disease
01
Oct
A family with a child desperately ill with Lyme thought the school district understood their child was too sick to attend school. Until they found out the district had reported them to the Department of Children and Families" for suspected "educational neglect."
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NEWS: Wisconsin Lyme advocates lobby in state capitol
01
Oct
Advocates for Wisconsin Lyme disease groups canvassed the Wisconsin State Capitol Tuesday and Wednesday to meet with legislators and promote their cause. Action tied in to upcoming showing of "Under Our Skin."
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NEWS: North Carolina health officials say yes, Lyme is in their state
01
Oct
"What we're trying to communicate to physicians is that it's possible to acquire Lyme in North Carolina, so don't hold to an old belief," says state epidemiologist. State is now working to spread word to doctors, who are often reluctant to even test for Lyme due to mistaken idea that Lyme doesn't exist in NC.
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NEWS: Part 2 of California doctor writing about own Lyme case; how the bacterium hides from the immune system
30
Sep
In part two of a series in the Willits (CA) News, physician Jon Sterngold discusses why the disease can be so difficult to eradicate.
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NEWS: California doctor describes own struggle with late-stage Lyme disease
27
Sep
"I have a dog in this hunt. I used to be the healthiest guy I knew."
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CALDA offers grants for DC Lyme conferences
14
Sep
Health-care providers who will be first-time attendees at the upcoming LDA/ILADS Lyme conferences in Washington DC can apply for grants to help defray expenses.
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NEWS: Lyme in Kentucky--"A bumper crop of ticks this year"
24
Sep
Kentucky newspaper columnist Peter Ferrara writes of his wife's experience with Lyme disease.
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NEWS: Canadian Lyme teen asks legislature tough questions
23
Sep
"It isn’t just in the United States. Ticks don’t wait in long lines with their passports to cross the border."
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NEWS: More TV coverage of Canadian Lyme rallies
22
Sep
Canadian TV covers Lyme rally in Victoria, British Columbia.
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NEWS: Debate over Lyme in Texas
21
Sep
The Dallas Morning News reports that "Debate continues over whether Lyme disease is a threat in Texas."
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NEWS: Canadian TV looks at Lyme disease
21
Sep
Canadians are sounding the alarm about the silent menace of Lyme disease. Reported by Avis Favaro, medical correspondent for CTV news.
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NEWS: Canadian Lyme patients rally for better diagnostic tests
21
Sep
At rallies across Canada this week, patients called for greater awareness of the disease within the medical community, and asked provincial governments to train doctors to recognize the disease.
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NEWS: CanLyme calls for government investigation of Lyme disease
19
Sep
CanLyme, the Canadian Lyme Disease Foundation, says thousands of Canadians with Lyme disease have been misdiagnosed with other diseases, while the true cause of their illness is ignored.
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NEWS: Filmmaker revives discussion of Lyme disease
14
Sep
According to the San Francisco Chronicle, "Under Our Skin," which screens Friday at San Francisco's Sundance Kabuki Cinema, "has managed to transform the unlikely topic of a bacterial infection into a critical hit on the festival circuit."
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NEWS: New 2008 CDC Lyme Statistcs
07
Sep
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have released Lyme disease figures for 2008.
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NEWS: Under Our Skin wins top festival prize in Greece
06
Sep
The Lyme documentary Under Our Skin received top honors at the International Health Film Festival in Kos, Greece.
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NEWS: 13 Lyme-literate practitioners reveal treatment strategies in new book
02
Sep
Press release about new book, "Insights into Lyme Disease Treatment: Thirteen Lyme-literate Health Care Practitioners Share Their Healing Strategies."
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NEWS: US military health clinics see a lot of Lyme in Europe
31
Aug
The Stars and Stripes reports about the high prevalence of Lyme disease showing up at US military health clinics throughout Europe, especially Germany.
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NEWS: Former patient who testified as a child about Lyme disease recalls encounter with Sen. Ted Kennedy
28
Aug
Evan White testified at age 14 in 1993 about his battle with Lyme disease during a hearing chaired by Kennedy. The Boston Globe and other media took note of Kennedy's emotional reaction to White's testimony. "No one could hear or feel the moment of that child and not be moved," Kennedy explained to the Globe at the time. Anyone who wasn't moved, he said, "hasn't got a heart."
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NEWS: Jordan Fisher Smith of "Under Our Skin" discusses hellish Lyme experience with hometown newspaper
25
Aug
“I was a park ranger, I knew I had been bit, I had the tick, I had the rash, and I reported it — and it took five doctors and a year and a half to figure it out,” Jordan Fisher Smith tells his hometown newspaper. He's featured prominently in the Lyme film which will show in Nevada City, CA, this weekend.
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Long-awaited Review of Lyme Disease Guidelines Set for Thursday
28
Jul
On Thursday, July 30, 2009, the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) Lyme Disease Review Panel will conduct a daylong hearing, required under an antitrust settlement between the IDSA and the Connecticut Attorney General. Patients, researchers and physicians from both sides of this hotly debated topic will present testimony to the panel in Washington, DC. The Attorney General’s investigation of the IDSA revealed the 2006 guidelines panel members had widespread commercial conflicts of interests and had excluded peer-reviewed scientific evidence supporting chronic Lyme disease. The new panel is charged with evaluating the scientific basis of the guidelines, which currently deny patients access to antibiotic therapy – the only treatment option available for chronic Lyme disease. Health insurers rely on the IDSA guidelines to deny medical reimbursements. State medical boards use them to launch unprofessional conduct actions, placing physicians who continue to treat chronic Lyme disease at risk of losing their licenses.
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MILESTONE: LLMD Edwin Masters dies
24
Jun
Edwin "Ed" Masters, LLMD, of Cape Girardeau, Missouri, died Sunday, June 21, 2009 at the age of 63. Dr. Masters fought for years with the CDC over the existence of Lyme disease in Missouri. He conducted research and published 52 scholarly papers.
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NEWS: AMA publishes update of guidelines process
17
Mar
The American Medical Association's on-line newspaper today printed an update of what's happening with the IDSA's review of their controversial Lyme treatment guidelines.
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New Lyme bill in Congress: HR-1179
25
Feb
The Lyme and Tick-Borne Diseases Prevention, Education & Research Act of 2009, was introduced this week by New Jersey Congressman Chris Smith. It calls for $100 million over five years for Lyme disease research, prevention, physician education and the formation of a federal Advisory Committee. A Senate bill is expected to be introduced shortly.
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Lyme Organizations: New IDSA Guidelines Panel, Unbalanced & Biased Congressman and Patient Groups Voice Concerns
30
Jan
Greenwich, CT, January 28, 2009-Patient groups voiced concern and disappointment about the new Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) Lyme disease guidelines’ panel, which excludes physicians who treat patients with chronic Lyme disease. Last May, the Connecticut Attorney General found the IDSA Lyme disease treatment guidelines’ panel had conflicts of interest, engaged in exclusionary conduct, and suppressed scientific evidence. The investigation resulted in a settlement forcing the IDSA to reconstitute a balanced panel free of conflicts of interest under the oversight of an ombudsman to monitor conflicts of interest. No input from patients or treating physicians was permitted in selection.
Greenwich, CT, January 28, 2009-Patient groups voiced concern and disappointment about the new Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) Lyme disease guidelines’ panel, which excludes physicians who treat patients with chronic Lyme disease. Last May, the Connecticut Attorney General found the IDSA Lyme disease treatment guidelines’ panel had conflicts of interest, engaged in exclusionary conduct, and suppressed scientific evidence. The investigation resulted in a settlement forcing the IDSA to reconstitute a balanced panel free of conflicts of interest under the oversight of an ombudsman to monitor conflicts of interest. No input from patients or treating physicians was permitted in selection.
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California Lyme Disease Association and Lyme Disease Association Position Statement on Lyme Disease Specialty Bias in Unprofessional Conduct Actions
14
Oct
There are two schools of thought regarding the treatment of Lyme disease: IDSA and ILADS. Physician reviews for unprofessional conduct should be independent and untainted by specialty bias. If a physician is following the ILADS treatment guidelines, the appropriate review standard for unprofessional conduct is whether the physician followed the standard of care reflected in the ILADSguidelines, not those of a competing medical society [IDSA].
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