LymeSci Blog

Lonnie Marcum

is a Licensed Physical Therapist, with a dual degree in health administration and physical therapy. She has a passion for helping people heal from illness and injury by treating the whole body. She became active in the Lyme community after her daughter was diagnosed with tick-borne diseases in 2013. She now devotes much time to learning about Lyme and related conditions, and sharing that knowledge via social media. Her blog, LymeSci, seeks to help patients understand the science of tick-borne diseases and new developments in research.

LYME SCI: Zoonotic diseases spread from animals to people

OCT

2017

What do the following recent news stories have in common? Child who visited county fair is Michigan’s first swine flu case of 2017 Hantavirus confirmed in Reno, Nevada Rabies found in dead raccoon in North Carolina Lyme disease risk remains high into fall and winter in... Read More »

LYME SCI: Is it fibromyalgia–or Lyme disease?

OCT

2017

When Lady Gaga recently revealed a diagnosis of fibromyalgia—a set of symptoms characterized by widespread pain that is frequently accompanied by fatigue, sleep disturbances, memory issues and mood changes—I thought of another famous singer, Kris Kristofferson. The Country Music... Read More »

LYME SCI: What’s the story about stevia?

SEP

2017

There has been a great deal of information circulating the internet about the use of stevia as a “cure” for Lyme disease. I’d like to try and clear up a few things. Many news articles have referred to laboratory research published by Dr. Eva Sapi of New Haven University, on the... Read More »

LYME SCI: The dangerous link between Lyme disease and teen suicide

SEP

2017

This week, September 10-16, is National Suicide Prevention Week in the United States. It comes not long after release of a new study demonstrating a link between Lyme disease and an increased risk for suicide. At a time when the suicide rate for teenagers is increasing, and the... Read More »

LYME SCI: Do sleeper cells hold key to “turning off” Borrelia?

SEP

2017

A recent article* about “sleeper cells,” co-authored by researchers at New York Medical College and the CDC, acknowledges something many Lyme researchers have suspected for decades. Namely, that Borrelia, the bacterium that causes Lyme disease, has well-developed... Read More »

LYME SCI: Re-cap of New York’s Lyme disease hearing

AUG

2017

On August 29, the New York State Senate’s Task Force on Lyme and Tick-borne Diseases held a public hearing, with participation from many stakeholders. Public health officials, scientists, patients, and doctors from IDSA and ILADS all addressed the committee hearing, which was... Read More »

LYME SCI: Powassan more prevalent than previously thought

AUG

2017

Tick-borne Powassan virus has been gaining attention after sending former North Carolina Senator Kay Hagan into a 43-day coma this past year. Thankfully, Senator Hagan was recently released from the hospital and is said to be recovering, although she has difficulty speaking and... Read More »

LYME SCI: My daughter tested positive for HIV at age 14

AUG

2017

It was a Thursday afternoon, five years ago in August. I remember it like it was yesterday. That sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. He looked at me and said “I have good news and bad news. The good news is: it’s not cancer. The bad news is: it’s not cancer.” I froze. What... Read More »

LYME SCI: The dreaded Jarisch-Herxheimer reaction

JUL

2017

Lyme disease and tick-borne diseases are complicated illnesses and because of that, treatment can be complex. Patients who’ve gone through treatment will often say “your symptoms get worse before they get better.” One of the reasons for this is something called a... Read More »