Uncle Irvin: Lyme disease: One and done, or long term?
04/25/2017 12:21PM ● By Richard Gaw
(The writer looked closer at this most common vector-borne illness in the U.S. after a member of his family was recently stricken.)
Lyme disease has both early and late manifestations, and this dichotomy has precipitated a massive split in the health care community in the United States, causing the vector to break out from New England and the Middle Atlantic states westward and southward on a rapid migration.
The crux of the matter is a split in the medical community pitting the U.S. government CDC, large teaching hospitals and the drug industry, all represented by the huge Infectious Disease Society of America (IDSA). While ICADS represent hundreds of thousands of individual past and present victims of what they believe is long term Lyme disease, the industry counterpart IDSA -- whose members represent the U.S. government CDC and elected politicians, a vast majority of physicians, teaching hospitals, and the drug industry – has all the money and clout, and has been virtually unchallenged to see Lyme disease as two headed -- present stage and long term.
The IDSA's one-sided policy has thwarted research, disallowed health insurance benefits, and forced the vast majority of Lyme disease patients to fight their battles through small local cells to fend for themselves.
One such local organization is the Lyme disease Association of Southeastern PA. For further information, call Christa Vanderbilt at 610-388-7333 or Douglas W. Fearn, a co-volunteer who authored the group's booklet on Lyme disease.
Until and unless these adversaries hash out their differences and develop a comprehensive program that services both short- and long-term patients, a possible cure will be hard to come by.
(Uncle Irvin's column is his opinion only, and is not a news story.)
Lyme disease has both early and late manifestations, and this dichotomy has precipitated a massive split in the health care community in the United States, causing the vector to break out from New England and the Middle Atlantic states westward and southward on a rapid migration.
The crux of the matter is a split in the medical community pitting the U.S. government CDC, large teaching hospitals and the drug industry, all represented by the huge Infectious Disease Society of America (IDSA). While ICADS represent hundreds of thousands of individual past and present victims of what they believe is long term Lyme disease, the industry counterpart IDSA -- whose members represent the U.S. government CDC and elected politicians, a vast majority of physicians, teaching hospitals, and the drug industry – has all the money and clout, and has been virtually unchallenged to see Lyme disease as two headed -- present stage and long term.
The IDSA's one-sided policy has thwarted research, disallowed health insurance benefits, and forced the vast majority of Lyme disease patients to fight their battles through small local cells to fend for themselves.
One such local organization is the Lyme disease Association of Southeastern PA. For further information, call Christa Vanderbilt at 610-388-7333 or Douglas W. Fearn, a co-volunteer who authored the group's booklet on Lyme disease.
Until and unless these adversaries hash out their differences and develop a comprehensive program that services both short- and long-term patients, a possible cure will be hard to come by.
(Uncle Irvin's column is his opinion only, and is not a news story.)
