Sen. ph Lieberman

[Guest guest]

Al Gore formally introduced Sen. ph Lieberman as his running mate in the

presidential campaign today. Being from Connecticut, Sen. Lieberman is well

aware of the Lyme disease problem. In fact, in the following afterword of

Vanderhoof-Forschner's 1997 book, Everything You Need to Know About Lyme

Disease, Sen. Lieberman says, " Lyme disease is a real, national health threat " .

I thought all of you would like to know this. =)

Robynn

From:

Everything You Need to Know About Lyme Disease and other Tick-Borne Disorders

Vanderhoof-Forschner, 1997

AFTERWORD

A Special Message from The Honorable Senator ph I Lieberman

Vanderhoof-Forschner is a constituent of mine, but we did not first meet

in our home state of Connecticut. In 1989, shortly after I was sworn in as a

senator, I happened to be having lunch in the Senate Dining Room when was

introduced to me. After a brief conversation, I asked her to let my office know

if there was anything we could do for her while she was in Washington. 'As a

matter of fact, there is..., " she said. And so began a long and fruitful

friendship... and partnership in the battle against Lyme disease.

Because of her own family's devastating encounter with this disease, was

inspired to help make the public, the government, and the medical community

itself more aware of Lyme disease-so that citizens could take steps to avoid it,

doctors could know how to recognize and treat it, and government and researchers

could find new ways to combat it.

Vanderhoof-Forschner is the perfect person to bring us Everything You Need

to Know about Lyme Disease. Written by a parent, the book comes at a time when

so many parents have concerns about what to do when they spot a tick on their

child's body. We've all heard something about Lyme disease - thanks in large

part to 's remarkable public education efforts throughout this decade-but

we're still largely in the dark about the practical steps we should all take to

protect our families.

That's where this book comes in. You've just come home from a hike in the woods

with your kids, and while undressing, you see a tick attached to the area behind

a knee or underneath a sock. You look at the tick ruefully, with a foggy

awareness of Lyme disease, but no notion of what to do next. Do you burn it off

or use nail polish or tweezers? How quickly should you act? What are the

symptoms of Lyme disease? Should you call the doctor?

This book answers those questions and does so in what I would call " plain

language. " It includes everything from the names and addresses of companies that

make special tweezers that remove ticks, to government public health agencies

around the world that are in the forefront of the fight against Lyme disease.

Along the way those interested can learn a lot about the history of the disease,

medical treatment, and preventive measures that can protect you and your

children.

Ticks are commonplace, and when I was young they were considered little more

than an itchy nuisance. Yet, today infected ticks harbor bacteria in their guts

that can be injected into the victim. Once there, the bacteria cause a wide

variety of symptoms developing over time-from flu-like symptoms and a rash to

severe headaches, arthritis, and even cardiac abnormalities.

Recent research has indicated that quick action to remove the tick can ward off

much of the danger. But diagnosing the disease and treating infection once it

occurs remain difficult. We have made great strides in our understanding over

the last 10 years. The Lyme Disease Foundation, created by and her

husband, Tom, has made a great contribution to that advance. This book is a

valuable contribution that I believe will be useful to parents and health care

professionals alike.

Lyme disease is a real, national health threat. From 1982 to 1994 over seventy

thousand cases of Lyme disease in forty-eight states were reported to the

Centers for Disease Control. In 1994 there was a 58 percent increase in the

number of cases over 1993. A study conducted by the Lyme Disease Foundation and

the Society of Actuaries determined that Lyme disease could be costing this

country as much as $1 billion a year in health care costs and lost productivity.

I have worked with to improve awareness of the disease by sponsoring Lyme

Disease Awareness Week each year. And we've lobbied, with some success, for

funding of Lyme disease research and education. But the Centers for Disease

Control estimate that thousands of Lyme disease cases still go undiagnosed,

unreported, and untreated. That's why efforts by individuals and private

organizations like the Lyme Disease Foundation are critical. And that's why

Everything You Need to Know about Lyme Disease is so timely.

I wish this book could be supplied as a gift to every parent leaving a hospital

with a newborn child - or, better yet, to every man and woman for their library

shelf. But for now, read and learn, and buy a copy for someone you love...

because there may well come a day when they'll be happy to have it on their

shelf.

-Senator ph L Liebernan

Connecticut

[Guest guest]

This is *Great News*!!! Let's get him elected!

Joan LI NY