WHAT???? From the ALDF: The War on Ticks

[Guest guest]

WHAT???? Ya mean they are actually acknowledging that long term IV therapy

will HELP???? I am also curious about all the rest of those 30 co-infections

he mentioned. Wonder when they will give them names........ Let's see, they

could call one Lovey's Bite For Life......Name another, Too Bad, and another,

Too Sad.........Yikes! Also, I was under the impression that Master's

Disease and LoneSTARI were the same strain of borrelia. Am I wrong? The rest

of

this post came from A.

Lovey

And take heart. Even if you develop late-stage Lyme disease, it remains

treatable in the vast majority of cases, though this may require a lengthy

course

of intravenous antibiotics. " I've seen kids in wheelchairs who could hardly

speak, " says Weld. " With proper treatment, in a year or so, they were back

playing soccer. "     

For those of you unfamiliar with the ALDF (American Lyme Disease Foundation),

it was set up by the government to combat the Lyme Disease Foundation, to

tell the world that there is no such thing as long-term infection and no need

for

long-term treatment and imform the public of the many dangers of antibiotic

usage.  So, where in the world, Weld, who has been the head of the

organization from day one, has seen kids in wheelchairs get long-term treatment

is

beyond me.  He must have been to some of the LDF meetings is all I can say. 

Sure wouldn't have seen them in the Steere camp.  This is beyond strange.

http://www.fieldandstream.com/fieldstream/outdoorskills/article/0,13199,634405,0\

0.html

Battling one of nature's most nefarious critters.

by Jim Thornton  

The Dutchess county, New york, whitetail looked magnificent in the distance,

decidedly less so up close. As the hunter who killed it prepared to field

dress the carcass, he noticed what appeared to be hundreds of black olives

attached to its ears, head, neck, and shoulders. For each one of these things,

he saw

at least two smaller versions embedded in the deer's hide.

" My friend gave up counting the black-legged ticks after he reached 1,000, "

recalls Weld, director of the American Lyme Disease Foundation. Not that

this deer was particularly unusual: Throughout the late summer and fall, says

Weld, the average deer in the Northeast hosts a revolving assortment of at

least 350 to 500 Ixodes scapularis, a species notorious for its ability to

transmit Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses. In the Midwest and South,

other tick species target deer in even greater profusion. The lone star tick,

for

instance, can infest animals in the tens of thousands.

For those whose compassion is limited to human health concerns, know that the

deer's plight is increasingly tied to our own. Up to 60 percent of adult

black-legged ticks carry B. burgdorferi bacteria, the type of spirochete that

causes Lyme disease in humans and dogs alike. Though Lyme has garnered much of

the

media's attention, it is by no means the only tick-borne ailment we are

vulnerable to.

Worldwide, researchers have identified at least 30 serious tick maladies; in

the United States alone, researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention currently keep surveillance on dozens of different tick species and a

rogue's gallery of illnesses they can carry. These include ehrlichiosis,

babesiosis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, tularemia, Masters disease, relapsing

fever, southern tick-associated rash illness (STARI), and several others so

newly discovered that they don't yet have common names.

Given the far-ranging public health repercussions, researchers have tried

attacking the tick problem in numerous ways. One of the most promising

approaches

has been vaccination, but this recently suffered a major setback. LYMErix, an

FDA-approved vaccine for Lyme disease (but not for any of the numerous other

tick-borne infections), was endorsed as safe and effective by both the CDC and

the federal Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. Unfortunately, as

of 2002, the manufacturer pulled the product from the market, citing poor sales

and adverse publicity by some individuals who claimed LYMErix made them sick.

The incentive for future research remains uncertain. And so the best offense,

it seems, is a good defense. Here are the latest guidelines.

Wear white. Light-colored clothing makes it much easier to spot ticks. Note:

If you see one tick, know that many, many more are out and about.

Use DEET. It effectively repels ticks and other nettlesome arthropods. The

American Academy of Pediatrics recently endorsed 30 percent DEET as safe for

kids.

Apply permethrin to boots and pant legs. This potent insecticide will kill

any ticks that attempt to attach. Permethrin lasts for several weeks, but it

shouldn't be used with DEET due to a chance of adverse chemical reactions.

Tuck your pants into your socks or boots. If a tick is going to grab hold of

you, it's likely to snag somewhere south of your waist. Do this only in

conjunction with an insect repellent. Otherwise, says Weld, ticks will continue

climbing until they reach the back of your neck or head, where they become very

difficult to find.

Do frequent tick checks. Because ticks concealed in body hair can be

especially hard to spot, lather up with soap in the shower and use your hands to

feel

for ticks.

Forget the folklore. Never attempt to burn a tick off with a match head,

suffocate it with petroleum jelly or nail polish, etc. Such techniques, while

appealing to the revenge-minded, only agitate the tick, causing it to

regurgitate.

This is the last thing you want.

Use fine tweezers to remove attached ticks. Angle in parallel to the skin,

grab the tick by its mouth parts, not its body, and gently but firmly pull it

off. Disinfect the area with soap, water, and antibiotic cream.

Freeze the tick in a plastic bag labeled with the date you found it. This can

help with diagnosis in the event you later come down with symptoms.

Early-stage Lyme disease can cause flulike symptoms and, in about 80 percent

of the cases, a bull's-eye rash. Other tick-borne diseases have their own

identifying characteristics. Babesiosis, for example, is caused by a protozoan

and

can bring on symptoms similar to malaria. Check the excellent websites of the

CDC (www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/lyme) and the American Lyme Disease Foundation

(aldf.com) for more information on specific risks to watch for in your

geographical area.

And take heart. Even if you develop late-stage Lyme disease, it remains

treatable in the vast majority of cases, though this may require a lengthy

course

of intravenous antibiotics. " I've seen kids in wheelchairs who could hardly

speak, " says Weld. " With proper treatment, in a year or so, they were back

playing soccer. "  

[Guest guest]

Yes, I think STARI and Master's disease are the same thing, but it is

not surprising that a journalist would get this wrong.

On the other hand, having Weld call for long-term treatment is

definitely surprising. Of course, one year may not be enough for all

kids. Maybe he will work his way up over time to telling the whole

truth. Oh well, I can dream, can't I?

[Guest guest]

WELD of the ALDF says in this Field and Stream article:

> And take heart. Even if you develop late-stage Lyme disease, it

remains

> treatable in the vast majority of cases, though this may require a

lengthy course

> of intravenous antibiotics. " I've seen kids in wheelchairs who

could hardly

> speak, " says Weld. " With proper treatment, in a year or so, they

were back

> playing soccer. "  

BUT, here is what the ALDF website says about treatment:

" Although treatment approaches for patients with late-stage LD have

become a matter of considerable debate, many physicians and the

Infectious Disease Society of America recognizes that, in some cases,

several courses of either oral or IV (depending on the symptoms

presented) antibiotic treatment may be indicated. However, long-term

IV treatment courses (longer than the recommended 4-6 weeks) are not

usually advised due to possible adverse side effects, including auto-

immune deficiencies. While there is some speculation that long-term

courses may be more effective than the recommended 4-6 weeks in

certain cases, there is currently no scientific evidence to support

this assertion. "

SO, did the writer misquote Weld? It seems very unlikely that he is

finally admitting that the ALDF was wrong. Considering that this

Steerite organization is in NY where doctors are being hauled up

before the state medical board for treating long-term (adequately).

And Steere, a founding member is a prominent exponent of

inadequate treatment and helped to persecute Dr. Natole in Michigan

for treating adequately.

This has got to be a misquote or a misunderstanding about what

adequate treatment is. Weld can't be saying that a year of treatment

is necessary.

Here are the e-mail addresses for letters to the editor at Field and

Stream magazine: fsmagazine@... and webmaster@field and

stream.com The second address is for the on-line edition.

The ALDF website is http://www.aldf.com

Please note the last three letters: com not org. And doesn't that

say it all????

[Guest guest]

wow.....*wipes the frost off the devil's nose*

> WHAT???? Ya mean they are actually acknowledging that long term

IV therapy

> will HELP???? I am also curious about all the rest of those 30 co-

infections

> he mentioned. Wonder when they will give them names........

Let's see, they

> could call one Lovey's Bite For Life......Name another, Too Bad,

and another,

> Too Sad.........Yikes! Also, I was under the impression that

Master's

> Disease and LoneSTARI were the same strain of borrelia. Am I

wrong? The rest of

> this post came from A.

>

> Lovey

>

> And take heart. Even if you develop late-stage Lyme disease, it

remains

> treatable in the vast majority of cases, though this may require a

lengthy course

> of intravenous antibiotics. " I've seen kids in wheelchairs who

could hardly

> speak, " says Weld. " With proper treatment, in a year or so, they

were back

> playing soccer. "     

>

> For those of you unfamiliar with the ALDF (American Lyme Disease

Foundation),

> it was set up by the government to combat the Lyme Disease

Foundation, to

> tell the world that there is no such thing as long-term infection

and no need for

> long-term treatment and imform the public of the many dangers of

antibiotic

> usage.  So, where in the world, Weld, who has been the head

of the

> organization from day one, has seen kids in wheelchairs get long-

term treatment is

> beyond me.  He must have been to some of the LDF meetings is all I

can say. 

> Sure wouldn't have seen them in the Steere camp.  This is beyond

strange.

>

>

>

http://www.fieldandstream.com/fieldstream/outdoorskills/article/0,131

99,634405,00.html

>

>

> Battling one of nature's most nefarious critters.

> by Jim Thornton  

>

>

> The Dutchess county, New york, whitetail looked magnificent in the

distance,

> decidedly less so up close. As the hunter who killed it prepared

to field

> dress the carcass, he noticed what appeared to be hundreds of

black olives

> attached to its ears, head, neck, and shoulders. For each one of

these things, he saw

> at least two smaller versions embedded in the deer's hide.

> " My friend gave up counting the black-legged ticks after he

reached 1,000, "

> recalls Weld, director of the American Lyme Disease

Foundation. Not that

> this deer was particularly unusual: Throughout the late summer and

fall, says

> Weld, the average deer in the Northeast hosts a revolving

assortment of at

> least 350 to 500 Ixodes scapularis, a species notorious for its

ability to

> transmit Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses. In the

Midwest and South,

> other tick species target deer in even greater profusion. The lone

star tick, for

> instance, can infest animals in the tens of thousands.

>

> For those whose compassion is limited to human health concerns,

know that the

> deer's plight is increasingly tied to our own. Up to 60 percent of

adult

> black-legged ticks carry B. burgdorferi bacteria, the type of

spirochete that

> causes Lyme disease in humans and dogs alike. Though Lyme has

garnered much of the

> media's attention, it is by no means the only tick-borne ailment

we are

> vulnerable to.

>

> Worldwide, researchers have identified at least 30 serious tick

maladies; in

> the United States alone, researchers at the Centers for Disease

Control and

> Prevention currently keep surveillance on dozens of different tick

species and a

> rogue's gallery of illnesses they can carry. These include

ehrlichiosis,

> babesiosis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, tularemia, Masters

disease, relapsing

> fever, southern tick-associated rash illness (STARI), and several

others so

> newly discovered that they don't yet have common names.

>

> Given the far-ranging public health repercussions, researchers

have tried

> attacking the tick problem in numerous ways. One of the most

promising approaches

> has been vaccination, but this recently suffered a major setback.

LYMErix, an

> FDA-approved vaccine for Lyme disease (but not for any of the

numerous other

> tick-borne infections), was endorsed as safe and effective by both

the CDC and

> the federal Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.

Unfortunately, as

> of 2002, the manufacturer pulled the product from the market,

citing poor sales

> and adverse publicity by some individuals who claimed LYMErix made

them sick.

> The incentive for future research remains uncertain. And so the

best offense,

> it seems, is a good defense. Here are the latest guidelines.

>

> Wear white. Light-colored clothing makes it much easier to spot

ticks. Note:

> If you see one tick, know that many, many more are out and about.

>

> Use DEET. It effectively repels ticks and other nettlesome

arthropods. The

> American Academy of Pediatrics recently endorsed 30 percent DEET

as safe for

> kids.

>

> Apply permethrin to boots and pant legs. This potent insecticide

will kill

> any ticks that attempt to attach. Permethrin lasts for several

weeks, but it

> shouldn't be used with DEET due to a chance of adverse chemical

reactions.

>

> Tuck your pants into your socks or boots. If a tick is going to

grab hold of

> you, it's likely to snag somewhere south of your waist. Do this

only in

> conjunction with an insect repellent. Otherwise, says Weld, ticks

will continue

> climbing until they reach the back of your neck or head, where

they become very

> difficult to find.

>

> Do frequent tick checks. Because ticks concealed in body hair can

be

> especially hard to spot, lather up with soap in the shower and use

your hands to feel

> for ticks.

>

> Forget the folklore. Never attempt to burn a tick off with a match

head,

> suffocate it with petroleum jelly or nail polish, etc. Such

techniques, while

> appealing to the revenge-minded, only agitate the tick, causing it

to regurgitate.

> This is the last thing you want.

>

> Use fine tweezers to remove attached ticks. Angle in parallel to

the skin,

> grab the tick by its mouth parts, not its body, and gently but

firmly pull it

> off. Disinfect the area with soap, water, and antibiotic cream.

>

> Freeze the tick in a plastic bag labeled with the date you found

it. This can

> help with diagnosis in the event you later come down with

symptoms.

>

> Early-stage Lyme disease can cause flulike symptoms and, in about

80 percent

> of the cases, a bull's-eye rash. Other tick-borne diseases have

their own

> identifying characteristics. Babesiosis, for example, is caused by

a protozoan and

> can bring on symptoms similar to malaria. Check the excellent

websites of the

> CDC (www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/lyme) and the American Lyme Disease

Foundation

> (aldf.com) for more information on specific risks to watch for in

your

> geographical area.

>

> And take heart. Even if you develop late-stage Lyme disease, it

remains

> treatable in the vast majority of cases, though this may require a

lengthy course

> of intravenous antibiotics. " I've seen kids in wheelchairs who

could hardly

> speak, " says Weld. " With proper treatment, in a year or so, they

were back

> playing soccer. "  

>

>

>

>

>