HSI research and health alert

[Guest guest]

****************************************************

Dear Reader,

It's that time of year again.

As we head into late spring and early summer, your chance of inadvertently

picking up a tick that carries the B. burgdorferi bacterium that causes Lyme

disease is higher than at any other time of the year. Deer ticks are more

likely to transmit the bacterium during their lymphal stage of development,

which

occurs right about now.

But according to a Lyme disease Hazard Information Bulletin published by the

Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), if you're a hiker in

Connecticut your risk is quite different than that of an avid gardener in

Colorado.

--------------------------------------------

Location, location, location

--------------------------------------------

According to a map in the OSHA bulletin, folks in New Mexico, Colorado,

Wyoming and Montana have very little chance of getting Lyme disease. At

slightly

greater risk are those on the west coast (where the disease is spread

primarily by the western black-legged tick) and in the southeast, especially

along

the gulf coast. States where risk is highest include Wisconsin, land, New

Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware and all of New England.

Anyone who lives in a high-risk state and spends a lot of time outdoors is

at higher risk, of course. And the OSHA bulletin lists these jobs that carry

particular risk: construction work, landscaping, forestry, brush clearing,

land surveying, farming, railroad work, oil field work, utility line work and

park/wildlife management.

So if you frequently spend time outside, say, clearing brush in Texas,

remember to wear long-sleeved shirts and tuck your trousers into your socks.

Not a

very stylish look, but a safe one. And there are several oils you can use to

help repel ticks, including lavender, citronella, cedar, rose geranium,

American pennyroyal, eucalyptus and tea tree oil. Commercial insect repellants

that are billed as " natural " typically contain one or more of these oils.

After an extended stint outdoors, always check your body for ticks. This is

a bit difficult because ticks in the lymphal stage are only as big as the

head of a pin, and while they may attach anywhere on the body, they prefer

hidden areas with hair, such as the armpits, groin and scalp.

--------------------------------------------

If all precautions fail

--------------------------------------------

The bacterium that causes Lyme disease sounds like a bio-villain in a

science fiction movie: It's a spirochete form (a spiral shape that aggressively

embeds in muscles, tendons and even the heart and brain), and it's also

pleomorphic, meaning it can change shape, making it hard for the immune system

to

detect it.

This dastardly creature prompts symptoms - such as fever and lack of energy

- that are often mistaken for the flu. Other symptoms include unusual joint

and muscle pain, stiff neck, confusion, severe headaches and heart

palpitations.

Antibiotics provide the standard treatment for Lyme disease. And as always

when antibiotics are used, acidophilus and other probiotics are helpful in

keeping the beneficial gut flora in the intestines alive. Also, because the

immune system is seriously stressed by Lyme, nutrients that enhance immune

system

function are very important. And sugar intake should be avoided for two

reasons: 1) sugar impairs the immune system, and 2) Lyme disease spirochetes

thrive on sugar.

A controversial natural treatment for Lyme disease calls for injections of

bee venom. Some anecdotal evidence indicates this regimen may be effective,

but according to an excellent article about Lyme disease by D.J. Fletcher and

Tom Klaber (available on Dr. ph Mercola's web site), physicians who

deviate from the established protocols for Lyme care apparently put themselves

at

risk for investigation by state licensing agencies.

In any case, if Lyme disease symptoms appear, immediate medical care is

needed. Some Lyme patients may fight their infection for months or even years if

the bacterium isn't addressed in the early stages.

To start receiving your own copy of the HSI e-Alert, visit:

_http://www.hsibaltimore.com/ealerts/freecopy.html_

(http://www.hsibaltimore.com/ealerts/freecopy.html)

Or forward this e-mail to a friend so they can sign-up to receive their own

copy of the HSI e-Alert.