The Controversy Behind Lyme Disease

Who knew? Your entire life can change from a tick bite. With cases increasingly on the rise, and lack of movement from the medical community, many Lyme disease sufferers remain speechless. Many describe the pain they feel as “being constantly stabbed by a knife.” Studies are also coming out stating that for long-term Lyme disease sufferers, antibiotics are not providing any relief from pain or symptoms.

It doesn’t help that the Infectious Diseases Society of America (ISDA) and the International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society (ILDAS) have differing opinions on the existence of Chronic Lyme disease, which dramatically affects treatment options for Lyme sufferers. Paul Auwaerter, M.D., Clinical Director, Division of Infectious Diseases, mentioned that Chronic Lyme is a term used by doctors that have patients that have been suffering from an array of symptoms including fatigue and constant joint pain following Early Lyme Disease.

Auwaerter also mentioned that not everyone who says they suffer from Lyme Disease has a rash. But it is known that not everyone who has been diagnosed with Lyme develops a rash or even recalls being bit by a tick. The common treatment for Lyme disease is usually a two-week treatment of doxycycline. The ISDA supports the idea of Lyme disease being a short-term illness, and that Chronic Lyme disease does not exist because it has not been scientifically proven.

ILADS takes the approach of Lyme being difficult to diagnose, difficult to treat, and supports Lyme disease being a chronic illness and a nationwide problem. ILADS also supports the “Lyme Disease Challenge,” and provides fundraising for Chronic Lyme research.

So what are long-term Lyme disease sufferers complaining about? Why do they feel need to vocalize and prove to these medical institutions that their diseases exist and the pain they feel every day is real? It has also come out recently that Ashley Olsen, one of the most famous twins in Hollywood has retired from the spotlight for the past few years because she has been suffering from “incurable Lyme Disease.”

One close family source mentioned that she has been deeply suffering for a long time. Avril Lavigne has also come out and said she has been diagnosed with Lyme Disease and mentions how she thought she was going to die.

Many celebrities have Lyme have taken a stand against Chronic Lyme existence and are fighting for more funding and attention.

The bacteria that causes Lyme, Borrelia burgdorferi, is known to have special abilities like changing when it is extracted so it isn’t found and constantly changing shapes into three different forms in order to avoid antibiotics and being found by the body’s immune system. It can also bore through bone, the brain, and the central nervous system causing tremendous problems to its human host. This makes the prognosis for treatment very difficult and to scientifically prove if a person is suffering from Chronic Lyme Disease or even carries Borrelia burgdorferi.

Lyme disease is a bigger threat to America’s health than HIV/AIDS. With an estimated 300,000 new cases a year in the United State alone, it is diagnosed six times more than HIV/AIDS but the National Institute of health only allocates around 1% of the funds that HIV/AIDS receives for proper research and treatment.

Lyme disease is a growing threat in the United States and we must take steps to protect ourselves and loved ones. The Maryland, Virginia, and DC area is on the Top 10 Lyme list for new cases in this growing epidemic. Enact a pest treatment plan for your family for extra protection this summer and beyond.

American Pests Mosquito & Tick Program includes proven treatments to control mosquitoes and ticks around your home and is offered for residential customers. With superior protection from biting insect pests, American Pest is the ideal solution to protect the ones you love. Don’t let ticks keep your family indoors; contact us today!