How I was able to get a Lyme Disease Awareness Proclamation in San LuisObispo, CA

It’s not difficult to obtain a Lyme awareness proclamation in your local jurisdiction. I followed the steps outlined in this simple guide on “How to do a Lyme awareness proclamation in your region.” Here’s what I did:

Since I live in San Luis Obispo County, California, I called the office of my County Supervisor, John Peschong. I told the receptionist that May is national Lyme Disease Awareness Month, and that I wanted to submit a proposal for a county proclamation about that. She then transferred me to Vicki, the person in charge of these tasks.

LymeSci: What I learned at ILADS 2016

My new "LymeSci" blog post at LymeDisease.org

LYME SCI: Filling my mind with Lyme knowledge at ILADS 2016

"In November, I had the pleasure of attending the International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society (ILADS) conference, in Philadelphia. Its purpose is to give physicians and scientific researchers from around the world a platform to discuss medical literature, current research, and evidence-based treatments. The theme of this year’s conference was “Lyme Disease: An Evolving Paradigm for Chronic Illness.” It was a collaborative effort between ILADS and Drexel University."

When Lyme Disease Triggers Multiple Food and Chemical Sensitivities

In the Summer of 2013, my daughter was diagnosed with Lyme Disease, Ehrlichia Chaffeensis and Bartonella, it all began the year before, after a family trip to Hawaii (her story here).  Her case of Bartonella was one of the worst her doctors had ever seen (see Bartonella rash here), and the diagnosis of her tick borne diseases was complicated by the fact that she had come down with a case of Parvo B-19 Virus at the beginning of her illness. All of these infections worked in concert to crash her immune system leading to multi systemic illness and a low white count, which she continues to struggle with today.

How Mast Cell Activation Disorder and Histamine Intolerance May Be Affecting Your Recovery From Lyme Disease

When Infection Triggers an Auto-Inflammatory Reaction

Lyme disease is the fastest growing vector-borne disease in the U.S. today with an estimated 329,000 Americans affected annually. Studies have shown that anywhere from 10-60% of patients who are treated with a standard course of antibiotics for Lyme Disease, will have continuing, sometimes debilitating symptoms. The CDC calls this chronic condition "Post Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome" (PTLDS). There is a growing body of evidence that demonstrates the reason for this condition may be due to an undiagnosed co-infection (like babesia bartonella, ehrlichia or anaplasma)[1] and/or treatment resistant Lyme bacteria, also known as persistent infection. (see my prior post on Lyme Persisters) The other possibility is that the infection triggers a dysfunction within the immune system. This can lead to an autoimmune or auto-inflammatory disease separate from or in addition to the infection. In this post I will be exploring how Lyme Disease can trigger an auto-inflammatory reaction through Mast Cell Activation.

Can A New Type Of Antibiotic Help Treat Lyme Disease?

Researchers at Harvard Medical School have identified a new family of proteins involved in the synthesis of bacterial cell walls. This study found that shape, elongation, division and sporulation (SEDS) peptidoglycan proteins have a major part in the formation of bacterial cell walls. For decades it was thought that penicillin-binding proteins (PBP's) were the only set of enzymes that worked in complexes to build the cell wall. Now it appears there are two sets of enzymes working in two different systems. The researchers findings entitled, "SEDS Proteins are a Widespread Family of Bacterial Cell Wall Polymerases" were published in Nature, International Weekly Journal of Science, on August 15, 2016. [1] Perhaps this discovery will lead to new treatment for Lyme Disease.

How My Daughter Became a Motivational Speaker

"Last week, I got a phone call out of the blue from my old principal. He called, saying that the superintendent of our school district specifically asked for me, because he wanted me to come speak at the teacher assembly. He thought my graduation speech was by far the best of all the ones he saw this last June, and he in-fact he said that my speech was his "favorite speech ever!"...

Link: "How I Became a Motivational Speaker"

A Model List of Essential Diagnostics Needs to Include Tick-Borne Diseases

Prior to the advent of laboratory testing medical decisions were based on the interpretation of a patient's symptoms. Today the majority of medical decisions are based upon diagnostic tests. Tests have become an essential part of modern healthcare.

"Without diagnostics, medicine is blind." ~ Alain Merieux