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A shot to prevent Lyme disease could be on its way

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Re: A shot to prevent Lyme disease could be on its way

#131

Post by kortex »

yodsanklai wrote: post #46

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chronic_Lyme_disease > Chronic Lyme disease (CLD) is the name used by some people with "a broad array of illnesses or symptom complexes for which there is no reproducible or convincing scientific evidence of any relationship to Borrelia burgdorferi infection" to describe their condition and their beliefs about its cause. (TLDR; lot of misinformation about Lyme disease)

The recalcitrance of the broader medical research community to acknowledge that spirochetes can persist after antibiotics and continue to wreak havoc, is truly astounding. You'd think after all the "whoops, my bad" moments in history - handwashing, thalidomide, GRID/AIDS, to name a few, they would learn to be a bit more conservative in their stance, e.g. "we have not found direct evidence of chronic Lyme, but it has a plausible mechanism and widespread reports."

I've already seen the needle shift from "Lyme is impossible after antibiotics" to "well I guess some cases escape first round of treatment."

Re: A shot to prevent Lyme disease could be on its way

#132

Post by sva_ »

inter_netuser wrote: post #50
sva_ wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> That only happens in 30% of cases though. According to the CDC, its 70-80%[0]. [0] https://www.cdc.gov/lyme/signs_symptoms/index.html

Not the first time CDC would be wrong. EDIT: why downvote facts? Recent example on a hot topic: "CDC reverses itself and says guidelines it posted on coronavirus airborne transmission were wrong" https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/09/21/cdc-covid-a...

16% without erythema migrans ("lyme rash") https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12543291/

80% develop EM https://www.aafp.org/afp/2012/0601/p1086.html

You can easily find a lot of sources in this ballpark.

Re: A shot to prevent Lyme disease could be on its way

#134

Post by crypot »

jemurray wrote: post #75

I know this is about Lyme disease, but let me add another word of caution while we are discussing ticks. Two years ago I was bit by the Lone Star tick. Since that time I developed an allergy to all red meat. It was hard to diagnose and a few of the doctors I worked with along the years still don’t believe its true. If your interested in learning more search for Alpha Gal. There is an excellent Radio Lab podcast about…

I was bit by a tick in 2010. I pulled it off my forearm and it left a protrusion that lasted about 2 weeks. No rings. I got sick with a flu around this time. Went to the doctor, the lyme test came back negative.

Shortly after this I started to develop lesions in my mouth and scalp. Then they spread to my entire body. 6 months later got a diagnosis of an autoimmune blistering disease. The specialist said it was a usually a disease for old people, very unusual for an otherwise healthy 35 year old to develop it. 8 years of oral antibiotics and some steroids for flare ups and I was in remission.

In my opinion, everyone should be leery of tick bites.

Re: A shot to prevent Lyme disease could be on its way

#135

Post by Dumblydorr »

inter_netuser wrote: post #81
jemurray wrote: post #75

I know this is about Lyme disease, but let me add another word of caution while we are discussing ticks. Two years ago I was bit by the Lone Star tick. Since that time I developed an allergy to all red meat. It was hard to diagnose and a few of the doctors I worked with along the years still don’t believe its true. If your interested in learning more search for Alpha Gal. There is an excellent Radio Lab podcast about…

This cannot be repeated enough: "few of the doctors I worked with along the years still don’t believe its true" a medical opinion is just that. an opinion . consensus often takes decades to change.

A doctor's opinion on disease isn't merely an opinion, it's an educated guess based on experience and qualifications. New diseases and research are constantly appearing, thousands of articles are written each year. We can't expect doctors to know everything, but we can expect them to have more informed opinions, on average, than non-doctors.

I say this because there's a rising trend of anti-intellectualism and distrust of doctors in the US, which leads to massive self inflicted wounds in Covid and vaccines. Doctors aren't infallible, but they're far better than random online sources.

Re: A shot to prevent Lyme disease could be on its way

#136

Post by nicoburns »

bkallus wrote: post #29
mschuster91 wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because in the US legal system that uses laypeople as judges ("juries"), lawsuits tend to be won by those who put on the best play for the juries, not by those who have the better arguments on their side like in Continental Europe. And to make matters worse, sometimes juries go for obscenely excessive damages against companies to "make a point" - just look at the McDonald's coffee case.

The McDonald's coffee case is often cited this way, but I think a spilled a coffee that causes third-degree burns and necessitates skin grafts is probably too hot. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liebeck_v._McDonald's_Restau...

Would you not expect to get coffee made with boiling water? This is what you would get if you made it at home. It can't havr been much hotter than that or it would have evaporated.

Re: A shot to prevent Lyme disease could be on its way

#137

Post by saalweachter »

inter_netuser wrote: post #51
voisin wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How are you getting checked? I understood (perhaps wrongly) that the blood tests are only accurate well beyond the window with which the medications are effective, creating a chicken and egg issue.

why is there a window? people report recovery after several years with an appropriate treatment.

The bacteria can cause long-lasting damage, basically, and the symptoms of Lyme disease can just be that damage.

Re: A shot to prevent Lyme disease could be on its way

#138

Post by Loughla »

spicybright wrote: post #23

As a US new england-er, this is game changer for walking through woods. For those un-informed, on a walk through any woods, you should always wear high socks, and do a full body check for ticks after. Deer ticks can be as small as a few grains of sand, and near undetectable if they latch on unless you have sharp eyes. Obviously they can transmit lymes. I had a close encounter a few years ago, but very luckily giant r…

I'm convinced you can become and/or grow immune to Lyme, though. It's purely anecdotal.

I grew up where we built our house (deep, deep in the woods). I spent my childhood on the farm there. Ticks were a constant menace, I honestly don't know how many hundreds I pulled off myself as a child.

When I was able, my spouse and I purchased it and built a house. 6 months after moving in, my spouse developed Lymes disease. I have no explanation, other than I am immune to the ticks in the area (or I have had it my entire life with zero symptoms maybe?).

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