"When wealth is lost, nothing is lost; when health is lost, something is lost; when character is lost, all is lost."
Thanks Karen M
Material items should be of least importance. Health is a important. When your character is lost, all is lost but repairable. You can repair your character but you have to be willing to work on yourself. We tend to blame others, especially when we know it is 'our' fault. It is easier to shift the blame. Who wants to work on themselves? Practically no one. Yet there is a glimmer of hope if you at least are willing to try. For today, list some of your character defects you may want to consider changing. Examples might be fear of success, fear of intimacy...
I am going to switch gears, still focusing of a multitude of lifestyle changes needed for a disease not yet discussed in this blog. I want to discuss a Worldwide Plague: Lyme Disease.
It was once thought to be a disease exclusive of Old Lyme, CT when discovered. Then it was primarily seen in Connecticut, Long Island, Shelter Island and Fire Island. Now it is seen worldwide.
We need to understand that this is a vast disease which has increased over the last decade. I believe it is only when we realize that Lyme's is worldwide can we begin to control its spread. Climate change affects the incidence as documented in a Portuguese study. Nine different strains of Borrelia were documented in a Scottish study. That study used the word "rocketed" to describe the dramatic increase. Do I think it is an over estimation or an exaggeration? No, I do not.
Now Africa has another infection to worry about. Along with Malaria (Plasmodium ssp) and its ever increasing HIV, now there is Lyme Disease.
Lyme Borreliosis, caused by the spirochete bacteria, Borrelia burgdoferi has grown into a major public health problem over the last ten years. No where is it felt more than in Fire Island. I should know. As a primary volunteer physician in Cherry Grove I have seen an increase in the number of cases over the last 3 years. The primary treatment for Lyme disease is the administration of various antibiotics. However, many patients relapse when the antibiotics are discontinued. I believe that the B. burgdorferi becomes resistant to the antibiotics. The spirochetes convert from their vegetative state to active states. It is the job of the medical community to find out which antibiotics can be used for the different stages of the spirochete to eradicate the organism.
The mainstream antibiotics used are doxycycline, minbocycline, Penicillin G, clarithromycin and ceftriaxone.
Do you think a doctor checks for all diseases when you present with a tick bite? or a rash? I do not know. I do know that I test for other infections since ticks harbor numerous other organisms that are pathogenic to humans. Some of the other infections I test for include: other Borrelia species, Babesia species, Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Bartonella species, especially quintana, Erlichosis species, especially chaffeensis, Mycoplasma species, Coxiella burnetii, and Francisella. Remember ticks are a cesspool of infections!
If you have been bitten by a tick and know it you must seek medical attention. Guidelines state that if you know you have been bitten (with or without a tick present on the body) you will need treatment with antibiotics for 3 days. Once bitten you have 72 hours to get treatment. If it is after 3 days when you seek treatment you will still need antibiotic treatment, but now you must take 28 days of treatment.
A work up for Tick Borne Diseases is extensive. Once a complete history and physical examination are done, a complete laboratory analysis for all tick borne diseases should be done. The management of the disease will include a dietary change. Individuals will benefit from a dietary change when combating any disease. There might need to be an environmental change too, such as eradication of mold. That was one of my primary goals when renovation of the Doctor's House was under way.
Then, there is treatment . The treatment will include conventional as well as alternative treatments. These treatments can range from herbal, to homeopathic to acupuncture. I do NOT consider these alternative, if you have been reading this blog. These are part of clinical medicine. I do know that there needs to be psychological evaluation. A support team needs to be set up for these patients. Many times their symptoms are 'bizarre' like shocks going from point to another point of their body, or quivering in their skin. Some physicians are not used to hearing such symptoms. I have seen patients get diagnosed with psychiatric problems. These symptoms could be psychiatric , but let's not forget Lyme's cerebritis. (Lyme disease of the brain)
Over the next few blogs, Lyme disease will be discussed in all its complexity.
Above is a photo of a female deer tick. The other is the posting outside the Elmer Lindsay Memorial House (Doctor's House) in Cherry Grove, New York Fire Island.
Until tomorrow...
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