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Since its formal recognition in the U.S. in the early 1970s,
Lyme disease has become known to alert citizens across the
country. It came to the attention of the medical world after
two concerned mothers in the area of Old Lyme, Conn., contacted
public health authorities about an unexplained rise in juvenile
arthritis in their neighborhoods. Subsequent research established
that the arthritis was one symptom of what is now called
Lyme disease. It is caused by a species of bacteria, Borreliosis
burgdorferi. These are spread by particular kinds of ticks.
During the 30 years Lyme has been under scientific scrutiny,
two conflicting viewpoints have developed as to its frequency,
distribution, diagnosis and treatment. One is the mainstream
view presented by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
the National Institutes of Health and Yale University.The
other is presented by a large and growing group of Lyme
doctors and patients and their organizations. The first
minimizes the seriousness of the disease and problems in
treatment that have been well-documented in the last decade,
in studies mainstream journals will not publish. The second,
accepting these studies and 30 years of on the ground observation
by family doctors, sees it as a potentially crippling, even
fatal, disease in need of much wider research, a more inclusive
standard for diagnosis and much more aggressive treatment.
The personal experience of the author of the materials
presented here indicates that doctors in northern California
are following, most without question, the mainstream view.
(see “personal statement of Jentri Anders, PhD). This is
in spite of the fact that northern California is accepted
by even the CDC as an area endemic for Lyme disease. Northern
California doctors are largely ignorant of the details of
the controversy and the fact that it is rooted in the politics
of research funding, the corporate irresponsibility of pharmaceutical
companies and the vested interests of insurance companies.
The materials presented here are aimed at helping individuals
weave their way through the conflict in order to realistically
assess their own chances of having the disease. Although
the two positions have been equally researched, the purpose
of this webpage is to provide assistance to potential Lyme
patients by presenting the view of the second group. The
mainstream view can be easily found on the standard medical
websites, through the CDC or any public health agency.
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