Preventing Lyme Disease -Tips

I distinctly remember that day, when I stepped out of my office to play golf with friends. I was enjoying my game, until one of my shot landed in a bushy wooden spot, far off a golf arena. I took out my golf ball and suddenly, I assumed an insect bit me. The excruciating pain was unbearable. This feeling was somewhat which I had never experienced any time before.

My life changed with lymes disease.

I made a serious research on Lyme diseases. I found that the source of it is a tick bite. These tikes are mostly found in wooden regions. If not treated on time, this disease disrupts the entire functioning of the body. A single tick bite has changed my life. However, my disease has taught me that we be always careful in life.

My incentive is to worn people of the different signs and risks connected to Lymes Disease.

1. When you go for mountaineering or walking in grassy or wooded areas Wear long trousers and tuck them into socks. They must be tight at the wrists, ankles and waist.

Wear a hat when spending your time in impenetrably tree-covered areas.

2. Take a medical checkup regularly for any of symptoms of Lymes disease, in a case of you are going to work in the garden and hang out mostly around bushes.

3. Do not use your hands to remove ticks. Use certain tools such as tweezers to remove ticks. If you are using your fingers, wear gloves or use facial tissues and wash your hands after taking off the ticks. If not, there is a fair chance that you will get infected with Lymes Disease.

4. Special attention is needed every single day to exposed hairy regions of the body, as ticks can be clinging to these regions. Check your scalp too.

5. Avoid areas such as high grasses, gardens, marshes and beach locations, particularly towns where Lymes disease is plagued. You have to avoid hanging out in tick infested habitats and surroundings, in endemic areas of lymes disease. In addition, you need to cut down in your recreational activities such as landscaping, forestry, hiking, camping and other outdoor occupations.

6. After you finish your daily activities in garden or dense bushes, remove your clothes and comprehensively check all the skin surface areas for any legions of Lymes Disease

7. Decrease the infection of lymes disease with the use of repellents and covering your entire body with guarding clothes.

Apply tick and insect repellents that contain N,N-Diethyl-m-Toluamide (DEET) to the skin for additional safety from Lymes disease. It is necessary to repeat these applications frequently for maximum efficiency. Later, you need to wash it with soap and water. You can spray Permethrin, a synthetic pyrethroid repellent spray on clothes. This solution kills ticks, when they come in contact.

8. Remove such environments, which are suitable for ticks and their reservoir hosts as an example of leaf litter and woodpiles. Clear brush and trees and keep grass mowed. You can also call pesticides to destroy ticks if in large number. You need to keep out animals such as deer and mice, as ticks carry this infection from these animals.

9. Vaccination: Good news is that there is a vaccine to prevent lymes disease. On December 21, 1998, US Food and Drug Administration licensed Lyme disease vaccine. This vaccine is suitable for persons between age groups between 15 to 70 years. Studies expose that, this vaccine is safe and efficient. So, you must be vaccinated in local areas to avoid being infected with lymes disease.

By; Michael Green

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What are Neurological Complications Of Lyme Disease?

Lyme disease, sometimes referred to as Lyme infection, is a bacterial illness, transmitted to humans by the bite of deer ticks (Ixodes ticks) carrying a bacterium known as Borrelia burgdorferi. The disease has been reported in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, North Central, and Pacific coastal regions of the United States and in Europe, where it was first described almost 100 years ago. It is most prevalent in the northeastern states of the United States, with about half of all cases clustered in New York and Connecticut.

Who gets Lyme disease?

Lyme disease can affect people of any age. People who spend time in grassy and wooded environments are at an increased risk of exposure. The chances of being bitten by a deer tick are greater during times of the year when ticks are most active. Young deer ticks, called nymphs, are active from mid-May to mid-August and are about the size of poppy seeds.

Adult ticks, which are approximately the size of sesame seeds, are most active from March to mid-May and from mid-August to November. Both nymphs and adults can transmit Lyme disease. Ticks can be active any time the temperature is above freezing. Infected deer ticks can be found throughout New York State.

What are Neurological Complications Of Lyme Disease?

Lyme disease is caused by a bacterial organism that is transmitted to humans via the bite of an infected tick. Most people bitten by an infected tick develop a characteristic skin rash around the area of the bite. The rash may feel hot to the touch, and vary in size, shape, and color, but it will often have a "bull's eye" appearance (a red ring with a clear center). However, there are those who will not develop the rash, which makes Lyme disease hard to diagnose because its symptoms and signs mimic those of many other diseases.
Seven to 10 days following an infected tick's bite, the first stage of Lyme disease begins with flu-like symptoms such as fever, chills, swollen lymph nodes, headaches, fatigue, muscle aches, and joint pain.

DIAGNOSIS

This is evolving as both testing becomes more reliable, more case histories and information on patient responses to various treatment protocols is compiled and compared, and better information on co-infections, etc., are found and disseminated. Many within the Lyme disease medical and patient community recommend the following, both to learn more about the disease as well as current information on treatment.

Treatment
The antibiotic therapy of early LD generally results in complete recovery. A 2 week course of oral doxycycline or amoxycillin for Stage I and a third generation cephalosporin for Stage II are the most commonly used regimens. Treatment of late stage LD is less successful and a chronic or relapsing course is common. A third generation cephalosporin for 3 weeks is recommended.

Prevention
The prevention of LD is mainly through avoidance of tick infested areas and of tick bites by the use of repellents (particularly those containing DEET), wearing of light coloured clothing so that ticks are more easily seen and prompt removal of attached ticks. Transmission of spirochaetes generally does not occur until after 24 hours attachment of the tick. Antibiotic prophylaxis is not recommended. Trials of LD vaccines are in progress with varying degrees of success.

By; James Sameul

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Is Lyme Disease Transmitted Sexually?

I am always amazed when I hear this question. How can anyone doubt that if spirochetes are in body fluids, which they are, that Lyme would be transmitted like any other STD, syphilis for instance.

We know that conventional health care is trying to shut down the possibility of chronic Lyme, and deny any possibility of sexual transmission. There is a very clear effort to present the public with the notion that there isn't anything to worry about Lyme disease; that it is very easy to diagnose and cure.

I had one Harvard teaching Infectious Disease Specialist tell me that he didn't believe in chronic Lyme, and he was clearly upset by what he felt was a "panic" caused by hypochondriacs that are always looking for a technical reason for why they don't feel good. He said, "...one year it was Candida...everyone thought they were infected with Candida...another year it is another hysteria, well now it is Lyme."

Main stream medicine also denies the possibility of babies becoming infected in the womb if the mother is infected. Yet Dr. Alan MacDonald, a specialist in neonatal pathology back in the early eighties, studied and collected an immense collection of clear evidence showing babies - some stillborn and some who died soon after birth - all from Lyme disease.

The world wasn't ready for the truth when he presented his evidence in Vienna at the "Second International Symposium on Lyme Disease and Related Disorders." The process he used for proving the presence of spirochetes was innovative and difficult for the scientists to accept.

It would require them to cross over into the dark and terrifying realm of a runaway infection that these slides pointed to. And for the most part, twenty years later, the medical main stream is still looking the other way and ignoring the thousands upon thousands of suffering infected patients who are crying for help.

The day is sure to come when this tick-borne infection is understood better. But in the meantime, there are very few doctors willing to risk the persecution and financial risk of treating Lyme disease. Doctors are being sued not by their unhappy patients, but by other doctors who choose to stay blind to the emerging truth.

Entrenched and conservative medical practitioners say Lyme cannot be transmitted sexually, however, cutting edge scientists are proving the opposite.Alzheimer's Autism, MS, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Heart disease, psychiatric conditions and many other horrible diseases are being shown to involve Lyme disease as the cause in increasing cases.

So when you look to basic biology and study how infections are passed; it takes more faith to believe Lyme is not transmitted sexually than that it is

How can it be proven? That remains the problem.

By; Jenna Smith

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Chronic Lyme Disease Symptoms

Chronic Lyme Disease, or late disseminated Lyme disease, is the third stage of this multi-system, multi-stage illness. Various factors may contribute to chronic Lyme disease. Not all people infected with the Lyme bacteria develop the same symptoms, and a correct diagnosis is difficult. Chronic Lyme disease can occur when people have not been properly diagnosed or treated, or if they have received inadequate treatment. If all of the bacteria that cause Lyme disease are not killed off, the illness can move into a chronic stage, resulting in arthritis, chronic fatigue, poor concentration skills, and more.

Patients who are diagnosed immediately after getting infected seem to have the best chance of quick and complete recovery when they begin antibiotic treatment immediately. Yet Lyme Disease, which has been nicknamed the Great Imitator, can mimic the symptoms of at least a hundred other medical conditions. Unsuspecting patients and their physicians simply may not know which tests to administer in the face of so many possibilities. Lyme disease is so often misdiagnosed that if and when the patient does eventually receive a correct diagnosis, their condition may have already become chronic.

According to some medical experts, if the Lyme Disease patient does not receive antibiotics for a long enough period of time, the symptoms may become chronic. Misdiagnosis can contribute to chronic Lyme Disease when doctors subscribe medications for diseases or conditions they believe their patients have, but in fact they do not. This can have disastrous results. For example, the use of cortico-steroids will replicate the spirochetes (bacteria) that cause Lyme Disease. Therefore, steroids are to be avoided where Lyme Disease is suspected, and they are contraindicated. Some Lyme-literate doctors believe that steroid use while Lyme bacteria are present will cause chronic Lyme disease. But, ignorant of the possibility of Lyme bacteria, Lyme-iliterate MDs have mistakenly prescribed steroids to control inflammation, with calamitous results for their patients.

Many people who have been labeled with another chronic disease such as Lupus, Multiple Sclerosis, Fibromyalgia, Parkinson's, and others, may indeed have a condition that could be effectively treated with antibiotics. Lyme bacteria may be the underlying cause of their current condition, or at least a contributor. Many MDs are Lyme-illiterate. This is unfortunate considering the alarming rise in the number of proven Lyme Disease diagnoses. Incurious doctors may simply never suspect infection and therefore, never administer a test for Lyme Disease or one of the many coinfections with which it is frequently associated. They may go on wrongly treating a misdiagnosed patient for years. The patient, for their part, may continue being sick with chronic Lyme Disease, never understanding why the medicines they consume aren't making them any better.

Rampant misdiagnosis, unreliable tests and contentiousness between medical experts regarding the correct treatment of Lyme Disease has created a milieu wherein patients are typically aware that they must advocate for their own healing path. But how can Lyme Disease patients advocate the best treatment for themselves if they remain ignorant of the underlying cause of their illness? And why are many medical experts ignorant of and uninformed about this rapidly spreading disease, now verging on epidemic?

Medical insurance constraints on long-term treatment of chronic Lyme Disease contribute to the problem. Many clinics, doctors and hospitals, are heavily lobbied by wealthy insurance companies who refuse to acknowledge the evidence put forth by Lyme-literate experts that long-term care is necessary for treating chronic Lyme disease successfully. Many MDs simply adhere to the stringent definition of this damaging disease posited by the Center for Disease Control (CDC).

Typical CDC protocol followed by many uninformed, Lyme-iliterate MDs is to administer a 30 day prescription of antibiotics, and assume that the bacteria will be killed off and the patient recovered by the end of the month. In some cases this is probably sufficient. But given the extremely complicated nature of a correct diagnosis, the varied symptoms of Lyme Disease patients, and the confusion of MDs over how best to treat Lyme Disease, it's little wonder that in most cases, 30 days of antibiotic treatment does not cure the patient. In fact, according to one line of Lyme expert thought, this course of treatment is to blame for the disease moving into a chronic stage.

Please be aware that this information is provided to supplement the care provided by your physician. It is neither intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. CALL YOUR HEALTHCARE PROVIDER IMMEDIATELY IF YOU THINK YOU MAY HAVE A MEDICAL EMERGENCY. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider prior to starting any new treatment or with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.

By; Susan Arthur

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Lyme Disease

By; Alvin N. Eden, MD

We are spending our vacation this summer in a wooded area and I am worried about Lyme disease. How can I prevent my two-year-old daughter from catching it?

A You can protect your daughter from Lyme disease by taking some simple preventive measures. First, make certain that she wears protective cover-up clothing when outdoors, especially in the woods. This means dress her in clothes that cover as much skin as possible--a hat, long sleeves, long pants tucked into socks and closed shoes. An insect repellent also can be helpful. Be careful with products containing Deet. If Deet-containing, they should have concentrations of less than 10%.

Lyme disease is transmitted by a deer tick bite. The good news is that even if your child is bitten by an infected deer tick, it takes at least 24 hours of the tick being attached to her skin for the organism to be transmitted to her. Therefore, it is very important for you to carefully examine her from top to bottom each night, checking for any ticks. If you find one and remove it properly, you have nothing to worry about, since the tick was attached for less than 24 hours and therefore no harm was done.

The proper way to remove a tick is as follows:

1) Clean the area with an alcohol sponge

2) Using forceps or tweezers, grasp the tick as close to its mouth and the person's skin as possible

3) Using gentle steady tension, pull the tick out and save it to show to your doctor

4) Clean the area thoroughly with alcohol

There are many cases of Lyme disease where there is no history of a tick bite and so those cases are more difficult to diagnose. Of course, if you suspect that your child may have Lyme disease, check with your doctor. A circular rash, headache, fever, muscle aches and pains should raise your index of suspicion. There are blood tests that can confirm the diagnosis. Antibiotic treatment started within 30 days of transmission is very effective in treating and curing this infection.

If you follow these suggestions, you can relax and enjoy your vacation without having to worry.

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Lyme Disease Treatment Information

Lyme disease is a disease transmitted by ticks that causes signs and symptoms ranging from rash and flu, fever and pain more seriously, including swelling, weakness, fatigue and temporary paralysis. Lyme disease is an infection caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi. Borrelia burgdorferi is the leading cause of Lyme disease in the United States and Borrelia afzelii Borrelia garinii and Europe. Typical symptoms include fever, headache, fatigue, and a characteristic skin rash called erythema migrans.Other symptoms of Lyme disease include chills, stiff neck, muscle aches and joint pain.

In a few people, early Lyme disease can spread to the heart or the nervous system. Symptoms most often occur from May through September because the nymphal stage of the tick is responsible for most cases. Ticks attach easily to bare flesh. If you're in an area where ticks are common, protect yourself and your children by wearing long sleeves and long pants. Most cases of Lyme disease can be treated successfully with a few weeks of antibiotics. Measures to prevent Lyme disease include using insect repellent, removing ticks promptly, landscaping, and integrated pest management.

To prevent Lyme disease, avoid contact with soil, leaves and vegetation, as much as possible, especially during the months of May, June and July, when the ticks have not yet matured and are more difficult to detect. Wear closed shoes and boots, long-sleeved shirts and long pants. Tuck pants into boots or shoes to prevent ticks to explore his legs. Keep long hair pulled back or placed in a cap for added protection. Wash all clothing after leaving areas infested with ticks and swimming and shampoo your child thoroughly to remove any hidden ticks. Keep long hair pulled back or placed in a cap for added protection.

Lyme Disease Treatment and Prevention Tips

1. Wear light-colored clothing to help you see ticks easily.

2. Keep long hair pulled back or placed in a cap for added protection.

3. Intravenous drugs ceftriaxone (Rocephin) also recommeded.

4. When outside, don't sit on the ground.

5. Oral antibiotics usually doxycycline for adults.

6. Wear a long-sleeved shirt and wear pants instead of shorts.

7. Oral antibiotics usually doxycycline also useful for adults

Source : http://www.free-articles-zone.com/

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Treatment – Lyme disease

Lyme disease is an inflammatory disease spread through a tick bite. Lyme disease is an infection caused by bacteria spirochete. The disease is carried by deer ticks and western black-legged ticks (found mostly on the Pacific Coast). These ticks can spread the disease to animals and humans through tick bites. Lyme disease is the most common tick-borne disease in the United States. Lyme disease is caused by an infection from a micro-organism (Borrelia burghdor feri), itself transmitted by a bite from the wood tick, a blood-sucking parasite which normally lives on deer. The wood tick is found in many areas, particularly in forests where deer are common. A tick will settle anywhere on a human body, but prefers warm, moist and dark places like the crotch or armpits.
Try to reduce the use of repellents by dressing in long sleeves and pants tucked into socks or boots.

Do not apply near eyes, nose or mouth and use sparingly around ears. Do not apply to the hands of small children.

The number of ticks in endemic residential areas may be reduced by removing leaf litter, brush- and wood-piles around houses and at the edges of yards, and by clearing trees and brush to admit more sunlight and reduce the amount of suitable habitat for deer, rodents, and ticks. Tick populations have also been effectively suppressed through the application of pesticides to residential properties. Community-based interventions to reduce deer populations or to kill ticks on deer and rodents have not been extensively implemented, but may be effective in reducing the community-wide risk of Lyme disease. New approaches such as deer feeding stations equipped with pesticide applicators to kill ticks on deer, and baited devices to kill ticks on rodents, are currently under evaluation.

In some cases, antibiotics have been prescribed for people who have only vague symptoms or fear they may have had a tick bite. Some people who have a lot of anxiety and worry after a tick bite may be given antibiotics to try to prevent Lyme disease. These uses of antibiotics are controversial, and only done when the tick has been attached for at least 36 hours in a region with high risk of Lyme disease.

Experts familiar with the complicated nature of diagnosing Lyme advise that if a person has had a tick bite, or exhibits symptoms characteristic of Lyme, they consult a Lyme literate medical doctor (LLMD) and begin treatment, even if test results are negative or pending.

Doxycycline - bacteriostatic properties stops synthesis of bacteria replication. Inhibits bacterial protein synthesis. Amoxicillin - bacteriostatic properties do not kill bacterium, but do halt bacterial growth by inhibition of cell wall synthesis. Ceftriaxone - (intravenous therapy) bactericidal properties kill bacterium. Wear a hat and a long-sleeved shirt for added protection. Wear light-colored clothing so that ticks can be spotted more easily. Wash all clothes after leaving tick-infested areas, and bathe and shampoo your child thoroughly to eliminate any unseen ticks.

Do not apply near eyes, nose or mouth and use sparingly around ears. Do not apply to the hands of small children.

The best treatment for lyme disease is in the prevention. Ticks can be found in many different areas and are just waiting for the next warm body. Keeping your pets out of thick brush and high grass will help them from getting ticks, but there are many products on the market today that can in fact keep ticks off of your pets or kill these pests if your pet already has ticks.

Source: http://www.free-articles-zone.com/

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