Information about Lyme disease

[cave76]

The 'good news' about contracting Lyme disease:
1. If you don't get bitten you can't get infected
2. A fairly large percentage of ticks are incapable of conferring Lyme disease even you're bitten.

That's about it for good news.

In the U.S. a good site to go to is:

Lyme Disease Quick Facts.

For Canada, go to:

CanLyme – Canadian Lyme Disease Foundation | The Canadian Lyme Disease Foundation (CanLyme) was formed to promote Lyme education in Canada and raise funds to advance Lyme disease research.

My qualifications for discussing Lyme disease are my years as the leader for Lyme support groups, both physical and on-line in the U.S.

I also had a web site for Lyme information and support which I recently closed.

I've been a patient advocate for Lyme patients for over a decade.

I was also a member of CanLyme and 2 European Lyme forums. I haven't participated in either of those for several years.

Read at those two sites I gave and if you have any questions I'll try to answer them or direct you to valid articles that can help.

It's a jungle out there with all the mis- and disinformation about Lyme disease. The CDC and the NHS have mis-information about Lyme. That's not just my opinion but the opinion of many top tier doctors and thousands of Lyme patients who believed the info on those sites and now have chronic Lyme.

 

[Dawgluver]

Thanks Cave, living in the tick jungle, every bit of information is much appreciated! I have several friends who had been diagnosed with Lyme disease, one who was unable to work for months. He still is affected.

 

[cave76]

From the CDC:

How to remove a tick

Use fine-tipped tweezers to grasp the tick as close to the skin's surface as possible.

Pull upward with steady, even pressure. Don't twist or jerk the tick; this can cause the mouth-parts to break off and remain in the skin. If this happens, remove the mouth-parts with tweezers. If you are unable to remove the mouth easily with clean tweezers, leave it alone and let the skin heal.

After removing the tick, thoroughly clean the bite area and your hands with rubbing alcohol, an iodine scrub, or soap and water.

Avoid folklore remedies such as "painting" the tick with nail polish or petroleum jelly, or using heat to make the tick detach from the skin. Your goal is to remove the tick as quickly as possible--not waiting for it to detach.

CDC - Tick Removal - Ticks

If a person removes a tick by any other method it may get the tick removed.
But the above is the best way.

"Tick vomit"? Well, the technical word for that is regurgitation---- but it doesn't matter.

Why the CDC recommends grabbing the tick as close to your body as possible is to try to prevent the tick from regurgitating the contents of it's midgut (which would be squeezed in the process) which is where any of the bacteria that cause Lyme will be. IOW, you don't want to angrify the tick.

And a doctor who specializes in Lyme told me --- never ever remove a tick (from an animal or yourself) with your bare hands!

 

[PrincessFiona60]

Oh my, has tick removal has changed in 40 years.

 

[pacanis]

The specific tick that carries Lyme disease is so small you'd be better off using tweezers anyway.

 

[cave76]

Oh my, has tick removal has changed in 40 years.

Yes it has!

Now that I've reported one of the few true facts the CDC spews out about Lyme----- (how to remove a tick) let me show why believing the CDC about Lyme can't be across the board!

CDC - Statistics - Lyme Disease

Lyme disease is the most commonly reported vectorborne illness in the United States – – in 2012, it was the 7th most common Nationally Notifiable disease. [B]However this disease does not occur nationwide [/B]and is concentrated heavily in the northeast and upper Midwest.

What a crock--- and I don't mean crock pot! There are reasons that the CDC can say that with a straight face (technical reasons which may not be of interest to people here)---- but try saying that to all the people in other
states that have been infected and remain very sick.

University of California Integrated Pest Management posted:
" In one woodland site in Mendocino County, for example, 41% of the nymphs were found to contain Lyme disease bacteria."


"Tick distribution:
Borrelia burgdorferi has been found in Ixodes pacificus ticks in 42 California counties*
Physicians should be aware that people can be exposed to Lyme disease carrying ticks in many regions of California"

http://www.cdph.ca.gov/healthinfo/discond/Documents/TBDPhysicianTutorial.PDF

 

[PrincessFiona60]

There was a reason Dr. Burgdorfer lived in Hamilton, Montana. Lots of ticks around here. At least I know what they look like.

My misinformation comes from how things were done years ago, simply because neither Shrek or I are prone to attracting ticks and we've been hanging out together for 34 years.

 

[cave76]

The specific tick that carries Lyme disease is so small you'd be better off using tweezers anyway.

You're right. The nymphal stage of the tick (the stage that carries the most incidences of infection) is less than the size of a pin head!

A tick only has to be attached for a few minutes in order to transmit Lyme (if it carries the pathogen). Older information (sometimes current information ) said that a tick had to be attached for over 24-48 hours. Of course, the longer the attachment time the more liable for transmission.

But..... watch this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9zydWVwL7c

 

[pacanis]

My veterinarian is of the 24 hour ilk. Unless it takes longer in dogs than humans. Humans seem to suffer more from it than dogs do, so maybe.