Life After Lyme Disease

Researchers from Michigan State University and five other schools want to determine why Lyme disease is more common in some areas invaded by ticks than others.

The four-year, $2.5 million study funded by The National Science Foundation is being led by fisheries and wildlife assistant professor Jean Tsao (SOW),  at the East Lansing school.

Tsao says she will analyze factors making Lyme disease more likely to be carried by ticks in northern states than those in the south. She says one goal of the study is to help health professionals manage the disease better.

Also participating are researchers from the universities of Tennessee , Rhode Island and Montreal; as well as Hofstra and Georgia Southern universities.

Canadian Lyme disease sufferers and their families are ticked off at how the federal government is dealing with the disease and are rallying across the country to bring attention to their plight.

They say the disease, transmitted through the bite of infected ticks, is not being properly diagnosed by Canadian doctors.

Lyme Action Group will present a petition to the province calling for better physician training, availability of treatment options, improved testing, mandatory screening of the blood supply and protection for Lyme-treating physicians against harassment from the College of Physicians Surgeons of Ontario.

The group states doctors are not being educated on the increasing prevalence of the disease in Canada.

Dr. Jozef Krop, a practitioner of environmental medicine, and Helke Ferrie, a medical/science author, will speak at the event.

Organizers hope to make a formal presentation of the petition to MPPs, to be subsequently read in the Legislature.

The Wall of Hope event begins Thursday at 10 a.m. on the south lawn of the Ontario Legislature at Queen’s Park.

For more information, contact LymeActionGroup@gmail.com or visit LymeActionGroup.blogspot.com

Received from the TickedOff group for distribution:

Here is the information for the upcoming hearing for HB 1148, filed by Representative Robert Hargraves, which will allow all Massachusetts physicians the ability to treat Lyme disease based on their own clinical judgment.

HB 1148 (pdf)

This post serves as an initial announcement, but will be updated during the coming week as we receive more information.

What: Public hearing on HB 1148 (Joint Committee on Public Health) Date: Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Place: Boston State House Room A1
24 Beacon Street Boston, MA, 02108
Directions
Time: 10:00 a.m. (If you plan to attend, please try to arrive by 9:00 a.m.)

Note: We will be sharing the hearing day with other bills and our time will be limited. We must plan carefully in order to utilize the time that we are allowed to full advantage.

Members of the Lyme community are encouraged to participate in each of three ways:

1. Written Testimony NEED YOUR HELP WITH THIS ASAP – Details to follow
2. Attendance at the hearing
3. Participation at the rally on the State House steps on the day of the hearingWe will describe each of these opportunities in subsequent emails. We are trying to keep this information as simple and “user friendly” as possible. Please bear with us, as we strive to clarify and convey the relevant information.

We look forward to working together with you!