Dear Dr. Gott: A friend of mine believes that he has Lyme disease. He does not have a rash on his skin; however, he does have a loss of memory and nervousness from time to time. The place he lives in has ticks. Also, a friend of his who lives in the neighborhood has had Lyme disease. What are the symptoms of the disease, therapy, cure and duration?
Thank you for continuing to care about those who have been affected by Lyme and tick-borne diseases. The recent article by Steve Nery, "Society to review Lyme disease guidelines," followed by the editorial, "Lyme disease bills need passage now," have both been praised by countless health care providers, as well as those who continue to suffer Lyme disease's long-term chronic effects.
ANNAPOLIS — Better guidelines are needed to diagnose and treat Lyme disease, a medical doctor and three others promoting greater public awareness about the disease told the Eastern Shore delegation Friday.
EASTON — An educational meeting about Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses will be held at 6 p.m. Monday, July 21, at the Easton branch of the Talbot County Free Library.
EASTON The Mid-Shore Lyme Disease Association will meet at 6 p.m. Monday, March 5, at St. Mark's United Methodist Church in Easton. Guest speaker will be Dr. Ron Hamlen who will speak about avoiding tick bites and landscape modification. Call 410-822-3164.
CENTREVILLE Ticks responsible for transmitting Lyme disease may carry an organism that can cause prolonged, relapsing illness in humans. A study to be released this month, Humans infected with relapsing fever spirochete Borrelia miyamotoi, Russia, by Platonov AE, et al., states the infection is responsible for a relapsing disease that may last for months. No tests are available commercially, and a curative treatment protocol, if one exists, has yet to be established.
SALISBURY Treatment of Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses using integrative medicine techniques will be discussed at the Jan. 31 meeting of the Lyme Disease Association of the Eastern Shore of Maryland.
WASHINGTON (AP) Reports of Lyme disease in the Washington region have grown in recent years, more than doubling in Virginia and Maryland from 2006 to 2007, the last year for which data are available.
Thank you for continuing to care about those who have been affected by Lyme and tick-borne diseases. The recent article by Steve Nery, "Society to review Lyme disease guidelines," followed by the editorial, "Lyme disease bills need passage now," have both been praised by countless health care providers, as well as those who continue to suffer Lyme disease's long-term chronic effects.
Dear Dr. Gott: I went walking in the woods recently. I took precautions, such as wearing long sleeves and pants. When I got back home, I did the customary tick check and, much to my chagrin, found one on my leg. Because I live in New England, I am always fearful of Lyme disease. Can you give me any guidelines on this dreaded disease?
The Infectious Diseases Society of America has agreed to reassess its controversial Lyme diseasediagnostic and treatment guidelines after an antitrust investigation uncovered serious flaws with them, Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal announced May 1.
Roy Madsen flips chicken on the grill Saturday at the Immanuel Lutheran Church located on Route 50 north of Easton during a chicken barbecue fundraiser for 9-year-old Emily Lanz, who has been suffering from a progressive form of Lyme disease since the age of 4.
WYE MILLS — Nearly 500 people, including about two dozen doctors, showed up at Chesapeake College Saturday to learn about Lyme disease — one of the nation’s fastest growing infectious illnesses — from national and local experts.
CENTREVILLE — The Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene has under-reported cases of Lyme disease to the Center for Disease Control since 2009, said Lucy Barnes, director of theLyme Disease Education and Support Groups of Maryland.
CENTREVILLE The Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene has under-reported cases ofLyme disease to the Center for Disease Control since 2009, said Lucy Barnes, director of the Lyme Disease Education and Support Groups of Maryland.
EASTON The Mid-Shore Lyme Disease Association will host a support group meeting at 6 p.m. Monday, May 7, in room 155 of St. Mark's United Methodist Church, Easton.
EASTON The Mid-Shore Lyme Disease Association will meet at 6 p.m. Monday, April 2, at St. Mark's United Methodist Church on Peachblossom Road, Easton. Use the Hayward Street entrance to Room 155.
SALISBURY Kenneth F. Kochler, D.O., will speak Monday, June 27, at 6:30 p.m. on homeopathic treatment of Lyme disease, during the monthly meeting of the Lyme Disease Association of the Eastern Shore of Maryland.
DENTON Homestead Manor Assisted Living Residence of Denton has announced the first speaker in its new physicians speaker series. The series is open to the public, free of charge.
EASTON The Mid-Shore Lyme Disease Association will host a talk at 6 p.m. Monday, Oct. 4, by Betty Verplank, an accupuncturist at Shore Health System's Center for Integrative Medicine, at St. Mark's United Methodist Church, Room 9, in Easton.
KENT ISLAND Barbara White had picked ticks off of herself on numerous occasions, but thought little of it until she experienced symptoms including panic attacks, severe vertigo, head pressure and pains, nausea and fatigue.
EASTON The Mid-Shore Lyme Disease Association will meet at 6 p.m. Monday, June 2 at St. Mark's United Methodist Church in Easton. Guest speaker will be CMT and AOBTA Rodney Tong, who will demonstrate Thai yoga massage.
EASTON The Mid-Shore Lyme Disease Association will meet at 6 p.m. Monday, June 2 at St. Mark's United Methodist Church in Easton. Guest speaker will be CMT and AOBTA Rodney Tong, who will demonstrate Thai yoga massage.
Friends and family joined for a chicken barbecue fundraiser June 17 at the Immanuel Lutheran Church on Route 50 in Easton to benefit Emily Lantz, 9, who has been suffering with a progressive form of Lyme disease since she was 4. Several of her friends joined Lantz for lunch. Pictured from left are Erin Cooney, Maeve Cooney, Caitlin Kapusta, Emily Lantz, Reilly Johnson and Katy Trice. For more information about Lantz and the fundraising effort, call Dana Kapusta at 410-770-9322 or Leslie Davis at 410-822-6390. Donations can also be sent to the Emily Lantz Lyme Fund, c/o Mercantile Eastern Shore Bank.
GRASONVILLE — Congressman Wayne Gilchrest, R-Md.-1st, received two certificates at Annie’s Paramount Steak and Seafood House Thursday evening for working to increase federal support for those with Lyme disease.
EASTON— As a community service, National Medical Imaging will present the topic: “Lyme Disease & Other Tick Borne Diseases” on Wednesday, April 19, at 7 p.m. in the NMI Community Room at 598 Cynwood Drive, Easton.
ANNAPOLIS — They spotted each other in the crowd by the lime green awareness ribbons safety-pinned to their shirts. They all asked the same questions: When were you diagnosed? How long have you been sick? What’s your treatment?
BALTIMORE— A Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine study reinforces what many people familiar with Lyme disease have been saying for years — existing testing methods are not accurate for detecting the disease in its early stages.
(StatePoint) More than 30,000 cases of Lyme disease are reported each year, making it the most commonly reported vector-borne illness in the US, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Make sure your family isn’t part of that number.
EASTON The Mid-Shore Lyme Disease Association will meet at 6 p.m. Monday, July 6, at St. Mark's United Methodist Church in Basement Room 9, with Wendy Morrison speaking about using therapeutic-grade essential oils to help fight Lyme disease.
Although you serve as a Maryland newspaper, people from all across the United States are praising you on your thorough, honest coverage of Lyme disease. As the corruption is being unveiled, you have been instrumental in helping so many who are devastated by tick-borne diseases.
CENTREVILLE — The Queen Anne’s County Commissioners issued a proclamation June 5 calling for Lyme Disease Awareness. Commissioner Gene Ransom read the proclamation, which was accepted by Centreville resident Sandy Goettel, who has Lyme disease.
ANNAPOLIS— A bill providing money to educate the public about Lyme disease has unanimously passed the Maryland House of Delegates and is now headed for the Senate, but Lyme diseaseadvocacy groups worry the bill will do more harm than good if approved.
Many thanks to Steve Nery and The Star Democrat for the excellent article, exposing the problems with the new IDSA Guidelines committee, convened to re-examine their Lyme disease guidelines. Thank you, too, for continuing to cover this extremely important public health menace that Lyme disease has become.
Thanks to Becca Newell, a Star Democrat staff writer, for her article entitled, "MD. Support Group Leader Creates Lyme Disease Website." I especially thank the Cecil Whig for publishing the story and alerting Cecil County citizens to this emerging public health threat. The article provides essential information to individuals dealing with Lyme disease or other tick-borne infections.Lyme disease is epidemic in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic States with more than 39,000 new cases reported, according to the Centers for Disease Control in 2009. The Lyme DiseaseAssociation of Southeastern Pennsylvania (www.lymepa.org/) provides information on Lyme disease and tick-borne infections to individuals in northeastern Pennsylvania, northern Delaware and eastern Maryland, and holds educational and support meetings at 7 p.m. the third Wednesday of each month at the Kennett Friends Meetinghouse, 250 N. Union St. Kennett Square, Pa.
EASTON - The guidelines have changed regarding how to treat a tick bite, according to the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh. The new guidelines state that people should get treatment forLyme disease immediately after getting bitten by a tick, which changed from the recommendation that people should wait to see if a rash develops.
CHESTER A meeting sponsored by the Lyme Association of the Eastern Shore to discuss Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses will be held at 6:30 p.m. tonight at the Kent Island office of Tidewater Physical Therapy, 1551 Postal Road, in the Rainbow Plaza in Chester.
Thank you first for everything you are doing for chronic Lyme disease patients like me. I have lost all my mobility from this terrible disease. It hit my muscle, my central nervous system, my balance and I cannot talk. It also hit my left eye and I pray each night that the good Lord just takes me up by Him. This is no life.
EASTON— Ritchie C. Shoemaker, M.D., a Pocomoke County physician who has studied biotoxins and biotoxin-induced illnesses, will speak Wednesday, Nov. 2 to the Mid-Shore Lyme DiseaseAssociation.
CENTREVILLE — While National Lyme disease patient advocates are protesting the Infectious Disease Society of America’s new diagnostic and treatment guidelines, a group of Maryland advocates recently resigned from a state Lyme disease subcommittee largely because of the state’s support for the new strict guidelines.
VALHALLA, N.Y. — Nearly 400 people, including more than 40 from a bus that departed from Easton, protested the Infectious Disease Society of America’s newLyme disease diagnostic and treatment guidelines outside of a New York hospital on Nov. 30.
EASTON— A chicken barbecue fundraiser is planned from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, June 17, at the Immanuel Lutheran Church of Easton, to benefit Emily Lantz, a 9-year-old who has been suffering from a progressive form of Lyme disease since the age of 4.
EASTON— Before, Natalie Porter was a kindergarten teacher in charge of rooms full of five-year olds, a volunteer taking Pets on Wheels to area nursing homes and hospitals.
EASTON— Trudy Guthrie started out with fibromyalgia. Her diagnosis changed to a brain tumor in 1981, even though doctors at Johns Hopkins University couldn’t find a tumor.
EASTON — Dr. Cheryl Ortel, an Easton gynecologist, will serve on the board of the Mid-Shore Lyme Disease Association as one of the first “Lyme-literate” physicians in the area.
Over the past two years the Lyme Disease Association-Eastern Shore of Maryland has talked to our state legislators about the issues of contracting tick-borne illnesses in Maryland.
EASTON — Local Lyme disease organizations were given a reason to hope for change last Tuesday when Congressman Wayne T. Gilchrest, R-Md.-1st, introduced legislation that would focus on accurate testing and treatment of the disease.
EASTON Reported Lyme disease cases in Maryland just about doubled from 2006 to 2007, according to the Centers for Disease Control, as far more cases than in any other year were reported across the state.
EASTON "Under Our Skin," a movie about the science and politics of Lyme disease, as well as the personal stories of those affected, will be shown at the Talbot County Free Library on at 10 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 15.
EASTON Months after the Infectious Diseases Society of America agreed to reassess its controversial Lyme disease diagnostic and treatment guidelines because an antitrust investigation turned up serious flaws, Lyme disease advocates are disheartened that the new panel again excludes any physicians who treat chronic Lyme disease.
CAMBRIDGE An informative meeting about Lyme disease will be held at 1 p.m. Wednesday, March 14, at the Eastern Shore Area Health Education Center. Guest speaker will be Dr. Ritchie Shoemaker. For more information or reservations, call 410-221-2600, ext. 101.
ANNAPOLIS— After a grassroots campaign protesting proposed Lyme disease legislation, the Maryland legislative session ended Monday night without the approval of House Bill 836.
National Harbor Volunteer patient advocates have been educating Maryland residents about Lyme and tick borne diseases for the past 25 years. We are struggling to keep up with the exploding epidemic (70 new cases of Lyme per day in Maryland) and do so without assistance or funding from government agencies.
BALTIMORE Lyme disease patient advocates are hopeful that new studies on especially resistant forms of bacteria at Johns Hopkins could help lead to less restrictive treatment guidelines.
EASTON Mid-Shore Lyme Disease Association will host a meeting at 6 p.m. Monday, Aug. 1, at St. Mark's United Methodist Church on Peachblosson Road, Easton.
CAMBRIDGE — A conference designed to assist medical professionals with the diagnosis and treatment of tick-borne diseases will be held Saturday, May 17, at the Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay resort in Cambridge. Presentations by world-renowned speakers and several exhibitors will provide medical professionals from varied disciplines with the information they need to recognize and treat Lyme and other tick-borne diseases.
EASTON The Mid-Shore Lyme Disease Association will host a meeting at 6 p.m. Monday, June 6, in the fellowship hall at St. Mark's United Methodist Church, Hayward Street, Easton.
Thank you so much for the fair, balanced coverage of the new panel that will evaluate treatment options for Lyme disease. Several years ago, I became seriously ill with Lyme that went repeatedly undetected by local laboratories. Long term antibiotic therapy the kind of treatment that is discouraged by the IDSA guidelines that the Connecticut attorney general forced to be reconsidered resulted in what many think impossible nearly a complete recovery.
WASHINGTON — While Lyme disease organizations are incensed by poor testing and outdated treatment guidelines, they see reason for hope in a bill co-sponsored by U.S. Rep. Wayne T. Gilchrest, R-Md.-1st.
EASTON A summer safety training workshop is being offered. Topics include sun exposure, heat related illnesses, Lyme disease, pool safety, bike safety, fatigue and exhaustion, and food safety.
Thank you so much for your critical article on the makeup of the new Lyme disease panel. It was so refreshing to know that someone other than one of us patients can see the truth and cares about our suffering. I have been sick for 18 years because my doctor was unable to diagnose me. We really do need help!
CAMBRIDGE The Bayside Animal Hospital in Cambridge will hold a Canine Blood Bank throughout December. To qualify, dogs must be more than 35 pounds and be 9 months to 8 years old. Dogs who donate blood will get free blood testing to check for blood type, heartworm, Lyme and other diseases. After five donations, dogs gets free blood for life if needed. To make an appointment, call 410-224-BANK or 800-949-EVBB.
MARYLAND— Although deer ticks are most prevalent during the summer, Maryland residents — especially hunters and others who work outdoors — should still take precautions to eliminate the risk of bites that can cause Lyme disease and other infectious diseases year-round.
(StatePoint) Protecting dogs from fleas and ticks is an important part of responsible pet care and this season shines a light on the prevention of Lyme disease in dogs. Distressing and harmful for your pet, parasites can cause diseases that affect you and your family.
ANNAPOLIS (AP) Sen. Larry Haines, a Republican who has represented parts of both Carroll and Baltimore counties for 20 years, says he will not run for re-election.
By now most people know that the deer tick is responsible for carrying and transmitting Lyme disease among animals. Lyme disease is a debilitating inflammatory condition that can cause body and joint aches, fever, pain, itching and lethargy. If Lyme disease is diagnosed in the early stages, it can be cured with antibiotics. Without treatment, however, complications involving the joints, heart and nervous system can occur. To understand how Lyme disease is transmitted, one must first understand the bug that is responsible for spreading it.
BALTIMORE With warmer weather and tick season right around the corner, the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DHMH) is launching an education campaign featuring the slogan Maryland Get Ticked Off! Lyme disease, with more than 2,700 cases reported in Maryland in 2007,is the prime target of this initiative.
Attending the National Medical Imaging March Speakers Bureau on “Nutrition and How It Impacts Diabetes” March 21 were, from left, guest Speaker Robin R. Rocht Hayes, founder and directing dietition of Nutritionally Speaking, Jean F. Jones of Easton and Helen Gussin of Easton. Hayes’ presentation included signs and symptoms of the types of diabetes, treatment and tools. Future NMI speakers include Dr. Cheryl Ortel on “Lyme Disease” in April, Dr. James W. Palumbo of the Orthopedic Center on “Foot & Ankle Pain” in May and Dr. Derek Shindler, ophthalmologist at Mid Surgical Eye, in June. These events are free and open to the public and space is limited. For questions about NMI or to register for future programs, call Linda Evans at 410-819-3737.
The best thing for your pet's health is what you give him every day love. "A good home is worth something," said Dr. Joe Nizolek of the Community Animal Hospital in Easton.
While sipping his coffee and doing some work, Radford University biology professor Samuel Zeakes asks some patrons at the coffee shop if they know which animal is responsible for the deaths of between one million and two million people each year. Responses include shark and crocodile attacks, scorpion and bee stings, spider bites, Mad Cow Disease, snake bites, and, his favorite, being eaten by a killer whale. Of course, none of these are correct.
DENTON— The new “Be HealthWise” series with doctors from Choptank Community Health will be coming to all locations of the Caroline County Public Library in March and April. The programs are free and are held from 7 to 8 p.m.
Lyme disease, fleas and heat stroke are common problems for pets in the summer, but there are other, less typical dangers to avoid such as the vegetable garden.
EASTON— Kathleen C. Wendowski discussed “Depression: Prevention, Early Detection and Resources for Treatment” as a community service event at the community room of National Medical Imaging on Feb. 22.
(BPT) - It’s hard to live in suburbia these days and be unaware of the difficulties deer can cause homeowners. They lunch on your landscape and brazenly cross busy roads at the worst possible times. But did you know that deer can carry parasites that transmit debilitating diseases to people? Or that nationally, deer versus car collisions claim about 200 lives per year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention?
EASTON — Students in the biological innovations and advanced placement biology courses at Easton High School recently presented their research projects at the annual Science Symposium held in the school media center. After conducting research in a scientific area of their interest, students invited their mentors, parents and guardians, school administrators and the general public to an evening event that included a poster session and formal electronic presentations.
My wife and I moved to Chestertown – in my case, moved back here – about 17 years ago. We'd been living in Brooklyn, N.Y. – which, as you can imagine, was a very different place to live in.
MARYVILLE, Ill. (AP) – Terry J. Sedlacek was called a quiet teen who washed dishes and helped prepare food at his family's restaurant. After a hospitalization during which he almost died, he became known for odd behavior, such as making barking noises. His body would sometimes jerk.
(NewsUSA) - Playing outside isn't just for the kids. Pets love exploring the backyard as well, and while letting Fluffy and Fido out may cut down on fur balls on the carpet, they could be bringing unwanted guests back inside.
ST. MICHAELS - After working with scientists from local laboratories for a year developing research projects, 39 Talbot County Public School students presented their work at "Environmental Issues: A Student Science Symposium," May 17 at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in St. Michaels.
EASTON The Delmarva Peninsula has some of the highest incident and death rates for breast cancer. Fortunately, a local gynecologist has been studying the situation, while addressing the basic medical needs of approximately 300 under-served or underinsured women in the area. A fundraiser is planned June 12 to assist these women.