Conn. probe leads to review of Lyme Disease treatment

Wait until one of the astute ISDA panel members becomes ill with Lyme disease, and can't get help, respect, or insurance coverage.

It is unfortunate that reporter Brian Burnell seems to have accepted uncritically the damage control message that IDSA spin doctors are busy promoting after the CT attorney general's historic decision. This decision has broad implications for the conduct of guidelines development in the United States. The attorney general was wise in realizing that it is dangerous to allow a situation where a few people have so much control of healthcare decisions affecting millions of people, with no accountability, no oversight, and possible conflicts of interest. It is entirely appropriate and desirable that such an important process - involving life and death decisions - be reviewed and evaluated by medical ethicists. The development process of the IDSA guidelines for Lyme disease was biased and flawed. The rigidity of guidelines themselves cause thousands of cases of Lyme disease to become much worse. Before making dismissive comments about people with chronic Lyme disease and their doctors, reporter Burnell should examine the evidence. There is plenty of evidence for persistent infection in Lyme disease, which is why doctors from International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society treat longterm and have considerable success doing so. Brian Burnell might be interested to know that the IDSA short-term treatment protocol has a published failure rate of 24 to 50%. If he had Lyme disease, would this be good enough?

Phyllis Mervine has an excellent post. It affirms the "anecdotal" accounts of Lyme causing much suffering with clear argumentation. I'm just another one to describe anecdotally so I'll spare the reader the details. But pain in my legs, walking all gimped out, vertigo, seizures, etc., when I use to be a long distnce hiker have convinced me Lyme disease is about as psychosomatic as diarrhea. Ever try willpower on that? Anyhow, I'm open-minded enough to venture that if not chronic Lyme disease then it could be "auto-immune syndrome" resulting from antibiotic induced Lupus. Either way IDSA is biased. Thank you Blumenthal.

Phyllis Mervine - CALDA wrote:

It is unfortunate that reporter Brian Burnell seems to have accepted uncritically the damage control message that IDSA spin doctors are busy promoting after the CT attorney general's historic decision. This decision has broad implications for the conduct of guidelines development in the United States. The attorney general was wise in realizing that it is dangerous to allow a situation where a few people have so much control of healthcare decisions affecting millions of people, with no accountability, no oversight, and possible conflicts of interest. It is entirely appropriate and desirable that such an important process - involving life and death decisions - be reviewed and evaluated by medical ethicists. The development process of the IDSA guidelines for Lyme disease was biased and flawed. The rigidity of guidelines themselves cause thousands of cases of Lyme disease to become much worse. Before making dismissive comments about people with chronic Lyme disease and their doctors, reporter Burnell should examine the evidence. There is plenty of evidence for persistent infection in Lyme disease, which is why doctors from International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society treat longterm and have considerable success doing so. Brian Burnell might be interested to know that the IDSA short-term treatment protocol has a published failure rate of 24 to 50%. If he had Lyme disease, would this be good enough?