I am delighted to be attending the exciting and educational ILADS conference in Boston, on November 2-4.
This is the foremost event of each year, uniting the best minds in Lyme disease research, lab work, doctoring, advocacy and philosophy.
To be strong enough to attend after years of Lyme collapse, with “Out of the Woods” proudly placed at the conference author table-I am elated! Send me stamina and I will fill you all in when back home.
http://lyme-aid.net/content/lyme-disease-new-hiv#comments
Many people have concerns over how Lyme disease has been deftly downplayed as a limited short term infectious illness for 4 decades now, yet droves have been treacherously ill from misdiagnosed or mismanaged cases. Current studies are illuminating female lyme ‘carriers’ are transmitting the bacteria to the fetus creating stillbirth, autism, learning disabilities, OCD. Research in the 1980’s, by Dr. Alan MacDonald, clearly pinpointed 70% of Alzheimer victims test positive for the Lyme bacteria, yet the USA government would not fund well documented continued research in this vein.
Much mystery, confusion, medical infighting and now a frank uprising by sick people and their families surrounds Lyme disease and the epidemic status it has attained. It is time for the ‘code’ to be cracked on just what this stealthy bacteria- borrelia burgdorferi and its co-infections, is all about, and let’s find an end to the suffering, the faulty diagnostic testing and the inconsistent recovery treatments! We have the medical geniuses and technologies available for other illnesses, let us just point our laser science minds onto Lyme disease, found in 89 countries of the world.
Please read and share my provocative article here, “Is Lyme Disease the New HIV?” hosted by a new and promising international Lyme community driven website:
Lyme-Aid.net. Thank you Peter Strang in Australia for bringing me ‘onboard’. Great work can be achieved when many hands unite.
Kind regards,
Katina
Dear Anne Allred and the news team at WHDH, NBC TV Boston,
Thank you for showcasing my interview and Lyme disease recovery book, “Out of the Woods” on your evening news program of October 16. I appreciate your alertness to this exploding health crisis, with Lyme disease having surpassed HIV as now the #1 fastest spreading infectious illness in the USA.
All ages groups and regions are vulnerable to ticks and the borrelia burgdorferi bacterial infection they carry. The Northeast is considered to be at pandemic levels, with 50-90% of ticks being infected. Yet, areas in California are 100% infected and all states (save Hawaii) are showing cases of Lyme disease. Even Florida, Texas and Louisiana are involved as migratory birds winter over in these regions, bringing infected ticks on board with them. Canada, much of Europe, Australia and 89 countries of the world identify Lyme disease there.
http://www.whdh.com/features/articles/healthcast/BO148965/#.UH9K3SHox4E.email
I appreciate you taking the Lyme epidemic seriously, helping acknowledge the chronic form of this illness, often not diagnosed or even understood by many people, doctors included. It is important we help affect a change regarding this confusion and misdirection. Attention, research money and work as well as symptom education are in dire need. We need Lyme annual screenings and schoolroom tick trainings, too.
I am honored you shared my interview on your evening news with your viewing audience of over 1,000,000 homes. Thank you again for your alert and savvy reporting. I hope we find an end to this potentially life shattering illness soon.
Sincerely,
Katina I. Makris, CCH, CIH
Wednesday, October 24, Nashua Community College, Nashua, New Hampshire hosts a Health Fair, with a vast array of booths, speakers and demonstrations available. Please come — tell your friends. I will be presenting on Lyme disease at 5 PM. This is my last speaking appearance of 2012, as well as a book signing with “Out of the Woods” at the Lyme disease resource table.
I am delighted to share with you!
I reflect in these misty mornings of Autumn’s rapid descent on how magical this season of change is. The colors, the tonal quality of the bird songs, and the romantic skies of gathering clouds, sweep into Northern New England with such a force. This year, with heavy rains, it all came upon us so quickly- chilly mornings and geese honking in flight while my zinnias lost their summer vibrance seemingly overnight! 
But, then again I’ve been out working, lecturing in a whirlwind of passion, in these shimmering weeks of nature’s transition. I’ve been actually on the road, every single week since mid-March, sharing my recovery memoir and treatment guide, “Out of the Woods; Healing Lyme Disease, Body, Mind and Spirit.” Though I’ve lapped up every single place I’ve visited, like a sponge, soaking in the ambiance, the stories, the status of the Lyme epidemic, I’ve also skimmed through the seasons, in a way.
A nature spirit at heart, I treasure my garden, walks in the scented forests and swimming faithfully in our local pond. As a landscape painter, I spend days on end soaking in a locale, as I move its emotional fabric and composition to canvas. It feeds my spirit to be steeped in nature’s comfort and beauty.
I realize now, in a rare day of repose, that I’m a bit below my sensory quotient of absorption this year. My work as an author, speaker and Lyme disease advocate has taken me far and wide. How stunning this journey has been!
I have treasured the places and the amazing people I have visited. You are beautiful souls, often wounded by Lyme, mismanaged by the health care systems ignorance and yet rich in depth and sensitivity. It has been a tremendous honor to share my time with you.
For those of you whom have met me in person, you know I am passionate about helping others recover from Lyme disease. I was wretchedly ill, bedridden, broke and bereft myself six years ago. I’ve come so far, healed on so many levels and expanded in ways I could never have fathomed, formerly too ill to even feed myself.
I am appalled at how vast the Lyme epidemic is. From coast to coast, North and South, Lyme has crept into our lives, affecting multiple generations, many lives lost. It is impossible for me to ignore all of you who have been afflicted.
After losing everything I worked so carefully to create in my life- home and marriage, career and income, health and well-being, to Lyme, I know how devastating the ravages of this bacteria can be. I have walked the very same path as you.
I lecture and work so hard with my writing in behalf of Lyme disease awareness and healing because I want to affect a change for a better future. I want better diagnostics, an Integrative Health Care system, a Lyme vaccine and annual screenings for us all. I want our children to play freely outdoors, climb trees and build fairy houses, like I did when I was young, and not get Lyme disease.
If I keep speaking and teaching, sharing and writing, I believe each droplet of goodwill and effort I lend will affect the winds of change. A momentum will build as we coalesce. Group synergy can build a web of community and compassion. My intention to ignite the spiritual dimension of healing in each individual, can in turn stir great healing energy within and without. Over time and in process, the tides will shift!
I pray that in my lifetime I will witness an end to the Lyme disease epidemic. The abysmal weakness, the pains, the isolation, the confusion, the losses will be replaced with buoyant joy, vibrant energy, abundant creativity, a caring stewardship of Earth and a return to play and freedom amongst nature- my temple of solace.
As evening settles in, I light the candles, I sit still, listening to the winter winds whisking in on a distant tremolo. Soon the snows will arrive, blanketing us in whiteness and I will turn within; a time of meditations, writings and contemplation for me.
At this threshold of transition, I bow to each of the four directions. To the East, I offer my thanks for the vibrant, fresh energy that propelled me far and wide this year. To the South, I offer gratitude for feeding me so fully with love and acceptance, joy and sharing on each of my ventures. To the West, I acknowledge your mighty energy of fortitude and endurance to hold me, as I pushed myself physically like I was a youngster. To the North, I offer my pure respect for your guidance and perfect patience, bringing me home safely each trip and always gracing me with wisdom.
I have been moved deeply by all that I’ve experienced in this magical year. May my work and efforts bring the ministering of hope and inspiration I aimed for.
God Bless,
Katina
Many of you who read “Out of The Woods” my lyme disease recovery memoir and guide, know how intrinsic my inner healing time was at the sacred Stillpoint School, a spiritual program, founded and lead by the remarkable woman, Meredith Young-Sowers. I am sharing with you today, a lovely inspirational message directly from Meredith, via an audio link.
Take 3 minutes and listen to some sage advice and guidance on nourishing our creativity. I sense you will see why I am so fond of her wise ways. Enjoy.
http://www.stillpoint.org/SP/WeeklyInspirationwMeredith/index.cfm
I launched “Out of the Woods; Healing Lyme Disease, Body, Mind and Spirit” on October 1, 2011. A full year has flown by and I haven’t worked this hard since I was in my 30s!!
My book tour events have been fabulous. These are my last two stops in 2012.
Please come join me or send your friends. Lecturing about Lyme disease diagnostics, prevention and treatment is invaluable.
Plus, we have a great time together!
Katina I. Makris 