United Kingdom Gives Us Glimpse Into Lyme Disease on Lyme Light Radio

As many of us here in the USA realize, Lyme disease is the 21st century illness, exploding in proportions akin to HIV, polio and tuberculosis in the prior century. Because this bacterial infection has ‘stages’ (a cousin to syphilis) the initial initial acute outbreak of approximately 2 week duration resembles the flu and millions of people worldwide never get diagnosed and treated properly with appropriate antibiotics, unless they fortuitously have a ‘Lyme literate’ physician, or ever go to a doctor at all. Consequences usually follow as a quieter post-acute ‘waiting’ phase where symptoms mollify to a degree, with perhaps a lingering headache or fatigue or join pain. Then, mysteriously, weeks, months, years later a blown nightmare of symptoms and illness blossoms – Bells Palsy, migraines, fibromyalgia, CFS, MS, ME, RA and more.

No one connects any of this to that prior ‘flu’ and maybe a bacterial cause? Lyme disease is transmitted commonly by the lowly tick and carried around the globe by migrating birds. It is everywhere, on every continent and sadly the majority of countries, their infectious disease councils, national health statistic boards and even regular physicians and citizens do not have a clue of how present  this serious illness is, nor the frightening rate of infection matters are exploding at. The United Kingdom for years has said ‘we don’t have ticks here’. Their board of health has denied existence of Lyme disease and Dr. has been a thorn in the side of Lyme support groups trying to make headway with gathering cases, reporting infections and acknowledging Lyme in the UK!

‘Lyme Light Radio’ eagerly welcomes two vocal and loud working Lyme activists from UK with us live on air Wednesday, April 2nd, 1 pm PT/4pm ET/8pm GMT. This is fabulous to bring a global Lyme disease dialogue to out audience and the world. I am honored to be expanding world awareness on this exploding health care crisis. Please join me with Jenny O’Dea of Tick Talk Ireland and Nicola Seal of the Lyme Disease UK at LymeLightRadio.com, TheDrPatShow.com, TransformationTalkRadio.com, and Talk Radio WLBQ 1230 AM in Southern New England.

You can listen to the episode now at http://thedrpatshow.com/shows/mak-140402-odea.mp3

Thank you,

Katina F. Makris, CCH, CIH

LymeLightRadio.com

TBDA Annual Lyme Disease Fundraising Masquerade Ball, NYC, May 1

It is with much fanfare and true allegiance I announce to all, the annual Lyme Disease fundraising event hosted by Tick Borne Disease Alliance. Please open the link here to the evite: TBDA EVITE

TBDA is a forward thinking, committed foundation aimed at tackling the serious issues Lyme disease creates in the lives of all too many. Lyme Light Radio featured cyclist John Donnally each week all autumn as he biked across America for Lyme disease awareness. What a pleasure it was to share the journey with remarkable John and my friends at TBDA. Please read this wonderful and insightful letter below from TBDA executive director, Jodi Nass. She is a talent and true gem!!

Come join us for a sparkling night of care, compassion and beauty. I will broadcast “Lyme Light Radio with Katina” from the cocktail reception!!!! Good things are happening for Lyme disease and TBDA’s Masked Gala will be sensational!

Katina I. Makris, CCH, CIH

PLEASE SAVE THE DATE MAY 1, 2014 

TBDA Annual Lyme Disease Fundraising Gala- Masked Ball 

 Executive Director’s Letter

 With the spring and summer seasons right around the corner, now is the perfect time to encourage more conversations about Lyme and other tick-borne diseases with your loved ones, friends and colleagues. What better way to do so than joining the Tick-Borne Disease Alliance on May 1, 2014, at the annual gala at Chelsea Piers in New York City. This year’s theme, entitled “The Great Imitator Masquerade Ball,” looks to shed light on this debilitating disease, which often mimics other diseases with similar symptoms.

Dynamic, inclusive and passionate, TBDA is dedicated to raising awareness, supporting initiatives and promoting advocacy to find a cure for tick-borne diseases, including Lyme. This year’s gala will be the most influential fundraising event of the year, and it is our privilege to introduce some of the country’s most esteemed and admired individuals, who have graciously lent their support to help us unmask this disguised disease.

It is our pleasure to acknowledge International Grand Prix equestrian jump rider and World Cup finalist Judy Garofalo Torres as this year’s Humanitarian Honoree. A Lyme sufferer herself, Judy has shown great strength in her brave fight against Lyme and possesses an unrivaled commitment to raising awareness and funds for both human and animal Lyme sufferers across the country.

This year’s gala will be led by our Mistress of Ceremonies, Heather Thomson, President and Founder of Yummy Tummy and star of “Real Housewives of New York City.” TBDA’s Honorary Chairs include a group of individuals, all of whom have been personally affected by Lyme as well. Former Major League Baseball Player Tom Seaver; 2014 Olympic Freestyle Skier Angeli VanLaanen and Punk & Indie Rock Musician Kathleen Hanna will all be recognized for their determination to speak out about Lyme and efforts to raise awareness towards this debilitating disease.

It is with great honor that we introduce this year’s Courage Awardees; Jennifer Daily, a graduate student at John Hopkins Materials Science and Engineering Department, who successfully published her work on the development of a highly sensitive and selective biosensor to accurately detect tick-related infections and Kelly Downing, who publicly shared her enduring experience with Lyme on the Katie Couric Show this past October, after suffering a sudden paralysis and miraculous recovery from living with undiagnosed Lyme for 15 years. These two women, along with fellow Courage Awardee John Donnally, have shown unmatched strength and drive to rally entire communities together by employing their painful stories in an effort to accelerate research and acknowledgement of Lyme.

It is not without the tremendous support of Award-winning Actor and current start of television series, “The Following,” Kevin Bacon; Cardiovascular surgeon and host of the nationally syndicated “Dr. Oz Show,” Dr. Mehmet Oz; award-winning Actor, Director and Screenwriter, Ben Stiller, and Major League Baseball team the New York Mets, all of whom have contributed their powerful voices to bring further attention to the alarming threat of Lyme and tick-borne diseases.

As many of you may be aware, this past year TBDA has been working hard to raise national awareness to the importance of the growing threat of this disease. John Donnally, Courage Awardee and Lyme disease advocate who continues to fight the challenges of the disease, completed a national two-month, cross country bicycle campaign entitled “Bite Back for a Cure,” where he traversed more than 3,500 miles and cycled through more than 200 towns and cities from San Francisco to New York City, meeting with other Lyme sufferers. A powerful message from John Donnally can be viewed at TBDA.org.

TBDA was also responsible for holding two forums, one at Weill-Cornell Medical Center and the other on Capitol Hill. On Capital Hill, TBDA met with representatives from Senator Kirsten Gillibrand’s (D-NY) office and staffers throughout the country to discuss the growing epidemic and the federal government’s efforts to improve awareness, prevention and diagnostics. Kirsten Gillibrand has joined Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Jack Reed (R-RI) and Shelton Whitehouse (D- RI) to cosponsor the Lyme and Tick-Borne Disease Prevention, Education and Research Act, which would establish a Tick-Borne Disease Advisory Committee and invest additional federal funds into Lyme disease research and education. Congressman Chris Smith (R-NJ) – who founded and co-chaired the Lyme Disease Caucus in Congress – has sponsored similar legislation in the House. In addition, TBDA is taking great strides towards the future of diagnostic testing by contributing resources towards a bio-repository, which will be the basis for developing a more thorough analytical diagnostic tool.

Helping to kick off May as Lyme Disease Awareness Month, “The Great Imitator Masquerade Ball” will be held Thursday, May 1 at 6:00 p.m. We would be delighted for you to join us for a festive evening of cocktails, silent auction, dinner and awards program, featuring important messages from fellow Lyme advocates and courageous individuals battling this nationwide epidemic.

Thank you for helping us unmask the disguised disease, growing at a ten-fold rate since last year alone, and for supporting the Tick-Borne Disease Alliance’s dedication to raising awareness, supporting research and improved diagnostics and promoting advocacy for Lyme and other tick-borne diseases.

For more information and to purchase tickets, visitwww.TBDAlliance.org, our Facebook page, or 914-579-1000.

We look forward to wonderful evening together. Your generous support will help TBDA make sense of this tremendous public health epidemic and help to come together as a united front to raise awareness and funds for Lyme and other tick-borne diseases.

Sincerely yours,

Jodi Nass
Executive Director
Tick-Borne Disease Alliance

 

Healthy Living Expo

Prevention Tips for Lyme Disease

Spring has officially arrived, though some states in the Northern latitudes are still ensconced with deep snows. The warming temperatures, however, propel tick activity, greatest carrier of the dangerous bacterial infection of Lyme disease, along with assorted co-infecting microbes (Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, bartonella, babesia, more.)

Spring is the fresh breeding cycle for ticks, when they hatch out a new batch of ‘nymphs,’ which are translucent or so tiny they may be smaller than a pinhead. These nymphs can carry Lyme disease picked up on a host they feed upon – deer, mouse, rabbit – then attach to a human or pet and transmit the infectious microbe. Being so tiny, we rarely see a nymph on our body, or they are masked in our hair, on our back, or such.

As we emerge into the outdoors, tending to our spring gardens, cleaning winter’s debris, or even golfing, hiking, or fishing, we put ourselves into tick habitats everywhere in the USA! This is not a regional illness any longer. Carrier birds have transported Lyme disease globally – Canada, South America, Europe, and Asia are affected too.

However, on the person level, just what can each of us do to help protect ourselves from tick exposure and reduce the rick of becoming infected with Lyme disease, America’s fastest-spreading illness?

Good news comes with my “Lyme Light Radio” guest on Wednesday, March 26, at 1PM PT / 4 PM ET: Peter Aqualina, owner of Deer DeFence and a man with decades ‘in the field,’ armed with top-notch tick knowledge.

This will be a great show as we learn about environmental issues, your own yard, prevention tips and the latest in tick deterrents. Peters is a wealth of knowledge, passionate about the epidemic, and savvy about its treacherous repercussions, and witnessing thousands of families residing in Connecticut struggling with Lyme disease.

Peter C. Aquilina is the CEO and founder of Deer DeFence, LLC. The only company in the past 30 years to pioneer a Deer Abatement Mesh specifically designed to exclude deer and other wildlife. Since 1998, Peter’s expertise is unmatched in the field of deer and tick behavior and abatement, and is highly sought after by property owners, landscape architects, commercial property managers, organic growers and farmers, and many others. His “No Nonsense” approach along with his passion for the business, has created a new standard of excellence within the industry.

Peter’s background includes a BS from University of Buffalo and over 15 years of field research. Peter is not just an advocate for the Lyme disease community, he is also a Lyme Disease patient, having suspected the infection since 2002 but not testing positive until 2009. Peter has learned firsthand how devastating this disease can be and how the mainstream medical community is lacking the proper tools and knowledge to effectively treat or even diagnose patients.

Join us at LymeLightRadio.com, TheDrPatShow.com, TransformationTalkRadio.com, and Talk Radio WLBQ 1230 AM in Southern New England. This is a show for your safety. Do not miss the self-help measures you can take, no matter what state you live in.

Thank you,

Katina F. Makris, CCH, CIH

LymeLightRadio.com

Neurological Lyme Borreliosis with Dr. Alan MacDonald

It is with great honor I interview the preeminent Lyme disease research pathologist, Dr. Alan MacDonald, on Lyme Light Radio with Katina Wednesday, March 19, 2014, 4 pm ET/1 pm PT.

Many people recall Dr. MacDonald and his historic work linking Lyme disease to Alzheimer while at South Hampton Hospital Labs, NY from the documentary film “Under Our Skin”. Sadly, the US Government, nor the CDC would fund further studies Dr. MacDonald aimed to do, proving the neurological connection advanced Lyme disease infections can create in humans. MS, Lou Gehrig’s Disease, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s type illnesses all are potential outcomes of a bacterial infection caused by borrelia burgdorferi and transmitted by the common tick.

Dr. MacDonald has much to share on air with us. This is an interview I have been so excited for that I feel like a kid before Christmas, as I know this brilliant man’s ongoing current research  could change the face of out future regarding chronic neurological illnesses.

Though the CDC in 2013 upped their annual estimated new acute Lyme disease infection count from the long-standing 30,000 per year to a ten time higher figure of 300,000, we can’t help but wonder where these other several hundred thousands of cases each year have been?

What symptoms do these people exhibit and yet have not been diagnosed as Lyme disease? Are they dementia cases? Fibromyalgia? ALS? RA? MS? CFS?

Dr. MacDonald has proven still births and stroke to be Lyme induced. He cited an astonishing fact to me. Germany has a public health care system with meticulous diagnostic and treatment record keeping. They acknowledge Lyme disease diagnosis by clinical symptoms and openly treat it. In 2012 they reported 750,000 new Lyme disease cases. In 2013, they recorded 1,000,000 new Lyme disease cases! This country is a 1/3 the size of the USA. Our country is in denial, using an outdated lab test, screening for only 1 strain out of 300+ for Borrelia burgdorferi, and will adhere to a standard diagnosis from the IDSA and CDC of merely 4 qualifying symptoms for Lyme disease diagnostics:

• Bulls-eye rash
• Joint pain – knee
• Meningitis migraine
• Bell’s Palsy – facial droop

The former clinical diagnostic evaluation of pre-1980’s is no longer ‘permitted’ and physicians must rely on confirmation from a blood test, or they tell a patient ‘you do not have Lyme disease’, though a patient presents with couples of symptoms; joint pain and headaches, heart palpitations and knee pain, facial droop and weakness in extremities. The list goes on.

Please join us on TheDrPatShow.com, LymeLightRadio.com and TransformationTalkRadio.com for a cutting edge show!! This wil be one to listen to repeatedly.

Alan MacDonald, MD, is a pathologist with a brilliant career spanning over 30 yrs. In the late 1970’s, he worked diligently to create tests to detect the newly discovered pathogen Borrelia burgdorferi (Bb). Dr. MacDonald was among the first to study Bb in humans. He was the first to publish evidence of Bb cystic forms, granular forms and cell wall deficient forms.

In 2008, Dr. Eva Sapi and Dr. Alan MacDonald published a groundbreaking paper concerning Bb forming protective biofilms, similar to other bacterial pathogens, providing evidence Bb infections are harder to eradicate and more difficult to treat. This information can be seen in the movie Under Our Skin.

Through his research, and with the help of other leading researchers in the fields of molecular and cellular biology, Dr. MacDonald is continuing to pioneer a broader understanding about the behavior of Borrelia burgdorferi as an infectious pathogen.

Thank you Dr. MacDonald for your commitment to the Lyme disease crisis, for your tireless research and for joining me on “Lyme Light Radio”.

Katina I. Makris, CCH, CIH
LymeLightRadio.com

The Diane Rehm Show Showcases Lyme Disease 3/18

On Tuesday, March 18, 2014, Frank Sesno will be guest hosting The Diane Rehm Show, a live, daily news magazine program focusing on politics and current affairs.  The topic of Tuesday’s 11am show is an Update on Diagnosing and Treating Lyme Disease and will feature 4 guests.

Guests:

John Aucott, MD, Founder and President of the Lyme Disease Research Foundation and Assistant Professor of Medicine at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.  Dr. John Aucott is a physician scientist who specializes in translational clinical research in Lyme disease.  He is currently the Principal Investigator for the prospective cohort SLICE studies, the Study of Lyme Disease Immunology and Clinical Events.  His clinical research examines the impact of acute Lyme disease on long-term health outcomes and immune function.

Monica Embers, PhD, Tulane National Primate Research Center, Division of Bacteriology and Parasitology.  Monica’s research includes studying Borrelia burgdorferi persistence and immune evasion in rhesus macaques.

Paul Mead, MD, MPH, Chief of Epidemiology and Surveillance, Lyme Disease Program, CDC.  CDC increased Lyme disease incidence 10-fold in August 2013 to 300,000 annual cases.  [“We know that routine surveillance only gives us part of the picture, and that the true number of illnesses is much greater,” said Paul Mead, MD, MPH, chief of epidemiology and surveillance for CDC’s Lyme disease program. “This new preliminary estimate confirms that Lyme disease is a tremendous public health problem in the United States, and clearly highlights the urgent need for prevention.”]

Pam Weintraub, Executive Editor at Discover Magazine and award-winning author of “Cure Unknown: Inside the Lyme Epidemic”.  Pam is an acclaimed science journalist and Lyme disease parent and survivor.  In “Cure Unknown” she investigates the medical history, patient experience and complex political war over Lyme disease.

The Diane Rehm Show is distributed by NPR, NPR Worldwide, and SIRIUS XM satellite radio. It can be heard on more than 160 stations nationwide. The program is also broadcast in Germany, Japan, and Finland, and is available on U.S. military installations worldwide on the Armed Forces Network.

To listen to Tuesday’s program please locate your station on the following link: http://thedianerehmshow.org/stations  It can also be streamed online at drshow.org.  The Diane Rehm Show takes questions on Twitter at @DrShow.  Listeners may also call into the show 1-800-433-8850 or email questions via the following link: http://thedianerehmshow.org/contact. Web: http://thedianerehmshow.org/ | Twitter: @drshow. http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2014-03-18/update-diagnosing-and-treating-lyme-diseas

Why The IDSA does not Recognize Chronic Lyme Disease, with Dr Eric Gordon

 Lyme Light Radio with Katina interviews one of America’s premier Integrative Health Care Physicians and Lyme Disease specialists, Dr Eric Gordon, founder of Gordon Medical Associates in Sonoma, Ca. Join us this Wednesday, March 12, 1pm pt/4p et on TransformationTalkRadio.com, TheDrPatShow.com, LymeLightRadio.come or at 1230AM WBLQ on the dial in Southern New England.

I am honored to share the hour discussing Dr Gordon’s expertise on the mayhem surrounding the exploding Lyme disease epidemic and just why

What Dr. Eric Gordon emphasizes is listening to his patients. “I believe my patients. Their description of what is going on in their body is the most accurate way we have to assess what is going on with them. I interpret the information they present, and blend it with laboratory results and imaging and other tests to determine a protocol that is customized to their condition.”

Patients with poorly defined chronic illnesses react differently to all types of environmental stressors and medical interventions. While one patient may respond well to a particular protocol, other patients may not respond at all, or even have a negative reaction.

Dr. Gordon knows there is an interwoven complexity to these illnesses. There is a layering of the body’s adaptations to environmental toxins and infections from pathogens that is unique to every person, depending on their genetic susceptibility, organ vulnerability, toxic exposures, medical history and life circumstances. The body’s various biological systems – immune, endocrine, neurological, gastrointestinal and so on – influence each other and are influenced by each other, both in the development and progression of illness, and also its resolution.
When illness has been present for a long time, a patient’s body is almost invariably dominated by the sympathetic nervous system; it is in a state of hyper-vigilance, a constant ‘fight-or-flight’ mode. Dr. Gordon knows to begin with gentle interventions to help the body find a place of rest and safety. These initial steps allow the parasympathetic nervous system to function appropriately, to let the body find its way, and start healing itself.

This necessitates an eclectic approach. Dr. Gordon says, “As the components of a person’s chronic illness reveal themselves, so will treatment direction. Some patients may immediately benefit from intravenous therapies. Others may respond initially to energetic modalities, such as Frequency Specific Microcurrent or Photon Stimulation. Some patients may require antibiotics while, for others, herbal or homeopathic remedies may be more suitable. Everyone has different supplementation requirements, and needs to follow different detoxification strategies.”

In addition to seeing patients in his practice, Dr. Gordon has organized and served as medical advisor and moderator for a series of medical symposia in Northern California. From 2007-2009, these intensive five-day meetings brought together extraordinary faculties consisting of approximately 30 leading international academic medical researchers and cutting-edge clinicians, respectively focusing on CFS, Lyme, autoimmune diseases and autism.
For Dr. Gordon, however, knowledge and understanding does not come primarily from research, but from interaction and direct experience with his patients. He is first and foremost a private practice physician. His deep respect for the biochemical individuality of his patients is at the heart of his approach.

Dr. Eric Gordon

Latest Lyme Disease News Updates

Dear friends,

I am delighted to offer a guest blog from Nancy Dougherty, assistant to research doctor, John Aucott. Please see the latest news that is of value in expanding our understanding of this exploding epidemic and many twisting threads of the often complex situation. Thank you Nancy- you are a wonder!

Katina I. Makris, CCH, CIH

author of “Out of The Woods”, host of “Lyme Light radio with Katina” at LymeLightRadio.com

Lyme disease continues to be in the news despite the winter season.  -The breadth of this epidemic is gaining recognition and credibility.

Stanford University conducted a study (published in the March issue of the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases) that has found infected ticks are widespread throughout the San Francisco Bay Area (-infected with Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacterium that causes Lyme disease, as well as with Borrelia miyamotoi, a newly identified human pathogen). http://news.stanford.edu/pr/2014/pr-ticks-bay-area-021814.html   This study has gotten worldwide attention and is helping dispel the notion that Lyme disease is only a northeast & upper midwest problem.  -It can be contracted elsewhere, including California!  Many are viewing this Stanford study as a “wake-up call”.  http://www.sfgate.com/health/article/Lyme-disease-more-common-in-Bay-Area-than-5267529.php#page-2

Most people know about the importance of mice and deer in the life cycle of ticks, but migratory birds are also known carriers of ticks.  A hawk in Vancouver Canada was recently discovered to be the first bird of prey known to host ticks containing the Lyme bacteria, Borrelia burgdoferi.  http://www.vancouversun.com/health/Vancouver+Island+hawk+first+found+with+ticks+carrying+Lyme/9487629/story.html

A Bay Area health consultant estimates the potential prevalence of Lyme disease in the US exceeds 1.5 million people.  http://www.spirochicks.com/2014/02/cdcs-survey-results-on-self-reported.html  The CDC has not given prevalence numbers for Lyme disease but acknowledges 300,000 new cases per year in the US.  (In comparison, there are 50,000 new cases/year of HIV/AIDS in the US)

One of the more innovative strategies for breaking the transmission cycle of Lyme disease is an oral bait mice vaccine pellet that has been developed by US Biologic.  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/c-m-rubin/the-global-search-for-edu_b_4854758.html?utm_hp_ref=tw   This aims to reduce the rampant escalation of tick-borne pathogens but could take years to impact the disease incidence numbers.

For those wondering how Lyme survivor Angeli VanLaanen did at the Olympics, she finished 11^th in the halfpipe and won hearts, but not a medal, with her inspirational recovery and exciting skiing.

Hope these updates help you and your loved ones stay healthy and informed.

All the best,

Nancy

Nancy Dougherty

Lyme Disease Research Foundation

617-686-8185

LymeMD.ND@gmail.com

www.LymeMD.org/

Please follow me on twitter @NancyNDougherty

The Way to Create Great Writing (hint: it doesn’t have to be hard!)

From the moody hills of Vermont, a brilliant editor, Suzanne Kingsbury shares our wonderful writer’s retreat weekend process. Please read how deliciously we created new work and crafted a synergy of boundless creativity!!

Katina I. Makris
LymeLightRadio.com

Dede Cummings

Guest post by author/editor Suzanne Kingsbury

Sometimes when you least expect it, magic happens. And that magic almost always starts with intention.

This weekend eight incredible women took the step forward to make space for a little luxury, some pampering and tons and tons of creativity. On Friday afternoon, I walked into literary agent and publisher, Dede Cummings’, light-filled post and beam house in the hills of Vermont, and felt everything in me exhale. A fire burned in the fireplace, the house smelled of fresh fruit, and, as the dusk sky turned a magnificent ochre, my beautiful retreat women started piling in.

We snuggled up. Margie massaged us through our blocks, and shared her secret for getting her book Fourth Uncle in the Mountain into all the indies; Katina explained her strategies for garnering top media attention for her book Out of the Woods, which sold out of its first…

View original post 879 more words