Hot today – Is ‘medical marijuana’ a breakthrough for chronic Lyme? … Lyme victims are ‘responsible’ for their own diagnosis – doctors can’t do it alone, says expert … Illinois stunned over Lyme case … Read how they tell you to avoid Lyme in Connecticut, the state that made it “famous” … Global warming fuels Lyme disease? Doctor speaks his mind … Good news, bad news about Lyme in Cape Cod … and much, much more.

This is your Daily Lyme Update for Saturday, June 9, 2007. Questions? Write to me.
Derek Clontz, editor, National Lyme Report

Report finds Cape, Islands relatively healthy despite bad news
Cape Cod Times – Hyannis, MA, USA: Cape and Islands residents are also four times as likely to be diagnosed with Lyme disease as the average state resident, Auerbach said during a public … read the full story

Global warming fuels Lyme disease? Doctor speaks his mind
While mosquitoes may be infamous for spreading malaria in Africa it is less well known that ticks spread Lyme disease throughout Europe and Tick-Borne Encephalitis from Eastern France, through Austria, Switzerland, Germany … read the full story

Medical Marijuana: Breakthrough for chronic Lyme disease
By Phillip Smith: “I am just 32 years old and yet due to my medical condition I feel as if, at times, I am 92,” said Joshua Warren, a patient in Wilton who suffers from chronic neurological Lyme disease. “I did not ask for this condition nor would I wish … read the full story

Lyme victims are ‘responsible’ for their own diagnosis – doctors can’t do it alone, says expert
By Susan Bush: Patients are a very important link in a quest for an accurate, timely diagnosis of Lyme Disease. “This is one of those things where we look to the patient to tell us the things we need to know,” said North Adams Regional Hospital Director of Emergency Nursing Services Joyce Mickanin. “You want public awareness, you don’t want public panic.” … read the full story

Confirmed case of Lyme disease shakes up Illinois
Canton Daily Ledger – Canton, IL, USA: The Fulton County Health Department has received confirmation of Lyme disease in a Fulton County resident. The confirmed case presented to the doctor’s office with fever and the “bull’s eye rash” (erythema migrans). The onset of illness … read the full story

Read how they tell you to avoid Lyme in Connecticut, the state that made it famous
Lyme Disease, a tick-borne illness, is named for Lyme, Connecticut, where it was first diagnosed. Connecticut remains one of the states with the highest number of cases each year, and … read the full story

Editor’s note: One of the most striking aspects of newspaper articles on Lyme and related issues is the shallowness of the reporting and writing.

It’s true that some reporting is excellent – some is even provocative and cutting edge.

But in our view, the great body of Lyme “reporting” to be found in daily and weekly newspapers is superficial at best and often just plain wrong.

In one seven-day period alone, we counted 18 – 18! – news reports from unaffiliated newspapers in 12 states that declared in error “most people” who are infected with Lyme get a “bull’s eye rash” around the bite.

And yet, a quick check of the CDC’s Web site states that a clear MINORITY of Lyme victims present a bull’s eye rash – with most serious and legitimate experts estimating that only three out of 10 people get that rash.

The bottom line? Let the reader, researcher and patient beware. Arm yourself with knowledge – and use it to make good decisions about your health.

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