Bowman's Thoughts and Things

Yes, I am still around and fighting Lyme Disease

noreply@blogger.com (rbowman838) — Tue, 11 Feb 2014 03:31:00 +0000

Hello everyone, I bet all of you thought I had left the planet. I apologize for not keeping up the blog the last year. Both my wife and I have had many health problems this last year. Much is happening in the Lyme world. Lyme disease is getting more and more publicity in the media. I will try harder to post relevant articles relating to new research that is being done as well as interesting stories of many of our friends who are also fighting Lyme disease. My wife has been diagnosed with Sarcoidosis. We didn't know what it was, but in doing research, it has also been loinked to Lyme disease. I hope to post some articles that will help us understand this disease. If any of you are familiar with Sarcoidosis please don't hesitate to tell us your experiences and how you are dealing with it. Be well, Richard

Is your Lyme treatment making you well?

noreply@blogger.com (rbowman838) — Mon, 27 May 2013 11:52:00 +0000

Dr Liegner's Speech May 10, Lyme Protest

noreply@blogger.com (rbowman838) — Wed, 15 May 2013 21:26:00 +0000

Hi everyone,

Please click on this link and read this speech. It is important that all of us stand up for treatments of Chronic Lyme Disease. I am pleased to see these public protests and their efforts to help all of us who suffer from this disease.Please take the time to read it! Bravo to to this good doctor!

Be well,
Richard

http://lymedisease.org/news/lyme_disease_views/leigner-nyc-lyme-rally.html?utm_source=New+TLT&utm_campaign=Conference+TLT&utm_medium=email

Herxheimer Reactions- Just awful

noreply@blogger.com (rbowman838) — Sat, 11 May 2013 00:07:00 +0000

http://www.treatlyme.net/articles/2012/1/12/herxheimer-die-off-reaction-inflammation-run-amok.html

I have posted this link on the Herxheimer Die-Off Reaction. Both my wife and I are being treated with Flagyl and another antibiotic and we are "herxing badly again". The aches and fatigue can be terrible. I am taking some supplements but I am going to try a few new ones. I would be grateful hearing from any of you that have had success treating this.

Be well,
Richard

Another denial story concerning Rocephin Treatment

noreply@blogger.com (rbowman838) — Fri, 03 May 2013 23:37:00 +0000

The following is from my friend Rick LaFerierre at Lymeinfo.net. The article is authored by Steve Israel from the Times Herald

in Middletown N.Y

Begin Quote

Nothing we can do' for Lyme disease as costly treatment option denied
Some question chronic illness
By Steve Israel, Times Herald-Record, Middletown, New York

April 28, 2013
http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F20130428%2FNEWS%2F130429677
or http://goo.gl/xUOqN

Scores of local victims of a disease they say makes them so
weak they can't drive, think clearly or make tea without
laying down are being denied insurance payments for
treatment of that disease.

This is despite the fact that the antibiotic Rocephin
alleviates the symptoms of Lyme disease, say many patients
who have used it and doctors and nurses who have treated
them with it.

So in order to get the treatment for more than the 28 days
allowed by many companies - or in some cases, to get it at
all - victims like Kristin Raucci of Pine Bush, Scott Owens
of Kerhonkson and Doreen Peone of Saugerties must pay
hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars per month, often
going broke or even, in the case of Owens, losing a business
in the process.

Full story and comments: http://goo.gl/xUOqN

Letters:
http://services.hudsonvalley.com/reader-services/submissions/letter-to-editor/

End Quote

Evidence for Chronic Lyme Disease- A must read

noreply@blogger.com (rbowman838) — Fri, 03 May 2013 20:44:00 +0000

Hi Everyone,

Please go to this link below and read this report. For those of us with chronic Lyme disease it is yet more evidence that long term antibiotic and other aggressive treatments must be used to cure this disease. Also to the insurance companies who are denying treatment for intravenous Rocephin, you also might want to read this. Your determination that it is an experimental treatment, is very much unsubstantiated. I speak to United Health Care and others who are using this ridiculous idea to decline payment for such treatments. When are you and the CDC going to stop fighting treatments that are working, at least a little bit, in some cases, a whole lot. This is the kind of study that will prove to be very beneficial to this on-going argument concerning chronic Lyme Disease.

Be well,
Richard

http://www.hoajonline.com/journals/pdf/2052-5958-1-2.pdf

Lyme Disease Survey Reveals Much

noreply@blogger.com (rbowman838) — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 15:30:00 +0000

Hi everyone,

I have copied this article from my friends at Lymedisease.org. This organization is doing a fabulous job for advocasy and education about and for Lyme Disease. This article was written by Lorraine Johnson, who is the CEO of the organization. I encourage all of you to participate in all of their surveys. They have done much to educate the public from these surveys.

My wife has finally been diagnosed with Lyme disease and has started an aggresive oral antibiotic treatment. Yes, the disease can be passed through marriage partners. Because we didn't know for years that I had Lyme disease, we had taken no precautions. For about five years now, her health problems have been numerous. Her primary care physician finally agreed to treat her for it, even though she(the doctor) still maintains that she doensn't believe in "chronic" Lyme disease. The doctor questions that since the spirochete in Lyme is very similar to the Syphilis spirochete, why we shouldn't be able effectively, like we do Syphilis. I think that is a very good question, don't you?

Be well,

Richard

Begin article

In 2009 prior to the IDSA hearing, CALDA wanted patient voices to be heard and conducted a survey that drew over 4,000 responses. It ended up being the largest survey of Lyme patients ever conducted in the United States. Today, the results of this survey were published in Health Policy in a study by Johnson, Aylward and Stricker. Health Policy is a highly regarded peer-reviewed journal that explores health policy issues. This survey focused on 2,424 respondents whose clinical diagnosis was supported by positive test results. The study examines problems with access to healthcare and burden of illness, and it found that although patients with Lyme disease suffered a substantial burden of illness, they had significant barriers to healthcare access. Specifically, patients with Lyme disease had difficulty obtaining diagnosis and treatment for their illness, traveled great distances to receive healthcare, were turned down for health insurance based on their illness, and had difficulty receiving care at local hospitals.

The burden of illness of these patients was substantial: Roughly 26% had been on disability, with a majority receiving support for more than 2 years. Over half had visited an emergency room as a result of their illness, 15% had done so three to five times, and 9% had done so six or more times. These findings indicate that Lyme patients have significant delays in diagnosis and that there is a critical need for healthcare reform in order to reduce the burden of illness and improve access to medical care for Lyme disease.
The study concludes:
“An influential medical society considers Lyme disease to be “rare” and has issued restrictive treatment guidelines. Our study raises concerns that these restrictions lead to delayed and inadequate treatment of patients with Lyme disease, resulting in concomitant reductions in health benefits and increases in economic costs. Our findings therefore indicate that there is substantial need for reform of the healthcare approach to Lyme disease in the United States.”
Access to healthcare:
More than half of patients saw 7 or more physicians to obtain a diagnosis; over a third saw 10 or more physicians.
Nearly half of these Lyme patients had traveled over 50 miles to receive healthcare; 30% had traveled more than 100 miles; and 9% had traveled over 500 miles.(Travel distances of 30 miles or more are considered to impose a high healthcare access burden on a patient.)
Roughly 40% had sought services at their local hospital, and approximately 82% of these Lyme patients had difficulty obtaining care.
Of those who applied for health insurance after being diagnosed with Lyme disease 40% were denied coverage because of their prior diagnosis.
13% of those with medical insurance were told to see an infectious disease specialist in order to obtain medical reimbursement for medical costs.
31% of those responding had applied for disability insurance and 39% of these had been denied benefits based on failure to conform to Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) guidelines.
Burden of Illness:
25% had received disability or public support, with a majority receiving support for two or more years; 37% for more than 5 years.
39% of those who applied for disability benefits were denied support based on IDSA guidelines.
Study Population:
Patients had been ill a long time. 95% had had Lyme disease for more than 2 years.
95% had received at least 21 days of antibiotics and reported chronic symptoms of 6 months or more.
Centers for Disease Control (CDC) versus other testing results: Patients were clinically diagnosed with supporting lab tests. The diagnosis of 1,000 patients was confirmed by CDC two-tiered criteria or CDC Western blot criteria, while the diagnosis of 1,424 patients was confirmed by other lab methods (including positive PCR, cerebrospinal fluid tests, or positive ELISA or Western blots interpreted using non-CDC criteria). Aside from delay in diagnosis, there were no significant differences in the patients whose diagnosis was confirmed with tests meeting CDC surveillance criteria and those whose supporting tests did not meet CDC criteria. Those without CDC-based positive tests saw more physicians before they were diagnosed.
The abstract of the article is available here.
The LYME POLICY WONK blog is written by Lorraine Johnson, JD, MBA, who is CALDA’s Chief Executive Officer. Contact her at lbjohnson@lymedisease.org. End Article

LDA Lyme Conference June 1, 2013

noreply@blogger.com (rbowman838) — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 12:57:00 +0000

Hi everyone,
I hope many of you will register to attend this conference sponsored by the Lyme Disease Association. The conference is designed for scientists and doctors, but the public is also invited to attend. Hopefully a lot of new information will result from this conference.

Thanks and be well,
Richard

LDA Lyme Conference: Register Now
Lyme Disease Association, Inc.

March 18, 2013

http://www.lymediseaseassociation.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1122:lda-lyme-conference-register-now&catid=204:lda-conf-2013&Itemid=711
or http://tinyurl.com/c7svqd2

The Lyme Disease Association,Inc. announces its 14th annual
scientific conference, Lyme & Other Tick-Borne Diseases:
Science, Research & Myth. The Conference will be held at
the University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, on Saturday June
1, 2013, at 8:00am-5pm with a networking reception to
follow, and on Sunday June 2, 2013, 8am-12 noon.

Brian A. Fallon, MD, Columbia University College of
Physicians & Surgeons and RW (Bill) Stich, PhD, University
of Missouri, are conference co-chairs. Betty Maloney, MD,
of Minnesota, also serves on the Planning Committee with the
co-chairs.

The conference is designed for physicians and scientists,
but the public is invited to register to attend. See the
agenda for faculty and topics. Continue to check this
website for future registration, additional information
about the conference, and exhibitor opportunities.

Hotel block information will follow in a few weeks.

Conference Agenda:
http://www.lymediseaseassociation.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1111:2013-ldacolumbia-conference-agenda&catid=204:lda-conf-2013&Itemid=698
or http://tinyurl.com/d2vgqyu

Faculty Biographies:
http://www.lymediseaseassociation.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1106:2013-conference-speaker-biographies&catid=204:lda-conf-2013&Itemid=706
or http://tinyurl.com/d5ve37e

Registration:
http://www.lymediseaseassociation.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1108&Itemid=713
or http://tinyurl.com/d6shh8u

- -

"The University of Minnesota is not endorsing or sponsoring
the activities conducted by Lyme Disease Association, Inc.
on the University of Minnesota campus. The relationship
between the University of Minnesota is solely that of
licensor and licensee." Application for CME credit has been
filed with the American Academy of Family Physicians.
Determination of credit is pending.

Source: http://tinyurl.com/c7svqd2

Lyme Disease Association, Inc.
PO Box 1438, Jackson, NJ 08527
information line : 888-366-6611 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 888-366-6611 FREE end_of_the_skype_highlighting fax: 732-938-7215 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 732-938-7215 FREE end_of_the_skype_highlighting
http://www.lymediseaseassociation.org/
email: LDA@LymeDiseaseAssociation.org

Lone Star Ticks

noreply@blogger.com (rbowman838) — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 12:46:00 +0000

This is from my friend Rick Laferriere in an e-mail sent to me.

Journal of Medical Entomology(2013), 50(2):244

http://dx.doi.org/10.1603/ME12207
We need to know the enemy(ticks)

Be well,
Richard

Begin Article:

Lone star tick (Acari: Ixodidae) occurrence in Nebraska:
historical and current perspectives.
Cortinas R, Spomer S.
Journal of Medical Entomology, 2013 Mar;50(2):244-51.

Abstract

In 2010 and 2011, field collections were undertaken to
determine the geographic range of the lone star tick,
Amblyomma americanum (L.), in Nebraska In addition, tick
identifications from submissions by the general public
dating to 1911 were examined. Consistent lone star tick
identifications from extreme southeast Nebraska began in 1987.

Specimens have been identified from 27 counties, making lone
star ticks the second most frequently and second most widely
reported tick in the state after Dermacentor variabilis
(Say). Surveys conducted in 70 sites in 43 counties yielded
2,169 ticks of which 1,035 were lone star ticks. Lone star
ticks were more frequent in the southeast portion of the
state and ticks were found in nine counties from which there
were no known submissions. Life stage peaks observed during
the surveys corresponded with those observed from
submissions. Other ticks, incidental to the study, were also
collected.

Woody plant expansion into the tallgrass prairie,
white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virgianianus L.) and wild
turkey (Meleagris gallopavo L.) population growth, and the
increased frequency of milder winters may be facilitating
lone star tick occurrence in the region. Further studies
will assess lone star tick establishment and disease
pathogen prevalence in the state.

http://dx.doi.org/10.1603/ME12207

Sneaky Lyme Disease Bacteria

noreply@blogger.com (rbowman838) — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 00:42:00 +0000

Hi everyone,

Sorry it has been so long since I have posted on my blog. My Lyme disease has had me down for a number of months now. I also have my wife being treated for it now, as well. I hope to get back to regular posts now. This is a great article from www.gather.news com. Thanks to them and the articles's author Megan Hamilton .

How Sneaky Lyme Disease Bacteria Use Manganese to Fool the Immune System

March 24, 2013 01:25 AM EDT

Bacteria, like humans, must eat in order to survive. Also, like humans, they utilize iron and other metals to produce the protein and enzymes that are essential for their survival. Normally, when humans get sick due to these misbehaving bugs, the iron produced by these little naughty no-nos is detected by the immune system, which then swings into action, according to LiveScience.
What does the immune system do?
It puts these troublesome microbes on a very strict diet, meaning no iron whatsoever, starving them out of existence. The immune system does this by inducing the liver to produce a hormone that inhibits iron from being absorbed by the gut and by the bloodstream, according to this article in Science Daily.
However, one species of these nefarious bugs has managed to hoodwink the immune system. In fact, these particular troublemakers don't even have the genes that help to produce the proteins which accumulate iron, according to the article. As the only known organism that exists without utilizing iron, Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacterium that causes Lyme disease instead produces massive amounts of manganese, especially in the areas where it needs to defend itself against the immune system. It uses all that manganese in order to cause Lyme Disease.
Pretty wily for itty-bitty prokaryotic organisms that don't even have brains.
Undoubtedly, most people know by now that Lyme Disease starts with a tick bite.
It has some rather unlovely symptoms, according to LiveScience, including: fever, fatigue, headaches, and rashes. If it isn't treated with the appropriate antibiotics, Lyme Disease can also cause problems for the central nervous system and the cardiovascular system. It's quite amazing that something which can't even be seen with the naked eye can cause so much trouble.
The immune system, like a blood hound with a stuffed up sniffer, doesn't detect the manganese. So from then on, it's party on for Borrelia but a not-so-good time for those now infected with Lyme Disease, a disease that is frequently slow growing and difficult to detect, the article in Science Daily mentions.
Scientists are optimistic that the manganese discovery will open up new options in the treatment of Lyme Disease, said Dr. Valeria Culotta, who is a molecular biologist at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health.
"The only therapy for Lyme Disease right now are antibiotics like penicillin, which are effective if the disease is detected early enough," Culotta said in a statement, according to LiveScience. Penicillin attacks Borrelia's cell walls, but the problem is, not all of these critters have cell walls.
Using sophisticated equipment, Culotta and her fellow scientists were able to measure proteins that contained metals all the way down to parts per trillion, LiveScience reported.
"We'd like to find targets inside pathogenic (disease-causing) cells that could thwart their growth," Culotta said.
The next step will be mapping out all the proteins containing metal that inhabit Borrelia. Then the researchers will try to learn how the microbe sucks the manganese in from its surrounding environment, LiveScience reported. The manganese might be the weak link in the bacteria's chain mail, and the researchers can exploit this.
What's the best way to do that?
"The best targets are enzymes that pathogens have, but people do not, so they would kill the pathogens but not harm people," Culotta said, according to LiveScience.
By working for the common good, these scientists may have found a way to beat this nefarious critter at its own game. This is science at it's best.
Lyme Disease distribution map courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Important Article from Brown University

noreply@blogger.com (rbowman838) — Sat, 01 Sep 2012 07:12:00 +0000

Hi Everyone,

I have copied this article from Brown University dated August 30,2012. It is important to us because the studies that have said that continued antibiotic treatment is futile in treating Lyme disease may be flawed. This is a great article and I would like to thank Brown University and David Orenstein for bringing this to our attention.

Be well,

Richar

Lyme retreatment guidance may be flawed

August 30, 2012 | Contact: David Orenstein | 401-863-1862 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting FREE 401-863-1862 end_of_the_skype_highlighting

Deer ticks, Lyme disease, and medical guidance Accepted medical practice discourages antibiotic retreatment in cases where Lyme disease symptoms persist. A new review of studies behind current medical advice says those studies prove nothing. Credit: Centers for Disease Control

A new statistical review calls into question studies that have been taken as proof that antibiotic retreatment for chronic Lyme disease is futile. That misunderstanding has led to medical guidance that discourages retreatment and insurance coverage for it. Instead, the authors of the review suggest, the proper reading of the studies and their data is that they prove nothing.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — Most doctors treat Lyme disease with antibiotics for two to four weeks after diagnosis, but if symptoms persist after that, medical guidelines recommend against antibiotic retreatment. That recommendation may not be warranted. A newly published statistical review of the four studies upon which those guidelines are based reports flaws in design, analysis, and interpretation that call into question the strength of the evidence against retreatment.
Allison DeLong, a biostatistician at Brown University’s Center for Statistical Sciences and lead author of the study published online Aug. 19, 2012, in Contemporary Clinical Trials, said the four studies do not prove that retreatment does not work. That questionable interpretation, however, has led doctors to forgo treatment and insurance companies to withhold reimbursement.
“The goal of the paper is to clarify what was actually found from these clinical trials and what could be said and what couldn’t be said,” DeLong said. “A lack of evidence should not be used to deny treatment when the studies have serious flaws.”
Evidence in the trials is most often inconclusive, she and three co-authors found. Two studies even found some statistically significant benefits from antibiotics.
DeLong has been curious about Lyme disease retreatment for more than a decade since a friend of hers seemed to benefit from therapy. Her friend paid for the treatment out-of-pocket. Statisticians would call that anecdote an “n of 1,” but the example stuck with DeLong as more people, including journalists, began to question whether retreatment really was ineffective.
In 2009 and 2010, DeLong and her colleagues decided to look into the matter with full statistical rigor. Their analysis started by scanning the medical literature for any randomized clinical trials offering evidence of the efficacy of antibiotic retreatment for Lyme disease. Careful review of more than 100 studies ultimately whittled the field down to the four studies on which the Infectious Diseases Society of America and the American Academy of Neurology are based their guidelines.
The most influential studies were conducted by Klempner et al., and published together in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2001. The multicenter trials enrolled chronic Lyme sufferers with positive or negative blood serum results for Immunoglobulin G, an antibody that might indicate active infection. In each of the IgG positive and negative groups, patients either received IV antibiotics followed by oral antibiotics or IV placebo followed by oral placebo. Their symptoms were measured along the way using a subjective set of health quality-of-life measures called the SF-36.
Although Klempner et al. found no significant benefit to retreatment, findings from subsequent SF-36 studies in chronic illnesses provide evidence that the Klempner study was looking for unrealistically large differences.
“The trials, as designed, called for treatment effects considerably larger than the minimum clinically important differences (MCID) identified in other chronic illnesses, suggesting that the sample sizes were inadequate and the trials were very likely underpowered to detect the true underlying MCIDs,” DeLong and her co-authors wrote in the journal.
Klempner’s statistics showed that treatment might or might not have been effective given the broad range of a statistical measure known as the confidence interval, DeLong said.
In another of the four trials conducted by Krupp et al., researchers found that retreatment produced a significant benefit for fatigue, but the authors of the study mistakenly discounted that result, DeLong said.
The authors became concerned that their results were tainted by too many subjects realizing that they were receiving real treatment instead of the placebo. The measure of fatigue is subjective and could be influenced by that realization. But DeLong found that the subjects weren’t likely to have realized anything. Here’s why: If the members of each group have a blindly optimistic seven in 10 chance of believing that they received real medicine, then the people who really were would be right seven out of 10 times and the people receiving the placebo would only be right 3 out of 10 times. The people receiving the medicine would seem like they had discovered their status, but in reality they were only making a lucky, optimistic guess.
While the Krupp study was adequately powered to measure a significant benefit from fatigue, it had less power to measure the two other treatment effects it considered: improvements in cognitive processing and clearance of a potential Lyme disease biomarker, DeLong said.
The last of the four studies, by Fallon et al., had a very small sample size. It found hints of some benefits from retreatment but nothing definitive either positively or negatively.
Ultimately, DeLong said, the best evidence to support or refute antibiotic retreatment will come when scientists develop a definitive test for active Lyme disease infection. In the interim, it is possible that chronic Lyme disease patients harbor an ongoing infection that antibiotics could treat.
“The interpretation of the trials goes too far,” she said. “You can’t say it’s been shown that retreatment is not beneficial. You can’t then jump to the conclusion that this shows there is no persistence of infection.”
In addition to DeLong, the paper’s other authors are statistics graduate student Barbara Blossom of Colorado State University, Dr. Elizabeth Maloney of Wyoming, Minn., and Dr. Steven Phillips of Greenwich Hospital in Connecticut.

Editors: Brown University has a fiber link television studio available for domestic and international live and taped interviews, and maintains an ISDN line for radio interviews. For more information, call (401) 863-2476 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting FREE (401) 863-2476 end_of_the_skype_highlighting.

Plum Island- Myth or is it a reality?

noreply@blogger.com (rbowman838) — Mon, 23 Jul 2012 17:02:00 +0000

Hi everyone,

I have been having a really bad flareup of my Lyme disease. I apologize for not posting as much as I should. I ran across this article from CBS news pertaining to Plum Island. For those of you who don't know, many believe that Lyme disease was somehow weaponized at this facility and that the government is responsible for using ticks for research into bio-warfare. Yes, scary stuff. This is a very interesting article. I will let you decide if there is something to this theory. Again, credit for this article goes to CBS news.

Be well,

Richard

Plumbing the mysteries of Plum IslandJune 10, 2012

(CBS News) A place that's off-limits to most of us was in the news this past week. The federal government announced it has granted a license for a new foot-and-mouth vaccine . . . a vaccine developed at the Plum Island Animal Disease Center. With correspondent John Miller we get a rare inside look:

Plum Island sits at the end of New York's Long Island like a question mark. For nearly 60 years, controversies and mysteries have engulfed it.

And no wonder. The island is controlled by the Department of Homeland Security. Its labs are staffed by scientists from the United States Department of Agriculture. They come and go by special government ferries, guarded by armed officers.

We were asked not to film the docks on either side.

So what really goes on here? The USDA says scientists study diseases that can affect livestock, primarily overseas, to develop vaccines.

And although the government says the germs stored on the island affect only animals, that doesn't mean they're not dangerous. And information about them is strictly protected for security reasons.

"I cannot comment on our list of pathogens and the inventories and all those things that are sensitive information," said Luis Rodriguez, a research leader work for the Agricultural Research Service, an arm of the USDA on Plum Island.

Microbiologist Marvin Grubman said Plum Island used to be a battery for the Army before the First World War and into the Second World War - the idea being the island was going to protect New York City from invading armadas.

So today, why is Plum Island still guarded like an armed camp?

"Post-9/11 security in the U.S., and of course around the world, has increased because of the potential threat of the bioterrorist weapon," said Grubman. "So since we work with diseases of animals, it's in the U.S. interest not to allow potential terrorists to come in here and obtain a virus and distribute it around the world."

Is that the far-fetched plotline of a novel? Maybe not.

When Afia Saddiqui, an MIT graduate working as a scientist for al Qaeda was captured in Afghanistan in 2008, Plum Island was on a list of targets she kept.

Grubman said that the majority of the work being done at Plum Island is focused on foot and mouth disease virus. "Foot and mouth disease is an economically important disease," he said. "For instance, the outbreak of 2001 in the United Kingdom resulted in the slaughter of millions of animals and the loss of billions of dollar to the economy."
Grubman has worked on the island for some 36 years. He was evacuated during an outbreak in 1978 of the highly-contagious foot and mouth disease (formerly - and perhaps more aptly - called hoof and mouth) which overwhelmingly affects cattle.

"There was construction going on on the island and there was a release of virus from the laboratory," Grubman said, though he added that the virus never left Plum Island or reached the mainland.

Back then, animals were kept outside in pens, as seen in CBS News footage. When the virus escaped, it quickly spread from one animal to the next.

More than 200 animals had to be put to death.

A vocal critic of Plum Island is Michael Carroll, who detailed his reasons in his book, "Lab 257." He says the USDA's record of running the island is "somewhere between dismal and abominable. Their record is really a record of mishaps, outbreaks, people getting infected."

After the 1978 outbreak, biocontainment facilities (that's sealed laboratories and holding cells) were built and all animals were moved inside.

Pictures of them were taken by CBS in 1999.

But just five years after that, there were two more outbreaks - this time, inside the biocontainment units.

"We have learned from those lessons," said Rodriguez. "So there are a lot of procedures. It's like an onion where you have layer over layer of safety procedures."

The Department of Agriculture says Michael Carroll hasn't been on the island in more than a decade. But Carroll told Miller he does not believe the changes have made a difference.

"I think there have been a bunch of what I would call façade improvements," Carroll said. "But in reality it's the same place it always has been."

The very history of Plum Island - a post-WWII Army biological weapons lab, the decades of secrecy and today's tight security - all seem to conspire to feed the rumors about what really goes on here.

The less that was known, the more people invented: Stories like that of the Montauk Monster, a creature spawned in the lab that escaped into the sea. Rumors about alien experiments.

But the most pervasive story is the one about Lyme disease. Carroll, a lawyer who admits he has no background in science, contends in his book that Lyme disease was fostered on Plum Island and spread.

Researcher Grubman denies the claim: "There is no scientific basis for suggesting that Lyme disease originated on Plum Island. In fact, the scientific evidence indicates that it did not."

And every other scientific expert we spoke to agrees. Durland Fish, the Lyme expert at Yale University, has said of Carroll's conclusions, "He should stop making these things up. It just scares people."
null null null

New Lyme Disease Test

noreply@blogger.com (rbowman838) — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 11:19:00 +0000

Hi everyone,
This is the press release that was announced in September of last year by Advanced Labratory Services. I am anxious to hear from anyone who has taken this test? Are the insurance companies paying for it? I am hoping to hear from a number of you.

Thanks,
Richard

BORRELIA CULTURE NOW AVAILABLE TO EVALUATE LYME DISEASE PATIENTSResearch breakthrough promises a new Gold Standard in Lyme Disease testing

Lyme Disease blood testing has been notorious for its unreliability This has been responsible for misdiagnoses and inappropriate patient care, as well as confusion on the part of both patient and physician alike. Now, as a result of intensive research, Advanced Laboratory Services Inc. is able to offer what will rapidly become the new gold standard of Lyme tests, the Borrelia Culture.

Until now, the most widely used confirmatory tests for Lyme disease have been serologies. Being indirect tests, at best they can only indicate possible exposure to this organism at some previous point in time. It has been variously reported that the sensitivity of these assays is low and may miss anywhere from 30% to as many as 70% of cases of Lyme. Once positive, these serologic tests tend to remain positive for variable periods, even years, even after treatment. Therefore they do not and cannot be used as a marker for progress during treatment or for success of treatment. In addition, some acute viral infections may potentially give a false positive result.

How are most other infectious diseases diagnosed? Traditionally, a culture is taken to see if an infection is present, and if so, what specific bacterium is causing it. Unfortunately, because Lyme Borrelia are symbionts, meaning that they need a living host to survive, trying to get them to thrive in vitro has been a nearly impossible task. In addition, they are noted for their very slow growth. Because of these difficulties, Borrelia culture until now has not been available to clinicians.

Advanced Laboratory Services Inc. is proud to announce that they have overcome many of these technical difficulties and is able to offer Borrelia cultures. While still considered investigational, the new methods employed allow these advantages:

• By definition, culture is a direct test and if positive, indicates that an infection was present at the time the specimen was taken
• Cultures may be positive even in a patient who is seronegative
• In theory, any fluid or tissue that is infected can be cultured
• All known strains of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato can be detected
• When combined with PCR and DNA sequencing, the exact identity of the Borrelia can be ascertained
• Advanced methods have the promise to increase yield and decrease turn‐around time
• Culture positivity fulfills even the strict CDC surveillance case definition
• Will become the new Gold Standard for laboratory testing
Currently, Advanced Labs is offering two Borrelia blood culture panels. The Basic Panel consists of culturing, with confirmation of identity by histology and by specific immunostaining. The report, if positive, will include a picture of the actual immunostained culture result. The expected turnaround time for this is approximately ten to fourteen days. However, some do grow more slowly, so all cultures will be held in the lab for a minimum of six weeks.

We also offer the Extended Panel. In addition to histology and immunostaining, the identity of all positive cultures will be further studied by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and by nucleic acid sequencing. These extra steps will generally require an additional ten to fourteen days. However, if the initial histology with immunostaining is positive, a preliminary report will be issued while the nucleic acid studies are pending.

Bb culture nuts and bolts:
• Sensitivity exceeds 80% if the patient is symptomatic at the time of blood draw and not on antibiotics for at least four weeks
• All negative controls have remained negative so far
• As with all blood cultures, may need several sets to be sure Any positive test is significant, even if it is the only positive out of a set of three
We have found that the success of culturing Borrelia can be increased by following these simple recommendations:
• The patient should not have been exposed to any antibiotics, even those not known to affect this organism, for a minimum of four weeks prior to the blood sample being drawn.
• Borrelia are more likely to be recovered from patients who are symptomatic at the time of blood sampling.
• A higher yield may be seen if the blood is drawn in the early afternoon, when most infected patients feel especially ill.

Advanced Laboratory Services is continually refining its processes, so we welcome your feedback! Please feel free to share your ideas with us.
Advanced Laboratory Services, Inc. 501 Elmwood Avenue – Sharon Hill, PA 19079
Web: www.advanced-lab.com email: questions@advanced-lab.com

TBDA Gala 2012 Invitation

noreply@blogger.com (rbowman838) — Fri, 04 May 2012 22:06:00 +0000

Hi All.
Please watch this short video and learn of two organizations that now are one.

http://youtu.be/ICDqopdxZ5s

The Tick Slayer- Great New Book

noreply@blogger.com (rbowman838) — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 01:09:00 +0000

Hi everyone,
I am posting a copy of an email I received so that you can take advantage of this great book. It is a must read for all of us who suffer from Lyme disease. Links are not live, to purchase go to www.lymebooks.com.
Be well,
Richard

US Track & Field Athlete
Reveals Successful Lyme Battle

THE TICK SLAYER
Battling Lyme Disease and Winning

By Perry Louis Fields
US Track & Field Athlete

Paperback, $24.95 • 349 Pages

Learn More About the Book

Perry Louis Fields is not only a Lyme disease survivor, she is also a US Track & Field top athlete and Olympic hopeful. In this riveting new book , she tells you all about how she beat Lyme disease!

But that's not all. Perry's writing style and vast experience within the Lyme disease medical world makes this book a must-read. The tenacity that makes her a successful athlete is what she credits her recovery to, and that tenacity shines through in her new book. Not only will you read about her personal experience with Lyme disease, you'll also hear all about the treatments she used to get better, including her treatment failures, and you'll find useful, specific references on exactly how to find and purchase her favorite treatments. Some of the treatments and topics she covers in her book include:

A comparison of dozens of conventional and alternative treatment options.
Various electro-medicine devices and approaches, including ONDAMED, Multi-Wave Oscilator (MWO), QXCI machine, thermal imaging devices, live blood analysis, accupuncture, and many more.
Numerous alternative healing approaches such as "Tsi-Ahga," IV Vitamin C, metabolic enzymes, BioMat, nascent iodine, Beta 1,3 Glucans, and more.
Parasite cleansing.
Probiotic enemas.
Special energy-boosting supplements.
Blood sugar support.
Adrenal support.
Liver support.
Healing the gut after chronic infection.
Dental issues and Perry's extended battle with dental infections.
Perry's experiences with numerous health care practitioners of various types, including which ones helped her, and what modalities they used.
Perry's return to athletics after her extended battle with Lyme disease.
Many more topics - too many to list here! ( learn more)

Perry Louis Fields was bitten by an infected tick in the mountains of North Carolina in 2003. Although she has been a long-time track and field athlete, competing at the highest levels in high school, collegiate and post-collegiate events, the disease completely took her out.

In 2005, she was forced to stop competing and training and seek medical help soon after the 2005 USA Track and Field championships, where she fell very ill during her competition. Within a few months, her health continued to decline. After a short course of conventional antibiotic treatment, not seeing improvement and worried that her health would continue to decline, she began researching and treating herself with alternative therapies. The process of successfully experimenting on herself, trusting her own instincts and forging forward, was the catalyst for her book, The Tick Slayer.

Because of her success in recovering from Lyme disease, as well as Chronic Fatigue and Epstein Bar Virus (health problems that began in college), and the co-infections which resulted from tick bite(s), Perry has gained wisdom and experience which guides the writing in her new book. The Tick Slayer is a book for anyone who finds themself devastated by chronic illness and the associated health care challenges.

By 2009, Perry was training again and by 2010 she raced her first indoor track season since 2001, where she made her debut at the USA Track and Field Indoor Nationals. She continues to train in Colorado Springs and is preparing for the 2012 Olympic Trials in the sprints. We have more extensive information about this book available on our website.

Paperback Book • 349 Pages • $24.95 •

Learn More

In Other News...

Help your fellow Lyme patients!

We are editing a new book which is a compilation of the treatments that have helped Lyme sufferers the most. If you have had success with your treatments and want to share your experiences with others, please submit an essay to be considered for inclusion in our new book. Essay writers will even be entered to win cash prizes! Learn more.

In case you missed it...

The following list includes Lymebook.com's recently released books and DVDs ... just in case you missed them!

Released in 2012

Treatment of Chronic Lyme Disease by Burton Waisbren, MD, FACP, FIDSA (book)

Released in 2011

Dietrich Klinghardt, MD, PhD, DVD Set (DVD set)

2011 Rife Handbook (book)

Defeat Cancer (book or eBook)

Cancer is Curable Now (DVD)

Andrew Cutler, PhD, Audio CD Series (audio CDs)

Released in 2010

Recipes For Repair (book)

The Lyme Diet (book)

Under Our Skin (DVD)

Ending Denial (book)

The Silent Saboteurs (book)

Healing Chronic Illness (book)

Healing Lyme Naturally (book)

Released in 2009

Insights Into Lyme Disease Treatment (book)

The Rife Handbook [Updated Edition] (book)

2009 Babesia Update (book)

The Stealth Killer (book)

Rife's World of Electromedicine (book)

Renegade Patient (book)

Cure Unknown (book)

Evan's Gate (DVD)

Released in 2008

The Lyme-Autism Connection (book)

Bartonella: Diagnosis and Treatment (book)

Cell-Wall Deficient Forms: Stealth Pathogens (book)

2008 Lyme Disease Annual Report (book)

2008 Rife Conference Presentation by Nenah Sylver, Ph.D. (DVD)

The Lyme Disease Solution (book)
The Lyme Disease Survival Guide (book)

And many more... the above list represent s less than half of our catalog. To view everything, visit www.lymebook.com.

Stay Connected!

New Lyme disease information becomes available almost daily. We don't want you to miss anything! We send email newsletters to you only 2-4 times per year. However, we are continuously publishing new, exclusive information on our blog and FaceBook page. If you don't want to miss anything, "like" us on FaceBook and sign up for email notifications of new blog posts, today! Also, don't miss our Newsletter Archives, where you can get important information from past email newsletters just like the one you are reading right now.

DISCLAIMER: Lymebook.com newsletters, products, and websites exist as informational and educational resources only. We do not provide medical advice nor do we offer prevention, diagnosis, treatment, or cures for any diseases or medical conditions. See a licensed physician for medical advice—do not consult Lymebook.com. These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. Bryan Rosner is a journalist, not a medical professional or physician..

One Minute Commissions- A Winner

noreply@blogger.com (rbowman838) — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 23:52:00 +0000

Hi everyone,

Ever so often you finally find a product that is guaranteed to work. This product is it.

http://rbowman838.oneminute.track.clicksure.com

What did you think of Dr. Phil's Lyme Disease Program

noreply@blogger.com (rbowman838) — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 00:03:00 +0000

Hi again everyone,

I watched the Dr. Phil Program yesterday and was very pleased about the whole program. Certainly, the viewers got a good look at what Lyme disease can do to you. I felt so sorry for the ex-model. She has been living in misery. I was so glad to here that the same physician who is treating his producer with Lyme Disease will treat this young women now, pro bono. If anyone ever needed help, this poor girl does. I still bristle at accounts of doctors telling Lyme patients that the disease is all in their head and that they are doing it for some kind of attention. Any doctor guilty of that shameful behavior should lose their ability to care for anyone. There are a number of doctors who have kept their head in the sand when it comes to this insidious disease. Hopefully, shows like this one will begin to put pressure on these ignorant and arrogant physicians,who believe they know it all. I had one doctor try to say that to me a few years ago and I damn here hit him in the mouth. I did order him out of the examining room and the head doctor soon, took his place. If any of you have had experienceof doctors telling you it is in your head, please let me know. We would love to hear about it. Getting the word out on these type of doctors is important. Kidos to Dr Phil. for giving the discussion of Lyme disease a very important forum! Comment in how you felt how watching the program.

Be well,
Richard

Dr Phil 's Show Friday April 13th- Tune in

noreply@blogger.com (rbowman838) — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 02:42:00 +0000

Hi everyone,

NEWS: Dr. Phil’s chronic Lyme show to air April 13

4th April 2012

A segment on chronic Lyme is included in a program called "Deadly Consequences."
The Dr. Phil Show will look at the issue of chronic Lyme disease in a program scheduled to air on April 13.
Among the guests are Lyme survivor/TV weathercaster Brooke Landau, two additional Lyme patients, Lyme-literate doctor Chitra Bhakti, MD, and the IDSA’s Dr. Paul Auwaerter.
Here is the listing as posted on the Dr. Phil website:

Friday – April 13, 2012

Deadly Consequences

Dr. Phil’s guests say they’re dealing with serious illnesses that could have deadly outcomes. First, Annette says as a mother, she wants the right to euthanize her severely-disabled children, 42-year-old Jeffrey and 43-year-old Janet, who have been institutionalized for more than three decades with the rare genetic disorder, Sanfilippo Syndrome. Her only legal option is to remove their feeding tubes, which she says would lead to a painful and inhumane death. What would you do? Hear from acclaimed trial attorney Geoffrey Fieger on why he thinks the laws against euthanasia should be changed. Then, former model Stephanie Vostry, 25, says that she suffers from constant pain and seizures caused by what some doctors believe to be chronic Lyme disease, and others wonder if she’s faking. With natural medicine providing minimal relief, hear how she says she’s turned to self-medicating to dull her pain. Plus, chronic Lyme disease hits close to home for a Dr. Phil staff member and a San Diego weathercaster.

Having the right mind to be healed...Some thoughts..

noreply@blogger.com (rbowman838) — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 02:43:00 +0000

The source of all healing...Listen to this wonderful testimony

noreply@blogger.com (rbowman838) — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 02:35:00 +0000

Nascar Driver has Lyme disease.

noreply@blogger.com (rbowman838) — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0000

Hi Everyone,
I am sure many of you follow Nascar Racing. I was reading about Trevor Bayne, the 2011 winner of the Daytona 500 Race. Trevor is a 21 year old male. I guess shortly after that win, Trevor became ill and the doctors starting treating him for an "inflammatory disease". Finally, after a few months, Trevor was told that he had Lyme disease. He is racing again, so I am assuming he is feeling better. If anyone knows any more particulars about Trevor and his Lyme disease, I hope you will post here and update us. I cringe every time I hear a person has this disease, but when famous people or people in the public spotlight get it, it brings much more attention to it than it normally gets. I hope Trevor's experience and treatment can benefit all of us somehow. You can see Trevor on http://www.nascar.com.

Be well,
Rich

Host Gator Web Hosting

noreply@blogger.com (rbowman838) — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 19:20:00 +0000

Thinking about putting up a new website about Lyme disease. Here is the place to get started. These folks are great and real reasonable.

Happy New Year!

noreply@blogger.com (rbowman838) — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 23:53:00 +0000

Hi everyone,

I want to wish all of my fellow Lyme disease sufferers, a very happy and safe New Year!. May 2012 be a year where we find solutions for much of the misery of having Lyme disease. Stay in touch, as I am testing some new nutraceuticals that have been showing some amazing results in the realm of weight loss and pain relief. I have just started their use and I will report what my personal experience is with them on a few weeks. 2012 is an election year and I know all of you are concerned about the direction of our country. Please make yourselves aware of all of the issues that will be discussed in this political season. Be a voter that is knowledgeable! This country is in terrible need of new leaders who are not afraid to put God back in America. The three branches of our government need to hear us loud and clear this election. We are tired of the childish in-fighting and quarreling. We are tired of being lied to. The current leadership in both the House and the Senate need to go. The oval office needs a god-fearing man or woman who is not afraid to speak the truth and not afraid to make the really tough decisions that so desperately need made. The health care system does not need "Obamacare"! Before you vote this year, look deep inside your heart. All of us can be "the Salt of the Earth" that the scriptures talk about. Decide in 2012, that you will stand up and be counted on the side of saving our Constitution.

Always be well,
God Bless!

Rich Bowman

A Cure to Late for many

noreply@blogger.com (rbowman838) — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 23:13:00 +0000

http://youtu.be/6-2shnzhBaE

Lyme Disease Natural Remedy Report

noreply@blogger.com (rbowman838) — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 02:54:00 +0000

Hi everyone, I found a product you might be interested in.

“Any test recommendations or health information provided from Bowman's Thoughts and things, written or verbal, are for educational purposed only and it not intended to diagnose, treat, or cure any disease or condition” Click Here!
Be well,

Richard