Touched by Lyme

Paying out-of-pocket for lab testing can take a hefty toll on your family’s pocketbook. Here’s one way to save.

Combining her love of the theater with a desire to support the Lyme community, this student actor is staging a production of "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown" in Atherton in June.

Volunteers from East Bay Lyme Education & Patient Support (LEAPS) handed out Lyme literature and free tick repellent to recreationists at Tilden Regional Park on Sunday, May 22. Notice in the photo that the man on the right is standing with his IV pole.

Is fear of Lyme and other tick-borne illnesses keeping you from outdoor activities? Maryland Lyme advocate Lucy Barnes addresses this very real concern. While her remarks are tailored to the Eastern Shore region, they offer useful advice for the rest of the country as well.

If you just had a couple of seconds to teach somebody about Lyme disease, what would you say? A group of Lyme activists in Sturbridge, MA, distilled their message to this: “Lyme test negative? It may still be Lyme disease!” They added their web address for more information, and posted all this on a big billboard next to the Massachusetts Turnpike, near Springfield.

WDSE-WRPT, a PBS affiliate in Duluth, Minnesota, initially scheduled a May showing of the Lyme documentary. Learn why the station then changed its mind.

Guest blogger Bob Cowart, who has been diagnosed with both neurological Lyme disease and Parkinson's, articulates some everyday realities of dealing with those conditions. He dictated this article into his computer.

He called Lori his "Rambo daughter," a strong athletic soldier who liked to run marathons. But after a tick bite gave her Lyme disease none of this dad's efforts could save her life. Now, he channels his grief into educating others about how to prevent the spread of tick-borne illnesses.

(Book review) Who knew the IDSA Lyme treatment guidelines could be fodder for a rip-snorting mystery story?

(Book review) In his book, ON HOPE AND HEALING: FOR THOSE WHO HAVE FALLEN THROUGH THE MEDICAL CRACKS, Dr. Neil Nathan uses the tools of both western and alternative medicine to explore how chronically ill people can return to health.