What Can One Voice Do?

A Call For Help

It was a dark and stormy night....

No, WAIT! That is the start of a fictional horror story! If only...

What the Lyme community has just been dealt in America is a crushing blow that is tanamount to a death sentence...and why? The pride and arrogance of a massive Goliath giant called the Infectious Disease Society of America (IDSA).

I am sending this out to all my friends and family desperately trying to raise awareness and to help you understand what is at risk. You may ask, "What can one voice do?" and I just want to challenge you...you'll never know until you try!

To fully understand the main problem I need you to first read this following article called "The Proof's in the Pudding" by Donna Reagan. She spells it out in easy to understand language (and humor) the problem between the IDSA doctors and the International Lyme and Associated Disease Society (ILADS).

This will lay the ground work for you to understand what was just released this week by IDSA is such a crushing blow to Lyme Disease patients.

This week IDSA releasedtheir new 2006 diagnostic and treatment guidelines for Lyme disease.

Va., Oct. 2 -- In response to growing concern and confusionabout Lyme
disease, the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) has updated its
Clinical Practice Guidelines on the disease, in order to provide guidance to
physicians and patients based on the latest scientific evidence.

The guidelines were originally published in 2000.The most significant changes in the updated
version include:

The addition of information on human granulocytic anaplasmosis (HGA)and babesiosis, two diseases transmitted by the same tick that transmits Lyme disease; Recommendations of a single dose of an antibiotic for certain high-risk patients who have been bitten by a tick but do not have symptoms of Lyme disease; Expanded discussion and definition of so-called "chronic" or post-Lyme syndromes.

The Guidelines, developed by an expert panel according to widely accepted criteria for evidence-based medicine, contain updated information on the epidemiology, clinical features and diagnosis of Lyme disease, according to Gary P. Wormser, Chief, Division of Infectious Diseases and Vice Chairman of the Department of Medicine, New York Medical College.

Dr. Wormser is lead author of IDSA's 2006 Lyme disease guidelines and chair of the
expert pane lthat developed the guidelines.

At a Glance.. .The Infectious Diseases Society of America has updated Guidelines to help physicians and patients in the diagnosis and treatment of Lyme disease... 95 percent of cases of Lyme disease are cured with 10 - 28 days of oral antibiotics... Long-term antibiotic treatment is not proven to be effective and maybe dangerous.

To be certain they get the proper medical care, patients who have lingering symptoms after proper treatment (those with so-called "chronic" Lyme disease) should ask their doctors if the
diagnosis was accurate or if they may have a different or new illness.

You may wonder why this is such a big deal. Let me explain...IDSA is comprised of 8,000 doctors. Lyme patients have had very little success in getting well under their treatment plan and most move on to ILADS doctors. There are about 200-300 ILADS doctors in America. These doctors have an amazing rate of getting people well and leading a much better quality of life than those who were previously treated under IDSA guidelines and remained sick.

The first danger of these new guidelines in that IDSA continues to deny the existance of Chronic late stage lyme disease. They say it is cured in 10-28 days of antibiotics.

Insurance coverage bases what they will cover on IDSA guidelines. So in the very near future Lyme patients all over the country are going to be experiencing a denial of coverage for the treatment protocols from ILADS doctors.

Lets look at some interesting evidence...

There are ILADS doctors that are willing to face medical boards and fight for their licenses becasue they know the treatment protocols they are using with their patients are working and patients are seeing great remissions and even cures after treatment. They are willing to completely lay their livlihood and future medical practice down to fight for the treatments that are working!

Do you think for one minute that a doctor would risk his career for a lie?

This reminds me of the old apologetics technique I learned in college when defending the faith. Remember the twelve disciples? Each one of them died a violent death, refusing to reject Christ and his teachings and claims of death, burial and resurrection. Do you think they would have willingly endured the deaths they experienced in order to protect a LIE? NO!! They fully believes, experienced first hand, and knew the testimony was TRUE...so they went to their death for the sake of the TRUTH...as are many ILADS doctors when facing the medical boards for daring to disagree with the great Goliath named IDSA.

IDSA cannot claim that they have seen any benefit of treating with long term antibiotics and seeing results because they have never done testing longer than 28 days...their preconceived view of when any infection should be cured. They refuse to think outside the box.

ILADS on the other hand, who has done treatments of chronic Lyme patients for as long as 3-5 years...sometimes longer, have seen patients in wheel chairs walk, have seen people misdiagnosed with "ALS" (a fatal disease) because their symptoms persisted longer than the 28 days and left to die, but when treated with long term antibiotics for the treatment of Lyme disease receive their life back. ...but I digress.

A Call to Action:

We need people nation wide to call their representatives and senators and support the current Lyme Disease legislation that is before the federal congress now. THIS IS URGENT!

This is regarding Federal Bill HR 3427: Lyme and Tick Borne Disease Prevention, Education and research Act of 2005 (yes, this has been in legislative committee THAT long!) Now it is time to ACT!!

FOR THOSE IN TEXAS...especially the Arlington area:

Rep. Joe Barton in the committee leader for this legislation and he needs to here from us! Please call his office and ask that they move this legislation OUT OF COMMITTEE and bring it to the senate for a VOTE!!

Contact information for Rep Joe Barton

Washington DC Office: phone: 202-225-2002 and fax: 202-225-3052
Arlington offices: phone: 817-543-1000 and fax: 817-548-7029

TX US Senator John Cornyn DC Phone: 202-224-2934 DC Fax: 202-228-2856
TX US Senator Kay Baily Hutchison DC Phone: 202-224-5922 DC Fax: 202-224-0776

Let's show them what our ONE VOICE can do!!

Thanks for heeding my cry for help!

Love, Dawn