Sept. Support Group Meeting Reminder
We will have a support group meeting this Friday (Sept 30) from 5:30-7:30p.m. at Pinney Library in Madison.
Hope to see you there!
Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category
Mosquito Repellent
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/312185.php#natural_mosquito_repellents
Mosquitoes are out in force in Wisconsin, and when you are armed with the knowledge they probably transmit Lyme Disease, https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2016/07/23/german-study-finds-borrelia-in-mosquitos/ are proven to transmit encephalitis, yellow fever, malaria, West Nile virus, dengue, and others, we should all be avoiding them.
A few simple things to do: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2014/08/23/mosquito-repellent.aspx
*Drain any standing water around your house
*Wear light colored, loose clothing with long sleeves and pants, hats, and socks
*Plant marigolds around your house as bugs do not like the smell they emit
*Avoid outdoor activity from dusk to dawn, the peak time for mosquito activity. http://www.mnn.com/health/fitness-well-being/stories/7-ways-to-avoid-mosquitoes-this-summer
*Use natural repellents when outdoors
Natural mosquito repellent recipe
Apple cider vinegar helps to kill bacteria on the skin that the mosquitoes are attracted to and the high concentrations of essential oils repels them.
In an 8-ounce spray bottle, combine the following:
4 ounces apple cider vinegar
3 ounces water
100 drops citronella essential oil
50 drops lemon eucalyptus essential oil
50 drops clove oil
Shake first and test on a small area of skin first to test for sensitivity. If no reaction occurs then apply to clothes and skin often when outdoors.
Numerous studies show that lemon eucalyptus oil, citronella, and clove oil work as well if not better than DEET without causing the adverse health effects commercial sprays do.
http://www.mnn.com/health/fitness-well-being/stories/7-ways-to-avoid-mosquitoes-this-summer Professor of medical entomology at the University of Florida in Vero Beach, Jonathan Day, says 20% of us are “high attractor types,” due to higher carbon dioxide, metabolic rate, lactic acid, acetone, and estradiol. It’s even worse if you wear red, navy blue, or black. Medical entomologist and technical adviser to the American Mosquito Control Association, Joseph Conlon, states they are also more attracted to folks who drink a 12-ounce beer.
So there you have it. If you are out at dusk, wearing black and drinking a beer, expect to be eaten alive.
The Glibowski Case
The New Mexico US District Court – 2009-1039 Glibowski versus United States Office of Personnel Management (OPM) offers hope for Lyme patients trying to get insurance coverage.
After running to ground the internal appeal process through their insurance as well as an external review by OPM, a federal branch of government to protect access to evidenced-based care for the chronically infected, Robert and Debra Glibowski sought out an attorney to sue OPM.
After a long and grueling battle the tide finally turned when in 2013 a judge ruled in favor of the Glibowskis and required OPM and the insurance company to ‘justify any denials of coverage based on any lack of medical necessity under the policy.’
After a black out, another motion was filed for the judge to take up the case.
It is thought that the judge will rule to take this to the higher court of appeals, the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals, representing one of 12 regional circuits in the nation which are right below the Supreme Court.
This is big.
Lyme Disease has a chance to be on legal record, and according to the attorney, there is a great chance this higher Court will rule in favor of the Glibowskis, setting a precedent for all OPM external reviews of Lyme Disease, not to mention shake up the insurance world by making it tougher to deny coverage.
A big “thank you” to Jenna Luche-Thayer https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenna-luche-thayer-b75b902b for a superb article delineating all of this.
Contact Your Senators
Soon, a major piece of health legislation is likely to be voted on by the U.S. Senate. If this happens, a bill we support–the Lyme and Tick-Borne Disease Prevention, Education and Research Act (S. 1503)–will be offered as an amendment.
To help prepare for this, we urgently need to add additional co-sponsors to the bill. Please take a moment to contact your U.S. senators to let them know how important this legislation is to you (even if you’ve already done so in the past).
The legislation would create an advisory committee within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to identify best practices to combat tick-borne diseases. The group would be comprised of patients, advocates, researchers, medical professionals, and government officials. The bill would also require the HHS Secretary to coordinate efforts to strengthen disease surveillance and reporting, develop better diagnostic tools and tests, create a physician-education program, establish epidemiological research objectives for Lyme and other tick-borne illnesses, and prepare regular reports to Congress on the progress of efforts to combat these devastating diseases.
Voter Voice is a system that lets you easily contact your senators. You supply your name and contact information.
Click on the link at the beginning of the article to go to Voter Voice.
WI Coppe Lab in the News
http://www.capecodtimes.com/news/20160814/study-cites-powassan-link-to-long-term-lyme-symptoms
Virologist and microbiologist, Dr. Konstance Knox, suspects persistent Lyme cases may be complicated by Powassan virus. An unpublished 2010 study showed more than 15% of Lyme patients had Powassan. A study completed in May of 106 patients with suspected acute tick borne disease showed 10.4 % had Powassan.
Knox states there is little data and really no way of knowing how many are truly infected with the virus, which is hard to distinguish from Lyme Disease, but is important to study as it has evolved to persist and go to the brain.
Knox is also starting to test 300 samples from patients with post tick borne infection fatigue to try and determine why active, healthy people suddenly get sick and never recover.
We all would like to know too.
For more on Powassan read: https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2016/02/21/powassan-virus/
Madison Area Lyme Support Group 