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Thread: CDC Tick News

  1. #41

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    I have to apologize for my rant earlier in this thread. Seems like I sufficiently and thoroughly managed to ‘tick’ everyone off. I’ll admit my Obama comment was over the top, and shouldn’t have been said.

    As I watch my son brush near death with Lyme, I get quite emotional. He was on doxycycline for 18 months, but being an antibiotic, that also kills the immune system if you’re on it long enough. Apparently the spirochetes bury themselves in the walls of the organs and blood vessels, and hide from the antibiotics.

    He had to stop the antibiotics six months ago and is trying to recover his immune system. We’ll see where it goes from here.



    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

  2. #42

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    This is why I don't hike. Lyme Disease is a killer !!! I would never even think of stepping foot on the Appalachian trail, because of ticks.

    ---Brother Blood, GA-ME '16

  3. #43

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    Quote Originally Posted by Brother Blood View Post
    This is why I don't hike. Lyme Disease is a killer !!! I would never even think of stepping foot on the Appalachian trail, because of ticks.

    ---Brother Blood, GA-ME '16
    If you don't have a yard to maintain, or leave paved surfaces much you have little to worry about then. Lawns/yards is a common link for tick exposure with a high percentage of people who contract Lyme disease. Risks can be mitigated for both back yards and being in the forests.

  4. #44
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    [QUOTE=Brother Blood;2208365]This is why I don't hike. Lyme Disease is a killer !!! I would never even think of stepping foot on the Appalachian trail, because of ticks.

    you can get bitten anywhere. here's how you can protect yourself;

    A. InsectShield your hiking cloths (except underwear).
    B. Stay on the trail, don't busdwhack
    C. Hike with long, light colored trousers.
    D. For extra protection, spray your cloths, shoes, and gear with Permethrin.
    E. Check yourself daily for ticks (easier said then done though).

  5. #45
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    Has anyone here verified for themselves the long-term effectiveness of Insect Shield treated clothing? Just wondering. When they first come back, it's very obvious that the clothing has been treated in some way. The surface texture feels rougher/grippier, and anything that can shrink in a hot dryer (such as wool socks) will have done so a bit. But over time, the fabrics soften, and revert to their original feel. The treatment is supposedly good for 70 washings/life of the garment, and I'm nowhere near 70 uses yet (3-4 complete sets of dedicated hiking clothes were treated), but I do wonder if I put a tick on there, would they still die. I don't have any ticks handy to test it myself (and I'm kind of glad about that!). Just wondering if anyone else has done this.

  6. #46
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    Quote Originally Posted by Time Zone View Post
    Has anyone here verified for themselves the long-term effectiveness of Insect Shield treated clothing? Just wondering. When they first come back, it's very obvious that the clothing has been treated in some way. The surface texture feels rougher/grippier, and anything that can shrink in a hot dryer (such as wool socks) will have done so a bit. But over time, the fabrics soften, and revert to their original feel. The treatment is supposedly good for 70 washings/life of the garment, and I'm nowhere near 70 uses yet (3-4 complete sets of dedicated hiking clothes were treated), but I do wonder if I put a tick on there, would they still die. I don't have any ticks handy to test it myself (and I'm kind of glad about that!). Just wondering if anyone else has done this.
    I haven't tried Insect Shield yet, but I find that Sawyer permethrin will last me for a summer, being out maybe every other weekend. I find dead ticks in my clothing, so it must be doing something right. It doesn't feel funny after the first washing, but it's still effective.
    I always know where I am. I'm right here.

  7. #47

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    Quote Originally Posted by BuckeyeBill View Post
    The Native American Indians did not have Pharmacies and used natures cures to cure ailments. They only started having problems when the English and European settlers came over carrying smallpox and other diseases.
    That is what our 3rd grade history books teach us. But, it's untrue. Pre 1492 indigenous people where practicing agriculture and living in settlements some with over 100,000 people in it. With masses of people come diseases. Diseases such as treponemiasis and tuberculosis were already present in the New World, along with diseases such as tularemia, giardia, rabies, amebic dysentery, hepatitis, herpes, pertussis, and poliomyelitis. Then lets not forget syphilis which is thought to be the gift that keeps on giving that Europe got from the new world. It is true that they were unable to cope with old would diseases.

  8. #48
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    Quote Originally Posted by Deacon View Post
    I have to apologize for my rant earlier in this thread. Seems like I sufficiently and thoroughly managed to ‘tick’ everyone off. I’ll admit my Obama comment was over the top, and shouldn’t have been said.
    As I watch my son brush near death with Lyme, I get quite emotional. He was on doxycycline for 18 months, but being an antibiotic, that also kills the immune system if you’re on it long enough. Apparently the spirochetes bury themselves in the walls of the organs and blood vessels, and hide from the antibiotics.
    He had to stop the antibiotics six months ago and is trying to recover his immune system. We’ll see where it goes from here.
    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
    Deacon, thanks for sharing your story, which adds important first-hand information to the original link to the CDC article. I hope your son fully recovers from this ordeal. I can only speak for myself, but you certainly did not "tick" me off. Your son's story is a cautionary lesson for all of us. My doctor, in addition to offering and prescribing the doxy for me, emphasized the importance of preventing and treating tick bites. Where I live (I'm an Ohio guy too), I never see deer ticks, and most of the concern here is about Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, which I'll take over Lyme any day. One thing I've picked up on by reading various articles is to capture any tick that is attached and keep in a small container with a blade of grass in case you develop symptoms. Then take the tick with you when you visit the doctor, so the tick can be tested. I usually just destroy the little suckers, but in the case of the deer tick, I think I'd want to go the extra step as a precaution.

  9. #49

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    Quote Originally Posted by TwoRoads View Post
    Then take the tick with you when you visit the doctor, so the tick can be tested. I usually just destroy the little suckers, but in the case of the deer tick, I think I'd want to go the extra step as a precaution.
    I'm a family physician practicing for a major health care organization in the Lyme heavy state of Wisconsin, and although I do appreciate when patients bring in ticks, this is solely for me to identify it as a deer tick or not. I do not routinely test the tick for the Borrelia bacteria, and my colleagues don't either. We are in a community setting as opposed to an academic setting however.

    There is survey testing that is done on ticks by the University of Wisconsin Madison. The ticks are gathered from afield. The results of these tests show what percentage of nymphal deer ticks carry Lyme disease bacteria in a particular county. Most county's here are around 30%.

    I am liberal with my doxycycline prescribing as it regards to deer ticks/Lyme etc. But just to clarify I do not test the tick itself.

  10. #50
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    Quote Originally Posted by SC_Forester View Post
    That is what our 3rd grade history books teach us. But, it's untrue. Pre 1492 indigenous people where practicing agriculture and living in settlements some with over 100,000 people in it. With masses of people come diseases. Diseases such as treponemiasis and tuberculosis were already present in the New World, along with diseases such as tularemia, giardia, rabies, amebic dysentery, hepatitis, herpes, pertussis, and poliomyelitis. Then lets not forget syphilis which is thought to be the gift that keeps on giving that Europe got from the new world. It is true that they were unable to cope with old would diseases.
    Yes they had their own set of medical problems, my point mostly was they used natural cures to treat them. Also as the influx of more European and English settles came to the new world, They began to push the eastern bands of several tribes west into lands where there were no place to get the plants used to treats their illnesses. The only tribe to hold out was a small band of Cherokee who hid and fought in the Appalachian mountains and today have a reservation in North Carolina. You can go there during your hike from Newfound Gap. They have a very excellent outdoor drama called "Unto These Hills" that is worth a zero day to go see.
    Blackheart

  11. #51
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    Quote Originally Posted by BuckeyeBill View Post
    Yes they had their own set of medical problems, my point mostly was they used natural cures to treat them. Also as the influx of more European and English settles came to the new world, They began to push the eastern bands of several tribes west into lands where there were no place to get the plants used to treats their illnesses. The only tribe to hold out was a small band of Cherokee who hid and fought in the Appalachian mountains and today have a reservation in North Carolina. You can go there during your hike from Newfound Gap. They have a very excellent outdoor drama called "Unto These Hills" that is worth a zero day to go see.
    It's important to understand that there's nothing better about "natural" cures; they are almost always less effective and more dangerous than manufactured medicines. What science helps us do is isolate an effective active ingredient, purify it, and dose it.

    If you just grab a plant that supposedly is good for problem X, you get none of those important benefits.

  12. #52
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    Quote Originally Posted by BuckeyeBill View Post
    ............ my point mostly was they used natural cures to treat them.
    They didn't have any other alternatives. I bet if there was a CVS or Walgreens around they would have used it.
    If you don't stand for something, you will fall for anything.

  13. #53
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    Quote Originally Posted by trailmercury View Post
    I'm a family physician practicing for a major health care organization in the Lyme heavy state of Wisconsin, and although I do appreciate when patients bring in ticks, this is solely for me to identify it as a deer tick or not. I do not routinely test the tick for the Borrelia bacteria, and my colleagues don't either. We are in a community setting as opposed to an academic setting however.
    There is survey testing that is done on ticks by the University of Wisconsin Madison. The ticks are gathered from afield. The results of these tests show what percentage of nymphal deer ticks carry Lyme disease bacteria in a particular county. Most county's here are around 30%.
    I am liberal with my doxycycline prescribing as it regards to deer ticks/Lyme etc. But just to clarify I do not test the tick itself.
    Thanks for the clarification, trailmercury, and I did possibly pass along some misinformation, which I pulled off the website, webmd.com. However, I misinterpreted the info, which was presented by webmd as follows: "It can help to get the tick tested so you'll know if it was carrying any diseases it might have given you. To do this, place it in a sealed container along with a blade of grass to keep it alive. Then, take it for testing. Some state agencies do tick testing, but if you're not sure where to send the tick, ask your doctor."

    I misread the part about "ask your doctor" regarding where to send the tick. Also, with further research, I found that the Ohio Department of Health actually disagrees with the idea of having a tick tested after a bite, as explained on the ODH website as follows:

    "Some people are interested in having ticks that they removed from themselves or loved ones tested for various tickborne diseases.. The Ohio Department of Health does not recommend tick testing under these circumstances for the following reasons:
    • You may not have been infected. Even if a tick is infected and tests positive, it may not have transmitted the infection to you.
    • It might delay treatment. Tick test results take several days and may not be available in time to make a prompt healthcare decision.
    • You may have other tick bites that you don't know about. Most people who are infected with tickborne diseases do not recall a tick bite. Therefore, if someone were to develop symptoms of tickborne disease, there would be no way to know whether the infection was from a known tick bite or another unknown tick bite. For example, if a tick is tested and the result is negative, you could still have been bitten by another infected tick, not know it, and develop symptoms of tickborne disease.
    • Tests performed on ticks are not always perfect. All laboratory tests have the possibility of false positive or false negative results. Even with a negative result, people should still monitor themselves for the appearance of a rash, fever and other flu-like symptoms. If any of these symptoms occur, you should contact your healthcare provider."


    Thanks, trailmercury, for clarifying the right information, and in view of the ODH opinion, if you would like to follow up with any recommendations on when to see your physician after a tick bite, I'm sure those would be helpful and well-received. Thanks!




  14. #54
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    There's a vaccine for dogs, but not for humans. Go figure....

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    Until 2002 there was a vaccine for humans called Limerex but production was halted due to low demand.
    "Chainsaw" GA-ME 2011

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    Quote Originally Posted by SC_Forester View Post
    That is what our 3rd grade history books teach us. But, it's untrue. Pre 1492 indigenous people where practicing agriculture and living in settlements some with over 100,000 people in it. With masses of people come diseases. Diseases such as treponemiasis and tuberculosis were already present in the New World, along with diseases such as tularemia, giardia, rabies, amebic dysentery, hepatitis, herpes, pertussis, and poliomyelitis. Then lets not forget syphilis which is thought to be the gift that keeps on giving that Europe got from the new world. It is true that they were unable to cope with old would diseases.
    Thanks for inserting those brief tidbits of detail and truth into the neo-Rousseauian trope of indigenous peoples. Wonderful people, yes. But not saints — and neither were all Europeans sinners …

  17. #57
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    You are correct (I think) but the pharmaceutical companies still send people out into the jungles to find medical plants that they can break down then synthesize it for use in developing new medicines.
    Blackheart

  18. #58

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    I had previously reported on this thread that my son had contracted Lyme disease, and has been battling the symptoms now for two and a half years.

    As it now turns out, he actually has now been diagnosed with Babesia. We couldn’t understand why he never responded to one year of doxycycline.

    The attached article explains that Babesia does not respond to doxy.

    At least now there is hope.

    https://rawlsmd.com/health-articles/...anding-babesia


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

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    Quote Originally Posted by Deacon View Post
    I had previously reported on this thread that my son had contracted Lyme disease, and has been battling the symptoms now for two and a half years.

    As it now turns out, he actually has now been diagnosed with Babesia. We couldn’t understand why he never responded to one year of doxycycline.

    The attached article explains that Babesia does not respond to doxy.

    At least now there is hope.

    https://rawlsmd.com/health-articles/...anding-babesia


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
    interesting, after years of under diagnosing lyme, now it is over diagnosed

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