In this week's NYTIMES podcast, Pamela Paul interviews Ross Douthat about his latest book, "The Deep Places," which is about his experiences with Lyme Disease.
He talks about the number of misdiagnoses he received, the standard treatment that he followed (which largely failed), and nonstandard treatments and practices he tried before finally getting the disease somewhat under control. For him, it took years to recover.
Lyme seems to be a disease that, if caught early, there is a much greater chance of full recovery.
It is spread by the deer tick, which is most commonly found in New England, although it seems to be spreading southward.
I would hope that all hikers become aware of Lyme disease, how it is spread, what are the common signs of early infection, and standard treatments that are available. Also, note that physicians in New England are much more familiar with Lyme and the test used to diagnose.
The bad news is that there is no vaccine currently available for Lyme disease, the good news is that there are two candidates now going through clinical trials.
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/19/b...smid=url-share