2 years with Lyme now and being in and out of Lyme doctor's offices has me wondering about something.
Where are all the illegal Mexicans who do so much lawncare and other high risk Lyme work? I never see them in the doctor's offices.
Are there thousands of these people silently suffering with no hope of help since they don't have insurance, or could it possibly be that by some miracle they have a higher resistance to the spirochete?
My God, could their be a vast multitude that is in an even worse boat?
Posted by ninjaphire (Member # 18234) on :
Well, I was talking to this Mexican lady who was suffering from lyme the other day.
She was saying that many many of those Mexicans have lots of joint and muscle pain, and they just think it's because they work hard, and accept it as a part of life.
Is it Lyme ? Who knows!
Posted by Keebler (Member # 12673) on :
- Absolutely. And it's not just with one group of people. Anyone without insurance, without funds, without a lyme literate doctor. Of course those who work in farming and landscape are at much higher risk.
Farmworkers and gardeners are also at much higher risk from chemical injury and stress from the long hours. Their hearing, too, is in danger from the equipment.
So, here's a huge thank you to all those who spend very long days planting, tending, harvesting, sorting, cleaning, packing or shipping food so that they can eek out some sort of a life for food that nourishes my body.
Back to education and prevention of tick born infections, all farmers, farmworkers and landscapers should have access to the to materials. Not just any one group - everyone. The LDA may have some relationships with organizations so that the word can get out.
The LDA may appreciate some volunteers in that area - or could steer you in the right direction.
Lyme Disease Association -
Posted by lou (Member # 81) on :
I believe some lyme info has been translated and is available in Spanish. The trouble is that because there are so many illegals, they are not organized into groups that can be reached easily with such info. And if they found out what they had, not sure how much good it would do since they will not have access to adequate care or be able to pay, in many cases.
The main thing that could be done is education about prevention.
Posted by Keebler (Member # 12673) on :
- Each community has some outreach organizations for all the migrant workers - many of whom are legally here - but still at risk.
Ticks don't check immigration status. They'll bite any of the hands that feed us, whether migrant or local. -
Posted by Robin123 (Member # 9197) on :
I bet it's a big problem that no one knows about. And if they did, who has the money for care?
It's not just Mexicans. It's all field workers. I have heard that 2% of Peru's agricultural workers are infected.
What is going to happen to all the fieldworkers?
Tick repellent protection would at least be a start.
Posted by GiGi (Member # 259) on :
Study the effects and power of Peppers? It works on just about everything if you make a habit of consuming it.
I am making a tincture out of the strongest cayenne I can find and take it every day. It awakens the dead. It is anti-just-about-everything.
Worth exploring!
Take care.
Posted by sammy (Member # 13952) on :
It is terribly sad, many people of all races, citizens and illegals, even those experienced and well educated are having trouble finding jobs. Even if they find a job it might not pay enough to provide proper food, shelter, and health care for their family.
Lyme is just one of the many acute conditions that can quickly become chronic when not properly addressed in time.
Education and access to proper resources seem to be the key.
Posted by Carol in PA (Member # 5338) on :
quote:Originally posted by GiGi: I am making a tincture out of the strongest cayenne I can find and take it every day. It awakens the dead.
Gigi, At one point I saw a reference to a product called "Buzz in a Bottle." When I looked for information, I found a vendor on eBay.
quote: The tincture consists of cayenne and alcohol. 180,000 HU. African Organic Zimbabwean Cayenne (Birds Eye) Pepper
I got some, and all I can say is Holey Moley! Carol
Posted by Joel (Member # 26462) on :
It's hard enough for those of us who are legal and lucky enough to have jobs and insurance to get treated and make people listen to us. And as it is so far we haven't been able to get the attention this disease deserves.
So think about how hard it is for illegal workers who don't even have insurance in the first place. They have no chance of fighting lyme. It's sad.
Posted by LightAtTheEnd (Member # 24065) on :
I think there must be many, many people in my midwestern region who are ill and don't know why, or who believe they have another illness with no cause or cure, or who explain away their symptoms.
Anyone who doesn't speak the language of doctors or public service announcements, or who lacks the formal education to understand how illnesses can be caused by bacteria (much less the vast amount of self education required to get well from this disease), is at an even greater disadvantage.
And that doesn't even take into account the financial and geographical hurdles to Lyme treatment, the lack of health insurance for low wage workers, and the difficulty of maintaining a continuous treatment regimen if your work requires you to move frequently.
Most people with Lyme, legal or not, if they are able to see a doctor, get told that there is nothing wrong with them, or they don't have Lyme and they can't be helped. If that first doctor visit was a major difficulty to achieve because of money, language or transporation, you aren't likely to go to a second one.
It's worse if you got exposed as part of your employment, and yet your employer takes no responsibility for your illness.
We who are on Lymenet kept insisting and visiting more doctors (after the first one sent us away) and doing more research, until we found out what was wrong with us. Many people do not have that luxury.
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
I'll bet a LOT of them have Lyme. LOTS.
Posted by Hoosiers51 (Member # 15759) on :
I was looking for articles for congenital babesiosis, and one of the only supposed documented cases (at the time the article was published) was of a migrant farm worker in NJ and her child.
She brought her baby into an ER because the baby had a very high fever. They found that the baby had babesia.
Then they realized that the baby had not really been outside much, so they said they were pretty sure that it was transmitted from mother-to-baby, because the Mom spends all her time outside.
I can't remember if they tested the Mom or not. And they treated the baby and the baby ended up okay.
But the article says that the mother and baby were "lost to followup" because of the nature of her work, moving around. At least she found out what was wrong with her baby though. The drugs probably saved the baby's life.
Posted by seekhelp (Member # 15067) on :
GiGi if you're serious about looking for incredibly potent capsicum for tinctures, PM me. I don't know if this is a 'more is better' scenario, but.....