Much of the mainstream medical establishment agrees with the Infectious Disease Society of America's guidelines on Lyme disease, which say that most cases can be cured with a month's worth of antibiotics.
But the society undermined its own guidelines by filling the drafting committee with experts who had a financial stake in companies producing Lyme disease tests and treatments. The society also hurt its case by blocking the appointment of a panelist with an opposing point of view on Lyme disease.
State Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, who exposed the troubling arrangements, is a champion of those advocating for long-term antibiotic therapy to treat Lyme disease. He persuaded Infectious Disease Society officials to agree to a review of the guidelines by an independent panel of experts. Health insurance companies rely on the society's guidelines to determine coverage for Lyme disease treatment.
Medical ethics have been a major national concern since the Vioxx scandal of 2003. The widely prescribed arthritis drug was pulled off the market after U.S. Food and Drug Administration confirmed it doubled the risk of heart attacks and strokes. An advisory committee for the FDA had let the painkiller go on sale despite safety concerns. Nearly a third of committee members had received money from the drug manufacturer.
Lyme disease, a debilitating condition transmitted by ticks infected with bacteria, has been the subject of a long-standing debate between experts who maintain that extended antibiotic treatment is unnecessary and victim advocates who say it is sometimes essential.
So far, medical evidence does not support the advocates, although research continues. Mr. Blumenthal was careful to note his investigation was in no way intended to cast aspersions on prevailing medical science on Lyme disease.
Only a guideline process free of conflicts can produce a Lyme disease assessment that is credible.
Posts: 983 | From The sky | Registered: Feb 2005
| IP: Logged |
posted
well, all in all; it was pretty accurate to start out, so there was an effort in getting things right.
remember idsa furnishes them their HOG WASH DAILY by their pr firm!
we need to get OUR ILADS accurate info to them; let's see IF they will publish that too; Brian Fallon's report from last year that made the medical journal!
IP: Logged |
Tracy9
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 7521
posted
Oh, so IDSA are "experts" and ILADS are "victim's advocates"?????
13 years Lyme & Co.; Small Fiber Neuropathy; Myasthenia Gravis, Adrenal Insufficiency. On chemo for 2 1/2 years as experimental treatment for MG. Posts: 4480 | From Northeastern Connecticut | Registered: Jun 2005
| IP: Logged |
Tracy9
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 7521
posted
Here are the corporate directors of the Tribune Company, which owns the Hartford Courant:
Sam Zell (Chairman and Chief Executive) � Jeffrey S. Berg � Betsy Holden � William C. Pate � Maggie Wilderotter � Frank E. Wood � Scott Smith � Randy Michaels � Ed Wilson
Wonder how to find out who has the insurance companies in their back pockets? There is a reason their reporting is always so skewed, Hartford being the insurance capitol of the world.
13 years Lyme & Co.; Small Fiber Neuropathy; Myasthenia Gravis, Adrenal Insufficiency. On chemo for 2 1/2 years as experimental treatment for MG. Posts: 4480 | From Northeastern Connecticut | Registered: Jun 2005
| IP: Logged |
Tracy9
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 7521
posted
This article shows they are in deep financial trouble....hmmmm...
TribCo debt expensive to insure
By Ann Saphir April 25, 2008
(Crain's) -- Tribune Co. CEO Sam Zell last week told investors that despite ``significant erosion'' in the company's financials, he's confident he'll make good on his $12 billion in debt.
But middlemen who provide these investors with a form of insurance against default -- they aren't buying it.
Bondholders who want to insure their investment in Tribune debt are being asked to pay among the highest rates in the country.
Sellers of so-called credit default swaps -- used by bond investors to protect themselves in the event of a company reneging on its debt -- are demanding an upfront payment of $6 million and $500,000 a year to guarantee $10 million of Tribune bonds for five years.
Those are ``distressed levels,'' says Matthew Mish, a credit strategist at Barclays Capital in New York, and they imply a 92% chance of default by 2013.
That's assuming bondholders would get 20 cents on the dollar if the company did default.
``Revenue trends this year to date are significantly worse than we expected,'' Mr. Zell said last week on an hour-long call with 350 investors and other interested parties.
Still, he said, a slew of changes -- from how ad sales people are compensated to newly hired key officers -- are helping to right the ship.
In addition, he said, Tribune is moving forward on its planned sale of the Cubs and is considering a sale of Newsday, assets that together are expected to bring in well more than $1 billion.
``From where we sit right now, it does not appear that we will have difficulty meeting our commitments going forward,'' Mr. Zell said.
So far, the credit default market doesn't reflect that optimism, with the cost of insuring Tribune debt hardly budging in the week since those comments.
The reason it's so costly to insure Tribune debt against default is clear: The company, which took on most of its debt when Mr. Zell engineered a buyout in December, must pay more than $1.4 million in principal by June 2009, on top of an estimated $1 billion in interest expense.
The company had $1.16 billion in cash flow last year.
Only a handful of other companies are in the same league, analysts say, and most of them were mired in the subprime mortgage crisis.
Credit default swaps for ACA Financial Guaranty Corp. and Financial Guarantee Insurance Corp., both bond insurance companies, and subprime lender Residential Capital LLC, are trading at similar levels to Tribune.
Just a notch below, credit traders say, are troubled amusement park operator Six Flags Inc. and AbitibiBowater Inc., the biggest U.S. newsprint producer.
13 years Lyme & Co.; Small Fiber Neuropathy; Myasthenia Gravis, Adrenal Insufficiency. On chemo for 2 1/2 years as experimental treatment for MG. Posts: 4480 | From Northeastern Connecticut | Registered: Jun 2005
| IP: Logged |
METALLlC BLUE
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 6628
posted
quote: So far, medical evidence does not support the advocates,
Get your facts right chief (i.e douche bag). There are plenty of studies on pubmed which indicate persistence of the bacterium causing Lyme after conventional antibiotic use -- and thus the need for long term antibiotics.
-------------------- I am not a physician, so do your own research to confirm any ideas given and then speak with a health care provider you trust.
Can you tell me where to find those articles showing persistent bacteria & need for long-term antibiotics?
I'm not doubting that long term abx are the correct treatment as they has been very beneficial with all of my family, but I would love some scientific proof!
METALLlC BLUE
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 6628
posted
Now be aware that the studies with names underlined in Red, were researchers/physicians who knew Lyme caused these issues of persistence, that tests were false negative, that all these issues associated with Lyme -- were true, but now they claim the opposite.
You can't say one thing and talk out of the other side of your mouth saying the opposite when the studies are there, the studies show the truth.
-------------------- I am not a physician, so do your own research to confirm any ideas given and then speak with a health care provider you trust.
METALLlC BLUE
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 6628
posted
And just to be cute, I did research myself and went through Pubmed finding other studies too for a news article I'm going to have written within this year. I'm still collecting the studies to make sure I have plenty of evidence -- overwhelming in-fact -- to make this article stick.
METALLlC BLUE
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 6628
posted
One more post:
I responded to the Courant:
Dear Courant, I'd like to offer some constructive criticism.
First correction, you state:
"Lyme disease, a debilitating condition transmitted by ticks infected with bacteria, has been the subject of a long-standing debate between experts who maintain that extended antibiotic treatment is unnecessary and victim advocates who say it is sometimes essential."
Fact:
The IDSA are no more experts than researchers and physicians of the international Lyme and Associated Disease Society. They are not merely "victim advocates" they are advocates of scientific accuracy and factual presentation as well as application of those facts based on studies which have been conducted world wide.
Second Correction, you state:
"So far, medical evidence does not support the advocates"
Incorrect. Additionally, they are not merely advocates. Using euphemisms and dismissing their qualifications as medical doctors and researchers who specialize in Lyme disease is misleading to your readers.
To confirm there is evidence I'll provide you with 1 study demonstrating persistent infection as a result of Lyme Disease (Both U.S. strain and European), but gladly supply more if you wish, or you can do your jobs and actually do the research on pubmed.gov and retrieve them yourselves. Unfortunately because of the 4000 character limit, I could not post more than 80 + studies I have supporting my position. You're welcome to e-mail me at [email protected] for those studies.
1: Ann Med. 1999 Jun;31(3):225-32.Links Borrelia burgdorferi detected by culture and PCR in clinical relapse of disseminated Lyme borreliosis. Oksi J, Marjam�ki M, Nikoskelainen J, Viljanen MK.
Department of Medicine, Turku University Central Hospital, Finland. [email protected]
A total of 165 patients with disseminated Lyme borreliosis (diagnosed in 1990-94, all seropositive except one culture-positive patient) were followed after antibiotic treatment, and 32 of them were regarded as having a clinically defined treatment failure. Of the 165 patients, 136 were tested by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) during the follow-up. PCR was positive from the plasma of 14 patients 0-30 months after discontinuation of the treatment, and 12 of these patients had a clinical relapse. In addition, Borrelia burgdorferi was cultured from the blood of three patients during the follow-up. All three patients belonged to the group with relapse, and two of them were also PCR positive. This report focuses on the 13 patients with clinical relapse and culture or PCR positivity. Eight of the patients had culture or PCR-proven initial diagnosis, the diagnosis of the remaining five patients was based on positive serology only. All 13 patients were primarily treated for more than 3 months with intravenous and/or oral antibiotics (11 of them received intravenous ceftriaxone, nine for 2 weeks, one for 3 weeks and one for 7 weeks, followed by oral antibiotics). The treatment caused only temporary relief in the symptoms of the patients. All but one of them had negative PCR results immediately after the first treatment. The patients were retreated usually with intravenous ceftriaxone for 4-6 weeks. None of them was PCR positive after the retreatment. The response to retreatment was considered good in nine patients. We conclude that the treatment of Lyme borreliosis with appropriate antibiotics for even more than 3 months may not always eradicate the spirochete. By using PCR, it is possible to avoid unnecessary retreatment of patients with 'post-Lyme syndrome' and those with 'serological scars' remaining detectable for months or years after infection.
-------------------- I am not a physician, so do your own research to confirm any ideas given and then speak with a health care provider you trust.
METALLlC BLUE
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 6628
posted
Everything is saved. Anyone is welcome to e-mail me. I've accumulated quite the collection of literature from studies. I'm continuing to gather as much as I can.
tdtid
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 10276
posted
This kind of article is the type of stuff that really makes our blood boil. Great responses to it. Do they actually ever even comprehend what is said about them when they write such RUBBISH?
Cathy
-------------------- "To Dream The Impossible Dream" Man of La Mancha Posts: 2638 | From New Hampshire | Registered: Oct 2006
| IP: Logged |
Greatcod
Unregistered
posted
I am trying to put together an article too, and what I have figured out so far is that the IDSA position rests on three double blinded studies with a total of 315 subjects. The IDSA pretty much disregards all the European literature, and argues that animal studies that show spirochetes in tissue mean nothing because the volume of the spirochetes is too small to cause infection. ILADS doctors have successfully treated tens of thousands of patients with very long term antibiotics, but unfortunately never kept count as far as I can figure. The IDSA would argue those tens of thousands don't count as scientific evidence because they are "merely" anecdotal. Which is a crazy lack of common sense. I do wish the that the ILADS people would put together some anecdotal numbers for the public and politicians, but they respond to the IDSA by sticking to the scientific proof game
IP: Logged |
bettyg
Unregistered
posted
met blue, OUTSTANDING FEEDBACK!!! KUDOS my friend!! you hit the nail....betty
IP: Logged |
The Lyme Disease Network is a non-profit organization funded by individual donations. If you would like to support the Network and the LymeNet system of Web services, please send your donations to:
The
Lyme Disease Network of New Jersey 907 Pebble Creek Court,
Pennington,
NJ08534USA http://www.lymenet.org/
UBBFriend: Email this page to someone!
![[puke]](graemlins/puke.gif)
![[Wink]](wink.gif)
![[Roll Eyes]](rolleyes.gif)
![[group hug]](graemlins/grouphug.gif)
![[kiss]](graemlins/kissing.gif)
you hit the nail....betty ![[Smile]](smile.gif)
Printer-friendly view of this topic