(quote)
Just listened to Sanjay Gupta this AM on CNN with incredible misinformation about Lyme Disease!
He was plugging his article in Time Magazine this week.

I just now sent him an email complaining of his misinformation but he is rather arrogant and probably will not respond.
I hope others will complain to him. (end quote)

Did anyone else see him on CNN? Time Mag. should arrive in a day or two.

It always takes a few days or a week for either of them to put a transcript on their website.

I hope if anyone heard him or reads him, they will respond to him or to the website or the magazine.

go directly to:
http://www.cnn.com/feedback/cnntv

or www.cnn.com

click on contact us
click on CNN TV image
then under comments about anchors/reporters
click on sanjay gupta

I e-mailed Gupta this morning also. I wonder if we will get a response from him.

I told him he should refer to ilads.org to get accurate Lyme information.

The Season of the Tick
Lyme disease is nothing to fool with, but it's easily prevented. Here's how
By SANJAY GUPTA

Monday, Jul. 12, 2004
Summer is prime time for Lyme disease, and this summer could be a bad one. The number of cases doubled from 2001 to 2002, according to the latest figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), mostly as a result of continued human infiltration of Mother Nature's turf.

Carried by a parasitic tick on mice, deer and household pets, the disease has spread to 43 of the 48 contiguous states -- although 12 states in the Northeast and northern Midwest still account for 95% of reported cases.
(Reported cases, however, may represent only a tenth of the total number of cases, according to the CDC.)

Lyme disease is nothing to fool around with, especially for those in the groups at highest risk -- children ages 5 to 14 and adults ages 50 to 59.

Caused by a spirochete bacterium called Borrelia burgdorferi that is transmitted via the bite of the so-called deer tick, the disease is usually accompanied by an expanding bull's-eye rash (at least 2 in. in diameter) at the site of the bite.

Secondary symptoms may include muscle pain, headache and swollen glands.

Left untreated, the bacterium can lodge in various body tissues (where blood tests may not detect it) and cause fever, sore throat, severe fatigue, joint pain, tingling or numbness in the extremities and changes in vision.

In late stages, the disease can lead to arthritis, meningitis, facial drooping, numbness in the hands and feet, and neurological disorders that can include short-term memory loss, inability to concentrate or finish sentences, disorientation and confusion.

The good news, according to Erin Staples of the CDC, is that Lyme disease is almost always readily cured if diagnosed early and treated with a short course of antibiotics (doxycycline, amoxicillin and Ceftin are most often recommended).

Infection doesn't usually occur until the tick has been attached to your body for 36 hours.

So if you are going into the woods this summer, wear shoes, socks and light-colored clothing; spray your clothes and skin with an insect repellent that contains DEET;

stay on cleared, well-traveled trails; avoid moist, shady areas covered with leaf litter or low-lying vegetation; don't sit on the ground or on stone walls; keep long hair under a cap or tied back; and do a full-body tick check at the end of the day.

That said, it's also important to keep Lyme disease in perspective. There's no need to panic. If you take the right precautions, you should be able to stop worrying and enjoy your summer.

Sanjay Gupta is a neurosurgeon and CNN medical correspondent

This article isn't the worst I have seen. He did portray serious symptoms and did say the CDC numbers were only 1/10th of the actual cases.

I really get upset when they (the CDC spokespeople) say things like
(quote)
The good news, according to Erin Staples of the CDC, is that Lyme disease is almost always readily cured if diagnosed early and treated with a short course of antibiotics (doxycycline, amoxicillin and Ceftin are most often recommended). (end quote)

To most doctors, a short course could be 1 doxycycline or 5 to 10 days of something else and even the CDC says more is needed.

From: http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/lyme/index.htm

(quote)
Q. How is Lyme disease treated?

A. According to treatment experts, antibiotic treatment for 3-4 weeks with doxycycline or amoxicillin is generally effective in early disease. Cefuroxime axetil or erythromycin can be used for persons allergic to penicillin or who cannot take tetracyclines.

and click on Sanjay Gupta right at the top of the article, you can send an e-mail letter to the editor.

Here is my reply (probably too long to make it into the mag!)

(quote)
Glad to see an article by Dr. Gupta on Lyme disease. He did portray the serious symptoms and did say the CDC numbers were only 1/10th of the actual cases.

The CDC numbers for 2002(the last available) are 23,763. So do the math for the real number of cases.

I really get upset when the CDC spokespeople say things like
(quote)
The good news, according to Erin Staples of the CDC, is that Lyme disease is almost always readily cured if diagnosed early and treated with a short course of antibiotics (doxycycline, amoxicillin and Ceftin are most often recommended). (end quote)

To most doctors, a short course could be 1 doxycycline or 5 to 10 days of something else and even the CDC says more is needed.

From: http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/lyme/index.htm
(quote)
Q. How is Lyme disease treated?

A. According to treatment experts, antibiotic treatment for 3-4 weeks with doxycycline or amoxicillin is generally effective in early disease. Cefuroxime axetil or erythromycin can be used for persons allergic to penicillin or who cannot take tetracyclines.

Later disease, particularly with objective neurologic manifestations, may require treatment with intravenous ceftriaxone or penicillin for 4 weeks or more, depending on disease severity. In later disease, treatment failures may occur and retreatment may be necessary. (The Medical Letter, Vol. 42 (Issue 1077), May 1, 2000) ( end quote)

Sad to say, doctors don't have time to read my letter here; they are going to rely on ancient info from the 1980's and tell people there is no danger from Lyme disease except maybe in the northeast.

All those undiagnosed and untreated victims all over our country face a very painful, debilitating, frustrating, expensive life. (end quote)

I hope the more people tell their story, the more the media will be aware which in turn will reach docs and undx lyme patients.

We have such a battle with this disease due to ignorance and insurance that is not co operating.