The article was written by Dr. McSweegan. According to the site, "Dr. McSweegan is a microbiologist who lives and works in Maryland, but has spent many summers in Old Lyme, Connecticut."

I'm beginning to think that we should all take vacations in Old Lyme. It seems that you get a better understanding of the disease when you spend time there.

First he wanted to go to this site and see what was said about the doctor I was talking about. After reading:

"Herxing"

Many patients who believe they have chronic Lyme disease are willing to endure considerable discomfort in their effort to get rid of their symptoms. This behavior is fostered by the misguided belief that antibiotic therapies are not working unless they make the patient feel worse. These patients typically refer to this condition as "herxing," a colloquial term for the Jarisch-Herxheimer (J-H) reaction. This reaction is an acute response thought to be caused by a sudden release of allergy-causing or toxic substances when certain organisms (most notably the spirochete that causes syphilis) are attacked with antibiotics.

About 10% of patients treated for early Lyme disease experience a J-H reaction involving chills, fever, muscle pains, rapid heartbeat, and slight lowering of blood pressure during the first 24 hours of antibiotic therapy. These usually last for several hours, and require little more than aspirin and bed rest. Yet many Lyme newsgroup participants write about a "herx" beginning days or weeks after the start of antibiotic therapy, and "herxing" for weeks at a time -- often in a cyclic fashion." Herxing" events have even been likened to an "exorcism" that is "a necessary evil to be endured." Some of these patients are likely to be suffering from the side effects of their inappropriately prescribed antibiotics. It is also safe to assume that the mistaken belief that Lyme treatment involves temporary worsening will lead some people to neglect other illnesses. Neurological symptoms, blurred vision, gastrointestinal upset, vomiting, and palpitations, for example, should be reported to a physician, not posted on the Internet with a request for comments.

He said, "This guy has no idea what he is talking about!"

It scares me--this is suppose to be a "legitimate" site to help people--what else did he get TOTALLY wrong?.

L

This is lies upon lies, especially about pregnancy and lyme. And the herxing section. And I just couldn't read through the whole thing because it angers me.

He actually endorses the 2-tiered (ELISA then Western Blot) tests??? I personally know 2 people (my husband and a friend) who tested positive (CDC positive even) on the IGM western blot but were initially negative on the ELISA. If they had believed this crap and not pressed the physicians for a western blot anyhow, they would be undiagnosed/misdiagnosed now.

I could go on but I don't want to ruin the rest of my day.

This man is famously in the other camp, happy to keep this insidious disease in the closet.

Thanks for the link I hadnt see it before.

Leslie

They dismiss ANY treatment, study, research for ANY disease that is not Anglo--Saxon in origin.

quote:

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Originally posted by Linda LD:

"Herxing"

About 10% of patients treated for early Lyme disease experience a J-H reaction involving chills, fever, muscle pains, rapid heartbeat, and slight lowering of blood pressure during the first 24 hours of antibiotic therapy. These usually last for several hours, and require little more than aspirin and bed rest. Some of these patients are likely to be suffering from the side effects of their inappropriately prescribed antibiotics.

(edited 19 January 2005).]

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Inappropriately prescribed antibiotics ?
Does he mean that there misprescribed after the misdiagnoses and drug treatment for lupus, CFS, fibro myalgia, Barr-Epstein virus, alzheimers, arthritis, hypochondria, ad nauseum ?
Nitwit.

For potential lyme activists, reading Mc Sweegan's history of involvement with lyme disease is a sine quo non.

RELAPSING FEVER: Treatment "....may induce the Jarisch Herxheimer reaction in which a high fever and subsequent fall (sometimes to dangerously low levels) in blood pressure may occur. This reaction is typical and sometimes fatal in people..."

SYPHILIS; (speaking about the herxheimer reaction) "This reaction is believed to result from the sudden death of millions of bacteria. Symptoms of the reaction include a feeling of overall illness,a fever, sweating, headache, shaking chills, and temporary worsening of the syphilitic sores. Rarely, people with neurosyphilis may experience seizures or paralysis."

P.S. I am thinking of moving to Lyme, CT, so I can acquire this miraculous understanding of the disease. On the other hand, maybe it will also make me totally insensitive to the suffering of other people. Beware of microbiologists practicing medicine without a license.