I waddled onto the beach and stole found a computer to use.

🍁⚕️ 💽

Note: I’m moderating a handful of communities in more of a caretaker role. If you want to take one on, send me a message and I’ll share more info :)

  • 368 Posts
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Joined 3 years ago
Cake day: June 5th, 2023
  • Otter@lemmy.catoAsklemmy@lemmy.ml•Is Lyme Disease recognized in the US?
    2·
    19 days ago

    So they don’t explicitly mention “chronic” Lyme disease in the video, and I couldn’t find any other articles from looking up the names mentioned, but it does sound like that’s what is being talked about here.

    What I would be curious about is if these patients got the antibody test. If they didn’t, that seems like a relatively easy policy fix. Bacteria can spread to other countries and go undetected, and the test isn’t that invasive compared to the peace of mind it would give patients. Same

    However if they did get the test and it came back negative, then it gets more complicated. Doctors don’t want to put someone on treatment for something that can’t be detected. Every medication has side effects and you would end up harming someone without evidence of a benefit. Where it gets messy is when people go for “diagnosis” or “treatment” abroad.

    I did actually find this from last October

    https://www.health.gov.au/sites/default/files/2025-11/australian-government-response-to-the-senate-community-affairs-references-committee-report-access-to-diagnosis-and-treatment-for-tick-borne-diseases.pdf

     Overview

The Australian Government appreciates the opportunity to respond to the Senate
Community Affairs References Committee list of recommendations on the Access to
diagnosis and treatment for people in Australia with tick-borne diseases. The Government
thanks the Committee and the various stakeholders for their valuable and thoughtful input
to the Inquiry.
The Government acknowledges the concerns of patients who are facing issues accessing
diagnosis and treatment with tick-borne illnesses. In early 2013, the Department of Health,
Disability and Ageing began engaging with patients, medical practitioners, and advocacy
groups to discuss concerns about Lyme disease. In 2016, the department engaged and
addressed the Senate Inquiry recommendations into Growing evidence of an emerging tick-
borne disease that causes a Lyme-like illness (2016 Inquiry) through a range of measures
such as public education materials, research and guidance for medical practitioners. As a
result, the department has gained a deeper appreciation and growing concern for those
Australians experiencing issues relating to tick-borne diseases.
This response addresses the specific recommendations raised in the current Senate
Committee's Report. The Government remains open-minded about the cause of the various
complexes which manifest as a range of chronic debilitating symptoms. The best outcome
for patients and health practitioners is to not draw conclusions based on poor levels of
evidence, but to consider each patient thoroughly in a multidisciplinary medical approach
that makes the best use of clinical expertise and available diagnostic skills and technology.
The Government remains engaged with the patient and medical community to continue to
find, share and understand the evidence associated with tick-borne diseases. The
Government hopes its continued work with clinical medicine and research communities will
result in answers and relief for patients and their families
  • Otter@lemmy.catoAsklemmy@lemmy.ml•Is Lyme Disease recognized in the US?
    7·
    20 days ago

    Do you have an article about the case you’re talking about?

    There is a difference between Lyme disease and chronic Lyme disease. My guess is that this case has something to do with that difference.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyme_disease

    Lyme disease, also known as Lyme borreliosis, is a tick-borne disease caused by species of Borrelia bacteria, transmitted by blood-feeding ticks in the genus Ixodes.[4][9][10] It is the most common disease spread by ticks in the Northern Hemisphere.[11][8] Infections are most common in the spring and early summer.[4] Infection is treatable with antibiotics. Most treated patients experience a full recovery. For some patients recovery may not be immediate or complete, resulting in long-term effects.[12] Early detection and prompt treatment are associated with more favorable outcomes.[13]

    Diagnosis is based on a combination of symptoms, history of tick exposure, and possibly testing for specific antibodies in the blood

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chronic_Lyme_disease

    Despite numerous studies, there is no evidence that symptoms associated with CLD are caused by any persistent infection.[4] The symptoms attributed to chronic Lyme are in many cases likely due to fibromyalgia or chronic fatigue syndrome.[5][6] Fibromyalgia can be triggered by an infection, and antibiotics are not a safe or effective treatment for post-infectious fibromyalgia.[7] Fatigue, joint and muscle pain are also experienced by a minority of people following antibiotic treatment for Lyme disease.[3]

    A number of alternative health products are promoted for chronic Lyme disease,[8] of which possibly the most controversial and harmful is long-term antibiotic therapy, particularly intravenous antibiotics.[9][10] Recognised authorities advise against long-term antibiotic treatment for Lyme disease, even where some symptoms persist post-treatment.[11][12][13]

    In the United States, after disciplinary proceedings by state medical licensing boards, a subculture of “Lyme literate” physicians has successfully lobbied for specific legal protections, exempting them from the standard of care and science-based treatment guidelines. Such legislation has been criticised as an example of “legislative alchemy”, the process whereby pseudomedicine is legislated into practice.[14][15][16] Some doctors view the promotion of chronic Lyme disease as an example of health fraud.[17]

    Chronic Lyme disease is distinct from untreated late-stage Lyme disease, which can cause arthritis, peripheral neuropathy and/or encephalomyelitis. Chronic Lyme disease is also distinct from post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome (PTLDS) when symptoms linger after standard antibiotic treatments.[18][19] PTLDS is estimated to occur in less than 5% of people who had Lyme disease and were treated.[20] In contrast to these recognized medical conditions, the promotion of chronic Lyme disease has been accused of being health fraud.[17] In many cases there is no objective evidence that people who believe they have chronic Lyme have ever been infected with Lyme disease: standard diagnostic tests for infection are often negative.[2][21]

  • Otter@lemmy.catoShowerthoughts@lemmy.world•*Permanently Deleted*
    2·
    22 days ago

    I think if someone is interested in the topic, then they will be better equipped to navigate tech products if they’ve learned about what’s going on under the hood. Same as health/science education for navigating pop science, or mechanical knowledge for navigating scammy car mechanics.

    I agree on some of the other points though. I would not use any of the random chat apps that these new accounts have been posting

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