Some Interesting Links

Lyme:

An article in the Journal of Clinical Microbiology detailing how inadequate Lyme disease testing is.

A webpage from the Columbia University Medical Center Lyme and Tick-Borne Diseases Research Center site summarizing research that demonstrated the persistence of infectious Borrelia burgdorferi [the spirochete that causes Lyme disease] in mice after they had been treated with antibiotics for one month. The studies summarized also indicated it was possible for dormant infection to become reactivated.

The Columbia University Medical Center Lyme and Tick-Borne Diseases Research Center website as a whole is really informative. The center is a joint project of Columbia University; Time for Lyme, Inc.; and the LDA. The center clearly recognizes that chronic Lyme exists and that Lyme testing is far from perfect. Its FAQ is really educational, acknowledging and explaining the realities of Lyme in a completely nonsensationalistic manner.

The trailer for the documentary Under Our Skin, a look at the politicization of chronic Lyme disease. I have not yet seen this, but from reviews I've read and online discussion I've seen, it is evident that there is a clear bias toward ILADS. Most people with Lyme talking about the movie online seem to see this as justified, though others point out that a more even-handed approach would do more to open minds and educate in the long run, and that there is room for compromise between IDSA and ILADS. I have read complaints that one particular Lyme expert in the movie is known in the Lyme community as something of a charlatan and was not the best choice of doctor representative.

Author Amy Tan discussing her chronic Lyme. This is the video of a Tribeca Talks Panel held after the screening of Under Our Skin at the Tribeca Film Festival. It's 40 minutes and 20 seconds long, but has a lot of interesting information. Tan really gets into how the disease affected her and how it still affects her at around 17:08.

An article by actor* Joanna Kerns discussing her daughter's chronic Lyme disease and promoting Under Our Skin.


Multiple Sclerosis:

MyMSMyWAY, a site that offers free games to improve cognitive function.

Fit Brains, another site that does the same.


*My use of the word actor instead of actress is not a reflection of my cognitive difficulties. Journalistically, the old masculine term is the new gender-neutral term.