What is Lyme Disease?

Lyme disease is a bacteria carried and transmitted by ticks, and it got it's name when it was first identified in 1975 when a group of chlordane contracted it near Lyme, Connecticut. in 1982 it was given the name LYME disease. The causative agent in Lyme disease is a spiral bacteria called Spirochette Borrelia Burgdorferi. The only two methods to catch Lyme disease is either by being bitten by a tick carrying the bacterium or some people have actually contracted Lyme from the Lymerix vaccine. Lyme disease being a bacterial borne illness requires an antibiotic treatment in order to get rid of it, but even after a full regiment of antibiotics, you can still have effects and flare ups afterwards.

The best way to fight Lyme disease is by taking precautions to avoid contracting it to begin with. During the summer months near the woods and tall grass the risk is present for Lyme carrying deer ticks. The tick bites and holds onto an animal or human until they are full. Once females are full, they drop off and lie dormant until the next spring. Once spring comes, the nymph tick sheds and is then an adult tick. Males may remain attached to their host through the winter. The deer tick has a two year cycle from larva to nymph and finally to adult. Larva ticks are too small to get on large animals but may choose mice as a host until they reach the nymph stage at which point they become a threat to larger animals and humans.

Some precautions can be taken to prevent becoming a host to these disease bearing ticks. When hiking, wear boots, long pants and long sleeve shirts and a hat, preferably a wide brimmed hat. Tuck your pants into your boots to prevent ticks from leaves & grass from having access to your legs. Wear light colored clothes instead of darker clothes and especially not prints as the lighter colored clothes will make the ticks stand out more. Avoid or at least be cautious under low tree branches, deep leaves and tall grass. Around your home take measures to keep deer out of our garden. Deer fencing is the best method but many people do not like an 8 foot deer mesh fence around their yard, so alternative fencing may be enough to cut the risk of deer in your garden. You might want a dog since deer do not like dogs, and there are other repellent type products that will help reduce deer intrusion like electric fencing, electric deer posts, and deer repellents. Do not use moth balls, they are toxic to children and pets, and predatory urine is not really effective.

What are the Symptoms of Lyme disease vary from person to person as the bacteria can effect many different parts of the body. The first symptom is a red spot or rash around the bite area that shows up between 3 to 30 days from the bite. This spot shows up on about 75% of the people that get bitten. The rash gradually gets larger over a period of several days. If you think you might have lime disease you should waste no time in seeing a professional and getting treatment. The earlier you get the antibiotics the better your chance for a clean bill of health. If you wait, the Lyme disease will spread to other areas of your body and can cause Bell's Palsy, meningitis, shooting pains, heart palpitations and dizziness, and pain moving from joint to joint. Untreated patients may later develop sporadic arthritis or neurological problems.

Due to many problems with the LIMErix vaccine, it is probably better to risk the disease and treat it early than to get the vaccine. The vaccine has been known to cause Lyme disease so you probably have as good a chance of catching it in an attempt not to catch it as you would if you didn't take any precautions, but the best method is to try to avoid the ticks to begin with. The vaccine has also been known to cause severe arthritis.

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Disclaimer: This article, "What is Lyme Disease ?", is not intended to give medical advice. It is a call to educate yourself about disease and vaccines so that in making a decision where your child is concerned, you should take an active role in learning all you can from medical experts on both sides of the fence, then make an educated decision. we did not make an informed decision until one son got Leukemia and another developed Autism immediately after receiving his MMR vaccine. This has sent us on a quest to inform ourselves and others to seriously question what kind of toxic soups are being injected with the vaccines. Odds are if your child is injured by a vaccine, you have little or no recompense against the industry.http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/lyme/ld_humandisease_symptoms.htmhttp://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_lyme_disease.html