May is Lyme Disease Awareness Month Governor Mark SanfordsProclamation...

Swine Flu seems to be the epidemic in everyone'ss mind, but Lyme Disease has infected, disabled and killed more people. Roughly 30,000 cases of Lyme Disease were reported in 2007, but a little known fact is that about 10% of cases are actually reported, which makes the disease currently infecting 300,000 people a year in the United States alone. And while Southern and Northern states make up the majority locations where Lyme Disease ticks infect people, the disease can be contracted in any state. Tick, mites, fleas, mosquitoes can all carry the bacteria know as Borrelia burgdorfei (Bb), which is Lyme Disease.

Even more startling is that researchers, scientists and doctors now think that as many as 50% of all chronic illnesses are due to Lyme Disease, which can go undetected for weeks, month and years. The disease is often misdiagnosed as Chronic fatigue syndrome, Lupus, Fibromyalgia, Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and Multiple Sclerosis, just to name a few.

Testing for Lyme Disease is often inadequate, missing around 44-56% of victims. It'ss usually best diagnosed on clinic grounds, but most doctors are not aware of the severity of the problem, nor educated on how widespread the epidemic is. So, most patients will never be tested.

Perry Fields, a well known track and field athlete from South Carolina, will be at the rally (see http://www.beatlymedisease.com/lyme-disease-patient.htm ). Perry is making her comeback to her Olympic sport after being diagnosed two years after she had been bitten by a Lyme tick in North Carolina at a festival.

Perry attended the movie premiere of Lymelife, in NYC last month to celebrate the first film on the big screen to have a character suffering from Lyme Disease. She is now back training in Clemson, South Carolina, writing a book about her extraordinary experience (including her exact treatment protocol) and is coaching people who are afflicted with the disease.

I speak with people everyday who come to me and are in desperate need of a guide on how to treat Lyme Disease because there has not been nearly enough research on Lyme disease and almost all of them have been misdiagnosed, not finding out until months and usually years later which then makes the disease very hard to beat, Perry says.

She continues, The only way I was able to beat it is because I made it my mission to know everything I could about Lyme Disease and sometimes even experimenting on myself so I could cure myself. It worked, but I had to do a lot of unconventional, but always scientifically based, treatment. Had I not had a background in science I don'st know if I would have been able to make sense of it because the bacteria that causes the disease is super intelligent and it fights back! It'ss like a real horror movie!

I can attest to the three things. One, is how unaware the general population is about the problem because anyone can get it, almost any day. Once they get it, they usually don'st even know it until they just start feeling awful. Two, is the diagnosis is half the battle and the problem is not only the testing, but the medical community. I hear all the time from Lyme victims that their primary doctor tells them, 'sYou can'st get Lyme in this state!'s Three, is the Lyme treatment problem, because antibiotics are usually given but it'ss far from a cure. In fact, I would say 97% of people who have a late diagnosed Chronic Lyme Disease will NOT be cured from antibiotics. So you can now see how big the problem is and it'ss only growing.

Perry expresses her enthusiasm over South Carolina holding the rally saying, It just shows you how up on the times we really are. I'sm very proud to be from a state that'ss addressing such a serious topic!

The Lyme Disease Awareness Rally will be held May 14, 2009 from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m. at the State Capital North Grounds where Lt. Governor Andre Bauer, other representatives, and guest speakers will be addressing the topic. Lyme patients, family and friends from South Carolina and all neighboring states are asked to participate for the first public rally of this kind.

To see the more Lyme rally information as well as the South Carolina'ss Lyme Disease Proclamation from Governor Mark Sanford, go to: http://www.BeatLymeDisease.com/LymeRally.htm

Perry Fields writes a free and sometimes controversial newsletter for Lyme patients, family and friends, available at http://www.BeatLymeDisease.com -H er highly anticipated book about Lyme Disease is due out this summer, details her experience from track star to Lyme patient and back.

Email arden (at) beatlyme (dot) com for more information.

http://www.BeatLymeDisease.com

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