that's for the heads up

My wife has Lyme disease which she figures she acquired from being bitten by a bed bug in a motel in Toronto(go figure). We live in heavy bush country and you'd think she picked it up elsewhere but that is her claim as to when illness started. After years of misdiagnosis, she finally determined to pay for her own testing as no doctor agreed to a Lyme test, and even sent her blood to the US, as they have better testing. $600 later, she learned that she had 3 out of 14 bars showing positive. Canada requires 5 bars before they consider you have Lyme which is how they deny many the required treatment. If you are properly diagnosed early, your count will likely be higher, but the longer you go without (the wife was 6 years) proper diagnosis, the lower your count due to the body isn't fighting it as well anymore ( and they measure antibodies when determining).

There is a Lyme website for Canada, where you can learn this all and much more. A doctor in New York claims he alone has over 700 Canadian patients because most doctors here are afraid to deal with those having Lyme. This is due to our doctors risking losing their license if they truly try to help their patients with issuing drugs to combat the Lyme. These drugs can damage the liver and kidneys if overdone, yet the patients need to walk a thin line or the Lyme wins instead.

An alternative to this is to fight the disease using the natural path method instead. My wife has now at least stabilized the effects of Lyme between using prescribed and natural medicines to not overwork the liver and kidneys. She has also shared her methodology on the Lyme site forums to help others do the same.

Lyme disease will likely become a greater problem in Canada unless more people are properly diagnosed at an earlier stage. The reasons many are misdiagnosed is that they believe only those with the bulleye rash have it. This is wrong! If you show symptoms of Lyme( and there are many), check their website to make a proper diagnosis. Don't trust the opinion of a non Lyme-literate doctor. See a specialist instead. Lyme can be passed by and blood sucking insect, not just deer ticks....this is the biggest reason that we aren't winning this battle. People are misinformed. Likely our government doesn't want folks to fear stepping outside. Can't blame them on that part, but misinformation doesn't fix the problem either.

Natural path medicine is our likely answer to many illnesses today. People beat cancer just by raising their PH levels above 7 for only a few weeks and yet don't seem to be recognized by the medical societies anywhere. We hear hints of this now and then in passing. Have a family member get sick and you soon pay attention to these rumours. Then you meet a few who claim they beat their cancer this way but have no proof as to what put their cancer into remission other than their claim to such simple tactics. I know 2 people who have this story. One mentioned maple syrup and lemon juice as their technique to achieve the proper PH level while the other claimed molasses and honey worked. Seems there are many who have similar stories on the web...seems there are a lot more who die though without ever trying these simple cures or leaving enough proof to put us all on the true path to solving this mystery. My point, don't quit trying!

Knuckle, good post.

What can we do to help prevent ticks getting on us in the first place ?
Anyone got some good ideas ?

I look like a hillbilly but I go around with my long pants legs tucked into my
socks and have been wearing long pants even in the hot humid weather.

I've been wearing long sleeves also tucked into the garden gloves.

My dog gets revolution and also gets the Lyme vaccination.

I also have a tick twister to remove ticks , which you can buy at vets or some pet stores.

I never hike in shorts or garden in shorts, or cut the grass in shorts.

I think those are great ways to help prevent getting Lyme from ticks. But if you are outdoors with someone who has Lyme(or even a pet that does), and a mosquito bit the both of you, you could catch it then too. Mosquito repellent is another safety factor to add to your arsenal or just eat an orange 1/2 hour before you go out as this repels them too. No repellent, rub the orange rind on your body(and some say a dryer lint works too). Eating a banana attracts bugs, so plan your day accordingly.

Its quite scary, and I am watching and on the lookout, but its part of the reason I got the guinea fowl they are known to be awesome for keeping your land tick free, does not help clearly when I go out riding in the bush but at least when I am working out each day I don't need to work so much about it.