Basics – Controversy

Q. Why is there so much controversy regarding Lyme disease?
Q. Why is there so much controversy regarding Lyme disease?

A. That’s one question that seems not to have a logical answer. There is a huge difference of opinion between some academic doctors and the doctors who actually treat Lyme patients. Some influential academic doctors have taken a position that LD is hard to catch and easily cured with a few days or weeks of oral antibiotics. They have advocated this position for a long time and they may be ignoring new research. The evidence is overwhelming that LD is a serious and potentially debilitating illness that can become a persistent, long-term disease. The cost of proper early treatment is far less than the expense that chronic LD-sufferers incur in their quest for relief.

Some states have enacted legislation that protects doctors from medical board inquiry when they treat LD patients, as long as they are following a recognized standard of care and no harm comes to the patient. This gives doctors the freedom to treat Lyme patients as they see fit, based on their education and experience rather than “one size fits all” approaches.

The legislation also requires health insurers to pay for the treatment your doctor orders. And most legislation establishes a task force to study and report to the state government on new information about tick-borne diseases.

You can help by letting your state and federal legislators know that you support bills that will help Lyme disease patients and their doctors.

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