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July 27, 2009
Jemsek Specialty Clinic Newsletter - July 27th, 2009



The road to recovery from Lyme disease for the Culbert family has been filled with more twists and turns than a mountain highway; and throughout their journey, each family member has shown remarkable courage and perseverance.






THE CULBERT FAMILY
at the Into the Light Gala

It started simply enough, back in April 2004, when Pam Culbert was preparing for a move to join her husband, the Rev. Billy Culbert, at their new home in Goose Creek, S.C., where he had accepted a position as Senior Pastor at First Baptist Church of Goose Creek. Pam had remained at their former residence while the Culbert children - Lindsay, 17, and Alex, 13 - finished the end of their school year. One night when they were getting ready for a school event, Pam noticed what appeared to be a tiny scab on her leg. Two days later a rash resembling ringworm appeared in the same place.

>> READ MORE

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2009
Into The Light Gala



>> View Gala Video

The inaugural Into The Light Gala, held March 20 at Ballantyne Village Theatre in Charlotte, N.C., was a resounding success by every measure. In addition to providing a wonderful evening of festive fellowship, the Gala also achieved its goal of bringing an awareness of Lyme disease to an audience that extended beyond so-called Lyme Nation.

Prominent guests who attended the Gala included a representative from NC Gov. Beverly Perdue's office, along with several members of the Charlotte City Council. The event, which received extensive media coverage, was attended by nearly five hundred people, including physicians from across the state; people whose lives have been directly impacted by Lyme; and others who were simply curious to learn more about the debilitating disease and the strides being made to bring lasting health to those who suffer from it.

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Here's your chance to stand up and be heard, even if by proxy, but you need to act fast. Lyme advocate Lorraine Johnson, of the California Lyme Disease Association (CALDA), will be presenting to a one-day hearing panel slated to be convened on July 30 by the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA), to discuss revisions to its controversial set of Lyme guidelines.



The hearing is part of the anti-trust settlement the Connecticut Attorney General ordered to address what he called "serious flaws" in the IDSA's Lyme guidelines. The panel hearing will feature presentations by patients, physicians, and scientists.

CALDA wants your input and personal stories to be heard as part of the presentation being made by Lorraine, who is currently hard at work fine-tuning the reams of material she has collected. The easiest way to get your story and input into the mix is to complete this short and completely confidential survey being conducted by CALDA. Results of the survey will be included in Lorraine's testimony to the IDSA panel.

The entire IDSA hearing will be broadcast live over the Internet on July 30, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (EST). Tune in at http://www.idsociety.org/lymedisease.htm

Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumnthal recently penned a strong op-ed, published in New London's "The Day" newspaper, that focused on the IDSA guidelines review. The full article can be READ HERE.







There's been a surge of encouraging momentum and positive developments building recently for patients suffering from chronic Lyme disease, and for the doctors who treat them. Signaling what many hope is a harbinger of commonsense legislative action that will eventually sweep across the country, Connecticut Governor M. Jodi Rell last month signed into law a bill that allows physicians to prescribe long-term antibiotics in the treatment of persistent Lyme disease.



House Bill 6200 unanimously passed through both sides of the Connecticut General Assembly. The bill allows doctors to treat for Lyme disease outside standard guidelines, which were established by the Infectious Diseases Society of America and recommend against treating Lyme disease more than a few weeks.

>> READ MORE







A crowd of nearly one hundred people experienced history in the making earlier this year, when South Carolina Lieutenant Governor Andre Bauer delivered the keynote address at the Lyme Disease Rally held May 14 on the steps of the State Capital in Columbia.

"I was very thankful for Andre Bauer's speech, which shed light and lent credibility to the seriousness of Lyme disease," said rally co-organizer Kathleen Liporace. "In a state where DHEC has recorded so few cases, this is a victory for the many who actually suffer from this disease in the great state of South Carolina. It was a first for our state and a history-making rally."

>> READ MORE

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Copyright 2009 The Jemsek Specialty Clinic.
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The content contained in this website is based on the opinion, clinical experience and clinical findings of Dr. Joseph Jemsek and the Jemsek Specialty Clinic. It may not reflect the opinion of the general medical community, as opinion within the medical community is deeply divided regarding the best approach for treating Lyme disease.