Lyme Disease
Chronic Lyme Disease
Whitney Everhart
BCOMM/275
June 30, 2013
Jim Parkinson
Chronic Lyme Disease Chronic Lyme disease has been a controversial topic for many years. Researchers are in between opinions to determine if this disease really does exist. Lyme disease is a tick-borne disease that passes to the tick’s host once it has latched on and started feeding. The disease goes into the host’s blood and implants a bacterium called Borrelia burgdorferi. This type of bacterium is from the spirochete family. Stricker (2008) “Chronic infections with the Lyme spirochete, Borrelia burgdorferi, is rare and non-existent, and the concept of chronic Lyme disease rest on ‘faith-based’ opinion rather than ‘evidence-based’ science” (Chronic Lyme Disease and the “Axis of Evil”). This is an article from a very popular website for medical information. The source may have a sense of bias toward particular topics. The statement, “…rest on ‘faith-based’ opinion rather than ‘evidence-based’ science” is a fallacy. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2013), “Approximately 10 to 20% of patients treated for Lyme disease with a recommended 2–4 week course of antibiotics will have lingering symptoms of fatigue, pain, or joint and muscle aches. In some cases, these can last for more than 6 months. Although often called "chronic Lyme disease," this condition is properly known as "Post-treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome" (PTLDS)” (Post-Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome). This backs up the other half of researches stating that Lyme disease does not always go away after the initial treatment. There are known cases in which the symptoms are still active in the patient and must continue with treatment. This article comes from a credible government organization that has a goal to maintain the disease in the United States and inform the people of necessary information pertaining to different diseases and illnesses. The CDC is controlled by our countries government and
Whitney Everhart
BCOMM/275
June 30, 2013
Jim Parkinson
Chronic Lyme Disease Chronic Lyme disease has been a controversial topic for many years. Researchers are in between opinions to determine if this disease really does exist. Lyme disease is a tick-borne disease that passes to the tick’s host once it has latched on and started feeding. The disease goes into the host’s blood and implants a bacterium called Borrelia burgdorferi. This type of bacterium is from the spirochete family. Stricker (2008) “Chronic infections with the Lyme spirochete, Borrelia burgdorferi, is rare and non-existent, and the concept of chronic Lyme disease rest on ‘faith-based’ opinion rather than ‘evidence-based’ science” (Chronic Lyme Disease and the “Axis of Evil”). This is an article from a very popular website for medical information. The source may have a sense of bias toward particular topics. The statement, “…rest on ‘faith-based’ opinion rather than ‘evidence-based’ science” is a fallacy. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2013), “Approximately 10 to 20% of patients treated for Lyme disease with a recommended 2–4 week course of antibiotics will have lingering symptoms of fatigue, pain, or joint and muscle aches. In some cases, these can last for more than 6 months. Although often called "chronic Lyme disease," this condition is properly known as "Post-treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome" (PTLDS)” (Post-Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome). This backs up the other half of researches stating that Lyme disease does not always go away after the initial treatment. There are known cases in which the symptoms are still active in the patient and must continue with treatment. This article comes from a credible government organization that has a goal to maintain the disease in the United States and inform the people of necessary information pertaining to different diseases and illnesses. The CDC is controlled by our countries government and
References: Stricker, R. B. (2008). Medscape. Retrieved from http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/586226 Center for Disease Control and Prevention. (2013). Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/lyme/postLDS/