Lyme: Arm yourself with knowledge & advocate for your health. From Tick-Borne Disese Alliance.org

Lyme disease is a clinical diagnose because there is no definitie diagnositc test yet. Many eperts believe the Lyme's ELISA test is only about 30-60 percent accurate, & even less so within 2 - 6 weeks after the tick bite, the critical time to treat lymes for the best chance of recovery. The practioner should be lyme-literate to make a diagnosis, & must check for co-infections since many co-infections like Babesi & Bartonella, don't respond to the Doxycycline commonly used for Lymes.  "There has never in the study of Lymes been one study that proves that 30 dys of anitiobiotic treatment cures lyme or tick-borne diseases. (Many practictioners default to an even more useless 10 day course of antibiotics.) However there is a plethora of documentation in the US and European medical literature demonstrating that short courses of antibiotic treament fail to eradicate the Lyme spirochete & other tick borne bacteria." Although a bulls-eye rash is definitive (DO NOT Wait for a positive, insensitive Lyme test before treating.)   Fewer than 30 percent of lyme patients report a rash, & that should not be used as the sole sign of infection.   If you suspect Lymes (flu-like symptoms in a non-flu season or after a tick bite although many people never see the tick)*Save the tick as it can be sent to labs to test for infection*Track symptoms*Bring a copy of ILADS guidelines & treatments to the doctor.*Contact a lyme-literate Dr (ideally ilads recognized) in the first visit or as soon as you can. *Make sure to send blood to a CLIA approved lab that specializes in tick-borne diseases & tests for bands 31 & 34 not tested in normal labs. e.g.,  www.igenex.com 1-800-832-3200.   * For a lyme-literate Dr. email medicalinfo@tbdalliance.org. * For more info: Tbdalliance.org & ilads.org.   Article cited From tbdaalliance.org