LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth |
CAMP Fitness: Lyme Disease |
by Rick Moore |
She had been gone for over five days, and it seemed we had the entire county looking for her. She disappeared on Sunday evening and we had no idea what happened to her. She is Candy, our 10 year old sable Sheltie who looks like Lassie in miniature. Our hearts were broken, but we didnt give up. As luck would have it, we got a call from a lady who delivers newspapers in the area who saw a dog fitting her description. That night, we found her on a farm several miles from our home. She was in great shape except for one thingand this is really grossshe had nasty ticks stuck all over her body. Our dogs adventure got me thinking about the times Ive been walking out in the woods or gardening, and come inside only to find a bunch of ticks all over me. Dave had one stuck to the top of his head once. And a member of our gym told us he found a tick in a spot on his body that made us just look at each other, shake our heads and say, "WHERE did you say it was?!" Theyll find the darndest places! Ticks themselves are bad enough, but Lyme disease has turned this little outdoor annoyance into a full-blown medical crisis over the past few years. Did you know that we live in the area of the country that reports the most incidents of Lyme? The Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern parts of the U.S. have seen a dramatic increase, with over 100,000 cases of Lyme reported since 1982, when they first started keeping track. Since Delaware is rural, wooded, and has a lot of outdoor enthusiasts, Lymes had a real opportunity to spread. But first, what is Lyme disease? Well, it is an infection caused by the bacteria "borrelia burgdorferi"say that three times fast! It is a spirochete related to the organism that causes syphilis. Luckily, Lyme isnt exactly like syphilis, so its not contagious via person-to-person contact (as if you didnt have enough to worry about in bed). This little spirochete lives in the guts of the Ixodes tick, which carries the offending bacteria after feeding on infected animals, most notably the white-tailed deer, the white footed mouse, birds, and family dogs. These ticks have a two-year life-cycle. They bite mice as a larva during their first year, go dormant over the winter, then progress to feeding on big animals like dogs, deer, and people the next spring, during the ticks aggressive nymph stage. After this feeding, they mate and lays eggs on their host, and the cycle starts again. Most infections in people are reported in the late spring and summer, but late fall is another peak time. This cycle makes sense, given the ticks natural stages of development. Many, many times, Lyme isnt even reported because people ignore the warning signs or think it is something else. Lyme disease is difficult to diagnose accurately, because the tick bite is usually painless and the symptoms vary or mimic other illnesses. If you dont treat it in time, it may spread to the joints, nervous system, heart, and even to the eyes. No kiddingits that serious. But if caught early, antibiotics can be very effective against it. Your doctor is at a bit of a disadvantage, though. Blood tests for Lyme are unreliable during the early stages, so if you dont tell the doctor youve been bitten by a tick, you might not get the right treatment. OK, now for the squeamish part! Early signs of Lyme disease include a red, circular, smooth rash that expands and may resemble a bulls-eye. The rash is painless, doesnt itch, and may disappear on its own, so it often goes unnoticed. Several days to several weeks later, you might develop flu-like symptoms such as fever, headache, stiff neck, joint and muscle pain. Should you reach the second stage of Lyme infection, you could suffer from additional rashes, stiffness, numbness, Bells palsy, enlarged lymph glands, more eye problems, an abnormal pulse, and even heart palpitations. Left untreated, stage three symptoms include severe chronic inflammatory arthritis, and neurologic dysfunctions such as disorientation, confusion, and even memory loss. The only way to prevent lyme disease used to be by slathering on repellants or just plain avoiding the outdoors. But about six months ago, the FDA approved genetically engineered vaccines to prevent Lyme. You need three injections, including boosters at one- and twelve-month intervals after the initial dose. Its effective in about 78% of the people who take the shots, so you still have to take precautions against ticks, no matter what. The vaccines protect you by stimulating an antibody directed against the nasty tick bacteria. The antibodies are ingested by the tick while it is chomping down on you, and they kill the bacteria in the tick before they can be released into your blood. So please be very aware when outside, whether picnicking, hiking, biking, hunting or even walking around in the grass. These little nasty bugs are out there. Wear a hat and long-sleeved shirt with long pants, and tuck the pant legs inside your socks (a real fashion statement). Spray on a tick repellant, too. When you finally come in, have your significant other sensuously probe and massage every part of your body. Then have them look you over for ticks. See you at the beach (probably without the tucked-in pants). Rick Moore is a personal trainer certified by the American Fitness Professionals & Associates. He believes in common-sense, drug-free training. Visit him at Ricks Fitness & Health, Inc., in beautiful downtown Milton. Check out his website at http://www.enrapt.com/ricksfitness, or give him a call at (302) 684-3669. |
LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth, Vol. 9, No. 7, June 18, 1999 |