An Open Letter to the Boston Globe About Lyme Disease

Today, the Boston Globe editorial board spoke out against a bill "that would require insurers in Massachusetts to cover Lyme disease treatments for as long as a doctor says they're needed." The Globe writes: Lawmakers may have good intentions, but they don't possess the expertise to decide whether it's beneficial, cost-efficient, or safe, to keep using strong medicines to treat a condition the medical establishment doubts is real. Such questions should be resolved by a consensus of doctors and researchers -- and buttressed by convincing clinical date [sic] -- not determined by legislative mandate. Who among the Boston Globe editorial board possesses the medical expertise to make this call is not disclosed, but this information would be useful given that the Globe's stance presumes absolute authority on the matter of treating Lyme disease -- siding with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on the controversial matter of diagnosing and treating persistent Lyme and associated diseases, and ignoring an abundant and growing body of contradictory research. The Globe states that, "According to the CDC, medical specialists believe the persistent ailments are likely caused by 'residual damage to tissues and the immune system that occurred during the infection.'" Some medical specialists believe this, based on evidence. Other recent evidence demonstrates that certain strains of the Lyme-causing Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria create what are known as "persister" forms -- bac...
Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news