Pediatric Lyme Disease

Western medicine excels at diagnosis. We have MRI's, CT scans, x-rays, biopsies, echocardiograms, urine tests, hair test, and of course, hundreds of ways to test the blood. All of us have been, or know someone who has been, greatly helped by having a mysterious health ailment properly identified and labeled.
Unfortunately, however, our complete reliance on and blind faith in Western medical diagnosis can result in suffering equal and opposite to the healing we receive from it. Western medicine's proficiency in diagnosis is a double-edged sword: on one hand, it saves thousands of lives and contributes to an ever increasing life expectancy, but on the other hand, its smashing success often leads to overconfidence in areas of less proficiency.
If a diagnosis we receive is accidentally wrong, we may never find out because of our unwavering confidence in modern medicine. Most physicians will not help us challenge the verdict because they too have unshakable confidence in the ultimate proficiency of their profession.   
Lyme Disease is one affliction which does not amiably submit to the diagnostic procedures of Western medicines. Many people who are actually suffering from a Lyme Disease infection are walking around in circles having been misdiagnosed with a plethora of seemingly unrelated health conditions which mimic Lyme Disease, including multiple sclerosis, obsessive compulsive disorder, arthritis, fibromyalgia, schizophrenia, and many others. If you or someone you know has a mystery disease, you should consider the possibility that it may be Lyme Disease, even if past Lyme Disease test have produced negative results.
Adding to the already stacked odds that a Lyme Disease sufferer will not be diagnosed properly is the elusive and variable nature of the disease presentation itself.
As if the situation weren't bad enough already, many doctors do not acknowledge that Lyme Disease exists in more than a few isolated parts of the United States. In reality, Lyme Disease has been documented in every state in the United States and many countries throughout the world.
Diagnosing Lyme Disease is a complicated task. Having awareness of this complexity is the first step toward healing those suffering from this affliction and toward ensuring that future diagnostic procedures become more reliable. Until this happens, the financial assistance that Kiwanis provides to the families affected by this disease will have to continue, but it will not unless the members continue to support the Kiwanis Pediatric Lyme Disease Foundation by making a donation, or purchasing a Brittany Fellowship, Emerald Brittany, Second Level Emerald Brittany, or a Joseph Michael Wuest Fellowship.
So I thank you in advance for doing what Kiwanis does best, and that is taking the time to care and share.

Column Posted on Web Site January 23, 2018