Lyme Disease: Bigger than AIDS?

The title of the article I chose is, "Lyme Disease Epidemic Causing Healthcare Crisis" by writers from the Jemsek Specialty Clinic. I found this article at http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/140407.php. Nationaly, Lyme Disease is becoming a controversy that doctors are struggling to address. Since 1991, the cases of Lyme Disease has doubled in the United States, making it an epidemic greater than AIDS, West Nile Virus and Avian Flu combined. However, the bigger problem seems to be the actions concerning this disease. Thousands of victims are suffering while doctors are mistreating and claim denial on the matter. Such controversy is effecting Health Care Systems, costing billions of dollars to our society.

While reading this article, one can infer that the author has some extent of a biased opinion. By the way the article was written, you can tell the author has strong views concerning the negative aspects. By addressing this disease's controversy, you can see the underlining negative view on the medical field. Swine flu and the seasonal flu are controling the focus of society while Lyme Disease seems to be tucked away in a corner, its severity's magnitude being forgotten. Because its symptoms are not outrages like AIDS, Lyme Disease is looked past while it is simultaneously costing our society money."...in 1993 estimated that Lyme disease cost society nearly $1billion per year. That estimate has since skyrocketed to about $2billion per year, including diagnosis, treatment, and lost wages..." - Irwin Vanderhoof, PhD professor at the New York University Stern School of Business. Sadly, in school and on the news we are so focused on the easily treated Swine and seasonal flu, we do not take the time to examine the other potential lethal contributers to our society. "Tens of thousands of people suffer from what they say are the debilitating effects of chronic Lyme disease, which can lead to lifelong disabilities or even death. Yet many doctors deny that such a disease even exists, and doctors willing to treat it using long-term antibiotic therapy have faced losing their medical licenses." This incerpt presently displays how much of a problem this disease is causing. What really stuck out to me however was the fact that doctors were mistreating their patients in the first place. While our society is being ravaged financially by this disease, individually, we are paying our doctors. When one falls ill, we hope to go to our doctor for answers and care, however, it is said that some doctors are putting in the minds of victims that it's only in their head. "Meanwhile, as shown in Under Our Skin, patients continue to suffer through misdiagnosis while seeking treatment for a disease they're often told is just in their heads." Personally, this disappointed me. By society, we are obligated to put an extent of trust into our doctors. When it comes to such a serious thing like Lyme Disease, if I have symptoms, I want answers. Overall this article intrigued me and I was able to walk away from it with insights rather than just facts.