A single tick bite can have debilitating consequences. Lyme disease is the most common disease carried by ticks in the United States, and the number of those afflicted is growing steadily. If left untreated, the diseases carried by ticks-known as tick-borne diseases-can cause severe pain, fatigue, neurological problems, and other serious health problems. The Institute of Medicine held a workshop October 11-12, 2010, to examine the state of the science in Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases.

Lyme disease is the most common tick-borne illness in the United States, with more than 300,000 cases diagnosed each year. However, doctors are deeply divided on how to diagnose and treat it, giving rise to the controversy known as the “Lyme Wars.” Firmly entrenched camps have emerged, causing physicians, patient communities, and insurance providers to be pitted against one another in a struggle to define Lyme disease and its clinical challenges. Health care providers may not be aware of its diverse manifestations or the limitations of diagnostic tests. Meanwhile, patients have felt dismissed by their doctors and confused by the conflicting opinions and dubious self-help information found online. In this authoritative book, the Columbia University Medical Center physicians Brian A. Fallon and Jennifer Sotsky explain that, despite the vexing “Lyme Wars,” there is cause for both doctors and patients to be optimistic. The past decade’s advances in precision medicine and biotechnology are reshaping our understanding of Lyme disease and accelerating the discovery of new tools to diagnose and treat it, such that the great divide previously separating medical communities is now being bridged. Drawing on both extensive clinical experience and cutting-edge research, Fallon, Sotsky, and their colleagues present these paradigm-shifting breakthroughs in language accessible to both sides. They clearly explain the immunologic, infectious, and neurologic basis of chronic symptoms, the cognitive and psychological impact of the disease, as well as current and emerging diagnostic tests, treatments, and prevention strategies. Written for the educated patient and health care provider seeking to learn more, Conquering Lyme Disease gives an up-to-the-minute overview of the science that is transforming the way we address this complex illness. It argues forcefully that the expanding plague of Lyme and other tick-borne diseases can be confronted successfully and may soon even be reversed.

Lyme disease has become the fastest-growing infectious disease transmitted by ticks (or other vectors) in the United States, but still remains a condition that is frequently misunderstood, overlooked, and misdiagnosed. Written by a leading practitioner of Lyme-aware medicine, this comprehensive guide will reveal to you the facts about this very serious disease - symptoms of which can mimic cardiac, neurological, and rheumatoid conditions - and will tell you what you need to know about the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of Lyme disease.

"Superbly written and researched." --Booklist "Builds a strong case." --Kirkus Lyme disease is spreading rapidly around the globe as ticks move into places they could not survive before. Mary Beth Pfeiffer argues it is the first epidemic to emerge in the era of climate change, infecting millions around the globe. She tells the heart-rending stories of its victims, families whose lives have been destroyed by a single, often unseen, tick bite. Pfeiffer also warns of the emergence of other tick-borne illnesses that make Lyme more difficult to treat and pose their own grave risks. Lyme is an impeccably researched account of an enigmatic disease, making a powerful case for action to fight ticks, heal patients, and recognize humanity's role in a modern scourge.

A review of research on the ecology of Lyme disease in North America describes how humans get sick, why some years and places are so risky and others not, and offers a new understanding that embraces the complexity of species and their interactions.

Provides information on the history of Lyme disease focusing on the scientific processes involved in its discovery.

"When Dr. Richard Horowitz moved to the Hudson Valley over a decade ago to start his own medical practice, he didn't know that he would be jumping into the center of one of the fiercest, most heated medical disputes being waged today. The ongoing debate over Lyme disease as a chronic illness has made it difficult for sufferers to find care, as doctors are in many cases unable or unwilling to diagnose it. This is how once-treatable infections can become chronic, causing disabling conditions that may never be cured. In a field where the number of cases is growing each year and answers remain elusive, Horowitz has made extraordinary progress. His plan represents a paradigm shift, without which, he argues, the suffering will continue. In this book, Horowitz breaks new ground with a 16 Point Differential Diagnostic Map, the basis for his Lyme treatment plan, and an overarching approach to treating all chronic illness. He introduces MSIDS, or Multi-Systemic Infectious Disease Syndrome, a new lens on chronic illness that may prove to be an important missing link. And he covers in detail Lyme's leading symptoms and co-infections, including immune dysfunction, sleep disorders, chronic pain and neurodegenerative disorders. This book is an all-in-one source for patients of Lyme and other chronic illnesses to identify their own symptoms and work with their doctors for the best possible treatment outcome"--