More than 30 years after it was first diagnosed, Lyme disease remains one of our most misunderstood illnesses. It is the fastest-growing infectious disease in America with more than 20,000 new cases diagnosed every year. In Europe, approximately 60,000 cases are reported annually, and the numbers are increasing in Canada. Despite its prevalence, doctors are often unaware of its chronic nature and its symptoms are often confused with those of chronic fatigue syndrome, lupus, or MS. More than 1.7 million people in the United States, and others in Europe and Asia, currently have Lyme and are unaware or can't find the right treatment they need.
In BEATING LYME: Understanding and Treating This Complex and Often Misdiagnosed Disease (AMACOM, June 30, 2008; Paperback), Constance A. Bean with Lesley Ann Fein, M.D., MPH offers readers an understanding of Lyme disease, its history, the surrounding controversy of its diagnosis and treatment, and most importantly, comforting, hard-won advice. In 1993 Bean was diagnosed with Lyme and has spent the past 14 years researching its treatments and diagnoses while battling the disease herself. As she recounts in her latest book, "My story is typical of many whose Lyme disease is not recognized early and treated adequately.
What happened to me continues to happen to others, I became ill in May 1993 and was not diagnosed until December of that year, a time period far shorter than that for most who acquire serious disease. If I had know what I learned later, I might have found treatment sooner." Dr. Fein has spent years working with Lyme patients and is an active member of the Lyme community, lecturing at conferences, writing journal articles, and working with organizations, such as the New Jersey Legislative Task Force.
In BEATING LYME, readers will discover:
· what Lyme is and how to tell if they have it
· what to do after a tick bite
· the right questions to ask doctors if they are diagnosed
· the consequences of misdiagnoses and what kind of doctor they need to get proper care
· the websites and groups they need to know about to find support
· the costs of living with long term Lyme disease and how to get life back to normal
· how to protect family and friends
· how to get the best treatment and what to do if insurance won't cover it
Compassionate and thoroughly researched, BEATING LYME will help doctors and patients understand and conquer this complex illness.
"Searingly honest . . . a glorious saga of how Lyme survivors and their doctors are challenging the status quo to help others recover." - Norma Swenson, original co-author of Our Bodies, Ourselves; Faculty, Harvard School of Public Health
About the Authors:
Constance A. Bean (Boston, MA) is the former coordinator of health education at MIT and is the author of six other books on health issues, including the classic Methods of Childbirth. Lesley Ann Fein, M.D., MPH, has served on a New Jersey Legislative Task Force on Lyme and is medical director for the Pennsylvania Lyme Disease Society and the Greater Hartford (Connecticut) Lyme Disease Support and Action Group. She is a member of the National Lyme Disease Caucus, a group dedicated to the passing of meaningful federal legislation. She maintains a private practice in West Caldwell, New Jersey.
Title: BEATING LYME:
Understanding and Treating This Complex and Often Misdiagnosed Disease
Author: Constance A. Bean with Lesley Ann Fein, MD, MPH
ISBN: 081440944X
Pub. Date: June 30, 2008
Price: Paperback
Pages: 320
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