By Henry Ehrlich
Anyone with fond memories of carefree walks in the woods is hopeful that effective treatments can be found for Lyme Disease, also known as Lyme borreliosis, an infectious disease caused by Borrelia-type bacteria of the which is spread by ticks. In keeping with the theme of Integrative Medicine, the East West Conference will present two speakers on this subject.
The first is Dr. Raymond Dattwyler MD of the Division of Clinical Immunology, Allergy, and Rheumatology at New York Medical College, the host institution. His research aims to develop new diagnostic tests for infectious diseases, including Lyme disease. These new tests will lead to earlier diagnosis of Lyme disease and enable prompt treatment that may prevent the development of serious symptoms, such as arthritis and neuroborreliosis.
With funding from the NIH, Dr. Dattwyler’s group is working to develop new diagnostic tests for a number of infectious diseases, including Lyme disease. The new Lyme tests are designed to fill the gaps that exist in testing today, particularly for the early diagnosis of Lyme disease.
A new oral vaccine technology in development would have an array of potential uses, from protection against infectious diseases to treatment for food allergy. The CDC is sponsoring field trials to determine if an oral bait vaccine against Lyme disease can help control its spread in wildlife and the ticks that feed on them, thereby reducing the tick population that spreads Lyme bacteria to humans. The oral vaccine technique is also under study as a possible means of protection against other bacterial infectious diseases
The second speaker Mary Deminie, is a Licensed Acupuncturist in the the state of New York, with a concentration in Classical Acupuncture. Mary is accredited by the National Certification Commission of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM) as a Diplomate of Acupuncture (Dipl. Ac. Her clinical experience includes: NYU Langone’s Initiative for Women with Disabilities. Pertinent to her place on the July 15 program, she also received certification under Heiner Fruehauf, Ph.D., L.Ac., founding Professor of the College of Classical Chinese Medicine at the National University of Natural Medicine, in the study of eastern herbal treatments for parasites, or Gu Syndrome, specifically Lyme Disease.
