17 Video: Shortcuts To Learning Immunology

I realize I posted a 14 part mini-series on Immunology not long ago and know that could be a bit much to bite off at once in order to learn more about the immune system. So I've been spending time looking for shortcuts - ways for readers to quickly get up to speed on some of the terms and processes used when discussing the immune system. I figure videos usually are the best way to begin learning for many people - so I have been watching them on Youtube to decide what to post here. Let me just say that as entertaining as some of them are, I...

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12 Watching Train Wrecks

Every so once in a while, while surfing the net looking for other information related to tickborne infections, I come across blog entries about chronic Lyme disease that not only doubt its existence - but are followed by a firehose of troll-magnet comments from which I, in all my gory stupidity, cannot tear my eyes away. Referring to the above linked blog post written two years ago, I just had to follow the train wreck to its decisive end: thread closing. At least it wasn't deleted or moved elsewhere. Seeing it was a reminder of one of the...

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1 Part 1: The Value Of Anecdotal Evidence

A few people have asked me in email about why anecdotal evidence is not something that the scientific community tends to accept, and one person even went so far as to say it was stupid to ignore the stories that Lyme disease patients share about their experiences and how certain patients respond to different treatments. After all, anecdotes are based on real life experiences - and it is possible that a treatment does in fact work and someone's personal experience may be the first indication that there is something meaningful happening - either...

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2 The Friday Four

1) Stress affects the balance of bacteria in the gut and immune response Low stress & bacterial biodiversity: The key to better health? ScienceDaily (2011-03-22) -- Stress can change the balance of bacteria that naturally live in the gut, according to new research. This study funded by the NIH shows that stress dysregulates the immune system, changing the natural flora of one's intestines and leaving people more susceptible to infections such as C. difficile. The more biodiverse intestinal flora is, the healthier one's immune system...

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0 Video: Immunology Lectures from The Einstein College of Medicine

Given the volume of questions I'm getting on the immune system lately, I thought I'd post this 14 part mini series on the immune system. Others have reported that watching this makes learning about immunology less scary and overwhelming - I haven't seen the entire series yet, but how about watching an episode or two and letting me know what you think of them? There are slides online which accompany the lectures - these are the first session's slides:http://www.einstein.yu.edu/multimedia/videos/conferences/immunologycourseinsouthafrica/L-1-Goldstein-Componenets-of-immune-system.pdf Below...

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27 What happened? The Early Days of Lyme Disease

This could end up being part of a series on the history of Lyme disease, but for now I wanted to share something from Polly Murray's book, The Widening Circle. I really can't recommend this book enough for readers who are either Lyme patients or care about someone who is a patient - it is a well-written account of one woman's journey of struggling with strange symptoms that were plaguing her and her family for years. Her determination to find the cause, and how her actions led to the discovery of Borrelia burgdorferi in ticks led to all that...

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18 1993 Senate Testimony On Lyme Disease, Part 2

In Part 1, 1993 Senate testimony on Lyme disease given by Dr. Joe Burrascano was posted for review. In this part, various excerpts from Steere, other researchers, and others on the Senate committee will be reviewed with comments and questions. As much as I know the Lyme patient community disdains Steere, and as much as I consider his March 2010 slideshow disrespectful of patients, there are a few places in this testimony where I found myself actually shaking my head in agreement with what he said back in 1993. See what you think... Alan Steere...

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7 1993 Senate Testimony On Lyme Disease, Part 1

A lot of Lyme disease patients have referred to Dr. Joe Burrascano's Lyme disease treatment guidelines over the years, and from time to time,  some will mention how Dr. B testified before the Committee on Labor and Human Resources of the US Senate back at the 1993 hearing, Lyme Disease: A Diagnostic And Treatment Dilemma - Examining The Adequacy Of Current Diagnostic Measures And Research Activities In The Prevention and Treatment Of Lyme Disease. (Y 4.L 11/4: S. Hrg. 103-285) Curious on that last bit, for years I tried to track down...

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