Lyme doc protection bill signed by Iowa governor
Governor Terry Branstad has signed into law a bill to permit more aggressive treatment of Lyme disease than previously allowed by the Iowa Board of Medicine.
The bill states:
A person licensed by a board under this subtitle shall not be subject to discipline under this chapter or the board’s enabling statute based solely on the licensee’s recommendation or provision of a treatment method for Lyme disease or other tick-borne disease if the recommendation or provision of such treatment meets all the following criteria:
- The treatment is provided after an examination is performed and informed consent is received from the patient.
- The licensee identifies a medical reason for recommending or providing the treatment.
- The treatment is provided after the licensee informs the patient about other recognized treatment options and describes to the patient the licensee’s education, experience, and credentials regarding the treatment of Lyme disease or other tick-borne disease.
- The licensee uses the licensee’s own medical judgment based on a thorough review of all available clinical information and Lyme disease or other tick-borne disease literature to determine the best course of treatment for the individual patient.
- The treatment will not, in the opinion of the licensee, result in the direct and proximate death of or serious bodily injury to the patient.
Despite opposition from the state’s medical community, the bill passed both houses of the legislature unanimously.
According to Representative Sandy Salmon of Janesville, the state Board of Medicine has disciplined two doctors for prescribing antibiotics for more than 30 days as treatment for Lyme disease.
During House debate on the bill, she said, “This has had the effect of quashing the willingness of Iowa medical providers to treat and even diagnose Lyme disease.”
Why would the medical community oppose such a bill, what could possibly going on in their little heads? Beside the obvious – they have been brainwashed into thinking there is no such thing as Lyme that two weeks of a single antibiotic won’t take care of because the CDC says so.
Thank you to all and in memory of Jack (rip). Hope all other states to follow
Thank you governor Brandsadt for sticking up and understanding the Lyme patients dilemma to being treated. A bill that would let patients know that that the standard ELlISA test is not always accurate would be the next step. Too many times people assume they do not have Lyme and then are diagnosed with another disease. If a patient is told that the standard ELLISA test is not always accurate they then would go on to a Lyme doctor. Some people have no clue and take the test result as final. There are some states who makes it mandatory they inform patients of these results. The Western Blot, the more reliable test cannot be given until the first test is given. This is just nuts!
Good first step. Tell Minnesota.
A Minnesota citizen,
Paula Huiras
Or even just take symptomatic diagnosis seriously and test accordingly. My dgtr was bit by a tick. I took it off when it was already separating itself. I told her what symptoms to watch for and to go to a doctor if they appear. She had a bull’s eye rash on Fri. and went to the dr on Mon. The rash was not visible on Mon and even with the entire history she was told she didn’t have Lyme when the ELLISA came back neg. The history alone should have been sufficient to do further testing. Yes, she ended up with chronic Lyme and then lost a good dr because he lost his license treating people like her.
It was great being at the signing ceremony today with you other activists and the senators all involved in getting this approved for us all.
I was glad to see the Board of medical director there also.
Well done and this was an outstanding birthday gift to myself which is tomorrow, 3-24.
Iowa’s Medical Board’s lawyer was involved in writing the language of the bill so they WOULD approve it; TEAMWORK at its best!! That helped our bill go thru promptly 😉
For those of you who have Facebook, you should be able to watch and hear the 4.5 minute video of our gov. reading highlites of our 1st lyme disease bill gotten this far on our 3rd try !!
I’m overweight lady wearing the hat on your right side of gov! I even took off my RX dark sunglasses but it was so bright in there, had to bring down my hat brim to help my painful eyes due to glare/reflections!!
https://www.facebook.com/betty.gordon.3323/posts/197768754044617?comment_id=198424950645664¬if_t=feed_comment¬if_id=1490426864372747
Betty Gordon, Iowa activist
48 yrs. chronic lyme
35 yrs. misdiagnosed by 40-50 drs. Unacceptable
my late husband, Jack Gordon’s brain autopsy made WORLDWIDE HISTORY showing 2 diseases never found together before in a brain autopsy:
Borrelia/Lyme and LEWY body dementia causing visual/VIOLENT hallucinations like Robin Williams had.
They also found a filarial nematode parasitic worm in his brain. They cut it open; it had lyme inside of it too!!
His case is to be written/published in an unknown scientific magazine sometime in future with ME as FIRST co-author over the 3 medical folks involved.
I’ll believe that when I see it; it’s on hold for now, but I’m NOT giving up getting this OUT there!!
Lyme has become a political ilness. Insurers do not want to pay. That’s why the medical community opposes it. Snooty infectious disease Dr’s and the cdc fail to recognize the serious of tick borne disease.
You took the words out of my mouth. I have a son who has been suffering for six years. I have spent $225000 searching for a cure. Gone from coast to coast and Mexico looking for a cure. Their is none.
All the states should follow Iowa’s lead. Because doctors are not trained to recognize LYME disease or are afraid to treat patients because they don’t want the liability, millions of patients like myself go untreated for years. Even with the best treatment, at that point, many of us continue to suffer because the damage was too great. In addition the doctors who treat Lyme disease need to carry extremely expensive malpractice insurance, remain outside insurance networks, which causes financial harm to patients. It’s a mess.
Tell Wisconsin too. Please for the sake of those who suffer.
In Arkansas, we are told that Lymes does not exists here and when you test positive, it’s just a “false” positive. Doctors either ignore you or just look at you like you are crazy.
I hope every other governor from every state follows his lead. I was very fortunate to have had my Lyme diagnosed. By the time it was, I couldn’t lift my arms over my head and the day I was actually told I had it, I was unable to lift my legs to get out of bed. I struggled to get to my doctor that morning. I was placed on immediate antibiotic infusion treatments which helped significantly and resulted in a $22,000 plus medical bill which insurance would not cover. They said my problems were not Lyme related. I then found a Lyme literate doctor (who had Lyme himself) who placed me on a long term antibiotic treatment along with a very strict diet and has essentially cured me. That was towards the end of 2012 and lasted nearly a year. Since then I have been symptom free and have led a normal lifestyle. To all who been afflicted or know someone who has, pressure your legislators and governors to enact laws to help recognize the fact that this is a serious issue.
As with all the other posters, I’m an equal. I’m from northeast FL. Had a neurologist tell me he’s from the NE upper states & knows all about Lyme and that FL doesn’t have LD. Well he was wrong! I was diagnosed after what I believe over 30 years with it.
Regular doctors dismiss LD immediately. My LD doctor is expensive as insurance won’t cover her costs! I have to drive 50 minutes to see her. Last couple years my vision, ringing in ears & fatigue has gotten ridiculous and I’m quite certain it’s LD related as there’s no other explanation.
I pray the signing of this bill will speak volumes to every other state & not just my Florida home state. There are too many of us suffering for this disease to be a minority of such. Allow its treatment to be like any other diseases treatment & allow doctors to tell insurance companies what their patients needs & not vice versa!
Have you tried an essential oil called helichrysm rambiazina for your ear ringing? I, too, have been suffering from Chronic Lyme. And yes, the ringing goes with it (or one of the co-infections). My massage therapist told me about it and it really provides relief! Just dab a little behind each ear, rub it in, and ahhh, relief.
Good to hear about the progress in Iowa. It is still amazing that we are still having to debate the need for the intensive long term treatment option for thousands of people who are suffering. After all the decades there is still the ongoing criminal suppression of the obvious terrible tickborne diseases epidemic sweeping across the country and elsewhere.
People need to pursue criminal prosecution of those responsible for this suppression .. those agents of suppression need to be found out and pursued with a vengeance for the torture they have prescribed for millions of people … the natural world is no longer a safe place and many creatures are also suffering in addition to people.
Class action lawsuits need to be created to help force the agents of hell to stop the suppression so all people will become thoroughly informed as to the illnesses caused by ticks and so all people will get the treatment they require to get well.
Evil and/or ignorant human beings are preventing this. We need class action lawsuits launched against health departments from coast to coast for their titanic failure to serve their communities.
I believe there is a strong possibility that Adam Lanza had neurolyme that went untreated from the time he arrived in Newtown Ct until he went on the murderous killing rampage of innocents. Newtown is the epicenter of lyme in Ct yet the Ct medical examiner never tested Adam Lanza’s tissues for lyme in the autopsy he performed?!! What hideous nonsense was that?
When the medical community doesn’t have a clear test and a clear treatment, they apparently would rather just make it go away. Check out how AIDS/HIV was treated when it first appeared…
Hope other states will pay attention. Too late for my beautiful daughter who took her own life after suffering from chronic Lyme for many years
I am so sorry for your deep loss daughter and the choice she made when she couldn’t get the needed help in a timely manner. RIP. You are free of the pain and suffering you had here on earth.
Betty Gordon, Iowa activist
After 30 yrs of suffering and dozens of doctors telling me fibro, autoimmune disease I still suffer. A Dr did my first Lyme test 3 end ago and iGg pos. for six lines and pos. Blot so I have Lyme. FL board of health/ ID called. Question. Where were u born, lived, when moved to FL etc. then said find IDDr. None in SW FL. that will treat Lyme. No Internest, rheumatologist nobody. On my last two days of Doxy. Don’t know if I’ll ever get more treatment. My brain, neurological system affected. Facial numbness, burning skin, sharp needle jabs, problems with eyes. Inability to sleep. I’m ready to end it all. I’m 72 and if no one will help then I’m tired of living in constant pain. FL doesn’t believe in more than 3 wks. Antibiotics. Period. Then you’re on your own.
karen, there is help for you.
go to LYMEDOC.ORG and you can find llmds/nds for almost all 50 states IF they have them that have websites, speak at lyme conferences, and quoted in newspapers.
betty gordon, iowa activist
One small step for humanity. Keep makin’ those steps.
Is there a complete list somewhere of all states and whether they follow ILADS or IDSA guidelines. I am very curious. I am in IL – and would love to know where my state stands. Might be time to start getting involved in politics and helping get changes made.
ELISE, if anyone has what you are looking for, email LYMEDOCS@AOL.COM with barbara, exec. director of ILADS.
to my knowledge, none exists! but if barbara says differently, please post what she has to say ok….thanks!
Wow! finally a politician who gets it! ….or at least one that wasn’t a former CEO of a health care company Like the Massachusetts governor who vetoed a similar bill.
thank you Gov.Bradshaw god /bless you .