Focus – Opinions and Features

By Kris Newby “Swamp Boy” tells the tale of a bright 14-year-old boy who suddenly hears demonic voices and experiences sudden-onset psychosis. He thinks he’s turning into Swamp Thing, a green, plant-covered monster. The story follows his parent’s hellish journey into the medical... Read More »

Cortney McCord delivered the following public comment at the Oct. 25 meeting of the federal Tick-Borne Disease Working Group. I’m Cortney McCord, a registered nurse from Tupelo, Mississippi. Since May 8, 2021, I have been in a battle for my life against alpha-gal syndrome, Lyme... Read More »

Typically, alpha-gal syndrome is associated with the bite of a lone star tick, and can result in a life-threatening allergy to red meat. But, according to Pamela Traina, the picture can be more complicated than that. She delivered the following public comments at the Oct. 25... Read More »

Holly Ahern delivered the following public comments to the federal Tick-Borne Disease Working Group on October 25. Let me begin by saying thank you to all committee and subcommittee members of the Tick-borne Disease Working Group, who have invested enormous amounts of time and... Read More »

By Kris Newby, Invisible International Donating the tissues of a loved one who dies of Lyme disease is one of the best ways to accelerate research into better diagnostics and treatments for tick-borne diseases, because sample acquisition is often the most expensive and... Read More »

By Richard Harth Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University A nature lover from early childhood, Karie Behm found peace and renewal through hiking and cross-country running. She spent much of her time exploring the forested terrain of her native Kansas, as well as Minnesota... Read More »

Gus Thalasinos delivered the following public comments to the federal Tick-Borne Disease Working Group on Oct. 4. My name is Gus, I’m a 32 year old Lyme patient and advocate from Long Island. I had minor symptoms most of my life, but five months into my first job out of college,... Read More »

By Kris Newby, Invisible International A Dublin-based infectious disease doctor who’s treated both long COVID and chronic Lyme patients shares new research and treatment strategies for managing patients with these complex conditions, in a new continuing medical education course... Read More »

By Dr. John Allocca I live in Suffolk County, New York, the Lyme capital of the world. It is where Lyme was originally named “Montauk Knee” disease. Some 30+ years ago, I began to suffer from knee pain, headaches, and fatigue. As a medical research scientist and biophysicist, I... Read More »