10 Oct
Welcome to the Howard County Lyme Awareness Group’s website. We are located in Howard County, Maryland. This page will provide you with information about our upcoming events and with resources to learn more about Lyme disease. If you find a great link or article or have questions, email us at LymeAware1@gmail.com . Read a bit about my own story at http://usmwf.usmd.edu/article1012.pdf .
20 Jun
Prepare for your Scouts to attend camps this summer where they are at heightened risk for tick bites which carry Lyme and other associated diseases.
PREVENTION
Prevention flyer for scouts – flyer
How to apply Permethrin to your clothes (By Scouts, for Scouts!) – video on youtube
Permethrin: Safe for humans and has been used by the US Military for years in treating soldier’s uniforms. Encouraged to treat all clothing but especially boots, sneakers, socks, backpacks, bags, and even tents (will not compromise rain permeability). A spray treatment lasts through six washings or six weeks! Can purchase at REI, Walmart, and on Amazon.com .
Another option: send your clothes away to be treated by InsectShield – EPA-registered to last through 70 launderings—the expected lifetime of a garment.
Protect your yard – we are finding ticks everywhere, but you can do something about it- visit TickEncounter Resource Center
Repellants Vs. Insecticides: What to Use – link
RESOURCES FOR OUR SCOUTS AND THEIR PARENTS:
Signs and symptoms of Lyme Disease – link
How to properly remove a tick and what to do if bitten – valuable information/link
Lyme Disease Quick Facts Infographic – link
Ticks and your Pets – link
14 May
Looking for a Lyme Literate doctor (LLMD)? Visit – www.ILADS.org – International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society and navigate to “Provider Search”.
You can reach me at LymeAware1@gmail.com with questions.
www.MarylandLyme.org – Fantastic website with in-depth information
www.LymeDisease.org – Patient-driven organization with latest news articles and blog posts
www.Tickencounter.org -Tick Encounter Resource Center – great information on ticks, protection for yourself, your pets, and for your yard; tick testing information
Visit Howard County Lyme Awareness on FB
13 May
Our next scheduled Howard County Lyme Support Group meeting will be held on Sunday, June 9th from 3 – 4:30 p.m. at my home in Columbia, MD. If interested in attending, please RSVP and I will send you my address. Everyone is welcome!
27 Apr
RESOURCES FOR OUR SCOUTS AND THEIR PARENTS:
Signs and symptoms of Lyme Disease – link
How to properly remove a tick and what to do if bitten – valuable information/link
Lyme Disease Quick Facts Infographic – link
Ticks and your Pets – link
PREVENTION
Prevention flyer for scouts – flyer
How to apply Permethrin to your clothes – video on youtube
Permethrin: Safe for humans and has been used by the US Military for years in treating soldier’s uniforms. Encouraged to treat all clothing but especially boots, sneakers, socks, backpacks, bags, and even tents (will not compromise rain permeability). A spray treatment lasts through six washings or six weeks! Can purchase at REI, Walmart, and on Amazon.com .
Another option: send your clothes away to be treated by InsectShield – EPA-registered to last through 70 launderings—the expected lifetime of a garment.
Protect your yard – we are finding ticks everywhere, but you can do something about it- visit TickEncounter Resource Center
HANDOUTS FOR GIRL/BOY SCOUT MEETINGS/EVENTS
Repellents vs. Insecticides: What to Use
Tick Bustr Patch Program GSCBergen County NJ
CHILDREN AND LYME
Children and Lyme basics– link here
Kids and Lyme: How it Affects Their Learning – document by Sandy Berenbaum, LCSW
Children with Lyme and other tick-borne illness – link to information about getting help for your child regarding school issues
WEBSITES
www.LymeDisease.org – National website on Lyme Disease with fantastic articles and resources
www.ILADS.org – International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society- doctor driven site
www.MarylandLyme.org – (offline until May15th but please check back) Maryland-focused site on Lyme and other tick-borne illnesses
www.TickEncounter.org – the TickEncounter Resource Center (TERC) is located at the University of Rhode Island. TickEncounter is the outreach arm of a multi-pronged approach to “solving the tick problem” both locally, nationally, and around the globe. (Great Resource here for Tick Testing).
MOVIES
Watch award winning documentary on Lyme Disease – free on VEOH entitled, “Under Our Skin” – extremely eye opening!
24 Mar
Come out and join us at our next support group meeting to be held on Sunday, April 22nd from 3 – 4:30 pm in Columbia. Our meetings are always FREE and open to people suffering from Lyme and other Tick Borne illnesses, their family members, and those who support them.
TOPIC: Demystifying Herbal Medicine for Lyme Disease
We are fortunate enough to have guest presenter, Rebecca Snow, a local nutritionist, herbalist and educator. Rebecca has been specializing in Chronic Lyme Disease since 2004. Currently she practices in Catonsville, MD at the Avalon Yoga and Wellness Center. Visit her site at www.rebeccasnow.com .
Rebecca was the founding director of the Master of Science in Nutrition and Integrative Health at Maryland University of Integrative Health, where she worked for 10 years in a variety of roles as faculty, clinic supervisor and administrator.
She holds a Master of Science in Herbal Medicine from MUIH and has completed coursework at the Dreamtime Center for Herbal Studies. She also completed an International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society (ILADS) preceptorship. She is a Certified Nutritional Specialist through the American College of Nutrition, a licensed nutritionist in the State of Maryland, a registered herbalist with the American Herbalist Guild.
REGISTER:For address information and to let the group know you plan to attend, please email LymeAware1@gmail.com .
21 Mar
A new blood test called the Tick-Borne Disease Serochip (TBD Serochip) promises to revolutionize the diagnosis of tick-borne disease by offering a single test to identify and distinguish between Borrelia burgdorferi, the pathogen responsible for Lyme disease, and seven other tick-borne pathogens.
Read more about it here: https://www.lymedisease.org/serochip-tbd-testing-columbia/
21 Apr
RESOURCES FOR OUR SCOUTS AND THEIR PARENTS:
Signs and symptoms of Lyme Disease – handout
How to properly remove a tick and what to do if bitten – valuable information/link
Lyme Disease Quick Facts Infographic – link
PREVENTION
Prevention flyer for scouts – flyer
How to apply Permethrin to your clothes – video on youtube
Permethrin: Safe for humans and has been used by the US Military for years in treating soldier’s uniforms. Encouraged to treat all clothing but especially boots, sneakers, socks, backpacks, bags, and even tents (will not compromise rain permeability). A spray treatment lasts through six washings or six weeks! Can purchase at REI, Walmart, and on Amazon.com .
Another option: send your clothes away to be treated by InsectShield – EPA-registered to last through 70 launderings—the expected lifetime of a garment.
Protect your yard – we are finding ticks everywhere, but you can do something about it- visit TickEncounter Resource Center
HANDOUTS FOR GIRL/BOY SCOUT MEETINGS/EVENTS
Repellents vs. Insecticides: What to Use
Tick Bustr Patch Program GSCBergen County NJ
CHILDREN AND LYME
Study of children with Lyme and high rate of knee arthritis – article here
Kids and Lyme: How it Affects Their Learning – document by Sandy Berenbaum, LCSW
Children with Lyme and other tick-borne illness – link to information about getting help for your child regarding school issues
WEBSITES
www.LymeDisease.org – National website on Lyme Disease with fantastic articles and resources
www.ILADS.org – International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society- doctor driven site
www.MarylandLyme.org – Maryland-focused site on Lyme and other tick-borne illnesses
www.TickEncounter.org – the TickEncounter Resource Center (TERC) is located at the University of Rhode Island. TickEncounter is the outreach arm of a multi-pronged approach to “solving the tick problem” both locally, nationally, and around the globe. (Great Resource here for Tick Testing).
MOVIES
Watch award winning documentary on Lyme Disease – free on VEOH entitled, “Under Our Skin” – extremely eye opening!
24 Sep
LYME DETOXING AND HOW TO PREPARE OUR BODIES FOR WINTER
When: Sunday, October 9th, 3 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Where: VitaScript Compunding Pharmacy
6345 Woodside Court, Suite 102, Columbia, MD 21046
Please join us for a fantastic presentation by Pharmacist, Dr. Lynn Shumake, M.S., P.D., as he will discuss the role of detox as a method of “Fall cleaning” to improve the digestive/immune system for the forthcoming Winter Season. He’ll cover detoxing as a cleaning up the diet and the role of nutrients and the use of botanicals that can assist in optimizing the immune system and reducing inflammation. Dr. Shumake will also talk about the various methods that Lyme patients in particular may use; discuss individual supplements/herbal combinations, their effectiveness, dosing and typical costs. It’s FREE to attend as usual.
Our regular October Lyme support group meeting will take place at the VitaScript Pharmacy.
21 Sep
PLEASE HOLD THIS DATE: We are confirming a speaker, Dr. Lynn Shumake, who will discuss detoxing and preparing our bodies and immune systems for winter. (I’m not sure yet, if the event will be at my home or at another location – updates will follow.)
Our next scheduled Howard County Lyme Support Group meeting will be held on Sunday, October 9th from 3 – 4:30 p.m. at my home in Columbia, MD. If interested in attending, please RSVP and I will send you my address. Everyone is welcome!
17 Sep
We really need YOUR help! Here is some important Lyme bill information for contacting your Senators andasking them for their help in co-sponsoring this bill. Just click on the link atthe bottom of this page, fill in your info and send it off!It doesn’t matter if you don’t have Lyme yourself…you can write about the people you know with Lyme , we all want change…please help!
Last chance for federal Lyme bill? Contact your senators now.
Soon, a major piece of health legislation is likely to be voted on by the U.S. Senate. If this happens, a bill we support–the Lyme and Tick-Borne Disease Prevention, Education and Research Act (S. 1503)–will be offered as an amendment.
To help prepare for this, we urgently need to add additional co-sponsors to the bill. Please take a moment to contact your U.S. senators to let them know how important this legislation is to you (even if you’ve already done so in the past).
The legislation would create an advisory committee within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to identify best practices to combat tick-borne diseases. The group would be comprised of patients, advocates, researchers, medical professionals, and government officials. The bill would also require the HHS Secretary to coordinate efforts to strengthen disease surveillance and reporting, develop better diagnostic tools and tests, create a physician-education program, establish epidemiological research objectives for Lyme and other tick-borne illnesses, and prepare regular reports to Congress on the progress of efforts to combat these devastating diseases.
Now is the time to speak up and make your voice heard. Ask your senators to support this bill, by co-sponsoring it and voting yes when it comes to a vote.Voter Voice is a system that lets you easily contact your senators. You supply your name and contact information. We supply a suggested message, which you can adapt if you want. Then, the system sends your message directly to each legislator by email. There is also an opportunity to send a tweet–which will go to your senators’ Twitter accounts.
Howard County Lyme Awareness Group Homepage 
