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In this episode of The Maritime Outdoorsman, Dave continues the discussion about Ticks & Lyme Disease with Vett Lloyd, a biologist at Mount Allison University in New Brunswick. Vett shifted her focus from cancer to ticks and lyme disease after becoming infected herself while gardening. Now Vett’s lab is one of only a few places ticks can be sent in the Maritimes for lyme disease testing.
Related Links:
Vett Lloyd – Vett Lloyd’s tick lab website.
CanLyme – The Canadian Lyme Foundation
Episode 005 – Kathryn Maroun interview – spreading awareness for Lyme disease and other tick and bug born illnesses
Related Events:
Free Lyme Disease Information Meeting – Wednesday, May 15th, 2013 – Pictou County Wellness Center – 2756 Westville Rd. New Glasgow, NS. Special Guest Speaker, Dr. E. Murakami, President & Founder of the Murakami Center For Lyme Research, Education, & Assistance Society. Contact Brenda Sterling-Goodwin (902-752-0547) or Alice Lees (902-926-2784).
Recommended Reading:
Wonderful, helpful and urgently needed info about tick born illness. Thank you so much for bringing this topic to the good folks back east. Vett is a wonderful force in the war against vector born illness. I hope to share a coffee with Vet and Dave one day soon. So much to talk about.
Tight lines
Kathryn http://www.whatacatch.net
Thanks for helping inspire this the second episode in the series Kathryn. This is an incredibly important topic that everyone needs to be aware of. Take care and all the best.
very good program. We need to know as much as we can about ticks and Lyme disease. It scary to find out that our health care system is using worthless tests to diagnose Lyme disease here in the Maritmes.
Thank you for your efforts!!! I just heard your second offering on the “Not So Great Outdoors”.
Your interview was very well done…you asked the questions that I wanted answers too…thank you very much…With these concerns one must consider the risks of flyfishing now…what a pity that this must now be added to the mix…thanks again
Thanks for listening Rick and for your comments. I think as long as you wear chest waders while fly fishing and do a “tick check” upon returning home and put your clothes through the dryer, you should be relatively safe. Tight lines.
Great interview with Vett Lloyd, very informative! I also have Lyme disease and went undiognosed for over three years. I heard Vett on CBC Radio in July 2012 and I then knew why my health had declined so quicly. I contacted Vett and she helped me get proper information, testing and treatment. She saved my life and we have been friends ever since and talk to each other on a regular basis. Thank you Vett for all that you are doing to bring awareness to this nasty disease!
Debbie McCann
Thanks for listening Debbie and for your comments. All the best with your recovery.
Great interview Vett and David. I disagree that Lyme disease is a new and emerging disease in the Maritimes. Lyme disease is not a new disease in Nova Scotia. I was bitten in 1971 while on a camping trip in Cape Breton. The problem is I was misdiagnosed for 39 years as having Chronic Fatigue Syndrome etc. I presented with the classic bull’s eye rash but was told it was a ring worm. I firmly believe that this Province is in serious trouble to the extent of being considered endemic. I was seen twice in the early 1990′ s by Infectious Disease Specialist in Halifax, NS. They obviously didn’t know how to identify the symptoms of Lyme disease or I would have been diagnosed then. At the urging of a friend I was tested out-of-country at a world renowned lab, testing positve in a manner of 10 days. SHAME ON CANADA FOR DOWN PLAYING THE SERIOUSNESS OF THIS DISEASE, I for one can tell you it is like living in HELL on a daily basis. Society as a whole need to come forward to support Lyme infected patients by demanding that the Government act NOW in acknowledging this disease and by training our medical doctors by bringing in Lyme Literate MD’s who have the expertise in this area. The Government is already 4 decades to late in my opinion.
Sincerely,
Thanks for listening Joy and for your feedback. Sorry to hear of your condition. You are right in that Lyme disease has no question been in the Maritimes for many years now. As Vett mentioned, Lyme does appear to be on the rise due to our steadily warming climate and a Lyme epidemic does appear to be looming. Let’s hope that the government and medical profession start giving Lyme the attention it deserves. I wonder if any politicians or doctors in this region have contracted the illness?
Hey Dave,
First I really want to thank you for all the pod-casts. They really are informative. I would like to however disagree with some of the advise given by Vett. at the 15min 28 sec. mark she advises using tweezers for tick removal. This is by far the worst thing you can do because if the tick is squeezed you are actually injecting the ticks bodily fluids back into yourself. I am a part time taxidermist who see hundreds of ticks per year. (not lying) I pulled 87 ticks off one deer hide last November. I live in a small community in Antigonish which is considered a tick “Hot Zone”. The best way to remove a tick (IMO)is by using a tool known as the tick tweezer- which looks more like a small crowbar. These can be picked up an any local vet office. The way it works is by twisting the tick around instead of pinching it.
I would also like to share that spraying Deet will not deter a tick in anyway. Ticks are blind and have no sense or hearing. A tick simply smells out it’s host and It is only attracted to one smell. Butyric acid, a fatty acid which is smelt in sweat. So if you keep the B.O down you would be doing more good than spraying yourself with Deet. Once it catches the scent it starts searching with it’s second sensory ability “Skin”. It’s skin is photosensitive, and can detect warmth from a couple feet away.
I hope this also helps.
Cheers,
Hi Steve. Thanks for listening and for your comments. There does indeed seem to be quite a bit of inconsistency among tick related advice. I have heard several others like yourself who don’t recommend pulling out the ticks and the “tick-tweezer” sounds like a good solution. I would encourage all listeners to fully research multiple tick removal methods. Thanks again.
Dave,
Thanks for doing a follow up for tick prevention while enjoying the outdoors. I’ve seen a certain type of clothing called “ElimiTick” claiming to repel ticks; have you heard anyone mention this stuff? http://www.gamehide.com/Articles.asp?ID=159
Cheers
Thanks for listening Jonah. I haven’t personally heard of ElimiTick but will have to take a look 🙂 Thanks.