Conquering Lyme Disease

October 23, 2017
Fallon and Sotsky, the director of the Lyme and Tick-Borne Diseases Research Center and a psychiatry resident at Columbia University Medical Center, respectively, assemble a sturdy reference on an illness whose varied presentations can bedevil patients and caregivers alike. The authors candidly warn of the technical density of much of their material. The first four chapters on Lyme’s early history, signs and symptoms, and diagnostics, as well as a later chapter on treatment options, will be well over the heads of most laypersons. The authors zero in on the unsettling effects that medical uncertainties have on patients and their families, lavishing praise on those who’ve “played a pivotal role in shaping our understanding” of the disease that has led to better insurance coverage and funding. The authors also hail new discoveries and “the biotechnology revolution” in diagnosing and treating Lyme, offering practical advice and resources for disease prevention and transmission. Perhaps most poignant is their analysis of the daunting experience of being a Lyme patient. But there’s hope, too: “Medical professionals are gradually waking up to the complexity of Lyme disease and to the real suffering of patients with chronic symptoms.” Aimed at specialists, Fallon and Sotsky’s heady volume presents the multidisciplinary cadre aiming to restore Lyme patients “to their former well-being and good grace.”

December 1, 2017

These two works speak to a need for ongoing discussion of Lyme disease, even if it is no longer considered newsworthy. In Conquering Lyme Disease, colleagues (Columbia Univ. Medical Ctr.) and coauthors Fallon and Sotsky push readers to grapple with some underlying scientific principles. Readers will have a better sense of where the research is today, where treatment falls short, and what the future may hold. Although the book is meant for both a general audience as well as practitioners, it seems more appropriate for lay readers. There are sections on how doctors deal with chronic illness, a FAQ, and listings of other diseases that have similar symptoms to Lyme. Optimistic in tone, this book predicts a positive outcome against the illness in the near future.

Naturopathic physician, former health journalist, and Lyme disease patient Ingels's The Lyme Solution is geared to those who have tried all the standard Center for Disease Control Guidelines for Treatment and are still suffering. Much like Fallon and Sotsky, he explains that science, and medicine in particular, are about progress. His personalized approach is patient focused and uses minimal jargon. Ingels sees Lyme disease as something to mitigate, if not cure. For readers amenable to naturopathic healing, he provides actionable items--recipes, lifestyle changes, supplements--and explicitly states that this may not work the first time around. In appendixes, Ingels also discusses other tick-borne diseases readers might have and other autoimmune disorders that could be caused by chronic Lyme disease. This is an interesting juxtaposition when compared to the section in the Fallon and Sotsky book on conditions that may have similar symptoms but are not Lyme. VERDICT Chronic Lyme sufferers may find either work helpful. Readers looking for a more science-focused discussion will prefer Conquering Lyme while readers looking for a more actionable course will prefer The Lyme Solution.--Rachel M. Minkin, Michigan State Univ. Libs., East Lansing

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