I encourage families of patients with Lyme disease to develop their own Lyme library. There are many fine resources now available. My hope is that the resources I suggest will become only the start of a Lyme library, and you will go beyond my recommendations, finding other worthwhile resources along the way.
Magazine: Lyme Times
The Lyme Times is an excellent resource for patients, parents, physicians, and educators, and should be a part of everyone’s Lyme library. Published by the California Lyme Disease Association, this print publication addresses the gamut of tick-borne disease topics. The Special Issues focus on particular areas of interest – the science behind treatment approaches and the role of alternative and integrative medicine, for example.
Two Special Issues that will be of particular interest to parents are the Lyme Times Children’s Treatment Issue and the Lyme Times Children’s Education Issue. Together they provide a comprehensive overview of issues facing children with tick-borne disease, with proposals for solutions in many areas.
The Lyme Times Regular Issues are also very informative, reporting on medical and scientific conferences, legislation, advocacy efforts taking place around the country, and much more. As Children’s and Mental Health Editor, one of my projects is a Kid’s Column that gives children and adolescents a forum for telling their stories “in their own words.” Several Kid’s Column stories appear on this website with permission from CALDA (see menu at left).
Movie: Under Our Skin
A dramatic tale of microbes, money and medicine, this critically-acclaimed documentary film chronicles the lives of chronic Lyme patients through their journey to recovery. In addition, it tells the story of the politics of Lyme, through the eyes of the very talented team of filmmakers at Open Eye Pictures, who left no stone unturned to uncover the truth.
Book: Coping with Lyme Disease: A Practical Guide to Dealing with Diagnosis and Treatment
By Denise Lang and Kenneth Liegner, MD
The 3rd edition, published in 2004, is still an excellent reference, particularly for those who are new to the illness. Although it is packed with important information, particularly about chronic Lyme, Lang’s style makes it comprehensible to patients, whether or not they have a medical background. The valuable medical and scientific information that Ms. Lang and Dr. Liegner offer enhance its importance to Lyme patients everywhere.
Book: Cure Unknown: Inside the Lyme Epidemic
By Pamela Weintraub
A science journalist who specializes in health, biomedicine and psychology, Pam is Senior editor at Discover magazine. She has excellent credentials in science and investigative journalism with 16 previous books to her credit. Pam has written an incredible book, which not only chronicles the lives of several families stricken with Lyme disease, but also tracks the history which has led to the medical and political dilemmas that exist today.
Book: The Lyme-Autism Connection
By Brian Rosner with Tami Duncan
This clear, readable book is a wonderful resource for parents and professionals. It explores the science that supports the link between Lyme and autism, an important emerging area for investigation. Co-authored by a health care journalist and the founder of the Lyme Induced Autism Foundation, this is a groundbreaking and important book.
Book: Lyme Disease Update: Science, Policy and Law
By Marcus A. Cohen
Written by a journalist and columnist for the Townsend Letter for Physicians & Patients, this book provides a comprehensive understanding of the scientific and political issues involved in the struggle for patient care that has been going on for two decades. NY Times bestselling author Amy Tan wrote the preface, describing her personal perspective on the difficulty getting diagnosed and appropriately treated for Lyme. The forward was written by Brian Fallon, MD, director of the Columbia Lyme and Tick-Borne Disease Research Center.
Published by the Lyme Disease Association, this is an important addition to any Lyme library.
Book: Let’s Get Well
By Mary Wall, M.S. Ed., CCLS
This fine book, also published by the Lyme Disease Association, was written in language that conveys the experience of chronic Lyme Disease to children ages 8–12, by a young woman who struggled with the illness when she was their age. The editor, Colleen M. Smith, was also a Lyme patient as a child. Children are sure to relate to this book on a very personal level.
