Ticks and Lyme Disease

                                                                      

In recent years there has been an increase in the number of Lyme disease cases in Massachusetts.  This year will be particularly bad because of the mild winter we had.  Lyme disease is the most common of tick-borne diseases in the U.S. and is transmitted by a tiny tick carried by the whitetail deer.  There are ways of preventing Lyme disease.  Using insect repellent like DEET and removing ticks immediately reduces the chance of getting the disease.  For more information on Lyme disease and prevention see the MA Public Health Fact Sheet at www.mass.gov

Also see UMASS at www.extension.umass.edu/agriculture/index.php/services/ which  has excellent information on ticks and Lyme disease.  The EPA and CDC also are good resources, www.CDC.gov and www.epa.gov.  The New York State Department of Health provides the instructions below on how to remove a tick from your skin.

National Plan to Fight Alzheimer’s Disease

Starting today embattled families and caregivers can check a new one-stop website — http://www.alzheimers.gov— for easy-to-understand, up-to-date information about dementia and where to get help in their own communities. The website is part of an ambitious national plan to fight Alzheimer’s disease.

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia, a serious brain disorder that impacts daily living through memory loss and cognitive changes. Although not all memory loss indicates Alzheimer’s disease, one in ten people over 65 years of age, and over half of those over 85 have Alzheimer’s disease.

Symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease usually develop slowly and gradually worsen over time, progressing from mild forgetfulness to widespread brain impairment. Chemical and structural changes in the brain slowly destroy the ability to create, remember, learn, reason, and relate to others.  As critical cells die, drastic personality loss occurs and body systems fail.

Currently, 5.4 million Americans have Alzheimer's or related dementias. Barring a research breakthrough, those numbers will rise significantly by 2050, when up to 16 million Americans are projected to have Alzheimer's.