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Today's Takeaway with Florine Mark


Mar 27, 2023

With Ross Douthat, Author, and New York Times Opinion Columnist

 

With spring approaching, we look forward to the opportunity to spend more time outdoors. But while we’re enjoying the warm weather and sunshine, we also need to be aware of the heightened risk of contracting tick bites. Although tick exposure might occur any time of year, ticks tend to be at their most active during the warmer months of April through September and we need to be extra cautious. Reducing our exposure to ticks isn’t simply about avoiding an annoying insect bite, it’s about the very real threat of contracting a serious tick-borne infection such as Lyme disease or Rocky Mountain

spotted fever.

 

According to the CDC, Lyme disease is the most frequent tick-borne infection with over 300,000 new cases diagnosed every year in the United States. Keep in mind that since the ticks that transmit Lyme disease, deer ticks, are roughly about the size of a pinhead when they come out in late spring and early summer, they’re often difficult to see. That’s why it’s so important to avoid getting bitten. The CDC recommends a number of simple precautions we can take to avoid tick bites while still enjoying our time outdoors. One of the best ways to protect ourselves is by being careful to avoid tick habitats. Ticks love to hide in areas of tall grasses and heavily wooded areas. When hiking, it’s best to stay in the middle of the trail and avoid uncut, grassy edges where ticks may be lurking. Since ticks get Lyme disease from mice, it’s important to do everything we can to eliminate mouse habitats and avoid attracting them to our gardens or campsites. This includes eliminating mouse-friendly wood piles and rock piles where mice live and breed.

 

Try to avoid going barefoot and whenever possible, wear long-sleeved clothing. Apply and re-apply insect repellent, preferably one containing DEET. Another recommendation is to use Permethrin, a commonly-used tick pesticide that can be applied to clothing and will safely remain on clothes for months without having to be reapplied. It’s equally important to protect our beloved pets. Dogs are especially susceptible to tick bites and tickborne diseases. Work with your veterinarian to discuss Tick prevention. In addition to keeping our pets healthy and tick-free, we are also guarding against them

unwittingly bringing these nasty insects into our homes.

 

One of the most frightening aspects of Lyme disease is that it is often hard to diagnose and if left untreated, it can lead to horrific long-term consequences. That’s what happened to New York Times columnist, author, and podcast host, Ross Douthat. If you have any questions as to how debilitating and serious a tick bite can become, you’ll want to check out Florine's December 2021 interview with Ross as he discussed his book, The Deep Places, which documented his five-year journey and ultimate recovery from Lyme disease.

 

What You’ll Hear on This Episode:

  • How was Ross’s life before his illness?

  • How did the symptoms begin?

  • When did Ross first get the diagnosis of Lyme disease?

  • What treatment did Ross get, and did it help?

  • Does Ross know when he got bit?

  • What inspired Ross to write his book Privilege?

  • How writing runs in Ross’s family.

  • Was Ross healthy before his illness?

  • Why does Lyme Disease persist so badly in people?

  • How did Ross’s geographic location affect his diagnosis?

  • Did doctors dismiss Ross’s symptoms?

  • How Lyme disease treatment can be very costly.

  • How did his illness impact Ross’s family?

  • Did Ross try any homeopathic approaches?

  • How long did Ross suffer before he got any relief?

  • Is there a chance that Ross’s illness will come back?

  • How did Ross get through the dark times?

  • What would listeners be surprised to learn about Ross?

  • What brings Ross happiness these days?

 

Today’s Takeaway: At a time, when so many people are still recovering, from the coronavirus, and still, exhibiting neurological symptoms, months, after contracting the virus, our definition, of what it means, to live with an ongoing chronic illness has changed. We no longer see chronic illness, as the unique, or rare exception, that perhaps we once did. Instead, we now know, it to be far more common than we might ever have imagined. When the medical profession may not have the answers, or our symptoms fall outside the norm, many patients, choose to do the research themselves to find other treatment options. We may find relief, from our symptoms, outside traditional medicine, but whatever it is, that works for you and offers relief, is worthy of exploring.

 

There is no better gift, than the gift, of a healthy body and a healthy mind. The lesson to be learned from Ross’s experience is that there is hope, for someone diagnosed with a chronic illness. I’m Florine Mark and that’s “Today’s Takeaway”. 

 

Quotes:

  • “I probably saw 10‒15 doctors in the span of two or three months and none of them had any clear idea of what was going on.” — Ross

  • “If you have one of these chronic conditions where there isn’t an official CDC approved approach to treating it, then they are less likely to be able to help you.” — Ross

  • “I was healthy. I was 35 and I’d had a few things here and there, but I’d never been sick for probably more than a week-and-a-half in my whole life.” — Ross

  • “I was accustomed to having my body do the things that I asked it to do.” — Ross

  • “Lyme disease is famous for this bullseye rash that develops around the tick bite.” — Ross

  • “Before I started getting better, in the period when I was just sort of trying things desperately and unable to find something, the sense that things were just falling apart was incredibly, incredibly strong.” — Ross

  • “A whole network of people, but especially spouses, carry a particular kind of weight with these illnesses.” — Ross

  • “One lesson is that things can get better. It’s important to have faith and confidence that they can get better even when things are at their worst.” — Ross

  • “Hope is essential for human existence, but not hope alone. You also have to act.” — Ross

  • “In the end, other people can help you, but when it comes to illness, only you understand your symptoms at some level; only you will know when you get better, and you have to fight for that.” — Ross

 

Brought to You By:

Gardner White Furniture

 

Mentioned in This Episode:

Ross Douthat

Ross Douthat for NYT Opinion

The Deep Places: A Memoir of Illness and Discovery, by Ross Douthat

Privilege: Harvard and the Education of the Ruling Class, by Ross Gregory Douthat