http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/lyme.html
This article has proven to be extremely helpful. It was written by Edward McSweegan. He is a microbiologist who lives in Maryland but spent a vast amount of his time in a town of Connecticut called Old Lyme. This was where Lyme Disease was originally founded. He is also ran a federal research center for Lyme Disease. This man is very literate in the area of Lyme. The article is an editorial that he wrote to argue the many different things. He argues the different types of ways to diagnose and he argues the accuracy of each test. He also informs the various types of treatment and the pros and cons to each. He is very knowledgeable on the different ways that a doctor might treat a patient wrong. This article was revised on January 30, 2013 so it is very current and has all up to date information.
Summary-I think that this editorial will be extremely helpful to my paper. The author's opinion is the exact same as my opinion. The only thing that I struggle with is the fact that he does not mention anything about a patient who does not have a rash or who had never seen a tick but yet still might have Lyme. I was one of those patients and doctors refused to test me. I think this article hits home when it talks about the various tests and says that most people should be tested by more then the initial test because they can tell different things and Lyme disease is commonly misread on tests. I think this is a great article.
Response- I really appreciate the section entitled "Limitations of Laboratory Tests." I think so many times doctors refuse to test and refuse to acknowledge Lyme. There are so many limitations to people and so many hurdles one needs to jump over before they can be tested, and tested right. It baffles me how when a doctor knows what the long term effects are and how hard Lyme is to treat if not caught early enough, that they aren't open to treating it right away. Lyme Disease can be a debilitating disease and can over take your body if it is not treated or caught early. I think that more people need to take a stand like Dr. McSweegan did and show the importance of testing for Lyme and other tick borne illnesses before they get worse.
Dani,
ReplyDeleteI agree that Dr. McSweegan has the right credentials to be considered an authority on this topic. I do, however, have questions about the website that houses the article. I didn't even see an "About Us" section that provides information for the website itself. How do we know we can trust the website as a source? This is important because anyone can create a website and post any content they want to (which means this article could have been changed or edited and we'd have no idea). Can you find this article in another, more reliable (or at least verifiable) source?
As I read your summary and response I found myself wanting more information or explanations for your observations. For example, in your summary you write "The author's opinion is the exact same as my opinion." What is the author's opinion? Remember, also, that a summary is not a place to insert your thoughts or opinions; a summary is a simple overview of the source in neutral, unbiased language.
When we're researching, it can be really encouraging to find sources that support our perspective perfectly. But be careful that these are not the only perspectives you're selecting. For an issue to be controversial, you should be finding opposing perspectives and opinions from your own. When you write that doctor's refusing to treat Lyme Disease right away "baffles" you, I immediately think, then, that you need to find a source from the perspective. Find the answer to that question. Why is it that many doctor's are so hesitant? The answer to that question could prove to be a valuable piece of information for your proposal essay.