South Carolina Online Lyme Support is a virtual meeting place and source for information and emotional support for people with Lyme and other tick-borne diseases living in South Carolina.

South Carolina ticks may carry several diseases. One bite may give you more than one disease, including Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, ehrlichiosis, babesiosis, bartonella, viral encephalitis, and Lyme disease. An average of 13 cases of Lyme disease in South Carolina have been reported annually since 1993. You can multiply official figures by 1000 to make up for failure to recognize and report cases.

The CDC claims that the South does not have Lyme but instead a Lyme-like illness they call “Masters’ Disease” (after Ed Masters, MD of Missouri) or STARI (Southern Tick-borne Associated Rash Illness). To date, no one has been able to culture the organism or prove any difference between Lyme and Master’s disease. Dr. Masters himself says, “Lyme-like illness deserves Lyme-like treatment.”

Lyme (or "Lyme-like") disease is under-diagnosed, under-treated, and under-reported. Many people do not remember being bitten by the poppy-seed-sized tick. Doctors often prefer more familiar diagnoses like chronic fatigue, MS, or even mental illness - all Lyme disease mimics. Too strict interpretation of insensitive tests leaves many people in a diagnostic limbo, without proper treatment. Most cases are not reported, leading to artificially low numbers, less recognition of the true costs of the disease and less funding for research.

DISCLAIMER: All information posted on this site is the opinion of the author(s) alone and is provided for educational purposes only. It is not to be construed as medical advice regarding the treatment of any symptoms or disease. Medical advice of your personal physician should be obtained before pursuing any course of treatment.

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