Welcome to the Public Health Alert:

About Us

Public Health Alert (PHA) is a newspaper committed to researching and investigating Lyme Disease and other chronic illnesses in the United States. We have joined forces and informational resources with local and nation wide support group leaders. These groups include the chronic illnesses of Multiple Sclerosis (MS), Lou Gherig's Disease (ALS), Lupus, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), Fibromyalgia (FMS), and various other illnesses of unknown origins.

Public Health Alert seeks to bring information and awareness about these illnesses to the public attention as well as a broad base of health and nutritional news. We seek to make sure that anyone struggling with these diseases has proper support emotionally, physically, spiritually, mentally, and medically.

PHA is a free monthly newspaper. We function on the sale of advertising space and donations from the public. We have nationwide distribution.

June 2008 - In This Issue

Scott Forsgren	Candida Related Complex: A Complicating Factor in Lyme
Dr. Virginia T. Sherr	Marriages that are Way Out of "Lyme" and the experts who make them explosive
Dawn Irons	Heather Holtry "Makes-A-Wish" for Lyme Disease Research
Harriet Bishop	1st Annual Morgellon's Conference Hosted Major Researchers
Tina Garcia	March of the IDSA Puppets
Joan Vetter	Springtime & Harvest: It's all About the Seed
Marjorie Tietjen	Nature's Best Anti-Inflammatory: Fish Oil
Laura Zeller	Creeping Consequences
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Featured Article

Attorney General's Investigation Reveals
Flawed Lyme Disease Guideline Process
IDSA Agrees to Reassess Guidelines, Add Independent Arbiter

Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal

Attorney General Richard Blumenthal today announced that his antitrust investigation has uncovered serious flaws in the Infectious Diseases Society of America's (IDSA) process for writing its 2006 Lyme disease guidelines and the IDSA has agreed to reassess them with the assistance of an outside arbiter.

The IDSA guidelines have sweeping and significant impacts on Lyme disease medical care. They are commonly applied by insurance companies in restricting coverage for long-term antibiotic treatment or other medical care and also strongly influence physician treatment decisions.

Insurance companies have denied coverage for long-term antibiotic treatment relying on these guidelines as justification. The guidelines are also widely cited for conclusions that chronic Lyme disease is nonexistent.

"This agreement vindicates my investigation -- finding undisclosed financial interests and forcing a reassessment of IDSA guidelines," Blumenthal said. "My office uncovered undisclosed financial interests held by several of the most powerful IDSA panelists. The IDSA's guideline panel improperly ignored or minimized consideration of alternative medical opinion and evidence regarding chronic Lyme disease, potentially raising serious questions about whether the recommendations reflected all relevant science.