A shout for the Lyme disease.

It's time to start shouting at people about Lyme disease.

Lyme disease is a lot more common

than many people realise.

It is particularly dreadful when it strikes the young, children, or people in their prime.

A mother with toddlers who is struggling with Lyme is going to have suicidal ideations, because it is that difficult to manage this extremely difficult condition while at the same time functioning in a critical, demanding role.

The affluent people of the world imagine that, Atlas-like, they hold up the planet.

They often complain about their tax burdens, the 'envy' or 'unreasonable demands' of less 'successful' people -- or about the 'immigration crisis,' or whatever.

In fact, the people 'holding up the planet' are the ones who tend to young children, the most challenging of all the demographics to care for.

Very often, these people are young mums,

quite often single parents --

and almost without exception

having tiny budgets to work with.

Lyme disease has been in the news,

usually on the back pages, for some decades now,

yet it remains one of the least well-understood of all chronic conditions.

A Lyme diagnosis can be as daunting as a cancer diagnosis.

Lyme may not kill as quickly as most cancers, but it can break a person's body down over time to such an extent that the sufferer becomes completely dependent on carers, and on the mercy of society.

It is very shocking to discover just how little research has been invested into Lyme disease. Even its diagnosis remains difficult.

As you address the seasonal challenges, and the need to live healthy lives, spare a thought for all the children struggling in school, being bullied & called 'lazy' when they are actually battling undiagnosed Lyme disease, that causes debilitating fatigue as well as many symptoms initially mistaken for the flu, or a chronic respiratory infection.

If you know someone who has been feeling poorly for years, can't fend for themselves, is going blind, seems severely depressed, is struggling to think clearly, exhibits severe irritability and sudden mood swings, try and get them to a specialist who will be willing to send their blood work to a specialist laboratory for the necessary checks to find out if there is a Borrelia trace in their system. Lyme disease, caused by Borrelia (most commonly from tick bites, but potentially also from spider bites), results from the untreated infestation moving into the tissues, out of the bloodstream where they are more easily found.

Start talking about this health crisis. That is what it is. Talk about it more! We need to get funding into research to fight this scourge, because the social costs of caring for all the millions of Lyme sufferers who will become invalids over time are going to increase, not decrease.