Rell for President - He's got my vote!

Rell signs chronic Lyme disease treatment bill
By Brian Lockhart Staff Writer
Posted: 06/21/2009 11:41:58 PM EDT
Updated: 06/22/2009 07:03:59 AM EDT

HARTFORD -- Gov. M. Jodi Rell on Sunday signed a bill that
allows doctors to diagnose and treat chronic Lyme disease
without fear of repercussion from peers or state health
regulators.

"Doctors in Connecticut, the absolute epicenter of Lyme
disease, can continue to do what is best for their patients
suffering from this complex illness," Rell said in a statement.
"The bill also recognizes that Lyme disease patients must have
the freedom to choose which remedy or regimen best meets their
needs."

Lyme disease was discovered in Lyme, Conn., in the 1970s.
Treatment has become a hotly debated topic in the medical
community.

Many Lyme disease patients, including some state lawmakers,
believe they have a recurring form that requires long-term use
of antibiotics. But prominent physicians and medical groups,
including the Infectious Diseases Society of America, say
chronic Lyme is a myth and that it is potentially dangerous to
prescribe treatment beyond the standard 28-day course of
antibiotics.

The result has been two standards of care for Lyme disease
patients -- that recognized by IDSA and another promoted by
physicians willing to diagnose the chronic form.

The bill, unanimously supported in the General Assembly, does
not force physicians to take a position, but proponents hope
more doctors will feel comfortable prescribing longer-term
antibiotics if they determine that is the proper treatment.
There was concern among some lawmakers who sponsored the bill
that Rell might be swayed to veto it.

Dr. Phillip Baker, executive director of the American Lyme
Disease Foundation in Lyme, earlier this month wrote Rell
urging her to kill the bill. Dr. Lawrence Zemel, professor of
pediatrics at the University of Connecticut Health Center, said
in a recent letter to the Hartford Courant that the legislation
is "ill-considered."

"As a physician, I know long-term antibiotic treatment is
dangerous," Zemel wrote. "Why do some patients believe
prolonged antibiotic therapy improved or eliminated their
symptoms? For many, their symptoms are self-limited, and their
improvement has nothing to do with their treatment. For others,
the antibiotics may have anti-inflammatory effects ... And for
some there is a strong placebo effect. If they think they will
get better (and pay dearly,) then they do."

But the Connecticut State Medical Society backed the bill,
saying doctors should be able to choose the best method of care
for their patients.

"This bill does not ... shield any physician who provides
substandard care," Rell said in the statement.