Science in Small Bites
“The ironic thing about people who reject science is that they continue to use the products of science every day of their lives.” KLS
Segment One:
Another Tick Talk, and the prospects of a vaccine to boot
Do the words “Borrelia burgdorferi” mean anything to you? No? How about the words “Lyme Disease?” All right, now we’re getting somewhere.
You may acquire Lyme disease if bitten by a blacklegged tick, a minuscule creature that often goes unnoticed, even with a tick check, particularly when the tick is in the nymph stage.
The blacklegged tick is not already infected with the Lyme disease bacteria, Borrelia burgdorferi, at birth. It must first have a blood meal from infected small animals, including white-footed mice (who love to live under barberry plants, an invasive plant found throughout Pocahontas County), and even some birds.
I have had Lyme disease, so have two of my dogs, my step-daughter and several of my friends. While a Lyme disease vaccine is available for dogs, there hasn’t been one for humans since 2002, when false allegations that it caused arthritis led to lackluster sales and its eventual removal from shelves. (It is actually Lyme disease that can cause arthritis)
The aforementioned humans, with no vaccine yet available, follow a regimen of oral antibiotics after being bitten. We do this because, if left untreated, the disease can cause a plethora of painful adverse effects.
This list of chronic conditions from long-term Lyme disease includes arthritis, irregular heartbeat, fever, rash and nerve damage. The experience of Welsh singer-songwriter Ren Gill demonstrates how seriously Lyme disease can affect us.
Due to misdiagnosis, not uncommon with Lyme Disease, Gill was initially diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome, even bipolar disorder, before doctors finally arrived at a Lyme disease diagnosis in 2015, after six years of agony.
Gill eventually traveled to the U.S. for stem cell therapy that he believes saved his life. In 2024, he suffered an autoimmune crash that left him temporarily blind in one eye. There is no doubt that chronic Lyme disease can turn one’s life into a physical and mental nightmare.
Segment two:
Is there going to be a human vaccine to prevent Lyme disease?
Yes, it appears that a Lyme vaccine is on the horizon, and here is what you need to know: The vaccine, currently called LB6V, was developed by Pfizer and Valneva.
During Phase 3 clinical trials, the efficacy of LB6V was 73%, approximately the same as that of LYMErix (Trademark), the Lyme Vaccine of the late 1990s, mentioned earlier in this article.
However, the LB6V vaccine works on a different mechanism than its predecessor. This Lyme vaccine stimulates antibodies that neutralize Borrelia burgdorferi in the tick’s gut, thereby preventing Lyme disease from an infected tick.
The vaccine injections are not necessarily convenient, requiring three initial doses and a fourth dose at 18 months, with annual boosters possibly required for full protection. When you consider what Lyme disease can do to your health, it’s a bargain and worth the time and effort.
In the meantime, I would suggest that when you’re gardening or hiking in the woods, you tuck your trousers into your socks, and I take the additional step of spraying my clothing and gear with permethrin. Be cautious, and do not spray it on your skin as it metabolizes. Also, apply it only outdoors and avoid spraying it around your pets; it is toxic to cats.
Furthermore, if you wish to be thorough, and I do, do a tick check as soon as you get home, followed by a shower. I live alone, so I use mirrors to check parts of my body I cannot see.
Segment Three:
Where did our testosterone go, guys?
Many magazines and newspapers have picked up the story recently, and it’s worth reading. I’m referring to recent research that indicates men’s levels of testosterone have declined a whopping 54% from 1972 to 2019.
“So what,” you say. Maybe we should discuss the role of testosterone in a man’s life. Even though women produce a small amount of testosterone, men require it for the development of reproductive organs and sperm production in the testes. This hormone is also responsible for libido, facial hair, muscle mass, voice depth and even red blood cell production – everything that makes a man a man.
OK, now that I have your undivided attention, men, let’s discuss why we are losing these manly attributes and what we can do about it.
The following is from an article in “The Guardian:” “Rising levels of obesity and diabetes are expected to play a part (in testosterone reduction), but the team behind the work suggests that environmental factors such as endocrine-disrupting chem- icals – which can be found in various household items – and global heating could also be factors in the apparent striking decline.”
Anthropologists have their own take on the reduction in men’s testosterone, but over a longer span of time than the last 50 years. Back in the Paleolithic, Old Stone Age, men depended on testosterone to hunt, fight and protect their families.
With the advent of communal agriculture and villages, cooperation and empathy played a role in testosterone reduction, a factor that continues to this day. In other words, culture lowers testosterone levels- male characteristics such as heavy brow ridges disappeared in homo sapien. Men also became more nurturing and bonded more with their family and immediate neighbors.
So, here we are in a far more compassionate and humane world (I hope). Today’s men often share in the role of raising children and even in chores once considered women’s work.
It is projected that if testosterone continues to decline, it could affect the human population. So, the medical world is already looking at solutions such as hormone replacement therapy. And, if that doesn’t work, and your great-great-grandson’s voice is soprano, there’s always opera.
Ken Springer
ken [email protected]
