Lyme Support Group celebrates ten years; Upcoming conference welcomes all to attend

By JoAnn R. Walter —

The Southern Tier Lyme Support Group (STLS) is celebrating its tenth anniversary this year. The group is hosting a Lyme Conference on Saturday, May 17, at Tioga Downs Casino Resort, located at 2384 W. River Rd. in Nichols, N.Y.

The conference will bring together six professional experts in the field of Lyme disease research and Lyme-literate medical experience. The event will also spotlight STLS’s efforts to increase public awareness of Lyme and other tick-borne diseases through education, support, and outreach activities.

The event opens at 11 a.m. with guest registration. The lectures are free to attend.

Following the presentations, a buffet dinner with a cash bar will be available. Live music by Rose and Thorne will fill the conference room from 6 to 8 p.m. Several vendors will be set up, and guests will have the opportunity to participate in a 50/50 raffle, as well as other raffles. The cost is $40 per person.

STLS President Myron Swarts will open the event with a welcome message, and will be followed by comments from past STLS President Peter Baumann and Maggie Whitaker.

Speaker sessions begin at noon with Holly Ahern, MS, MT (ASCP), an Associate Professor of Biology and Microbiology representing ACES Diagnostics. Ahern will discuss “Diagnostics for Lyme.”

At 12:45 p.m., Dr. Ronald Stram, a medical doctor from the Stram Center for Integrative Medicine in Delmar, N.Y., will present “How Lyme Affects the Heart.”

Following a short break, at 2 p.m., Yetrib Hathout, PhD, the Director of the Tick-Borne Disease Research Center at Binghamton University, will discuss “Biomarker Development for the Diagnosis and Prognosis of Lyme Disease.”

At 2:30 p.m., Amanda Roome, PhD, the Associate Director of the Tick-Borne Disease Research Center at Binghamton University, will present “Trialing Feasible Tick-Bite Prevention Strategies on Farms.”

At 3:00 p.m., Dr. Henry Lindner, a medical doctor from Tunkhannock, Pa., will discuss the “Diagnosis and Treatment of Chronic Babesia and Bartonella Infections.”

At 4:00 p.m., Dr. Richard Horowitz, a medical doctor from Hyde Park, N.Y., will present, via live virtual session, “How to Use the 16-Point MSIDS Map and Dapsone Combination Therapy in the Treatment of CLD/PTLDS and Associated Co-Infections.”

There will be a break at 5 p.m., with the buffet dinner and cash bar beginning at 5:30 p.m., and live music at 6 p.m. The evening will conclude with closing remarks at 8 p.m., followed by the announcement of raffle winners.

STLS member Yvonne Benjamin, owner of Magic Needle in Endicott, N.Y., has used her creativity to create a one-of-a-kind Tick Costume in honor of STLS’s tenth anniversary. The costumed tick is being used throughout the region to educate the public.

Yvonne noted, “Not only for the general public, but we especially want to create awareness for young people, too.”

Measures everyone can take at home, Yvonne suggested, are to be diligent about keeping leaf litter cleaned up, where ticks often hide. Another recommendation is to place tick tubes on your property, which are the size of toilet paper tubes filled with cotton and soaked in permethrin. This method helps control ticks by targeting mice that carry ticks.

Spraying permethrin on clothing, Yvonne noted, is also a good habit to get into for individuals who are working in their yards or for any outdoor activities.

For more helpful hints and to learn more, visit the website: https://stlyme.org.

STLS meets monthly at the Town of Chenango Building located at 1529 State Rte. 12 in Binghamton, N.Y. For information, email them at info@stlyme.org.