CLP 021: Danielle Pratt on Living It Out PART 1

This podcast comes at an interesting time in regards to pop culture as Justin Bieber, after recently receiving some negative commentary on how he’s looking these days, has admitted to being diagnosed with Lyme Disease. What is Lyme Disease? It’s a bacterium called Borellia transmitted to human through the bite of a blacklegged tick. After recording this two part series, I was curious as to what all the confusion over Lyme Disease is, so I clicked on the first article I could find in regards to the Lyme Disease debate. It’s such an intense and ongoing issue that it’s actually been deemed the ‘Lyme Wars’. In a Harvard study posted in June 2018, it states… "The blood test the CDC recommends to diagnose Lyme checks for an immune response to the bacteria, not for the Borrelia itself." (https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/lyme-disease-resolving-the-lyme-wars-2018061814071) So even if you have it, it could be overlooked, because physicians are not necessarily looking for the bacteria itself but for the an immune response. In another article I discovered it states, "The crux of the Lyme disease treatment debate is whether the condition exists in a chronic form. ILADS practitioners insist that it does; how else to explain the lingering symptoms many patients experience, which they say resolve only with long-term, high-dose antibiotic therapy? IDSA, however, takes the viewpoint that these patients—whose symptoms of fatigue, cognitive dysfunction, and musculoskeletal pain are subjective and vague (belonging on the symptom list for chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia as well)—never had Lyme disease in the first place, and this is why standard therapy for the condition appears not to work for them." (https://www.mdedge.com/clinicianreviews/article/72314/infectious-diseases/lyme-wars-debate-rages-about-treatment) And guess who’s in the middle of this heated debate? The patients are… as usual. Now let me say upfront that the point of this podcast is not to call anybody out or make anybody out to be a bad guy. I’m not here to damn the medical community, but it’s no secret that our health care system from the doctor’s offices, to the prescriptions, to the insurance, is incredibly flawed, increasingly so, and is in need of a major overhaul, that I’m afraid go so deep that it’s far too late. This, however, is not a podcast about what’s wrong in the world, but what’s right. Enter Danielle Pratt. A beautiful, inspiring, determined, tired, yet faith filled wife and mother who believes her disease has been given to her for a purpose, despite all of the suffering and havoc it has wreaked on her and her family. This podcast is about enduring well, staying the course, fully embracing the hell that may be laid upon us, with the hope that there truly is a glory to beheld, if we will only keep the faith. This podcast made me angry with Lyme, life, medicine, myself for being so faithless, but I walked away so inspired by this couple. I hope, God willing, if I have to face half the challenge that they’ve had to endure, that I do it with the optimism and hope with which they’ve done it. Whether or not you have Lyme, another disease, or no disease at all… I hope that you’ll listen and be inspired to live your best life not in spite of but in the face of your worst and darkest moments. Not only have they suffered well, they’ve learned how to pick up their cross, follow their King, and create beauty out of the insane mess. Enjoy… Connect with Danielle on Instagram @danipratt and www.beautyfullmess.com Connect with Chris: instagram.com/iamchrislockwood www.facebook.com/ChrisLockwoodPodcast www.twitter.com/iamclockwood www.iamchrislockwood.com Listen on Spotify: spotify:show:2G6x1WrQJ16RmFjNEpxcp0 Listen on Apple Music: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-chris-lockwood-podcast/id1137422320?mt=2