Why Can't I Get Better?

Solving the Mystery of Lyme & Chronic Disease

Richard I. Horowitz

• Publisher: St. Martin's Press
• Year: 2013
• Print ISBN: 9781250019400
• eBook ISBN: 9781250038487
• Topic: Medicine
• Subtopic: Diseases & Allergies

A pioneering physician reveals his findings about diagnosing, treating and healing Lyme, and peeling away the layers that lead to chronic disease.

You may not know that you have Lyme. It can mimic every disease process including Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, autoimmune conditions like MS, psychiatric conditions like depression and anxiety, and cause significant memory and concentration problems, mimicking early dementia. It is called the "Great Imitator," and inaccurate testing-combined with a fierce, ongoing debate that questions chronic infection makes it difficult for sufferers to find effective care.

When Dr. Richard Horowitz moved to the Hudson Valley over two decades ago to start his own medical practice, he had no idea that he was jumping into a hotbed of Lyme disease. He would soon realize that many of the chronic disease diagnoses people were receiving were also the result of Lyme—and he would discover how once-treatable infections, in the absence of timely intervention, could cause disabling conditions. In a field where the number of cases is growing exponentially around the world and answers remain elusive, Dr. Horowitz has treated over 12,000 patients and made extraordinary progress. His plan represents a crucial paradigm shift, without which the suffering will continue.

Cutting through the frustration, misinformation and endless questions, Dr. Horowitz's enlightening story of medical discovery, science and politics is an all-in-one source for patients of chronic illness to identify their own symptoms and work with their doctors for the best possible treatment outcome.

"Horowitz is one of the most prominent 'Lyme literate' physicians . . . patients wait for months to see him, and several told me that he had essentially cured them of a disease that nobody else seemed able to treat." — New Yorker

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright Notice
• Dedication
• Acknowledgments
• Contents
• Forword
• Introduction
• Part I: The Mystery of Lyme Disease
• Part II: Lyme and MSIDS
• Appendix A: Treatment Protocols for Lyme Disease—MSIDS for Health-care Providers
• Appendix B: Glossary of Pharmaceutical Names
• Appendix C: Journal Names and Abbrevations
• Recommended Reading
• References
• Index
• About the Author
• Copyright