The infection of Borrelia Burgdorferi, also known as Lyme disease, was once isolated to the northeastern states of the United States. It is now known to have spread, has been diagnosed in the southwestern states, and is epidemic in parts of Europe and China. Lyme has been a disease of great mystery due to its multiple forms and locations-it may hide within the human body. Its effects are wide-ranging, from systemic pain to central nervous system effects, and so it has been labeled the” great imitator.” Adding to the confusion and difficulty, a diagnosis is not so straightforward. This is probably the reason that modern medicine has failed and continues to fail, to recognize and treat Lyme disease. In essence, testing of active Lyme disease produces positive results less than half the time.
The inability to accurately assess and determine the degree of Lyme disease effects on a single individual has led to great confusion, even amongst clinicians, in how to treat the disease. Although testing accuracy has improved, Lyme disease is complicated significantly by other immune- influencing factors that have, in recent years just come to light. For example, we now know that ticks, mice, and even mosquitoes have found to carry Lyme disease. In addition, many other infectious agents are co-inhabiting and are passed simultaneously with Lyme disease. These infections include other bacteria, viruses, and even parasites.
Therefore we have two types of Lyme-infected patients presenting in our East Valley Naturopathic Doctors Clinic. Lyme can cause acute symptoms, as can many other infectious agents such as bacteria, virus, parasites, and fungi or yeast. These patients present with new-onset symptoms within days, weeks, and perhaps a few months of exposure to Lyme disease. The other group of patients we see have been infected sometime in the past. They may have had some degree of acute symptoms, but they were not sufficient to seek medical help or were misdiagnosed as a mild respiratory infection or Influenza virus. More than 50% of Lyme patients do not recall seeing a bulls-eye rash distinct to acute infections. What can complicate this picture, even more, is that an old infection might have lain dormant for decades only to be awakened or intensified by a new exposure to a viral or bacterial infection.
It is also very likely, as I will explain later, that a combination of viruses, bacteria, fungi, and even parasites having been kept in check, but, due to reasons still too complex for immunology to understand, they have become reactivated. One example is the patient who has a history of Mononucleosis or Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). Epstein -Barr virus causes both mental and physical fatigue, aggravating even mood and is often confused by many physicians as depression. It might have lain dormant for years, but now with new and acute exposures, it will reactivate. This has led to the conclusion that many patients with Lyme disease are, in effect, co-infected with other viral, fungal, parasitic, and other bacterial infections. We know this because we have tested for them. We find in many cases the most severely and most difficult patients to treat have a combination of all types of infections, with the average being 3-5 infections simultaneously. A Lyme disease treatment program focused only on one area of the possible disease may have some benefit, but will be limited in its total ability to eradicate all symptoms, or symptoms will return soon after stopping successful, but partial, protocols.
Historically and currently the treatment of Lyme disease has required the use of antibiotics. The type, dosing schedule, and duration of antibiotics are dependent on the length and type of symptoms present as well as the co-infections, whether from a new or previous exposure. The use of antibiotics produces its own side effects, such as yeast overgrowth, that is part of the underlying problem, and need to be treated and minimized while on long-term antibiotic therapy. Effective Lyme treatment requires effective co-treatment of yeast and candida species overgrowth.
Depending on the duration of a patient’s symptoms, other bodily systems that support energy, mood, and Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) pathways are often affected. Patients often report that through their recovery is much improved, they rarely feel as good as they did before they became ill. We find that other systems, such as the endocrine and neurotransmitter systems (part of the ANS), have to be restored to their optimal function. This requires not just treating all realized and unrealized infections but evaluating and treating deficiencies and imbalances that occur as a result of the body’s attempt to continue to function while being attacked by serious infectious diseases attacking the body over months, and often decades.
The diagnostic workup of chronic Lyme and other infectious agents requires reviewing every functioning system in the body including the immune, endocrine, and the neurotransmitter or stress response systems. With good evaluation and treatment protocols, we can eradicate Lyme and other infectious agents, restore optimal functioning of energy and stress response, improve mood, and calm pain pathways, leading toward a full recovery.
Lyme disease is caused by bacteria which is spread by ticks and can be passed from an infected pregnant mother to her child. The most common sign of the infectious disease is an expanding area of redness on the skin that is neither painful or itchy and appears about a week after a bite. A few other signs of Lyme disease include fever, headaches, and tiredness. If not treated, symptoms can also lead to loss of ability to move one or both sides of the face, joint pain, neck stiffness, or heart palpitations. Those diagnosed with Lyme disease may experience joint pain and swelling months to years later. Aside from proper treatment, 10-20% of people may develop memory problems and feel tired for 6 months.
Every year, 300,000 people are affected by Lyme disease in the United States. Once a person is bitten by a tick, with the bacteria that causes Lyme disease, they can experience symptoms anywhere from 3 to 30 days later. Whether a person contracts Lyme disease usually depending on the kind of tick, where you were when the bite occurred and how long the tick was attached to you. Symptoms can vary in a wide range, depending on the stage of the infection. A few of the symptoms include a red rash that doesn’t itch or hurt, headaches, fever, joint pain, loss of mobility in the face, and fatigue. If the infection progresses, symptoms can lead to loss of muscle tone, irregular heartbeat, brain and spine inflammation, and shooting pain or tingles in hands and feet.
Each year, the United States has well over 300,000 new cases of Lyme disease. Caused by bacteria transmitted by ticks, Lyme disease has been known to affect joints, the heart, and the nervous systems. Symptoms can show up between 3-30 days. A few symptoms include a red skin rash, fevers, headaches, joint pain, and fatigue. Lyme disease is diagnosed by symptoms, physical findings, and the possibility of tick exposure.
Lyme disease is a bacterial infection transmitted by ticks typically found in grassy and wooded areas. Each year, the United States has over 300,000 people diagnosed with Lyme disease. That is 1.5 times the number of women who are diagnosed with breast cancer and 6 times the number of people diagnosed with AIDS.
If you have Lyme disease, you will probably have a “bullseye” shaped red rash, fever, headaches, muscle and joint pain, and fatigue. Lyme disease is caused by a bacteria that is found in ticks. If left untreated, this disease can make its way to the nervous system, heart, and joints. It is diagnosed based on symptoms and the possibility of being exposed to ticks.
Lyme disease can be found all around the world. Transmitted by ticks. The United States has well over 300,000 cases of Lyme disease every year! Symptoms of the infectious disease include a red rash, joint pain, headaches, and fatigue. These symptoms can appear anywhere from 3 to 30 days after being bitten by a tick.
Lyme disease is a tick-borne illness caused by a bacteria known as Borrelia burgdorferi. You can contract Lyme disease passively, through a tick bite, if the tick that bites you is infected with the bacteria. When someone is bitten by a tick, symptoms can show up anywhere from 3-30 days. Symptoms of Lyme disease include:
Lyme disease is an infectious disease that affects over 300,000 people in the United States each year. Transmitted through tick bites, the disease comes with symptoms like fatigue, a red rash, headaches, joint pain and cognitive decline. Symptoms can appear anywhere from 3 to 30 days from the time of the tick bite and last for years if not treated.
Lyme disease is an infectious illness that is transmitted through tick bites. Symptoms of Lyme disease include headaches, fever, fatigue, facial paralysis, joint pain, and a red rash sometimes shaped like a bullseye. Lyme disease symptoms can appear anywhere from 3 to 30 days from the time of the bite.
Lyme disease is a tick-transmitted disease that causes a red rash, fatigue, headaches, fevers, facial paralysis, and joint pain. Once bitten by an infected tick, symptoms can show up anywhere from 3 to 30 days. If symptoms occur, it is important to see a doctor as soon as possible. If not treated, the disease can last for years.
