Recover From Chronic Lyme Disease At Lifeworks
Dr. Minkoff and the experienced team at LifeWorks Wellness Center have helped hundreds of Lyme Disease patients recover from Lyme and can help you too.
Watch the patient videos below and read some of the Lyme disease testimonials further down the page. Youll see a familiar pattern of patients who were suffering due to lack of proper Lyme diagnosis and/or treatment and then came here and their lives were transformed
Experienced Lyme Disease Doctors
We are one of the top Lyme Disease treatment clinics in the world. Weve specialized in late-stage Lyme disease treatment for over 23 years. Dr. Minkoff is an infectious disease doctor who oversees all Lyme treatment programs, using a safe and highly effective, science-based approach to help patients overcome Lyme Disease.
Lyme disease is the most common tick-borne illness in North America and Europe and is caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi. Lyme got its name from Yale researchers who named the strange cluster of symptoms, after the town it originated from, Lyme, Connecticut.
Deer ticks typically carry the bacteria, which they spread to humans while feeding on their blood, but other insects including mosquitoes are also now being implicated.
Do You Have Lyme Disease Symptoms And Answers
Early symptoms of the disease often manifest as a flu-like illness, with accompanying fever, chills, muscle aches, and joint pain. While the characteristic bulls-eye rash called erythema migrans is often present, many people develop a different type of rash or none at all. Moreover, a host of Lyme symptoms occur in other diseases, and as a result, many patients suffering from Lyme disease are misdiagnosed with conditions like fibromyalgia, multiple sclerosis, and other psychiatric illnesses before being correctly treated.
If Lyme is not diagnosed or treated in its early stages, it transitions to a chronic, highly problematic late-stage disease, and symptoms increase in their severity. Untreated Lyme disease will eventually infect joints, the heart, and the nervous systemcausing nerve paralysis and meningitis, and difficulty with memory and concentration. While one of the defining features of chronic Lyme disease is fatigue, Dr. Heyman discusses his own cases in which there were a myriad of presentations without any one defining symptom. Many of his patients had suffered severe cognitive decline, loss of executive function, memory problems, mood disturbances, chronic pain, cardiopulmonary problems and more. The debilitating effects of the disease then led to more devastating results: these patients often are unable to work, function in personal relationships, or complete simple daily activities without experiencing profound exhaustion.
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About The Lifespan Lyme Disease Center
The Lifespan Lyme Disease Center is a unique, multidisciplinary center entirely dedicated to the treatment of Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses. Our team of infectious disease specialists is highly experienced in treating patients with acute Lyme disease, ehrlichiosis, babesiosis, and other tick-borne diseases.
Internal Medicine & Primary Care Located In Frederick Md
Lyme disease is an unpleasant condition spread by the bite of the deer tick, and without expert assessment, it can be hard to diagnose. Usha Sivakumar, MD, MBBS, is a highly experienced physician at SivIMed Internal Medicine and Primary Care in Frederick, Maryland, who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of Lyme disease. Call the clinic now if youre concerned you have the infection or book an appointment online.
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A Pioneer In Lyme Disease
Our program is led by Allen Steere, MD, one of the world’s foremost experts on Lyme disease. Dr. Steere discovered the illness in 1976 and laid the foundation for understanding the many manifestations of the disease, including Lyme arthritis .
Today, Dr. Steere is researching why some patients with Lyme arthritis have persistent joint inflammation after using antibiotic therapy to eliminate the Lyme disease bacterium. This research is leading to improved diagnostic and treatment capabilities for such patients.
What Treatment Options Are Available For Lyme Disease
In many cases, you can recover from Lyme disease if treatment occurs in a timely manner. If diagnosed with early Lyme disease, Dr. Forouzesh can prescribe oral antibiotics to fight the infection, which usually leads to a complete recovery.
If Lyme disease is already affecting your nervous system or joints, Dr. Forouzesh will determine if intravenous antibiotics are needed to treat the infection.
If possible exposure to Lyme disease is suspected, Dr. Forouzesh can evaluate you and provide information and advice on what treatment will be needed, as well as how to avoid future exposure to Lyme disease and tick bites.
Find out more about Lyme disease testing and prevention by calling the Hoboken office directly or booking an appointment online.
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The Infection That Launched A Thousand Protests
Lyme disease is a bacterial infection caused by Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato and transmitted by Ixodes species ticks. The infection is non-fatal, non-communicable from person-to-person, is responsive to antibiotics, and is limited in range both geographically and seasonally. The most common clinical manifestation is a characteristic skin lesion that occurs at the site of the tick bite. Within weeks, some untreated patients might develop nervous system abnormalities or cardiac symptoms within months, arthritis can develop, most commonly affecting the knee. In addition to these objective clinical manifestations, some patients have several subjective complaints that are usually most prominent early in the infection. These symptoms include fatigue, arthralgia, myalgia, headache, stiff neck, and impaired concentration symptoms that are common in many infectious and non-infectious disorders.
Infectious Disease Specialist & Internist Located In Hoboken Nj
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, studies suggest that the number of people diagnosed with Lyme disease each year in the United States is around 300,000. If youre bitten and experience unexplained joint pain and fatigue, schedule an evaluation at Advanced Infectious Disease Medical in Hoboken, New Jersey. Avisheh Forouzesh, MD, specializes in diagnosing and treating Lyme disease. Her office is well-equipped to remove ticks, test for Lyme disease, and treat existing infections. Learn more about treatment options for Lyme disease by calling the Hoboken office or using the online booking feature.
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Man’s Ravaging Lyme Disease Eludes Doctors For A Year
Music professor says CDC test failed to pick up his disabling Lyme disease.
— Allen Bargfrede said he was jumping into the shower when he spotted a tiny tick on his ankle that would change his life.
I washed it off and didnt think about it anymore, said the 39-year-old associate professor of music business at Berklee College of Music in Boston, who was in Spain at the time for a conference. I remember thinking to myself, I hope I dont get sick from that.
Two days later, Bargfrede said he developed the classic bulls eye rash of Lyme disease, a bacterial infection transmitted through tick bites. The rash eventually gave way to a fever, cough and strange headaches, he said.
I had severe anxiety, said Bargfrede, who was getting ready to head home to the U.S. when the symptoms began to worsen. I was crazy scared to get on an airplane.
Bargfrede said it took nearly a year to confirm that he had Lyme disease after a string of negative tests, dangerous treatments and disbelief from most of his American doctors.
The best treatment for Lyme disease is the prompt use of antibiotics, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But the CDC acknowledges that its recommended test can miss Lyme disease in its early stages, and it only catches an American species of the bacterium not the one Bargfrede contracted in Spain.
How To Approach Your Non
For various reasons, you may choose to consult with a doctor who doesnt specialize in Lyme disease or other tick-borne diseases.
If so, be sure to be as proactive as possible in providing information that could help in diagnosing your disease, and always feel free to share resources that you find in your own research to prompt discussions about any aspect of your diagnosis or treatment, including more advanced testing options.
If your doctor does not believe Lyme disease exists, reach out to another doctor for a second opinion.
Want To Find A Blood Draw Site? Use Our Tool Here.
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Identify Doctors Trained In The Diagnosis And Treatment Of Tick
You can access a variety of online resources and directories to locate doctors who are specifically trained in identifying and treating tick-borne illnesses. These do not have to be infectious disease specialists they can be physicians from any practice area who simply have extensive experience with tick-borne diseases.
It is particularly important to find a Lyme expert if you suspect that you may have Lyme disease, since it is the most frequently misdiagnosed of all tick-borne diseases. Finding a Lyme-literate medical doctor a physician who is familiar with the vast range of symptoms that may indicate infection at various stages of the disease, as well as potential coinfections and other complexitiescan help ensure that you get the right treatment, right away.
To find a doctor who is also a Lyme expert, you may want to explore the following resources:
Note: Some of these organizations may require you to submit a form or create a login to access their databases.
Patients Receive Last Chance At Lyme Disease Treatment
Envita is an integrative center of excellence for personalized Lyme disease treatment and after nearly 20 years, wehave clinically seen one factor remain true across most of our patients, antibiotics alone are not enough! Antibioticsare typically only effective in the very early stages of Lyme disease, but for many, this is merely the first step ofa years-long battle with increasingly debilitating symptoms ranging from fatigue and muscle pain to cognitive andneurological disorders. Over time, patients find themselves unable to live their life as they struggle to get ahead ofthis progressing disease. However, at Envita we have discovered a revolutionary solution for patients to help improvetheir quality of life.
Envita Medical Centers doesn’t make any guarantee of outcomes. Results are not typical and will varyfromperson to person and should not be expected.
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Breaking Down The Barriers To Care For Lyme Disease Patients Where Other Doctors Have Failed
Lyme disease is one of the fast growing and most difficult to treat diseases in the world.Lyme patients live a life of chronic pain, with various debilitating conditions that affect the mind and body. Theseconditions leave patients searching for answers to their various symptoms, but with the lack of proper treatment, theyexperience little success. Because Lyme disease symptoms resemble that of so many other diseases and because the conventional medical community continues to be misinformed about diagnosisand treatment, stricken patients fail to receive the medical care necessary to restore their health. However, over thepast 17 years Envita has been helping patients overcome the misdiagnoses and misinformation associated withconventional and alternative medical treatment of Lyme disease.
Envita Medical Centers doesn’t make any guarantee of outcomes. Results are not typical and will vary fromperson to person and should not be expected.
To help better understand the difficulty of differentiating Lyme disease from other diseases we have included a chartfrom a recent published study in the Medical Microbiology publication which shows the similarity of symptoms betweenLyme disease and other commonly misdiagnosed diseases.
Call Ahead And Ask Questions
Even if you find a doctor who specializes in treating tick-borne diseases, you will want to ask some questions before making an appointment and committing your time and money. A few basic questions to consider asking upfront include the following:
- What is your experience in treating patients with tick-borne diseases?
- How do you diagnose diseases? Do you use any specific labs or lab tests to confirm diagnosis?
- Do you test for coinfections?
- Do you use traditional antibiotics and/or herbals?
- Do you have any patient success stories you can share?
- Do you strictly adhere to CDC test interpretation criteria or are you open to alternative criteria?
If youd like to find a LLMD and want to know more about how to vet them, read the Tick Talk blog, What Makes a Doctor Lyme Literate?
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State And Local Lyme Organizations And Nonprofits
If youre unable to find an LLMD through a national organization, consider doing a web search for a state or local Lyme organization or nonprofit. Some keywords that may generate helpful, search results for you include:
- The name of your state
- Lyme disease
- Nonprofit
For example, typing in Minnesota Lyme disease nonprofit yields the Minnesota Lyme Association , where you can then browse their website for ways to locate a physician or fill out the contact form for more help. These days, most states have some sort of site to distribute information to inquiring patients.
What Are The Symptoms Of Lyme Disease
You may not feel it when a tick bites you, but whether you spot it and remove it or it drops off naturally, it can leave a lump similar to a mosquito bite that disappears after a few days. Seeing the mark shows youve had a tick bite, but doesnt confirm you have Lyme disease.
If your tick bite is infected, it typically takes from three days to a month for the bulls-eye rash often seen in people who have Lyme disease to appear. This rash, called erythema migrans, isnt normally itchy or painful but may feel warm and can expand outwards by up to a foot.
You may also experience:
- Stiff neck
- Swollen lymph nodes
If Lyme disease is left untreated, it can cause further symptoms. The bulls-eye rash can appear on other parts of the body, and you may have severe attacks of joint pain and swelling. You may also experience neurological symptoms such as:
- Meningitis
- Numbness or weakness in your arms and legs
- Impaired muscle movement
These symptoms sometimes appear years after the original infection. Less frequently seen symptoms include irregular heartbeat, inflammation in the eyes, severe fatigue, and hepatitis.
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How 11 Top Nyc Doctors Missed My Lyme Disease
This is one of a series of guest blogs by people who have enrolled in MyLymeData.
A July 2014 wedding on Long Beach Island, New Jersey was the start of my nightmare.
It was a beautiful weekend filled with love for two of our dearest friends who were, after 14 years together, finally legally able to marry. There was lobster and champagne and a crazy Gordon Gekko-style house on the beach. I sang a few songs, made a toast, and cried happy tears.
I woke up two days later, back home in NYC, with a crushing head and neck ache. It was weird, but I figured I would sleep it off and be better in the morning. It took a few days, but I recovered.
That Saturday, I got out of the shower and saw a faint red circular rash on my shoulder with a bug bite in the middle. My knees buckled. I called for my husband, Andy, HUNNEEEE! I have LYME!
He really didnt think so.
I banged on my neighbors door, still in my towel, Rachel! Look! Lyme!
She told me no way.
But I knew, and I walked to the ER.
The fresh-faced doc took a quick glance at my shoulder and said it looked like Lyme, and to thank God I wasnt one of those crazy Lyme people that never gets better because they caught it too late.
I filled the CDC recommended 21 days of 200 mg of Doxycycline and fully believed Id be okay.
I followed up with an infectious disease specialist from NYU a few days later, to be safe. He reassured me that I would have no complications since I caught the bite within a week.
I was relieved.
So was I.
The Earlier In The Course Of Tick Borne Disease That The Treatment Is Started The Better For The Patient And The Worse For The Microbes
Early detection, however, can be difficult. Lyme IS the most prevalent tick borne disease in the states and it is increasing in incidence year to year. Yet the Center for Disease Control estimates only 10% of the cases of Lyme disease are reported annually. This is because only 50% to 68% of patients have a clear bulls-eye rash. Only 26% ever see the tick that gives them Lyme disease. Most people do not know that a flu in the late spring, summer or early fall can be a sign of Lyme disease. Most doctors do not know that Lyme exists anywhere but the northeast part of the United States. So early treatment is a challenge. I try during tick season in Northern California to have short appointments to check out a tick bite or erythema migrans rash, in order to effect early treatment.
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How Is Lyme Disease Treated
Treatment for Lyme disease involves the use of antibiotics to kill the bacteria causing the infection. The sooner you start treatment at SivIMed Internal Medicine and Primary Care, the better your prognosis. Dr. Sivakumar prescribes a two to three-week course of oral antibiotics which should kill the infection, but if your nervous system becomes infected, you may need intravenous antibiotics too.
If you need advice on Lyme disease or have any symptoms of the condition, call SivIMed Internal Medicine and Primary Care today, or book an appointment online.
The Most Accurate Lyme Disease Test
Many of the patients we see have already been tested and told they didnt have Lyme disease but continued to suffer from classic Lyme symptoms.
When we re-test these individuals with our extremely sensitive Lyme test, almost all cases are confirmed to be infected with Lyme. This is due to the sensitivity of the Lyme test we use.
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