How Is It Diagnosed
There is no test that can determine if a patient is infected with the Lyme Disease bacterium and then demonstrate that the patient has become bacterium-free.
Therefore, Lyme Disease is a clinical diagnosis based on signs and symptoms, with the patients travel history to endemic areas and test results being additional pieces of information in the complete picture. No test can rule-out Lyme Disease.
Certain tests, both indirect and direct, can aid in a proper diagnosis.
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.
Caleb Manscill Chief Technology Officer
Lehi, Utah
Caleb founded his own consulting business that provided marketing, business development, IP strategy, and company transaction strategy and consulting for clients in healthcare, wellness, higher education, and private equity. He operated his consulting business for ten years. He also founded multiple internet content companies that he has successfully exited.
After running his consulting company, Caleb moved on to building products for the healthcare industry as the VP of Product for an analytics company. The company was acquired by a private equity group and merged with four other healthcare companies. Caleb then moved on to serve as the Head of Business Development & Enterprise Solutions for Weave, a patient experience management platform company. He also serves on the Board of Directors for UHIMSS. Caleb has a BA in American Studies from Brigham Young University and an MBA from Babson College.
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Dr Jeffrey Scott Rapp Md
Dr. Jeffrey Scott Rapp MD is a Infectious Disease Specialist that deals with patients out of his office in Los Angeles, CA. He has been practicing medicine since his medical license was received in 1997. His medical license was issued in the state of California.
He specializes in the following discipline:
- Infectious Disease Specialist
- Internal Medicine
Dr. Jeffrey Scott Rapp MD graduated from University Of Pennsylvania School Of Medicine in 1988.
At the time of posting, Dr. Jeffrey Scott Rapp MD was accepting the following medical insurance at his office in Los Angeles, CA:
- Blue Cross Blue Shield
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Should You Use Antibiotics
Different antibiotics may be used to treat children and adults. The decision to take medicines for Lyme disease may be based on one or more of these factors:
- You have symptoms of Lyme disease, especially the red, circular rash, and a history of exposure to ticks in geographic regions where Lyme disease is known to occur.
- Blood tests show that you have antibodies to the Lyme disease bacteria in your blood, spinal fluid, or joint fluid.
- You are pregnant or breastfeeding and are bitten by a tick.
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A Q& a With Dr Amiram Katz
How do you define chronic Lyme disease?
There is no debate about defining acute Lyme infection. Chronic Lyme disease is more complicated. The majority of the medical community denies the existence of chronic Lyme disease patients who continue to be ill after the standard 30 days of antibiotics treatment that the Infectious Disease Society of America recommends are referred to as Post Treatment Lyme Disease .
Chronic Lyme is a disease that continues either after the acute spirochetal infection is recognized and treated appropriately in a timely manner, or, if the initial infection is not identified, it may develop into chronic illness insidiously. Even from a microbiological standpoint, one of the characteristics of chronic Lyme disease is the persistence of the spirochetes that can never be totally eliminated from the body. Their defense mechanisms allow them to turn into persisters they may go dormant in the body for long periods of time, but they are still there.
What are the symptoms?
Expectations For A Lanc Direct Neurofeedback Session
Sessions are 20-30 minutes long, and the client remains passive, sitting back and relaxing in a comfortable chair. It is not uncommon for a client to experience a feeling of lightness and relaxation in the very first session. While this effect is temporary, follow-up sessions encourage the brain to develop and access the new pathways it has discovered until they become permanent and the nervous system returns to healthy self-regulation.
As LANCs DNFB sessions only last about 30 minutes and are usually done twice a week for the first three weeks, improvement may be seen quite quicklyespecially when compared to medication. If you are pursuing anti-biotic treatment for Lyme disease, you may find that your immune system is able to make progress more quickly with more lasting results. Try your first session today to support your treatment for Lyme Disease.
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We Have At Least A Million Patients Suffering From A Chronic Condition That Was Initiated By Lyme And Probably A Minute Fraction Of Them Are Getting The Right Attention And Recognition
I always thought that the autoimmune explanation of chronic Lyme would make sense to the mainstream medical community, but many shy away from it. The autoimmune etiology of chronicity should be accepted and further research should continue in this direction. Unfortunately, I think that the NIH doesnt push enough in this direction and is focused on the early diagnostic testing while not giving enough weight to the chronic problem. Meanwhile, in mainstream literature, its agreed that 10 percent of patients who are diagnosed with Lyme and treated in a timely manner go on to develop a chronic illness, and that every year, 30,000 people are added to the pool of chronically ill patientsand we really dont know what to do with them. We have at least a million patients suffering from a chronic condition that was initiated by Lyme, and probably a minute fraction of them are getting the right attention and recognition.
What do we know about the sources of Lyme disease, the risk of contracting it, and why it develops into a chronic issue in some people?
Its possible that some people are more prone to contracting Lyme than others, as some peoples perspiration, or pheromones, may attract ticks or other carriers more so than others.
If you suspect youve been bitten and/or contracted Lyme, what should you do?
What are the testing methods?
What Does A Lyme Disease Tick Bite Look Like
In 70 to 80% of Lyme disease cases, there is an appearance of erythema migrans, or a very pronounced tell-tale rash typically, your skin will look like a red bull’s eye, or target-shaped rash. There will often be a pustule center to this bull’s eye. Please see the photo in this article to familiarize yourself with its appearance. Please note that other bitessuch as spider bitescan appear like this, so if your rash has this appearance, please see your healthcare provider and get tested right away.
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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?
Features Associated With Improved Treatment Outcomes
As noted above, the companion machine learning study analyzed 215 features from the MyLymeData patient registry and identified key predictive features . Most of the 30 features identified related to treatment, which is the focus of this section. More specifically, we focus on treatment approach, treatment duration, and clinical focus of the treating clinician.
The use of antibiotics and the duration of antibiotic treatment for CLD is controversial . This is because there is no biomarker that can determine whether Borrelia burgdorferi has been eradicated in CLD patients. In addition, CLD is an under-funded disease that has not attracted pharmaceutical interest in treatment improvement. Only three grants have been funded by the NIH to assess treatment response in Lyme patients who remain ill after a short course of antibioticsthe last was funded over 20 years ago. These trials yielded conflicting results, relied on average treatment effects, employed small samples , and excluded over 89% of patients who sought to enroll .
It is against this backdrop that this study was conducted. To our knowledge, it is the largest observational study of patients using real-world data to analyze the response of CLD patients to treatment.
4.3.1. The Use of Antibiotics Is Associated with Improved Treatment Outcomes
4.3.2. Longer Treatment Durations Associated with Greater Treatment Response
4.3.3. Clinical Focus of Treating Practitioner
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Potential Barriers To Accepting A Lyme Disease Vaccine
Welcome to another Inside Lyme Podcast with your host Dr. Daniel Cameron. In this episode, Dr. Cameron discusses the potential barriers to the public’s acceptance and utilization of a Lyme disease vaccine. By Dr. Daniel Cameron The study, Understanding consumer and clinician perceptions of a potential Lyme disease vaccine, was published by Devchand and colleagues in the journal Health Education Research.¹ It has been two decades since the LYMErix vaccine
Is It Possible For Lyme Illness To Harm Your Mouth
Lyme disease can impact your oral health, in addition to the implications it has on the TM joint that regulates jaw mobility. Dry mouth and inflammation of the pulp have been identified as oral symptoms in those who have Lyme disease. Pulpitis is an inflammatory condition that can occur if dental caries is not addressed. The dental pulp is affected, and major complaint is pain. Inflammation of the salivary gland is also a possibility.
Burning mouth syndrome is a symptom of Lyme disease in some people. Burning in the mouth is a common symptom of this chronic illness, which can affect the mouth, lips, gums, inner side of the cheeks, roof of the mouth, or the entire mouth. The patient may feel as if they have just had their tongue scorched by a hot beverage. The etiology of burning mouth disorder is unknown in many instances. Lyme disease is usually linked to neurological problems caused by the bacterium.
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A Minor Fluctuation In Subjective Visual Interpretation Can Entirely Alter A Patients Health Outcomepotentially Leading To Chronic Illness Which Is Then Denied As A Chronic Illness
Since this visual inspection is subjective and varies from one technician to the other, it is not surprising that sometimes Ill get three different blot results of the same patients blood sample .
I use a laboratory that analyzes the optic density of the band with a machine, so its more reliable, and I also have a picture of the blot sent to me so I dont have to solely rely on someone elses interpretation. Still, as mentioned, Ive seen three Western blot tests from the same patient come back with three different bands reports that indicate alternating positive and negative results. This test is supposed to be what doctors use to determine how and whether to treat patients or not! A minor fluctuation in subjective visual interpretation can entirely alter a patients health outcomepotentially leading to chronic illness, which is then denied as a chronic illness. So, I read those blots a little more liberally when patients are presenting with symptomsIm looking for shadows, visible lines, that might indicate that there was some antibody activity against spirochetes. A band cannot be there unless there are antibodies against the particular spirochetal protein. So if it is 1 percent below the cutoff number, shouldnt it be counted? This can make all the difference for a patient.
Whats your approach to treating Lyme?
How Is Stem Cell Therapy Done
Stem Cells are extracted from a patients adipose tissue or love handles, not only do you receive millions of your own bodys stem cells at once, we also remove some of the fat, so its a win-win situation. The flank portion of the back is numbed with cream and then lidocaine, all while you are awake, and is completely painless. Once you are numb, we suction 50cc of fat or less than 2 ounces and from there we centrifuge the stem cells from the remaining fat and blood through a proprietary process that is registered with the IRB and the FDA. Once the Stem Cells are completely separated through this tedious and careful process, they can be reintroduced right back into your body the same day.
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What Is Lyme Disease
Lyme disease is an infection caused by bacteria transmitted through bites from infected deer ticks. On the West Coast, black-legged ticks also transmit Lyme disease. Anyone can get Lyme disease, but it is especially prevalent in younger children and older adults.
Everyone who spends time outdoors near woods or grassy parks is at risk of exposure to a bite from an infected tick. Often, the tick bite is painless and unnoticeable because the insect is so small. It can stay attached to your skin for several days, and the longer it stays, the higher your risk of getting the infection directly into your bloodstream.
How Can I Protect My Pet
Vaccines are available for dogs.
Take precautions to guard against ticks when entering tick habitat, such as grassy, shrubby, wooded, or beach grass areas.
Cut down or mow grassy areas regularly to reduce tick habitation. Treat the environment with insecticides designed specifically for ticks. To avoid contaminating water, experts recommend spraying at least 75 feet away from a well.
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Who Is At Risk For Lyme Disease
If you live in a wooded area, or spend a lot of time outdoors, especially in the states of the coastal northeast, Mid-Atlantic states, Wisconsin, Minnesota, northern California, Asia, Europe or South America, you can be exposed to the blacklegged ticks that carry Lyme disease. If your home is built in a formerly rural area that displaces large deer populations, you are also at risk for Lyme disease. Animals that can carry Lyme disease include:
- White-footed field mice
- Horses
Dorothy Kupcha Leland Vice
Davis, California
Dorothy Kupcha Leland has a professional background in journalism, politics and book publishing. After her daughter became seriously disabled by Lyme disease in 2005, Dorothy became active with LymeDisease.org. She writes the Touched by Lyme blog, coordinates LDos social media, and spearheads LymeDisease.orgs public education efforts. She has a special interest in how Lyme disease affects the whole familynot just the person with the illness. She is co-author of the book When Your Child Has Lyme Disease: A Parents Survival Guide.
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Lyme Arthritis In Children Can Present Throughout The Year
The studys objective was to evaluate the seasonality of pediatric Lyme disease in three endemic regions in the United States, writes Sundheim. Participants had been treated at 8 different medical centers throughout the Northeast and UpperMidwest. Of the 690 children with Lyme disease, 77 had a single EM lesion, 247 had early disseminated disease, and 366 had arthritis, wrote the authors. Children with early and early-disseminated Lyme disease
A Dentist Who Is Lyme
During dental examinations, certain dental health practitioners may be able to detect symptoms of Lyme disease. Many symptoms, such as head and neck discomfort, may lead someone to seek treatment from a dentist instead of their general practitioner, since they believe their ailment is caused by a tooth issue. Dental practitioners must be comprehensive in their inquiries regarding signs, medical histories, and social background in order to detect a Lyme disease infection and suggest additional examination. When treating people with Lyme disease, dental practitioners and other primary care providers must work together successfully.
Dental extractions can trigger significant pain flare-ups and other unpleasant complaints in people with late-stage Lyme disease. Coping with Lyme disease could be unpleasant, but people bitten by an infectious tick may well have a lower risk of getting PTLDS if they receive good and timely treatment.
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Autoimmune Diseases Are More Prevalent In Women Towards Whom There Is A Discarding Attitude That Unfortunately Continues To This Day Where Chronic Illness In Women Is Written Off As Solely An Emotional Matter
But we need to give these patients time. At my practice, I give patients two hours for an initial visit and sometimes it lasts longer. For follow-ups, it is at least an hour. We need to be able to communicateespecially with neuropsychiatric Lyme patients who might also need some therapy and counseling, whose family we might need to work with, too. As a doctor, you need to be close to your patients. Patients need to feel comfortable with you and know that you will listen to all their problems and take them seriously. Thats the most important thing: You need to believe that the patients symptoms are real and the patient needs to feel it.
There is an attitude among a few doctors that some patients symptoms are not valid. If there is no immediate explanation for symptoms, patients are sometimes sent to a psychiatrist, under the assumption that their problems are emotional . Autoimmune diseases are more prevalent in women, towards whom there is a discarding attitude, that unfortunately continues to this day where chronic illness in women is written off as solely an emotional matter.
Can you explain your stance on alternative therapies?