Study Proves What Ilads Physicians Have Been Saying For Years: Standard Lyme Disease Testing Fails Up To 70 Percent Of Time
A respected University Medical Center, Drexel University College of Medicine, has proven that standard Lyme Disease testing fails to diagnose 60- to 70-percent of patients who are truly affected with Lyme Disease.
For this reason, nearly all of the Lyme Disease patients at Sponaugle Wellness Institute have been infected for years. Because these patients went undiagnosed for so long, they have become Chronic Lyme Disease patients, and a majority are suffering from brain infections and therefore have Neurological Lyme Symptoms.
Also Check: What Is The Treatment For Lyme Disease
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Below are some of the symptoms and wellness goals that patients find results with at Sponaugle Wellness:
- Beauty & Anti-Aging
Other Surprising Lyme Disease Symptoms
So many people are walking around with inexplicable health conditions and baffling symptoms.
Conventional doctors are often perplexed by the striking range of symptoms, leading to severe misdiagnosis. Patients are often brushed off as hypochondriacs or having mental illnesses neither of which leads to a resolution.
The tsunami of symptoms is not some strange mystery illness. Its often simply Lyme Disease that can manifest as:
- Flu-like symptoms Fever, chills, fatigue, body aches, and a headache may accompany the rash.
- Joint pain If the infection is not treated, bouts of severe joint pain and swelling, weakness and arthritis may occur, particularly in the knees.
- Unexplained Symptoms Brain Fog, malaise, fatigue, dizziness, aches and pains, headaches, anxiety, mood swings, depression, abdominal pains, nausea, diarrhea, sleep disturbances, stiff neck
- Neurological problems In some cases, untreated infection resulting from Lyme disease may result in inflammation of the membranes surrounding the brain , temporary paralysis of one side of the face and weakness, numbness, tingling, shooting pains or burning in different parts of the body or limbs.
Many patients are startled to discover their poor health is the result of having Lyme Disease.
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Test For Lyme Disease
Please take the time to read this 15 minute blog. It tells of how someone beat Lyme Disease and Q-fever, both contracted from the same tick bite, but Q-fever being 10 time worse than Lyme Disease. He tells of how doctors were not able to cure him and at his last hope found several natural foods that turned his health around within a week. On deaths door to a full recovery. Check out the simple ways he cured lyme disease with organic foods.
What is chronic Lyme disease?
Chronic Lyme disease is widely unrecognized and unknown in today’s popular contemporary medical field – in fact it creates defensiveness and denial when mentioned in many circles.
Chronic illness in and of itself has long existed and acknowledged throughout the world. On Ask.com, the following answer appeared after asking what is chronic illness:
A chronic disease is a disease that will last for a long time or will come and go, but always be a part of your life. Some chronic diseases include Fibromyalgia, COPD, diabetes, cancers and the different types of arthritis.
When I look up chronic on dictionary.com, I get words like “constant, habitual, continuing for a long time or recurring frequently, having a long duration.” The Word English Dictionary adds “developing slowly, very bad and very serious” to the list.
We are the cusp of a Lyme revolution. Keep talking about it, keep researching, keep seeking truth in this Lyme battle. Be a Lyme evangelist with me.
News: Florida Doctors Reluctant To Diagnose Lyme Disease
The Tampa Tribune looks at how hard it is to get properly diagnosed with Lyme disease in Florida. “We’re lepers,” says one advocate. “We can’t get treatment. We are the new HIV/AIDS patients and we are being ignored by physicians and if they do let us know we have Lyme disease, they tell us to go to New York. We can’t all fly to New York for treatment.”
Researchers: Florida doctors reluctant to diagnose Lyme disease
For more than two years, Dolores Claesson has fought a microscopic enemy, a germ passed into her 17-year-old daughter, Sofia, by a sesame seed-size tick.
If caught early, Lyme disease could have been easily treated, said Dolores Claesson, who runs a support group and manages a widespread network of Lyme disease patents and researchers. But because the malady has not really found a home in Florida yet, she said, doctors here are reluctant to diagnose it.
And some medical researchers agree, saying many doctors simply are complying with a study by the Infectious Diseases Society of America that warns against over-diagnosing Lyme disease because its symptoms are so complex and mimic other ailments.
In Sofias case, doctors misdiagnosed her disease and mistreated it, stretching her sickness from days to months and eventually years. Now, her immune system is depleted and she is a perfect host to any virus that comes along, her mom said. Just this week, the teen spent eight hours in a doctors office getting an intravenous antibiotic drip.
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Illinois Clinicians Demonstrate Gaps In Understanding Of Tick
Carson and colleagues surveyed clinicians between August 2020 and February 2022 and reported their findings in the article Knowledge, attitudes, and practices of Illinois medical professionals related to ticks and tick-borne disease. ¹ The respondents included RNs , physicians , and APNs/PAs . The authors found that clinicians were best at identifying Lyme disease. Out of 346 respondents, 80% correctly identified Lyme disease as endemic to Illinois, while 95% were
What Is Lyme Disease
Lyme disease is a tick-borne infection caused by a bacteria called Borrelia burgdorferi. Lyme disease is most often transmitted by black-legged tick bites and in recent studies has also been found in mosquitos. The Lyme literate medical team at Sponaugle Wellness Institute have also concluded it can be sexually transmitted or passed on to an unborn child.
Black-legged ticks, also known as deer ticks, are most prevalent in the Northeast United States but have been found in all 50 states and Canada. These ticks live in wooded and grassy areas. Cases of Lyme disease are on the rise in recent years showing reported cases nearly doubling since 2014. The CDC estimates cases in the United States at more than 300,000 people infected annually while acknowledging that Lyme disease can be difficult to diagnose.
Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacteria that causes Lyme disease, is a corkscrew or helix-shaped organism called a spirochete. These spirochetes are known for being serious pathogens with Lyme diseases cellular make-up being close to that of syphilis. Borrelia burgdorferi can attack any organ in the body, including the central nervous system, the brain, the muscles, joints, the heart and more. Lyme Disease is known as the great imitator as Lyme disease symptoms have a widespread list of symptoms that mimic many other diseases causing it to be misdiagnosed for fibromyalgia, multiple sclerosis, chronic fatigue syndrome and various psychiatric illnesses such as depression.
Also Check: Chronic Neurological Lyme Disease Symptoms
Diagnosis Of Lyme Disease
Diagnosis of Lyme disease, especially in its early stages, is difficult. Early blood tests may show a false negative. This is because the antibodies produced in response to the infection do not usually show up on blood tests until weeks later. The illness is usually diagnosed by a combination of symptoms and a medical history that indicates the probability of exposure to ticks. Even with a negative blood test result, antibiotics may be prescribed because of the importance of treating the disease as soon as possible.
Options For Chronic Lyme Disease Treatment
Antibiotics are not a cure-all solution for Lyme disease rather, a whole body approach to healing is necessary in both acute and chronic Lyme disease cases. Since chronic Lyme disease triggers a severe inflammatory response in your body, controlling inflammation is one of the first steps before your body can heal. Restoring your immune system so that it can best fight the disease at its root level is the central goal for your integrative medicine healthcare provider. Getting enough sleep, managing stress, balancing hormones and reducing exposure to mold, parasites and toxic chemicals are all important considerations.
Dietary changes are key, including the consumption of anti-inflammatory and gut-healing foods . Immune boosting foods like fresh fruits and vegetables are high in antioxidants and nutrients. Fermented probiotic-rich foods like kefir, amasai, raw goat’s milk yogurt, unpasteurized sauerkraut or beet kvass have been shown to reduce the progression of infectious disease.
Addressing the chronic pain which is common to sufferers of chronic Lyme diseasewhile the disease is being combattedcan also involve alternatives to toxic, addictive pain medications. Some chronic pain treatments range from the use of frankincense essential oil, which contains the anti-inflammatory boswellia, to turmeric supplements and balms.
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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
Lyme Disease & My Story
For over thirty years of my life, I have dealt with my own health struggles, one of which has been Lyme disease. Through trial and error, I have gained control of this disease and have made it a goal to help others find effective, holistic AND traditional treatments for their own individual ailments.
For those of you who dont know, Lyme disease is an inflammatory bacterial disease that is believed to begin with a rash and headache, as well as chills and a fever. When left untreated, it can cause joint pain and neurological problems such as Bells palsy. It is caused mostly by deer ticks which feed on the blood of animals and humans. These ticks harbor bacteria that can spread to its host when feeding. Truthfully, only 50% of people get a bulls eye rash and only 10% of children present with a rash.
My history with Lyme disease started in the third grade. As an active Girl Scout, it wasnt uncommon to do tick checks on a regular basis. No one ever mentioned to check for a rash, but since most of mine were on my head under my hair, Im not sure anyone would have seen a rash anyway.
Over the years, I developed long-lasting flus, suffered from acid reflux, and have had at least four bouts with Bells Palsy. Ive had my gallbladder removed, had issues with my pregnancies, been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and Sjogrens syndrome, and have dealt with upper and lower GI issues, pain, and dabilitating fatigue.
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Why Choose Us For Your Western Blot Lyme Disease Test
- Request A Test has a proven track record of premium customer service, affordable pricing, and protecting customers personal info.
- No need to get an order from you doctor. Our national physician network supplies the needed medical order for lab work.
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- We offer an extensive test menu that includes lab and drug testing. Order either online or over the phone.
- If youre having trouble finding the test you need, simply give us a call!
The Request A Test online testing option is as simple as possible. Choose from our wide slate of available tests, select from over 3,600 nationwide locations, then get your results. Were dedicated to giving plenty of affordable testing selections, so you can have an active role in the management of your health. Our convenient locations and comprehensive online testing menu fulfill these key needs.
Diagnosing Chronic Lyme Disease And Lyme Disease Test
Diagnosing chronic Lyme disease is no simple matter since similar symptoms are seen in other infectious or autoimmune diseases like Epstein Barr, chronic fatigue, lupus, fibromyalgia, arthritis and even depression.
A combination of the Western blot and ELISA testswhich measure specific antibodies in the bloodare often recommended, but the test is flawed. For one thing, it takes time for antibodies to develop before the tests can register their presence and, for various other reasons, it is oftentimes inconclusive.
A direct microscopy, which is often performed by holistic health practitioners in combination with other physical exams and patient history to develop a diagnosis, is another option. Often, it is a comprehensive review of your symptoms in addition to the direct microscopy that can best identify chronic Lyme disease.
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How Is Lyme Disease Identified
If you don’t have the target-shaped red rash , but you’re experiencing symptoms, what’s next? Three to four weeks after your symptoms appear, the doctor will order a blood test to see if you have antibodies against the bacteria. There are two types of blood tests, the ELISA, and the Western Blot. The Western Blot is ordered when the ELISA blood test is inconclusive.
If you are experiencing nervous system symptoms, the next step in diagnosing you is performing a spinal tap, where spinal fluid is removed from your spinal canal to detect brain and spinal cord inflammation, and search for Lyme disease bacterium in your spinal fluid.
Dr Minkoff Mdmedia Engagements
Dr. Minkoff is a highly sought after speaker on natural health, healing, alternative medicine and more. As an expert on Lyme Disease & Ozone Therapy as well as a variety of difficult chronic health conditions such as Cancer, Fibromyalgia, Lupus, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Auto-Immune conditions and Chronic Pain he frequently speaks to groups, on podcasts and in videos.
Root Cause Documentary
Dr. Minkoff was featured prominently in this new documentary about the unexpected relationship of root canals to ones health. Watch the trailer below or purchase the full documentary here.
HealthCare Champions
HealthCare Champions is a weekly show that airs on CW44 Tampa Bay. Watch Dr. Minkoff talk about Lyme disease during episode #2 of his six part health care series.
Also Check: How Does A Tick Cause Lyme Disease
Social Media Efforts Shine Light On Lyme Disease
TAMPA, FL A major social media campaign is shining the light on Lyme Disease, and now major celebrities are getting involved.
Singing sensation Avril Lavigne just announced she is struggling with Lyme Disease, and many other are participating in the #LymeDiseaseChallenge which now trending strong on Facebook and Twitter. Local Clearwater infection disease specialist, Dr. David Minkoff, thinks the awareness campaign is important.
I dont believe people realize what a serious and under-reported Lyme Disease is, said Dr. David Minkoff of LifeWorks Wellness Center. Minkoff uses a specialty lab out of Arizona to test patients for Lyme Disease.
We do that as part of our routine screening of people and many times you can see these organisms, said Minkoff.
Most cases of Lyme Disease are caused by a bacteria carried by deer ticks. People many time dont realize theyve been infected and often times the conditions are linked to other health related issues like Multiple Sclerosis, Lupus, the flu and even pregnancy.
Minkoff pointed out that its extremely important for doctors to know exactly what they are dealing with, in addition to other underlying conditions a patient might be dealing with before mapping out a treatment plan.
Patient Stephanie Stapleton went from one doctor to the next before finding Dr. Minkoff. When she finally researched him as a Lyme Disease expert in our area, she had hit her breaking point in dealing with symptoms linked to the disease.
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
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Tick Bites: Lyme Disease Symptoms
Chronic or late-stage Lyme Disease tends to affect people who have big things to offer the world. These people may already seem to be “on their path” and often excel in multiple areas at once, including the healing arts. The illness seems to appear in people who could go even deeper with their healing and creative gifts but for one reason or another feel locked into their current lifestyle. Perhaps they have unexpressed creative gifts like photography, painting or writing. Maybe they’ve been waiting for life to “let up” before they indulge such longings. But the creative pursuits themselves offer healing – not just for the Lyme folks, but for the world in a bigger way.
On the soul level, Chronic Lyme shows up like a roto-rooter, forcing people to dig deep and remove ALL blocks to creativity and healing. To the outside world, these people usually look like they have no blocks because they’re moving so effectively through life, but Life has other plans. It’s as though these souls came in with a bigger mission than their current lifestyle or world view allows. They may get nudged a few times, but if they don’t respond fully, then along come some little spirochetes to terrorize the immune and neurological systems into action. Like a guerrilla army, the bacteria sneak inside without detection and then launch a massive attack that captures attention through shock and awe.