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Lyme Disease Specialist Charlotte Nc

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Lyme Disease In Dogs: Prevention Through Vaccination Is The Key

Do you know the signs of Lyme disease?

Nearly everyone has heard of Lyme Disease. It is a serious problem for people. But would it surprise you to know that dogs can also get Lyme Disease? And it is becoming an increasingly common condition throughout North Carolina. Why? The spread of ticks that carry the disease.

It may also surprise you to know that ticks are actually a year-round problem in North Carolina, but because we spend more time outside during Spring, Summer and Autumn, ticks are more likely to latch onto us and our dogs the more time we spend in nature.

Lyme Disease is caused by the bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi. The bacteria live inside of ticks, then is spread to dogs or people through a tick bite. The most common carrier of Lyme Disease is the Blacklegged Tick which is widely present in the Eastern US and Upper Midwest. Ticks tend to thrive in tall grass or thick brushy areas as well as woods .

The most common symptoms of Lyme Disease are typically the same symptoms as in people: Feverloss of appetitelameness / limping general sluggishnessdiscomfort, or pain. In more extreme situations, kidney failure may occur, which can be fatal. The disease may also affect the heart and the nervous system.

Lyme Disease can be diagnosed with a blood test. At Carolina Value Pet Care, we offer a Heartworm Test that also tests for Lyme Disease .

While the disease can be treated, the effects of the disease may persist for several years just as in people.

What You Should Know About Ticks And Lyme Disease In Charlotte Nc

Being outdoors in Charlotte, NC can bring happiness, but it can also bring parasites. Whether you’re on a hike or in your backyard, you could come across ticks. Unfortunately, ticks are more than a nuisance and can make you seriously ill. All it takes is one bite from a tick for you to catch Lyme disease, and the consequences may be life-changing. Find out everything you should know about local ticks and Lyme disease.

What Are The Best Tests For Lyme Disease

At the Carolina Brain Center, we recommend two tests. One is DNA Connexions, a urine test. The other is MacTech Imaging, a saliva test.

The DNA Connexions test identifies co-infections common to Lyme disease. MacTech Imaging picks up where the DNA Connexions test leaves off by giving doctors an idea of a patients overall microbial load. Each saliva sample is scanned for spirochetes and then given a graded score.

These two unique tests allow us to proceed confidently with treatment. Post-treatment analysis informs doctors as to whether a patient is clear.

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Do Antibiotics Kill Lyme Disease

In acute cases, or when taken prophylactically soon after a bite, antibiotics can be helpful. But Dr. Dane recommends follow-up testing with DNA Connexions and MacTech Imaging. Not everyone bitten by a tick will develop Lyme disease. However, it is becoming more broadly accepted that increased numbers of patients experience treatment failure and end up with long-term, debilitating symptoms. These may include pain, fatigue, and cognitive dysfunction. This is why extra testing is worth the effort.

Long-term antibiotic therapy for treating CLD has negative effects on the immune and venous systems if the antibiotics are given intravenously. But the main disadvantage of this type of treatment is that patients do not get the satisfaction of saying unequivocally that they beat the disease. Even Lyme-literate doctors will say antibiotics help to manage symptoms but do not eliminate the disease. This is true.

Antibiotics place Lyme infections into a dormant state, which of course result in the patient feeling better. The problem is that symptoms return as soon as antibiotics are stopped. Herbals do basically the same thing. The spirochetes go into a cystic formation and cover up with biofilm.

Spirochetes associated with CLD have great anatomical advantage. The way they are built allows them to live easily in viscous areas of the body, such as the mouth. The biofilm that forms over them makes them especially resistant to antibacterial treatments.

What Ticks Should You Look Out For

Naturopathic Doctor

No ticks are desirable, but some are more dangerous than others. Out of all the ticks in Charlotte, deer ticks are the most common type to spread Lyme disease. Adult male deer ticks are brown, but turn reddish-brown when they feed on you. Although the females are larger than the males, they still only grow to about five millimeters long. Typically, they are redder than the males.

As a deer tick feeds on a host, they become larger and swollen. In fact, they sometimes double in size. Before feeding, these ticks have flat bodies and are visible but difficult to see. They often go unnoticed in human and animal hosts, only to be found after they latch on and start eating.

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Prevention Of Lyme Disease

If you are not currently using a preventative for Lyme disease, talk to your vet immediately. Prevention is always preferred when it comes to tick-borne illnesses. If your pet is currently on a preventative, make sure to administer it as prescribed. Because a tick must be attached for 48 hours to transmit the disease, make sure to check your dog after time spent outside. If the tick is removed prior to 48 hours of attachment, the host will unlikely get the disease.

Further, there are several vaccines available against Lyme disease in dogs. It is recommended that dogs be screened for exposure to the bacteria before vaccination to ensure the vaccine is safe and appropriate for them.

Treatment Starts With Accurate Diagnosis

The only way to get the proper treatment for your tick-borne disease is to get the right diagnosis in the first place and one of the best ways to do that is, if possible, to see a physician whos experienced with tick-borne diseases. Accurate diagnosis also requires high quality testing at a reputable lab. Learn more about why doctors and patients trust the tests offered by IGeneX.

Read Also: How Do You Know If You Get Lyme Disease

Why Choose Us For Your Testing For Lyme Disease

  • Since 2002, we have a proven track record of offering excellent customer service, affordable pricing with no hidden fees, and our enduring commitment to protect your personal information.
  • No doctor’s order? Our national physician network provides the required doctor’s order for the lab. Insurance is not needed to order lab testing nor will your insurance company be billed.
  • We are partnered with two of the largest CLIA certified labs in the US, to offer you the latest lab testing technology with prompt and accurate results.
  • With over 3,600 lab locations to choose from and same day collection, we make lab testing quick and convenient. No appointment is needed. Find your local lab with our location finder.
  • We offer an extensive and detailed test menu. Ordering can be done online or over the phone. Not finding a test? Simply give us a call.

Bannwarth Syndrome In Early Disseminated Lyme Disease

Tyler Gets Relief From Lyme Disease | Finds Oxygen Therapy In Fayetteville NC

Welcome to another Inside Lyme Podcast with your host Dr. Daniel Cameron. In this episode, Dr. Cameron will be discussing the case of a 66-year-old man with Bannwarth syndrome with urinary retention in early Lyme disease. By Dr. Daniel Cameron Omotosho and colleagues described this case in an article entitled A Unique Case of Bannwarth Syndrome in Early Disseminated Lyme Disease.¹ The man presented to the emergency room with generalized

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Is There Such A Thing As Chronic Lyme Disease

Chronic Lyme disease is considered controversial. Patients who are finally diagnosed with CLD are often discouraged, to say the least, with the medical community. It often takes years to be diagnosed, and that is if they run across a Lyme-literate doctor. With Google at peoples fingertips, more patients are being diagnosed and treated than ever before. But the controversy keeps escalating. Many traditional doctors do not believe in CLD. And, if they do, they frown upon long-term antibiotic therapy. This is where Dr. Dane agrees with the more widespread medical community.

Knowing that spirochete populations can cause nerve damage in the body, the question that must be asked is, Can Lyme disease lead to brain disorders? The simple answer is a resounding yes. Some research suggests links between Lyme disease and Parkinsons, multiple sclerosis, autism, dementia, and a range of other psychiatric conditions.

Is There An Effective Treatment For Lyme Disease

Dr. Dane was introduced to a new treatment for Lyme disease in 2017. It was not an antibiotic, nor was it an herbal remedy. It was a mineral compound produced in liquid form that could be turned into a gaseous state and nebulized. The product essentially acts as a fumigator and blasts the body with a blend of minerals that kills the spirochetes and improves immune function. Skeptical at first, Dr. Dane tracked eight patients over the course of a year that she had treated for the neurological effects of Lyme disease. Much to her amazement, seven of those patients were clear of Lyme just over a year later. Symptom relief varied from completely gone to 50% better. However, some effects of CLD cannot be reversed.

The mineral product is called Lyme-N, and, like many aspects of Lyme disease, its effectiveness is controversial. But this is the only treatment Dr. Dane has seen eradicate the spirochetes associated with CLD.

Dr. Dane has witnessed many patients put their trust in her after becoming frustrated with more traditional Lyme disease treatments at other medical facilities. The Carolina Brain Centers way of treating patients is built upon the tenets of functional neurology, which use a combination of medical technology and brain therapy to produce healing where possible and the easing of symptoms in other cases.

Recommended Reading: What To Do If You Have Lyme Disease

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.

Safety And Appointment Updates

NC man running from Charlotte to Nashville for charity ...

Whatever your medical needs are, were here for you with COVID-Safe care. Were setting the national standard with innovative safety measures, so you feel comfortable and confident each time you visit. See what were doing to keep you COVID-Safe.

To schedule an appointment, call your doctors office or . Well help you decide if your next visit should be in person, by phone or a video chat. Follow these setup instructions before your first video visit.

In a medical emergency, go to an emergency room or call 911 right away.

Carolinas Medical Center’s Department of Infectious Disease, part of Atrium Health, provides prevention and treatment of diseases caused by viruses, bacteria, fungi and parasites, including HIV/AIDS, tick borne diseases, fungal infections,infections related to cancer and abnormal immunity, tuberculosis, urinary tract infections, skin infections and more. Our physicians are board certified in Internal Medicine and have an additional two years of training and board certificationin the specialty of infectious diseases.

We accept all major commercial insurance plans, Medicare and North Carolina Medicaid. We also participate in the Ryan White program and offer a sliding scale program for uninsured residents of Mecklenburg County, including free medical care toqualified participants who reside in Mecklenburg County.

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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

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

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Tick Bites: Lyme Disease Symptoms

There are many kinds of ticks on animals that people normally don’t bother about. However, in the U. S., a disease was identified in 1975 that originated from ticks found in deer. This tick disease is called Lyme. Before discussing the symptoms for Lyme disease, it is wise to understand the cause of the illness.

This illness comes of a bacteria known as spirochete. A particular species of this bacteria known as Borrelia burgdorferi is found in ticks. Apart from Montana, most of the states in America have been known to be affected by this illness and is popularly known as deer tick since the adult form of this bacteria lives on deer.

When the ticks drink the blood of the deer who is suffering from Lyme illness, and bites in its nymph stage, the human body becomes infected without knowledge of the bite. Most people who catch it are outdoor sports lovers or campers.

If the signs of this sickness are ignored and the disease is left untreated, it is an invitation to arthritis in the next couple of months, especially in the knees. A person may feel arthritis shifting from one joint to another in regular or intermittent periods. If the Lyme disease is left untreated for a long period of time, people will go through chronic arthritis.

There are other herbal supplements. Vitamin C can improve the body’s immunity and resistance to disease and infections. The spread of bacteria can be stopped using licorice, and skullcap.

Expert Treatment Of Hiv/aids

WBTV, Charlotte, NC

Atrium Health Myers Park, a facility of Carolinas Medical Center, provides a comprehensive treatment program for HIV/AIDS. Atrium Healths board-certified internists have been treating this illness since itsdiscovery more than 25 years ago. Additionally, our physician assistant and nurse practitioner hold the coveted American Academy of HIV Medicine credential.

Services offered and conditions treated include:

  • Outpatient intravenous antibiotic therapy
  • Infections of bone and joints and orthopedic hardware
  • Urinary tract infections
  • Skin and soft tissue infections
  • Infections of the heart valve
  • Sexually transmitted diseases
  • Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and tick borne diseases
  • Tuberculosis and other mycobacterial diseases
  • Fungal infections
  • Infections that occur in persons with cancer and abnormal immunity

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Lyme Disease Testing And The Medical Model

Lyme is a hard disease to diagnose with conventional lab tests and blood chemistries these tests are often unreliable and give false positives and negatives. And it is even harder to treat using the allopathic-pharmaceutical model. Its hard to treat in part because the Lyme spirochete is pleomorphic and can fly under the radar of the hosts immune system hiding under biofilms. Animal studies have shown that in less than a week after infection, the Lyme spirochete can be found deeply embedded in the tendons, muscles, heart and brain. Many advanced researchers now view this disease as much more than a single simple tick borne infection but instead as a complex illness that can, and usually does, consist of other co-infections such as Babesia, Bartonella, Ehrlichia, Mycoplasma, Rickettsia, and Lyme-related viruses.

Infectious Disease Pharmacy Team

The clinical pharmacy team at the Atrium Health Myers Park Infectious Disease Clinic offers comprehensive patient education about HIV and its treatment, assistance in finding and implementing medications that works with your lifestyle, evaluation of potentialdrug interactions and assistance in resolving other medication-related problems or challenges. The clinical pharmacist also works as a patient advocate by serving as a liaison between the doctor and your pharmacy.

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Meet The Infectious Disease Team

joined the CMC InfectiousDisease Clinic as Medical Director effective June 1, 2009. He is internal medicine board certified and a 1985 graduate of Mount Sinai College of Medicine in New York City. He trained at Long Island Jewish Medical Center in New York. He wasdirector of the outpatient HIV/Immunology services at Mount Sinai Medical Center-QHC from 1989 to 2000 and since 12/2000-4/2009 was the medical director of the HIV Primary Care Clinic of New York Hospital Queens- AIDS Center of Queens County. He has held numerous responsible positions in the NY State Medicaid program and the New York Department of Health-AIDS Institute Committees concerned with quality of care standards and HIV policy and funding decisions. He has servedas a physician advisor to Earvin “Magic Johnson” for the “I Stand with Magic” campaign. He is the recipient of numerous awards and recognition to his dedication to HIV care and advocacy. He has a depth of experience in HIV clinical trialsand in treatment of Hepatitis C in HIV/HCV co-infected persons. He has served on National Policy Committee-AAHIVM and the New York State Board of Directors Chapter of the American Academy of HIV Medicine. He is currently the Principal Investigatorfor most of the Industry supported Clinical Trials for new investigational drugs and treatment strategies for HIV and HCV.

About Atrium Health

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