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Lyme Disease Specialist In Colorado

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Treatment Starts With Accurate Diagnosis

Colorado Teenager With Lyme Disease Behind First Ever ‘Liv-Lyme Summit’

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.

What Is Muscle Testing And How Does It Work

For those healthcare providers who have committed themselves to the successful treatment of patients that fall between the cracks of the conventional medical paradigm, there is an emerging consensus that chronic infection is a dominant force. As discussed above, this reality is largely a function of the inadequacy of modern diagnostic testing as a clinical tool for the detection of chronic infectious diseases. A thorough examination of this phenomenon would require volumes, but ample published literature shows that the hosts antibody response to sophisticated pathogens is highly variable. Chronic, low-grade but active and clinically significant bacterial and viral infections often cannot be distinguished from resolved infections on the basis of antibody testing. Unfortunately, most traditionally trained physicians are under the impression that antibody test kits available through Quest and LabCorp represent the last word on the clinical status of infectious diseases. All too often, even antibody testing is prohibitively expensive or not commercially available for emerging strains of important stealth pathogens.

Treatments Your Physician May Prescribe

Lyme disease can be treated and cured with one of several oral antibiotics for 34 weeks. The skin rash will go away within a few days of beginning treatment, but other symptoms may persist for up to a few weeks. In severe cases of Lyme disease where the nervous system is involved, the antibiotic may need to be given intravenously. In late stage Lyme disease, symptoms may not go away completely, but should improve.

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In General Tick Borne Disease Or Lyme Disease Should Be Treated With Antibiotics Usually These Antibiotics Should Be Pharmaceuticals Although Augmentation With Botanical Antibiotics Can Be Even More Effective Than Pharmaceutical Therapies Alone

Unfortunately in late Lyme, antibiotics alone are often not sufficient. Some patients are genetically or epigenetically predisposed to chronic Lyme disease. Often the underlying conditions must be addressed along with the infection.

Borrelia burgdorferi has been called the second great pretender, after syphilis. Like syphilis it is a spirochete , and the spirochete goes to the brain and spinal cord as fast as it can get there. In addition like syphilis it grows very slowly. Unlike syphilis it is relatively smart in the bacterial world, having the largest genome of any other bacteria. Borrelia burgdorferi is able to crawl inside of cells, thus avoiding immune detection, hide in the brain and spinal cord, where our immune system is careful not to cause too much inflammation. More recent data suggests it may, like many of its co infecting microbes be able to fool the immune system and manipulate the immune response so that the immune system thinks that there is not an infection. In 3 animal models dog, mouse and monkey, chronic persistent infectious borrelia infection has been proven after short course antibiotic. This provides evidence that the cure of chronic Lyme disease in many patients will take more than 1-3 months of antibiotics.

How To Approach Your Non

Lyme Disease Treatment Littleton

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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How Is Lyme Disease Treated

Your personalized treatment at Tri-Life Health might include oral antibiotics for Lyme disease in its early stage , or intravenous antimicrobials to treat chronic Lyme disease.

Lyme disease can be totally and successfully treated if a comprehensive strategy is used. This may include dealing with digestive and immune imbalances, nutrient deficiencies, addressing the co-infections and co-existing mold or parasites, and dealing with the biofilm and toxins created by the infections.

The providers at Tri-Life Health have years of experience and very good success in dealing with the complications and challenges of recent or chronic Lyme.

Dont let Lyme disease go undetected and cause long-lasting symptoms. Call Tri-Life Health to schedule an appointment today.

What Dietary Changes Should I Make

Its increasingly clear that refined carbohydrates, especially sugar and flour, are major causes and/or contributors to a host of lifestyle-related diseases like obesity, diabetes and heart disease. Minimizing the consumption of these empty calories is in the best interest of all of us whether were sick or not. Wheat sensitivity affects the majority of our patient population to some degree. This problem is best viewed as a continuum from those who are tolerant of wheat gluten all the way to those with Celiac Sprue. Only those on the far end of the spectrum test positive for Celiac. Negative results on these tests do not rule out ones potential position on less severe portions of the spectrum. Individuals on said spectrum find that strict avoidance works much better than just a reduction in total wheat/gluten consumption. Since the inflammatory response to gluten can last several days, those who eat it only twice per week may not be much better off than they were when they were eating it daily. In many cases the only way to determine if you are sensitive to wheat is an elimination diet: start by strictly avoiding the food for a month. If you feel better, you have your answer. If you still arent sure, eat some pasta and pay attention to what happens next. Symptoms of sensitivity often come in the form of abdominal cramping, pain indigestion, fatigue or cognitive impairment.

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Touched By Lyme: Dr Dave Martz Who Overcame His Own Als Death Sentence With Lyme Treatment Will Keynote Calda Conference April 24

As Dave Martz lay dying, an idea serpentined around his mind and would not loosen its grip: Despite the absolute diagnosis and the insistence of the doctors, including a world expert, that he was dying of ALS, despite his own vow to face things head-on and reject the lure of denial, Martz couldnt shake the notion that possibly, just maybe, he actually had Lyme disease.

Dr. David Martz is kind of a rock star in the Lyme world. You may have read about him in Pam Weintraubs Cure Unknown and seen footage of him in the documentary Under Our Skin.

His story is riveting. He had a lifetime of good health and a successful career as a physician practicing internal medicine-hematology-oncology for 30 years. Then, in 2003, Martz suddenly started experiencing strange symptoms. First deep fatigue, then profound muscle aches and body-wide pain. Soon he was too weak to get out of bed. As his condition rapidly deteriorated, his physicians gave him a devastating diagnosis: ALS . They said nothing could stem his physical decline and he would likely be dead within two years.

But events went in a different direction. As his health spiraled downward, Martz connected with a Lyme disease specialist who prescribed hard-hitting, long-term antibiotics. The gamble paid off. By the end of 2004, Martz was a new man. In fact, the doctor who had diagnosed him so definitively with ALS, now pronounced that condition completely gone.

Can You Get Lyme Without Getting A Tick Bite

CO Lyme-Like Illness/Tick Awareness: D. Martz, MD (4 of 5)

Vertical transmission is definitely a reality in our experience. Clear-cut cases of sexual transmission between partners are hard to come by. One recent published case revealed the same strain of borrelia in the semen of a man and in the vaginal secretions of his partner. This caused a stir but its possible that they just got bit by two different ticks from the same hatch. It seems that here, as elsewhere in the Lyme debate, there is an attempt to apply black or white conclusions on a reality that has fifty shades of grey. Our stance is that borrelia is not optimized for sexual transmission but since it is inherently sophisticated and resourceful, it manages to do so from time to time.

Couples who have been together for a long time really neednt worry as long as one of them is in treatment. Theoretically, someone who has been cured should have some immunity. In practice, the issue tends to come to a head when one partner is finally cured and ready to discontinue treatment and the other partner is minimally symptomatic and resistant to the idea of perhaps being a carrier. Wed prefer to not be dragged into this kind of sticky wicket. But in the event of a relapse, and especially a second relapse, spouses should at least consider getting tested.

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General Information About Our Approach To Lyme And Other Tick

As much as possible, we strive to meet the needs of a broad spectrum of prospective patients. We make it our top priority to provide care that is both effective and affordable. But what we do isnt for everyone. Lyme and related tick-borne diseases are inherently challenging when they arent caught early. Most patients caught in this situation soon discover that conventional medicine has little to offer them. We feel that an aggressive and comprehensive approach that integrates the best prescription and alternative treatments is a superior option for most patients. We dont claim to know the only path to health for our patients but we do feel that we are offering an excellent combination of performance and value.

Most medical interventions carry some risk and some are obviously riskier than others. A big part of being a provider of medical care is weighing the pros and cons of different treatments in an attempt to create the greatest benefit with the least amount of risk. Because different people have different degrees of risk aversion, its important they be informed consumers. Unfortunately, we cant know the future and so we must discuss risk and reward in terms of their relative statistical probability. But even that can be difficult to estimate in the context of all the variables at play in any given case.

Bannwarth Syndrome In Early Disseminated Lyme Disease

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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Key Points To Remember

  • Most Lyme disease tests are designed to detect antibodies made by the body in response to infection.
  • Antibodies can take several weeks to develop, so patients may test negative if infected only recently.
  • Antibodies normally persist in the blood for months or even years after the infection is gone therefore, the test cannot be used to determine cure.
  • Infection with other diseases, including some tickborne diseases, or some viral, bacterial, or autoimmune diseases, can result in false positive test results.
  • Some tests give results for two types of antibody, IgM and IgG. Positive IgM results should be disregarded if the patient has been ill for more than 30 days.

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How To Remove A Tick

Lyme is the new HIV/AIDS

Once a tick has become firmly attached to the skin, removal can be difficult and should be done with care. The mouthparts are barbed, so they may remain after removal and allow infection. Fortunately, the Rocky Mountain wood tick, the most common species found in Colorado, is relatively easy to remove because it has relatively short mouthparts. The recommended procedure for removal of ticks is:

  • Grasp the tick with fine tipped tweezers, as close to the skin as possible. If tweezers are not available and you must use your fingers, cover them with tissue or thin plastic to avoid the possible transmission of any disease organisms, such as tularemia, that the tick may harbor.
  • Pull the tick slowly and steadily, straight away from the skin. Try not to crush the tick as you remove it.
  • After the tick is removed, treat the feeding site with a disinfectant. Wash your hands when done. Never crush a tick with your fingers. Dispose of a live tick by putting it in alcohol, placing it in a sealed bag/container, wrapping it tightly in tape, or flushing it down the toilet.
  • Many other methods have been popularized to remove ticks, such as covering them with petroleum jelly or touching them with a hot match. These methods are not always effective at removing the tick and are also slow to work. The goal of tick removal is to have it done quickly, rather than to wait for the tick to detach on its own.

    Table 1: Common ticks found in Colorado.
    Scientific name

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    Racial Differences In Incidence

    Lyme disease is reported primarily in whites, although it occurs in individuals of all races. No genetic explanation is known for this the disparity most likely stems from social or environmental factors and possibly to the fact that erythema migrans is more difficult to diagnose in dark-skinned individuals.

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    • In case of Emergency, call 911
    • Police 444-7000
    • Fire 385-5950

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    What Are The First Signs And Symptoms Of Lyme Disease

    In the first early localized stage of Lyme disease the skin at the site of the tick bite becomes infected with Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria which can cause an expanding round or oval red skin lesion called erythema migrans. This may or may not be associated with flu-like symptoms within days to a month after the tick bite such as achiness, chills, fever, sweats, fatigue, malaise, headache, stiff neck, muscle soreness, joint pain, swollen lymph nodes, and sore throat. The combination of the skin lesion and flu-like symptoms are the primary manifestations of acute stage Lyme disease. Acute Lyme disease is not associated with typical cold-like symptoms of runny nose, prominent cough, or prominent diarrhea.

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    A Note About Forms And Disability

    Dr Nicola McFadzean: Treatment for Chronic Lyme and Co Infections UNCUT (Sneak Peak with Bec Mills)

    We know that Lyme patients have legitimate and often severe symptoms that can be disabling. But while we excel at getting these patients well again, the same can not be said of helping them get approved for disability. The burden of proof required for approval is high and deserving applicants fail to clear it. Disability insurers are in the business of making money and theyre inclined to deny any claims they can. That makes them interested not in our opinions but in the available objective evidence. Those who have been diagnosed with other disease states, even fibromyalgia or chronic fatigue syndrome may be better off pursuing approval under the auspices of these labels than under the Lyme umbrella. We strongly recommend specialized legal representation as those who go without counsel can make mistakes in their applications that will haunt them later even if they end up hiring a lawyer. If you need special accommodations at work, please dont simply ask us for a letter. Most employers have special forms and even those who dont have an annoying tendency to find letters inadequate for their needs. If you know what the letter needs to say, you can write it for us and we will edit it as needed. But forms can seldom be completed in less than 20 minutes and thats with the help of the patient. Those needing a letter must therefore make an appointment or a phone consult.

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    General Information About Antibiotic Therapy

    Concerns about the use of antibiotics are on the rise. Some of these concerns are more legitimate than others. Its important to understand the potential downside to any intervention, hence the discussion below. But its also important to understand the consequences of not using any particular tool. Treatment options for Lyme abound, so its understandable that some patients want to avoid antibiotics entirely. This is appropriate for some patients but not necessarily the ones who take that stance. Theyre not the be-all end-all but theyre a very valuable tool and the associated risks can be managed. We respect the autonomy of our patients and also hope that they will keep an open mind to all the available options. Supplements and/or botanical antimicrobials are easy to underestimate but overall they tend to be somewhat less powerful but also less likely to trigger adverse reactions. For the vast majority of patients, a balanced combination of both is clearly superior to one or the other.

    Mild hair loss is a complaint we hear from time to time. It usually comes from women but its possible theyre just more likely to notice it than men. Its reasonable to check a thyroid panel but this rarely yields fruit. We suspect the phenomenon is biotoxin-driven. It tends to self-stabilize within a few weeks. Like a milder version of the hair loss this is typical in chemotherapy, the hair tends to grow back later.

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