Thursday, March 14, 2024

What Doctor To See For Lyme Disease

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How Can People Prevent Lyme Disease

Lyme disease nearly destroyed doctor’s life

There is currently no vaccine available to prevent Lyme disease however, there are three approaches to preventing Lyme disease.

Tick Avoidance

  • Try to stay out of woodlands and brush areas where the tick thrives, especially during the peak season of summer and early fall.
  • Wear garments that will create barriers to the tick attaching to the skin and biting.
  • Tuck pant legs into socks so ticks cannot easily crawl the short distance from the ground to just above the sock line. Wear light-colored clothing to better identify ticks.
  • The application of the insecticide DEET to clothing and skin has been found to decrease tick bites and the chance for Lyme disease infections.

Tick Removal

  • Deer ticks need to remain attached to the skin for about 24-48 hours to transmit the Borrelia bacteria to the skin. Inspect all areas of the body after outdoor activity.
  • If you notice a bite, it is very important to watch for symptoms, which usually show up in about three weeks.
  • Ticks attach to areas that are warm and moist, such as
  • the groin,
  • the underside of a womans breasts, and
  • the neck and hairline.
  • If you see a tick, promptly remove it . This greatly reduces the likelihood of an infection.
  • Disinfect the bite site thoroughly with alcohol or other skin antiseptic solution.
  • Use of gasoline, petroleum, and other organic solvents to suffocate ticks, as well as burning the tick with a match, should be avoided.
  • Antibiotic Treatment

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    Not Everything Is Lyme Disease

    Despite critics contention that Jones diagnoses everything as Lyme disease, far-flung interviews with patients reveal the opposite to be true.

    One mother, for instance, arrived at Jones office after another doctor ascribed her sons severe gastrointestinal distress to Lyme disease. Jones was skeptical, she says, and insisted we find our own pediatric gastroenterologist without any particular knowledge of Lyme disease.

    The doctor the family consulted, an expert at Mt. Sinai Medical Center in New York City, treated the child with weeks of laxatives, resolving the problem and concurring with Dr. Jonesthe cause of the distress was not, in fact, Lyme disease.

    Another parent arrived when her 13-year-old seemed to have a relapse of his Lyme disease symptoms. Local pediatricians tested him and, finding the serology negative, refused to treat the child and sent him on his way.

    The mother expected Jones to ignore those test results and prescribe antibiotics nonetheless. That was not the case. Jones sent out for more extensive tests, including DNA analysis by polymerase chain reaction

    This time the child did not have Lyme disease but, rather, Bartonella, one of the co-infections.

    Based on the latest peer-reviewed literature showing the antibiotic zithromax to be of use, Jones prescribed a short, low-dose course of that medication. In two weeks, the boy was well.

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    Finding A Good Lyme Doctor

    I was one of the lucky ones.

    After over a year of my general doctor running tests and sending me to different specialists, I tentatively questioned if Lyme disease might be worth investigating.

    My doctor agreed: it was a good idea. But he also admitted that he knew the tests were terribly unreliable and Id need a good Lyme doctor to help me figure out if this was indeed causing all of my mysterious symptoms.

    He referred me to a colleague who helped guide me through the early stages of Lyme testing and getting my diagnosis.

    Ill forever be grateful for my doctors honesty. He knew he didnt understand Lyme well enough. He knew certain tests were sadly unreliable. And he was gracious enough to help me search for answers when most doctors would have scoffed.

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    A Bit Of Background: The Two Camps Of Lyme Disease

    Basically, the Lyme controversy is divided between two camps: those who believe lingering symptoms are due to an autoimmune response, and those who believe it is from a persistence of infection itself.

    Citing studies funded by the National Institutes of Health , the CDCs stance is that Lyme disease is really hard to catch and that a cure involves just a few weeks of antibiotic treatment. Although the CDC recognizes that Lyme symptoms can last for more than six months it maintains that chronic Lyme only affects a small percentage of cases and patient complaints are more autoimmune in nature than a case of persistent infection.

    On the other side of the conversation sit patients, advocacy groups like LymeDisease.org, the International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society, Lyme Action Network and The Mayday Project, and a minority of doctors, who see Lyme disease as a persistent infection and consider it a complex and chronic illness. This side recognizes that although some symptoms may be the result of an autoimmune condition, that autoimmune condition was most likely driven by a small amount of bacteria that remained after the initial antibiotic treatment. Treatment for chronic Lyme is considered complex and may require different combinations of antibiotics, and for prolonged periods of time.

    A Comprehensive Approach To Lyme Disease Treatment

    Needless criticism for doctors treating Lyme disease

    Lyme Disease is the perfect example of a condition that requires not only antimicrobial therapy, but also comprehensive physiologic balance . As one of the few practices nationwide that focuses on integrative pediatric Lyme disease, we provide our patients with an alternative to the conventional one-size-fits-all treatment approach. We go beyond just treating the symptoms to determine the real cause of illness and provide our patients with a clear explanation of their medical problems. When evaluating a patient for possible tick-borne illness, we consider symptoms, physical findings, and laboratory results. Our tick-borne illness experts design and implement an individualized comprehensive pediatric Lyme disease treatment protocol for each patient. This inclusive diagnostic approach is in line with the International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society . Our comprehensive model of individualized care is designed to maximize the chances for a positive clinical response that can restore your childs health.

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    Single Tick Bite Leads To 3 Diseases In Elderly Woman

    The woman was an avid gardener who had a history of COPD and high blood pressure. She was admitted to the hospital with dyspnea, fatigue, and a cough productive of yellowish mucoid sputum. The patient also had significant altered mental status, pallor, and peripheral edema. A lung examination revealed bibasilar crackles, Kumar explains. ¹ She was treated empirically for community-acquired pneumonia and was prescribed ceftriaxone and

    Lyme Disease Mental Symptoms

    There are many mental symptoms associated with Lyme disease. These can include problems with memory, concentration, and word-finding. Lyme disease can also cause mood swings, anxiety, and depression. In severe cases, Lyme disease can lead to psychosis and delusions. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, it is important to see a doctor to rule out other potential causes.

    These diseases can have serious consequences on a patients mental health, including the following: Lyme disease and tick-borne relapsing fever . When the bacteria that cause Lyme disease or TBRF enter the central nervous system, it causes neurological Lyme disease, also known as Lyme neuroborreliosis. How does untreated Lyme disease develop into neurological Lyme disease? When the disease is not treated, symptoms become more common. If left untreated, neurological Lyme disease can take months or even years to develop. In addition to fatigue, headaches, seizures, strokes, and even dementia, some people with late stage Lyme disease also experience numbness and weakness. Early detection is critical to preventing or treating neurological Lyme disease.

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    He Bucked The Establishment To Help Kids Recover From Lyme Disease

    There has been an outpouring of emotion in the wake of the recent death of Lyme pediatrician Dr. Charles Ray Jones. Many of those who knew himparents, children, advocates, and medical colleagueshave posted touching tributes on social media and online support groups.

    But people newer to the world of Lyme disease may not know who Dr. Jones was or the significance of his contributions.

    To introduce you to the history of this remarkable man, Im posting an article first published 20 years ago in the Lyme Times. Its written by science journalist Pamela Weintraub, who went on to write Cure Unknown: Inside the Lyme Epidemic, published in 2008. She paints a vivid picture of how Dr. Jones came to occupy his unique position.

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    Is There Such A Thing As Chronic Lyme Disease

    Staying safe during tick season: Our doctor answers questions about 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.

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    What Causes False Positives For Lyme Disease

    Other disorders, such as tick-borne infections or viral, bacterial, or autoimmune diseases, might cause false positive test findings. Some assays produce findings for both IgM and IgG antibodies. If the patient has been unwell for more than 30 days, positive IgM findings should be ignored. Patients who show negative results with one assay type may show positive results with another assay type.

    Lyme disease diagnosis involves taking a history of symptoms, including headache, neck stiffness, fatigue, dizziness, confusion, depression, anxiety, loss of vision, hearing loss, tinnitus, numbness/pain in arms/legs, and sexual dysfunction, and performing a physical examination. Laboratory tests can confirm infection with Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria, which cause lyme disease. These tests include blood work called a complete blood count and serum laboratory tests. The CBC shows white blood cell counts, red blood cell counts, and platelet counts. Serum tests look for evidence of B. burgdorferi antibodies in the blood. Other disorders can also cause similar symptoms, so make sure you consider other possible diagnoses before coming to conclusions about lyme disease.

    False positives are common with immunoassays used to detect B. burgdorferi antibodies. They can occur if there is any problem with the way the test was performed, read, or interpreted.

    Treating A Pinched Nerve

    Mild cases of a pinched nerve may go away on their own after your body adjusts to naturally remove pressure off of the affected nerve. However, in moderate to severe cases of pinched nerves, you may experience an increase in the severity of symptoms over the course of days of weeks, leading you to seek treatment from a doctor. Orthopedic doctors and surgeons treat pinched nerves in a variety of ways depending on the location and severity of the pinched nerve. Orthopedic doctors and surgeons frequently utilize a combination of a physical exam and diagnostic imaging tools to identify the affected nerves and develop a treatment plan accordingly.

    Because a pinched nerve in one area can cause pain and discomfort in multiple areas of the body, it is important to receive treatment from a highly experienced and knowledgeable orthopedic doctor to receive the comprehensive care you deserve. Your particular situation may call for more conservative treatment to reduce inflammation in the area or nerve-related testing before it leads to anything chronic. From herniated discs to rheumatoid arthritis, AICA orthopedic surgeons develop an individualized treatment plan that works for you and your body so you can experience pain relief and healing.

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    Ethics Of Propaganda And Persuasion

    In 2005, representatives of the LDA in New Jersey, USA, and CALDA in California, USA, wrote to the Director of the CDC, criticising the information about Lyme disease on the organisations website and its warning about improper diagnostic tests.42 In December, 2006, a New Jersey congressman complained that it was inappropriate for CDC to highlight IDSAs findingsto the exclusion of others.53 Lost in these political discussions was the absence of scientific merit in the arguments raised by activists. ILADS leaders claim their practice guidelines are evidence-based and peer-reviewed, but they were not subjected to an external peer-review process by the journal in which they were published as a supplement.54 Moreover, the support they cite for their guidelines, consisting mainly of anecdotes, studies of animal systems of questionable relevance to human disease, and uncontrolled studies of long-term antibiotic treatment, does not meet accepted criteria for evidence-based medicine.3,12,48,5557 The ILADS guidelines were funded by two activist organisations, the LDA in New Jersey and the Turn The Corner Foundation.48

    Signs And Symptoms Of Lyme Disease

    Lyme disease has similar symptoms to COVID

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    Overview

    Lyme disease is an underreported, under-researched, and often debilitating disease transmitted by spirochete bacteria. The spiral-shaped bacteria, Borrelia burgdorferi, are transmitted by blacklegged deer ticks. Lymes wide range of symptoms mimic those of many other ailments, making it difficult to diagnose .

    The blacklegged ticks can also transmit other disease-causing bacteria, viruses, and parasites. These are known as coinfections . These ticks that transmit Lyme are increasing their geographical spread. As of 2016, they were found in about half the counties in 43 of 50 states in the United States .

    Lyme is the fifth most reported of notifiable diseases in the United States, with an estimated 329,000 new cases found annually . Some studies estimate that there are as many as 1 million cases of Lyme in the United States every year .

    Most people with Lyme who are treated right away with three weeks of antibiotics have a good prognosis.

    But if youre not treated for weeks, months, or even years after infection, Lyme becomes more difficult to treat. Within days of the bite, the bacteria can move to your central nervous system, muscles and joints, eyes, and heart .

    Here is a list of 13 common signs and symptoms of Lyme disease.

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    What Our Patients Say

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    My Doctor Doesnt Believe In Lyme Disease What Do I Do

    If you go to see your doctor because you believe you have contracted Lyme disease and your doctor says they do not believe in or do not treat Lyme disease, go to another doctor. Specifically, go to a Lyme Literate Doctor . Early diagnosis and proper treatment are critical for success with this disease.

    Read Also: How Can You Get Lyme Disease Without Tick Bite

    Is The Western Blot Test A Valid Form Of Testing

    The western blot test involves separating blood proteins to find those that suggest an infection is present. The answer to the above question is difficult to answer. Too many false negatives exist. Therefore, the western blot test should not be considered the only indicator of whether someone has Lyme disease. Even with adding theC6 peptide ELISA with the two-tiered western blot, the sensitivity for identifying Lyme improves only slightly.

    What To Bring With You

    Ask the Doctor: Lyme Disease

    You will need to bring the following items:

    • Your insurance card
    • A photo ID
    • Previous medical records, if any.
    • List of all your medications, including the dose and the times you take them. Alternatively, you may want to just bring them with you.
    • A list of all your concerns so that you may discuss them with the scheduled physician.

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    Regression And Other Symptoms In Children

    Children are the largest population of Lyme patients.

    The CDC study of reported Lyme cases from 19922006 found that the incidence of new cases was highest among 5- to 14-year-olds . About one quarter of reported Lyme cases in the United States involve children under 14 years old .

    Children can have all the signs and symptoms of Lyme that adults have, but they may have trouble telling you exactly what they feel or where it hurts.

    You may notice a decline in school performance, or your childs mood swings may become problematic.

    Your childs social and speech skills or motor coordination may regress. Or your child may lose their appetite.

    Children are more likely than adults to have arthritis as an initial symptom 01267-2/fulltext#sec0040″ rel=”nofollow”> 25).

    In a 2012 Nova Scotian study of children with Lyme, 65 percent developed Lyme arthritis . The knee was the most commonly affected joint.

    Summary:

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