Here are some resources for information regarding Lyme disease:
Lyme disease is transmitted via tick bites. The tell tale sign of Lyme is a bulls eye rash. But guess what? Less then 50% of people actually get the rash (or are aware of ever having it). Lyme is a spirochete bacteria (clinically known as Borrelia Burgdorferi) that can burrow into ANY part of your body. I mean any. The bacteria originates in your blood stream but can travel deep into your joints, muscles, and organs (including the brain). Most ticks will transmits co-infections along with the Borrelia bacteria, like Babesiosis, Bartonella, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, and more.
The traditional Elisa and Western blot tests are completely unreliable, missing a majority of cases (over 55% false negatives). There are over 300 strains of Borrelia world wide, yet the Elisa test doesn’t even recognize close to this many. The CDC claims that 14-30 days of Doxycycline cures one of Lyme, but since over 50% of people do not recall a tick bite or a rash and since the traditional testing method is unreliable, Lyme can easily become a chronic illness. It wasn’t until 2023 that the CDC finally recognized this.
Lyme is considered the great imitator and many with Lyme are mis-diagnosed with illnesses such as arthritis, chronic fatigue syndrome, Parkinson’s, Fibromyalgia, and more. Lyme disease can affect every system of the body, so symptoms can range from breathing issues to brain fog to chronic injuries to vision loss and so much more. Since the spirochete can burrow into any part of the body, anywhere can be affected.
Borrelia is a smart organism. Once you contract Lyme, the little buggers create a “shield” (or biofilm) around themselves which protects them from your own immune system and from any drugs attempting to kill them. Lyme can basically hide anywhere in your body for YEARS, laying dormant until your immune system is weak enough that they can come out and attack your body. Once you have had it for years and it becomes chronic, it is very hard to fight off and get rid of. The goal at this time is to place it in remission and work on lifestyle and stress management in order to cope with the illness and prevent relapses.
Lyme is vicious. It is immune suppressing and life debilitating. More research and attention needs to be brought to this disease and I hope I am helping raise some of that awareness.