Misinformation, myths, and confusion
If you were to ask a number of people what they know about Lyme disease, they might answer:
- It’s spread by ticks.
- It’s found in the northeast US, so the rest of us don’t have to worry about it.
- There’s a reliable test for it.
- The recognizable symptom is a bulls-eye rash.
- Three weeks on antibiotics will cure it.
- It causes joint aching; uncomfortable, but not that big a deal.
Well, most of these are wrong or only partially correct. Yes, it’s spread by the bite of ticks, but by deer ticks, which are not much larger than the period at the end of this sentence, not the larger and more recognizable dog ticks. Lyme disease is concentrated in the northeast US and that’s where it was first recognized, but it is now found almost anywhere in the world, so, yes, it concerns you regardless of where you live.
The test for it is notoriously unreliable, and the danger of this is that someone with Lyme disease who has a negative test result won’t be treated for it in its early and more treatable stages, or treated for it at all. One of the early symptoms, appearing within a few days of the tick bite, is a bull’s-eye rash (red in the center where the bite was, then white, then red around the outside)…but this doesn’t always appear, and it might be on your scalp or back where you won’t notice it
Three weeks on antibiotics can cure it, but only if it is caught very early, within weeks of a tick bite. Once past that stage, it is much more difficult to treat. It can cause the better-known joint pains, but a number of other severe and debilitating symptoms besides, discussed later in this article.
And speaking of misinformation about Lyme disease, it’s pronounced and spelled Lyme disease, not Lyme’s or Limes Disease.
The bottom line about Lyme
The big news about Lyme is that, if you have health problems, Lyme disease might be a major player for you. It’s much more common than you might think.
Lyme is like syphilis
Lyme disease has a lot in common with syphilis, the scourge of an earlier generation. Both diseases are caused by a spirochete, or spiral-shaped, bacteria; borrelia in the case of Lyme. Both have three stages: an early acute stage, a latent stage, and a later (third, or tertiary) stage. With both diseases, the later stage can cause a wide range of serious health problems. Syphilis has been called “the great imitator” because it can cause or mimic nearly any disease, and the same is true of Lyme.
The three stages of Lyme
The first stage is usually, but not always, a short-lived flu-like illness with aches, especially neck pain, and fever. These symptoms usually come on within days of the tick bite. The illness in this stage is usually misdiagnosed as a case of flu, for which antibiotics are not effective. But if the characteristic bull’s-eye rash is seen at this time – which is when it would show up – a three-week course of antibiotics can be given and a potential life sentence of debilitating illness can be averted.
The second stage is the latent stage, in which there are no symptoms but the disease is quietly working underground. The third stage, which can occur seven to ten years after the tick bite, is when serious and long-lasting problems start to develop.
What kinds of problems can chronic Lyme disease cause?
Lyme disease can cause or be mistaken for nearly any disease or symptom. These include:
- Joint and muscle pain and spasm
- Nervous system problems
- Heart problems, heart arrhythmia, chest pain, shortness of breath
- Severe fatigue, fibromyalgia
- Psychiatric and mood disorders
- Cognitive problems
- Autism
- Sleep problems, which can then worsen Lyme symptoms in a vicious cycle
- Thyroid problems
- Low libido
- Allergies and reactivity, sometimes life-threatening
Nervous system and mental problems
The Lyme bacteria frequently affect the nervous system. It has been said that Lyme disease causes, or is mistaken for, multiple sclerosis (MS). It might be more accurate to say that, in many cases, Lyme disease is MS. One of the worst nervous system illnesses, ALS, can also actually be due to Lyme disease. In these cases, ALS, usually considered to be incurable, can be helped by therapy for Lyme disease if Lyme is involved; suspect Lyme especially if ALS is diagnosed in a younger person. Pain or burning often, but not always, accompanies late-stage Lyme disease, as can tingling, numbness, or weakness. The pain, tingling, and numbness might concentrate in a particular area of the body or can migrate. Weakness can be overall or confined to one side or part of the body. Seizures can occur with late-stage Lyme.
Problems with the mind can also occur. These include anxiety, depression, various psychiatric illnesses, anger and aggression, autism, ADHD, and brain fog and poor concentration. Neuropsychiatric Lyme disease and regular psychiatric disease are essentially indistinguishable. However, appropriate and long-term antibiotic therapy can help with Lyme-caused psychiatric illness; antibiotics, of course, have no effect on regular psychiatric disease.
Co-infections
To complicate matters, there are often co-infections that occur along with Lyme, and these infections can cause problems of their own. Lyme both sets the stage for and is worsened by these other infections.
Some of these infections, such as babesia and bartonella, are carried by the same ticks that carry the Lyme borrelia bacteria. Other infections – mycoplasma is a common one – can move in when the immune system is exhausted, overwhelmed, and suppressed by the original Lyme infection. Conversely, other preexisting infections can worsen Lyme disease and help late-stage Lyme disease take hold.
Other factors
There are a number of things that can worsen Lyme disease:
- Genetic weakness
- Diet and nutrition can either add to health stressors or help relieve them
- Toxins, including mercury from metal dental fillings
- Stress
- Other infections
Testing for Lyme disease
Although the standard Lyme disease tests are quite unreliable, CAM has a number of ways to identify Lyme disease. Dr. David Nelson does computerized testing, and other testing that is more reliable than standard testing is available. The CAM practitioners are familiar with Lyme disease and the ways it can cause or mimic other ailments, so they’ll be on the lookout for it.
What can be done for Lyme disease?
The next article in this series discusses what can be done for Lyme disease.
