What is Lyme Disease? What is Lyme Disease? by K rti Kalidas, M.D., N.D
a rash or fl u-like illness. If left untreated it can cause long-term symptoms which can affect every part of the body. Ticks also carry other illnesses such as Ehrlichia, Bartonella and Babesia which can be transmitted along with the Lyme bacteria known as Borrelia Burgdorferi.
L Is Lyme disease
present in Florida? The bacteria of Lyme can be present in 1 out of 6 ticks in Florida (data published by Dr. Clark based in the University of North Florida). The most common source can be with ticks, rodents, toads and lizards. It can also
yme disease is a bacterial infection that is often transmitted from a tick bite. It can initially present itself as
Kiri ti Kalidas, M.D., N.D.
be transmitted by fl eas and mosquitoes. There are some research scientists that believe that it can be transmitted through blood transfusion and placental transfer.
Symptoms of
Lyme Disease It can present itself with a rash that is only present in 30% of patients who initially have the bite. The rash is known as an erythema migrans rash with a clearing in the middle and with a large target type of lesion that can be several inches in size. The recommended treatment is 6 weeks of antibiotics. If left untreated, it can go into a long stage of chronic illness which can affect the joints, neurological and cognitive symptoms, fatigue issues,
neuro-psychiatric symptoms and symptoms related to the heart. The three main areas where Lyme can affect are the heart, brain and connective tissues in the joints. Additional infections such as co-infections related to Ehrlichia, Bartonella and Babesia can also make it diffi cult for clear symptoms related to Lyme. Stealth pathogens that affect the respiratory symptoms of bronchial tubes include bacteria such as Mycoplasma Pneumoniae, and Chlamydia Pneumoniae which are diffi cult to eradicate in the presence of Lyme disease. The symptoms, once started, can progress over months or years with signs suggestive of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, MS, Chronic Neurological conditions such as Depression, Anxiety and Severe Joint Pain which often is mistaken for Chronic Rheumatoid Arthritis.
Testing for Lyme There is much controversy regarding testing for Lyme. The CDC recommends doing ELISA testing which is rarely positive and can lead to under- diagnosis of Lyme. There are specialized companies such as IGENEX that have better testing for Lyme and specifi c testing for plasma, genomic and plasma testing using the PCR technique. The tests are appropriately ordered by practitioners who are trained with ILADS (International Lyme Association Disease Society) and treat Chronic Lyme
18
Central Florida natural awakenings
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48