Nutrition. Vitamins. You.
Lyme Disease part 3 Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND I hope you have been enjoying this conversation on Lyme disease. I want to start today’s blog by talking about something that in my opinion doesn’t get enough attention, chronic Lyme disease. I am also going to …
Lyme Disease part 2 Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND In the first part of our conversation on Lyme disease, we focused on the tick behind Lyme disease. We also did a review of all the most common symptoms of Lyme. Today we will delve even deeper …
Lyme Disease part 1
Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND
Lyme disease is considered a complex topic for many reasons. To start off it can be difficult to accurately diagnosis the condition. This can be due to the fact Lyme disease can have many symptoms that mimic other illnesses. Your doctor may have to rule out different conditions before focusing on Lyme disease. To make matters even more complex not all Lyme tests give accurate results. In some case’s you may receive what is called a false negative. This means that proper diagnosis and treatment is often delayed. Another reason Lyme can be considered a complex illness is because of all the possible long-term complications that can occur even with treatment! Then there is issue of coinfections that often accompany Lyme disease. For right now I will be mostly focusing on just Lyme disease. What is Lyme disease? How do you get it? What are the symptoms of Lyme? These are just a few of the things I will be going over in this blog. Let us get into it, shall we?
Lyme disease is not caused by a virus like a cold or flu. It is caused by a bacteria called Borrelia Burgdorferi. The way that humans get infected is via a tick bite. What happens is that a tick that is infected with the bacteria bites a person and that induvial gets infected with the bacteria and develops Lyme disease. The ticks most commonly associated with Lyme disease are the Blacklegged tick or deer tick. If you live in the Northeast, Midwest, or Pacific coast it is important to always check for ticks after being in the woods or grass. Normally it takes 24 hours or longer of being attached to you for a tick to spread the infection. If you remove the tick before you get the infection it can help keep you safe. (1, 2) I am sure you are thinking but Dr. Claire what does a deer tick even look like? For those who are squeamish I am sorry, but I have included a picture of what different ticks look like. (3)
While tick bites can happen at any time you are more at risk of becoming infected with Lyme when the deer ticks are most active. This typically occurs in the warmer months of the year. This is usually between April- September. However, I do want to point out if the warmer weather comes early or stays late the ticks will stay active longer than expected. (2)
Now I bet I know what you are about to say, why all this emphasis on yucky ticks? That is an easy question to answer. Ticks transmit the bacteria that cause Lyme disease. This is how you get Lyme disease. By knowing what deer ticks look like, where they live and when they are most active you can hopefully reduce your expose to bacteria. In this way you can reduce your overall risk of developing Lyme disease. Exposure to the ticks that cause Lyme is the determining factor for Lyme disease risk. This means that anything that increases your risk of exposure to ticks can increase your risk of Lyme disease. This includes outdoor activities such as gardening, hunting, hiking or even walking on the high grasses where ticks live. (4)
The symptoms of Lyme disease are usually separated into 3 stages. These are stage 1, 2 and 3. One of the most well-known symptoms of Lyme disease is the bull’s eye rash. While not everyone will develop a rash, I have included a picture since it is quite common. (1) In fact, up to 70-80% of those infected with Lyme DO get the rash. So, it is important to know what it looks like.
I’ve included a chart to help organize the symptoms of Lyme disease. (1-5)
| Stage 1 | Stage 2 | Stage 3 |
| · A red rash called erythema migrans (EM).
· Fever and chills · Headache. · Extreme tiredness. · Joint stiffness. · Muscle aches and pains. · Swollen lymph nodes.
|
Stage 2 may include the stage 1 symptoms and the following:
· Muscle weakness on one or both sides of the face.
|
Stage 3 may include the stage 1 and 2 symptoms and the following:
· Pain, swelling or stiffness may last for a long time. Or the symptoms may come and go. · Acrodermatitis chronic atrophicans.
|
In our next blog we will focus on testing for Lyme and why in some cases you can get a false negative. I also want to get into why accurate and rapid disease diagnosis is so important.
Sources:
Skin Irritants of Summer part 2 Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND In our last blog we went over the most common invaders of your yard and garden that can trigger a rash and inflamed skin. (1-5) In this blog we will be getting into the details …
Skin Irritants of Summer part 1 Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND As the warm weather of summer approaches everyone is running outside to plant their garden. However, your garden can have hidden irritants that can leave you feeling itchy later. These can include plants you may …
What is Asthma? (Part 2)
Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND
In our last blog we talked about what asthma is and what can increase your overall risk of developing the illness. We also talked about what the risk factors are for a flare up or asthma attack. In this blog we will be focusing on what you can do to help improve your asthma symptoms and overall health. Let us get into it, shall we?
What can you do to help reduce asthma flare ups/asthma attacks?
Invite health has numerous supplements that can help support your overall health. Please feel free to contact an Invite nutritionist for more information!
Sources: