Wisconsin Wisconsin Lyme Disease Hospital
Lyme Disease Diagnosis
Being diagnosed for lyme disease is hard to figure out if it’s really lyme or the other 300 diseases it mimics. You can get bit by a tick that can give you lyme disease just about anywhere in the US, even in Wisconsin.
Do you feel like something is going disastrously wrong with your body and nobody knows what the hell you are going through? You may be suffering from Lyme disease which is caused by Borrelia Burgdorferi and transmitted by ticks. One tick bite can be the reason of the disaster. But you may hardly notice it or even be unaware of tick bite because of its small size.
How long do you think it takes to recognize an new disease? 2 years? 10 years?
It took them 3 years to discover HIV disease; first observed in 1980 and recognized in 1983. So on average no less then 5 years sounds reasonable. Take a wild guess, how may years did it take for modern medical science to discover Lyme?
It was first medically determined as an illness by Reverend Dr. John Walker in 1764. It was 1982, when they found the bug itself - Borrelia Burgdorferi. And only then they confirmed, that it comes from the tick saliva. It took them 218 years to figure out what was going on. And they had modern equipment and resources.
How did it happen, that the HIV virus 120 nanometers in size was discovered 72 times faster, that the Lyme disease spirochete, which is 12,000 times bigger then the HIV virus - 10 micrometers in size?
If you look at it under the microscope, you will see snakes. The causative agent of Lyme disease Borrelia Burgdorferi looks like a snake, as well as syphilis. Somehow it was very difficult to identify those microorganisms that look like snakes.
Even though a lot of famous people, like Guy de Maupassant, Ivan the Terrible, Edouard Monet, Al Capone, Hitler, Mussolini, Cortez, Scott Joplin, Lord Randolf Churchill etc. were suffering from syphilis, it took them 419 years to find out what was going on. First time syphilis was described was in 1494: it was an outbreak among French troops, besieging Naples. It was 1913, when the cause of syphilis Treponema Pallidum was discovered. I was wondering why so many famous people were infected with syphilis. Were they promiscuous or were they getting inspiration from passion?
So what is common between Lyme disease and Syphilis, except that both of them are cause by snake like bugs? Why is it so difficult to deal with them? Because both of them are great imitators.
Do you think, if it is so difficult for scientists to identify Lyme, it is easy in the regular doctor's office? No, if you are not looking for it. However, if you are suspecting it then yes, it is easy.
Snakes are dangerous, sure. But if you know about the danger then you can protect yourself. If you see a snake approaching, you can run away or kill it. If you are bitten by it, you can always get and antiserum and eventually get well. But this is not the case when you deal with Lyme. It is poppy seed sized innocent looking tick, that bites you. Often you don't even know about it - not like snakes! The danger is not only because the tick is so small. It makes your skin numb so that you do not feel the bite. That is how smart it is. In fact, it is also a victim of the main problem - Borrelia Burgdorpheri. It is actually an pandemia among tics themselves: about 50% of them are infected. So if you are bitten by a tick, you have 50% chances, that is was infected. The scary thing is: besides Lyme you can get other serious illnesses from it like Babesiosis and Human Granulocytic Anaplasmosis.
Have you ever seen a bull's eye? That is how Lyme starts. First thing you might see what is called and described as a "bull's eye" lesion: the red ring with dark red sometimes indurated center inside at the tick bite site. Unfortunately it often goes unnoticed. Or you may never have rash.
Soon after initial invasion, Lyme disease starts to spread. It goes into the skin, causing rashes, muscles, tendons, joints, that causes pains. Also it goes into the heart and nervous system including brain. The result is devastating: you may experience myriad of disabling symptoms from dizziness, fatigue, depression, fibromyalgia, insomnia and palpitations to frank psychosis, heart block and paralysis.
Is there any remedy for this horrible disease? With the help of modern western medicine and with all its antibiotics there should be a remedy. And medical researchers came up with antibiotic regimens, that should kill the bug right away. It was the perfect time for them to declare victory. What they did not know was: Lyme disease would arise so many controversies and debates that even politicians would get involved. This almost never happened in medicine before.
To see what has never seen before - the bacteria kingdom. What he saw was so fascinating that he wrote to the Royal Society in London: "The number of these animicules in the scurf of a man's teeth are so many that I believe they exceed the number of men in a kingdom." What he was looking at was dental plague. What he did not realize was: he was the first man on earth who was looking at the biofilm. Do you brush your teeth? In fact what you are doing is - you remove biofilm from your teeth. What is this innocently looking monster?
Biofilm is where dangerous bacteria are hiding. They create a labyrinth of polymeric fibers on an appropriate surface with small holes and pockets, that are bacteria citadels. That is where they hide and cannot be detected by lab tests. That is where they cannot be hit by antibiotics. That is where they are waiting for better times to go out and hit again. That is why biofilms are so dangerous. Maybe they are rare and not significant in the everyday practice? In fact opposite is true.
Biofilms take place in 80% of all diseases. And Lyme is one of them. Lyme is not measles, not common cold, that is designed to hit fast and to spread to another person. Lyme is designed to live long time in the host - ticks, deers and may be humans. That is why it is so elusive. This is because Lyme is making biofilm and hiding in it! That is why sometimes it is not being identified in the blood tests! That is why it often does not respond to antibiotics! Want proof?
Dr. Eva Sapi, a professor of cellular and molecular biology at the University of New Haven, is doing cancer research. But suddenly she starts suffering from brain swelling. Clinically she had Lyme but her tests were negative. So she had to start her own research. What she along with Dr. McDonald found was: ticks bear other pathogens like mycoplasma along with Lyme spirochete. And they can be hiding in the Biofilms! I wonder why the revised 2010 year recommendations for Lyme disease management by Infections Disease Society of America (IDSA) do not say a word about such an important discovery. It was their expert's job to take this into consideration. Or may be they did not wanted to? What was the reason behind this? Looks like the experts of IDSA did not appreciate Dr. Sapi and Dr. McDonald's work. But the ordinary people did: they gave Oscar nomination for the movie "Under your skin" dedicated to Dr. Sapi and Dr. McDonald's work. They do deserve to be praised, because the fact, that Lyme is hiding in the biofilm can explain the treatment failures. So may be we should break the biofilm before treating Lyme?
Bottom line is simple:
1. If you were bitten by a tick and experienced rash - come for evaluation, because the sooner you get treatment - the higher your chances for recovery.
Even if you were not bitten by a tick, but had symptoms, suggestive of Lyme disease like rash, you may benefit from evaluation for Lyme anyway, because often tick bites are unrecognized.
Get better with Lyme treatment by taking antibiotics that hit the Lyme bugs in their hidden places, where they are hiding!
Disclaimer:
Opinions here do not reflect the opinion of American Boards of Medical Professions, FDA or other government agencies. This article is not intended to medically advise individuals and should only be used for informational purposes. In addition, this article is not intended to make any health statements. Please consult your primary physician before making any medical decisions.
Lyme Disease Symptoms
The first symptom is visual in some cases. A rash resembling a bullseye is a certain sign you have lyme disease. In two to four weeks, if not treated symptoms can become severe with lots of pain.
Lyme disease is spread by deer ticks and is caused by a spirochete bacteria name Borrelia burgdorferi. When the bacteria reach the bloodstream and are spread throughout the body, it can cause signs and symptoms ranging from mild to severe.
Pathophysiology
Deer ticks are the vector insect of this kind of disease. B. burgdorferi lives in the saliva of the tick and when the tick bit a person, the bacteria is introduced inside the body. B. burgdorferi will then travel the bloodstream and infect different body parts such as the nervous, integumentary, and musculoskeletal system.
Its most noticeable symptom is the rash that it creates, which is an immune response of the body to the invading foreign bacteria. The rash is developed by the time the deer tick bit a person. The tick's saliva is a perfect nourishing substance for the bacteria. The tick's saliva itself contains chemical that can disrupt or damage the local immune system. When the skin's immune system is compromised, it can serve as a breeding ground for the bacteria. From the site of the bite, the spirochete bacteria will then asexually reproduce and will spread outwardly. This is the main reason that lyme disease rash is circular in appearance. In some unknown reason, the neutrophils, which are the body's antigen for invading bacteria, do not respond promptly to the site or failed to take action.
Early Stage
Circular rash has 5 to 6 inches diameter
"Bull's eye" rash
Occasionally itchy or painful
Signs of inflammation may or may not be present
Late Stage
Meningitis
Cerebral palsy
Shooting pain that leads to sleep disturbances
Paraplegia
Fatigue
Numbness
Paresthesia
Encephalomyelitis
Bladder problem
Lyme disease has many other complications that may even affect mental and emotional health. This is the main reason that early detection and prompt medical attention should be given. Lyme disease may not be serious at first, but the later stages of the disease may lead to debilitating effects.
Lyme Disease Stages
If not taken serious, symptoms then can turn to neurological causing memory loss and motor movement disability. And in some serious cases, death.
Lyme disease is caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi which is most often acquired from the bite of an infected Ixodes, or black-legged, tick, also known as a deer tick. Borrelia is a gram negative bacterium. Lyme disease in Europe is more often caused by Borrelia afzelii or Borrelia garinii. areas of New York, where Lyme disease is common, over half of the ticks are infected. Lyme disease has been reported most often in the Northeastern United States, but has been reported in all 50 states as well as China, Europe, Japan, Australia and the parts of the former Soviet UnionIt is transmitted to humans by the bite of infected blacklegged ticks.
4.Muscle pains
5.Stiff neck
6.Joint inflammation
Treatment of Lyme Disease
1.Oral antibiotics Doxycycline - bacteriostatic properties stops synthesis of bacteria replication.
2.Amoxicillin - bactericidal properties kill bacterium, Beta-lactam properties inhibit the synthesis of bacterial cell walls.
3.Ceftriaxone - (intravenous therapy) bactericidal properties kill bacterium. Has central nervous system penetration.
4.Anti-inflammatory medications, such as ibuprofen, are sometimes prescribed to relieve joint stiffness.
Test for Lyme Disease
Please take the time to read this 15 minute blog. It tells of how someone beat Lyme Disease and Q-fever, both contracted from the same tick bite, but Q-fever being 10 time worse than Lyme Disease. He tells of how doctors were not able to cure him and at his last hope found several natural foods that turned his health around within a week. On deaths door to a full recovery. Check out the simple ways he cured lyme disease with organic foods.
Lyme disease, also referred to as infection, is a bacterial illness transmitted to humans when ticks bite them. The deer ticks carry a bacterium that is called Borrelia burgdorferi, harbor it and spread to anyone they are feeding on.
People who have the greatest possibility of obtaining Lyme disease are those that live in grassy and wooden areas. These are the places where ticks carrying this disease, live. For people who reside in such areas and have a great risk of having Lyme disease, it is important to take some precautionary measures.
In case the person who was bitten is sensitive to the saliva of the tick, redness may start appearing just at the time of the bite. However, this would be different from the usual rash which is known as erythema migrans as these would disappear within a few weeks and will not enlarge and become redder.
Other symptoms include fever accompanied by chills, ache in the body, fatigue, and severe headaches. Other people may experience less common symptoms, such as heart problems and an irregular heartbeat, hepatitis and severe fatigue.
Cure for Lyme Disease
A course of antibiotics is the standard treatment for Lyme disease. The antibiotics prescribed are usually a part of a short term treatment plan for the disease. The medication is not a 100% treatment for Lyme disease and most people suffer reactions when taking certain antibiotics. It is possible to treat the infection with the use of natural supplements. The natural supplements can assist with complete recovery and it also helps improve the overall health of the patient.
The Lyme disease affects the entire body and sends the immune system to overdrive. This eventually leads to the weakening of the body's natural defense mechanism which aids in the spreading of other infections including Lyme disease. Antibiotics help the body fight against infections but it does not assist the immune system and could disrupt the natural healing process of the body. If you want a successfully recovery that also ensures the well being of the patient then herbal supplements can be a good alternative to antibiotics. Here are some natural supplements which treat Lyme disease effectively.
There are other herbal supplements. Vitamin C can improve the body's immunity and resistance to disease and infections. The spread of bacteria can be stopped using licorice, and skullcap.
To get the maximum benefit from natural supplements you must ensure that you are taking it in the correct way. Always purchase herbal products from reputed suppliers and take the product as prescribed. It is recommended to consult professional herbal practitioners before you start a natural supplement.They can give you all the options available and even the exact dosage required for maximum benefit without affecting your overall health. The herbal practitioner will also give you a personalized treatment plan to ensure you are cured completely.
Lyme disease--caused by the Borrelia burgdorferi spirochete--is often transmitted through the deer tick. However, it's not the only source of infection. It can also be transmitted via mites from rats, mice, birds, and maybe even bed bugs. Of course not every mite or bed bug is infected with Lyme disease but in the case of these organisms transmitting skin parasites such as Collembola, Strongyloides Stercoralis, and Morgellons it's estimated that 95% of those afflicted with these organisms have Lyme disease according to Dr. Harvey of Texas.
Usually when inflicted via the deer tick a bull's eye rash develops which is often the tell tale sign of Lyme disease. Treated early on Lyme disease can often be effectively treated with several common antiobiotics. Years ago tetracycline was widely used, today doxycycline and amoxicillin or cefuroxime are used for two to three weeks.
If the disease is more progressed, intravenous antibiotics are used for up to a month.
For even more resistant chronic Lyme disease a rotation of various antibiotics--bactrim for 3 months followed by zithromax for three months and then biaxin for another two months.
With chronic Lyme disease it morphs to hide in yeast. Thus simultaneously Fluconazole (100 mg once/week -- anti fungal) and Flagyl er 750 mg two days in a row per week are often used.
I chose the latter one, Max GXL, and noticed that the swelling and pain in my knee diminished greatly within six weeks.
Once assumed to be a regional disease largely confined to the
northeastern United States and spread by bacteria carried only by deer
ticks, Lyme experts now report that cases of the illness have been
documented in every state. There is also evidence to suggest that it
can be spread through other means, including mosquitoes and body
fluids. According to JoAnne Whitaker, M.D., of Bowen Research
Laboratory in Florida, "Lyme disease isn't just a tick-borne
infection. I have found the bacteria in every single mosquito that I've
examined, from blood all over California and all over Florida. Dr.
Whitaker believes that "Lyme is the most prevalent disease
there is."
Dr. Tod Thoring is a naturopath and the owner of Pacific Natural
Medicine and Skin Care Centre in Arroyo Grande, California. In his
family practice, Thoring has observed a steady increase in the
frequency of patients with Lyme. Although the evidence suggests that
Lyme is on the rise throughout the country, many people have been told
by medical professionals that Lyme disease does not exist in California.
"The medical community is in its infancy in learning about
this disease," says Dr. Thoring.
Lyme is considered a difficult disease to diagnose and treat. Lyme
symptoms mimic hundreds of other diseases, and has prompted the medical
community's nickname for the disease: the new Great Imitator. The Lyme
bug is a spirochete, the same type of spiral-shaped bacterium that is
responsible for syphilis. Capable of moving through body tissue as well
as the bloodstream, the spirochete can evade the body's immune system,
change from a spiral into a ball and pull a protective shell, a fibrin,
over itself.
The standard antibiotic treatment is not as successful as
antimicrobials, according to Dr. Cowden's studies. "Unless
you start treating the infection during the first three to six
weeks," he says, "patients tend to have to get
repeated rounds of antibiotics longterm, for years and years and
years." Cowden devotes much of his time educating other
medical doctors about the use of antimicrobial herbs to help patients
heal from Lyme disease, and as a result of intensive medical studies,
has developed a protocol with a high success rate.
"We want to try and get as many doctors as possible familiar
with these protocols," says Dr. Cowden. "They're
working well, they're non-toxic, they're not giving the adverse
reactions like a lot of people see, with the fungal overgrowth from
standard antibiotics. And the patients are getting well and staying
well even though the basic protocol is stopped at some point."
The studies and doctors quoted in the article are all included in the Lyme Disease Research Database Conversations
with Lyme Experts Interview Series.
https://lymedisease.pro/wisconsin-lyme-disease-care/
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