Lyme Disease Quick Facts
- Lyme Disease is the fastest growing vector-borne, infectious disease in the United States, and has become a worldwide epidemic
- There are 100 strains of the lyme bacteria in the United States and 300 strains worldwide - this makes the disease increasingly harder to diagnose
- Fewer than 50% of lyme patients recall a tick bite
- Fewer than 50% of lyme patients develop the 'classic' bulls eye rash
- 40% of lyme patients end up with long term health problems
- The average patient sees 5 doctors over a span 2 years before being diagnosed
- Reliable testing for Lyme Disease DOES NOT EXIST
- In addition to the lyme bacteria, ticks frequently carry other micro-organisms called co-infections. Many patients have two or more co-infections - this is like having three different versions of Lyme Disease at the same time since these other infections can do just as much harm as the lyme bacteria itself.
- Lyme Disease can also be transmitted by mosquitoes and fleas
- There is no cure for Lyme Disease
- Lyme Disease is a multi-systematic disease, and can invade every part of your body, including the brain, heart, lungs, organs, muscles, joints, and central nervous system
If Lyme Disease is a nationwide epidemic, why don't we hear about it?
Watch this video to learn the accurate facts and understand more about its surrounding controversy.
Watch this video to learn the accurate facts and understand more about its surrounding controversy.
Learn the truth about Lyme Disease
Unfortunately our government does not educate us properly about Lyme Disease, and even withholds critical information due to its corruption and controversy. Because of the complete lack of governmental support, we must take matters into our own hands, and educate ourselves with the correct information. This page is dedicated to unveiling the truth about Lyme Disease and how it affects the lives of those who have it. My goal is to help more people become aware of this disease so they can better help and understand the people who suffer from it.
The controversy surrounding this disease is outrageous, and the government continues to deny the severity of this illness. Insurance companies refuse to pay for the necessary treatment, because they use guidelines that are set by the IDSA that were put in place when the lyme bacteria was first discovered and haven't been changed at all - they are completely outdated and very biased to work in the insurance companies' favor. Treatment for this disease is extremely expensive, and many patients cannot afford the necessary treatment, resulting in a prolonged or incomplete recovery. It is unbelievable that hundreds of thousands of people are suffering from this debilitating disease, yet the government refuses to acknowledge its severity. The fact that all these people are unable to get adequate help due to corruption and conflict of interest in the IDSA is so pathetic. In what world is this kind of suffering and denial okay?
lyme disease symptoms
Lyme disease symptoms can appear quickly or gradually over time, are incredibly varied, and can wax and wane. The first physical signs of Lyme infection are often flu-like symptoms – sore throat, headaches, congestion, stiffness, etc. – so many people, including doctors, dismiss the symptoms as the flu.
*Please note that this is not a comprehensive list, Lyme Disease can cause almost any symptom imaginable since the bacteria invade every part of the body*
Head, Face, Neck
- Unexplained hair loss
- Headache, mild or severe, seizures
- Pressure in head, white matter lesions in brain (MRI)
- Twitching of facial or other muscles
- Facial paralysis (Bell’s Palsy, Horner’s syndrome)
- Tingling of nose, (tip of) tongue, cheek or facial flushing
- Stiff or painful neck
- Jaw pain or stiffness
- Dental problems
- Sore throat, clearing throat a lot, phlegm (flem), hoarseness, runny nose
- Double or blurry vision
- Increased floating spots
- Pain in eyes, or swelling around eyes
- Oversensitivity to light
- Flashing lights, peripheral waves or phantom images in corner of eyes
- Decreased hearing in one or both ears, plugged ears
- Buzzing in ears
- Pain in ears, oversensitivity to sounds
- Ringing in one or both ears
- Diarrhea
- Constipation
- Irritable bladder (trouble starting, stopping) or interstitial cystitis
- Upset stomach (nausea or pain) or GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease)
- Bone pain, joint pain or swelling, carpal tunnel syndrome
- Stiffness of joints, back, neck, tennis elbow
- Muscle pain or cramps, (Fibromyalgia)
- Shortness of breath, can’t get full/satisfying breath, cough
- Chest pain or rib soreness
- Night sweats or unexplained chills
- Heart palpitations or extra beats
- Endocarditis, heart blockage
- Tremors or unexplained shaking
- Burning or stabbing sensations in the body
- Fatigue, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, weakness, peripheral neuropathy or partial paralysis
- Pressure in the head
- Numbness in body, tingling, pinpricks
- Poor balance, dizziness, difficulty walking
- Increased motion sickness
- Light-headedness, wooziness
- Mood swings, irritability, bi-polar disorder
- Unusual depression
- Disorientation (getting or feeling lost)
- Feeling as if you are losing your mind
- Over-emotional reactions, crying easily
- Too much sleep, or insomnia
- Difficulty falling or staying asleep
- Narcolepsy, sleep apnea
- Panic attacks, anxiety
- Memory loss (short or long term)
- Confusion, difficulty thinking
- Difficulty with concentration or reading
- Going to the wrong place
- Speech difficulty (slurred or slow)
- Difficulty finding commonly used words
- Stammering speech
- Forgetting how to perform simple tasks
- Loss of sex drive
- Sexual dysfunction
- Unexplained menstrual pain, irregularity
- Unexplained breast pain, discharge
- Testicular or pelvic pain
- Phantom smells
- Unexplained weight gain or loss
- Extreme fatigue
- Swollen glands or lymph nodes
- Unexplained fevers (high or low grade)
- Continual infections (sinus, kidney, eye, etc.)
- Symptoms seem to change, come and go
- Pain migrates (moves) to different body parts
- Early on, experienced a “flu-like” illness, after which you have not since felt well
- Low body temperature
- Allergies or chemical sensitivities
- Increased effect from alcohol and possible worse hangover
*Taken from the Canadian Lyme Disease Foundation at canlyme.com
The following videos explain more about Lyme Disease and the extreme difficulty diagnosing it.
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Under Our Skin
This film is a brilliant documentary depicting the real life
struggles of Lyme Disease and the controversy surrounding it.
The movie premiered in 2009, and has earned multiple awards, including "Best Documentary" from the Fargo Film Festival. The film was also an Academy Award semifinalist and was placed on the Oscar shortlist.
Under Our Skin is an unprecedented documentary that illuminates the truth about Lyme Disease. It is a must see for anyone wanting to learn more about this chronic illness.
This film is a brilliant documentary depicting the real life
struggles of Lyme Disease and the controversy surrounding it.
The movie premiered in 2009, and has earned multiple awards, including "Best Documentary" from the Fargo Film Festival. The film was also an Academy Award semifinalist and was placed on the Oscar shortlist.
Under Our Skin is an unprecedented documentary that illuminates the truth about Lyme Disease. It is a must see for anyone wanting to learn more about this chronic illness.
Here is the trailer for the Under Our Skin documentary. If you were only to watch this short trailer, you would still get goosebumps. And the movie is that much and more. I really encourage you to watch this trailer and to check out the film because they are incredible. They are not only extremely eye opening-sometimes frighteningly so-but also interesting and very well made. |
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lyme disease treatment
Treatment of Lyme Disease
Lyme Disease is treated by killing off the lyme bacteria and other co-infections. Because these organisms are very stealthy and pros at evading the immune system, the only way of accomplishing this is to use an outside force to attack the infection, such as antibiotics. It takes a long time, often years, to fully eradicate the infection from the body, and the treatment plan varies drastically from person to person. This is why it is so important to find a doctor who is well educated and has experience treating lyme patients.
Most lyme patients are already very sick by the time they get their diagnosis and find an LLMD (lyme literate doctor), but unfortunately the treatment itself - while necessary to get better - makes the individual much worse. This is because as the bacteria die they release toxins and the body becomes overloaded, causing symptoms to become more severe. Patients often go on IV antibiotics for months in addition to taking a multitude of supplements to support the immune system, help detoxify, and try to minimize the effects of treatment.
There is currently no known cure for Chronic Lyme Disease (Lyme Disease goes into the chronic stage when it has been in the body for an extended period of time), although many patients have successfully gone into remission. It often becomes a life long battle to keep the body and immune system strong enough to control the infection and prevent a relapse.
Lyme Disease is treated by killing off the lyme bacteria and other co-infections. Because these organisms are very stealthy and pros at evading the immune system, the only way of accomplishing this is to use an outside force to attack the infection, such as antibiotics. It takes a long time, often years, to fully eradicate the infection from the body, and the treatment plan varies drastically from person to person. This is why it is so important to find a doctor who is well educated and has experience treating lyme patients.
Most lyme patients are already very sick by the time they get their diagnosis and find an LLMD (lyme literate doctor), but unfortunately the treatment itself - while necessary to get better - makes the individual much worse. This is because as the bacteria die they release toxins and the body becomes overloaded, causing symptoms to become more severe. Patients often go on IV antibiotics for months in addition to taking a multitude of supplements to support the immune system, help detoxify, and try to minimize the effects of treatment.
There is currently no known cure for Chronic Lyme Disease (Lyme Disease goes into the chronic stage when it has been in the body for an extended period of time), although many patients have successfully gone into remission. It often becomes a life long battle to keep the body and immune system strong enough to control the infection and prevent a relapse.