This week the Center for Disease Control announced that the current rate of Lyme disease is ten times higher than was previously believed, with 300,000 new cases each year. (1)
First discovered in Lyme, Connecticut, this disease is now found in all 50 US states and on every continent except Antarctica.
It’s growing in numbers and spreading geographically, yet some medical professionals don’t acknowledge that its chronic form even exists!
Lyme Disease Basics
This disease is a hard nut to crack on just about every level.
- Lyme disease is transmitted through a bite from an infected deer tick the size of a poppy seed. Deer have gotten the blame but most people get Lyme disease from mice, not deer.
- Most people who are bitten by a tick never even know it. Fewer than half of people infected get the tell-tale bull’s eye rash, the first obvious sign of the disease.
- There is no accurate diagnostic test for Lyme. Current tests lead to about 50% false negative. You’d do just as well flipping a coin.
- Lyme disease is caused by Borrelia burgdorferi, a bacteria which can lie dormant for months or years, making diagnosis even more difficult.
- Lyme disease is called the “great imitator” because symptoms can mimic many other diseases — fibromyalgia, arthritis, chronic fatigue syndrome, multiple sclerosis, and lupus.
- Even if you receive an accurate diagnosis, it is persistent and difficult to treat. The bacteria form “biofilms” — a slimy protective coating that keep the bacteria safe from detection and antibiotics. (2)
Lyme Disease Symptoms
The most common symptoms of Lyme disease are fatigue, muscle and joint pain, joint inflammation, memory loss, mental confusion, brain fog, vision problems, digestive issues, and headaches. If left undiagnosed or untreated, it can lead to encephalitis, a potentially fatal inflammation of the brain. (3)
One of the biggest surprises about Lyme disease is that the Borrelia bacteria might be a cause of Alzheimer’s. Alan MacDonald, MD has been studying Lyme disease for 30 years and came across an amazing discovery while analyzing brain specimens of Alzheimer’s victims: 70% of these Alzheimer’s-riddled brains contained the Lyme bacteria Borrelia. (4)
Dr. Dietrich Klinghardt, another Lyme specialist, states he’s never had a single patient with Alzheimer’s, ALS, Parkinson’s disease or multiple sclerosis who did not test positive for Borrelia. These are all diseases with no known cause and he suspects that Lyme disease might be the common link.
I expect we’ll be hearing a lot more about Lyme disease and the connection with Alzheimer’s and other neurological diseases in the future.
An Ugly Chapter in Modern Medicine
The way diagnosing and treating Lyme disease has been handled is a particularly ugly chapter in modern medicine. Special interests put profits above the lives of thousands, including children. The official Lyme disease treatment policy is dictated by insurance companies who don’t want to pay for ongoing care. Some doctors with the greatest success have lost their licenses for treating chronic patients, including Dr. Charles Ray Jones, widely considered the top pediatric Lyme’s specialist in the country.
If You Think You Have Lyme Disease
The standard medical treatment, if you can get any treatment at all, will be long-term antibiotics. If you suspect you have Lyme disease, and are looking for unbiased, evidence-based information the International Lyme And Associated Diseases Society is an excellent place to start.
About the Author: Deane Alban is co-founder of BeBrainFit.com, where you’ll learn how to keep your brain as young, healthy, and fit as the rest of you. Sign up for her free newsletter Brain Builder and claim your FREE Special Bonus Report – “5 Causes of Brain Aging“.
Your brain was meant to last a lifetime… but the assaults of modern life are aging our brains before their time. Brain fog, lack of focus, anxiety, insomnia, feeling overwhelmed, and just not being happy are all signs that your brain is not working as well as it should. Learn how to avoid the 3 most common but dangerous brain mistakes that almost everyone makes… no matter how healthy your current lifestyle is.
Deane holds a bachelor's degree in biology from University of South Florida, where she also studied journalism. She has taught and written on a wide variety of natural health topics for over 20 years, including teaching healthy cooking classes.
As a baby boomer, Deane has turned her passion for healthy living to focus on a major problem people everywhere are facing – issues with mental decline right now and worries about Alzheimer's disease and dementia in the future. Deane brings the science down to earth in an entertaining and engaging way, giving her readers practical, easy-to-follow advice to keep their minds sharp for life.
Deane lives near Tucson, Arizona with her husband and business partner, Patrick, a retired chiropractor. She loves living in the desert where plenty of sunshine and outdoor activities help keep her mind young!
