Lyme disease is indiscriminate in its infection of body parts—any tissue and/or organ system can be affected by the condition. The disease is caused by ticks that carry the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi and bite humans. The condition is characterized by extreme fatigue, pain in the muscles and bones/joints, and a characteristic bull’s eye patterned rash on the skin.
In many cases, symptoms don’t surface until weeks after you’ve been infected and diagnosis still presents a major challenge to doctors and patients alike. As such, you must consult with your physician if you feel that you might have contracted the condition.
To make the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention more effective, we offer useful tips, to help you live a healthier life:
Do: Take Protective Measures
The Deer-tick (also called the black legged tick) and Western blacklegged tick are the carriers for Lyme disease. You should make sure that you’re thoroughly covered when walking through areas with tall brush, shrubs or tall grasses, since these are the ideal breeding environment for the tick. If you’re out in such an area, make sure you’re wearing long sleeves, proper footwear and a hat, and be sure to check all over your body afterwards for possible embedded ticks.
Don’t: Think You’re safe from Lyme Disease
Ticks aren’t a problem limited to the East Coast – tick infestations are found in half of the counties in the US. In California, where Vitality Integrative Medicine treats Lyme disease, the Lyme-carrying tick species Ixodes pacificus is found in almost all the counties – only three counties do not have the species established there.
Do: Understand the Symptoms
Many symptoms of Lyme disease are similar to symptoms seen with other illnesses like MS. Symptoms can include various neurological issues such as changes in vision, weakness, strange sensations. They also can include joint and muscle pains, headache and fever. There can be many additional symptoms if the disease has advanced.
Don’t: Wait for Lyme symptoms
If you have been bitten by a tick, take all possible measures to stop the spread of the infection and don’t risk waiting for the symptoms of Lyme Disease to show up. Visit your physician as soon as possible to stop the spread of the disease; it has been seen that early treatment with antibiotics is far more likely to result in resolution of the infection and symptoms, compared with treating the infection at later stages.
Do: Explore All Treatment Options
Although antibiotics are the go-to treatment method for Lyme disease, there are other treatment options administered separately or in conjunction with prescribed antibiotics.
Integrative medicine clinics, such as Vitality Integrative Medicine, employ comprehensive testing to identify the infection, co-infections, and multiple areas of dysregulation that may be caused by the disease.
Don’t: Stop the Treatment until Your Physician/Doctor is Certain the Disease is Gone
Many patients think that the disease might be as good as gone when the symptoms have resolved for several days. We suggest you carry on with treatment until you get the final word from your doctor, or at least four to six weeks, because the life cycle of the bacterium that causes Lyme is a long one, and it is possible that the bacterium can be in temporary quiescent state. If the treatment is stopped prematurely, the bacteria may not be fully eradicated, and may then become active again causing further damage.
In some cases, patients may end up having on-going symptoms after a course of treatment, either due to having an infection that they have been unable to resolve, or as a result of lasting damage due the previous infection. This is referred to as Post Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome, or PTLDS. See more about this issue here: Alternative Treatments for Lyme Disease
Get Lyme disease Treatment in Los Angeles
Vitality Integrative Medicine is an integrative medicine clinic located in Sherman Oaks that offers innovative, customized treatment for Lyme disease. Contact Dr. Jeremy Fischer by email or call (424)278-4325 to speak with the office.