LYME DISEASE
Lyme Disease is an inflammatory disease resulting from the bacteria Borrella Burgdorferi that is transmitted most commonly in the United States by Deer Ticks. Lyme Disease typically causes a rash, often in a bull’s eye pattern(although not everyone will present with the rash), this can be accompanied by flu-like symptoms and joint pain. Most people recover completely with appropriate antibiotic treatment, but some develop syndromes after their infection. Symptoms of acute Lyme Disease include: fatigue, migratory muscle, nerve, and joint pain, headaches, neck pain, memory issues/brain fog, and sleep disturbances. Symptoms of chronic Lyme Disease include: migratory muscle, nerve, and joint pain, anxiety, depression, or mood swings, brain fog, cognitive decline, neuropathy (numbness and tingling), immune dysfunction, and a variety of cardiovascular symptoms such as palpations, shortness of breath, chest pain, and gastrointestinal issues.
Some patients may not even consider that they may be suffering from Lyme Disease or Chronic Lyme Disease because they are not hiking enthusiasts or gardeners, or even someone who enjoys being outdoors. However, if you ever go outdoors, walk in grassy areas, live with a spouse or children who hike or play outdoor sports, or if you have any pets that go outdoors, you could have been bitten by a tick that was transferred from their fur or clothing and not even have known it because most ticks drop off on their own after 3 to 6 days of feeding. Others may have tested negative on previous less sensitive Lyme tests because of the ability of lyme spirochetes to cloak themselves in biofilm or to go dormant during periods when they feel threatened by antibiotics. Still others may have tested negative because they are HLA-DR positive. Approximately 25% of the population in the united states are HLA-DR positive. Being HLA-DR positive means that a person’s immune system is not able to recognize and build antibodies to lyme, molds, or certain other toxins so they can test negative for these antibodies on a lyme test.
During the initial Functional Medicine Examination, a screening test will be administered that can give guidance as to whether or not additional specific testing may be necessary.
If you or Dr. Williams suspect that you may have Lyme Disease, testing using the Immuno Blot Test will be ordered which conveys a 95% accuracy. This test checks for multiple strains of Borella Burgdorferi with a lyme sensitivity rate of 90% as opposed to a Western Blot or ELISA test that has a sensitivity rate for lyme of less than 50%.
Once Lyme Disease becomes chronic it affects and dysregulates the other systems of the body through its inflammatory effects. Through comprehensive testing Functional Medicine will assess how the multiple systems of your body have been affected. Dr. Williams will then construct an individualized plan based upon all of your test results to address the infections and imbalances found.
Special Note: If the Lyme Disease test yields a negative result, but the patient is someone who travels to western states on hunting trips, stays in rustic cabins, or is someone who lived in one of the western states and had a known rodent problem in their home, an additional test known as the Tick Borne Relapsing Fever Test can be ordered. Tick-Born Relapsing Fever is an infection that is spread by a different type of tick known as a “soft tick” of the genus Ornithodoros. It differs from “hard ticks” such as the deer tick in that it does not latch on and remain on the host. These ticks typically emerge at night from rodent dens, have a painless bite, feed for usually less than half an hour and then retreat back to the rodent burrows where they continue to reside. Patients who have been exposed to a bite from these ticks can experience all the same symptoms as those with Lyme Disease but with the addition of a fever that will last one to three days, go away for four to fourteen days, and then return again and again. The first fever does not appear until after a week or more time has passed since becoming infected, making it difficult to associate the onset of symptoms with a possible tick bite and many patients will just mistakenly assume they have the flu. In most cases, a Lyme Disease Test will be negative when a patient has contracted Tick-Borne Relapsing Fever, however, some false positives have been reported when less sensitive tests have been utilized. Only a specific Tick-Borne Relapsing Fever Test can determine if you have contracted the disease. If you fall into the risk category and have experienced the symptoms mentioned above, it is important that you be tested as soon as possible. Untreated Tick-Borne Relapsing Fever can have dire and even life threatening consequences. An immediate referral to your primary care physician for specific antibiotic treatment will be made on behalf of all patients who test positive for Tick-Borne Relapsing Fever.