What Are The Signs & Symptoms Of Lyme Disease
The symptoms of Lyme disease vary from person to person, but often happen in three stages:
Two Early Stages
1. For the first few weeks, symptoms may include:
- a rash near the tick bite, which usually is round or oval. Some rashes have a clear middle .
- inflammation of the brain and spinal cord
Late Stage
If Lyme disease goes untreated for months, the earlier symptoms can continue. The person also can develop arthritis .
When Should I Call The Doctor
If a tick bites you, call your doctor. Other conditions can cause similar symptoms, so it’s always a good idea to discuss them with your doctor. That way you can get checked and treated, if needed. Call right away if you get a red-ringed rash, lasting flu-like symptoms, joint pain or a swollen joint, or facial paralysis.
Tips For Tick Bite Avoidance
No tick bite is a good tick bite.
With a greater than usual tick population predicted for our region, increases in Lyme Disease which is spread by the deer tick are not the only concern. It has been widely reported that a small percentage of deer ticks may also carry the Powassan virus.
Avoid Tick bites:
- Use repellent that contains 20 percent or more DEET, picaridin, or IR3535 on exposed skin for protection that lasts several hours
- Walk in the center of trails and avoid wooded and grassy areas
- Wear long sleeves, long pants and thick socks
- Learn more about preventing tick bites from the Centers for Disease Control
If you are concerned about a tick bite or other rash, please see a medical professional.
The allergists, pediatric allergists, and asthma specialists at The Asthma Center treat patients in 9 convenient locations throughout the Delaware Valley including Philadelphia , The Main Line Montgomery County , Bucks County , and South Jersey .
The health information contained in this article is meant for basic informational purposes only. It is not intended to serve as medical advice, substitute for a doctors appointment or to be used for diagnosing or treating a disease.
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The Cdc Reveals The Truth About Lyme Disease
Lyme disease is a bacterial infection caused by the bite of an infected black-legged tick, also known as a deer tick. Lyme and its numerous co-infections can mimic or cause virtually any medical, neurological, or psychiatric condition. It is called the great imitator and has been vastly underdiagnosed in the U.S. due to inadequate testing methods and general lack of acknowledgment by the medical community. A nasty relative of the STD syphilis, Lyme causes a multitude of medical, neurological, and psychiatric impairment issues, yet is much harder to cure.
What Causes Asthma Symptoms
One or more things can trigger your asthma. Some of the most common things that bring on asthma symptoms are:
AllergensAbout 7 out of 10 people with asthma have allergies. An allergy is a reaction to something you touch, eat or breathe in that makes you sneeze, get a rash or have trouble breathing.
Allergens are things that cause you to have allergy symptoms. Many also cause asthma symptoms. Common allergens are pollens, molds, animal dander , dust mites and cockroaches. Limit your contact with allergens. If you still have asthma symptoms, talk to your health care provider.Your provider may recommend that you take an allergy medicine. If youre already getting allergy shots, you can keep taking them during pregnancy. But if you arent getting allergy shots, dont start taking them when youre pregnant because you could have a serious allergic reaction called anaphylaxis.
IrritantsIrritants are things in your environment that may hurt your lungs and trigger asthma symptoms, including air pollution, cigarette smoke and smoke from wood-burning stoves or fireplaces, cold air and strong smells, like paint or perfumes.
InfectionsInfections like a cold, the flu or viral pneumonia, can trigger asthma symptoms in some people.
ExerciseExercise can cause asthma symptoms in some people. If your asthma is under control, you probably can exercise without any problems. But if exercising during pregnancy sets off your asthma, talk to your health care provider.
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Who Gets Lyme Disease
Anyone bitten by an infected deer tick can get Lyme disease. Most U.S. cases of Lyme disease happen in Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, and Wisconsin. But Lyme disease is found in other parts of the U.S., Europe, Asia, and Australia too.
An Overview Of Lyme Disease And Mold Illness
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Lyme Disease Natural Wellness
When I was in my 20s, I lived in a rental home with mold growing around the bathtub. At the time, it was more of an eyesore than a real concern. I would spray it down with bleach whenever I cleaned the bathroom, and that removed the black spots until they grew back and needed to be treated again. I cringe at my ignorance now. I didnt realize certain molds can cause serious, debilitating chronic illness and even death in some cases.
I started experiencing my first symptoms of chronic illness while living in that home. Years later, I recognized that moldy bathtub may have been making me sick. Back then, I didnt know certain molds produce toxic byproducts called mycotoxins, which have been associated with cancer, liver failure, kidney failure and other serious health conditions. Mold toxicity, also known as mold illness, is a common comorbidity in those with chronic Lyme disease, and its also been linked to fibromyalgia and ME/CFS. In one 2013 study, infectious disease specialist Joseph Brewer, MD, found 93 percent of his ME/CFS patients tested positive for one or more mold toxins in their urine.
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How Do I Avoid Getting Bitten By A Tick
The best way to protect you against Lyme disease and other tickborne illnesses is to avoid tick bites. This includes avoiding tick-infested areas. However, if you live in or visit wooded areas or areas with tall grass and weeds, follow these precautions against Lyme disease and other tickborne diseases like Rocky Mountain spotted fever, ehrlichiosis and tularemia:
Rapid Development Of Ige Antibodies To Alpha
Over the last three years, we have had the opportunity to follow serum IgE responses prospectively in three individuals whose serum was available from before they experienced multiple tick bites. In each case, IgE antibodies to alpha-gal rose over twenty-fold after tick bites and there was a parallel, though not identical, rise in total IgE . Furthermore, two of these individuals experienced an episode of generalized urticaria three to four hours after eating red meat, something that had not occurred prior to the tick bites. In these two cases, the IgE antibodies to alpha-gal represented 30% of the total IgE. By contrast, in subject #2, IgE to alpha-gal rose from < 0.35 to 8 IU/ml, but this accounted for less than 1% of the total IgE, and this individual has yet to report any allergic symptoms after eating mammalian meat. IgE antibodies to several other allergens were measured in serial samples from each of these individuals . The results show that none of the three developed new specificities of IgE antibodies, other than those that could be explained by IgE antibodies to alpha-gal . While IgE antibodies to inhalants in sera from subject #2 did increase, these increases were much less than the increase in IgE to alpha-gal. In cases 1 and 2, the ticks responsible for the bites were identified as A. americanum.
Trichophyton rubrum
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What Can Cause Both A Weakened Immune System And Viral Reactivation Artificial Light At Night And Non
Does non-native EMF exposure explain why Alzheimers Disease is often called type 3 diabetes ? You do remember Nora Volkow showed nnEMF increases glucose metabolism in the brain in 2011, right? Does nnEMF overexposure explain why an infection seems to be related to the pathophysiology of AD? On the surface, this sounds counterintuitive until you understand how free vitamin A from melanopsin ruins the chromophores in the immune system to make viral infection more likely. This means the more blue light and nnEMF abuse you use the more likely your sleep will be destroyed and your blood, body, and cells will be littered with viruses. No one seems to realize how Vitamin A and viral illness link but Black Swans do.
Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored by most people in science and the public and lies promulgated by the FCC and FDA should not be held as gospel because most of the public believes nnEMF is safe. Today in medicine, telling the truth has become a revolutionary act because of these two conditions
HHV-1 Oral and/or genital herpes The primary symptom is cold sores with associated neuralgia along the affected nerve. According to the World Health Organization, 67% of the world population under the age of 50 have HSV-1.
HSV-1 is the most common cause of viral encephalitis, which causes very dangerous inflammation of the brain, and can be fatal. When infecting the brain, the virus shows a preference for the temporal lobe .
HHV-3 Chickenpox and shingles
HHV-4
Common Symptomatology Between Lyme And Autism
When speaking with children who are chronically ill, it can be difficult to understand what is causing their symptoms. Children, naturally, might not know how to accurately describe their pains or illness. When there are multiple symptoms, it can be even more challenging as they grow and change so quickly. For children with autism or other language disorder, they may be limited or unable to communicate why they feel the way they feel.
Autism Spectrum Disorder and Lyme disease are examples of what seem to be entirely different diseases, but they share an overlap of symptoms. While autism is usually seen as a developmental disorder and Lyme an infectious disease, the two have more in common than you might think. There are interesting connections between the two, especially when diagnosed in children.
Symptoms Shared by Both Autism and Lyme:
- Neurological symptoms that include difficulty with communication and confusion, disorientation, muscle twitching, sensitivity to light, brain fog, and delayed development.
- Psychological problems that impact behaviors, obsessive-compulsive disorder, an increased sense of doom, anxiety and outbursts.
- Physical health issues such as muscle weakness, arthritis, and rashes.
- Gut health issues including food allergies, bloating, constipation or diarrhea, and abdominal pain.
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Is It Safe To Take Asthma Medicine During Pregnancy
Asthma symptoms that dont stop or that get worse can be a risk to your and your baby. If you were taking asthma medicine before pregnancy, dont stop taking it without talking to your provider first.
If youre diagnosed with asthma during pregnancy, talk to your provider about the best way to treat or manage it.
If youre already getting allergy shots, you can keep taking them during pregnancy. But if you arent getting allergy shots, dont start taking them when youre pregnant because you could have a serious allergic reaction called anaphylaxis.
Cardiologists: Know The Signs Of Lyme Disease
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Spring has arrived, and along with warmer weather and blossoming tree buds, a seasonal risk looms, especially for outdoor enthusiasts. The risk for Lyme disease, and the cardiac complications that can be associated with it, increases as people spend more time outdoors.
Lyme disease is an infection caused by a species in the spirochete pathogen Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato group and is spread through tick bites.
Lyme disease is often overlooked by physicians, but its important to recognize and treat because of the cardiac complications that can occur if left untreated. Every cardiologist should be able to recognize signs and symptoms,Nieca Goldberg, MD, cardiologist in the department of medicine, Leon H. Charney division of cardiology, and director of the Joan H. Tisch Center for Womens Health at NYU Langone Medical Center, told Cardiology Today.
Nieca Goldberg
Often, the first sign is a rash at the site, known as a bulls-eye rash with a red ring and red center, Goldberg said.
According to the CDC, the rash is usually not painful or itchy, so it may be overlooked.
In the early localized stage, symptoms can include a rash, fatigue, chills, fever, headache, swollen lymph nodes and joint aches, similar to symptoms for many other diseases, including influenza or a common cold.
Disclosure: Goldberg reports no relevant financial disclosures.
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Chronic Lyme Disease & Its Co
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When I tell people I have chronic Lyme and some of its co-infections, they often look at me quizzically and ask: Whats a co-infection? I explain that in addition to Lyme ticks can transmit other diseases as well. I get an understanding nod until I say the names of the diseases. Rarely have people heard of them: Babesia, Ehrlichia, and Bartonella. One of my graduate school professors got so tired of trying to say Babesia that he jokingly renamed it babelicious.
I get a similar reaction when I tell people that a chief symptom of Babesia is air hunger. Some hear the term and think of marathon runners or asthma patients. Most really have no idea what it actually means. Literally, it means to be hungry for air. But how is that related to Babesia, and what does the symptom actually entail?
Babesia is a parasite that eats the oxygen in red blood cells. This result is low blood oxygen levels in the body. When you are hungry for food, your stomach might grumble, and you might feel a gnawing or emptiness, a craving for sustenance. You might become lightheaded or even faint. The same is true when your blood is hungry for oxygen, except you feel the hunger in your cells rather than in your stomach.
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What Causes Lyme Disease
Lyme disease is caused by bacteria that is spread to humans by tick bites. The ticks that carry the bacteria are:
-
Black-legged deer tick
-
Western black-legged tick
Ticks prefer to live in wooded areas, low-growing grasslands, and yards. Not all ticks carry the Lyme disease bacteria. Depending on the location, anywhere from less than 1 in 100 to more than half of the ticks are infected with it.
While most tick bites are harmless, several species can cause life-threatening diseases. Tick-borne diseases include:
-
Rocky Mountain spotted fever
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Red Meat Allergy Diagnosis And Treatment
At The Asthma Center, our allergists and pediatric allergists help our patients manage their food allergies by first determining what foods cause symptoms. Commercially available allergy skin tests for red meat are usually negative, but skin tests to fresh meat may be positive. When a meat allergy is causing any of the above symptoms, and a Lone Star tick bite is suspected, a blood test can help diagnosis this condition. Many cases of what has previously been diagnosed as idiopathic anaphylaxis may actually be cases of red meat allergy. The delayed reaction caused by red meat allergy is often misleading since most allergic food reactions occur within one hour of ingestion of the culprit food.
Avoidance of foods that trigger symptoms is a key part of living with red meat food allergy. The Asthma Center allergists pair these results and any other testing results which may apply to an individuals unique history and set of symptoms to identify specific triggers. The Asthma Center allergists also help our patients find relief of symptoms with antihistamines and corticosteroids, and prepare for anaphylaxis by carrying epinephrine auto-injector to reverse severe reactions to any unforeseen exposure or accidental ingestion of a triggering food.
Asthma Treatments And Covid
The CDC advises that you should not stop any of your asthma medications or make changes to your asthma treatment plan without talking to your healthcare provider first. Asthma medication is not considered to interfere with COVID-19 outcomes or prognosis.
Continuing to take your asthma medication as prescribed will help you reduce the risk of triggering an asthma attack. The AAAAI states that the best thing a person with asthma can do during the pandemic is to keep their asthma under control.
The CDC offers the following tips for keeping asthma under control:
- Do not make any changes to your asthma medication without consulting a medical professional.
- Continue to take all of your prescribed asthma medication as normal, and know how to use your inhaled medication effectively.
- Follow your asthma action plan.
- Always carry your reliever inhaler with you in case symptoms are triggered.
- Ask your doctor for a 30-day emergency supply of your asthma medication to keep at home if you have to quarantine for a long time.
- Try to avoid asthma triggers and reduce stress where possible.
- Ensure that you speak with your doctor about recommended vaccinations to help you stay healthy.
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Can Asthma Symptoms Change During Pregnancy
Yes, asthma symptoms often change during pregnancy. Sometimes they get better and sometimes they get worse. We dont really understand what causes these changes.
Getting the flu can set off serious asthma symptoms. Be sure to get a flu shot in October or November every year.
Heartburn also can make your symptoms worse. Heres what you can do to help with heartburn symptoms:
- Sleep with your head up on a pillow .
- Eat smaller meals several times a day.
- Dont eat within 2 hours of bedtime.
- Ask your provider about medicines you can take.