Signs and Symptoms of Lyme disease

March 5, 2014

Signs and Symptoms of Lyme disease-Elaborate

the signs and symptoms of Lyme disease may take long to appear but when they come, the form patches on the skin.

The signs and symptoms of Lyme disease vary and usually affect more than one system. The skin, joints and nervous system are affected most often. In some people, the rash may spread to other parts of the body and, several weeks to months after you’ve been infected, you may experience:

Joint pain. You may develop bouts of severe joint pain and swelling. Your knees are especially likely to be affected, but the pain can shift from one joint to another.

Signs and Symptoms of Lyme disease-How Is Lyme disease Transmitted?

Lyme disease is transmitted through a bite from a specific type of tick. The animals that most often carry these insects are white-footed field mice, deer, raccoons, opossums, skunks, weasels, foxes, shrews, moles, chipmunks, squirrels, and horses. The majority of these ticks have been found in New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Jersey, Minnesota, and Wisconsin.

What are Signs and Symptoms of Lyme disease?

These signs and symptoms may occur within a month after you’ve been infected:

Rash. A small, red bump may appear at the site of the tick bite. This small bump is normal after a tick bite and doesn’t indicate Lyme disease. However, over the next few days, the redness may expand forming a rash in a bull’s–eye pattern, with a red outer ring surrounding a clear area. The rash, called erythema migrans, is one of the hallmarks of Lyme disease. Some people develop this rash at more than one place on their bodies.
Flu-like symptoms. Fever, chills, fatigue, body aches and a headache may accompany the rash.

However in the early stages of Lyme disease, you may experience flu-like symptoms that can include a stiff neck, chills, fever, swollen lymph nodes, headaches, muscle aches, and joint pain. You may also experience a large, expanding skin rash around the area of the tick bite. In more advanced disease, nerve problems and arthritis, especially in the knees, may occur.

Here are some more details:

Erythma migrans: is the telltale rash which occurs in about 70% to 80% of cases and starts as a small red spot that expands over a period of days or weeks, forming a circular, triangular, or oval-shaped rash. Sometimes the rash resembles a bull’s-eye because it appears as a red ring surrounding a central clear area. The rash, which can range in size from that of a dime to the entire width of a person’s back, appears between three days and a few weeks of a tick bite, usually occurring at the site of a bite. As infection spreads, several rashes can appear at different sites on the body.

Erythema migrans is often accompanied by symptoms such as fever, headache, stiff neck, body aches, and fatigue. These flu-like symptoms may resemble those of common viral infections and usually resolve within days or a few weeks.

Arthritis. After several weeks of being infected with Lyme disease, approximately 60% of those people not treated with antibiotics develop recurrent attacks of painful and swollen joints that last a few days to a few months. The arthritis can shift from one joint to another; the knee is most commonly affected and usually one or a few joints are affected at any given time. About 10% to 20% of untreated patients will go on to develop lasting arthritis. The knuckle joints of the hands are only very rarely affected.
Neurological symptoms. Lyme disease can also affect the nervous system, causing symptoms such as stiff neck and severe headache (meningitis), temporary paralysis of facial muscles (Bell’s palsy), numbness, pain or weakness in the limbs, or poor coordination. More subtle changes such as memory loss, difficulty with concentration, and a change in mood or sleeping habits have also been associated with Lyme disease. People with these latter symptoms alone usually don’t have Lyme disease as their cause.

Nervous system abnormalities usually develop several weeks, months, or even years following an untreated infection. These symptoms often last for weeks or months and may recur. These features of Lyme disease usually start to resolve even before antibiotics are started. Patients with neurologic disease usually have a total return to normal function.

Heart problems. Relatively small number of people of about less than one out of 10 Lyme disease patients develops heart problems, such as an irregular, slow heartbeat, which can be signaled by dizziness or shortness of breath. These symptoms rarely last more than a few days or weeks. Such heart abnormalities generally appear several weeks after infection, and usually begin to resolve even before treatment.
Other symptoms. Less commonly, Lyme disease can result in eye inflammation and severe fatigue, although none of these problems is likely to appear without other Lyme disease symptoms being present.

Signs and Symptoms of Lyme disease-When to see a doctor

If you’ve been bitten by a tick and experience symptoms: Only a minority of deer tick bites leads to Lyme disease. The longer the tick remains attached to your skin, the greater your risk of getting the disease. If you think you’ve been bitten and experience signs and symptoms of Lyme disease — particularly if you live in an area where Lyme disease is prevalent — contact your doctor immediately. Treatment for Lyme disease is most effective if begun early.

See your doctor even if the symptoms disappears: it’s important to consult your doctor even if signs and symptoms disappear because the absence of symptoms doesn’t mean the disease is gone. Left untreated, Lyme disease can spread to other parts of your body from several months to years after infection causing arthritis and nervous system problems. Ticks also can transmit other illnesses, such as babesiosis and Colorado tick fever.

Finally Lyme disease imitates a variety of illnesses and its severity can vary from person to person. If you have been bitten by a tick and live in an area known to have Lyme disease, see your doctor right away so that a proper diagnose can be made and treatment started.

Signs and Symptoms of Lyme disease-Elaborate

Prevention of Lyme Disease

March 5, 2014

Prevention of Lyme Disease-It is possible

whatever it take avoid such places and prevent Lyme disease from attacking you and family

As it is always said that prevention is better than cure, it will be very important to take keen interest in the prevention of this problem. The best way to prevent Lyme disease would be to avoid areas where deer ticks live, especially wooded, bushy areas with long grass. You can reduce your risk of getting Lyme disease by taking some simple precautions like:

Wear long pants and long sleeves. When walking in wooded or grassy areas, wear shoes, long pants tucked into your socks, a long-sleeved shirt, a hat and gloves. Try to stick to trails and avoid walking through low bushes and long grass. Keep your dog on a leash.
Use insect repellents. Apply an insect repellent with a 20 percent or higher concentration of DEET to your skin. Parents should apply to their children, avoiding their hands, eyes and mouth. Keep in mind that chemical repellents can be toxic, so follow directions carefully. Apply products with permethrin to clothing or buy pretreated clothing.
Do your best to tick-proof your yard. Clear brush and leaves where ticks live. Keep woodpiles in sunny areas.
Check yourself, your children and your pets for ticks. Be especially vigilant after spending time in wooded or grassy areas. Deer ticks are often no bigger than the head of a pin, so you may not discover them unless you search carefully. It’s helpful to shower as soon as you come indoors. Ticks often remain on your skin for hours before attaching themselves. Showering and using a washcloth may be enough to remove any unattached ticks.
Don’t assume you’re immune. Even if you’ve had Lyme disease before, you can get it again.
Remove a tick as soon as possible with tweezers. Gently grasp the tick near its head or mouth. Don’t squeeze or crush the tick, but pull carefully and steadily. Once you’ve removed the entire tick, dispose of it and apply antiseptic to the bite area.

Prevention of Lyme disease-How to reduce Tick bites

Avoid tick-infested areas, such as leaf litter under trees. Avoid brushing against long grasses and brush on edges of paths. Don’t sit on stumps or fallen logs.

Wear light-colored long pants and long sleeves so you can easily see any ticks.
Tuck shirt into pants and tuck pants into socks.
Use DEET on skin and treat clothing with spray containing permethrin.
Do a thorough tick check upon returning inside and for several days following exposure.
Check bedding for several days following exposure for ticks that drop off.
Ticks, especially nymphal ticks, are tiny. Find and remove them before they bite.

Prevention of Lyme disease-What to do if you are bitten

Use fine-point tweezers or a special tick-removing tool. Grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible. If you don’t have tweezers, protect your fingers with a tissue.

Pull the tick straight out with steady, even pressure to view a Tick’s Mouth and why it is so important to pull out the tick correctly.
Avoid squeezing the tick, breaking it, or allowing any blood to remain on your skin.
Place the tick in a small plastic bag or vial with blades of grass, leaf, or moist (not wet) piece of tissue.
Label the bag with your name, date, site of bite and how long tick was attached.
Have the tick identified and tested by a lab, health department or veterinarian.
Wash your hands, disinfect the tweezers and bite site.
Educate yourself about tick-borne diseases and consult a doctor to see if treatment is warranted.

Considerations for Prophylactic (Preventive) Treatment

The tick infection rate in the area where you acquired the tick. An area may still labeled as “no risk” despite lack of scientific studies.
The relative risk of transmission, depending on whether the tick was a nymph or adult, duration of attachment and how it was removed.
Whether the tick tested positive for a tick-borne infection.
The Lyme germs may spread widely in the body, including to the brain, within hours/days.
The cost of prophylactic treatment vs. risk of infection.
The risks and benefits of prophylactic treatment vs. risks of infection.

Other protective ways

Reduce ticks on your property by

pruning trees
clearing brush
removing litter
Mowing grass short, and letting it dry thoroughly between watering.
Move shrubbery and overgrowth farther away from areas frequented by people.

Make your property unattractive to animals that are hosts to ticks by:

Eliminating birdfeeders, birdbaths, and salt licks;
Erecting fencing around the property;
clearing away woodpiles, garbage, and leaf piles;
Removing stonewalls that provide homes to wildlife.
Have your property chemically treated.
You can kill ticks on your property by applying chemicals. Seek professional advice before application. Carefully timed applications increase effectiveness.

Also Consider These Important Facts:

If you tuck pants into socks and shirts into pants, be aware that ticks will climb upward to hidden areas of the head and neck, so spot-check clothes frequently.
Clothes can be sprayed with DEET or treated with permethrin. Follow label instructions carefully.
Upon returning home, clothes can be put in a high temperature dryer for 20 minutes to kill any unseen ticks.
Any contact with vegetation, even playing in the yard, can result in exposure to ticks. Frequent tick checks should be followed by a whole-body examination and tick removal each night. This is the single most effective method for prevention of Lyme disease.

Prevention of Lyme Disease-Safely removal Tick

If you DO find a tick attached to your skin, do not panic. Not all ticks are infected, and your risk of Lyme disease is greatly reduced if the tick is removed within the first 36 hours. To remove a tick, ensure that you:

Use a pair of pointed tweezers to grasp the tick by the head or mouth parts right where they enter the skin. DO NOT grasp the tick by the body.
Pull firmly and steadily outward. DO NOT jerk or twist the tick.
Place the tick in a small container of rubbing alcohol to kill it.
Clean the bite wound with rubbing alcohol or hydrogen peroxide.
Monitor the site of the bite for the next 30 days for the appearance of a rash. If you develop a rash or flu-like symptoms, contact your health care provider immediately. Although not routinely recommended, taking antibiotics within three days after a tick bite may be beneficial for some persons. This would apply to deer tick bites that occurred in areas where Lyme disease is common and there is evidence that the tick fed for more than one day. In cases like this you should discuss the possibilities with your doctor or health care provider.

Prevention of Lyme Disease-It is possible

Lyme disease and Relapse

March 4, 2014

Lyme disease and Relapse-Reinfection versus Relapse

Erythema migrans.

Lyme disease is the most common tick-borne infection in the United States and Europe. Clues to differentiating reinfection from relapse of Lyme disease

During both the initial infection and subsequent episodes, the majority of patients with Lyme disease manifest the distinctive skin lesion erythema migrans. In untreated patients, erythema migrans resolves spontaneously within a median of about twenty eight days, but relapse may occur within a longer period, usually within a year or so of the appearance of the initial lesion. After treatment with presently recommended antibiotic regimens, however, persistence, progression, or recurrence of the skin lesion or the development of objective extra cutaneous manifestations of Lyme disease is exceedingly rare.

Relapse has been well-documented (on the basis of recovery of B. burgdorferi by culture) only in patients treated with antibiotics like cephalexin also known to have poor activity in vitro against this microorganism, although some patients treated with certain macrolides also appear to experience relapse clinically. Thus, the development of a new erythema migrans lesion in a person with a prior history of Lyme disease who was treated with recommended regimens is prima facie evidence for reinfection.

Clinical features that suggest reinfection rather than relapse include the development of an erythema migrans lesion at a site different from that of the original lesion and the presence of a punctum in the lesion. A punctum is a small raised or depressed point near the center of a primary erythema migrans lesion, representing the site from which the tick detached. In the United States, repeat episodes of erythema migrans due to reinfection almost always develop in a subsequent transmission season during the late spring or summer (R.B.N., unpublished data) at the time when nymphal stage (i.e., the stage that is the principal vector for Lyme disease) scapular’s or Ixodes pacificus ticks are most abundant. In Eurasia, reinfection, usually transmitted by nymphal Ixodes ricinus or adult Ixodes persulcatus, is also expected to occur mostly during the late spring or summer. In contrast, cases of relapse of preexisting infection would not necessarily be expected to occur in a seasonal pattern and would be likely to arise within a few weeks to several months after the initial episode.

Lyme disease and Relapse-Differentiating reinfection from relapse

Limited data are available regarding the clinical manifestations of second episodes of erythema migrans in patients with Lyme disease who have reinfection. A recent report described twenty eight patients from Block Island, Rhode Island, who had repeated episodes of erythema migrans and were believed to have been re-infected with B. burgdorferi (five additional persons had only “flu-like illnesses” as either their first or second episode of infection but were considered to have Lyme disease on the basis of seroconversion). None of the patients had clinical evidence of immunodeficiency. Persons with reinfection were equally distributed by sex; however, 6 (86%) of 7 persons who experienced a third episode of Lyme disease were female. This finding is difficult to explain but is consistent with the observations in a recent Swedish study, in which the investigators found that twenty seven of thirty one re-infected persons were women aged 44 years old.

Lyme disease and Relapse-Analysis

As one would predict, nearly all cases of recurrent infection in the Block Island study occurred during the late spring or summer. The number and severity of symptoms were similar in the first and second episodes and appeared to be less severe during the third episode, although these findings were not statistically significant. Surprisingly, all patients with recurrent Lyme disease did not seek medical attention sooner than did those who had only a single episode. That was very interesting.

A preliminary report summarized findings for eleven men and another eleven women with who each experienced two episodes of erythema migrans and were seen at our institution; the episodes occurred a mean (±SD) of 3.25 ± 2.65 years apart. A prior tick bite at the site of erythema migrans was recalled with similar frequency in patients who experienced first and second episodes. Patient symptoms (including fever), diameter of erythema migrans, abnormal findings on physical examination, and laboratory results (complete blood count, transaminase levels, and erythrocyte sedimentation rate) during second episodes were similar to those during first episodes. These findings were also similar to those for contemporaneous control subjects who experienced single episodes of erythema migrans. This study obviously had insufficient power to detect relatively small differences.

In this study, patients were >2 times as likely to have multiple erythema migrans skin lesions (a marker of hematogenous dissemination of B. burgdorferi infection) during their first episode of Lyme disease than during their second episode (7 [32%] patients during the first episode vs. 3 [14%] patients during the second episode; P = .15). Although this finding could be a chance event, alternatively, it could be related to the development of partial host immunity, leading to protection from hematogenous dissemination after reinfection

Lyme disease and Relapse-Reinfection versus Relapse

Sleep Disorders and Lyme disease

March 3, 2014

Sleep Disorders and Lyme disease-Discussed

Lyme disease can be avoided if sleep disorder is avoided. Get good sleep

You would normally think that by feeling sick it would be so easy to fall asleep! This theory disturbed my mind and I decided to do a bit of research to find some of the common types of sleep disorders, possible causes, the effects of sleep deprivation, how it ties into Lyme disease, and what we can do to try to get a full night of rest. Having a sleep disorder is a broad term for many types of disturbances in one’s sleep.

Sleep deprivation is considered a condition and is a general term of not having enough sleep. This can be chronic, or it can only least for a short period of time. It is a common occurrence, as with healthy people 1 out of 5 people suffer from sleep deprivation. According to sleepfoundation.org, they recommend an adult to have 7 to 9 hours of sleep. Having a chronic illness however, you might need a few more hours to feel more refreshed. Careful though! According to researchers, there IS such a thing as too much sleep, that can leave you feeling even less restored.

There are two types of sleep. Rapid eye movement (REM) and non-rapid eye movement (NREM). REM sleep is the level of sleep where dreaming occurs, and accounts for about 20% your night of sleep. NREM accounts for the 80% of your sleep, and is divided into 4 stages. One and two are light sleep; three and four are deep sleep. Deep sleep is also known as slow wave sleep (SWS) actually begin a few minutes after you fall asleep and is the most refreshing and restorative type of sleep you have. This right here is why you feel more restored if you take a short nap versus a long one!

These SWS is only about 10-20% of your sleep, but it is needed for cell and musculoskeletal tissue regeneration, your cardiovascular system, normalizes blood pressure, hormones, and your metabolic system.

Hypersomnia

Hypersomnia is a term for a large group of disorders characterized by daytime sleepiness.

Insomnia

Insomnia means sleeplessness, the inability to fall asleep or stay asleep.

There are 3 subcategories of these two different categories: intrinsic, meaning from within the body, extrinsic, meaning pathological conditions and disturbances of circadian rhythm, which means the physical mental and behavioral changes that follow a 24 hour cycle.

Sleep Disorders and Lyme disease-Types of sleep disorders

Sleep Apnea is more common disorder among Lyme patients. Sleep apnea means you have one more pauses or shallow breaths in your sleep. Some explanations for Lyme patients having this condition are that most chronic Lyme’s have neurological dysfunction. With the Neuro dysfunction of the palara and uvula are a possible cause. Brain abnormalities are reasoning for this to occur is the floppiness tissues in the back of the throat. Lyme patients with this condition seem to:

Involuntarily grinding or clenching your teeth while sleeping. It can interfere with sleep, and could be a high contributor to jaw pain and headaches as well. Cranial sacral therapy is a good choice to help ease the symptoms if you are suffering from this.

Delayed sleep phase disorder, (or DSPD) is the inability to awaken and fall asleep at socially acceptable times but will stay asleep. This is a disorder of circadian rhythms.

Sleep Disorders and Lyme disease-Symptoms of sleep disorder

Poor immune system function, higher blood pressure (higher risk of heart attack or stroke), being overweight (can cause diabetes among other health issues), clenching teeth at night, decreased body temperature, tremors, fibromyalgia symptoms, extreme fatigue and a variety of psychological effects.

Effects of psychology: Of course your psyche is going to be a little off teeter without enough sleep. Some of these issues include symptoms similar to ADHD, hallucinations, slower reaction time, depression, anxiety, irritability, memory lapses, among other issues. That’s a lot. Shows how important it is to get a good night’s rest.

Sleep Disorders and Lyme disease-There are many causes of sleep disorders

Nutritional deficiencies: the main one being magnesium. It is very common among Lyme’s. A magnesium deficiency can cause an array of problems along with sleep disruptions. Others to consider are calcium, folic acid, iron, and your B vitamins (especially B6 and 12) to name a few. I should note though, don’t take your B’s too close to bed! Yes, you need them, but they can cause you to have a harder time falling asleep as well as cause vivid dreams.

Hormone imbalances: Check your Cortisol levels! Cortisol = stress hormone. When it is high (another common abnormality of Lyme’s), it can cause you to not be able to fall asleep. Reduced levels in testosterone in men can cause sleep apnea. Women’s number one hormone issue associated with sleeping problems is lower progesterone levels.

Low blood sugar: Try sticking with a healthy diet for tips to eat a proper diet for those with Lyme disease. Stress can hinder sleep because it produces two things called epinephrine and non-epinephrine, which stimulate the nervous system, which triggers a fight or flight” response in your body, keeping you up. HPA and ACTH, two chemicals responsible in stress response mostly related to an external stressor, AKA Lyme, can also keep you awake at night.

Lack of darkness: I know this isn’t a physiological problem, like I have listed above, but I felt like it deserved to be up here. Before you go to sleep, your body starts producing melatonin, a chemical in your body that makes you sleep and is essential for a restful sleep. This chemical continues to be produced when you are sleeping, with its highest production between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m. Experts say that without total darkness, the effects of this are much less, causing a lessened effect.

There are other causes are ones that we ourselves can do our best to stop doing, as we might not even be aware that our habits are keeping us awake at night. Poor sleep planning is the main one. Trying to go to bed and wake up at the same time and having a schedule is very important. Working night shifts can cause sleep problems since it causes your body to get out of a normal sleeping pattern, caffeine and other stimulants (check your meds, some have stimulants you might not be aware of!), sleeping with your pets (they can get up and down, or move too much), eating too close to bedtime (digestion disrupting sleep), alcohol and nicotine, exercising too close to bedtime (yeah us Lyme’s are super active!.. but you know what I mean), ELECTRONIC DEVICES IN THE BEDROOM, among other things that we can change ourselves and try to help aide us get a good night’s rest.

The main issue with sleep deprivation and Lyme is that without a good night’s rest, you are hindering the healing process. Sleep fixes and restores what you did during the day, and believe it or not, when treating Lyme, our bodies’ peak at fighting the little bastards when we are asleep.

So what does one do when they just can’t get to sleep or stay asleep?

Well, there are many things you can do, whether it is by your own actions or things you can personally do, or take natural supplements or pharmaceuticals to be able to aid in this process such as a sleep schedule, substances, electronics, and need for darkness, but others include avoiding stimulating activity right before bed, meditation, or taking a warm bath before bedtime.

Sleep Disorders and Lyme disease-Discussed

Living with Lyme disease

March 3, 2014

Living with Lyme disease-Tips

keep away from tick infested locations and be safe from Lyme disease

Lyme disease being what it is and all the confusions around it, it is important that we get to know how to live with this scourge, and for this reason let us look at a few things that we can do to be comfortable while living in this condition.

Living with Lyme disease-Sun sensitivity

For those people who are taking doxycycline and are strongly affected by the sun using sunscreen would be fine because it is ineffective against the sun sensitivity side effect that you get with doxyclicine, which can quickly lead to painful burns on your skin.

But better still stay indoors during the middle of the day (when there is a high UV index), or wear long sleeve shirts and long pants (with a UV protection in them if you can), as well as a wide brimmed hat and sunglasses. For those who are very sun sensitive you can also wear light gloves as well.

Probiotics – if you are taking antibiotics for your Lyme disease it is essential that you take a good probiotic at least 2 hours after your antibiotics. This is because antibiotics kill off the good and bad bacteria in your gut, which means that you are susceptible to a clostrium difficile infection, which can be fatal. For this reason, taking probiotics is essential for when you are taking antibiotics, and for about 2-4 weeks after you finish your antibiotic treatment.

Blood tests – because some of the medications used to treat Lyme Disease can be very strong, and because when the Lyme Disease bugs die off they produce neurotoxins that can damage your brain and other organs, it is important that you have regular blood tests to check your liver and kidney function. It is also vital that you regularly check your white cell and neutrophil counts as well, so you can know how your immune system is coping with the side effects of the treatment as well as the disease itself.

Co-infections – studies have shown that almost all people who have Lyme disease have some sort of co-infections that they got at the same time as their Lyme disease. Co-infections can include Babesia, Bartonella, Clamydia Mycofermentans, Ricksettia etc. It is vital that you treat the co-infections as well as the Lyme disease infection – this because many of these co-infections depress the immune system making it difficult to fight off other infections.

Living with Lyme disease-Immune System

When your immune system is low, it is vital that you stay away from people who may be sick. Many people who die from Lyme disease die from infections they have picked up from other people (such as chest infections. If your immune system is very low, consider making people wear masks and use an antiseptic hand-wash each time they enter your house. If you are in hospital, have a friend with you & get them to insist on medical and general staff washing their hands each time before they touch you (you’d be surprised how many hospitals are full of really dangerous bugs, and even more surprised at how many medical and general staff don’t wash their hands when they should). You & your friend will be annoying, but this simple precaution may save your life.

Hot weather – many people with Lyme disease find that they get sicker in hot weather. For this reason if you live in a hot climate you will need to stay indoors (in air-conditioning if you can) during the day and go outside after the sun has gone down and the temperature have dropped. Hot humid weather is often more difficult to cope with than hot dry weather.
Hot flushes / Night Sweats – if you are struggling with a Babesia co-infection and are having difficulty getting through the night due to hot flushes and night sweats, I would recommend a small portable fan beside your bed. When you are hot sleep facing the fan, and when you cool down roll over and sleep facing the opposite direction. This will help you control your body temperature more easily during the night.

Living with Lyme disease-Diet

Many people with Lyme disease have to be very careful with their diet. This is because Lyme disease affects the immune system, and because of the side effects of the medications used to treat Lyme disease. If you are taking oral antibiotics it is vital that you do not eat sugar – this is because oral antibiotics kill all the bacteria in the gut – good and bad bacteria. If you eat sugar you feed mainly the bad bacteria (they love sugar) and run the risk of getting a clostridium difficile infection, which is potentially fatal.

In order to heal from Lyme disease it is important that your immune system is functioning at its best. When you eat or drink sugar based food and drink your immune system is temporarily depressed for up to 12 hours. Many people with Lyme disease have damaged gastrointestinal systems, and so need to avoid foods that place extra stress on the gut such as gluten (wheat) and dairy

Long Haul – get ready for your Lyme disease treatment to be quite lengthy. The average time spent being treated for Lyme disease is two years. Some people need less time than this, and some people require much longer treatment. Treated correctly many people are able to go into remission, but find that when their immune system is under stress (such as during another severe illness or pregnancy), or when they are in stressful situations (such as high pressure jobs or during high stress family events such as births, deaths and marriages) that their Lyme disease can come back – it is important to keep a close eye on your health, even when you are able to get into remission with Lyme Disease so that you can get on top of any relapse quickly.
Living with Lyme disease-Tips

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