Finally. It seems as if Spring really is coming. It is May! What a relief after such a long winter and slow-to emerge Spring.
Around here, however, with the arrival of the spring and summer, our attention is called again to Lyme Disease. This is the time of year when people are likely to get bitten by the deer tick, the carrier of Lyme and other tick-born diseases. More often than not, people aren’t even aware of a bite, and only a statistically low percentage of people ever develop the telltale “bull’s eye rash” that can develop shortly after being infected with the spirochete that is the cause of Lyme Disease. This is one of the reasons that it can be hard to diagnose.
Sometimes, people are fearful of spending time outdoors out of concern for getting Lyme and other tick-born diseases. My advice is to wear long pants, pre-treat the clothing and do careful and daily tick checks.
If you do get bitten, it is best to be evaluated and discuss treatment options. There are a variety of agents that can be helpful in treating Lyme disease, from prescription antibiotics to herbal medications. Your health care provider can guide you as to what makes the most sense for you and your particular situation.
In our practice, we deal with many people who have been infected with Lyme and to typical co-infections: and we see them in all stages of the disease. Our treatment philosophy is that an integrative medicine approach is what is most helpful to people, incorporating a whole person approach to health, with an emphasis on nutrition, mind body therapies, stress management, nutritional supplements and movement therapies. In our experience, this approach yields the best results.
So don’t be afraid of the nice weather, but be informed, be careful, and get help if you get bitten or develop flu-like symptoms at this time of year, when the flu is no longer prevalent.
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