Lyme disease awareness — 4 facts you should know

May is Lyme Disease Awareness month. The team at our functional medicine clinic near Milwaukee promotes Lyme disease awareness by providing the community with vital information about this potentially debilitating condition. The primary symptoms of Lyme disease feel much like the flu: fever, chills, fatigue, joint pain and muscle aches and nausea. While most people consider the bulls-eye shaped rash to be the distinguishing characteristic, not all patients develop this rash. Here are four more facts you should know.

Important information to help you develop Lyme disease awareness

1. More than 300,000 cases of Lyme disease are reported every year in the U.S.¹

   While Lyme disease can be found throughout most of the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that 96% of cases occur in 14 states, and they have pinpointed the upper Midwest, including Wisconsin, as a prime area for infections¹.

2. Not all testing for Lyme disease is created equal.

   Part of Lyme disease awareness involves understanding testing. Conventional medicine physicians use PCR testing, which is only accurate 20% to 30% of the time. At our functional medicine clinic near Milwaukee, we use the Western Blot and other new testing methods that are more accurate.

3. Untreated Lyme disease can lead to serious health problems.

   Lyme disease awareness is so important because people need to seek early diagnosis if they suspect they have been bitten by a deer tick and are experiencing symptoms. Left untreated, Lyme disease can progress to short-term memory problems, nerve pain and inflammation of the brain and spinal cord, among others.

4. People with Lyme disease can have co-infections.

   A little-known fact, but an important one for Lyme disease awareness, is that a tick can also transmit other bacteria and viruses it has contracted when it bites a human. This can cause co-infections, including relapsing fever and Rocky Mountain spotted fever, along with Lyme disease.

Lyme disease awareness begins with knowledge. The team at our functional medicine clinic near Milwaukee has the expertise and know-how to help people cope with this complicated condition. Contact us today for an evaluation for Lyme disease and begin your journey to wellness.

¹https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/21/9/15-0417_article