Archive for the ‘Lyme’ Category

Record Numbers of Tick-borne Diseases in Maine This Year

https://www.lymedisease.org/tick-borne-diseases-in-maine/

Record numbers of tick-borne diseases in Maine this year

Sept. 30, 2022

Maine is on track to break records for several tick-borne diseases this year.

In a news release this week, the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported more than 1,900 cases of Lyme disease so far in 2022. This compares to about 1,500 last year.

The agency also recorded nearly 700 cases of anaplasmosis, over 160 cases of babesiosis, 10 cases of hard tick relapsing fever and four cases of Powassan encephalitis.

“This is a record high for Powassan encephalitis cases,” the agency said. “Maine is also on track to break records for anaplasmosis, babesiosis and Lyme disease cases this year.”

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Category:

Anaplasmosis, Babesia, Lyme, Tickborne Relapsing Fever, Ticks, Viruses

Podcast: Living With Chronic Illness (Lyme)

https://www.wortfm.org/meghan-orourke-invisible-kingdom/

Meghan O’Rourke on Living with Chronic Illness

https://soundcloud.com/wort-fm/meghan-orourke-on-living-with-chronic-illness  Podcast Here

 by

“One of the problems with invisible illnesses is that they are hard to see, hard to measure,” says Meghan O’Rourke. “People want to forget about the most vulnerable among us. It’s challenging to think about vulnerability, on an existential level and a practical level.”

Today, Wednesday host Ali Muldrow is joined by Meghan O’Rourke to discuss her new book, The Invisible Kingdom.

The book is not the traditional narrative of being sick and then getting better, says Megan O’Rourke. It’s about “accepting that I was going to live with these diagnoses for the rest of my life and learning to not be so hard on myself.”

She and Ali spend the hour talking about the American healthcare system (which privileges crisis care over chronic care), how autoimmune diseases like Lyme are in many ways a feminist issue, and practical tips for people living with chronic illness about taking notes, learning what works for your body, and finding the right doctor.

Meghan O’Rourke is a writer, poet, editor, and podcaster. She is the author of the The Long Goodbye: A Memoir (Riverhead Books, 2012) and The Invisible Kingdom: Reimagining Chronic Illness (Riverhead Books, 2022).

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Category:

Activism, Lyme

Facial Nerve Dysfunction After Treatment For Lyme Disease

https://danielcameronmd.com/facial-nerve-dysfunction-after-treatment-lyme-disease/

Facial nerve dysfunction after treatment for Lyme disease

By Dr. Daniel Cameron

facial-nerve-dysfunction-lyme-disease

Some individuals with Facial Nerve Palsy (Bell’s palsy) have reportedly had facial nerve dysfunction, as long as one year after antibiotic treatment for Lyme disease. Some suffer from synkinesis, where patients present with unwanted contractions of the muscles of the face during attempted movement. They may notice forceful eye closure when they attempt to smile or other muscle spasms during routine facial movements.

In their study, Wormser and colleagues found that 6 of the 11 Lyme disease patients (54.5%) suffered from facial nerve dysfunction an average of 13.1 months following the onset of treatment with corticosteroids.¹

  • 52-year-old man with “tearing of left eye when eating (Bogorad’s syndrome); mild residual weakness left side.”
  • 51-year-old man with “mild residual left sided weakness; dryness left eye; after speaking a lot, left sided facial muscles feel abnormal.”
  • 56-year-old man with “narrowed palpebral fissure right eye; dry mouth; sensation of muscles around right eye being squeezed; tearing of right eye; twitching of the area between the eyes on the forehead; new dimple right cheek; intermittent lisp.”
  • 25-year-old man with “narrowed palpebral fissure left eye; reduced forehead movement; right sided jaw discomfort with eating; tearing of the left eye when eating (Bogorad’s syndrome).”
  • 61-year-old man with “narrowed palpebral fissure right eye; difficulty whistling; right eye discharge at night.”
  • 70-year-old woman who had “surgical facial nerve decompression nearly 3 months after onset of the LDFP (Lyme disease facial palsy).”

“Facial synkinesis presents following injury to the facial nerve and manifests as involuntary movement during volitional or spontaneous movement. This phenomenon may become clinically apparent 3 to 4 months following facial nerve injury,” wrote Shokri et al.²

Additionally, LeWitt described a case of hemifacial spasm (HFS) from Lyme disease and concluded that “Because its diagnosis can be occult (hidden) and antibiotic therapy can be both diagnostic and therapeutic, Lyme disease should be a consideration for cases of HFS.”³

Ramsey and colleagues examined acute peripheral facial palsy (APFP) in Lyme disease patients and found that “10% of patients with APFP testing positive for Lyme disease may be an underestimate, since several other studies in endemic areas have reported rates varying from 14.7% to 33%.” The authors did not indicate how many of their patients had incomplete eyelid closure or abnormal facial movement from aberrant regeneration.4

“We recommend screening patients with APFP for associated and treatable factors, especially Lyme disease in regions where the disease is endemic.”4

Related Articles:

Patient with facial palsy from Lyme disease fails treatment
Can Bell’s palsy lead to nonflaccid facial palsy in Lyme disease?
Treatment varies for Bell’s palsy in children with Lyme disease

References:
  1. Wormser GP, McKenna D, Scavarda C, Karmen C. Outcome of facial palsy from Lyme disease in prospectively followed patients who had received corticosteroids. Diagn Microbiol Infect Dis. Aug 2018;91(4):336-338. doi:10.1016/j.diagmicrobio.2018.03.016
  2. Shokri T, Azizzadeh B, Ducic Y. Modern Management of Facial Nerve Disorders. Semin Plast Surg. Nov 2020;34(4):277-285. doi:10.1055/s-0040-1721824
  3. LeWitt TM. Hemifacial Spasm From Lyme Disease: Antibiotic Treatment Points to the Cause. Clin Neuropharmacol. Nov/Dec 2016;39(6):329-330. doi:10.1097/WNF.0000000000000193
  4. Ramsey DJ, Haas LP, Tucker SM. Long-term Outcome After Acute Peripheral Facial Palsy. Ophthalmic Plast Reconstr Surg. Jan 27 2022;doi:10.1097/IOP.0000000000002134

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Category:

Lyme, research, Treatment

Webinar: What’s the Best Chronic Lyme Treatment For You

https://rawlsmd.com/webinars/whats-the-best-chronic-lyme-treatment-for-you/?

Dr. Bill Rawls
Co-Founder and Medical Director at Vital Plan

Jenny Buttaccio
Editorial Director at Vital Plan

What’s the Best Chronic Lyme Treatment for You?

Treating chronic Lyme disease can feel like playing a wild game of whack-a-mole: You keep attacking your symptoms as they pop up with the latest and greatest therapies, yet the fatigue, pain, brain fog, and more keep coming back.

Fortunately, there’s a more strategic and effective way to find relief from Lyme, and Dr. Bill Rawls — author of the bestselling book Unlocking Lyme — can help you find it during his new live webinar.

Join Dr. Rawls to hear his reviews of the most popular Lyme treatments available and reveal each of the treatment’s strengths and shortcomings. By the end of the webinar, you’ll understand what to try for symptom relief, what works best for addressing the underlying causes of illness, and everything in between.

PLUS: Don’t miss an exclusive gift for webinar attendees, and have your questions ready for a LIVE Q&A on Lyme disease treatments with Dr. Rawls.

RESERVE MY SEAT »

In this webinar, Dr. Rawls will also discuss:

• The 6 essential components of any successful Lyme therapy

• Why killing the microbes associated with Lyme is only part of the solution

• The 3 keys to choosing a treatment option

• Dr. Rawls’ treatment rankings by safety, effectiveness, and price

• What you should know about natural and conventional therapies for both short-term relief and long-term recovery

• Numerous insights and answers during the LIVE Q&A

Bill Rawls, M.D., is a physician and leading expert in Lyme disease, integrative health, and herbal medicine. In the middle of his successful medical career, Dr. Rawls’ life was interrupted by Lyme disease. In his journey to overcome it, he explored nearly every treatment possible – from conventional medicine to a range of alternative therapies. In the more than 12 years since his recovery, Dr. Rawls has helped thousands of patients find their path to healing from Lyme disease and chronic illness. He is the author of the bestselling books Unlocking Lyme and The Cellular Wellness Solution, and the Medical Director of RawlsMD.com and Vital Plan®, an online holistic health company and Certified B Corporation®.

Category:

Activism, Lyme, Treatment

Lyme-Related Book a Finalist for National Book Award

https://www.lymedisease.org/invisible-kingdom-orourke/

Lyme-related book a finalist for National Book Award

“The Invisible Kingdom: Reimagining Chronic Illness, by Meghan O’Rourke, has been named a finalist for the National Book Award for non-fiction.

It draws from her experience living with Lyme and other chronic illnesses and from interviews with doctors, public health experts and patients.

She explores such invisible illnesses as autoimmune disease, persistent Lyme disease, and long COVID.

O’Rourke traces the history of Western definitions of illness, and reveals how inherited ideas of cause, diagnosis, and treatment have led us to ignore a host of hard-to-understand medical conditions, ones that resist easy description or simple cures.

The National Book Foundation will announce winners on November 16.

Category:

Activism, Lyme