{"id":4556,"date":"2020-07-06T20:58:24","date_gmt":"2020-07-06T20:58:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/neurvanahealth.com\/?p=4556"},"modified":"2024-02-21T20:56:56","modified_gmt":"2024-02-21T20:56:56","slug":"the-complexities-of-lyme-disease-testing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/neurvanahealth.com\/blog\/the-complexities-of-lyme-disease-testing\/","title":{"rendered":"The Complexities of Lyme Disease, And How to Find Real Help"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

You\u2019ve been suffering from multiple symptoms, have been labeled a chronic case and you suspect you may have Lyme disease. You\u2019ve done the research (more than you ever thought you had to), consulted with some experts and you think you found an answer. Finally! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You excitedly visit your doctor and explain your Lyme findings, yet as quickly as you arrive you leave feeling dismissed and unheard, without a diagnostic test. This thrusts you right back into the beginning of your health journey, shot down and feeling hopeless once again. You may have even taken a standard Lyme test which came out negative, even though you have every known symptom. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We understand the rollercoaster of emotions this journey can create. This is sadly way too common among chronic health sufferers and it isn\u2019t your fault. It\u2019s no one\u2019s fault. Lyme disease is complex and not easy to diagnose and many health providers are not well-versed in the complexities and research to help Lyme sufferers get answers and lasting relief.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why Is Lyme Disease So Hard to Believe In? Why the Controversy?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Lyme disease has been the hot topic in literature, on Facebook and in the media, yet not every person believes in it\u2014including doctors who may not even want to test you for it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why is there so much controversy and divided opinions on Lyme disease? This necessitates more than a one-sentence answer as the question is multi-faceted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lyme disease is accompanied by a group of symptoms that relate to an infection called Borrelia. In conventional medicine, the definition of Lyme includes the existence of a tick bite followed by a bullseye rash. However, according to research, it\u2019s thought that below 50% of people who contract an infection from Borrelia actually show signs of a bullseye rash. Fewer than half of Lyme patients<\/a> even remember being bit by a tick.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"bullseye
The classic Erythema Migrans bullseye rash (Source: <\/em>CDC<\/em><\/a>)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The other mystery surrounding Lyme disease is that you can go on for a long time without ever experiencing common Lyme symptoms such as joint pain. In fact, it can be years after the initial infection until you develop problems. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To make this puzzle even more complex to solve, in addition to ticks, Lyme is predicted to be sexually transmittable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In conventional medicine, the general consensus is that if no bullseye rash or flu-like symptoms surface after the tick bite, the patient is dismissed and no further care may be given. But, as mentioned before, symptoms can manifest long after the initial infection, especially in people who have good immune systems. Over time, this bacteria can invade different tissues in your body as well as the central nervous system (the brain) and even hide itself to evade the immune system. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not All Lyme Lab Tests Detect Lyme Disease<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In a perfect world, there would be one Lyme lab test and every person who had Lyme would be easily diagnosed (one can dream!). Unfortunately, this isn\u2019t the case. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most of the standard Lyme disease testing<\/a> depends on the immune system\u2019s response to Borrelia (detecting antibodies). One of these is the standard Western Blot test which detects the immune system\u2019s response to the pathogen. But in chronic cases (3-6 months or more have lapsed since infection), antibodies can become low which is common in people who suffer from chronic Lyme because their immune system is affected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To detect Lyme in more chronic cases, you need a more sensitive test. Some of the labs we recommend are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n