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Answers Lyme Disease Lyme Disease is an acute inflammatory condition. The name Lyme Disease comes from the town where it was first identified in the mid-1970s - Lyme, Connecticut. Lyme Disease is a tick borne illness cause by bacteria The bacteria that causes it is transmitted by the deer-tick (carried by deer and mice). It can also be carried by black-legged tick and wood rats. These ticks are tiny and hard to spot and thus go undetected. These ticks can fall off an animal into grasses in marshes or fields or into brush in wooded areas from which they can be picked up by an unsuspecting passerby who becomes the next host. The tick will bite, and waits several hours before it begins to feed on the host's blood. It will then feed for three or four days. As it feeds, it may deposit bacteria into the hosts bloodstream. The longer the tick remains attached, the greater the risk of the disease. The symptoms are variable and will show up two to thirty two days afterward. The first sign maybe the appearance of a red, circular lesion or rash on the skin. The lesion gradually expands in a circular pattern while the center appears to clear up. It is for that reason it is referred to as a bull's eye rash. In addition to the rash, and in some cases, instead of the rash, fatigue, flu-like symptoms, difficulty sleeping, muscle weakness, achiness, headache, stiff neck, backache, and, occasionally, nausea and vomiting may occur. The disease usually progresses through three stages: 1) Raised bumps on the skin and/or a rash appear and may cover the entire torso for a day or two or as much as several weeks and then fade. 2) Facial paralysis may occur weeks to months later. Enlargement of the spleen and lymph glands, severe headaches, enlargement of the heart muscle and abnormal heart rhythm may also occur. 3) Over the long term, persistent headache, stiff neck, joint pains that attack the knees, swelling and pain in other joints and even degenerative muscle disease maybe e caused. Because the tick bite is usually unnoticed and the incubation period so long, and the symptoms so varied, the disorder may go unrecognized for weeks or even months. Lyme Disease can mimic multiple sclerosis, gout, lupus and chronic fatigue syndrome. Misdiagnosis is not uncommon. A blood test is usually used to identify the disease by measuring certain antibodies that increase from three days to three weeks. What to do if you've been bitten It is important that if a person is bitten by a tick, the longer it remains, the more chance there is of infection. Most people can reduce the major problems if the tick is spotted fairly soon and removed. The way to remove it is tweezers, not fingers. If you must use fingers, protect them with a paper towel. Grab the insect close to its head and pull it straight out. Take it to a doctor or health department for identification. Tea Tree oil can be used on a piece of cotton on the tick's head. It will kill the tick in minutes, making it easier to yank out minimizing the amount of harmful bacteria absorbed into the system. What to Avoid if you have it Avoid products that weaken the immune system. That includes alcohol, sugar, caffeine, tobacco smoke, white flour products, hydrogenated fats, chemicals added to foods, fluoridated and chlorinated water, aluminum cookware, and certain medications. RECOMMENDED: Natural Remedy for Lyme Disease Click on the like to find information on How You Can Treat Your Own Lyme Disease Symptoms in 72 Hours or Less Using Our Safe, Natural Home Remedy Neuropathy, a side effect of Lyme Disease - Lyne disease is an infection that results in nerve damage. Click on the link to find out more about this side effect.
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