One Tick Bite, a Lifetime of Lyme Disease

Like long-haul COVID, Lyme disease can become a lifelong challenge.

One tick bite from one tiny tick can be the end of a healthy life as you knew it. Often found in plants and brush, ticks can attach to and bite people and animals. Their bites are usually not harmful; however, these insects can carry serious diseases including Lyme disease.

One tick bite, a lifetime of Lyme disease — One tick bite can result in a lifetime of Lyme disease.

What does Lyme disease rash look like?

A Lyme disease-causing bacterium is carried in the bug bite of the deer tick here in the Chelmsford region. In most cases, a tick – usually 3 to 5 mm long – must be attached to you 36-48 hours to spread Lyme disease.

A circular, red, expanding rash (a bulls-eye rash, if you will) may be one of the first symptoms of Lyme disease. Other symptoms include fatigue, chills, fever, headache, muscle and joint aches, and swollen lymph nodes. Treatment in the early stages with antibiotics is generally effective and critical to prevent lifelong complications.

What are the long-term health effects of Lyme disease?

Lyme disease can cause muscle aches, mental fog, and fatigue for years or even decades. Researchers are still trying to figure out exactly how and why Lyme disease affects people in different ways and how best to treat them. But evidence that the bacteria-borne disease sometimes sticks around in a person’s body long after they’ve gone through initial antibiotic treatments appears to be mounting.

Some pretty famous people have gone on the record with their own Lyme infection experiences.

As of two years ago, several celebrities have come forward to talk about their experience battling Lyme disease. Here are eight that you most likely are familiar with.

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Amy Schumer: For this comedic actor, Lyme disease has been no laughing matter. She admitted that it’s possible she could’ve experienced Lyme symptoms for quite some time without realizing it. In an Instagram post, she said she’s taken doxycycline, an oral antibiotic, to treat the condition and she also asked others for advice.

Justin Bieber: The singer wrote on Instagram that it has been a “rough couple of years” battling the disease. He explained that, for a long time, people speculated that he was “on meth,” but failed to realize that he’d actually recently been diagnosed with Lyme disease.

Avril Lavigne: The singer went public with her Lyme battle in 2015 and is now an advocate for those with the illness. She called that the “worst time” in her life after seeing specialists and doctors who misdiagnosed her with chronic fatigue syndrome and depression.

Ben Stiller: Nine years ago, Stiller told The Hollywood Reporter about his Lyme disease saying, “I got it in Nantucket, Massachusetts, a couple of years ago. My knee became inflamed and they couldn’t figure out what it was, then they found out it was Lyme.”

Shania Twain: The renowned singer has said her battle with Lyme has impacted her career. She told Canadian news outlet CBC that she was bitten by a tick when on tour in Norfolk, Virginia. She said she saw a tick fall off her and she immediately began to see troubling Lyme disease symptoms pop up.

Kelly Osbourne: Undiagnosed for nearly a decade, her contact with the tick spread disease most likely came from a reindeer sanctuary back in England.

Alec Baldwin: The 30 Rock actor opened up about his years-long battle with Lyme in 2017. During an interview with The New York Times, he mentioned that he had chronic Lyme disease.

Kris Kristofferson: A Star Is Born singer/actor, Kristofferson experienced several misdiagnoses before being treated for Lyme. His wife, Lisa, told Rolling Stone magazine she believed he’d been bitten by a tick while filming the 2006 movie “Disappearances” in Vermont.

You can help stop the spread of Lyme disease with professional Grafton Tick Control.

With expert guidance and the latest tick bite prevention methodology, professional tick control is your best assurance against contacting the dreadful tick-spread Lyme disease.

Also read: When are ticks most active in Massachusetts?

Dave Macchia, tick control enthusiast — Dave Macchia, Central Mass tick control enthusiast

How do ticks get in your house?

Ticks Can Invade Your Life and Your House By Latching Onto Your Pet Dog

Your dog can transport ticks inside your home

It wasn’t until I became an adult that I realized how simply sinister and awful ticks are. Growing up in the city, our prey du jour were mice. I have since learned that ticks frequently attach themselves to furry animals, including pets, when outdoors, especially in backyards when they frequent damp, tall grassy areas of your property. Then the ticks hitch a ride on your pets and are transported into your home – something none of us want!

How Ticks Catch Free Rides On Your Pets

One way ticks get in your house by attaching to your dog by inserting their mouthparts into their skin. After attaching to your dog, ticks begin feeding on your dog’s blood. The places where ticks attach can become red and irritated.

How do ticks end up in your home? — How can you keep ticks off your dog?

On occasion, ticks can consume enough of your dog’s blood to cause a deficiency called anemia. Certain female ticks can also cause a rare paralysis in dogs as a result of a toxin they produce while feeding. More importantly, ticks are capable of causing many diseases in your pet. The disease with which most people are familiar is called Lyme disease. Another is Rocky Mountain spotted fever.

Why Is Lyme Disease A Danger To My Pets?

Tick transmitted Lyme disease can cause arthritis and swelling of your dog’s joints, resulting in painful lameness. Rocky Mountain spotted fever can cause fever, lameness, and other symptoms. There are also other diseases that ticks can transmit to your dog. Your veterinarian can answer questions about the diseases that are important where you live.

How Can I Prevent My Dog From Getting Ticks?

Unfortunately, it is very difficult to prevent your dog’s exposure to ticks. Ticks can attach to your dog when he or she goes with you on walks, hikes, or during any outdoor activities. The longer your dog is left unattended in your backyard, the greater the risk.

The best way to prevent ticks from attaching to your dog is by the regular use of tick control products. Your veterinarian can advise you about the best product for your dog and your situation. Your veterinarian is also aware of diseases that are common in your area and can pose a risk to your dog.

If you have a tick problem in your yard consider:

Having your backyard and surrounding property professionally treated with professional Wilmington tick control. This is the best alternative to second-guessing what over the counter solutions may be best for tick control and eliminating concern for how you may be negatively impacting the environment.
Make a landscape or seasonal decor change to make the environment less tick friendly. This can be done by providing a 3-foot buffer between your lawn and any wooded areas in your yard. Mulch, wood chips, or gravel work well, and help to decrease the migration of ticks into yards.

The Impact of Lyme Disease Bacteria in Massachusetts

When It Comes To Ticks And Tick Bites, It’s What You Don’t Know That Can Hurt You — Badly

Lyme disease bacteria in Massachusetts estimated to impact 87,000 per year. In the United States, Lyme disease most commonly occurs in the Northeast, the mid-Atlantic regions and in the upper Midwest. In Massachusetts, Lyme disease occurs throughout the state. Experts estimate that 87,000 people per year in Massachusetts are infected with the bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi which causes Lyme disease.

“Due to increasing urban and suburban sprawl, forests are being parceled into smaller pockets of vegetation”, said Northeastern University Distinguished Professor of Biology Kim Lewis, who directs Northeastern’s Antimicrobial Discovery Center.

Read: Does Lyme disease have a season?

Parks and backyards in the suburbs are now the perfect size to sustain mice, but not quite large enough to sustain foxes. That means mice can run rampant with no natural predators to keep their population at bay. And with mice, come ticks.

Lyme disease bacteria is rampant in Massachusetts.

How To Put Mice To Work To Fight The Spread Of Lyme Disease

tick control tubes Putting those mice to work is no Cinderella story when it comes to fighting the horrors of Lyme disease. Using tick tubes, installed by your local tick control professional around your home – especially in higher grassy areas – is part of the tick control solution. Filled with a desiccant that kills ticks, the tick tubes welcome visits by mice to snatch up the treated cotton fibers inside to build their nests. And when the ticks hop on the mice for easy transport – voila – they’re toast. Dead and gone.

Tick Tubes Are Just One Part Of the North Reading Reading Tick Control Solution

To seriously fight the spread of Lyme disease, a North Reading tick control spray should be applied to your property by a tick control professional after the tick tubes are placed in areas deemed the most worthy by expert applicators.

When Are Ticks At Their Worst Here In Massachusetts?

Tick activity and tick-borne diseases like Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, babesiosis, Borrelia miyamotoi, and Powassan virus, occur year-round in Massachusetts. Although tick activity is weather-dependent, there are two peak times during the year; the first begins in March/April and lasts through August, and the second occurs in October-November. The majority of cases of tick-borne disease occur in June through August, so timing is crucial that you start tick control right now.

In addition to having a professional treat your property with a tick control barrier spray and tick tubes, here is how to stay safer when not at home:

To prevent tick bites:

Use insect repellents that contain an EPA-registered active ingredient like permethrin or DEET
Wear light-colored clothing to spot ticks more easily
Do daily tick checks
Promptly and properly removing any attached ticks

If you want dependable, proven tick control, contact your local tick control specialist. Be sure that your tick control service sprays your yard and surrounds your property with tick tubes. This tick double-trouble control and elimination method will ensure it’s one less thing you’ll have to worry about.

Is there a link between Lyme infection and celiac disease?

I recently happened upon an interesting claim online.

A person wrote in a forum that though they could not prove it, they believed there is a link between Lyme infection and celiac disease. And to their credit, anecdotally, this was true for them. Recently diagnosed with celiac disease, this person got to talking to someone they know, who also has it. During this conversation, they found another commonality. Both celiac disease sufferers had been diagnosed earlier in life with Lyme disease. This certainly begs the question: Is there a link between Lyme infection and celiac disease?

Is there a link between Lyme infection and celiac disease? — Lyme infection and celiac disease – does Lyme result in celiac for some people?

Lyme infection and celiac disease do have some parallels.

Lyme disease is the most common vector-borne illness in the United States. There are many maddening facts about a Lyme diagnosis. One of those is that the disease can mimic other conditions. At the onset, it can feel like flu. Some sufferers do not seek medical attention at that stage. When they do, symptoms can be mistaken for other ailments. When undiagnosed and early stages, Lyme disease becomes chronic, resulting in a myriad of symptoms. It stands to reason that the question concerning the link between Lyme infection and celiac disease would eventually come up.

According to The University of Chicago Medicine, there are about three million celiac disease sufferers in the United States, with an estimated 97% undiagnosed. What’s more, there are links between celiac disease and other conditions. For instance, 6% of people with type 1 diabetes also have celiac disease. Celiac is an autoimmune disease, which has known links to other autoimmune disorders, including Multiple Sclerosis, Addison’s Disease, and Sjögren’s syndrome.

Celiac and Lyme are two tales of misunderstood diseases, but is there a link between the two? What is known is that both conditions have been steadily increasing. What’s more, both diseases are on the upswing in similar geographical territories. Just like Lyme disease, celiac disease is most prevalent in the Northeastern and Midwestern United States. It is also suggested that celiac can be triggered by previous infections. Could Lyme infection be a trigger for a future celiac diagnosis?

A study was performed to investigate a possible link between Lyme infection and celiac disease.

In Sweden, where both diseases have high occurrences, it was found that those with previous Lyme diagnoses were at a slightly increased risk for celiac disease. However, it was also determined that those with celiac were at a slightly elevated risk of a Lyme diagnosis. This only confirmed surveillance bias. Surveillance bias means that because both diseases are so prevalent in the region, doctors are more likely to test for markers of either disease due to an overlap in symptoms. Finally, according to the study, “a very small proportion—less than 0.2 percent—had previously had Lyme disease, offering further evidence that Lyme disease does not represent a substantive risk factor in the development of celiac disease.”

Lyme disease prevention is available.

Perhaps the most maddening about Lyme infection, is that it can be prevented with proper tick protocols. This means using personal tick repellent and protective clothing when hiking and camping. It also means considering professional tick control measures around your home. Reputable tick control companies offer year-round programs that can drastically reduce your Lyme infection risk.

Could a painful tick bite be the key to Lyme disease prevention?

A painful tick bite? What a Novel idea!

I recently wrote a blog about a new Lyme vaccine that uses antibodies, but this could be the most interesting method of Lyme prevention yet. A new Novel Lyme disease vaccine is being tested in the lab with great results. The same mRNA technology used for the COVID vaccines is being used to deliver this vaccine to guinea pigs at Yale University. This idea is so simple, it’s genius – make us sensitive to a tick bite!

Could a painful tick bite prevent Lyme disease?

This vaccine does not target pathogens.

Unlike other vaccines that directly target disease-causing pathogens, this potential vaccine targets tick saliva. Ticks attach to our skin, at which time disease-causing bacteria are passed into our blood stream through their saliva. Scientists have created a vaccine that causes a skin reaction to tick saliva. This reaction causes us to actually feel a tick bite. And as we know, it takes 36 to 48 hours for a tick to infect a host with Lyme disease. If we feel the tick bite immediately, the tick can be found. Therefore, negating attachment or disease transmission.

But it’s not just for Lyme disease prevention!

dog tick — Novel vaccine could prevent myriad tick diseases.

This same technology could prevent a variety of diseases that are passed through infected tick bites. Having identified 19 proteins in black-legged ticks, which can be targeted with such a vaccine, the same could be done with other tick species to prevent the illnesses they spread. This is great news for New England residents, where we have a few species of ticks – black-legged (deer) ticks, dog ticks, and lone star ticks.

What if the tick gains attachment anyway?

Nothing is fool-proof. Imagine that you have had this Lyme vaccine, but failed to feel it right away because you are moving around – doing yard work, hiking, etc. Guinea pigs in the lab showed resistance to Lyme pathogens even when the tick gained attachment. Half of the non-immunized guinea pigs were infected with Lyme disease in the study – all having been bitten by infected ticks. None of the immunized guinea pigs were infected when the tick was removed at the time of the skin reaction (redness, pain). Allowing a tick to remain attached to immunized guinea pigs also resulted in zero Lyme infections. Due to the skin reaction, ticks were not able to feed voraciously on these pigs. However, when three infected ticks were left attached to all guinea pigs, some infection did result in immunized pigs.

Until vaccines are lab tested, approved, and widely available, your only sure method of Lyme prevention is by preventing tick bites in the first place. This means personal tick protection when you are outdoors away from home and professional tick control at home.

How Lyme Disease Could Be Overlooked in the Era of COVID-19

Lyme disease infects an estimated hundreds of thousands of U.S. residents each year.

Could the COVID epidemic further overshadow Lyme disease diagnoses? That is the question being asked. Each year in the United States, there are approximately 30,000 confirmed cases of Lyme. The problem with Lyme has always been difficulty in early diagnosis. So much so, that the CDC believes that actual cases of Lyme could be ten times the number of confirmed annual cases. And experts now believe that it could be missed more frequently in the wake of the coronavirus epidemic.

Is Lyme disease in Massachusetts overshadowed by COVID?

We are all weary of COVID and Lyme disease too.

It goes without saying that we are all weary of this worldwide pandemic. It has affected every aspect of life imaginable. From schooling our children, to working at home, to job loss – coronavirus has been detrimental to us all in some way. As of the date of this writing, the United States has had 47.5mm confirmed cases, Massachusetts accounting for 888,000 of those. It’s been front-page news since March 2020. COVID-19 has overshadowed everything for the better part of two years, including other medical diagnoses.

Are cancer and Lyme disease taking a backseat to COVID?

Many illnesses are being missed for a variety of reasons. One critical element in this overshadowing is that some people are afraid to go to the doctor. The fact that medical facilities are potentially filled with COVID-19 patients has caused this hesitancy. The American Cancer Society reported a substantial drop in cancer screenings. Since we have been hesitant to partake in elective health practices, many illnesses are not being caught in the early stages, including Lyme disease.

Increased tick bite risk weighs into the equation also.

Many families have opted not to travel for the last couple of years, and have set out to enjoy time together in alternative settings, such as the great outdoors. More time out in nature leads to better odds of getting a tick bite, thereby increasing the odds of contracting tick-borne illnesses.

Lest we forget the “great imitator.”

Lyme infection can imitate other illnesses. If we a little sick, we might chalk it up to the common cold. If we feel really sick, we might believe we have the flu. Lyme is not always a front-and-center consideration, because we can have a tick attached for days without even knowing it. And while many Lyme sufferers get the bull’s eye rash, an estimated 20 to 40% of patients never get a rash at all. People, who have Lyme disease, might not know it for years.

Lyme prevention is the answer.

tick tubes for Lyme diseas prevention As with COVID-19, we must take preventive measures in order to lower our chances of contracting Lyme disease. Unlike COVID-19, there is no Lyme vaccine for humans. Our prevention methods rely on tick bite prevention. The most important elements of prevention are personal tick protection and professional tick control. Contrary to popular belief, ticks can still bite in the fall and winter. Therefore, we must enlist tick control around our homes all year long. That means barrier tick treatment spray in the spring, summer and fall; and tick tubes in the late fall through winter.

Also read: COVID-19 Long Haulers Shine a Light On Chronic Lyme

What Deer Hunting Season Tells Us About the Spread of Tick and Mosquito Diseases

Deer hunting is underway in Massachusetts. Some Northeastern states are getting a glimpse of the real threat of disease-carrying ticks. But that’s not all.

Whether you are a fan of deer hunting or not, tagging stations are offering insight into the spread of ticks across the Northeastern United States. Right now in York County, Maine, researchers are spread out between deer tagging stations. Their goal is to collect and identify ticks from deer carcasses and to also obtain blood samples to test for mosquito-borne illnesses, like EEE.

What does deer hunting tell us about ticks?

Tick populations have reached record numbers.

Hunters in the Northeast report that they are seeing more ticks on their trips into the wooded wilderness than ever before. Some avid small game hunters are even skipping those seasons due to the increase in tick encounters. In years past, you might find a tick or two during your hunt. Today, it is reported that your hunting trip will undoubtedly bring you in direct contact with ticks – plural. It’s not if but when.

Like Massachusetts, York County, Maine, is a hotbed for Lyme-carrying ticks these days. Deer ticks were first found in Maine in 1980. But unlike some Massachusetts locales, they have not yet reported lone star ticks, which carry a variety of tick-borne illnesses other than Lyme disease. However, experts believe it’s only a matter of time before these ticks arrive on the scene. It is more important than ever that hunters, hikers, and campers protect themselves. The best personal protection methods include wearing treated clothing to repel ticks.

Warmer winters mean more ticks, new ticks, and even new mosquito diseases.

The researchers at Maine deer tagging stations are out to identify mosquito-borne illnesses too. Blood samples are being taken from deer in hopes of identifying the prevalence of mosquito diseases, such as Eastern Equine Encephalitis and West Nile virus. The state’s only reported case of EEE this year was in York County. Massachusetts has had no reports of Eastern Equine Encephalitis so far in 2021. There were a few cases of West Nile virus in Massachusetts this year, but because of drought-like conditions from last fall through spring, even those cases began reporting later into the year than normal. Effective mosquito control must be given credit for the decrease in potentially deadly cases of Eastern Equine Encephalitis.

Tick control is a year-round concern.

Due to warmer winters in Massachusetts, ticks can and do quest even during the winter months. It is possible to be bitten by a tick in the fall and winter, and we should be concerned with ample protection during those months. Fortunately, reputable tick control professionals offer ‘out-of-season‘ methods of tick protection by way of tick tubes.

You can take personal protection measures while hunting or hiking this time of year, and leave the at-home protection to the pros!

What are some common causes of Lyme disease flare-ups?

Sufferers of Chronic Lyme disease will tell you their symptoms come and go.

What causes Lyme disease flare-ups though? Is it diet, mental stress, other illnesses or infections? Like other chronic conditions, Lyme will rear its ugly head and wreak havoc when triggered. The key is finding out what your particular triggers are.

What are symptoms of a chronic Lyme flare-up?

A flare-up can include extreme fatigue, sleeplessness, brain fog, light and sound sensitivity, muscle pain and stiffness, and irritability. These are but a few known symptoms of chronic Lyme sufferers.

What causes Lyme disease flare-ups? — What are common causes of Lyme flare-ups?

Common Causes of Chronic Lyme Flares

One of the most common causes of Lyme flares is called the Jarisch Herxheimer reaction, or JHR. This is a reaction of a patient being treated for another infection with antibiotics. Those, who have Lyme bacteria, or spirochetes, will experience a symptoms flare-up within 24 hours of starting an antibiotic. The infection itself can also be a trigger for a Lyme disease flare-up.

If you have Chronic Lyme and experience a flare-up of unknown origins, here are some things that might be causing your relapse.

Diet

When you suffer with any chronic condition, it is very important to know what types of foods might have an effect – negative or otherwise – on your body. Chronic Lyme sufferers might experience a flare-up by eating processed sugars or drinking alcohol.

Physical and Emotional Stress

Physical injury or surgical procedures could also result in a Lyme disease flare-up. A relapse could also be caused by extreme emotional stress, be it from a traumatic event or everyday stressors, such as work, school, or family life.

Lack of Sleep

Since sleeplessness is one symptom of a Lyme disease flare-up this situation might seem like a chicken-or-egg scenario. Are you flaring because you are not sleeping or not sleeping because you are flaring? Changes in work or school schedule or even long-distance travel could put your body into a weakened or exhausted state that would set you up for a Chronic Lyme flare-up.

What can be done to prevent Lyme disease flare-ups?

The first key to living with Chronic Lyme disease is finding a doctor and treatment regimen that works for you. Treatment and methods of prevention through lifestyle are different for every patient. However, there are some general guidelines, which anyone with Chronic Lyme could follow to promote a healthier lifestyle – and thus, less flares.

Stay hydrated and practice a healthy lifestyle through diet and exercise.
Get enough rest. The body cannot heal itself without real rest.
Try to reduce the everyday stressors in your life. Perhaps practicing meditation would be beneficial.
Do not overdo it when you are feeling unwell. Pace yourself in your everyday activities. Listen to your body when it feels weakened or tired.
Seek dependable emotional support and/or a mental health provider to help you deal when traumatic events arise, or you begin to feel overwhelmed.

Lyme disease is a sad fact of the world we live in. Chronic sufferers face a lifetime of health maintenance and treatment. Lyme disease flare-ups can really affect physical and emotional well-being.

Consider year-round tick control for the prevention of Lyme, and seek immediate medical attention if you believe you have been bitten by an infected tick.

Read: Can you catch Lyme disease from dog saliva?

Is Lyme antibody the answer to our lack of a vaccine?

We are hearing much about vaccines and antibodies in the COVID era. Could a Lyme antibody treatment be our new hope in the fight against the disease?

A Lyme disease vaccine was introduced in 1998, but was fraught with controversy. Though some folks, who received the FDA-approved Lyme vaccine, reported arthritis post-shot, evidence was not strong enough for the vaccine to be pulled from the market. But eventually, makers of the vaccine discontinued the shot due to lack of sales. Experts have weighed in over the years since, noting a few reasons for the vaccine’s demise. First, the public lost faith in the safety of the shot. There is also the fact that Lyme has a low morbidity rate, which resulted in the public not deeming the infection a true threat. Today, the CDC estimates that there are as many as 300,000 cases of Lyme disease in the United States each year. Though, only about 30,000 are confirmed. Now that chronic Lyme disease is more widely-accepted by the medical community, efforts to prevent infection are expanding.

Enter, Phase 1 Clinical Trials for a New Lyme Antibody Treatment

Some scientists spend most of their careers researching and developing inoculations against many types of diseases. One that has been at the forefront over the last decade, is Lyme disease. One group of scientists has gotten the green light from the FDA to begin phase one clinical trials on a Lyme antibody treatment. Their animal trials resulted in an efficacy rate of 100%. The antibody, known as Lyme PrEP, deploys, “a single human antibody, or blood protein, to kill the bacteria in the tick’s gut while the tick drinks its victim’s blood, before the bacteria can get into the human host.” The use of a single antibody reduces the likelihood of unwanted side effects, unlike a vaccine, which triggers the development of many antibodies. Developers of Lyme PrEP note that protection will come from a recurring yearly shot. The goal is to maintain protection against Lyme disease for a full nine-month period. Early trials indicate that this goal will be met, though this will be confirmed by later studies. They hope to have concluded those studies in 2022, and bring the antibody treatment to market in 2023 or 2024.

We must stay the course with current methods of Lyme prevention.

tick control Massachusetts Until we have a safe and surefire method of Lyme infection prevention, we must employ the tools we have available. The best way to prevent Lyme disease is to lower our risk of encountering ticks. We must wear protective clothing while hiking and camping. Massachusetts residents should choose professional tick control around their property from April through October – and even extend those efforts with tick tubes in the winter. We must perform a tick check on ourselves, our children, and our pets after spending time outdoors. And if you are feeling ill after a known tick bite, seek immediate medical attention.

Morgellons, Chronic Condition Associated with Lyme Infection

Through the years, we have heard from chronic Lyme sufferers and conditions associated with their illness.

Can previous Lyme infection really be the cause of Morgellons disease? What is Morgellons? Over the last couple of decades, this mysterious illness has become a point of contention among the medical community. From dermatologists to psychiatrists, Morgellons is a hot-button topic. Patients present skin ulcers, which some dismiss as self-inflicted abrasions due to a psychological condition known as Excoriation disorder, associated with obsessive-compulsive tendencies. Many dermatologists and family practitioners saw patients with these lesions and referred them to psychiatrists for treatment. In 2002, the first case was documented with one difference – fibers were present in the lesions. This led to the eventual connection with previous Lyme infection.

What is the link between Lyme infection and Morgellons disease?

What were the fibers?

The fibers were originally thought to be from patients’ clothing, bedding, or towels. Upon further investigation of the make-up of the fibers in Morgellons patients, it was determined that the fibers were being produced by their bodies. They are made of keratin and collagen, two naturally-occurring proteins. This is where the connection to Lyme infection was made. Research over the last few years is said to show that the keratin and collagen fibers result from an over-production process that began with spirochetal infection. The species of the spirochetes is Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacteria that cause Lyme disease. Even still, many medical professionals declare that Morgellons is 100% psychological, claiming that the fibers are from clothing or linens. Genetic, immunology, and hormonal studies are recommended as we continue to learn more about Morgellons. Current treatments may include antibiotics that are used in early Lyme diagnoses, with some patients reporting remission. Others are still being treated with drugs that control tics and psychosis.

What are other chronic conditions related to previous Lyme infection?

When a person has asymptomatic early stage Lyme disease or are misdiagnosed in the early stages of Lyme, they could develop chronic Lyme disease. Chronic Lyme can cause joint pain, fatigue, and even cognitive disorders that mimic Alzheimer’s. While patients cannot be cured, many seek the help of Rheumatologists, Lyme specialized physicians, or natural medicine practitioners. Morgellons is just one more anomaly that is said to be the result of a bite from an infected tick.

Charlton tick control for tick bite prevention.

tick control Massachusetts Due to the seriousness of tick-born diseases, such as Lyme disease, and now Morgellons disease, it is imperative that we protect our families from the threat of tick bites. There is no 100% guaranteed method of tick elimination, but year-round control solutions are available in Central Massachusetts. Professional tick control begins in the springtime with barrier yard spray – either EPA-registered or all-natural yard treatment. In the late fall, it continues with tick tubes, which help break the tick life cycle and reduce the number of emerging ticks in the spring.