Twenty years ago my practice was devoted to Integrative Medicine (with an emphasis on orthomolecular psychiatry and clinical ecology). I could not predict at that time, the far-reaching consequences of my decision to treat several patients with TBD (a school teacher with panic attacks, joint pain, and memory loss, a hunter with exhaustion, insomnia, and severe depression).
I had no idea that I had, indeed joined a small group of like-minded physicians, (quite by accident), who also dealt with the same medical complexities (across medical specialties).
They encountered a insect borne disease, stemming from a reservoir of warm-blooded mammals. These animals particularly (the white–footed mouse), harbored pathogenic spirochete bacteria and (other co-infections) that had reached alarming endemic levels in many local affluent communities.
Later I was to discover that this complex microbiological synergy of coexisting infections extended far beyond the Connecticut borders (wh...
Lyme disease is one of the most misunderstood illnesses in modern medicine, affecting hundreds of thousands of people worldwide. In New York City alone, over 200,000 individuals are estimated to be living with symptoms of Lyme disease, often without knowing the cause. This lack of awareness, combined with the challenges of diagnosis and treatment, highlights the urgent need for better understanding and management of this debilitating condition.
Lyme disease is a tick-borne illness caused by a type of bacteria called Borrelia burgdorferi. This bacterium is a spirochete, a corkscrew-shaped microorganism uniquely adapted to survive and thrive inside its host. Once introduced into the human body, usually through the bite of an infected tick, Borrelia burgdorferi can infiltrate various systems, causing a wide range of symptoms.
The most common way to contract Lyme disease is through the bite of infected ticks. These include:
De...
Lyme Disease is caused by a Borrelia Burgdorferi infection transmitted through the bite of a black legged tick, “Ixodes Scapularis.” The infected ticks are found throughout the Northeast and more than forty other states, as well as Europe, Asia, and Australia. A telltale “Bulls Eye”, or “erythema migrans” rash, along with flu-like symptoms, occurs in only 30-40% of early Lyme Disease patients. This rash classically delineates the initial stage of the infection. Usually after a four to six week course of antibiotic therapy, the disease process can be arrested.
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However, Lyme Disease can prove to be a more difficult and complex process to diagnose and treat. When characteristic more commonplace symptoms are not present (such as above). Lyme Disease can progress untreated and become a serious, chronic, and sometimes debilitating illness, which affects multiple systems of the body. Â "To ...
ABOUT LYME DISEASE
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MEDICAL CONTROVERSY
Hi! I'm Dr. Bernard Raxlen. If you want to learn more about my professional and academic experiences, you should check the About page. But here, on my Blog, I'll tell you a little bit about myself and my journey as a doctor in a more personal way. Stay connected for more valuable information about lyme disease!
I – Medical Odyssey
I grew up in a family of physicians. At thirteen, I confided to my grandfather an aspiration to become a famous lawyer, defending “truth” and all that was noble and virtuous.
But “the law is corruptible”, he said. “Winning and money become so important to lawyers that truth gets twisted, virtue tainted. Medicine, on the other hand…” He smiled sublimely.
My grandfather’s smile brown compassionate eyes under crinkly lids won friends instantly, made people feel special. Our talk that day started my medical odyssey.
“Nothing else can come close to the satisfaction you’ll gain from healing”, he had said. And that’s true.
“What is h...
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