A Presentation by Michele Moynihan

By different doctors, I was told I had Chronic Mononucleosis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, and a

possible tumor on my optic nerve.

Since I went so long without treatment, I am still on strong antibiotics. It has now been a year and a half since I first started

on medication.

It was 8 months before I was properly diagnosed with Lyme disease and treated

with antibiotics.

I know I am not a doctor.

• Yourselves• Your Family Members• Your Pets• Your Friends and Neighbors• Your Colleagues

• Your STUDENTS

Why and How Lyme Disease Can Be Misdiagnosed

How to Protect Yourself from Ticks

How to Remove Ticks

The Symptoms of Lyme Disease

Over 50% of Lyme victims DO NOT remember being bitten by a tick.

WHY???

A tick bite DOES NOT HURT due to the anesthetic it injects upon

puncturing the skin.

PLUS... Lang, 16

Ticks are TINY and hard to detect on the body. Some nymphs are the size of a small mole or a period at the end of a

sentence.

The time lapse between a tick bite and the emergence of

symptoms can be weeks or even months!

Type of symptoms and severity of symptoms can vary in

everyone.

100 Strains 300 Strains

The blood tests are NOT RELIABLE!

There is a 60-70% chance you could have a “false negative” result.

“Generally accepted testing procedures have had a 30-40% reliability rate, at best” (Lang,

16).

This means...

If a person is currently on or has recently taken antibiotics, it can reduce the body’s production of

Lyme antibodies.

The Lyme bacteria, called the “spirochete” can hide in the

body by shifting and changing to avoid detection by the

immune system.

The Controversy

Western BlotCDC says

you must have 5

bands!!!But I only have 2!

And I feel lousy!

ELISA

“Several studies have shown that sensitivity and specificity for the…Western Blot ranges from 92% to 96% when only two specific bands are positive” (National

Guideline Clearinghouse: Summary of ILADS Guidelines for Lyme Disease, 3).

Western Blot Panel

IgG- 10 bands- older infection

IgM- 3 bands- recent infection

“Called the ‘Great Imitator,’ Lyme disease, because of its myriad of symptoms, can

mimic two hundred other illnesses” (Lang, 33).

• Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

• Fibromyalgia• Rheumatoid

Arthritis• Lupus• Thyroid Disease• Depression

• Chronic Mononucleosis

• Multiple Sclerosis• Alzheimer’s

Disease• Lou Gehrig’s

Disease• And more…

Because of this, Lyme is frequently misdiagnosed as…What are

the symptoms of Lyme disease?

One of the first symptoms of Lyme Disease can be what is called a “Bull’s

Eye” rash.

There are 10 documented variations of rashes associated with Lyme disease, and not all of them look like a “Bull’s Eye.”

Many rashes may resemble a spider bite, ringworm, blisters, hives, or

even cellulitis or shingles.

Lyme Rash

Lyme Rash

Lyme Rash

Shingles Lyme

Lyme

ShinglesRingwo

rmLyme

Even though the rash is a tell-tale sign of Lyme disease...

Over 50% of victims DO NOT exhibit any rash at all!!! (ILADS, 2)

RASH (but over 50% don’t get one)

Flu-like symptoms (with or without

fever)

ChillsSore ThroatNausea

Vomiting

Headache

Unusual Fatigue

Joint and/or Muscle Pain (with or without swelling)

Knees

Feet

Elbows

Hands

Neck

Back

Ankles

Wrists

• Frequent Headaches• Dizziness or Vertigo• Lightheadedness• Frequent Nausea• Gastrointestinal Problems• Ringing or Pounding in Ears• Blurred Vision• Burning Eyes• Numbness, Tingling, or Burning• Heart Palpitations• Chest Pain• Excessive Sleeping or Insomnia• Extreme Fatigue• Poor Memory & Concentration• Brain Fog• Irritability• Anxiety• Sadness, Crying

“Lyme disease is a CLINICAL diagnosis and test results should be used to support rather than supercede the physician’s judgment” (National Guideline Clearinghouse: Summary of ILADS Guidelines for Lyme Disease, 1).

*Clinical Diagnosis = Diagnosis based on symptoms, not just blood tests that can often yield a “false negative”

result.

Female Dog Tick

Male Dog Tick

Blacklegged Deer Tick

FemaleMale

Lonestar Tick

FemaleMale How can you

protect yourself

from ticks?

Thumb Tack to Pin Head

Cm Cm

• On Pets• On Birds, Squirrels, Chipmunks, etc..• In Wooded Areas• Overgrown Areas• Shrubs/Flower Beds• Grass (tall or short)

Ticks are most active between May and November, but studies have proven that ticks

can be found “questing” all year round at temperatures as low as 38 degrees F.

Tick Larvae Ticks climb to the tips of grasses and Ticks climb to the tips of grasses and weeds and lay in wait for their next weeds and lay in wait for their next

host to brush against them.host to brush against them.

Nothing’s a 100%!

is a THOROUGH physical inspection

Engorged Tick

Tick Fangs

•DO NOT touch the tick with bare hands.

•DO NOT squeeze, crush, or puncture the body of the tick.

•DO NOT twist or jerk the tick.

•DO NOT put alcohol, nail polish, or Vaseline on the tick, and DO NOT burn the tick.

•Infective agents may enter through mucous membranes or breaks in the skin.

•Mouthparts of the tick may become imbedded, increasing the risk of infection.

•The tick’s saliva and gut contents may be released, increasing the risk of infection.

•This may cause the tick to regurgitate its stomach contents, increasing the risk of infection.

• Use a tick removal device such as Ticked-Off, Tick Nipper, Pro-Tick Remedy, or De-Ticker. You can Google search these and find them on-line.

• If no other tool is available, use a fine-point tweezers.• Grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible, and gently pull

straight upward; do not twist or jerk.• Put the tick in a plastic bag with the date, and then put it in the

freezer for later identification.• Wash the area with a disinfectant.• Seek immediate medical attention.

An infected tick can transmit Lyme bacteria after being attached for only 4-

24 hours (Lang, 12).

The most important aspect of tick removal is to make sure the mouthparts do not remain in the skin. If the

tick is a nymph, it may be harder to tell if the mouthparts have been removed.

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The Symptoms of Lyme Disease

Why and How Lyme Disease Can Be Misdiagnosed

How to Protect Yourself from Ticks

How to Remove Ticks

Bock, Steven J. “The Integrative Treatment of Lyme Disease.” The International Journal of Integrative Medicine. 1/11/07 <http://www.avonhistory.org/bug/l14.htm>.

Cameron, Daniel. “Evidence-Based Guidelines for the Management of Lyme Disease.” 5/19/07 <www.lymeproject.com>.

Cameron, Daniel. “Lyme Disease: What You Need to Know.” New York: National Guideline Clearinghouse, 2007.

“Facts About Ticks and Tick-Borne Diseases.” 5/19/07 <http://www.bada-uk.org/facts.html>.

“Home of the De-ticker.” 5/19/07 <http://www.deticker.com>.

International Lyme and Associated Disease Society (ILADS). “Basic Information about Lyme Disease.” 5/19/07 <http://ilads.org>.

Lang, Denise. Coping with Lyme Disease: A Practical Guide to Dealing with Diagnosis and Treatment. New York: Owl Books, 2004.

“National Guideline Clearinghouse: Summary of ILADS Guidelines for Lyme Disease.” 5/30/07 http://ilads.org/guidelines_ilads.html.

“Ticks and Lyme Disease.” 5/19/07 <http://www.arun.gov.uk>.

“Ticks and Tick-Borne Diseases in Texas.” 5/22/07 <http://ticktexas.org>.