Laurie Martin

A 23-year-old woman from Brooklyn, NY, presented to her primary care physician with bilateral knee swelling and pain three days after delivering a healthy baby girl. She rated the pain as 8 out of 10 in severity and reported that it worsened with walking. Case The patient recalled experiencing similar knee pain for two days […]

It’s a warm day, you’ve been hiking, gardening, or walking the dog—and later that evening, you find a tick. Sound familiar? Ticks are stealthy, patient, and highly sensitive hunters. While they can’t jump or fly, they are remarkably good at detecting hosts from a distance. Whether you’re deep in the woods or lounging in your

I want to share the story of a patient who almost fell through the cracks — not because people didn’t care, but because they stopped looking too soon. She was told she suffered from depression but it turned out – her symptoms were due to Lyme disease. She came to my office after seeing three

A Closer Look at Nature’s Most Unwelcome Parasites They’re small, stealthy, and surprisingly dangerous. Ticks have long held a place among the most loathed creatures in the natural world—and not without reason. While they may appear harmless at first glance, these tiny arachnids are capable of causing serious harm to both humans and animals. In

When we think of tick-borne illnesses like Babesia, we often picture outdoor exposure in wooded, high-risk areas. But what happens when Babesia shows up in someone who hasn’t been outdoors—and hasn’t been bitten by a tick? One recent case reminds us that Babesia can travel silently through the bloodstream, sometimes delivered unintentionally through a blood

In a letter to the editor published in the Annals of Indian Academy of Neurology, Varma SY and colleagues¹ describe a rare and clinically significant case of Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) triggered by Lyme disease in a 50-year-old woman. This case highlights the complex interplay between infectious diseases and autoimmune disorders. Initial Presentation and Symptoms The

This case involved a 25-year-old woman who experienced progressive numbness and tingling, beginning in her torso and eventually affecting her entire body. Over a four-week period, her neurological symptoms worsened, including a decrease in her reflexes (hyporeflexia), prompting her to seek care at a neurology clinic. Notably, she lacked the hallmark features typically associated with

Creating a tick-proof yard is one of the most effective ways to lower the risk of tick bites and Lyme disease. Ticks thrive in shady, moist, overgrown environments—and by making small changes to your landscaping, you can make your yard far less welcoming to them. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help keep ticks away from

The Symptoms Seemed to Fit Dizzy when standing. A racing heart. Constant fatigue.The diagnosis? POTS—Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome. My patient followed all the usual advice: increase salt, drink more fluids, wear compression gear. But the symptoms didn’t go away. They lingered. Some even got worse. Something didn’t add up. When the Diagnosis Isn’t the Final