Children and Lyme Disease: Why Most Never See a Tick Bite A mother once told me, “I check my kids every night after they play outside. I would have seen a tick.” She was certain. But her 8-year-old son had Lyme disease—and neither she nor her son ever saw a tick. This is one of […]
Only a minority of children with Lyme disease recall a tick bite Read More »
Post-Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome (PTLDS): Definition and Clinical Framework Post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome (PTLDS) is a research-defined term used to describe patients who experience persistent symptoms following recommended antibiotic therapy for Lyme disease. Symptoms may include fatigue, cognitive slowing, musculoskeletal pain, sleep disturbance, and functional impairment lasting six months or longer after treatment. PTLDS is
Persistent Lyme Disease Mechanisms Read More »
Chronic Lyme Disease Misconceptions: How Outdated Science Continues to Harm Patients Chronic Lyme disease misconceptions kept her sick for three years before anyone took her seriously. A former marathon runner, she came to my office unable to climb stairs without resting. She’d seen rheumatologists, neurologists, and psychiatrists. Each ruled out their specialty and sent
Chronic Lyme Disease Misconceptions Read More »
I’ve had patients sit in my office and ask, “Why doesn’t anyone believe me?” The answer isn’t simple — but it starts with understanding why Lyme disease is so controversial in the first place. Few medical conditions spark as much debate. Disagreements over how Lyme disease is diagnosed, treated, and understood have created deep divides
Medical Abandonment in Chronic Illness: An Ethical Analysis Read More »
She never saw the tick. Never got the rash. But weeks after a mild flu, everything changed—fatigue, brain fog, joint pain. One doctor blamed stress. Another said early menopause. No one tested her for Lyme. When she finally reached me, she said: “It feels like something hijacked my body.” She was right. It was Lyme—and
Targeted Screening Could Save Lyme Patients from Years of Misdiagnosis Read More »
You just got back from a beautiful hike or a long afternoon working in the yard. You toss your clothes in the wash, assuming that will kill ticks on clothing and leave nature behind. But here’s the surprising truth: a trip through the washing machine does not reliably kill ticks on clothing. These tiny pests
How to Kill Ticks on Clothing: Why the Dryer Matters More Than the Washer Read More »
A nine-year-old complains of knee pain at bedtime. A twelve-year-old wakes up crying with leg aches. A teenager limps after soccer practice. When children report joint or muscle pain, “growing pains” becomes the default explanation—delaying investigation of Lyme disease. Understanding the key differences prevents months of dismissed symptoms while treatable infection damages joints. For a
Growing Pains or Lyme Disease? How to Tell the Difference Read More »
A mother brings her daughter to three different doctors over six months. The child has debilitating fatigue, recurring headaches, and joint pain. Each visit ends the same way: “The tests are normal. There’s nothing wrong.” But the mother knows something is wrong—and she’s right. Medical dismissal in pediatric Lyme disease reflects systemic challenges—testing limitations, atypical
When Doctors Say Nothing Is Wrong: Medical Dismissal and Lyme Disease in Children Read More »
A straight-A student starts forgetting homework. A focused child suddenly can’t sit still in class. An organized teenager becomes scattered, impulsive, and unable to concentrate. When cognitive symptoms appear abruptly rather than gradually, the diagnosis may not be ADHD—it could be Lyme disease affecting the brain. The overlap between ADHD and Lyme-induced cognitive dysfunction creates
Is My Child’s ADHD Actually Lyme Disease? Read More »
Lyme Disease Can Make You Feel Older Than You Are Lyme disease can make you feel decades older than your actual age—through fatigue, brain fog, and joint pain that don’t match where you should be in life. “I’m 36, but I feel 76. My legs are heavy, my memory’s a mess, and I don’t even
Lyme Disease Can Make You Feel Older Than You Are Read More »
