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He was a healthy 16-year-old, active in school and sports. Within days, he seemed unrecognizable. His story shows how Lyme and PANS can suddenly change a teenager’s life. Once outgoing and confident, he suddenly became anxious, irritable, and trapped in repetitive rituals. Teachers noticed his handwriting deteriorated, his grades plummeted, and he withdrew from friends. “It […]

Dr. Sarah reviewed the file carefully. Her patient exhibited all the classic symptoms of Lyme disease and had been exposed to ticks. But the test was negative. She knew from experience that early Lyme tests miss up to 50% of cases, yet she hesitated to make the diagnosis. This kind of physician reluctance in Lyme

Act 1: A Missed Beginning Jake went from star athlete to unable to climb stairs without his heart racing. His parents searched for answers for two years before anyone mentioned Lyme disease. With no tick bite or rash, his parents and doctors didn’t recognize the early warning signs. Act 2: The Diagnostic Odyssey Jake’s family

Low-dose naltrexone (LDN) has gained growing attention as a potential supportive therapy for people with chronic Lyme disease and persistent symptoms that may not fully resolve with antibiotics. Originally developed as a treatment for opioid and alcohol dependence, naltrexone in much smaller doses appears to have immune-modulating and anti-inflammatory effects. For patients struggling with lingering

Most people think of the bull’s-eye rash or a swollen knee when they hear “Lyme disease.” But many patients never develop these classic signs. Instead, they struggle with a wide range of hidden Lyme disease symptoms that don’t fit the textbook picture — leading to missed diagnoses, delays in care, and years of unnecessary suffering.

Chronic Pain in Lyme disease Doesn’t Follow the Rules Maria came to my office with a pain map that looked like a medical mystery. “It was in my knee last month, then my shoulder, now it’s in my ribs,” she explained, frustrated. “Every doctor thinks I’m making it up because nothing shows on X-rays.” This

Spinal Taps: A troubling trend I’ve noticed a troubling trend in Lyme disease care. Some patients are being told they need a spinal tap (lumbar puncture) to “rule out neurological Lyme disease.” While spinal taps are important in cases like suspected meningitis, their role in evaluating Lyme is much more limited. Too often, patients go

Why Lyme Rash Misdiagnosis Happens When most people hear “Lyme disease,” they imagine the classic bull’s-eye (erythema migrans) rash. In reality, that textbook image is the exception, not the rule. Fewer than half of patients develop the bull’s-eye pattern. Instead, the rash may appear as a simple red patch, multiple spots across the body, or

A recent study published in Nature Microbiology has revealed how malaria parasites survive in the human body for years without causing symptoms—offering powerful insights into the Lyme disease persister theory. Researchers from Weill Cornell Medicine, including Dr. Kirk Deitsch, found that Plasmodium falciparum—the parasite responsible for malaria—can evade the immune system by silencing its var

When It’s Not Long COVID—It’s Lyme In the wake of the pandemic, we’ve become more aware of how a virus can lead to long-term, multisystem illness. That’s been a good thing. Patients with brain fog, fatigue, and shortness of breath are no longer automatically dismissed. They’re told it might be Long COVID—and for many, that’s