Lyme Science Blog

How to Test for Lyme Disease: Beyond CDC Guidelines When patients ask how to test for Lyme disease, they’re often surprised by the complexity—and the limitations—of the current testing system. While laboratory tests can be helpful, they do not tell the whole story. Clinical judgment is often just as important, especially when symptoms persist despite […]

One-Sided Symptoms in Lyme Disease One-sided symptoms in Lyme disease can be alarming for patients, especially when weakness or numbness affects only one side of the body during flare-ups. Some patients report that an arm, a leg, the face, or even an entire side of the body feels weaker, numb, heavier, or less responsive than

Lyme Misdiagnosis Apology: When Silence Hurts More Than the Mistake My patient couldn’t understand why an “I’m sorry” never came. His experience captures the need for a Lyme misdiagnosis apology—the simple act of acknowledgment that can mean more than any prescription. After years of fatigue, pain, and cognitive fog, his Lyme diagnosis finally explained what

Lyme Disease Second Opinion: What to Do When Specialists Disagree When specialists disagree about Lyme disease, patients ask me this question every week: should I get a second opinion? It usually comes at a breaking point—not because they have lost faith in medicine, but because no one is stepping back to connect the pieces. They

Misdiagnosed as Menopause: When Symptoms Deserve a Second Look A woman in her mid-40s noticed worsening fatigue, disrupted sleep, night sweats, palpitations, and rising anxiety. Brain fog interfered with her ability to focus. Exercise that once felt manageable now left her breathless. She was told it was menopause. That explanation made sense—but it did not

Lyme Misdiagnosed as Conversion Disorder in Children When Lyme is misdiagnosed as conversion disorder, children can lose months or years to symptoms that might have been treatable. I see this pattern regularly in my practice. She was fourteen when the tics started. At first, her parents thought it was stress—ninth grade, new school, new pressures.

Lyme Disease and IBS: When Gut Symptoms Deserve a Second Look The connection between Lyme disease and IBS is more common than most patients realize. A patient developed bloating, abdominal pain, and unpredictable bowel habits. Certain foods worsened symptoms. Stress seemed to aggravate everything. She was told it was IBS. That explanation made sense—but it

Teenage Lyme Disease: When Symptoms Don’t Match Teenage Lyme disease often looks nothing like the classic case doctors are trained to recognize. A 15-year-old student came to my office after months of headaches, fatigue, and joint pain. Her pediatrician had told her family, confidently, “Your symptoms don’t match Lyme.” But her symptoms began weeks after

The Chronic Lyme Disease Debate Explained For decades, patients with persistent symptoms after Lyme disease treatment have found themselves caught in the middle of the chronic Lyme disease debate. At the center of this debate is a single unresolved question: what explains ongoing illness after standard Lyme disease therapy? In clinical practice, I routinely see