Lyme Science Blog

Lyme Persisters: Why Symptoms Can Return After Treatment Finished treatment—but symptoms returned? Fatigue, pain, and brain fog may reflect persistence biology. Researchers are still investigating why recovery varies. You finished treatment. The antibiotics are done. Your doctor says you’re cured. So why do you still feel terrible? For some patients, the answer may involve Lyme […]

PANS in Teens: When Lyme Disease Triggers Sudden Change Lyme disease PANS can cause abrupt psychiatric and neurologic symptoms in previously healthy teenagers due to an autoimmune response affecting the brain. A healthy 16-year-old became unrecognizable within days. Once outgoing and confident, he suddenly developed anxiety, irritability, and repetitive rituals. Teachers noticed his handwriting deteriorated,

Physician Reluctance in Lyme Treatment: Risks for Patients 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

Lyme or Long COVID? How to Tell the Difference Three years after recovering from Lyme disease, Jennifer developed COVID-19. Months later, the same crushing fatigue, brain fog, and joint pain returned. Was it Long COVID — or Lyme again? This scenario is becoming increasingly common. Lyme disease and Long COVID can look remarkably similar, creating

Stopping Lyme Treatment Too Soon? Why Symptoms Return “I felt better—so I stopped treatment. Then everything came back.” This is a pattern many Lyme disease patients describe. Stopping Lyme treatment too soon can allow symptoms to return—sometimes weeks later and sometimes more intensely than before. When patients begin to improve, it is natural to wonder

Risk Factors for Chronic Lyme Disease: Who Is Most at Risk? Some Lyme disease patients develop persistent symptoms. Delayed treatment, co-infections, and severe illness may increase long-term risk. Recovery patterns vary significantly between patients. While many people treated for Lyme disease recover completely, a significant number develop chronic Lyme disease with persistent symptoms that continue

Low Dose Naltrexone for Lyme Disease: Can LDN Help Persistent Symptoms? Low dose naltrexone may help regulate inflammation in Lyme disease Some patients report improvements in pain, fatigue, and neurologic symptoms LDN is generally used as part of a broader recovery strategy Many patients with persistent Lyme disease symptoms continue searching for options after standard

Why Lyme Disease Pain Moves and Feels Different Maria came to my office with a pain map that looked exactly that way. “It was in my knee last month, then my shoulder, now it’s in my ribs,” she explained. “Every doctor thinks I’m making it up because nothing shows on X-rays.” Chronic pain in Lyme

Why Occam’s Razor Fails in Chronic Lyme Disease Diagnostic shortcuts may oversimplify chronic illness Persistent infection remains part of the differential Multiple mechanisms may coexist in chronic Lyme disease In medicine, Occam’s razor teaches that the simplest explanation is often the right one. But for chronic Lyme, this idea is sometimes used against patients. Ongoing