May is Lyme Disease Awareness Month. As I’m sure you all know, because who doesn’t get their health information from E! News, Bella Hadid has Lyme disease. So, too, does her mother, Yolanda Hadid. Her brother Anwar also suffers from chronic Lyme disease. Before you roll your eyes at me for bringing up a celebrity, let me tell you why that’s actually pretty important and interesting.
New research suggests that there may be more than one way for Lyme disease to be contracted. It is widely known that Lyme disease is transmitted through the bite of a tick that carries the infection. However, new theories suggest that more than just that one factor leads to the development of the disease. The reason is that it is not uncommon for multiple members of a family to develop the disease. Because of this, it seems unlikely that it would be common for more than one person living in the same house to be bitten by the same tick. When I say “multiple members of a family living in the house”, I’m referring to the fact that they share the same micro biome environment. It is not that they were bitten by the same tick that somehow found its way inside.
Lyme Disease and Micro Biomes
Micro biomes are specific to each household. People who all live together share similar bacteria in their guts. The environment shapes their health. If one person has a predisposition to a health issue, then it is likely that the others members of the household also share the predisposition. Keep in mind; we are not talking about genetic factors here, because Lyme disease is not hereditary.
What we are talking about is how the environment of a group of people who cohabitate can affect their health in similar ways. A deficiency in an aspect of gut bacteria, which greatly affects one’s health and abilities to fight off illness, may indicate the same deficiency in other people in the house. It is not yet known how this impacts the way the disease is spread. But it is suspected that similar micro biomes and deficiencies can cause some people to be predisposed to develop the disease.
Celebrity Ambassadors and Lyme Disease Important?
I know it seems stupid to care that a celebrity suffers from a disease when there are over 300,000 people who are diagnosed with Lyme disease each year in the United States. Why should the suffering of a celebrity matter more than the suffering of all of the other people?! It doesn’t, at all! But if you ask me, we should all be grateful for our celebrity disease ambassadors.
A popular celebrity has the ability to increase awareness for the disease and raise money for research. Look what Selena Gomez has done for Lupus. It might be annoying that everyone knows it as the disease that Selena or Bella or Demi has. But, hey, at least they know about it at all. Trust me, celebrities who have the same disease as you don’t trivialize the disease you suffer from, or make it trendy. It makes it visible, and it makes it more likely for increased funding for research. This, ultimately, leads to the development of new drugs, or therapies, or cures. Shout out to Selena Gomez, Bella Hadid, and Demi Lovato for using their status and their platforms to raise awareness for all the people suffering from their respective illnesses.
Okay, now let’s get into the basics of Lyme disease.
Tick Bites
Lyme disease is contracted through a tick bite. Not all ticks carry the Lyme disease-causing bacteria. Generally, about a week or two after the bite, 50 to 70 percent of people develop the red rash that encircles the site of the bite. This rash is sometimes referred to as the bull’s-eye rash, because obviously it looks like a bull’s-eye. The rash isn’t usually painful or itchy. It just causes an inflammatory response by the body. Early symptoms may include fever, fatigue, neck stiffness, muscle aches, joint pain, chills, swollen lymph nodes, and headache.
Lyme disease is also fairly localized in the United States to the Northeast and other heavily wooded areas. It is more common for the disease to be contracted in this part of the country. But, it is not impossible to contract elsewhere. Precautions should be taken when exposure to ticks is more likely, especially in the Northeast. Some things you can do to minimize your risk of exposure to ticks and Lyme disease are wearing pants and long sleeves. This reduces the area of exposed skin where a tick may be able to attach. Another thing is to use insect repellent to discourage ticks from wanting to be near you.
Why is Lyme Disease Awareness Month important? Lyme disease can be tricky to diagnose, and can take years to diagnose after symptoms begin. Lyme disease’s symptoms are very similar to symptoms of many other diseases. It can often seem to mimic other diseases. This is especially true of other chronic conditions such as autoimmune diseases. Every patient’s experience is different, and not all symptoms are necessarily present for every patient. Most often, it is a combination of symptoms, but not all of them.
Signs and Symptoms of Lyme Disease
Signs and symptoms of Lyme disease can occur months after the tick bite. Symptoms can range from mild to severe. Because Lyme disease is a chronic condition, symptoms may come and go, and rotate. Lyme Disease Awareness Month is a time to learn about the symptoms of this condition.
Symptoms of Lyme disease include:
- Short-term memory issues (also sometimes referred to as brain fog)
- Nerve involvement, which can involve shooting pains, numbness or tingling, or nerve pain.
- Inflammation throughout the body can occur, most commonly in the joints, but also in the spinal cord or brain.
- Dizziness or shortness of breath.
- Cardiac involvement- usually in the form of arrhythmias (palpitations or irregular heart beats.)
- Neck stiffness.
- Sever headaches.
- Muscle pain, joint pain, connective tissue pain, and bone pain.
- Arthritis, particularly in large joints such as knees.
- Palsy’s, or paralysis, particularly in the face.
- Sometimes rashes may develop, not specific to the area of the tick bite.
Lyme disease is diagnosed using a two-step process. Both steps are done using a blood sample, and can be drawn at the same time. Both steps are recommended to be sure of the diagnosis and to prevent misdiagnosis and improper or unnecessary treatments.
Post-Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome, or chronic Lyme, can last anywhere from six months to ongoing. Those suffering the effects of Lyme disease may become temporarily or permanently unable to work, depending on the damage to body. Many people improve over time. There are also many symptom specific treatments to ease the pain or suffering experienced by the patient. Antibiotic treatment when the infection is contracted has a high rate of success. Common antibiotics are used to treat the infection that results from the bite. Antibiotics are prescribed for a couple weeks or until it clears up.
Treatments
Treatments for the symptoms of Lyme disease can significantly reduce the effects of the disease on the body. For many people, treatment allows them to manage and control symptoms so they are able to lead normal lives. It is also believed that over time, patients generally improve. Some cases, however, may remain active and acute for many years.
Personalized Cause and Lyme Disease Awareness Month
p>And here’s where custom awareness ribbons come in! You know about the benefits of making your own awareness ribbon to support a loved one currently suffering from a serious illness, or for yourself. There is something both empowering and quietly, but powerfully, supportive about a custom awareness ribbon with your name or message engraved across it. This allows those who wear it for themselves to own their health and raise awareness in their community. Wearing custom awareness ribbons for someone you care about can make them feel supported, and loved, and less alone. Awareness pins are a symbol of power when you feel helpless to change your situation or another’s.
If you would like to order a personalized awareness ribbon for Lyme disease, they are available here..
Until next time, everyone! Thank you so much for reading and I hope you learned something.
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