During this time of the COVID-19 pandemic and related quarantine, I’ve seen the best and worst of people. I’ve personally lost friends to both COVID-19 as well as Lyme and tick-borne diseases. I feel that these losses should never have happened, but these losses occurred nonetheless perhaps because someone along the way didn’t have the answers they needed.
We’re all watching the pandemic play out in the media. Contradictions come from many sources, and it often feels like we’re trying to maneuver through the minefield of good and bad intel as the symptomology checklist changes. One important element is that not all patients are going to present the same way or recover within the same time frame. We already know that some people experience mild to moderate symptoms while others might find themselves in the hospital, possibly intubated. The culprit is the same no matter the outcome: COVID-19.
Similarly, with Lyme and tick-borne diseases, every patient is different. And sometimes medical experts, both researchers and physicians, contradict each other.
Important things to remember about tick-borne diseases:
A tick bite doesn’t mean a person has been infected; it does, however, give a starting place for diagnosis and treatment should a person become symptomatic. Save the tick and get it tested.
Ticks in Maine can transmit many different diseases, each with its own test and treatment. Besides the different diseases, there are different strains to contend with as well.
Safe and effective natural immune boosters include elderberry, glutathione, and ledum. Bentonite Clay applied to bite site will pull out surface toxins, ice packs and topical benadryl gel can reduce histamine reactions such as swelling, redness, or hot and itchy symptoms.
Once tick testing results are back, the Midcoast Lyme Disease Support and Education nonprofit can facilitate connection with a “Lyme literate” health care provider who is experienced in diagnosing and treating all stages of all strains of Lyme and tick-borne diseases.
(Paula Jackson Jones, of Nobleboro, is the president and co-founder of the nonprofit organization Midcoast Lyme Disease Support & Education. For more information, email paula@mldse.org or go to mldse.org.)
