Lyme disease

[Suicide6]

I love your show Dr. Steve. I learn a lot, you seem very down to earth and have a great sense of humor. You are just fun to listen to, I hope you keep your show.

My girlfriend, her sister and her girlfriend are all seeing the same chiropractor and he's diagnosed them all with lyme disease. My girlfriend and her sister do live in a wooded area in the middle of Maine so it's possible but the other one doesn't. They all spend a lot of time naked with each other so they probably would have noticed the star rash from the bite which they didn't. The symptoms they complained about could also be depression.

I guess I want to ask about what you know about lyme disease and if this "Doctor" is just talking out of his ass or not. Does this disease stay with you forever, or can it run it's course and leave? I think he's sending these girls down a dangerous path with a false diagnosis. My mother also had been diagnosed with it and it seems that this is a catch all for some unexplained lethargy and minor joint pain.

Thanks Dr. Steve and good luck with the XM show. Keep it coming. I also love your spot VO'd by your kid. It just makes me laugh when she says testicles.

[Dr Steve]

I love your show Dr. Steve. I learn a lot, you seem very down to earth and have a great sense of humor. You are just fun to listen to, I hope you keep your show.

Thanks! I hope we get to keep it, too. It really is fun for us, and I'm glad people enjoy it. We have to re-pitch everything to the new bosses at Sirius, so we'll see if we survive the cut!



My girlfriend, her sister and her girlfriend are all seeing the same chiropractor and he's diagnosed them all with lyme disease. My girlfriend and her sister do live in a wooded area in the middle of Maine so it's possible but the other one doesn't. They all spend a lot of time naked with each other so they probably would have noticed the star rash from the bite which they didn't. The symptoms they complained about could also be depression.

I guess I want to ask about what you know about lyme disease and if this "Doctor" is just talking out of his ass or not. Does this disease stay with you forever, or can it run it's course and leave? I think he's sending these girls down a dangerous path with a false diagnosis. My mother also had been diagnosed with it and it seems that this is a catch all for some unexplained lethargy and minor joint pain.

Great question! Lyme disease is caused by a bacteria called Borrellia Burgdorferi and is transmitted to humans through deer tick bites. It's found in all 50 states, but about 99% of all reported cases are confined to just five geographic areas (New England, Mid-Atlantic, East-North Central, South Atlantic, and West North-Central).

Lyme disease affects people in three stages:
1) Early localized
this is the classic target rash of early Lyme Disease and occurs less than a month after being bitten.

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/images/ency/fullsize/19617.jpg

2) Early disseminated
the bacteria hits the bloodstream and goes to town. can cause weird neurologic symptoms, pain, heart palpitations, muscle and joint aches, etc.

3) Late persistent
the bacteria settles into end organs and wreaks havoc. brain, nerves, eyes, joints and heart call all be affected.

So to answer one part of your question, no, Lyme disease will not go away on its own. It becomes a chronic, debilitating disease left untreated.

the good news is that it's EASY to diagnose and EASY to treat with antibiotics, especially if caught early. Your family can find out if they have Lyme disease just by making sure they had a "Lyme Titer" which is a blood test that is very sensitive for the antibodies that the human body makes against the Lyme bacterium. If you don't have Lyme disease, you won't have antibodies. If you do have it (or have had it before and been treated) you will. simple as that.

keep us in the loop on this one and let us know if they've had the required labwork to make the diagnosis.

your friend,



steve


Thanks Dr. Steve and good luck with the XM show. Keep it coming. I also love your spot VO'd by your kid. It just makes me laugh when she says testicles.

ha ha, thanks, he needs to do another one (yes, it's a "he"...but he's only 5 so he still sounds like a girl on mic!) We're working on it!

[toolshed]

They all spend a lot of time naked with each other so they probably would have noticed the star rash from the bite which they didn't.

Ummm, I think this is the part of the post that should be addressed.

[boosterp]

Ummm, I think this is the part of the post that should be addressed.

Agreed, WOW!

[angrymissy]

I got Lyme Disease when I was about 10. It was miserable until they treated it (I believe I ended up in the hospital with IV antibiotics), but I've had no long term effects. Has this chiropractor even had them tested though? There are several different tests for Lyme.

[NortonsHeiny]

So to answer one part of your question, no, Lyme disease will not go away on its own. It becomes a chronic, debilitating disease left untreated.


I have lymes disease & opted for the antibiotic instead of the port they wanted to give me BUT the antibiotic made me violently ill & simply stepping outside in the sun for a split second gave me a heat stroke so I only took if for a few days. I always thought the disease was kind of bullshit? Am I wrong to be so dismissive?

ps- Weird Medicine is awesome