Top 5 Lyme Disease Myths Dr. Peter Dobie

There’s no doubt that cases of Lyme disease are increasing every year in Australia. Unfortunately, there are many people who fail to identify Lyme disease as a threat to their health and well-being. This mostly happens due to the myths attached with Lyme disease. Here are Top 5 myths about Lyme disease. Have a look.

 Myth Number #1 – A Bull’s-Eye Rash Will Always Develop In Case Of Lyme Disease. People who reside in regions where cases of Lyme disease are common often look for a red and swelling kind of a rash known as erythema migrans. It’s somewhat a shape of bull’s- eye and usually emerges near about a week after a bite has been made by an infected tick. Almost half of Lyme disease patients will develop a rash. However, in only about half of those cases the rash will resemble a bull’s-eye shape. It might develop as a simple rash which might be mistaken for a skin infection or insect bite.Lyme disease

 Myth Number #2 – Joint Pain Is The Most Indicative Symptom Of Lyme Disease. Arthritis is developed by a majority of Lyme patients. They also suffer from extreme pain and swelling in the joints which generally hampers the knees and other joints in the body. However, it isn’t necessary that every Lyme disease patient will develop this symptom. Therefore, just because you don’t have pain and swelling in the joints doesn’t mean that you aren’t suffering from Lyme disease. You might develop symptoms such as fatigue, memory loss, concentration problems, headache, stiff neck etc.

 Myth Number #3 – It Is Quite Easy To Diagnose Lyme Disease With The Help Of A Blood Test. If you develop symptoms of Lyme disease then the doctor will recommend at least two different types of blood test to determine if you’re really suffering from the disease or not. One of these tests is the ELISA test, performed to find the exact number of antibodies generated in the body as a reaction to the Lyme bacteria. If the results are positive then doctor will conduct the Western blot test which searches for particular protein patterns related to Lyme disease.

 Myth Number #4 – Lyme Disease Can Be Cured Quickly With Doxycycline Tetracycline antibiotics, including doxycycline, penicillin or cephalosporin are given to the patients who are diagnosed with Lyme disease. However, this might work well at the start, but in the later stages you need a full medication and treatment under an expert Lyme disease specialist. Visit a doctor who cannot only diagnose, but should also be able to cure Lyme disease effectively.

 Myth Number #5 – Medication Is The Only Solution To Cure Lyme Disease Don’t get confused, of course you need medicines to cure Lyme disease, but apart from this you also need to change your lifestyle and should start consuming a balanced diet. So, medicines and a healthy lifestyle both are crucial to fight against the Lyme disease.

Address: Pymble Grove Health Centre, 11/924 Pacific Highway, Gordon 2072, Sydney (Australia) Telephone: (02) Fax: (02)