Lyme Disease

I take a broad view of what Lyme Disease actually is.  Traditionally, Lyme is defined as an infectious illness cause by the spirochete, Borrelia burgdorferi (Bb). While this is certainly technically correct, clinically the illness often is much more than that, especially in the disseminated and chronic forms.

Instead, I think of Lyme as the illness that results from the bite of an infected tick.  This includes infection not only with B. burgdorferi, but the many co-infections that may also result.  Furthermore, in the chronic form of Lyme, other factors can take on an ever more significant role-immune dysfunction, opportunistic infections, co-infections, biological toxins, metabolic and hormonal imbalances.

Lyme Disease Questionnaire

Answer the following questions as honestly as possible.  Think about how you have been feeling over the previous month and how often have been bothered by any of the following problems.  Score the occurrences of each symptom on the following scale: none, mild, moderate, severe.

Section 1: Symptom Frequency Score
0 None            1 Mild             2 Moderate      3Severe

1. Unexplained fevers, sweats, chills or flushing

2. Unexplained weight change: loss or gain

3. Fatigue, tiredness

4. Unexplained hair loss

5. Swollen glands

6. Sore throat

7. Testicular or pelvic pain

8. Unexplained menstrual irregularity

9. Unexplaine