The history of Lyme disease stretches back thousands of years. Today we chronicle its impact and evolution throughout the years. Read below for more...
Lyme, Connecticut, is where Lyme disease was first discovered in the United States in the 1970s. Before that, however, it has been around for thousands of years. An archeological team discovered a mummy from 5,300 years ago. When an autopsy was performed, the bacteria that causes Lyme disease was found on the mummy. Of course, it wasn’t called Lyme disease back then. That process involved a german physicist discovering the bullseye rash called erythema migrans many years ago.
Lyme Disease Discovered in the United States
In the 1970s, a group of adults and children living in Lyme, Connecticut, began developing the same symptoms. No one could figure out what was causing the symptoms that were reported as:
- Swelling in the joints, especially the knees
- Feeling extremely tired
- Seeing bullseye rashes on the body
- Experiencing headaches
For many years there was no answer as to why these symptoms appeared. Two mothers within this Lyme, Connecticut, group worked diligently and eventually connected being bitten by a tick and developing symptoms. The name Lyme disease was given based simply on where it was discovered.
Lyme Disease Discovered in the United States
When Lyme disease was first identified in the United States in 1975, the cause of its rheumatoid arthritis-like symptoms was unknown. Doctors suspected a virus might have been behind the outbreak, but studies weren’t available. With that said, doctors discovered there were several common symptoms associated with the disease, including the following:
- Swelling in the joints, especially the knees
- Feeling extremely tired
- Seeing bullseye rashes on the body
- Experiencing headaches
For many years there was no answer as to why these symptoms appeared. Two mothers within this Lyme, Connecticut, group worked diligently and eventually connected being bitten by a tick and developing symptoms. The name Lyme disease was given based simply on where it was discovered.
Lyme Bacteria is Discovered
In the 1980s, a researcher named Willy Burgdorfer studied Rocky Mounted Spotted Fever, another disease caused by a tick bite. He began studying the tick involved in producing those painful symptoms in the residents in Lyme, Connecticut.
Burgdorfer discovered ticks carry a bacterium called a spirochete. When a tick attaches to a human, it looks for a place to embed itself and access the bloodstream. It transmits the spirochete when it reaches the bloodstream, infecting the body.
The spirochete, or bacterium, was named after the researcher and is called Borrelia burgdorferi.
Lyme Disease Gets Treatment
Now that the cause of Lyme disease is known, researchers begin finding a treatment that works. Because Lyme disease is a bacterial infection, antibiotics were the first line of treatment. And it worked for people who received antibiotics in the early stages of Lyme disease. Unfortunately, it did not work for everyone.
Throughout the 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, and today, antibiotics are the first line of defense again Lyme disease.
Lyme Disease Testing Methods
The tests used for diagnosing Lyme disease were invented before Lyme disease was established as a notifiable disease by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. In the 1970s, the ELISA was created to use antibodies to detect viruses in the human body. In the early 1980s, a blotting technique was invented using blotting methods already being utilized for DNA and RNA testing. The Western Blot test uses protein molecules to detect Lyme bacteria antibodies.
Both Lyme disease tests are effective when antibodies are active in the blood. Lyme bacteria are clever, though, and they have several protective actions to evade detection. For the ELISA or Western Blot to return a positive result for Lyme disease, the Lyme bacteria must be active at the time of the test. This does not always happen. Many people receive a negative diagnosis even though they have Lyme disease.
Lyme Bacteria Avoid Detection
Over time, many people who tested negative for Lyme disease continued to have debilitating symptoms associated with the disorder. What researchers found explains why this happens.
Biofilms are one-way spirochetes that avoid detection. Biofilms are tiny shields that form around a single bacterium. It is like little armor that protects bacteria from being recognized and destroyed.
Lyme bacteria can go inactive, and they can hide in the lining of cells and tissues. It can be challenging to eliminate all Lyme bacteria. Leaving one or two behind is dangerous because they will multiply, grow, and spread through the body.
Lyme Disease Advances in Stages
Researchers discovered there are three stages to Lyme disease. The first stage, or early localized Lyme disease, is recognized by specific symptoms, including a bullseye rash, headaches, flu-like symptoms, fatigue, swelling and pain in the joints, stiff neck, sore throat, and swollen lymph nodes. If left untreated, these symptoms can worsen, and new symptoms may appear.
The second stage, or early dissemination of Lyme disease, has symptoms such as the ones from stage one plus facial paralysis, lesions, heart rhythm disturbances, tingling or numbness in hands, feet, and limbs, and depression or anxiety.
If left untreated, stage three Lyme disease, or late disseminated Lyme disease, can mean worsening mental health symptoms and overlap of all the previous symptoms. You may also experience arthritis, memory loss, trouble concentrating, brain fog, and numbness in the hands, feet, and limbs. You may also experience sleep disturbances.
Lyme Disease Treatments Advance
Most general practitioners cannot provide advanced Lyme disease treatments in their offices. Some may not even know about the latest treatments. At any time you suspect you have Lyme disease, contact a Lyme-literate doctor, a specialist in testing and treating the disease. You can receive various treatments that have proven to ease Lyme disease symptoms and eliminate Lyme bacteria from your bloodstream.
Examples of advanced treatments include the following:
- Therapeutic Apheresis is a process in which your infected blood and plasma are removed from your body and replaced with healthy donor blood and plasma.
- Biofilm Eradication protocols destroy the tiny armor, or biofilms, that protect Lyme bacteria. This is usually done after another technique, as a follow-up, to ensure all bacteria are eliminated.
- Hyperthermia is a technique using your body’s temperature to activate your immune system to attack and destroy Lyme bacteria. Raising and lowering your body temperature is controlled by your Lyme-literate doctor.
- Antibiotic Infusions are much more effective than taking oral antibiotics that get broken down as they travel through the digestive system. Infused antibiotics are delivered directly into your bloodstream, where the Lyme bacteria live.
- Lyme disease diets help starve out Lyme bacteria, which thrive on foods containing high amounts of sugar and carbohydrates. Eliminating the wrong foods prevents them from thriving and makes it easier to destroy them.
Wrapping Up The History of Lyme Disease
As you can see Lyme Disease has been around for a while. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t prevent or lessen its effects. To learn more about Lyme disease treatments and how they can benefit you, reach out today. Help is available.