Neurological Lyme Disease: What it is and Why it Happens

One of the most common things you’ll discover with Lyme disease, in general, is that every patient experiences different symptoms. That’s one of many reasons it can be difficult to get an accurate diagnosis. This variety of symptoms can present their own challenges for your treatment and quality of life. Here, we’ll discuss some of the more common neurological symptoms you can expect, and those you may not anticipate.  

Understanding Neurological Lyme Disease

First, what is neurological Lyme? When you go undiagnosed for an extended amount of time (weeks or longer), that gives the bacteria sufficient time to invade the central nervous system. The central nervous system involves your brain and spine. It is through the nervous system that we communicate with the outside world and, at the same time, many mechanisms inside our body are controlled. The nervous system takes in information through our senses, processes the information and triggers reactions, such as making your muscles move or causing you to feel pain [1]. 

Disorders of the nervous system have been found in 15-40% of late-stage Lyme patients. (2) When Lyme disease affects the brain, it is referred to as Lyme Neuroborreliosis or Lyme encephalopathy [2]. 

Common Neurological Symptoms of Lyme Disease and Their Impact

Some common symptoms to expect with neurological Lyme are (please note this is not a complete list): 

•   Bell’s/facial palsy

  • hyperactivity

  • headache

  • nerve pain

  • attention/focus issues

  • obsession/compulsion

  • brain fog

  • cognitive issues

  • sleep issues

  • memory loss

  • sensory issues (light, sound, touch sensitivity) 

In addition to the above symptoms, recent studies have investigated possible connections between Lyme disease and a host of mental health issues including [3]: 

  • Developmental disorders

  • Schizoaffective disorder

  • Bipolar disorder

  • Depression

  • Anxiety

  • Eating disorders

  • Sleep disorders

  • Cognitive impairments

  • Dementia

  • Seizures

  • Suicide 

It is important to remember that Emotional and/or Cognitive disorders can be the only symptoms of Lyme disease [2] or in conjunction with other symptoms.

If you are experiencing these symptoms, it’s essential to have a treatment method that is addressing the bacteria at the nervous system level and helping address these symptoms. Frequently, detox methods will need to be utilized as well to help remove bacteria and toxins from the nervous system. There are many great products on the market that can help with these symptoms of neurological Lyme Disease.

If you are experiencing any of these, or other symptoms, please talk with your primary care, mental health, or Lyme literate doctor(s) to discuss the best way to manage and treat your symptoms.   

Also, visit www.lymewarrior.us to learn more about treatment methods and detox so you can address neurological Lyme issues and get back to living.

References

 [1]. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK279390/

 [2]. https://www.ilads.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/brochure-psychiatric-lyme-disease.pdf

 [3]. https://igenex.com/tick-talk/neurological-and-psychiatric-issues-associated-with-lyme-disease-and-tbrf/

 

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