Think twice before feeding birds this summer

July 14, 2012 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: I am hearing very frightening stories these days about the tick epidemic anticipated in the Northeast. It seems that everyone I speak with has either Lyme disease or something called ehrlichiosis. What on earth is going on and why does there appear to be an almost epidemic?

DEAR READER: I happen to live in the Northeast and can attest to the fact that there is a prolific amount of tick-borne illness in my area. It’s easy to speculate that the mild winter we experienced might have contributed to the problem, yet some experts indicate this doesn’t cause a rise in tick populations but does, however, change tick behavior. Adult deer ticks which are minute in size generally remain dormant during the winter but can seek carrier hosts whenever temperatures rise to several degrees above freezing. [Read more...]

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The dreaded deer tick

June 23, 2012 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: My daughter recently had a rash on her right rib area following a tick bite that may have been unrelated. We live in the Northeast section of the country where deer ticks are prevalent. The rash didn’t look like one from Lyme disease and we thought it was hives but her doctor did blood work and she was found to have ehrlichiosis. What on earth is this?

DEAR READER: Ehrlichiosis is a bacterial infection transmitted by the bite of a tick. The disease is carried primarily – but not exclusively – by the the Lone Star tick, but can also be transmitted by deer ticks (which are also known to transmit Lyme disease) and dog ticks. Symptoms vary from person to person but will resemble those of the flu. Although the CDC does report sporadic influenza infections all year, in non-endemic months the chances of infection are exceedingly [Read more...]

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Lyme testing may be appropriate

January 2, 2012 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: I suddenly developed a very painful right wrist (I’m left handed) a few months ago. X-rays showed nothing unusual. I was given prescription strength ibuprofen and hydrocodone for pain (which didn’t help) and instructions to see my primary doctor in a few days. By the time I saw my doctor, the right wrist pain was gone but it had moved to my left hand. Over the next five weeks, the pain moved from one wrist to the other nine times. My primary doctor said I might be developing rheumatoid arthritis but the RA titer was normal.

To the best of my knowledge I have not been bitten by anything, not had any illness immediately prior, been scratched by anything, nor had I added any new vitamins or supplements.
[Read more...]

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Expanding the views on Lyme disease

September 30, 2011 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: Are you aware that Lyme is spread by more than the deer tick? According to Dr. Kenneth Singleton in his book “The Lyme Disease Solution”, Lyme is also spread by various insects including fleas, flies, gnats, mites and mosquitoes (see page 42).

When is the medical profession going to wake up and treat SYMPTOMS like MS, fibromyalgia and RA as a possibility of being Lyme disease? Simply stated, treat the cause, not the symptom.

DEAR READER: I have never known Lyme to be spread by sources other than a tick. It is caused by a bacteria called Borrelia burgdorferi and spread by deer ticks that carry the contaminant. Animals that commonly transport these insects include the white-footed field mouse, deer, [Read more...]

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Lyme disease testing varies

July 31, 2011 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: I am a 39-year-old female recently diagnosed with Lyme disease. For the past 3-1/2 months, I have been experiencing many nervous system symptoms and actually had a test done to detect Lyme disease about 1-1/2 months ago. It came up negative.

I happened to get information through a friend that there are actually two types of Lyme tests and that one is much more accurate than the other. I then went to a specialist who ordered the more sensitive test and discovered that I do, indeed, have Lyme.
[Read more...]

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Tick fever revisited

October 21, 2010 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: I’m a 70-year-old female. When I was a child in a small town in Maryland, I can remember every spring having to go and get a dreaded tick shot. These shots left my arm sore and almost useless for about three days. However, I never remember getting a tick on me. Now I live in Virginia where, after the small towns and cities of Maryland, this is country to me. I take ticks off me every day in the season for them, but no one ever mentions those dreaded tick shots. Is this just something that happened back in my little town? Even when I mention it to people my age, they have no idea what I’m talking about. I don’t hear of anyone dying of tick fever anymore. Are ticks not as dangerous these days?
[Read more...]

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Cat-scratch disease causes numb feet

October 9, 2010 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: I am always interested in peripheral neuropathy because it was one of the many later symptoms I developed when I acquired bartonella henselae. However, I apparently acquired the bartonella approximately 16 years ago. I recall a cat scratch from a feral kitten that did not heal for several months. I wasn’t diagnosed until a little over two years ago when I failed to respond to Lyme-disease treatment.

In addition to alpha-lipoic acid, my doctor put me on Levaquin. Amazingly, the shoulder pain, chronic gall-bladder infection, swallowing problems, ankle swelling and chronic stomach ulcer went away. The numbness in my feet and fibromyalgia did not disappear but got better.
[Read more...]

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Sunday Column

December 7, 2008 By

DEAR DR. GOTT:
A friend of mine feels that he has Lyme disease. He does not have a rash on his skin; however does have a loss of memory and nervousness from time to time.

The place he lives in has ticks. Also, a friend of his who lives in the neighborhood has had Lyme disease. What are the symptoms of the disease, therapy, cure and duration?

DEAR READER:
Lyme disease was first recognized in 1975 following an excessive outbreak of arthritis near Lyme, CT. Lyme infection is spread by the bite of a black-legged deer tick (Ixodes scapularis) in the northeast and north-central United States. On the Pacific coast, the culprit is the western black-legged tick (Ixodes pacificus).

Most individuals are infected through bites of immature ticks known as nymphs that are tiny and difficult to see. [Read more...]

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Essay Day

June 15, 2008 By

DEAR DR. GOTT:
I went walking in the woods recently. I took precautions such as wearing long sleeves and pants. When I got back home I did the customary “tick check” and (much to my chagrin) found one on my leg. Because I live in New England, I am always fearful of Lyme disease. Can you give me any guidelines on this dreaded disease?

DEAR READER:
Lyme disease was first recognized in the United States more than 30 years ago, and has been diagnosed from coast to coast. In the east, the black legged deer tick known as the Ixodes scapularis spreads the disease, while a different species of the black-legged tick known as the Ixodes pacificus is the culprit on the west coast. Ticks are usually found in wooded areas; however, it is common to have one crawl up a pant leg while walking across your own back yard. [Read more...]

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