Lyme Disease Conditions and Treatments in Chicago
Infections with Lyme bacteria can lead to long-term illness.
The lyme disease condition is usually called chronic Lyme disease. But not everyone believes it’s real.
If you think your symptoms might be the result of a Lyme infection condition — past or present — Forum Health Provider believes you. Our functional and integrative doctors will listen to you and start treatment based on clinical judgment — even if tests are negative. Then we’ll keep exploring.
We can treat chronic Lyme disease. Through a combination of antibiotics, IV therapies, and lifestyle changes, we’ll work to address the root causes and get you well.
What is Lyme disease?
Lyme disease condition is the most common tick-borne infectious disease in the U.S., with the CDC estimating 300,000 diagnoses every year.
It’s transmitted by black-legged deer ticks infected with Lyme bacteria. Strains active in the U.S. are typically from the bacterial species Borrelia burgdorferi.
After a bite from an infected tick, B. burgdorferi microbes can latch onto blood vessels and travel through your bloodstream. This allows their spread to key destinations like your heart, joints, and nervous system. Once hidden throughout your body, Lyme bacteria can suppress your immune system — and survive acute treatment.
Lyme disease can be difficult to diagnose because the signs and symptoms vary widely, it’s called “the great imitator,” said to mimic several chronic conditions such as:
- Fibromyalgia
- Chronic fatigue syndrome
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Multiple sclerosis
- Depression and anxiety
- Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s
The difficulty of diagnosing chronic Lyme disease is compounded by a single fundamental problem: Many doctors believe it doesn’t even exist. It’s important to understand that much of the controversy is driven by semantics.
