LYME DISEASE AND CO-INFECTION TESTING & TREATMENT

LYME DISEASE AND CO-INFECTION TESTING & TREATMENT  | Vermont

Serving patients in Colchester, Burlington, Essex, Winooski and beyond

300,000 new cases per year.

This is what the CDC estimates for Lyme Disease in the United States. And then there’s co-infections….when Lyme Disease is accompanied by another tick-borne disease (perhaps more than one) creating simultaneous infections. Treatment for Lyme Disease and tick-borne co-infections should be started immediately after infection. Left untreated, infections can spread to joints, the heart, and the central nervous system.

 

What exactly IS Lyme Disease?

 

Lyme Disease is a bacterial infection that begins after being bitten by a tick who carries the bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi, and/or its many subspecies such as Borrelia mayonii, afzelii, garinii, californiensis, spielmanii, and valaisiana. The bacterial spread moves through the body in stages, this is why prompt treatment is so important.


Lyme Fact & Fiction


Many people believe that just being bitten by a tick is enough to contract Lyme Disease, but what scientists have found is that the tick must be attached to your body (biting into your skin and extracting blood) for at least 8 hours, sometimes as long as 36 hours. So, while the number of reported new cases each year seems high, if you practice preventive measures when you’re outdoors (including checking your skin, clothing, and pets for ticks during the day and before going to bed) there’s a high chance that you won’t contract Lyme Disease, or that you’ll catch its signs and symptoms early on and begin treatment right away.


Physician prescribed lab testing and antibiotic treatment is able to cure Lyme Disease in most cases. Still, it’s important to note that the treatment that works to dissolve the infection takes time. Antibiotics will, in most cases, prevent the infection from developing into new stages of disease, but the effects that the bacteria are already having do not resolve immediately. Some symptoms may last for months or longer, even when there is no active infection detected.

Late Stage Lyme and Co-Infections

A small number of people continue to experience Lyme Disease symptoms years after antibiotic treatment, some never received proper treatment at all, and others have undiagnosed or mis-treated co-infections that continue to linger. This can be very frustrating when you’re suffering with debilitating symptoms.



Preventive Medicine is an established Lyme-literate clinic, and we have seen and treated patients with Lyme and co-infections in a variety of stages and manifestations.. 

 

We offer full blood work and treatment for Lyme disease. The well-known Igenex Inc. lab in Palo Alto, CA is who we work with for Lyme Western Blot confirmation as well as testing for co-Infections (if needed) such as Bartonella, Babesia, Relapsing Fever, Anaplasma, Ehrlichia, and more. We aim to get you clear answers and effective treatment plans as soon as possible, especially for more complicated cases where treatment, symptom management, and rehabilitation can take longer.


Will Insurance Cover Treatment?


The IgeneX Inc. lab only accepts Medicare at this time. A payment by check or credit card directly to Igenex Inc, will be expected by patients at the time of the appointment. Please call us at 802-879- 6544 for an estimate of testing prices or information on other available testing.

 

Office visits for diagnosis, osteopathic manipulation, and ongoing care, as well as some medications, may be covered by your insurance plan. Supportive therapies such as IV Therapy and nutritional supplements will require an out of pocket cost.

 

If you think you have Lyme disease or a co-infection, or you’ve been unsuccessful in treating a lyme diagnosis, call us today to learn more about how we can help.

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