Lyme Disease – Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis and Treatment
FACTS ABOUT LYME DISEASE
- Lyme disease is a bacterial infection.
- Lyme disease is an infection caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi.
- Lyme disease is the most common tick-borne illness in North America and Europe.
- Lyme disease is spread by these ticks when they bite the skin, which permits the bacterium to infect the body.
- Lyme disease is not contagious.
- Lyme disease is often associated with heavily wooded or grassy areas where mice and deer live.
SYMPTOMS OF LYME DISEASE
Lyme disease affects different areas of the body in varying degrees as it progresses. It can affect nervous system, joints, skin, and heart. The early symptoms include:
- circular rash after 1-2 weeks of infection which looks like a bull’s eye. It can also appear as an expanding ring of solid redness. It may be warm to the touch and usually is not painful or itchy.
- fever.
- headache.
- swollen lymph nodes.
- fatigue.
- headache.
- muscle aches.
- affects the heart, leading to an irregular heart rhythm or chest pain.
- can affect nervous system, causing facial paralysis, or tingling and numbness in the arms and legs.
The last stage of Lyme disease occurs if the symptoms of early stages are left un-treated. Symptoms may include arthritis, particularly in the knees, and memory lapses, trouble concentrating, changes in mood, changes in sleep habits, muscle weakness.
PREVENTION OF LYME DISEASE
- Protect yourself from tick bites.
- Avoid heavily wooded areas.
- Wear light colored, long-sleeved shirts and long pants.
- Apply tick repellent.
- If you find a tick, remove it with tweezers, making sure to remove the head as well as the body.
DIAGNOSIS & TREATMENT OF LYME DISEASE
- Physical examination and medical history.
- Laboratory tests like Enzyme -linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), Western Blot – this test is more sensitive that ELISA and Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) help to confirm the disease.
- Oral administration of antibiotics is used for the treatment of lyme disease. This is effective in treating the infection, although the symptoms may persist for a while. This mode of treatment may cause certain side effects, such as, gallstones, diarrhea and low WBC count.
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Categories: allergy, Body, causes, Uncategorized Tags: Areas, Bacteria, Bite, Body, causes, Contagious, Diagnosis, Disease, Facts, Grassy, health, Healthy, illness, Infect, Infection, Lyme, Lyme Disease, Permit, Rash, Skin, Swelling, Symptoms, Tick-borne, Ticks, Treatment
What are different myths that surround fitness?
Avoid believing everything you hear. There are lots of myths in fitness that might cause injury and stop you from getting the best workout.
Myth 1: Even after you finish your workout, an aerobic workout helps to boost your metabolism.
It is true that the metabolism continues to burn at a slightly higher rate after finishing an aerobic workout, but the amount is too small to be taken into consideration.
Myth 2: Running on treadmill puts less stress on knees than running on roads.
Running impacts the knees as your body weight relies on the joints, which causes stress. It does not matter whether you run on a treadmill or on road. Reduce this impact by varying the workout instead of running for a long time at a stretch.
Myth 3: Swimming helps in reducing weight quickly.
Swimming increases lung capacity, tone your muscles and even helps de-stress you. It does not really help you lose many pounds. Swimming also makes you feel hungry and you end up eating more.
Myth 4: Sweating is a must while exercising.
It is possible to burn a number of calories without breaking a sweat. Light weight training or walking are also effective methods of workout.
Myth 5: Ab machines help to get rid of belly fat.
It helps to strengthen muscles around your middle and improve posture, only a strict diet and exercise regime will help you burn that fat. Follow a workout that includes both cardiovascular and strength training factors that will decrease your overall fat.
Myth 6: Pain is good while working out
Some amount of soreness is normal but searing pain while working out is not a good sign. An exercise should not hurt you while you are doing it.
Myth 7: Yoga helps relieve all types of backache
Yoga helps when your backache is muscle-related because the stretches and positions work to relax the muscles. but if your back problems are related to ruptured disc or some other similar problem, yoga is definitely not the answer.