Category: Lyme Disease

Since treating those suffering from Lyme disease I am asked this question often. According to the Centers for Disease Control website there have been only 4 reported and confirmed cases of Lyme disease in Colorado.  The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment website does not list Lyme disease under its list of tick bourn illnesses and the Colorado State University extension website states, that “No human cases of Lyme disease have originated in Colorado.” So why are cases of Lyme disease in Colorado not being reported or confirmed despite a growing number of practitioners diagnosing and treating Lyme disease in Colorado?   For example, last fall a young man came to me for treatment of Lyme disease.  A month earlier he had been at a concert in a park in Denver sitting on the grass near some tall weeds.   A few days after the concert he noticed an oval rash on the side of his thigh with clearing in the center (bulls eye rash).  Luckily he took a photo of the rash.  One week after the concert he developed fatigue, joint pain and fevers.  He went to the ER and they ran an antibody test that looks for exposure to...

Denise Clark, ND Lyme disease is a tick borne illness that generates much controversy among the medical community and researchers. One of the key topics of debate is whether the Lyme spirochete, Borrelia burgdorferi, persists in patients who have been treated with the recommended doses of antibiotics and yet remain symptomatic. A certain train of thought that divides the medical community was developed in the 1970’s that chronic, persistent Lyme disease was purely an autoimmune arthritis.  Prior to this time the European medical literature reported Lyme disease as systemic illness involving neurologic, psychiatric, and musclo-sketal symptoms. Whether Lyme disease can persist is controversial for many reasons: Acute infection with Lyme disease not treated long enough. It is common for most people with a positive diagnosis of acute Lyme disease to be treated with the antibiotic, doxycycline, twice a day for 10-14 days. Given the low success rates in trials treating Erythema Migrans (EM) rashes for 20 or fewer days, The International Lyme and Associated Disease Society (ILADS) recommends that patients receive 4-6 weeks of doxycycline, amoxicillin or cefuroxime. A minimum of 21 days of azithromycin is also acceptable, especially in Europe. The Bulls-Eye Rash (Erythema Migrans) that is a pathognomonic sign for...

By Denise Clark, ND Chronic health conditions can be complicated by many factors, including, lifestyle, diet, multiple infections, and immune dysfunction.  One area that can be overlooked in some highly sensitive individuals is Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS). Traditionally, MCAS was considered a rare disease generally focusing on the mast cell mediators tryptase and histamine and the blatant symptoms of flushing and anaphylaxis.  New research indicates that it play a large role in many chronic health conditions. Mast cells are coordinators of our immune systems response to allergens, infections, and toxins.  When activated they secrete over 200 chemical mediators, the most well known is histamine, serotonin and tryptase.  A wide variety of stimuli can activate them, including, chronic infections, such as Lyme disease, mold toxicity, viruses, parasites, and environmental toxins. Symptoms of MCAS can be similar to many other diseases, which makes it difficult to diagnose.  The most common symptom is rapid onset after eating of flushing, palpitations, itching, tongue swelling, wheezing, gas, bloating, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and dizziness.  Research indicates that It is an under recognized contributor to neurologic and psychiatric symptoms1, as well as multiple chemical sensitivities. A key to diagnosis is if water or food, any food,...

Dr. Clark recently attended the International Lyme and Associated Disease (ILADS) annual conference. ILADS strongly supports physicians and other health care professionals dedicated to advancing the standard of care for Lyme and its associated diseases. The theme of the conference was "From Bench to Beside: Translating Research into Clinical Practice".  Dr. Clark says,"It was great to hear the latest research from some the the pioneers on lyme disease and its co-infections as well as come back with some clinical pearls that will help me treat it".