“New Year, New Me!” This popular phrase resurfaces at the beginning of each year, as we set our intentions for the year ahead. Most of us will engage in some sort of New Year’s resolution(s) with varying degrees of success. By February, our resolutions become less of a priority, and before we know it we are making these same goals the following year. Health resolutions specifically can be very challenging to accomplish, and it’s often easy to be overwhelmed. This year at IGeneX, we want to support you in realizing any health and tick-borne disease related resolutions you may have. We want you to keep that mindset throughout the year and take the steps to living life on your terms. It may be something as simple as always doing a tick-check after being outdoors, or as difficult as overcoming the hurdle of finally listening to your symptoms and going to see a doctor. Whatever your health resolutions may be, the first step is setting them, and having the intention to improve your well-being. Obtaining an accurate diagnosis and consequently treating for tick-borne diseases can be riddled with hurdles, often leaving patients feeling very discouraged, paranoid, and ultimately defeated. This can cause major setbacks in the journey to healing and claiming your life back. In this post we are going to highlight a few resolutions that can be made in the coming year to help with these impediments.
Resolution 1: Check yourself and loved ones for ticks after being outside
This first resolution is something several of us in the Lyme community are familiar with, yet something we may not always make the time to do. After being outdoors even for short amounts of time, whether you are hiking, camping, gardening, walking the dog, it’s important to check yourself and anyone you are with for ticks. Ticks are found in all 50 states and can withstand several weather conditions, including winters. Areas to check yourself for tick bites include but are not limited to: underarms and the backs of knees, in and around the ears, belly button, head and body hair and around the back and waist. If you do find a tick, it’s important to know how to remove it. Ticks should be removed using fine tip tweezers or a tick remover, making sure the whole tick is extracted intact and without being squashed. In How to Prevent Lyme Disease & Avoid Tick Bites: A Guide, you can find more detailed information on performing a tick check, removing a tick from your body, and other preventative measures of tick-borne diseases and the tick bites that cause them.
While performing tick checks after being outdoors is imperative, just as significant are dog ticks and soft ticks that tend to reside indoors, usually in dog kennels and rustic cabins. Consequently, performing a tick check after being in a cabin or where dogs are present is equally vital. Soft ticks are known to transmit diseases faster than hard ticks, so being in dwellings where these types of ticks are found does not mean you are safer than being outdoors. Read more about soft ticks in What Are Soft Ticks? All environments present different variables, and so these checks are to encourage you to keep doing your activities successfully.
Resolution 2: “Listen” to your symptoms
Tick-borne disease symptoms, especially Lyme disease symptoms, can be difficult to diagnose as symptoms are often non-descript. This can lead us to dismiss our symptoms as flu-like or a cold, something easily curable with rest and over the counter medication. However, if these symptoms persist it would be prudent to note them down. Prioritizing yourself can be hard. Therefore, take time to slow down and pin point specific symptoms you may be experiencing. Tick-borne diseases are not often top of mind as a consideration for common symptoms such headaches, fatigue, muscle aches etc., so noting down your symptoms and then taking it one step further and completing a symptom checker, such as this one IGeneX has developed, can be very helpful information to take to your healthcare provider.
There are instances where symptoms are more obvious, such as the iconic “bull’s eye rash” – erythema migrans rash – indicating Lyme disease as a diagnosis. This rash usually appears at the site of the tick bite and typically presents as a red circular area. Other instances where a tick-borne disease diagnosis may be more easily identifiable is when there is a confluence of several symptoms, whereas were these symptoms isolated they may be related to other autoimmune or infectious diseases, but combined are clearly associated with tick-borne illnesses. Testing is crucial to confirm a tick-borne disease diagnosis, and subsequently avoid misdiagnosis.
While taking the time to be attentive to your symptoms, a consideration to make is the different ways symptoms can be realized in men and women. Lyme disease tends to affect women disproportionately, where women may be more susceptible to chronic tick-borne illnesses, as diagnosis and treatment can be more challenging. Tick-borne illnesses may also affect female reproductive health and fertility. The research and data is still scarce in this area, but it is worth noting and paying close attention to Lyme disease symptoms in women.
Resolution 3: Talk to a doctor
Your symptoms have spoken and you have listened. The next step is consulting a healthcare professional such as your primary care doctor. Making the leap from recognizing your symptoms to making that initial doctor’s appointment can be a mentally daunting step for many. However, doing nothing can be detrimental in the long-term. Make that resolution to see your doctor because the sooner you deal with your tick-borne disease symptoms, the lesser the risk of suffering long term with late stage/ chronic Lyme disease symptoms.
A lot of the time, the initial visit can be somewhat discouraging, as tick-borne diseases are not always considered in an initial diagnosis. Most doctors have your health and best interests at heart, but they are sometimes inhibited in giving you the care you need because of the system within which they work. This can come across as unconcerned and not fully heard on your Lyme concerns. Your symptoms exist and the path to feeling better is non-negotiable. Remember to acknowledge your symptoms and not give in to dismissive talk, for example, being made to feel like it’s “all in your head.” There are plenty of support groups and resources to aid you in seeking out Lyme Literate Doctors (LLMDs).
For those who having been suffering for years and are already experiencing symptoms of chronic tick-borne illnesses, the energy to keep fighting to find answers and feel healthier can be difficult to sustain. The financial burden alone is enough to keep us from pursuing every avenue, especially in a healthcare system that does not favor quality tick-borne disease testing and treatment coverage. However, giving up will only cost more, both financially and medically. Therefore, advocating for yourself and persisting in finding healthcare professionals that will support you is key.
Resolution 4: Get yourself tested
Addressing tick-borne diseases early is invaluable to your health. If you or your doctor suspects a tick-borne disease, one of the best ways to confirm a diagnosis is through testing. Many patients say they have been experiencing symptoms for years before considering testing. Is this the year you take your health to the next step? Putting off getting checked delays treatment and can allow symptoms to intensify. However, testing itself can be very complicated and overwhelming for both patients and healthcare professionals: which lab should you test with, what tests should you do, are you immuno-compromised, etc.? These are all questions we are here to help you with.
IGeneX is optimistic your testing resolutions will be realized, as over the last few decades, and especially the past few years, tick-borne disease testing has evolved immensely, largely due to the work of private laboratories. There are several tests to consider, but only a few that will get you the right diagnosis, and consequently the right treatment, as is explained in the IGeneX blogpost: The Importance of Getting the Right Diagnosis. Numerous tests, including one of the best tests for tick-borne illnesses, the IGeneX ImmunoBlots, detect antibodies to specific bacteria and parasites. However, these tests are impractical for some patients who may be immuno-compromised and not able to produce the antibodies to fight infection. In these cases, tests that directly detect the antigen are the way to go. It can be confusing and scary to navigate tick-borne disease testing, whether or not you’re experiencing symptoms of disease. For more accurate results, IGeneX offers panels with a combination of direct and indirect testing, to cover the broad spectrum of disease.
Resolution 5: Follow a diet that helps manage symptoms
Do certain foods affect your health? Is there a diet that can help you feel healthy and strong again while dealing with tick-borne related symptoms? A lot of people will set New Year’s resolutions around losing weight through diet changes. Variations in your diet can also be a great resolution for managing tick-borne disease symptoms. However, knowing what works for you is sometimes a process of trial and error.
A known potentially life-threatening side effect from the bite of a lone star tick is Alpha-gal Syndrome (AGS). The lone star tick bite can introduce alpha-gal molecules, which will trigger an immune-response in the form of antibodies to prevent disease. AGS is caused by carbohydrates and can cause someone to go into anaphylaxis. AGS is also known as a red meat allergy as red meat is most commonly associated with alpha-gal. However, any animal byproduct from a mammal can activate the reaction. Therefore, avoiding foods with alpha-gal may aid in managing symptoms of tick-borne illnesses.
Conclusion
As the new year unfolds, breaking down the overall goal of improving our health into different resolutions that compound, allows us to stay focused and more likely achieve our health-related resolution(s). This is well demonstrated with tick-borne diseases, as there are so many areas we can better prepare ourselves. From preventative measures such as checking for tick bites, and saving and testing the tick first, to more proactive items like monitoring symptoms and consulting a healthcare professional. This year, let your resolutions be rooted in knowledge, persistence, and self-care, empowering you to take control of your health and live life on your terms.
If you have any health-related New Year’s resolutions you have set for yourself in previous years, and successfully achieved, please share them with us. We would love to pay it forward and inspire others by sharing these stories on our social media.