ASPIRE talks with Tom Moorcroft, DO about some of the most frequently asked questions on Lyme disease and tick-borne illness including Bartonella and Babesia. This article is divided into 4 separate sections.
“Education is critical to know what is out there. If we can identify cases of Lyme disease early, we can treat them right away. Then we decrease the likelihood of an infection leading to chronic infection and symptoms. We also can bring those numbers down. Awareness and education are really critical; we can actually prevent Lyme and other tick-borne diseases.” Dr. Tom
- Section 1: Lyme Disease and Tick-Borne Illness Overview
- Why Education about Lyme and Tick-Borne Illness is Crucial
- Tick-Borne Illness Cases Per Year & Why Education Matters
- How Many People are Infected by Tick-Borne Disease Annually?
- Tick Basics
- Where Ticks Live Most
- Lifecycle, Attachment & Transmission Time
- Tick Stages & Transmission
- Tick Attachment & Transmission Times
- How Tick-Borne Infections are Transmitted
- Transmission of Tick-Borne Infections
- Tick Removal
- Lyme, Co-infections & Tick-Borne Illness
- Common Infections Tics Carry
- Do we have to worry about all ticks or just deer tick?
- What Other Infections do Deer Tick Transmit?
- Can a Tick Transmit More Than One Infection in a Single Bite?
- About the Erythema Migrans Rash
- What Percentage of People an Erythema Migrans Rash?
- Are All Erythema Migrans Rashes a Bullseye Rash?
- Do Children and Adults Get the Same Lyme Disease Symptoms?
- Why Education about Lyme and Tick-Borne Illness is Crucial
- Section 2: Treatment for Lyme Disease
- Basic Lyme Disease Treatments
- Prophylactic Antibiotic Use for Lyme Disease
- Forms of Lyme Disease
- Steroid Use in PANS with Lyme
- Can Lyme Disease Be Cured?
- Section 3: PANS & Lyme Disease
- Relationship Between Lyme and PANS, or Pediatric Acute-onset Neuropsychiatric Disorder
- Section 4: Bartonella & Babesia Co-Infections
- About Bartonella
- Bartonella & PANS Connection
- Bartonella “Stretch Marks” Rash
- Treating Bartonella
- Testing Ticks for Bartonella
- Babesia & PANS
Dr. Tom Moorcroft is a global leader in solving complex medical mysteries, one might call him a medical detective. His goal is to find out what’s really keeping someone sick and help them get better. This involves combining the very best medical science available with his extensive experience in both the field, in the hospital, and in his office as well as his passion for supporting health and healing with simple, every day (and often natural) approaches so you are as resilient and healthy as possible.
He has have been treating patients with chronic bacterial and viral infections as well as mycotoxin illness for over a decade. Many of his patients are children with infection-induced autoimmune encephalitis. He is a member of the ILADS Evidence-based Lyme and Co-Infections Fundamentals program working group and they review the evidence and update this program annually.
For a full bio: Origins of Health