It is not an infectious disease but it is a disease which is very difficult to diagnose as the bacteria which causes the disease has an evasive nature so it is not easily caught in the tests that are normally done to diagnose different types of diseases.

Lyme disease spreads in those areas where deer tick is found in large numbers, where there are rodents, deer and wild animals.

These ticks survive on the animals and as soon as these animals come in human contact the ticks immediately change their host and it becomes lyme disease. The ticks prefer to stay in warm and moist areas so they mostly settle into armpits and the different other places on the human body like the scalp and the crevices of the joints.

There are many species of these ticks and some are so tiny that it is impossible to locate them. Moreover the bite of the ticks does not create any type of irritation or sting so it often goes unnoticed until the initial symptom of the rash develops into lyme disease.

Cure for Lyme Disease
In the initial stage the cure for lyme disease consists of administering antibiotics for some weeks so that the bacteria can be killed. The antibiotics have to be taken orally by those patients who have been diagnosed as soon as the rash appears on the skin which is called the localized stage as the bacteria has still not spread to other parts of the body.

In the secondary stage cure for lyme disease it is possible but intravenous injections have to be given to the patients as they develop problems in the joints and the muscles.

A patient has to take medicines for at least two weeks to one month depending on the severity of the problem and the spread of lyme disease. There other types of natural cures available for lyme disease which helps in providing total relief from the disease. It has been found that sodium is very effective in killing the bacteria and curing the disease.

People suffering with lyme disease not only suffer physically but also mental problems because the nerves are affected with leads to neurological and psychiatric problems.

The bacteria of lyme disease can only be transmitted into the human blood stream if a person is bitten by the infected deer tick which is normally found on rodents, deer and other wild animals.

A cure of lyme disease is possible if it is diagnosed at the early stage and proper treatment is provided with antibiotics to eliminate the bacteria from the body. But most of the time lyme disease is diagnosed only in the late stage with much difficulty which not only needs intensive treatment but develops many types of complicated problems which require psychiatric help.

Lyme Disease and Neuropsychiatry
Lyme disease is a very complex disease as it is often difficult to diagnose the disease even through all the tests that are done in the laboratory as the bacteria can easily evade the normal blood and urine tests. Due to this the bacteria can easily spread in the body of the patient and not only affect the vital organs but it also has adverse effects on the nervous system and the brain which leads to loss of memory, sudden changes in mood and behavior, visual hallucinations, suicidal tendency and brain fog.

Due to the effect on the nervous system lyme disease can cause many kinds of neurological problems also develop like paralysis, cognitive symptoms, inflammation of the brain, hormonal misbalances and many other problems related to the sensory organs. The thought processes and the executive functions are also impaired from lyme disease due to the effects on the nervous system. Agnosia also develops which means that the patient loses the power of recognition and sometimes cannot recognize his own things.

Lyme disease can be diagnosed in different ways which are based on the symptoms, knowledge about the area where the patient lives as this will help to identify whether the area is infected with deer ticks and laboratory testing for the symptoms that develop in the later stages.

Though Lyme disease is not infectious it can easily be transmitted by a pregnant mother to the fetus which leads to the death of the fetus and babies are stillborn. In the initial stage it is difficult to diagnose lyme disease as the symptoms like fever, muscle and joint pain, headache and fatigue resemble the symptoms of influenza or flu.

Lyme disease is very common in the suburban or rural areas as deer or mice are found in maximum numbers in these areas. The ticks that carry these bacteria prefer to live in warm and moist spots.

The lyme disease rash is the initial symptom of the disease which is also known as the localized symptom as it begins at that spot where the tick bites a person on the skin. The lyme disease rash appears on the skin after a few days or weeks of the tick bite. The skin develops an expanded ring which is reddish in color but the inflammation is not quite prominent. The ring looks like a bull’s eye as the outer edge is red and the center area is clear. This rash is known as erythema migrans but it is not necessary that all the patients will develop this rash after the tick bite.

There are other symptoms of the disease which affect the patients along with the lyme disease rash but these symptoms mimic the symptoms of flu so it is very difficult to decide whether the patient is suffering from Lyme disease or flu if the patient does not have any rash. The localized redness of the lyme disease rash disappears within one month even if no treatment is taken.

So Lyme disease is not infectious as it cannot be transferred through any type of contact of the infected person with a healthy person. The ticks require nearly one and a half to two days for passing on the bacteria to human beings through their bite for the lyme disease to set in.

Symptoms of Lyme Disease
Lyme disease symptoms have different affects on different parts of the body as the symptoms go on changing according to the progress of the disease. The first symptom of lyme disease starts at the place where the tick bites a person. This is the part of the skin from where the bacteria enter the body of a person. So the initial symptom is localized at the place of the bite where a reddish rash appears on the skin and the person develops symptoms that are similar to flu. As the bacteria moves in other parts of the body through the blood stream other abnormalities can be observed.

The most common lyme disease symptoms which can be found with the progress of the disease are the different types of abnormalities that develop in the heart, joints and the nervous system. The symptoms of lyme disease are medically divided into three phases which are early localized, early disseminated and the late disease.

In the early localized stage of lyme disease skin inflammation takes place at the point where the tick bites on the skin. In the disseminated stage the heart and the nervous system is affected and the patient suffers from meningitis and palsies.

In the late stage of lyme disease damage is caused to the sensory and the motor nerves along with inflammation in the brain and development of arthritis. In the early stage the skin where the tick has bitten a reddish ring appears on the skin which is darker on the outside edge and the inside central area is clear which gives the look like a bull’s-eye. Though many patients do not get the lyme disease rash all patients suffer from headache, stiffness of the joint and muscles, fatigue and swollen glands which resembles viral infection.

In the same manner Lyme disease has also to be diagnosed through proper tests but the main problem with lyme disease is that most of the time the doctors are unable to recognize the symptoms as they are similar to symptoms of many other diseases.

Even the bacteria that causes lyme disease has an evasive nature as it can easily avoid the immune system in the body and if it is detected it can easily turn to a ball from the shape of a spiral and pull a protective shell over itself which is called fibrin.

Different Lyme Disease Tests
The Lyme disease test is used to detect any kind of antibodies that may be present in the patient’s body. The doctor will look into the patient’s medical history and perform some tests to find out about the presence of Lyme disease bacteria.

Antibody tests are commonly used to detect Lyme disease picture and also to monitor the treatment of the disease. The antibody test is done with the help of fluid that is taken from a joint or from the spine. The antibody test is not possible with blood samples as it takes nearly two months for the antibodies to be detected in the blood.

Three types of antibody tests can be performed for lyme disease like ELISA which is the most sensitive type of antibody test for detecting Lyme disease.

Indirect fluorescent test which also is a screening test for diagnosing Lyme disease and the Western blot test which is often used for detecting chronic Lyme disease can be used for confirming the reports of ELISA and other antibody tests.

The ELISA is more reliable amongst all the antibody tests but Western blot test should always be performed on patients who have positive reports in other antibody tests.

The other types of lyme disease tests that can be done to detect Lyme disease are skin culture which is done with the help of the tissue that is taken from the skin for testing. Polymerase test of chain reaction helps to detect the material that is related to the bacteria of Lyme disease. But the PCR test is not done very often as it is costly and sometimes gives false results.

The person who has been bitten by the tick can suffer from many types of complications which lead to intense pain and suffering as the bacteria spreads in the body and affects the vital organs of the body like heart, brain, joints and muscles. The ticks that carry lyme disease bacteria are found in several species which are so small that sometimes they are not visible with the naked eye.

The bite of the ticks cannot be felt by the person as it is not painful or stinging like the bites of other insects so most of the time it goes unnoticed. The localized symptoms of lyme disease is the red rash which develops after a long gap of the bite so most of the time it is ignored as a simple insect bite and proper treatment is not taken as the rash disappears automatically within one month.

The other lyme disease symptoms that develop after the disappearance of the rash also takes time and are so similar to flu symptoms that it becomes difficult to diagnose whether the patient is suffering from flu or lyme disease.

Treatments of Lyme Disease
The most common lyme disease treatment is antibiotics which can totally cure the patient if it is taken and the initial stage of the disease. The antibiotic that has to be administered to the patient is totally based on the fact that the patient is suffering from which stage of the disease.

The early stage of lyme disease is treated with antibiotics that are taken orally like amoxicillin of penicillin-based drug and doxycycline which is a tetracycline that is easily absorbed by the body. Doxycycline is preferred to amoxicillin as it has to be taken in lesser dosage and doesn’t cause gastrointestinal side effects.

In the later stage of lyme disease when the nervous system is affected intravenous injections like ceftriaxone has to be given to provide relief from the pain of the muscles and the joints. Sometimes the doctors remove the fluid from the joints to reduce the swelling of the joints. Other types of lyme disease treatment totally depend on the symptoms. It has been observed that the joint pains can be used with the use of anti-inflammatory drugs like aspirin and ibuprofen.

Let me explain by the help of an example. When there is excessive traffic on the streets due to morning peak hour and you are getting late for the office, you will start getting tensed and worried and may be you will feel stressed. But your office colleague in the meanwhile will listen to music, enjoy the sight outside and feel relieved that he will be reaching the office a little late that day. Thus the two approaches/responses to the same stimulus are varying.

Factors which induce stress are called stressors. Often a rocky or bumpy relationship or an exhausting work schedule can turn out to be a common stressor. Stressors are usually thought of as negative.

However there can be positive stressors as well which put pressure on you or are demanding situations or which demand compromise. Some such examples of stressors are receiving a promotion, taking admission in college, purchasing a house or car or getting married.

The top ten stressors of modern times are retirement, marriage reconciliation, pink slips, layoffs, marriage, illness or injury, death of a close relative, jail term, marriage separation, divorce and spouse’s death.

Stress can be self generated. Again stress can also be caused by external factors such as family and children, being excessively busy, financial problems, relationship difficulties, excessive work pressure and major changes in life.

A few of the internal causes of stress that are commonly seen are perfectionism, unrealistic expectations, negative self talk, pessimism and inability in accepting uncertainty.

Sometimes a stressful condition is triggered by real situations and sometimes it is due to imaginary or perceived situations. Often your attitude towards life, especially a negative attitude can bring about stress. Present day lifestyle that is fast paced, ruthless and insensitive and thoroughly competitive is also a main cause behind stress.

So take charge and be in control of yourself – this is the basic mantra of stress management. You have to take control or charge of your problems, how you deal with them, you have to take charge of your environment, your work schedule, emotions, thoughts and every aspect of your life.

You may ask why? This is because stress management can only be possible when you lead a balanced life – where you have time for fun, relaxation, relationships, work and resilience to withstand the pressures of life and take up challenges.

But first of all you have to identify the causes or sources of your stress – the true sources as well as the imaginary or self created ones. Doing it isn’t very easy. This will require guts to face a few hard truths about yourself which might be unsavory and you have to introspect deep into your life and yourself to identify these roots of your stress and then you will have to work towards uprooting them.

See, whether your stress is temporary or not, please don’t pass on the buck/blame on someone else’s back. You have to learn how to accept responsibility for whatever role you are playing in life and take up responsibility only up to the level with which you can cope. You can create a stress journal and write down the causes of your stress, your feelings, both emotional and physical, your response, how you made yourself comparatively happy.

Instead of smoking, drinking, taking to substance abuse, binging or undereating or sleeping too much or isolating yourself from the world or procrastinating, face your stress and act out in healthy ways. Go out. Meet people. Share your sorrows or stories and listen to other people’s experiences.

Watch movies. Take occasional breaks from work. Go for massages and facials or music therapy or color therapy or acupuncture. Avoid your stressors like hell.

Try to gain nutrition not from multi vitamin tablets but from fruits and vegetables and lean protein and other such healthy food. Multi vitamin and mineral capsules and tablets may be taken only as supplements for your diet.

Please stay away from caffeine, cola, excessive amounts of chocolate, tea and processed food items. Instead sip on herbal tea and green tea. Try to avoid sugar because it gives you an immediate sense of a high to be countered a little later by a prolonged low so stress nutrition is very important.

Nutritional needs during stressful periods
Stress causes a lot of damage to the body, to say nothing of the mind. When you undergo stress you have to take the following daily supplements of vitamin C – 500 to 3000 mg, vitamins B complex – 10 to 100 mg, magnesium – 200 to 400 mg to replenish lost nutrients. In fact vitamin B complex and magnesium are supposed to be very effective in fighting stress.

To up your feel good factor and feel less stress, you can munch on a delicious chocolate that can stimulate the secretion of serotonin – the feel good hormone in the brain.

You should also take mineral and multi vitamin supplements that contain 125 mcg of vitamin K, 15 mg of zinc, 25 mcg of selenium, 25 mcg of molybdenum, 25 mcg of chromium, 27.2 mg of chloride, 30 mg of potassium, 5 mg of manganese, 2 mg of copper, 100 mg of magnesium, 27 mg of iron, 150 mcg of iodine, 125 mg of phosphorus, 162 mg of calcium, 10 mg of pantothenic acid, 45 mcg of biotin, vitamin D 400 I.U., 9 mcg of vitamin B12, 3 mg of vitamin B6, 20 mg of niacinamide, 2.6 mg of vitamin B2, 2.25 mg of vitamin B1, 400 mcg of folic acid, 250 mg of vitamin C, 30 I.U. of vitamin E and 5000 I.U. of vitamin A.

When excess adrenaline is secreted during stress, consumption of magnesium can retard the negative effects of it.

If you want to remain sane you have to know how to manage stress and cut out stress from your life. It is easier said than done though. The greatest stress relief is to avoid your stressors religiously. Stay away from all those things or people who cause stress. But always it is not possible to avoid your stressors like that. So you have to learn how to handle stress.

Practicing yoga and martial arts can help give stress relief. They can instill peace and inner tranquility, mental calm and spiritual bliss in you, they can help you focus your mind and bring it under control and keep it in discipline. Meditation also helps a lot in disciplining the mind, but learning meditation is a pretty difficult task.

The other way is to relax your body and refresh your mind. You should book your self for a mini spa holiday in a spa holiday destination and let the healing effects of Ayurvedic or other ancient herbal therapies soak up your stress, worry, anxiety and tension.

Why don’t you book yourself for a relaxing massage? There are various kinds of body massages and body wraps available which have been exclusively prepared and revived from ancient practices to help deliver stress relief and rejuvenate your senses. You can take your pick from Balinese borreh, Keralian shirodhara, abhyangam, Swedish massage, chocolate body wrap; sea weed and algae body wrap, aromatherapy body massage, Ayurvedic body massage etc.

If you are running so short of time that you can’t even find out time for a massage, then you should get a facial massage or at least a manicure or pedicure done. They can also help stress relief and there is nothing wrong in splurging on yourself.

Music can heal the soul and work wonders for stressed out individuals. Always listen to soft soothing music or your favorite tracks to keep stress at bay. Color therapy is also helpful in driving stress away. Wear bright happy cheerful colors like red, yellow, orange, bright blue etc and feel light within.

Take breaks on weekends and visit a discotheque or go out for dinner with people whose company you enjoy, call up old dear friends and chat with them or meet up with them, go out for holidays if you can afford to do so and if your busy lifestyle permits etc.