Advanced Behavioral Counseling of Northern NJ

Lyme disease is a tick-borne illness caused by a bite from a tick infected with Borrelia Burgdorferi.  Not every tick is infected with this bacterium, therefore not every tick bite leads to Lyme Disease.  In addition to Borrelia Burgdorferi, there are other bacterium that ticks can carry, causing other illnesses like Lyme Disease, including, but not limited to Babesia and Ehrlichiosis

Lyme disease identified and treated early can have a very high cure rate.  The problem often lies when an individual is unaware of the tick bite, or never adequately has it followed through on.  When this occurs, an individual can develop vague early signs of Lyme disease that can often go unrecognized or be ignored.  If this occurs, the tick-borne illness can continue to progress attacking a variety of systems in the body.  Systems in the body that can be impacted by untreated Lyme or other tick-borne illnesses are the nervous system (including the brain), joints, muscles and the heart.  Individuals affected may complain of one or many of the following:

• Numbness/Pain/Weakness
• Headache
• Bell’s Palsy (paralysis of the Facial Nerve)
• Fatigue
• Arthritis/Joint Pain
• Depression/Anxiety
• Heart Issues

If there are concerns about whether a potential tick bite came from a potentially infected tick, timely and appropriate follow up should be pursued to further investigate risk. Advanced Behavioral Counseling can participate in obtaining a Lyme work up if indicated and work with coordinating your care.