Research increasingly tells us that depression and anxiety are not disorders in and of themselves, but rather symptoms of inflammation in the brain. Thinking about depression and anxiety in this way gives us new insight into their possible causes and how best to address them.
With that in mind, and especially if you are one for whom conventional treatment has proven ineffective, a less frequently cited yet potential reason you may not be getting better could be Lyme disease.
Lyme and other tick-borne diseases are becoming increasingly prevalent. While these diseases typically present with a wide range of symptoms, joint pain being the most common, they have also been associated with a wide range of psychiatric conditions including depression, anxiety disorders, panic attacks, and bipolar disease. The association of Lyme disease with neuropsychiatric disease has been documented since 1994 in the American Journal of Psychiatry and has been confirmed since, but the connection is frequently overlooked in the diagnosis of psychiatric illness. If you are suffering from chronic pain and depression, anxiety or another mental disorder, this diagnosis has to be considered.
Dr. Kaplan says physicians (inappropriately) are oriented to treat these conditions as diseases and not look for an underlying cause. For instance, he recalls one of his patients who had depression and sleep disturbances consistent with sleep drunkenness, but which later turned out to be Lyme disease. “Treatment of the Lyme resulted in complete resolution of symptoms.”
We are here for you, and we want to help.
Our goal is to return you to optimal health as soon as possible. To schedule an appointment please call: 703-532-4892 x2
Do you suffer from recurrent sinus or tension headaches and wonder if they are migraines? Do your headaches result in one or more of the following symptoms?
Migraines are a total body experience. They start as a wave of depressed brain activity and end with dilation of the blood vessels in the meninges and pain signals from the brain stem. But there is a threshold that is reached before this process begins.
In this video series, Dr. Lisa Lilienfield will explain how these headaches could be related to and part of a process in the brain leading to the “perfect storm” that we call migraine. Dr. Lisa will explore the multiple triggers, and modes of prevention and treatment including medications, supplements, diet, and lifestyle changes that will keep us from crossing that threshold. She will also explore other treatable conditions that may contribute to migraines, such as mold or heavy metal toxicity, Lyme disease, temporomandibular joint syndrome, nutritional deficiencies, hormonal imbalances, and nerve irritation from injury or arthritis of the neck.
We don’t know why migraines occur, which makes it a mystery, but knowledge is power. Watch as Dr. Lilienfield discusses how to avoid this “perfect storm.
Part 1: Defining the Migraine: Symptoms, Triggers & Stages
Part 2: Prevention and Treatment
We are here for you, and we want to help.
Our goal is to return you to optimal health as soon as possible. To schedule an appointment please call: 703-532-4892 x2
Lyme Disease May Be the Reason Your Anxiety and Depression is Not Getting Better
/in Conditions/by Gary Kaplan, DOResearch increasingly tells us that depression and anxiety are not disorders in and of themselves, but rather symptoms of inflammation in the brain. Thinking about depression and anxiety in this way gives us new insight into their possible causes and how best to address them.
With that in mind, and especially if you are one for whom conventional treatment has proven ineffective, a less frequently cited yet potential reason you may not be getting better could be Lyme disease.
Lyme and other tick-borne diseases are becoming increasingly prevalent. While these diseases typically present with a wide range of symptoms, joint pain being the most common, they have also been associated with a wide range of psychiatric conditions including depression, anxiety disorders, panic attacks, and bipolar disease. The association of Lyme disease with neuropsychiatric disease has been documented since 1994 in the American Journal of Psychiatry and has been confirmed since, but the connection is frequently overlooked in the diagnosis of psychiatric illness. If you are suffering from chronic pain and depression, anxiety or another mental disorder, this diagnosis has to be considered.
Dr. Kaplan says physicians (inappropriately) are oriented to treat these conditions as diseases and not look for an underlying cause. For instance, he recalls one of his patients who had depression and sleep disturbances consistent with sleep drunkenness, but which later turned out to be Lyme disease. “Treatment of the Lyme resulted in complete resolution of symptoms.”
We are here for you, and we want to help.
Our goal is to return you to optimal health as soon as possible. To schedule an appointment please call: 703-532-4892 x2
Additional resources:
Horowitz Lyme-MSIDS Questionnaire
Video: “Combating Chronic Lyme,” A presentation by Dr. Gary Kaplan
Doctors urged to take chronic fatigue syndrome more seriously
/in Featured Press/by Website AdministratorThe Mystery of Migraines, 2-Part Video Series
/in Conditions, Treatments/by Kaplan CenterDo you suffer from recurrent sinus or tension headaches and wonder if they are migraines? Do your headaches result in one or more of the following symptoms?
Migraines are a total body experience. They start as a wave of depressed brain activity and end with dilation of the blood vessels in the meninges and pain signals from the brain stem. But there is a threshold that is reached before this process begins.
In this video series, Dr. Lisa Lilienfield will explain how these headaches could be related to and part of a process in the brain leading to the “perfect storm” that we call migraine. Dr. Lisa will explore the multiple triggers, and modes of prevention and treatment including medications, supplements, diet, and lifestyle changes that will keep us from crossing that threshold. She will also explore other treatable conditions that may contribute to migraines, such as mold or heavy metal toxicity, Lyme disease, temporomandibular joint syndrome, nutritional deficiencies, hormonal imbalances, and nerve irritation from injury or arthritis of the neck.
Questions? Give Us a Call!
703-532-4892 x2
We don’t know why migraines occur, which makes it a mystery, but knowledge is power. Watch as Dr. Lilienfield discusses how to avoid this “perfect storm.
Part 1: Defining the Migraine: Symptoms, Triggers & Stages
Part 2: Prevention and Treatment
We are here for you, and we want to help.
Our goal is to return you to optimal health as soon as possible. To schedule an appointment please call: 703-532-4892 x2