It is also important to identify conditions that wouldn’t otherwise be considered for someone with non-textbook symptoms. Lyme disease is a perfect example of this. Diagnosis of Lyme is increasing because we are understanding that it can mimic many other conditions including autoimmune diseases. In the rare times a person is considered to have Lyme, traditional labs minimally test for the infection because of conservative standards which leave people with the idea that they are not infected.

I use more thorough and advanced testing labs in California (Igenex) that identify more often when someone has Lyme. Once we know, treatment can begin and leads to significant improvement in quality of life for those who would have never thought they had the infection in the first place.