Claim OwnershipInside Lyme Podcast with Dr. Daniel Cameron
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© 2025 Inside Lyme Podcast with Dr. Daniel Cameron
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You are listening to a show dedicated to discussing actual cases. Dr. Cameron has been treating adolescents and adults with Lyme disease and related tick-borne infections for more than 30 years. The advice given is general and not intended as specific advice as to any particular patient. If you require specific advice, you will need to seek that advice from an experienced professional.
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👉 Have you faced delays in Lyme disease treatment? Comment below. Physician reluctance in Lyme disease treatment often stems from liability concerns, conflicting guidelines, limited training, and insurance pressures. While hesitation may protect doctors professionally, it can leave patients untreated, leading to infection spread, long-term complications, and emotional trauma. The risks of treatment — side effects, gut imbalance, or temporary Herxheimer reactions — are usually short-term and...
👉 Have you faced delays in Lyme disease treatment? Comment below. Physician reluctance in Lyme disease treatment often stems from liability concerns, conflicting guidelines, limited training, and insurance pressures. While hesitation may protect doctors professionally, it can leave patients untreated, leading to infection spread, long-term complications, and emotional trauma. The risks of treatment — side effects, gut imbalance, or temporary Herxheimer reactions — are usually short-term and...
Have you had symptoms return after stopping Lyme treatment? Share your story below. Your experience may help someone else navigating the same difficult decision. Summary One of the most frequent questions in Lyme care is: “If I feel better, should I stop treatment?” The answer is complicated. While no one wants to stay on antibiotics longer than necessary, stopping too soon often leads to relapse. Lyme disease is not a typical infection. Borrelia burgdorferi can persist by hiding in tissue...
Treating Lyme disease in elderly patients is one of the most complex challenges I see in my practice. Unlike younger adults, older patients often live with multiple health conditions. They may be taking many medications, which raises the risk of drug interactions. Kidney or liver function may be reduced, making it harder to clear antibiotics. And neurological symptoms from Lyme can increase the risk of falls, which can have devastating consequences in this age group. Standard guidelines don’t...
“Has your family faced challenges with Lyme disease treatment for kids? Share your story in the comments—because until children are included in research, parents’ voices are one of the most powerful tools we have. . . No NIH-funded Lyme treatment trials have included children under 18. Yet kids often present differently than adults—showing fatigue, mood or school changes, rather than joint pain. Their developing immune and nervous systems also process infection and medication uniquely. ...
Have you experienced gaslighting in your Lyme journey? Drop your story below—your voice can help others feel less alone. . . Summary Many Lyme disease patients experience medical gaslighting—dismissive comments like “your labs are normal” or “the treatment is finished”—even while symptoms like fatigue, brain fog, pain, and neuropathy persist. This erodes trust, adds psychological harm, and often drives patients toward alternative medicine, not out of rejection of science but in search of time...
I’m Dr. Daniel Cameron. In my practice, I often see patients with chronic pain, and I want to explore whether chronic Lyme disease could be part of the puzzle behind America’s growing pain epidemic. A recent paper by Jovkovich in Pain reported that chronic pain prevalence in U.S. adults rose from 21% in 2019 to 24% in 2023—affecting 60 million people. Only about 13% of this increase was linked to long COVID. The rest remains unexplained. Overlap Between Lyme Pain and National Pain Trends T...
I'm Dr. Daniel Cameron, and today I’m addressing a question I often see in my practice: What are the risk factors for chronic Lyme disease? Chronic Lyme Symptoms Some patients do not fully recover from Lyme disease. They experience a broad range of symptoms, including ongoing fatigue, pain, sleep problems, neurologic changes, emotional strain, and disruption of daily life. These challenges can affect school, parenting, and work responsibilities. Common chronic Lyme manifestations include: ...
Welcome. Here are ten practical tips for Healthcare Providers to prevent chronic Lyme disease. 1. Lyme Disease is Primarily a Clinical Diagnosis • While laboratory tests, like the two-tiered approach of ELISA followed by Western blot, can provide valuable support, Lyme disease diagnosis hinges on clinical judgment. The disease’s early symptoms, such as the classic erythema migrans rash, fever, and joint pain, often present before the immune system has generated detectable antibod...
Lyme and PANS: A Critical Connection in Teenagers At just 16, my patient found herself facing a complex and overwhelming set of symptoms. What began as ordinary teenage stress evolved into something far more debilitating—raging outbursts, severe compulsions, motor and vocal tics, and memory problems. Her academic performance plummeted, and her social life disintegrated. Diagnosed with Pediatric Acute-onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome (PANS), she and her family embarked on a challenging journey ...
Chronic Lyme disease, characterized by persistent symptoms that can linger for months or even years, is a growing concern for both patients and healthcare providers. Traditionally, Lyme disease has been seen as a straightforward infection—diagnosed early, treated with antibiotics, and resolved. However, for a significant number of people, Lyme disease can evolve into a chronic condition, marked by ongoing fatigue, pain, and cognitive issues. But what if much of this chronic suffering could be...
The likely reason for relapse is failure to eradicate the spirochete completely with a two-week course of intravenous ceftriaxone therapy,” wrote Drs. Logigian, Kaplan, and Steere in their seminal 1990 paper on chronic neurologic Lyme disease. This observation remains as relevant today as it was over three decades ago, highlighting a persistent challenge in the treatment of Lyme disease: the difficulty in fully eliminating the Borrelia burgdorferi bacterium, which can lead to relapse or persi...
My patient recovered from her chronic illness after receiving early aggressive treatment, a result that underscores the importance of this approach in managing Lyme disease. Chronic illness resulting from Lyme disease is one of the most compelling reasons I advocate for early aggressive treatment. Lyme disease is not just a simple infection; if left inadequately treated, it can lead to a range of severe and persistent conditions. Chronic neurologic Lyme disease can cause debilitating s...
When I first began treating Lyme disease, I adopted an “escalation” approach. This method involved starting with a standard course of doxycycline, typically lasting a month, and then observing how the patient responded. If the symptoms persisted or if I suspected that a co-infection might be present, I would escalate the treatment—adding or changing medications as needed. This approach was cautious and reactive, focusing on adjusting the treatment plan based on the patient’s progress over tim...
The treatment landscape for Lyme disease has undergone significant evolution over the years, offering a wider array of options to manage this multifaceted illness. When I first began treating Lyme disease in 1987, the primary antibiotic prescribed was doxycycline. This choice was driven by doxycycline’s effectiveness not only against Lyme disease itself but also against co-infections such as Ehrlichia and Anaplasmosis. These co-infections, often transmitted by the same ticks that carry Lyme, ...
Since opening my Lyme disease practice in 1987, I’ve witnessed significant changes in how we diagnose and treat this complex illness. Early on, I prescribed doxycycline for Lyme disease and Ehrlichia. However, my first three patients in 1987 did not respond to doxycycline, so I referred one to Boston for further consultation. They returned with a recommendation for amoxicillin, marking the first major shift in my treatment approach. By 1990, I had started prescribing intravenous ceftri...
My patient’s understanding of Lyme disease and its complexities was incomplete. Although he was familiar with nymphal ticks, he lacked awareness about adult ticks, which also play a crucial role in transmitting Lyme disease. He knew about the Bull’s-eye erythema migrans rash, a clear sign of early Lyme disease, but was unaware of the other types of rashes associated with chronic Lyme disease or different tick-borne infections. He had heard of early Lyme disease but didn’t realize that ...
Preventing Chronic Lyme Disease: Insights from 37 Years of Experience As a Lyme disease expert, preventing chronic illness associated with Lyme disease has been a primary focus of my practice for the past 37 years. Despite early intervention and comprehensive care, some patients still find themselves battling long-term, debilitating symptoms. This post outlines the strategies and lessons I’ve learned over the years in my mission to prevent chronic Lyme disease. Understanding the Challenges of...
My patient took a "bury-your-head-in-the-sand" viewpoint toward Lyme disease, which did not help him. He had been ill for over two years, suffering from severe fatigue, brain fog, poor sleep, headaches, poor concentration, irritability, neck pain, chest pain, palpitations, stomach pains, and joint pain. He remained ill despite having been evaluated by a number of specialists to rule out other illnesses. He was reluctant to consider Lyme disease or tick-borne infection without a positive test....
Unfortunately, there simply isn’t a one-size-fits-all treatment protocol for patients infected with Lyme disease and/or co-infections. This is why it's critical for physicians treating Lyme disease to invest time with patients, thoroughly understand their medical history, and closely monitor symptoms and treatment response. With that in mind, there are currently two different treatment approaches for Lyme disease. The Infectious Disease Society of America (IDSA) and the International L...
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