GLA Blog

All Blog Posts

Filter by Category

Ozone Therapy for Lyme Disease and Other Tick-Borne Illness

September 24, 2021

GLA's Chairman, Paul Ross interviews ozone therapy specialist Dr. Robbins, along with a Lyme patient, Charles Toepher who has experience with the treatment Watch the interview: Read...

Fall Tick Season is in Full Swing

September 21, 2021

8 Ways to Protect Yourself & Your Family

Global Lyme Alliance Accomplishments: Chairman Emeritus Letter

September 20, 2021

Over these past 6 years, I have enjoyed the process of building a world class organization as Chairman of The Global Lyme Alliance (GLA). When I first started working with GLA, the US medical and acad...

Remembering Nate

September 9, 2021

The following letter submitted by Samantha Davis is a harrowing account of her husband Nate’s grueling and tragic experience with Lyme disease. Stories like this occur more often than we know, and it ...

Global Lyme Alliance Sets the Groundwork for More Lyme Disease Funding

September 3, 2021

GLA is proud to highlight the recent success of Dr. Nicole Baumgarth of UC-Davis. Together with our supporters, GLA will accelerate Lyme knowledge by funding great evidence-based projects, innovative ...

Meet Our Ambassador: Teja K.

August 26, 2021

A Virtual Affair: Lyme Warriors Live

July 29, 2021

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many Lyme disease fundraising events have been postponed or canceled, including Global Lyme Alliance’s (GLA) second-largest regional fundraiser in Chicago, The SubLyme So...

Lyme Disease and Mental Disorders: It’s Not All in Your Head

July 29, 2021

New Study Analyzes Patient Data Mental disorders are among the most poorly understood symptoms of Lyme disease. Early on, it was recognized that Lyme disease in late stages includes neurologic symptom...

Meet the Researcher: Michael Eriksen Benros, M.D., Ph.D.

July 25, 2021

Michael Eriksen Benros, M.D., Ph.D. is professor and Head of Research at Mental Health Centre Copenhagen, Copenhagen University Hospital, Denmark. He received a two year grant from GLA for his study: ...

Meet Our Ambassador From Mexico: Daniela Acosta

July 23, 2021

Daniela Acosta is a student, GLA Lyme Education Ambassador, and Peer Mentor from Ciudad Obregon, Sonora, Mexico. In 2019, I was diagnosed with Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses. I wanted to...

Anxiety and Lyme Disease

July 12, 2021

Tick-borne illnesses can not only exacerbate underlying anxiety, but also cause it. I have always been an anxious person. My mother says that as a child, I looked carefully around any new environment,...

Meet the Researcher: Shannon Delaney, M.D.

July 8, 2021

Shannon Delaney, M.D., is Director of Child and Adolescent Evaluation at the Lyme & Tick-borne Diseases Research Center, and Assistant Professor, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians ...

The Value of Independence for the Chronically Ill

July 2, 2021

"I needed help with everything: cooking, cleaning, even washing my hair. As medical bills mounted, my savings quickly dwindled, and along with it, my precious independence." When my friend’s son was a...

Dear Lyme Warrior...Help!

June 28, 2021

Every few months, Jennifer Crystal devotes a column to answering your questions. Do you have a question for Jennifer? If so, email her at lymewarriorjennifercrystal@gmail.com.

Gastrointestinal Issues with Lyme Disease

June 21, 2021

When patients consider taking long-term antibiotics for persistent Lyme disease, they need to weigh risks and benefits of treatment. Gastrointestinal risks can include the possibility of a C.diff infe...

The Danger of “Waiting and Seeing” With Lyme Disease

June 14, 2021

When someone finds an engorged tick, their doctor may tell them to “wait and see” if they develop a rash or other symptoms. This approach is downright dangerous. Here’s why. Though ticks are a year-...

What Helps Improve Cognitive Function for Lyme Patients?

June 2, 2021

When Lyme disease bacteria ( spirochetes) cross the blood-brain barrier, they can cause myriad neurological impairments and nervous system inflammation. Neurological Lyme disease can manifest as bra...

A Doctor/Patient Interview with Dr. Casey Kelley and Ali Moresco

May 28, 2021

Many of us in the Global Lyme Alliance community know firsthand just how devastating contracting Lyme disease (and co-infections!) can be. In honor of Lyme disease Awareness Month, we are highlighting...

Dear Lyme Warrior…Help! Pulsing Antibiotics, Rashes, and Insomnia

May 26, 2021

Every few months, Jennifer Crystal devotes a column to answering your questions. Do you have a question for Jennifer? If so, email her at lymewarriorjennifercrystal@gmail.com. Is it helpful to pulse...

Borrelia miyamotoi: Hiding in Plain Sight?

May 22, 2021

GLA's Director of Research and Science, Dr. Mayla Hsu, discusses findings by Dr. Shannon Delaney, who suggests that Borrelia miyamotoi is an infectious trigger for chronic illness, closely resembling ...

Did You Pull a Tick Off of You? Here’s Why You Should Keep It

May 20, 2021

Ticks can carry multiple disease, including Lyme disease and other co-infections, which is why you should save the tick and send it out for testing. Recently, a friend texted me a photo of a tick sh...

Ticks and the Diseases They Cause in the U.S.

May 15, 2021

When it comes to transmitting infectious agents to humans, few vectors are as efficient as ticks, the parasitic cousins of spiders. The diversity of pathogens carried by ticks, from bacteria and virus...

The Lyme Diet

May 12, 2021

Tips for what to eat when you have Lyme disease Many patients write to me asking about what is commonly known as “The Lyme Diet.” Since I’ve mentioned in previous posts that I stick to a low-sugar, gl...

5 Reasons Why You Should Care About Lyme Disease

May 4, 2021

"The fact is, everyone should care about Lyme disease. Here are five reasons why." May is Lyme Disease Awareness Month. Some people may think, “Oh, I already know about Lyme disease. You only have it ...

Lyme Symptoms: Nervous System Inflammation

April 26, 2021

We patients must remember that Lyme is an inflammatory disease. Flare-ups often involve increased inflammation.

Tips for Time Management When Living with Chronic Illness

April 16, 2021

by Jennifer Crystal Time management is not easy for the chronically ill, but these tips have helped me to make my life not just manageable, but also enjoyable. During my acute phase of Lyme disease, b...

The Impatient Patient

April 12, 2021

by Jennifer Crystal When would I get better? Why was I not seeing improvement every day? Recently a friend’s toddler son asked her for a snack. Holding his baby sister, my friend told her son he’d nee...

Dear Lyme Warrior…Help! Anti-Inflammatory Diets and GLA's Peer to Peer Mentorship Program

April 6, 2021

by Jennifer Crystal Every few months, Jennifer Crystal devotes a column to answering your questions. Do you have a question for Jennifer? If so, email her at lymewarriorjennifercrystal@gmail.com. Why ...

Excessive Thirst and Lyme Disease

March 29, 2021

by Jennifer Crystal One of my earliest symptoms of tick-borne illness was excessive thirst. It was also one of the most prolonged, because it was so readily brushed off. A few weeks after I developed ...

Meet the Researcher - George Aranjuez Ph.D.

March 29, 2021

George Aranjuez, Ph.D. is faculty research associate at University of Central Florida. His postdoctoral research was supported by a Deborah and Mark Blackman-GLA fellowship award. His most recent peer...

Saving Spoons: Not Just of Energy, But of Time

March 22, 2021

The “Spoon Theory” has become well-known in the chronic illness world. Originally coined by lupus patient Christine Miserandino, the theory stems from a conversation she had with a friend in which she...

4 Tips to Avoid Ticks and Lyme Disease in the Garden

March 19, 2021

By Richard Gillespie In spring and through much of the year, you may find yourself exercising your green thumbs in your garden. The last thing you want is to have a thumb, ankle, or some other body pa...

Corona With a Twist of Lyme Part 5: An Update After My First COVID-19 Vaccine Dose

March 15, 2021

By Jennifer Crystal In my “I Have Lyme Disease. Should I Get the COVID-19 Vaccine?” post, I addressed the question many Lyme patients have been asking. These patients are understandably concerned, won...

Beating the Winter Blues

March 8, 2021

By Jennifer Crystal In the best of times, late winter can drag for people. Cabin fever and a longing for sunshine and warmth make us feel like we’re in the movie Groundhog Day, repeating the same scen...

Isolation Takes a Toll

March 4, 2021

by Madison Pinckney I could be in a room full of people, but still feel alone. I’m trapped inside my head. While I may have made it to the event, the pain is still there, and it’s the only thing on wh...

Long Haul COVID-19 Brings Attention to Persistent Lyme

March 1, 2021

by Jennifer Crystal This past January, the New York Times published an article entitled “ What if You Never Get Better From Covid-19?”. Many Lyme patients sent it to me in frustration. “This is just l...

Dear Lyme Warrior…Help!

February 22, 2021

by Jennifer Crystal

Could You Be Co-infected With Bartonella?

February 18, 2021

Dendritic Cells: A Possible Pathway to Lyme Autoimmunity?

February 16, 2021

In the Covid-19 pandemic era, survival and recovery are on our minds. It’s become recognized that some patients recover quickly from Covid-19, but others may take months or possibly longer to feel bet...

Meet the Researcher: Maria Gutierrez-Hoffmann, Ph.D.

February 16, 2021

Maria Gutierrez-Hoffmann, Ph.D. is a scientist at the Food and Drug Administration in the Office of Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Assessment. As a postdoctoral fellow, her Lyme disease research was sup...

I Have Lyme Disease. Should I Get the COVID-19 Vaccine?

February 8, 2021

Lyme Disease Incidence: Even Greater Than Thought

February 5, 2021

POV by Timothy J. Sellati, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer, GLA How many people get Lyme disease every year? Precisely determining an annual incidence has been a challenge. Based upon a surveillance r...

Sometimes the Memory is Better Than the Real Thing

February 1, 2021

By Jennifer Crystal

Spring Warnings: Beware of the Great Imitator

January 29, 2021

Lyme disease had been masquerading as a litany of other health issues for years, until Slater Lawrence finally got wise in time to take back control. by Slater Lawrence

Dreaming of the Past—and the Future

January 25, 2021

By Jennifer Crystal

Lyme and the Limbic System

January 19, 2021

By Jennifer Crystal

Podcast: Two Much Lyme

January 12, 2021

By Julia Allyn & Madison Pinckney

Staying the Course When the End is in Sight

January 11, 2021

by Jennifer Crystal

COVID-19 Long Haulers, We See You

January 8, 2021

by Kerry J Heckman

Meet the Researcher: Lise Nigrovic, M.D., M.P.H.

January 6, 2021

Meet the Researcher is a blog series to introduce GLA-funded Lyme disease researchers. Lise Nigrovic, M.D., M.P.H. is Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Emergency Medicine at Boston Children’s Hos...

Dear Lyme Warrior...Help! Rheumatoid Arthritis, the CD-57 Test, and the Use of Sleep Medication

January 4, 2021

by Jennifer Crystal

2020: The Lyme Year in Review

December 29, 2020

by Jennifer Crystal

An Innovative Approach To Understanding Pediatric Lyme Disease

December 28, 2020

by Mayla Hsu, Ph.D., Director of Research and Science, GLA

The Holidays: Ways to Participate When You Can’t Be There in Person

December 21, 2020

by Jennifer Crystal As the holidays near and COVID-19 numbers spike, people are scrambling to figure out plans. Should they travel? Can they see family? If not, will the holidays still be the holidays...

How Our Body ‘Sees’ Spirochetes Has Implications for Lyme Disease Severity and Novel Treatments

December 20, 2020

by Timothy J. Sellati, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer, GLA

Fundraising During a Pandemic: A Recap of Lyme Warriors Live

December 19, 2020

by Ali Moresco,

Mackenzie’s Lyme Story

December 16, 2020

This blog post is part of our People to Highlight Series during our 2020 Year-End Appeal. Each week we’ll be spotlighting a GLA community member who has helped to advance our mission. To support GLA d...

The Role of Technology for Lyme Disease Patients

December 14, 2020

by Jennifer Crystal

Bill's Lyme Story

December 9, 2020

Lyme and Memory Loss

December 7, 2020

by Jennifer Crystal

Lessons from Lyme: Lockdown Isn’t Forever

November 30, 2020

by Jennifer Crystal

Victoria's Story

November 30, 2020

Ali's Story

November 24, 2020

Dear Lyme Warrior...Help! Lyme Disease Remission and Alzheimers

November 23, 2020

by Jennifer Crystal

Jack's Story

November 18, 2020

Raising Lyme Disease Awareness in Mexico

November 17, 2020

GLA Lyme Education Ambassador, Daniela Acosta was joined by experts for a week-long webinar series addressing Lyme disease in Mexico. Daniela is a student at Tecnologico de Monterrey, Mexico who helpe...

The Similarities Between Post-COVID-19 and Lyme Disease

November 17, 2020

Tens of thousands of people in the U.S. have lingering illness following COVID-19, known as post-Covid “long haulers.” Why do some people recover relatively quickly from Lyme disease and Covid-19, and...

Wondering What to Say to a Lyme Patient? Try These Conversation Starters

November 15, 2020

by Jennifer Crystal

When Interpretation of Results Misses the Bull’s-eye

November 14, 2020

by Timothy J. Sellati, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer, GLA

Patient Spotlight: Samantha's Story

November 11, 2020

Candida and Lyme

November 9, 2020

by Jennifer Crystal

Caregiver Spotlight: Dr. Sarah Maxwell

November 5, 2020

Living With Lyme Disease: The Beauty of Adaptation

November 3, 2020

by Jennifer Crystal

What Avril Lavigne's Virtual #FightLyme Concert Taught Me

October 30, 2020

by Jennifer Crystal

Flu Symptoms: Could It Be Lyme Disease or COVID?

October 27, 2020

Shared symptoms can make it hard to diagnose the aches and pains typically associated with the flu Heading outside? Especially after months of quarantining, the outdoors provides a much-needed escap...

Ask Dr. Kelley: Cold, Flu & COVID-19

October 26, 2020

Patient-doctor Q&A with tips on how to stay healthy during cold, flu, and COVID season. Interview by Alex Moresco

My Lyme Disease Is In Remission. How Do I Keep It That Way?

October 20, 2020

by Jennifer Crystal

Dear Lyme Warrior…Help! Lyme and Covid-19 Vaccine

October 15, 2020

by Jennifer Crystal

Living in the Present While Worrying About the Future

October 6, 2020

by Jennifer Crystal

Breaking Down Lyme Disease and the Blood-Brain Barrier

October 1, 2020

by Jennifer Crystal

What Lyme Patients Can Teach Us About the New Normal

September 25, 2020

by Jennifer Crystal

Lyme Arthritis and Inflammation: Shut It Off!

September 23, 2020

A summary of 3 Lyme arthritis studies and how our immune system can fail to shut off when there’s an infection. by Mayla Hsu, Ph.D., Director of Research and Science, GLA

COVID 19: Am I Immune?

September 18, 2020

Does a positive antibody test mean a person is immune and safe from spreading the virus? by Robert Kobre, Chairman, Global Lyme Alliance

Have You Heard of the Tick-Borne Disease Babesiosis?

September 15, 2020

by Jennifer Crystal

Intravenous Antibiotics for Lyme: Pros, Cons, and the Lived Experience

September 3, 2020

by Jennifer Crystal

Dear Lyme Warrior…Help! Tick Bites, Being Bedridden, and Migraine Treatments

August 27, 2020

by Jennifer Crystal

The need for an alternative to current antibody-based Lyme disease diagnostic tests

August 25, 2020

by Timothy J. Sellati, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer, Global Lyme Alliance

Cooling Off When Swimming Isn’t an Option

August 19, 2020

by Jennifer Crystal

Corona With a Twist of Lyme: Part 4

August 13, 2020

by Jennifer Crystal

I Found a Tick on Me, Now What?

August 10, 2020

It’s important to follow these simple tips when you find a tick on you, whether it’s attached or unattached

Differentiating Between Babesia and COVID-19 Air Hunger

August 5, 2020

by Jennifer Crystal

We’re Not Out of the Woods Yet

July 29, 2020

by Jennifer Crystal

The Lyme Voices You Didn't Hear at TBDWG Meeting

July 23, 2020

The Tick-borne Disease Working Group (TBDWG) issued a public request to hear from patients willing to share their stories for its July 8, 2020 meeting. It’s an important part of these meetings, where ...

Overcoming Lyme Disease GI Issues with Kate Farms

July 22, 2020

by Christina Kovacs

Do we need clinical trials, even for long-used drugs?

July 21, 2020

With the need for fast treatment options, for COVID-19 and other diseases, is it necessary to re-approve drugs already approved by the FDA? by Timothy J. Sellati, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer, Gl...