Spring is in the air. Break out those hiking boots and your trusty machete and carve a path less traveled through a primeval forest near you. You won’t be alone, though. Deer are everywhere. Bambi is adorable, but he may be rife with ticks. Some of those ticks may be infested with Borrelia burgdorferi (the bacteria that causes Lyme disease)
Lyme disease can be pretty miserable or it can be incredibly mild. There’s a reason why momma always said to watch out for the quiet ones, though. If you ignore a mild case of Lyme, it may seem to go away on its own. Beware! You may not be cured. The nasty Borrelia may have just gone dormant, like a hibernating bear.
It may be months and months before that beast rears its ugly head. But when it does, it can be a real headache for you. Literally. Neurological manifestations of Lyme disease may include facial paralysis (Bell’s Palsy), meningitis (headache, stiff neck, sensitivity to light), brain fog. In some particularly horrible cases, Lyme disease may cause something akin to a stroke of the brain or spinal cord.
“That sounds pretty awful,” you’re probably saying. “How in the world do I dodge that bullet?”
Early diagnosis (before the Borrelia go into hiding and stealthily infiltrate all corners of your corpus) and treatment with the proper antibiotics will almost always prevent secondary complications of Lyme disease (like those described above). Diagnosis and treatment of Lyme disease are well described elsewhere and easily Googled.
Today, I want to tell you about something hot off the presses. Something you might not hear elsewhere. In 2024, a multinational research team discovered a protein that naturally occurs in the sweat of many people. This family of peptides are called secretoglobins. If you’re lucky enough to have the correct variant of the protein pouring out of your pores, it will inhibit the growth of Borrelia (yes, you can still use underarm antiperspirant, in fact, please do). Think of the sweat borne protein as sort of a natural antibiotic. One particularly exciting aspect of the research is that the scientists are trying to synthesize this protein in a lab. Hopefully, one day soon it will be fabricated into a cream you (regardless of perspiration content) can slather all over your exposed areas (before you head out on that camping trip with your buddies).
Whoa natural immunity from sweat. So wonderfully organic. Very interesting Marc!!
Terrific article. Marc, you always make me laugh just when I think 🤔 hmm. :)