I’m A Functional MD & These Sneaky Signs Can Signal A Tick-Borne Illness

Here’s the thing about tick-borne illnesses: According to functional medicine doctor Kenneth Bock, M.D., they can cover different organ systems, and so patients often present myriad symptoms. “It can look like anything,” he shares on this episode of the mindbodygreen podcast, which poses a problem in clinical settings: If a patient comes in with a laundry list of complaints, some professionals may resort to a psychological diagnosis (especially if those said symptoms are, in fact, psychological, which we’ll get into later). 

However, says Bock, “If you listen, and you look, and you think hard… these tick-borne diseases can cause this myriad of complaints.” Meaning, it’s important not to rule out the possibility of a tick-borne illness, even if you don’t necessarily live in a hotbed state. Below, he explains some of the most common signs he has seen.