I'm A Functional MD & These Sneaky Signs Can Signal A Tickborne Illness

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

He also mentions that some ticks can carry Bartonella bacteria, which can "give you these purple-ish, reddish stretch marks" in uncommon areas you wouldn't typically have stretch marks—like in the middle of the back or behind the knee. (We should note: There is little evidence to suggest1 the transmission of Bartonella from ticks to humans directly; most of the data shows that the bacteria can be transmitted from ticks to pets to a person2 during a scratch.)

The purpose of listing these symptoms isn't to scare you—Bock emphasizes that when people point out their multiple symptoms, he takes tickborne illnesses into account. "Rather than [saying], 'Oh, the person has air hunger, so they're just anxious,' these are clues to some of the tickborne illnesses." 

All that to say: It's important we don't rule out tickborne illnesses, even if someone only presents psychological symptoms. "They can carry a diagnosis of mood disorder, [like] anxiety and panic attacks, but if they have a tickborne disease, they'll never get better. All the psychotropics in the world and all the therapy will not [help them] get better," says Bock. 

Tickborne illnesses can be scary—understandably so. Again, explaining all of these symptoms is not to spook you into thinking you have a tickborne illness. But if you present myriad symptoms, it's important to get to the root of the issue and make sure a tickborne illness is not the driver. "The key is to recognize that they exist," notes Bock.