Today I want to talk with you about something that is often misunderstood and more common than most people realize: tick-borne illnesses.

When most people hear about tick-borne diseases, the first thing that comes to mind is Lyme disease—and usually only in the context of the northeastern United States. Maybe you’ve even heard about the “classic bullseye rash” that’s supposed to make Lyme easy to recognize. But the truth is much more complex—and more concerning.

Tick-Borne Illnesses Are Everywhere

One of the biggest misconceptions is that tick-borne diseases are only a problem in New England or a handful of rural areas. The reality is: ticks are found in every state in the U.S. They thrive in woodlands, grassy fields, parks, and even suburban backyards.

As our climate changes and animal populations shift, ticks are spreading into areas where they weren’t as common before. That means people all across the country—from the Pacific Northwest, to the Midwest, to the Southeast, and yes, the Southwest—are at risk of exposure.

More Than Just Lyme Disease

Yes, Lyme disease is the most well-known tick-borne illness. But ticks can and do carry and transmit many other infections, including:

• Babesiosis

• Anaplasmosis

• Ehrlichiosis

• Rocky Mountain spotted fever

• Bartonella

• And other infections

Each of these can cause significant health problems, and in many cases, people may not even realize that a tick bite was the original cause of their symptoms.

The Bullseye Rash Myth

Let’s talk about the rash. We’ve all heard about the “classic bullseye” rash that’s associated with Lyme disease. But here’s what most people don’t know:

• The majority of patients never develop a bullseye rash.

• Some might get a rash that looks nothing like the pictures online.

• Others may not have any noticeable skin reaction at all.

That means you can still have a tick-borne illness even if you’ve never seen a rash.

Do Most People Know They’ve Been Bitten?

Here’s another surprising fact: most people don’t even know they’ve been bitten by a tick.

Ticks can be extremely small—sometimes the size of a poppy seed. They secrete a mild anesthetic when they bite, which means you often don’t feel it. They can feed, drop off, and disappear without you ever realizing it happened.

That’s why it’s entirely possible to have been bitten many years ago and never connect the dots between that moment and the onset of chronic health problems later on.

Delayed and Misunderstood Symptoms

Tick-borne illnesses can affect almost every system in the body. Symptoms can include:

• Fatigue and exhaustion that doesn’t improve with rest

• Muscle and joint pain

• Headaches or migraines

• Brain fog and memory issues

• Digestive disturbances, like those in IBS

• Anxiety, depression, or mood changes

Because these symptoms are so varied, people often get misdiagnosed—or are told that nothing is wrong and that it’s “all in their head.” And since the bite might have happened years earlier, patients don’t make the connection to a tick.

Why Awareness Matters

This is why raising awareness is so important. Tick-borne diseases are:

• More common than people think

• More widespread geographically than most realize

• Often misdiagnosed or overlooked

And they are about much more than just Lyme disease.

When patients and doctors are better informed, we can start asking the right questions, running the right tests, and giving people the answers they’ve been searching for.

Closing Thoughts

If you’ve been struggling with unexplained symptoms—especially when they include fatigue, joint pain, brain fog, or neurological issues—it’s worth considering whether a tick-borne illness is be playing a role, even if you never saw a rash or remember a bite.

I encourage you to keep learning, stay curious, and don’t settle for easy answers when your health is at stake. The truth is, tick-borne diseases are more complex and more common than we’ve been led to believe.

And remember to take good care of your body. It’s the only place that you have to live.

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