Brian Kirk’s video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SWGH_qr1rE&list=PL3nII97JiwYt359ydCh_z7c2qxk2_3u6l&index=16) about his college project to raise #Morgellons awareness is awesome—he’s giving a voice to folks dealing with something super tough. Morgellons brings weird fibers in skin sores, crawling or stinging feelings, plus exhaustion and achy joints, and it’s often dismissed as “all in your head.” Brian’s work shines a light on these struggles, showing how real they are for patients who feel ignored. But he missed mentioning #LymeDisease, and that’s a big deal because research ties it closely to Morgellons, offering clues to what’s really going on.Studies are flipping the old story that Morgellons is just psychological. A 2015 study found #Borrelia burgdorferi, the Lyme bacteria from tick bites, in 24 out of 25 Morgellons patients, using tests like PCR to spot it in skin or blood. Those fibers? Not clothes—they’re keratin and collagen, made by your body, likely reacting to the infection. Another study in 2018 saw 6% of 1000 Lyme patients with Morgellons symptoms, all testing positive for Borrelia, often with extra bugs like Babesia. This link suggests Morgellons isn’t random—it’s tied to Lyme for many, giving patients a starting point to seek help.Why This Changes EverythingKnowing Morgellons and Lyme are connected is a game-changer for people stuck in limbo. Patients often get told their sores and crawling sensations are imaginary, which is crushing when you’re living it. Finding Borrelia in most Morgellons cases proves there’s a real infection, not a delusion, giving folks hope and a reason to push for doctors who’ll dig deeper. It’s like finally having proof you’re not making it up, which can be a huge relief after being dismissed.This connection also points to better testing and treatment. Lyme’s hard to catch with standard blood tests, especially in chronic cases, but sensitive ones like PCR can find Borrelia in Morgellons patients, as that 2015 study showed. Antibiotics like doxycycline have helped some, like a woman in a 2021 case whose lesions cleared up fast. Plus, many Morgellons folks have other infections like Bartonella, so checking for those helps too. Brian’s project gets people talking, and adding the Lyme angle means more patients might get the right tests and meds, not just shrugs.Morgellons or Not?Figuring out if someone’s got Morgellons takes careful work, but doctors can do it by listening and checking the right things. Start with the patient’s story: Are there fibers in sores? Crawling sensations? Tiredness or aches? Ask about tick bites or time in Lyme-heavy areas, though lots of folks don’t recall a bite. Then check the skin—Morgellons fibers show up under a magnifying glass, stuck in lesions, made of body stuff like keratin, not random threads. A dermatologist can biopsy if needed to be sure.Next, test for Lyme with sensitive tools like PCR, since regular tests often miss chronic cases—that 2015 study nailed Borrelia in nearly every patient this way. Check for other tick bugs like Babesia too. If fibers aren’t there or tests are negative, consider scabies, allergies, or, only after ruling out infections, something psychological like delusional parasitosis. Don’t rush to that, though—Lyme can cause anxiety, and chronic symptoms stress anyone out. Brian’s video pushes for understanding, and getting the diagnosis right, with help from non-profits like the Charles E. Holman Morgellons Disease Foundation, means patients get answers, whether it’s Morgellons or something else.Middelveen MJ, et al. Exploring the association between Morgellons disease and Lyme disease: identification of Borrelia burgdorferi in Morgellons disease patients. BMC Dermatology. 2015;15:1.https://bmcdermatol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12895-015-0023-0
