There are many theories as to why so many celebrities have been affected by Lyme disease.
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According to the Mayo Clinic, Lyme disease is caused by the Borrelia bacteria. It is usually transmitted to humans through the bite of an infected tick. If left untreated, the most common debilitating, long-term symptoms include fatigue, muscle pain and weakness, and cognitive impairment.
So why do so many celebrities suffer from Lyme disease?
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Quite a few celebrities have been affected by Lyme disease, and there are many theories circulating as to why.
There are several famous people whose lives were changed by a single tick bite, including:
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Bella Hadid
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Avril Lavigne
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Kelly Osbourne
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Justin Bieber
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Yolanda Hadid
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Amy Schumer
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Alec Baldwin
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Riley Keough
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Ryan Sutter
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Ally Hilfiger
One of the most famous celebrities to have spoken publicly about her struggles is singer Avril Lavigne. people In her cover story, she revealed to the world that she had been bedridden for five months due to an illness.
“I felt like I couldn't breathe, I couldn't talk, I couldn't move,” she said. “I thought I was going to die.” During this time, she stepped away from the spotlight to recover, and even simple tasks like taking a shower or making coffee became physically painful.
“I could barely stand and sometimes couldn't shower for a week,” she said. “It felt like all the life had been sucked out of me.”
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Why is Lyme disease so common among celebrities?
While there's no definitive answer, several theories have emerged, one of which is that celebrities get bitten by ticks while vacationing in the Hamptons, which is a symbol of luxury for the rich and famous.
According to the CDC, “Workers in the northeastern and north-central U.S. states are at highest risk for exposure to infected ticks.”
TikTok user Richard Jordan (@richardjosephjordan) shared a map of East Hampton showing how many ticks there are there..
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“These are some of the dunes in East Hampton that have very long grasses, which provides a habitat for deer ticks,” he said.
He further explained that celebrities who vacation in the Hamptons are at higher risk of being bitten by an infected deer tick.
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Another theory is that celebrities have the means to get treatment for Lyme disease.
As we all know in the United States, getting tests and medical checkups can be quite costly. However, celebrities usually have the means to make health claims if they feel something is wrong. That is why we see celebrities get diagnosed with Lyme disease. However, some speculate that doctors are taking advantage of celebrities by lying about their diagnosis in order to extort more money from them.
“Then they tell people they have 'chronic Lyme disease' and sell them fake cures for fake illnesses,” one user claimed in a Reddit post.
“If the patient feels better after treatment, they take credit for it. If the patient feels worse after treatment, they say feeling worse means the treatment is working.”
The final theory is that Lyme disease is all a ploy.
In a Reddit post, one user expressed the idea that Justin Bieber's Lyme disease diagnosis was a clever PR ploy to cover up his drug use.
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“I know this is going to be a pretty controversial opinion, but I will say it: I think Justin Bieber lied about his Lyme disease and is using it to cover up the fact that he's still taking medication,” the user posted. “And I would even go so far as to say he wanted to 'counter' the attention and sympathy Selena is getting for her lupus. I could be completely wrong about this, but that's how it feels for some reason.”
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Whether these theories are true or not, we should remember that celebrities matter too: just because someone is rich and famous doesn't mean they're immune to illness.
