People Share Their Theories On Why So Many Celebrities Have Lyme Disease

Lyme disease is the most common tick-borne disease today. According to the CDC, there are about 36,000 new cases each year – and about half a million Americans are diagnosed with and treated for Lyme disease annually. Caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi, the typical symptoms include fever, rash, facial paralysis, arthritis, and more. If left untreated, the infection can spread to the heart, joints, and nervous system. Most people are cured within weeks or months after being diagnosed.

Celebrities are not immune to Lyme disease, and there are a surprising amount of A-listers who have struggled with it, including Bella, Yolanda, and Anwar Hadid, Justin Bieber, Shania Twain, Ryan Sutter, Avril Lavigne, Alec Baldwin, Ben Stiller, and Kelly Osborne.

This summer, Bella Hadid opened up about her condition on Instagram. "Living in this state, worsening with time and work while trying to make myself, my family and the people who support me, proud, had taken a toll on me in ways I can’t really explain," she wrote in the caption. "To be that sad and sick with the most blessings/privilege/opportunity/love around me was quite possibly the most confusing thing ever. one thing I want to express to you all is that 1: I am okay and you do not have to worry, ♥️and 2:I wouldn’t change anything for the world. If I had to go through all of this again, to get here, to this exact moment I’m in right now, with all of you, finally healthy, I would do it all again. It made me who I am today."

Hadid's healing journey is similar to what other famous people have gone through. The question is, how come so many of them get Lyme disease?

Why Do So Many Celebrities Get Lyme Disease?

This question has no clear answer, but some theories are going around. Let's go over some of them.

They Have Resources

A lot of the symptoms associated with Lyme disease are the daily struggles of normal people. There's a possibility that celebrities are getting diagnosed with the condition because they have the resources and money for tests and routine check-ups. Some speculate that because many doctors only care about profit, they'll diagnose stars with Lyme rather than telling them they're unhealthy.

"think about how regular people also experience the same symptoms as celebrities with 'Lyme disease' such as chronic fatigue, stress, joint pain etc The same happens to rich people, they just have resources to go to expensive quack drs to tell them what they wanna hear: that something is wrong with them when these symptoms may just be stress, mental illness, addiction…." writes @Big-Bookkeeper4866 on Reddit, "but it’s so much easier to just call it Lyme disease and take those vitamins and supplements instead of actually working on mental health."

Maybe tons of people have Lyme disease and are just undiagnosed. Or is it possible that some celebs don't actually have the condition and say they do for PR purposes?

The Hamptons

We all know a lot of rich people go to the Hamptons. The Long Island enclave has become a status symbol thanks to its expensive vacation homes, scenic seaside towns, and stunning beaches. There's a caveat: According to Suffolk County officials, a study conducted in collaboration with the New York State Department of Health found that Lyme disease is the most common pathogen in Riverhead, Southold, and Shelter Island towns. The highest infection rate in adult deer ticks is in Shelter Island and East Hampton.

Is it possible celebs are getting Lyme disease from the Hamptons?

It's a "Cover-Up"

Some think Lyme disease is a "cover-up" for celebrities' drug usage. A comment on Reddit discussing this topic read, "I know this is going to be a veery controversial take but I'm gonna say it:I think Justin Bieber is lying about his Lyme disease and using it as a cover up for the fact that he's still on drugs. And I'd even go as far as saying he wanted to 'compete' with the attention and compassion Selena gets for her lupus. I may be totally wrong on this, but I just have this feeling for some reason."

A lot of celebs struggle with depression, stress, and drug abuse. It would make sense why some PR teams would turn to Lyme disease as a cover-up. However, Bieber has been open about his addiction in the past and even discussed using it in his documentary while he was struggling with Lyme disease. So, he may not be the best example for this case, as the Reddit user suggested. It seems the singer is no longer the bad boy he used to be and is happily married and living his best life.

These theories sound plausible, but it's important not to jump to conclusions since we don't know these A-listers personally. Sure, they're rich and famous, but they're certainly not immune to tick bites or infections!

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