CLINICAL DIAGNOSIS
Certain states (where lyme is at epidemic levels) have passed laws requiring practitioners who test for lyme to inform the patient that a negative test DOES NOT MEAN they dont have lyme.
"Lyme disease is a clinical diagnosis dependent on history, and physical examination, and supported by appropriate laboratory testing. The elements of diagnosis are placed in the context of the activities and experiences of the patient, environmental exposures and risk factors, and consideration of other diagnoses that may explain or impact the patient’s symptoms."
https://www.ilads.org/research-literature/controversies-challenges/
"Lyme disease is a clinical diagnosis—based on your medical history, symptoms and exposure to ticks. Because the typical Lyme disease diagnostic tests are so insensitive, a negative test result does not mean you don’t have Lyme. There are many reasons why someone who actually has Lyme may have a negative test result."
"However, Lyme disease blood testing is fraught with problems, false negative results and false positives (false negatives could exceed 50%) and, at best, should only be an adjunct to a clinical diagnosis of the disease."
https://www.globallymealliance.org/about-lyme/diagnosis/
"The diagnosis is predominantly clinical."
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5864449/
"Ultimately Lyme is a clinical rather than a laboratory diagnosis."
https://www.treatlyme.net/guide/diagnose-chronic-lyme-disease
CDC quote (their treatment knowledge is not respected fyi)
"Lyme disease is diagnosed based on symptoms, physical findings (e.g., rash), and the possibility of exposure to infected ticks. Laboratory testing is helpful if used correctly and performed with validated methods."
See our LYME TESTING post:
https://m.facebook.com/groups/289378845349477/permalink/1241190420168310/?mibextid=Nif5oz