Ancient Health Podcast

Could Your Anxiety Be Lyme in the Brain?

October 1, 2026·59 min
Episode Description from the Publisher

Dr. Eboni Cornish, MD, of Amen Clinics and ILADS, returns for a third conversation, live in Nashville. She and Dr. Chris Motley talk about Lyme and other tick-borne infections in the brain: anxiety and depression, kids labeled ADHD, puberty flares, mold and memory, and why she calms the brain before treating anything. Plus her best question: when did your symptoms start, and where were you? Sources in the show notes. Educational only, not medical advice. 00:00 Depression, anxiety, and a Lyme test 00:39 Welcome: Dr. Eboni Cornish, live in Nashville  02:20 From bored family doctor to Lyme practice  04:13 How Lyme gets into the brain  06:12 What a Lyme brain looks like on a SPECT scan  08:02 The limbic loop: calm the brain  10:21 Is neurology catching up?  12:30 Floaters, light sensitivity, and trouble reading  14:05 Tinnitus and sound sensitivity  15:08 Can kids have Lyme? Pregnancy and newborns  17:48 Why puberty can trigger a flare  20:12 ADHD, PANS, and a gentler approach for kids  23:32 Food, kids, and the one-food trade  25:56 Sudden anger in children  27:23 Joint pain and injuries that won't heal  28:57 Teeth, gums, and cavitations  31:09 Babesia and your red blood cells  32:34 MTHFR, explained  35:11 Swollen lymph nodes and lymphatic drainage 36:47 Memory loss, mold, and dementia risk  39:42 Where were you when your symptoms started?  41:31 Gratitude and the brain  43:59 How your gut shapes your mood  46:09 Her morning routine  48:19 Saunas, baths, and cold water  50:38 Belly breathing for kids  51:11 Her fall speaking tour  54:14 Where to find Dr. Cornish  55:34 Wrap-up  57:01 Disclaimer Key Takeaways: Tick-borne illness can show up in the brain. Lyme can reach the nervous system. If you have neurological symptoms and you are not getting better, Dr. Cornish says to put tick-borne disease on the list (5:16).  Calm the brain before you push treatment. Her patients who react to everything are often stuck in fight or flight, a "limbic loop" (9:37). She starts by calming the nervous system.  Kids get labeled. Many of her pediatric patients arrive diagnosed with ADHD or "being bad" (20:50). A sudden change in a child, over days rather than months, is worth asking your pediatrician about by name: PANS. Trade one food, not the whole diet. She asks a reluctant kid for one food that "doesn't love your brain," and trades a supplement off the list in return (25:04). Then she asks AI for realistic swaps a family will actually eat.  Babesia lives in red blood cells. If you have tested positive, don't donate blood. Federal blood-safety rules agree. Want more of The Ancient Health Podcast? Subscribe to the YouTube channel. Follow Doctor Motley! Instagram TikTok Facebook Website Follow Dr. Eboni Cornish https://www.instagram.com/dr.ebonicornish/ https://www.drebonicornish.com/ For more on her work:  https://www.amenclinics.com/ https://www.ilads.org/ *Join Doctor Motley’s newsletter for TCM insights and regular podcast updates https://www.doctormotley.com/ *Do you have a ton more in-depth questions for Doctor Motley? Check out his course on emotions and the body in his membership. You’ll find other courses full of his expertise and clinical wisdom, plus bring all your questions to his weekly lives! To try risk-free for 15 days click here https://www.doctormotley.com/15 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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