When Justin Timberlake revealed that he’s been battling Lyme disease on Instagram, it lit up the internet. Some people sent well-wishes, others asked questions about the illness, and a few—of course—propagated bucket loads of misinformation. Given the internet’s natural inclination to run with rumors and unchecked theories and the considerable amount of confusion online over what Lyme disease is, how it gets diagnosed, and what causes it. There are also some absolutely bonkers conspiracy theories, but we’ll get to that later.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Lyme disease, in the most basic sense, is a bacterial infection spread through the bite of blacklegged ticks, most common in the United States. “A tick bites you and burrows into [your skin],” Do

See Full Page