Lachlan Onegin-Ward | Lyme Disease in Australia: Misdiagnosed, Dismissed, and Fighting Back

Lachlan Onegin-Ward | Lyme Disease in Australia: Misdiagnosed, Dismissed, and Fighting Back

May 4, 2026 · 37 min · Episode 248

About this episode

Lachlan Onegin-Ward shares his harrowing experience with Lyme disease in Australia and the challenges he faced with the medical system.

What happens when your country's medical system refuses to believe you have the disease that's destroying your life? In this episode of Integrative Lyme Solutions, Dr. K sits down with Lachlan Onegin-Ward, a marine biologist and wildlife conservationist from Australia who contracted Lyme disease after being bitten by 17 ticks on a snake-spotting trip south of Sydney. What followed was a years-long battle not just against Bartonella, Rickettsia, and Babesia — but against a medical system that handed him antacids instead of answers. Lachlan shares the raw reality of fighting Lyme disease in a country that officially denies its existence, navigating a healthcare system that left him bedridden, seizing, and unable to move his arms — all while spending tens of thousands of dollars chasing a diagnosis. He opens up about the neurological relapse triggered by COVID, the PTSD of living with an invisible illness, losing close friends who couldn't understand what they couldn't see, and the grassroots mission he's now on to make sure no other Australian has to go through this alone. Key Takeaways: 0:00 Introduction 3:00 17 tick bites, one wildlife trip 8:10 Australia's medical system denies…

People in this episode

Host: Dr. Michael Karlfeldt

Guest: Lachlan Onegin-Ward

Topics covered

Keywords

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: COVID, Bartonella, Rickettsia, Babesia

Places: Australia, Sydney

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