Harmony Hub Health
Functional Medicine, Hormone Health and Weight Loss with Michele Postol, CRNP
Harmony Hub Health
When the Fever Fades but the Infection Stays: Chronic Lyme
Most of us know the basics of Lyme disease – tick bite, bullseye rash, antibiotics. What rarely makes headlines is the devastating reality when Lyme transforms from a simple infection into a complex, multi-system condition that conventional medicine struggles to recognize and treat effectively.
This transformation happens when Lyme crosses a critical threshold from acute to chronic. During those early days post-tick bite, the bacteria remain vulnerable, largely confined to the bloodstream where antibiotics can effectively eliminate them. Miss this window, and everything changes. The spirochetes burrow deep into collagen-rich tissues like joints, brain, and nerves, forming protective biofilms and shifting into persister states that standard treatments can't touch. Your immune system becomes simultaneously hyperactive yet ineffective – triggering inflammation, autoimmunity, and mast cell activation while failing to clear the infection.
Perhaps most deceptive is what I call the "false recovery" – that period when acute symptoms like fever and headaches fade, giving patients the illusion they've healed while the infection quietly establishes itself underground. From here, Lyme manifests as a bewildering array of symptoms: brain fog, migrating pain, heart palpitations, digestive issues, crushing fatigue, and more. This symptom diversity contributes to chronic Lyme's controversial status, as patients bounce between specialists who treat isolated symptoms without recognizing the underlying cause.
Functional medicine offers hope through a comprehensive approach that sees Lyme not just as an infection but as a terrain problem – an interaction between the bacteria and your unique biology. Through advanced testing and a six-pillar treatment protocol that includes targeted antimicrobials, ozone therapy, immune modulation, mitochondrial support, and personalized detoxification, we address both the infection and the conditions allowing it to persist. While early intervention provides the best outcomes, even long-standing cases can experience significant improvement with the right approach.
If unexplained symptoms have left you searching for answers, consider whether Lyme might be the missing piece. Schedule a consultation to explore how functional medicine can help you reclaim your health and vitality from this persistent invader.
Welcome to Harmony Hub Health, where my mission is to provide comprehensive, affordable, integrative care that addresses the root cause of health issues. At the Hub, the focus is on individual patient journeys. I strive to optimize health, vitality and longevity, fostering a community where each person can thrive in body, mind and spirit. Most people have heard of Lyme disease, usually in the context of a tick bite, a bullseye rash and a round of antibiotics. What doesn't get nearly enough attention is what happens when Lyme is not caught early or when it lingers long after the standard treatment window has closed. This is where chronic Lyme disease, or more precisely, post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome and persistent infection, comes into play and it can change everything about a person's health into play. And it can change everything about a person's health, vitality and day-to-day functioning. So Lyme's going from acute to chronic and I want to talk about why this window really matters. First we have acute Lyme. This is the first days to the weeks after a tick bite, the exposure. This is where Lyme is most treatable. The bacteria, borrelia burgdorferi, is still largely in the bloodstream and connective tissue, so symptoms can include fever, chills, fatigue, headaches, swollen lymph nodes, muscle aches and sometimes the famous erythema migraine's rash, although not everybody gets that. So when treatment is given promptly, ideally within that first month, the immune system and antibiotics have the highest chance of clearing the infection. If this window is missed due to lack of symptoms or misdiagnosis or just delayed recognition, the bacteria can burrow deeper into the tissues. It can form biofilms and evade the immune system. At this point Lyme can transition into a chronic multi-system condition that's far more difficult to treat.
Speaker 1:When Lyme shifts from acute to chronic, the biology and the symptoms transform in several key ways. The first one is, you know, the bacterial behavior changes. In acute Lyme's, the spirochetes are free moving and more vulnerable to antibiotics. Once it turns chronic, the bacteria hide in collagen-rich tissue. So this could be in your joints, your brain, your nerves, and it forms those biofilms and it shifts into persister states that are resistant to standard treatment. Next we have your immune system dysfunction.
Speaker 1:In acute Lyme, immune response is primarily inflammatory, so it aims to try to kill off the invader. Once it turns chronic, your immune system becomes dysregulated. It may overreact, it can cause autoimmunity or mast cell activation, while simultaneously failing to fully eradicate the infection. Then we have the symptom evolution, and this is what I refer to as the false recovery. When you have acute Lyme and you have headaches and fever and flu-like symptoms, they can dominate. But as the infection transitions to chronic the symptoms fade and it gives you a false sense of recovery. Patients may think they're better because the fever or the headaches are gone, but in reality the infection has simply gone underground, settling into tissues and becoming more difficult to detect and to treat. And then comes the multi-system involvement. So in acute Lyme it can be localized or flu-like.
Speaker 1:Chronic Lyme is very widespread. It's very unpredictable. It could be neurological, it can be musculoskeletal, cardiovascular and even your digestive system. All of these systems are affected. The treatments for both are so different. In acute Lyme you can resolve it with two to four weeks of antibiotics. Once you turn chronic, this requires layered long-term care antimicrobials, immune modulation, detoxification and mitochondrial repair.
Speaker 1:Chronic Lyme does not show up the same for everyone, which is part of why it's so controversial and misunderstood. Show up the same for everyone, which is part of why it's so controversial and misunderstood. Symptoms can ebb and flow. They can flare under stress or masquerade as other conditions so common. Chronic Lyme symptoms can include brain fog, memory issues, mood swings, tingling, dizziness and sleep disturbances. You can have migrating joint pain or muscle aches, weakness, stiffness. You can have where you feel like your heart's skipping a beat, those palpitations or chest pain. You can have episodes of high or low blood pressure and you can even have POTS-like symptoms. That's the postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome.
Speaker 1:Many patients with chronic Lyme's have frequent infections. They can have new allergies, they can have that mast cell activation at times. They can have nausea, abdominal pain, bloating, high food sensitivities and I think overall the most symptoms that I see in practice are crushing fatigue, temperature dysregulation and just feeling inflamed all over. So, unlike a standard antibody test, functional medicine does dig deeper to understand both the infection and the terrain. So there are Lyme and co-infection panels. There's Borrelia plus Bartonella, babesia, ehrlichia and Mycoplasma. This is what brought up this topic even for the podcast this week is I've been co-treating somebody for a co-infection with another provider in another state and this poor lovely soul has to have weekly high dose IV antibiotics that I've been giving for an extended period of time to treat these co-infections. So we have the co-infection panels. We have the Lyme panel.
Speaker 1:We do have the GI map or comprehensive stool analysis. This helps to check for that dysbiosis in the gut. It looks at leaky gut and immune activation. One of my other favorite tests is the OAT test. It's the organic acid test. This shows you your mitochondrial function, the yeast or mold toxins and neurotransmitter imbalances. The HTMA, the hair tissue. Mineral analysis can show your mineral status. It can show if you have heavy metal burden or you know how is your adrenal health doing. The genetics 3x4, if you want to look at your methylation and your genetics, to look at MTHFR or your COMT and your detox genes that influence your recovery with chronic disease. And then we have all of those inflammatory markers. We can check your cytokines, we can check C4A, we can check CD57. We can look at your DAO for histamine and oxidative stress markers. So the testing shows not only if Lyme is present but also why it persists and what is blocking your healing.
Speaker 1:Functional medicine sees chronic Lyme as more than an infection. It's a terrain problem. The bacteria interacts with your genetics, your detox pathways, your microbiome and your immune system. So the core treatment pillars include number one target the infection. This could be from herbal antimicrobials, it could be from pulsed antibiotics or an integrative protocol. When appropriate, I love to use biofilm disruptors. So that's number one. Number two is, you know, introducing those advanced therapies. This could be ozone therapy. I love IV ozone. It's major auto hemotherapy to improve oxygenation. It modulates the immune system and breaks down biofilms that hide Borrelia. Then we have that cutting edge, personalized therapy that uses synthetic oligonucleotides to silence the replication of Borrelia DNA and RNA. Essentially, it tells the infection to stop reproducing. It makes it easier for the immune system and treatments to clear it. This is the SOT, or supportive oligonucleotide therapy that you can see on my website, also known as Q-Restrain.
Speaker 1:Then, number three we have to calm the immune system. This is where you can treat with aquaricetin, the high dose vitamin C, the omegas, and you can even use curcumin for inflammation. And you also want to support for mast cell activation. Number four is you want to repair and rebuild. So this is gut healing with probiotics, glutamine butyrate. You want to have a lot of mitochondrial support with CoQ10, nad+ carnitine, your B vitamins and then another really important thing is your detox pathway. So glutathione binders like charcoal or bentonite or sauna castor oil packs, anything you can do to open those detox pathways.
Speaker 1:Then number five is addressing these co-infections, whether it's Bartonella or Babesia or Ehrlichia and Mycoplasma. They require targeted protocols. And then, number six we really want to support the whole person. You need nervous system regulation, whether it's with meditation or acupuncture or the vagus nerve exercises. You can even use that pulsato that we talked about in previous podcasts. And then you need gentle exercise to maintain conditioning Gentle exercise. You want to work on emotional resilience and community support and that's very important for long-term healing and community support, and that's very important for long-term healing.
Speaker 1:So when Lyme is treated quickly, many people recover fully. But untreated or undertreated Lyme can persist for years, morphing into a chronic condition that impacts every organ system. The earlier it's addressed, the less likely it is to spiral into long-term disability. For those already living with chronic Lyme know this Healing is possible. It's not a straight line and it takes time and a layered approach, but addressing root causes and supporting the body's healing systems can lead to profound improvements.
Speaker 1:If you do suspect Lyme, don't wait. If you've been struggling with unexplained multi-system symptoms, chronic fatigue or pain that no one can quite explain, it's worth exploring chronic Lyme with a functional medicine lens. At Harmony Hub Health I combine functional testing, advanced therapies like ozone and SOT and personalized protocols to help your body not just fight the bug but restore balance and resilience. So you can schedule a consultation with me virtually or come see me in person. You can find me at wwwharmonyhubhealthcom. You can even email me at michelle that's M-I-C-H-E-L-E at harmonyhubhealthcom. Or you can schedule and see me in person in Manchester, maryland, at Monarch Beauty and Spa.
Speaker 1:This podcast is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. The information shared here about Lyme disease and chronic infections reflects current understanding from a functional medicine perspective and should not replace individualized care from your own health healthcare provider. If you suspect Lyme disease or any related condition, please consult with a qualified medical professional. Do not start, stop or change any medications, supplements or therapies based on this podcast without speaking to your provider. Listening to this episode does not establish a patient-practitioner relationship.