For patients in Michigan, the journey to finding a doctor who truly understands chronic Lyme disease and vector-borne infections is rarely straightforward. Many individuals spend years feeling unwell—fatigued, inflamed, overwhelmed by symptoms that seem to appear without warning—while repeatedly being told that everything looks “normal.” In reality, the landscape of Lyme disease care in our state poses unique challenges, and understanding those challenges is the first step toward finding meaningful solutions.

The Patient Experience: Misdiagnosis, Dismissal, and “Normal” Labs

Before finding the right doctor, many patients spend years on a revolving door of specialist visits. They may see neurologists, rheumatologists, allergists, psychiatrists, endocrinologists—only to be handed descriptive diagnoses that blame symptoms without explaining them. They hear:

• “Your labs are normal.”
• “Your symptoms don’t match your test results.”
• “This might be stress, depression, or anxiety.”
• “We don’t know why this is happening, but your tests don’t suggest anything serious.”

This leaves people feeling unheard and often doubting their own experience. Yet the symptoms remain very real.

The Importance of a Physician Fluent in Both Infectious Disease and Functional Medicine

To identify true root causes, a physician needs to understand how vector-borne infections influence the immune system, neurological function, hormones, and detox pathways. Just as important, they must place those findings within a functional medicine framework—one that examines how microbial load, toxin burden, and chronic stress physiology interact.

This combination is rare, but it is exactly what allows complex patients to heal.

The Restorative Medicine Approach: What Makes Dr. Teresa Birkmeier-Fredal Different

For patients struggling with persistent Lyme disease and complex chronic symptoms, the most important part of the healing journey is having a clear, accurate framework for understanding why their body is struggling—and how to reverse that process. At the Restorative Medicine Center, our entire approach is built on a paradigm known as the Root Cause Triad. This model guides every diagnostic decision and treatment strategy, allowing us to move far beyond symptom control and into true recovery.

The Root Cause Triad: The Foundation of Care

The Root Cause Triad identifies three primary categories that influence immune function and create the downstream symptoms people often experience as “mystery illnesses.” These three components interact continuously and must be evaluated together:

1. Microbes

This includes a wide range of organisms that can overwhelm the immune system or produce toxins that disrupt normal physiology. Common examples include:

• Borrelia (Lyme disease bacteria)
• Bartonella
• Babesia
• Mycoplasma
• Ehrlichia and Anaplasma
• Parasites
• Chronic viruses (EBV, HHV-6, CMV, etc.)

Some of these organisms directly produce toxins, while others affect immune regulation, mitochondrial function, and neurological signaling. Many have the ability to hide inside tissues, suppress the immune response, and cause symptoms even when standard tests appear negative.

2. Toxins

These fall into two major categories:

• Biotoxins produced by microbes such as Borrelia, Bartonella, Babesia, and mold species.
• Toxicants, including environmental chemicals, heavy metals, and pollutants.

Biotoxins are especially problematic because they directly influence immune pathways, inflammation, and brain function. Many patients unknowingly accumulate toxins from both external exposures (moldy environments) and internal production (microbial overgrowth), creating a significant burden that keeps the immune system stuck in a reactive or suppressed state.

3. Stress Response

A chronic fight-or-flight state—whether triggered by illness, trauma, or prolonged inflammation—can lock the body into the cell danger response. This includes:

• Amygdala hypervigilance, where the brain is constantly scanning for danger
• Limbic system dysfunction, leading to heightened sensitivity and exaggerated symptoms
• Autonomic nervous system imbalance, affecting heart rate, digestion, sleep, and more

When the stress response becomes chronically activated, the body cannot heal efficiently, even if microbial load and toxins are being addressed. This is why calming the nervous system is occasionally just as important as treating the infections themselves.

Why This Matters for Lyme Disease

Lyme disease is rarely a single-pathogen issue. Most chronically ill patients carry a combination of infections (often acquired over many years), biotoxin exposure, and ongoing sympathetic overdrive. If we focus on only one layer—such as Lyme bacteria alone—we miss the bigger picture.

The Bigger Picture of Chronic Lyme

Patients often have layered root causes, including:

• Microbial overgrowth from multiple organisms
• Significant toxin burden (mold, biotoxins, chemicals)
• Nervous system dysregulation related to illness, trauma, or prolonged inflammation

These layers reinforce one another. For example:

• Microbes produce toxins
• Toxins irritate the nervous system
• A stressed nervous system weakens immune defenses
• Weak immunity allows microbes to flourish

True Recovery Requires Addressing All Three at Once

Successful treatment means balancing:

• Microbial reduction
• Toxin elimination
• Nervous system regulation

How This Paradigm Helps Solve “Mystery Illnesses”

Many of the patients we see have already seen 10–20 specialists and still have no meaningful explanation for their symptoms. They often arrive with a long list of descriptive diagnoses, such as:

• Chronic fatigue
• Fibromyalgia
• Autoimmune conditions
• Irritable bowel syndrome
• Anxiety and panic episodes
• Neuropathy
• Chronic migraines
• POTS or autonomic dysfunction

The Root Cause Triad Provides the Missing “Why”

When we examine all three components—microbes, toxins, and stress physiology—it becomes clear how these multisystem symptoms arise:

• Neurological symptoms from neuroinflammation, toxins, and microbial effects
• Psychiatric symptoms from limbic dysfunction and chronic immune activation
• Gastrointestinal issues from immune imbalance and microbial toxins
• Hormonal imbalances caused by inflammation blocking hormone-receptor function
• Musculoskeletal pain from cytokine elevation and mitochondrial dysfunction
• Immune abnormalities from chronic pathogen load or toxin exposure
• Autonomic instability from fight-or-flight overactivation

Diagnostic Strategy

Comprehensive Review of Symptoms, Patterns, and Timeline

Understanding the patient’s story—how symptoms evolved, what triggers them, and how they respond to interventions—is essential. Many patterns reveal more than a lab result ever could.

Specialty Tick-Borne Panels

These advanced tests look for:

• Multiple Borrelia strains
• Bartonella species
• Babesia variants
• Ehrlichia, Anaplasma, and Mycoplasma
• Chronic viral activation

CIRS Biomarkers

To assess immune dysfunction and inflammatory load, we evaluate markers such as:

• VEGF
• MMP-9
• ECP
• C4a
• TGFβ1
• Cortisol patterns
• Vitamin D ratio
• Immunoglobulin levels

Mold Exposure Evaluation

When indicated, we assess both environmental exposure and internal mycotoxin load. Mold is a common hidden contributor to chronic immune dysfunction and often coexists with Lyme disease.

Hormone, Nutrient, and Mitochondrial Markers

Downstream systems often struggle in chronic illness. Evaluating them helps us understand the body's capacity for healing and identify where additional support is needed.

Stress and Autonomic Dysregulation Assessment

Understanding the nervous system’s role helps guide pacing and determines whether therapies such as limbic retraining or autonomic support should be prioritized.

Treatment Strategy

Calming the Immune System First

Before starting antimicrobials, we address inflammation, detoxification, and nervous system overactivation. This reduces die-off reactions and helps the body tolerate deeper treatment.

Gradual, Methodical Layering of Therapies

We build step-by-step, often beginning with stabilization, then detox support, and slowly incorporating antimicrobial agents as the body becomes ready.

Integrative Antimicrobial Treatments

Depending on the patient's needs, this may include:

• Prescription antibiotics
• Herbal antimicrobials
• Antiparasitics
• Antivirals
• Combination protocols tailored to the individual

Detoxification Support

This may include:

• Binders
• Sauna therapy
• Lymphatic support
• Nutrient optimization
• Gentle strategies tailored to detox capacity

Hormone and Nutrient Optimization

Because inflammation can block hormone receptor function, balancing hormones and nutrients can improve energy, sleep, resilience, and symptom stability.

Limbic System Retraining

For patients with persistent sympathetic overdrive, calming the limbic system is essential. This step alone often reduces pain, anxiety, sensitivities, and autonomic instability.

Emphasis on Patient-Driven Tracking

We rely heavily on detailed calendars and symptom tracking to guide decisions. Patterns help determine:

• Whether a therapy is tolerated
• Whether it is beneficial
• Whether pacing needs to be adjusted

Take the Next Step Toward Real Answers and Lasting Healing

If your symptoms have been dismissed, misunderstood, or labeled without explanation, you are not alone. Many of the patients we see have spent years searching for answers before discovering that chronic microbial overload, hidden toxins, and persistent stress physiology were quietly shaping their health.

If you’ve been searching for the best Lyme disease doctors in Michigan, the key is finding a physician who understands the full picture—one who appreciates how microbes, toxins, and chronic fight-or-flight patterns interact to create the complex symptom clusters you’re experiencing. This is the foundation of the Root Cause Triad and the guiding framework we rely on at the Restorative Medicine Center.

Whether you’re navigating persistent Lyme symptoms, coinfections, mold toxicity, chronic inflammation, PANS/PANDAS, or a long list of unexplained health issues, you deserve a medical approach that digs deeper, respects your lived experience, and empowers your healing journey.

To schedule an appointment or learn more:

Restorative Medicine Center 705 Barclay Cir, Suite 115
Rochester Hills, MI 48307

Phone: 248-289-6349
Fax: 248-289-6923
Office Hours: Mon–Thurs 9am–5pm | Fri Closed

Website: www.restorativemedcenter.com

‍