If you’ve been told “your labs look fine” but you still feel unwell—exhausted, foggy, achy, and dismissed—you’re not alone. Here in Rochester Hills and beyond, far too many people are trapped in a frustrating cycle of symptoms that no one seems to understand. They go from doctor to doctor, collecting diagnoses that explain little and prescriptions that don’t help.
You may have been labeled with fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, anxiety, or even psychosomatic illness. But what if those labels are simply downstream consequences of something deeper?
At Restorative Medicine Center, we believe they are. And Chronic Lyme Disease is often the unspoken root.
What If Your Symptoms Are Telling a Different Story?
Chronic Lyme isn’t just a lingering infection—it’s a stealth pathogen that can hijack your immune system, disrupt your brain chemistry, mimic autoimmune diseases, and throw your entire body into chaos. It doesn’t always follow the classic pattern, and it certainly doesn’t always show up on standard tests. That’s why it’s so frequently missed.
But just because it's hard to diagnose doesn’t mean it’s not real. And just because others don’t see it, doesn’t mean we won’t.
We Dig Deeper — No Bandaids. No Gimmicks.
At Restorative Medicine Center in Rochester Hills, we specialize in identifying and treating the root causes of complex chronic illness—not just naming your symptoms and sending you on your way. Our founder, Dr. Teresa Birkmeier-Fredal, uses a framework called the Root Cause Triad™, which focuses on three primary disruptors:
- Microbes like Borrelia, Bartonella, Babesia, and other stealth infections
- Toxins including mold and biotoxin exposure
- Chronic stress and nervous system dysregulation
These are the issues that drive immune dysfunction. And immune dysfunction is what leads to that confusing tangle of symptoms most patients have been told are “idiopathic”—meaning, in medical terms, “we don’t know why this is happening.”
But we do know why. And once we identify it, we can treat it—using evidence-informed, integrative strategies that restore function, clear infections, and calm the system long enough for true healing to occur.
What Is Chronic Lyme Disease? Why Is It Controversial?
Lyme disease is most commonly recognized in its acute form—usually following a tick bite, sometimes with a bullseye rash, fever, and flu-like symptoms. Patients diagnosed early and treated with a short course of antibiotics often recover without issue.
But what happens when they don’t?
What happens when the fatigue lingers, the joint pain migrates, the cognitive fog rolls in, and the emotional stability begins to unravel—weeks, months, or even years after the presumed infection?
That’s when it becomes Chronic Lyme Disease, and unfortunately, that’s where most conventional care stops.
Acute vs. Chronic Lyme: The Difference Is in the Persistence
Acute Lyme is a short-term infection with measurable lab markers and textbook symptoms.
Chronic Lyme, on the other hand, is what we see when the immune system becomes dysregulated, infections become intracellular, and co-infections complicate the picture. It may no longer be just Borrelia—it’s often an entire ecosystem of vector-borne infections (VBIs) that have been overlooked.
It’s Not Just Lyme — It’s a Network of Co-Infections
At the Restorative Medicine Center, we’ve found that persistent Lyme is rarely about just one microbe. In fact, many patients test positive for multiple VBIs, which include:
- Borrelia burgdorferi – The primary bacteria responsible for Lyme, known for its ability to evade the immune system and form protective biofilms
- Bartonella – Often called “cat scratch fever,” but in chronic illness, it presents with neurological issues, muscle pain, anxiety, and even psychiatric symptoms
- Babesia – A malaria-like parasite that contributes to shortness of breath, night sweats, temperature dysregulation, and extreme fatigue
- Ehrlichia and Anaplasma – Intracellular bacteria that suppress immune function and disrupt white blood cell production
These microbes aren’t always detectable with standard testing. They hide in tissues, suppress immune responses, and fluctuate in intensity. They also don’t follow the rules, which is why most traditional medical models struggle to recognize them.
The Restorative Medicine Root Cause Triad™ Approach
Microbial Infections (Stealth Pathogens)
While Borrelia burgdorferi (the classic Lyme organism) is often the initial trigger, most patients are dealing with more than just Borrelia. Chronic infections are often intracellular, biofilm-protected, and highly immune evasive—which is why they aren’t picked up by conventional labs and why they continue to drive illness despite antibiotics.
We look for:
- Co-infections like Babesia, Bartonella, Ehrlichia, and Mycoplasma
- Chronic viral reactivation such as EBV, HHV-6, and CMV
- Fungal and parasitic colonization, including Candida and Aspergillus
- Biofilms and microbial synergy that shield infections from the immune system
These pathogens are stealthy. But with the right testing, tracking, and timing, we can systematically unearth and address them.
Toxins & Biotoxins
When your system is overloaded with toxins—either from the environment or internally from microbial activity—your immune system becomes dysregulated. This toxic load prevents your body from healing and drives persistent inflammation.
We evaluate for:
- Mold exposure and water-damaged buildings (common in the Midwest)
- Mycotoxins from colonization of Aspergillus, Penicillium, and Candida in the gut or sinuses
- Environmental toxicants such as heavy metals, pesticides, and plastics
- Impaired detox pathways due to genetic issues like MTHFR, HLA-DR, or glucuronidation deficits
Supporting detox is not just about taking a binder or a sauna session. It’s about identifying your specific toxic load, then helping your body safely and effectively eliminate what it couldn’t on its own.
Chronic Stress Response / Cell Danger Response
Even after infections are treated and toxins begin to clear, some patients still feel “stuck”—wired but tired, inflamed, dysregulated, and unable to bounce back. Why? Because their nervous system has become conditioned to stay on high alert.
This is called Cell Danger Response (CDR)—a state where your cells shut down normal function in response to chronic perceived threat.
Key elements we assess and address:
- Amygdala hypersensitivity – an overactive fear center triggering unnecessary stress signals
- Low vagal tone – impaired parasympathetic activity that prevents rest and repair
- Limbic system overactivation – where brain wiring reinforces inflammatory loops
The Treatment Strategy:
Phase 1: Stabilize the Terrain
Before we can kill what doesn’t belong, we have to support what’s already struggling.
This first phase is about laying the groundwork for healing by strengthening your detox pathways, calming your nervous system, and supporting your mitochondria—the energy engines of your cells.
We focus on:
- Detox Pathway Support
- Nutrients and binders to support liver, lymph, kidneys, and colon
- Addressing genetic detox impairments (MTHFR, HLA, etc.)
- Clean air, clean water, clean food
- Mitochondrial Resilience
- CoQ10, NAD+, B vitamins, carnitine
- Far infrared sauna, red light therapy, and pacing to avoid energy crashes
- Nervous System Calming
- Breathwork, vagus nerve stimulation, Primal Trust™, and limbic retraining
- Addressing the trauma and fear wiring that often accompanies chronic illness
- Building safety in the body—so your system can stop bracing and start healing
Phase 2: Targeted Antimicrobial Support
Once your system is stable enough to handle treatment, we begin to address the stealth pathogens directly.
Using labs, symptom patterns, and treatment history, we build a plan to go after:
- Borrelia
- Bartonella
- Babesia
- Candida and mold colonization
- Parasites and chronic viral reactivation
Treatment tools include:
- Herbal protocols (Byron White, Beyond Balance, Cowden, Buhner-based formulas)
- Pharmaceuticals, when clinically indicated:
- Pulsed antibiotics
- Antifungals
- Antiparasitics like Ivermectin or Mebendazole
- Low-Dose & Pulsing Strategies
- Designed to minimize Herxheimer reactions (die-off)
- Adapted based on your symptom tracking and tolerance
- Supportive agents always included to minimize detox stress
Phase 3: Long-Term Immune Modulation and Terrain Rebuilding
Once microbial load has been reduced, the real work begins: making sure it doesn’t come back.
We shift from eradication to restoration—rebuilding the terrain so your body becomes an environment where health thrives, not illness.
This includes:
- Nutrient Repletion
- Rebuilding stores of zinc, magnesium, D, A, and B vitamins depleted during illness
- Hormonal Optimization
- Addressing adrenal fatigue, thyroid dysfunction, or post-infectious sex hormone imbalance
- Bioidentical hormone support when indicated, especially in perimenopausal and menopausal patients
- Long-Term Biotoxin Avoidance and Support
- Mold remediation guidance and testing
- Ongoing detox support
- Maintaining vagal tone and nervous system resilience
Chronic Lyme Isn’t Just in Your Head—It’s in Your Cells
If you’ve been told “everything looks normal” but you know in your bones—and in your brain, and your heart, and your gut—that something is wrong, trust yourself.
Chronic Lyme and stealth infections can hijack your immune system, disrupt your nervous system, and leave you feeling like a shell of who you once were. But that doesn’t mean you’re broken. It means your body is overwhelmed—and you need a new strategy.
At Restorative Medicine Center, we don’t hand out dismissive diagnoses or generic protocols. We investigate. We listen. We track patterns. And we treat the root causes—not just the downstream mess.
If you’re ready to work with a physician who understands the complexity of stealth infections and the resilience of the human body, we’re ready to walk this path with you.
Let’s Find the Why
📍 Restorative Medicine Center
705 Barclay Cir #115
Rochester Hills, MI 48307
📞 Phone: 248.289.6349
📠 Fax: 248.289.6923
🕘 Office Hours: Mon–Thurs: 9am–5pm | Fri: Closed
🌐 www.restorativemedcenter.com