Chronic Vector-Borne Infections Treatment
You’re exhausted. Your joints ache. Your brain feels foggy. You’ve been told it’s fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, or maybe just anxiety. But deep down, something doesn’t add up.
For many patients, the root cause of long-standing symptoms isn’t stress or aging—it’s a chronic vector-borne infection that was never fully diagnosed or treated. Infections like Lyme disease, Bartonella, Babesia, or Ehrlichia—often spread by ticks or fleas—can become stealth pathogens, hiding inside the body and quietly dismantling immune balance over months or years.
These infections don’t always present with a classic bull’s-eye rash or immediate flu-like illness. In fact, they’re often misdiagnosed as psychiatric, rheumatologic, or neurological conditions, especially when conventional testing fails to detect them.
At Restorative Medicine Center in Rochester Hills, MI, Dr. Teresa Birkmeier-Fredal specializes in recognizing and treating these overlooked infections. Her work is rooted in functional and integrative medicine, which means she doesn’t just treat symptoms—she asks why the immune system is struggling in the first place.
What Are Vector-Borne Infections?
Vector-borne infections are illnesses transmitted to humans through the bites of insects like ticks, mosquitoes, and fleas. Some of the most common and clinically significant include:
- Lyme disease (Borrelia burgdorferi, Borrelia miyamotoi)
- Bartonella (often associated with cat-scratch disease but also tick-borne)
- Babesia (a malaria-like parasite that affects red blood cells)
- Ehrlichia and Anaplasma (white blood cell infections)
These infections can occur individually, but they frequently travel in groups—what’s known as co-infection. For example, it’s not uncommon for a single tick bite to transmit Lyme, Babesia, and Bartonella simultaneously.
Common Symptoms of Chronic Vector-Borne Infections
Chronic vector-borne infections are known for producing a wide and often bewildering range of symptoms, which can evolve over time and affect multiple body systems. This is part of what makes them so difficult to diagnose using a conventional approach.
Common symptoms may include:
- Migrating joint and muscle pain – Pain that moves unpredictably from one area of the body to another is a classic clue, especially when standard imaging is inconclusive.
- Brain fog and cognitive issues – Trouble concentrating, forgetfulness, and slowed processing speed are hallmark signs, often mistaken for stress or aging.
- Fatigue that doesn’t improve with rest – Unlike normal tiredness, this exhaustion is persistent, disproportionate, and often worsened by activity.
Neurological and mood symptoms are also frequent, including:
- Anxiety, depression, or panic attacks
- Tingling, numbness, or burning sensations
- Dizziness or balance issues
Other telltale signs of immune and autonomic dysregulation include:
- Sleep disturbances – trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, or waking unrefreshed
- Temperature sensitivity – feeling too hot or too cold without clear cause
- Skin changes – rashes, striae (stretch marks not due to weight changes), or delayed wound healing
These symptoms are often chalked up to psychosomatic causes or labeled as vague syndromes, but at Restorative Medicine Center, Dr. Birkmeier-Fredal understands that these are real, physical manifestations of a deeper immune imbalance.
Why Standard Treatments Often Fail
Many patients with chronic vector-borne infections were treated early on with a short course of antibiotics, only to find their symptoms persisted—or even worsened—over time. Why? Because these infections don’t behave like typical acute illnesses.
Vector-borne pathogens like Borrelia, Bartonella, and Babesia are experts at stealth. They:
- Form biofilms, protective clusters that shield them from antibiotics and the immune system.
- Hide inside cells, including red and white blood cells, where they’re less visible to immune surveillance.
- Disrupt immune signaling, allowing them to persist long after the initial infection.
This means that standard tests often come back “normal”—not because the infection is gone, but because it's hiding. Conventional blood tests are designed to detect acute infections, not chronic, low-level microbial activity.
Moreover, treatment protocols based on a one-size-fits-all model fail to address co-infections, immune dysfunction, or detoxification needs. As a result, patients may be told they’re cured—or worse, that their symptoms are “in their head.”
Dr. Birkmeier-Fredal’s Root Cause Triad Model
Healing from chronic vector-borne infections requires more than just attacking microbes—it requires restoring the body’s ability to regulate and repair itself. That’s why Dr. Teresa Birkmeier-Fredal developed the Root Cause Triad, a clinical model that acknowledges the full complexity of chronic illness.
The Triad addresses three key drivers of immune dysfunction:
1. Microbes
Chronic infections like Borrelia (Lyme), Bartonella, Babesia, and others are central players in many unresolved health conditions. But they rarely act alone—and they rarely resolve without targeted, layered care.
2. Toxins
Mold exposure (mycotoxins), heavy metals (like mercury or lead), and environmental chemicals compromise the immune system, detox pathways, and mitochondrial energy. These toxins make it harder for the body to clear infections—and easier for stealth pathogens to take hold.
3. Chronic Stress
Nervous system dysregulation—whether from early trauma, prolonged illness, or environmental overwhelm—locks the body in a fight-or-flight state. This suppresses immune function, blocks detoxification, and perpetuates inflammation.
Dr. Birkmeier-Fredal’s approach is to treat all three legs of the triad, rather than symptom-chasing or applying generic protocols. This model ensures no stone is left unturned—and no patient is left feeling dismissed or hopeless.
Comprehensive Testing Approach
Advanced Diagnostic Labs
To detect stealth infections and co-infections with greater accuracy, she partners with specialty labs, including:
- IGeneX – industry leader in comprehensive Lyme and tick-borne disease panels
- Galaxy Diagnostics – highly sensitive testing for Bartonella and other fastidious pathogens
- Vibrant Labs – broad panels for Lyme, mold toxins, and environmental exposures
- DNA Connexions – PCR testing for multiple pathogens in one sample
These labs offer a deeper window into microbial load, persistence, and co-infection patterns that traditional blood work often misses.
Immune and Inflammatory Markers
In addition to identifying pathogens, Dr. Birkmeier-Fredal assesses how these infections are affecting your immune system using biomarkers like:
- C4a – complement pathway activation and immune response to biotoxins
- TGF-B1 – a key marker of immune and tissue inflammation
- MMP-9 – indicator of inflammatory damage and vascular permeability
These markers guide both diagnosis and treatment progress, helping to tailor your care over time.
Timeline-Based Clinical Analysis
Lab results alone aren’t enough. Dr. Birkmeier-Fredal builds each case from the ground up, using a detailed symptom timeline to correlate:
- Past infections or exposures
- Life stressors or trauma
- Onset and evolution of symptoms
This integrative view allows her to identify patterns that others miss—connecting your present-day symptoms to overlooked past events.
Targeted, Phased Treatment Strategies
Customized Antimicrobial Protocols
Based on your lab results, symptoms, and tolerance, treatment may include:
- Pharmaceutical antibiotics or antiparasitics, when appropriate and well-tolerated
- Herbal antimicrobials, such as artemisinin, cat’s claw, or cryptolepis, to target stealth infections gently
- Hybrid protocols, blending conventional and natural agents for optimal impact with minimal side effects
Protocols are designed to shift over time, avoiding microbial resistance and allowing your system to adjust.
Biofilm Disruptors, Detox, and Mitochondrial Support
Microbes often hide in biofilms—protective layers that make them harder to eliminate. Dr. Birkmeier-Fredal incorporates:
- Biofilm-disrupting agents like enzymes or EDTA
- Detox support including binders, sauna, liver drainage, and glutathione
- Mitochondrial repair using targeted nutrients like CoQ10, PQQ, and carnitine to restore energy and cellular function
These tools protect you from die-off reactions and keep your detox pathways open during treatment.
Nervous System and Immune Modulation
Immune and neurological stability are critical in chronic illness recovery. Treatments may include:
- Limbic system retraining to calm overactive fight-or-flight responses
- Vagal nerve stimulation and breathwork
- Low-dose immune modulators to rebalance overactive or suppressed immune pathways
This approach reduces the risk of flares or Herxheimer reactions, and improves long-term resilience.
Real Answers Are Possible
If you’ve been searching for answers and feel like you’ve been dismissed, misdiagnosed, or told that “everything looks fine,” know this: chronic vector-borne infections are real—and they are treatable.
You are not imagining your symptoms. You are not overreacting. And you’re not alone.
At Restorative Medicine Center, Dr. Teresa Birkmeier-Fredal takes a different approach. She listens closely. She digs deeper. And she builds every treatment plan from the ground up, using science, intuition, and a clinical model designed to restore true immune balance.
This is not a quick fix—but it is a path forward. One rooted in compassion, clarity, and partnership.
Schedule a Consultation for Chronic Infections
If you suspect Lyme, Bartonella, Babesia, or other stealth infections are impacting your health, now is the time to act. Schedule an evaluation with Dr. Birkmeier-Fredal and begin your journey back to wellness with expert, root-cause care.
📍 Restorative Medicine Center
705 Barclay Cir #115, Rochester Hills, MI 48307
📞 248.289.6349 🌐 restorativemedcenter.com