Across Michigan and the upper Midwest, tick-borne infections have become far more common than most people realize. Patients who never noticed a tick bite—or who were treated promptly with antibiotics—are now experiencing months or years of symptoms that don’t fit neatly into any conventional diagnosis. Fatigue, brain fog, nerve pain, unexplained inflammation, and nervous system symptoms often linger long after a “standard treatment” is completed.

The challenge is that conventional medical models are built around acute Lyme disease—the early phase infection where a rash, fever, or joint pain appear shortly after a tick bite. In this model, treatment is simple and short-term, focused only on Borrelia burgdorferi as the singular cause. But this approach often overlooks the deeper layers driving persistent illness, including immune dysregulation, co-infections, toxin exposure, and chronic physiologic stress.

As a Lyme disease treatment specialist in Michigan, Dr. Teresa Birkmeier-Fredal uses the Root Cause Triad—Microbes, Toxins, and Stress Response—to understand why symptoms persist and how to unwind them. The goal is not to suppress symptoms temporarily, but to uncover why the immune system remains strained and guide the body back toward stability and true recovery.

Understanding Lyme Disease Beyond the Standard Medical Model

Acute Lyme vs. Persistent or Chronic Lyme

Early Lyme disease follows a well-known pattern: a possible rash (though many never develop one), fatigue, fever, and joint pain. During this early window, testing may be unreliable, and many patients receive antibiotics without accurate confirmation. Some recover fully—but others do not.

Why the difference?

• Some immune systems clear the infection efficiently.
• Others encounter co-infections at the same time.
• Some patients have underlying inflammatory or toxin burdens that weaken their resilience.
• Early testing often misses the infection entirely, delaying meaningful intervention.

Immune Dysregulation as the True Driver of “Chronic Lyme”

Borrelia is uniquely skilled at evading the immune system. It can:

• Change its surface proteins
• Hide in biofilms
• Shift into dormant or intracellular forms

These strategies confuse the immune system and promote chronic inflammation.

Ongoing symptoms are often fueled by:

• Inflammatory cytokine release
• Mitochondrial stress, reducing energy production
• Impaired detoxification, causing toxin buildup

Root Cause Triad: The Foundation of Dr. Teresa’s Lyme Approach

Persistent Lyme symptoms usually arise from multiple physiologic stressors, not one isolated infection. The Root Cause Triad helps clarify how these layers interact.

Microbes

• Borrelia remains the primary infection, but rarely acts alone.
• Co-infections such as Bartonella and Babesia profoundly affect the nervous system, immune system, mood, sleep, and pain levels.
• Viral reactivation often appears when the immune system is overwhelmed.
• Secondary pathogens (Mycoplasma, Anaplasma, Ehrlichia) may go undiagnosed for years.

Toxins

Toxic burden is one of the most underestimated contributors to persistent Lyme symptoms:

• Mold and mycotoxins cause neurological irritation, fatigue, pain, and immune suppression.
• Environmental toxins (pesticides, fragrances, cleaners, heavy metals) add to the inflammatory load.
• Internal toxins build up when detoxification pathways become overwhelmed.

Stress Response

Chronic stress—physiologic or emotional—keeps the body locked in survival mode and makes all Lyme symptoms worse.

• Persistent fight-or-flight activation causes widespread inflammation.
• HPA-axis disruption impairs energy, sleep, and hormonal rhythms.
• Mitochondrial strain reduces resilience.
• Limbic system sensitization amplifies symptoms and creates “stuck” patterns.

Comprehensive Testing With a Lyme Disease Specialist

Unraveling persistent Lyme symptoms requires a far more detailed evaluation than standard Lyme tests provide. At the Restorative Medicine Center, we utilize a comprehensive diagnostic strategy to uncover the full landscape of microbial, toxic, inflammatory, hormonal, and metabolic stressors affecting each patient.

Advanced Tick-Borne Infection Panels

Lyme disease rarely occurs in isolation. Persistent symptoms often reflect a combination of infections, each contributing its own layer of inflammation and nervous system disruption. Advanced panels evaluate for:

• Borrelia (multiple species and strains)
• Bartonella
• Babesia
• Anaplasma
• Ehrlichia
• Rickettsia

This deeper testing identifies co-infections that drive neurological symptoms, night sweats, anxiety, pain, and fatigue—issues often mistaken for Lyme alone.

CIRS and Biotoxin Biomarkers

Chronic inflammatory patterns frequently overlap with tick-borne infections. CIRS biomarkers help reveal whether biotoxins are fueling the ongoing immune activation:

• C4a
• TGF-β1
• MMP-9
• VEGF
• ECP

When these markers are elevated or dysregulated, it indicates the presence of persistent inflammatory burden that must be addressed for meaningful improvement.

Mold/Mycotoxin Testing

Mold illness symptoms often replicate or intensify Lyme symptoms. Identifying mycotoxin burden is essential for patients who plateau despite treatment.

Testing includes:

• Urine mycotoxin assessment
• Environmental mold evaluation of the home or workplace

Mycotoxins can destabilize the immune system, impair detox pathways, and inflame the nervous system, making microbial symptoms significantly worse.

Immune Function Evaluation

Persistent Lyme involves the immune system as much as the microbes themselves. We assess:

• Immunoglobulin levels (IgG, IgA, IgM)
• ANA and autoantibody screens
• hsCRP to evaluate systemic inflammation

This reveals whether the immune system is exhausted, overactive, or misdirected.

Hormonal and Adrenal Patterns

Hormones directly influence fatigue, mood, sleep, pain tolerance, and immune function. We evaluate:

• Cortisol rhythms to assess HPA-axis stability
• Thyroid panel with reverse T3 to evaluate hormonal metabolism
• DHEA and melatonin to assess adrenal function and sleep regulation

Many Lyme patients experience dramatic improvement once hormonal balance is restored.

Nutrient and Mitochondrial Status

Microbes, toxins, and chronic inflammation can deplete nutrients and impair energy production.

We test:

• Magnesium
• B vitamins
• Ferritin
• Glutathione
• Organic acid markers for mitochondrial performance

Supporting mitochondrial resilience is key for improving fatigue, cognitive function, and immune recovery.

Detoxification and Metabolic Testing

To understand how well the body is processing internal and external toxins, we examine:

• Liver detoxification markers
• Blood sugar and insulin stability
• Oxidative stress indicators

These insights guide detoxification support and prevent treatment crashes.

Treatment Approach Used by Michigan Lyme Specialist Dr. Teresa Birkmeier-Fredal

Lyme disease treatment at the Restorative Medicine Center follows a structured, individualized, and pacing-conscious approach. Patients are never rushed into aggressive treatment; instead, we strengthen the body layer by layer.

Stabilization (“Stay Calm”)

Before targeting microbes or toxins, we build a foundation of safety and stability to prevent overwhelm:

• Nervous system regulation strategies
• Sleep support and circadian rhythm restoration
• Hydration and nutrient foundations
• Gentle movement and pacing to reduce crashes

Stabilization is essential—it helps the body tolerate deeper phases of treatment without triggering excessive inflammation.

Microbial Treatment

Once stable, we address infections using precision strategies:

• Herbal antimicrobials
• Antibiotics when clinically appropriate
• Targeted Bartonella and Babesia protocols
• Managing Herxheimer reactions safely and calmly

Treatment pacing is tailored to each patient's sensitivity and response.

Toxin and Biotoxin Removal

Clearing toxins reduces inflammatory load and helps the immune system regain clarity.

This includes:

• Mold remediation guidance and support
• Detoxification pathway support:
  
  • Methylation
  • Glucuronidation
  • Mitochondrial repair
• Sauna therapy
• Red and near-infrared light therapy

Removing toxins often leads to major breakthroughs in fatigue, pain, brain fog, and nervous system stability.

Rebalance Immune and Hormonal Systems

Once infections and toxins are being addressed, we optimize physiologic systems:

• Correcting thyroid and adrenal imbalance
• Stabilizing blood sugar
• Supporting melatonin and cortisol rhythms
• Improving overall immune regulation

This stage creates long-term stability and reduces symptom flare-ups.

Build Long-Term Resilience

The final phase focuses on restoring strength, flexibility, and resilience across the entire system:

• Limbic retraining to reduce hyperarousal
• Mitochondrial support for energy and endurance
• Clean air, clean water, clean diet principles
• Symptom timeline tracking to understand patterns and adjust care

This is where patients begin to feel consistently better—not just symptom-free for days or weeks, but grounded, stable, and capable.

Start Your Path to Recovery With a Lyme Disease Specialist in Michigan

If you’ve been living with lingering symptoms—fatigue, neurological issues, widespread pain, dizziness, digestive issues, or unexplained inflammation—long after a tick bite or without knowing exactly when it started, you’re not alone. Persistent Lyme symptoms almost never arise from Borrelia alone. They reflect deeper immune strain involving microbes, toxins, and a stress physiology system stretched beyond its limits.

At the Restorative Medicine Center, we help you uncover these layers through a compassionate, systematic, and evidence-informed approach. If you’re ready for a clearer path toward healing with a Lyme disease treatment specialist in Michigan, we’re here to guide and support you every step of the way.

Restorative Medicine Center Dr. Teresa Birkmeier-Fredal, MD
705 Barclay Circle, Suite 115
Rochester Hills, Michigan 48307

Phone: 248-289-6349
Website: https://www.restorativemedcenter.com

‍