SERVICES
LYME DISEASE AND CO-INFECTIONS, INCLUDING BARTONELLA AND BABESIA
Do you have or suspect you have Lyme disease and co-infections? Melanie understands this condition too well, now recovered from years of debilitating fatigue and neurological symptoms from Lyme disease, she utilizes a comprehensive approach to diagnose and manage Lyme disease and co-infections in her patients. Her approach uses Integrative and Functional medicine to help patients recover and regain thriving health from Lyme and co-infections. Your management plan will ensure diet and lifestyle are optimal for you, address nutritional deficiencies, enhance detox pathways, include emotional support and yes, address the infections when the time is right. Some of the recommended therapies include dietary changes, supplements, infrared sauna, massage therapy, herbal medicine, prescription agents including antibiotics and nutritional IV therapy. Call today to make your appointment for a Lyme evaluation.
More information about Lyme disease and co-infections
Testing and treating Lyme disease “Lyme” and co-infections can be challenging. Given the complexity of the topic, I will only summarize key points that may help you and your loved ones understand a little more about this condition.
First, a few basics. Lyme is an epidemic and is found in most states in the U.S. and around the world. Co-infections are other infections transmitted by ticks, such as Babesia and Bartonella, and are found in 4-45% of patients from endemic areas. Yikes! This means you may have an almost 50% chance of having a co-infection depending on where you live. Not having a rash and not recalling a tick bite are NOT reasons why testing or management should not be done, less than 30% of Lyme patients in the U.S. remember getting a tick bite. (ILADS https://www.ilads.org/research-literature/lyme-disease-basics-for-providers/)
Secondly, let’s talk about testing. No current testing can make or rule out the diagnosis of Lyme and co-infections with 100% certainty and no testing can tell us if the infection is resolved. “Standard” testing, the Elisa and Western blot tests, test for only one type (species) of Borrelia, Borrelia burgdoferi, so do not look for co-infections and rely on the immune system to make enough antibodies to get a positive this. This means: 1) if testing is done too early after a tick bite (if you even knew you were bit), the test might be falsely negative because not enough antibodies have been produced, 2) in a persistent (aka chronic) infection, if the infection has been going on for 6+ months, the immune system may not be working optimally or may no longer be reacting to the infection and thus not make enough antibodies to get a positive test and 3) will be negative if B. burgdoferi is not the main infection. This is not to say that testing should not be performed, but simply to explain that a negative test does not mean you do not have Lyme. I use multiple different methods of assessing and testing for Lyme and co-infections including the standard Western Blot but also use DNA Connexions, IgeneX and multiple screening questionnaires to help make the diagnosis.
Last but not least, treating these infections requires a personalized comprehensive approach. I will repeat this because it is so critical: treating Lyme and co-infections requires a personalized comprehensive approach. It is NOT simply about taking antibiotics or antimicrobial herbals and voila. It requires assessing the diet, sleep, stress, immune, detox and hormonal balance to name a few and supporting all these systems. Antibiotics or herbal antimicrobial may not initially be started if the detox and digestive systems are compromised – killing bugs too early may make you sicker. Or, if the main issue is a compromised immune system because of toxins, mold toxins for example, then killing bugs may not give good results since it is not the main problem. One protocol may be “magic” for one person and not work well at all for another, this is the art of medicine and why you should get guidance when treating Lyme and co-infections.
MOLD ILLNESS
More coming soon…
FATIGUE, MYALGIC ENCEPHALOMYELITIS (ME)/CHRONIC FATIGUE, FIBROMYALGIA
Tired of being tired and in pain? Have you been on a thyroid medication for months, years and still not feeling better? Come and get a comprehensive Integrative and Functional Fatigue evaluation to look for possible cause(s). Many causes of fatigue and pain exist requiring a thorough assessment. Melanie brings her personal experience with chronic fatigue and her Integrative and Functional medicine expertise to create a personalized plan to help you regain health.
A thorough fatigue evaluation may include the following testing:
- Functional thyroid labs with freeT4, freeT3, reverseT3, thyroid antibodies and TSH
- Chronic infections including Lyme and co-infections and EBV
- Vitamin and mineral deficiencies
- Adrenal and cortisol
- Inflammation
- Blood sugar
- Toxins including mold toxins
Call today to make your appointment for a fatigue evaluation.
AUTOIMMUNE DISEASES
More coming soon…
DIGESTIVE ISSUES
Digestive issues are a significant issue in the US and worldwide. Recent data suggests that digestive complaints resulted in 32.3 million office visits in 2015.1 One of the most common digestive diagnosis is irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) affecting 25-45 million Americans and 10-15% of the population worldwide.2 While IBS provides a diagnosis, it is a syndrome (multiple symptoms put together) and does not offer a cause or effective treatment often resulting in ongoing symptoms. Yet causes of IBS are known! It is estimated that possibly 70+% of patients with IBS have small intestinal bacterial overgrowth.3 Similarly, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is often seen as “idiopathic”, or not having a clear/known cause and patients with IBD are offered few solutions, told “diet has nothing to do with IBD” and prescribed medications that may have many adverse effects.
But do not despair, a healthy digestion is possible! While digestive issues may be varied and have no obvious causes to the traditional practitioner, Be Vital Health Center takes an Integrative and Functional approach to all digestive issues. This means Melanie will investigate deeply to unearth causes and contributing factors including food issues, intestinal infections, SIBO, dysbiosis, stomach acid issues and stress. Her treatment approach includes dietary changes, key supplements and nutrients, herbal medicine and medications when indicated. The goal is not to mask symptoms but address the root cause of the imbalances causing digestive issues and to bring health and balance to the system.
IV THERAPY
What is nutritional IV therapy?
Intravenous (IV) nutrition therapy is a method of getting vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and other nutrients into the bloodstream to correct deficiencies and address health concerns. IV administration bypasses the digestive system, delivering nutrients directly into the blood and allows for rapid repletion and higher blood concentration of nutrients.
Many individuals may benefit from IV therapy including those with:
- Fatigue
- Brain fog
- Nutritional deficiencies
- Headaches and migraines
- Digestive issues
- Skin issues
- Infections (such as the flu)
- Lyme disease and Epstein Bar (EBV)
- Detox issues
- Those receiving radiation and chemotherapy
You may also be looking to continue feeling well and to support optimal health.
Numerous benefits have been reported and include:
- Increased energy
- Better concentration
- Improved sleep
- Enhanced wellbeing and mood
- Decreased chemotherapy side-effects
- Migraine and headache relief
- Enhanced athletic recovery