Lyme Disease: Treatment is a Multidisciplinary Approach

As we head into Lyme Awareness month, let us highlight the multi-modal approach that it takes to treat the complex condition that is Lyme disease. Treatment for Lyme disease is not a “one size fits all” approach and looks different for every single patient. Several factors, including but not limited to, duration of illness, parts of the body involved, co-infections present, and underlying health status, play a significant role in clinical decision making to decide what treatment(s) are appropriate for any specific patient. Lyme disease can infect any tissue in the body, and therefore has the ability to affect several body systems at once. This often leads to a multitude of symptoms across body systems that seem to be unrelated, but are in fact, all connected. Since this can look different for every patient, having a practitioner in Integrative Medicine to take the time to listen to you and put all of the pieces together is essential to achieve proper evaluation and treatment. 

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What’s New at the Stram Center | IV Suite & Nurse Updates!

It has been a busy and exciting time in the IV suite as we roll out so many new therapies and offerings this springtime! And as we jump into the spring season, so do the ticks. Beginning May 1we will be offering spring specials on a variety of Wellness IV and IM injections. 

Plus, stay tuned for specials on NAD+ infusions and our forthcoming Stram Weight Management Program. This is an opportunity for those looking to manage their weight and hit goals in a medically supervised setting. Combining nutritional support and health coaching to help you “feel your best,"  this program is not only for those looking to lose weight, but also for those looking to make gains in the gym, increase stamina & endurance, and to “optimize” their fitness goals! P.S. Ask about our Optimum Fitness Kit.

Look at us grow! Speaking of growth, we are so busy that we are looking to add to our dynamic nursing team! So if you know of a special RN that might be a great fit…………..send a resume to nursetara@stramcenter.com !

Finally, these dynamic nurses are organizing the 1st Annual Stram Fam Walk/Run/Hike to benefit our patients struggling with Lyme disease. All money raised will be placed in a treatment fund for those in financial need.

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What’s New at The Stram Center | Women’s Health!

Part of feeling your best is not only healing and treating illness, it is feeling good about yourself. As part of our Women’s Wellness, we are now offering Sclerotherapy at the Stram Center.  Do you struggle with spider veins on your legs that you feel are unsightly or bothersome?

We are now certified to perform sclerotherapy as an adjunct therapy in making patients feel their best. Spider veins, also known as telangiectasias, are tiny thin veins that are close to the surface of our skin and can be in different shapes including spider like, branch like, or lines.  Though these veins come off of our larger veins, they are not essential to our venous system.  Spider veins are most common in women over men and can start at a young age, but become more visible after age 40.  Development of these veins can depend on genetics, hormones, weight, or professions that require long periods of sitting or standing.

To treat these veins, we do a simple procedure to inject these tiny veins with a sclerosing agent called polidocanol.  In most cases after treatment the veins are much clearer and often no longer visible. 

How to get started, schedule a consult with Dr. Heather Haslun DNP, FNP-C.

Another way to help you truly feel your best. 

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Lyme Disease and Mental health

For those who are not diagnosed and treated in the early phases of Lyme disease, symptoms can progress to affect almost every part of the body. Some people present with chronic pain, some with autoimmune diseases, and some with predominantly neurological symptoms. Neurological Lyme often includes sudden changes in mood which can impact a person’s day to day life functions. 

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Herbal Support For Lyme Disease

Lyme disease a bacterial infection caused by Borrelia Burgdorgeri and in late stages, it can be difficult to treat. There is evidence that the Borrelia bacteria persists in tissues and can shift its form or shape in unfavorable host conditions, including a round body or cyst shap1.Different types of antibiotics and herbs have been studied to find the most effective agent that can kill or eradicate all forms of the bacteria. In subculture studies, single antibiotic agents are often found to be ineffective at eradicating all forms of the bacteria, therefore, multiple agents may be used in order to increase effectiveness of therapy. 

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Supporting your Immune System: What Should You Eat?

For patients battling Lyme disease and tick-borne illnesses, nutrition plays a critical role in recovery. Food can serve so many purposes; from enjoyment and pleasure to tissue healing and reducing inflammation.  Besides avoiding major inflammatory ingredients (such as processed foods, inflammatory oils, alcohol, added sugar, and artificial sweeteners), it is important to specifically support the immune system, as that is the critical component to overall healing. For immune wellness, here are some key components:

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A Note from Dr. Stram

As the new year begins, we often reflect and reminisce on our year and begin to make plans for the future. Reflecting upon this year at the Stram Center, our team expanded to the community of Burlington, Vermont. We welcomed Kathryn Boulter, Naturopathic Physician based in Vermont, Heather Haslun, Family Nurse Practitioner in New York, and Tara Madison, Nurse Manager in New York. With our expanding interdisciplinary team, we have evolved our treatment protocols to support more patients in need, attended wellness conferences to learn cutting-edge treatment modalities, and added three new hyperbaric oxygen therapy machines across both of our offices. To the communities, patients, and family that I have had the privilege to work with this year, I thank you. It is with great pride that as we enter 2023, the Stram Center for Integrative Medicine will be celebrating our 20th year of operation in Delmar, New York. This integrative medicine journey that I began in 2000 would not have been possible without the continued dedication of my team, community, and patients that have supported our vision of functional medicine since our inception. I look forward to another year of healing, and wish everyone health, happiness, and strength for this new year. 

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The Benefits of Individualized Nutrition

While humans are alike in many ways, we are also unique, especially when it comes to our behaviors, beliefs, genetic makeup, likes and dislikes. Our nutritional needs are just as unique to each of us because nutrition is much more than calories, vitamins and minerals. Our individual nutrition depends on many of factors, including our beliefs, behaviors, habits, cooking abilities, access to healthy foods, financial means, likes/dislikes, upbringing, and exposure in a safe and supportive childhood home to different foods. In an individualized nutrition counseling session, all of these factors are taken into account, creating space that you can thrive in.

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The Complexity of Mold

A combination of a passion for environmental medicine and an uptick in mold-related illness at the Stram Center prompted me to seek further medical training on the latest advances in treating mold-related conditions; a continuing medical education course taught by a Naturopathic Doctor specializing in mold sickness, Dr. Jill Crista. This blog is intended to bring attention to this chronic, often misdiagnosed, complex condition that is the root cause of a lot of “mystery” symptoms and syndromes - think chronic fatigue syndrome, mast cell activation syndrome, mitochondrial dysfunction, dysautonomia, chronic sinusitis, interstitial cystitis, nephritis, tinnitus, neuropathy, immunodeficiency, cognitive impairment, unspecified gastrointestinal symptoms, food sensitivity, among many others.

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Hyperbarics and Fibromyalgia

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) has been shown to be useful for wound healing and non-healing injuries, but more recently, it has also been utilized for traumatic brain injury (TBI) and symptoms related to post-concussion. HBOT has also been studied for inflammatory and autoimmune conditions including rheumatoid arthritis and ulcerative colitis. But what about chronic pain conditions such as fibromyalgia? It is not quite known what causes fibromyalgia, but possible causes include chronic infections, neurotransmitter imbalances, and emotional or physical trauma.

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