Top Functional Lyme Disease Doctor in Manhattan
At Kellman MD in Manhattan, Dr. Raphael Kellman takes a functional, microbiome-centered approach that goes beyond managing the symptoms of Lyme Disease. By restoring the gut biome, lowering inflammation, and bolstering cellular resilience, patients often experience meaningful improvements in their most stubborn Lyme-related symptoms.
Dr. Kellman has spent decades studying how chronic infections disrupt the body’s internal ecosystem. His approach recognizes a critical truth: Lyme disease cannot be fully addressed without repairing the gut microbiome. When the gut is restored, the immune system becomes stronger, inflammation diminishes, and patients feel relief from whole-body symptoms of chronic Lyme.
How Lyme Disease Disrupts Gut Health
Lyme disease is caused by Borrelia burgdorferi, a stealth-like bacterium that affects multiple systems. But its impact on the gut is often underappreciated. Lyme-related inflammation, the immune system’s response to chronic infection, and the effects of antibiotic treatment can all destabilize the microbiome. This imbalance—known as dysbiosis—weakens immunity and increases inflammation, creating a cycle that allows Lyme symptoms to persist.
A disrupted microbiome affects:
This is why functional medicine prioritizes not just killing bacteria, but rebuilding the entire internal terrain.
Dr. Kellman says, “To truly recover from Lyme, we must rebuild the gut. The microbiome isn’t just part of the solution. It’s the foundation of the body’s healing power.”
Dr. Kellman’s microbiome-centered protocols focus on probiotic diversity, gut lining repair, mitochondrial support, and restoring immune balance. For many patients, this becomes the turning point in their recovery.
Lyme Symptoms Improve with Functional Medicine
Chronic Lyme disease shows up differently in each person, which is why a personalized approach is essential. Through functional diagnostic testing and microbiome evaluation, Dr. Kellman identifies the underlying drivers of each symptom and develops a targeted plan to rebalance the body.
Here are six symptoms that often improve significantly with functional Lyme care:
Healing the gut leads to greater balance across nearly all bodily systems, which in turn naturally reduces symptoms.
How Lyme Disease Progresses from Acute Infection to Long-Term Illness
Getting to the root cause of Lyme disease means understanding how it starts and how it progresses. Lyme disease typically begins as an acute infection following a tick bite, often with symptoms such as fever, fatigue, muscle aches, or a bull's-eye rash. However, not everyone sees the rash, and not everyone receives early treatment—leading to an infection that quietly embeds itself in tissues, nerves, joints, and immune cells.
In the Northeast, where ticks are abundant and exposure is common, many patients experience Lyme disease that evolves in three stages:
1. Acute Lyme
The first days to weeks after infection, when symptoms resemble the flu. Some resolve quickly; others do not.
2. Early Disseminated Lyme
The bacteria begin to spread through the bloodstream, affecting the nervous system, joints, and cardiovascular system.
3. Chronic or Persistent Lyme
Months or years after infection, patients may struggle with neurological symptoms, autoimmune reactions, fatigue, joint pain, digestive disturbances, and heightened inflammation.
Part of the progression of Lyme Disease involves immune dysregulation and microbial disruption. When the immune system cannot fully eliminate the infection or co-infections, inflammation becomes chronic. Functional medicine addresses this root-level imbalance so the body can regain the strength necessary to heal.
Dr. Kellman Offers Lifestyle and Environmental Support for Lyme Recovery
In addition to fixing your microbiome and improving your natural immunity, Dr. Kellman supports your Lyme recovery in other ways. Environmental toxins, poor sleep, chronic stress, hormone imbalances, mold exposure, inflammatory foods, and nutrient deficiencies can all increase inflammation.
Dr. Kellman is known throughout Manhattan for his approach that integrates:
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Nutritional protocols to calm inflammation
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Microbiome-rebuilding therapies
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Toxin-reduction strategies
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Stress and sleep optimization
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Mitochondrial and detox support
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Identification of mold, chemicals, or environmental triggers
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Lifestyle adjustments to strengthen resilience
By lowering the cumulative inflammatory load, the immune system can function more effectively, and Lyme symptoms become easier to manage or resolve.
Get to the Root Cause with Dr. Kellman. Get Started with Manhattan-Based Lyme Care Today
If you’ve been searching for answers, struggling with persistent symptoms, or feeling unheard in conventional care, there is another path. Dr. Kellman is nationally recognized for his expertise in the gut microbiome and his ability to uncover the hidden drivers behind chronic conditions like Lyme disease. His functional, whole-body approach helps patients rebuild their internal ecosystem and move toward true, lasting healing.
You deserve clarity. You deserve answers. And you deserve a personalized plan that addresses the root cause of your symptoms—not just temporary relief. Learn how functional medicine at Kellman MD can help you reclaim your health. Reach out today and begin your path toward restoration and long-term wellness.