You have been told the tests are negative. That your labs look fine. That the fatigue, the joint pain, the brain fog are stress or anxiety or something you need to learn to live with. You have seen multiple doctors, tried antibiotics that helped for a while then stopped working, and still feel like something is wrong. Our team runs the panels that actually matter and builds a protocol designed to address what standard care keeps missing.
Lyme is rarely a single tick bite. These are the primary drivers we evaluate during your conditions evaluation at Prince Health in The Woodlands.
Borrelia burgdorferi enters the bloodstream through the bite of an infected Ixodes (deer) tick. Many patients never notice the bite or develop the telltale bull's-eye rash, which delays diagnosis during the critical early window when treatment is simplest.
When Lyme goes untreated or undertreated, the Borrelia spirochete disseminates into joints, the nervous system, the heart, and connective tissue. The infection can persist for months or years, creating systemic dysfunction that standard antibiotics fail to resolve.
Ticks rarely carry Borrelia alone. Babesia, Bartonella, Ehrlichia, and Anaplasma frequently accompany Lyme and amplify the symptom burden. These co-infections require separate identification and treatment, which standard Lyme panels do not address.
Chronic Lyme pushes the immune system into a cycle of overactivation and exhaustion. The body mounts an inflammatory response it cannot sustain, leading to autoimmune-like symptoms, heightened sensitivities, and an inability to clear the infection on its own.
Borrelia spirochetes can form protective biofilm colonies that shield them from antibiotics and the immune system. These biofilms allow the bacteria to persist in a dormant state and reactivate when conditions change, which explains the relapsing pattern many patients experience.
The Woodlands sits at the edge of Sam Houston National Forest, surrounded by wooded trails and green spaces where tick populations thrive. Gulf Coast humidity extends the active tick season well beyond what most residents expect. Local hikers, hunters, and families using the trail system face year-round exposure risk.
Lyme touches multiple body systems at once, which is why it gets misread as fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, depression, or autoimmune disease. Our evaluation captures the full symptom picture.
"Every doctor told me my labs looked fine. The fatigue kept getting worse. The joint pain moved every week. I lost five years to this before someone finally tested for the right things."
Standard two-tier testing misses up to 50% of chronic cases. Symptoms cluster in patterns most clinics never connect. Our intake starts by listening for those patterns, then runs the tests that confirm them.
Standard ELISA and Western blot panels were built for surveillance, not diagnosis. Patients with real infections get told nothing is wrong. We run expanded panels that evaluate Borrelia alongside co-infections, immune markers, and inflammatory indicators, then build a protocol designed to address each one.
Babesia, Bartonella, Ehrlichia, and Anaplasma are evaluated alongside immune function, inflammatory markers, and nutrient status for a complete diagnostic picture.
IV ozone therapy, SOT, functional medicine, and supportive care work together to target the infection from multiple angles while rebuilding the systems it has damaged.
Every patient receives lab retesting, symptom scoring, and functional benchmarks at defined intervals. You will see documented progress, not hope that things are improving.
A tick-borne infection caused by the Borrelia burgdorferi spirochete that can affect joints, the nervous system, the heart, and immune function. Treated at Prince Health with functional medicine, IV ozone therapy, and SOT to address the infection and the systemic damage it creates.
Lyme disease starts with a single tick bite. The Borrelia spirochete enters the bloodstream and can spread to joints, the brain, the heart, and connective tissue within days. Early symptoms often look like the flu. Some patients develop the classic bull's-eye rash, but many never do, which means the infection goes undiagnosed during the window when treatment is simplest.
Chronic Lyme develops when the initial infection is missed or inadequately treated. The bacteria shifts into survival mode. It changes form, hides inside biofilm colonies, and embeds in tissues where antibiotics have difficulty reaching. The immune system stays activated, cycling between aggressive inflammatory responses and periods of exhaustion. This is why patients experience the relapsing-remitting pattern that makes chronic Lyme so unpredictable.
Standard testing is part of the problem. The two-tier system was designed for population surveillance, not individual diagnosis. It relies on the body producing specific antibodies, which many chronic Lyme patients do not generate in detectable quantities. A negative standard test does not rule out Lyme. Our evaluation uses expanded panels through specialty labs that assess Borrelia through multiple methods, alongside comprehensive co-infection testing for Babesia, Bartonella, Ehrlichia, and Anaplasma. Functional medicine ties the testing into a treatment protocol designed for chronic, multi-system infections.
The Woodlands area carries real exposure risk. Sam Houston National Forest borders the community, and the trail system draws hikers, runners, and families into tick habitat year-round. Gulf Coast humidity keeps tick populations active well into winter. Many of our patients were exposed locally and spent years seeking answers before receiving an accurate diagnosis. Patients dealing with overlapping post-viral conditions like Epstein-Barr reactivation or long COVID often need both addressed in parallel.
Your treatment plan may include one or more of the following therapies, selected based on your lab results, co-infection status, and symptom profile.
Functional medicine identifies the root drivers of chronic Lyme, including co-infections, immune dysfunction, nutrient depletion, and gut imbalances, then builds a targeted protocol to address each one.
IV ozone therapy delivers medical-grade ozone directly into the bloodstream to support immune function, reduce pathogen load, and improve oxygen utilization at the cellular level.
SOT creates a custom antisense molecule that targets the specific genetic material of Borrelia and co-infections, interrupting their ability to replicate. Each treatment remains active for 3 to 6 months.
Four steps from first visit to documented progress. The same protocol every patient gets, regardless of how busy the clinic is.
Detailed health history, tick exposure assessment, symptom timeline, and thorough review of any previous testing or treatments to build a complete picture of your condition.
Expanded panels evaluating Borrelia, co-infections, immune markers, inflammatory indicators, nutrient status, and organ function through specialty laboratories.
A multi-modal protocol combining IV ozone therapy, SOT, functional medicine, and supportive care tailored to your lab results and individual symptom profile.
Lab retesting, symptom scoring, and functional benchmarks at defined intervals to confirm improvement, adjust protocols, and guide the duration of your treatment.
Schedule your evaluation at Prince Health in The Woodlands, TX. We run the tests that matter, identify what standard care has missed, and build a protocol designed for real recovery.
Chronic Lyme can produce fatigue, joint pain, brain fog, nerve tingling, sleep disruption, and mood changes that persist long after initial infection. These symptoms often overlap with other conditions, making accurate testing essential for proper diagnosis.
We combine functional medicine evaluation with targeted therapies like IV ozone therapy and SOT. The goal is to reduce pathogen load while rebuilding immune function and correcting the metabolic imbalances that chronic Lyme creates.
Early-stage Lyme responds well to treatment, and many patients achieve full recovery. Chronic Lyme is more complex but can be significantly improved with the right multi-modal protocol. We track progress through lab markers and functional benchmarks, not just symptom reporting.
Standard two-tier testing (ELISA and Western Blot) has well-documented sensitivity limitations, particularly for chronic Lyme. Our customized lab assessment includes advanced testing methods that detect Lyme and co-infections more accurately.
Treatment costs vary based on the complexity of your case and the therapies included in your protocol. We provide a clear cost breakdown during your initial consultation. Most patients find that addressing the root cause reduces the cumulative cost of managing chronic symptoms over years.
Some Lyme therapies require modification during pregnancy. We evaluate each patient individually and adjust protocols to ensure safety for both mother and baby. If you are pregnant or planning to become pregnant, discuss this at your initial consultation.
Treatment duration depends on whether the infection is acute or chronic and how many co-infections are present. Acute cases may resolve in weeks. Chronic Lyme typically requires 3 to 6 months of structured care with periodic reassessment through lab work.
Yes, in most cases. The Borrelia bacteria typically requires 36 to 48 hours of attached tick feeding to transmit, so prompt removal matters. Wear long sleeves and pants in wooded or grassy areas, tuck pants into socks, use EPA-approved repellents containing DEET or picaridin, treat clothing with permethrin, and check yourself, children, and pets thoroughly within hours of any outdoor exposure. If you find an attached tick, remove it carefully with fine-tipped tweezers and watch for any expanding rash or flu-like symptoms over the following weeks.
Chronic Lyme rarely arrives alone. Co-infections, viral reactivation, mold exposure, and autonomic disruption commonly travel with it and shape the recovery plan.
Comprehensive management of chronic EBV reactivation through functional medicine evaluation, immune support, and targeted therapies including IV ozone and SOT.
Multi-modal approach to persistent post-COVID symptoms through hyperbaric oxygen therapy, IV therapies, functional medicine evaluation, and nervous system restoration.
Comprehensive evaluation and treatment for POTS and autonomic nervous system dysfunction through functional medicine, chiropractic care, and lifestyle protocols.
Comprehensive evaluation and treatment for mold-related illness through functional medicine testing, detoxification protocols, and IV therapies.
Our office is located at 10847 Kuykendahl Rd #350 in The Woodlands, TX 77382, easily accessible from Woodlands Parkway, Kuykendahl Road, and the I-45 corridor.
We serve patients from Alden Bridge, Cochran's Crossing, Creekside Park, Sterling Ridge, Panther Creek, Grogan's Mill, and surrounding communities.
10847 Kuykendahl Rd #350
The Woodlands, TX 77382
Schedule your appointment at Prince Health in The Woodlands, TX. We listen first, evaluate thoroughly, and build a plan that fits your goals.
