Chronic Illness & Complex Case Care

Root-Cause Evaluation for Multi-System Illness, Unexplained Symptoms & Long-Standing Health Challenges

When Chronic Illness Doesn’t Fit Into One Medical Box

Many patients come to Denver Sports & Holistic Medicine after years of frustration — countless specialists, “normal” labs, and a collection of symptoms that do not fit neatly into a single diagnosis. Chronic, complex illness rarely comes from one cause. It develops when multiple systems begin breaking down at once: immune, hormonal, mitochondrial, digestive, neurological, and detoxification pathways.

If you feel like no one has connected the dots, this is where our work begins.

Dr. Martina Sturm specializes in unraveling multi-system, chronic, and hard-to-diagnose conditions using Functional Medicine, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), and advanced diagnostic testing to uncover the root causes of persistent symptoms.

Why Complex, Chronic Illness Requires a Different Approach

Complex cases frequently involve:

• Multiple overlapping diagnoses
• Symptoms that migrate or shift over time
• “Normal” labs despite severe or disabling symptoms
• Sensitivity to medications or supplements
• Flare cycles triggered by stress, toxins, foods, or infections
• A history of mold exposure, Lyme, trauma, surgery, or chronic stress
• Involvement of multiple organs or systems simultaneously

These cases require a comprehensive, stepwise, whole-body approach — one that recognizes how interconnected systems influence each other, where breakdowns occur, and how to rebuild health layer by layer.

Conditions Commonly Treated

Chronic Infections & Post-Infectious Illness

• Lyme disease
• Bartonella, Babesia, and coinfections
• Long COVID / post-viral syndromes
• Chronic EBV or reactivation patterns

Environmental & Toxicity-Driven Illness

• Mold illness & mycotoxin exposure
• Chemical sensitivities
• Heavy metals
• Sick building syndrome

Neuro-Immune & Autoimmune Dysregulation

• MCAS / histamine intolerance
• Autoimmune fatigue & inflammatory syndromes
• POTS, dysautonomia, vagus nerve dysfunction
• Neuropathy, internal vibrations, migrating pain

Hormonal, Metabolic & Mitochondrial Dysfunction

• Chronic fatigue
• Hormone instability
• Insulin resistance
• Mitochondrial burnout
• Exercise intolerance

Digestive & Gut-Immune Disorders

• IBS & SIBO
• Leaky gut & food sensitivities
• Candida & fungal overgrowth
• Parasites
• Inflammatory bowel tendencies

Complex Pain Syndromes

• Fibromyalgia
• Chronic joint or muscle pain
• Unexplained inflammation

If your symptoms do not appear on this list, you may still be an excellent candidate — complex illness often presents as patterns, not isolated diagnoses.

Our Comprehensive Approach to Complex, Multi-System Illness

Healing chronic illness requires precision, sequence, and a whole-system perspective — not guesswork, and not overwhelm.
Our method includes:

1. Comprehensive Timeline & Pattern Mapping

We begin with a detailed evaluation of your entire health history — infections, exposures, stressors, surgeries, medications, trauma, hormonal changes, travel, and environmental shifts.

Patterns often reveal what routine labs overlook.

2. Advanced Functional Testing

Your diagnostic plan may include:

• Mycotoxin panels
• Lyme & coinfection testing
• Gut microbiome mapping
• Organic Acids Test (mitochondria, detox, dysbiosis)
• DUTCH hormone & cortisol mapping
• Immune activity markers
• Detoxification & methylation pathways
• Micronutrient analysis
• Environmental toxicity panels

→ Functional Medicine
→ Functional Lab Testing

3. Multi-System Treatment Strategy

Your personalized treatment plan may integrate:

• Nervous system regulation
• Detoxification & lymphatic support
• Gut healing and microbiome rebalancing
• Immune modulation
• Mitochondrial repair
• Hormone balancing
• Acupuncture & electro-acupuncture
• Bioenergetic therapies
• Ozone or injection therapy (when indicated)
• Lifestyle, sleep, and circadian optimization
• Targeted nutraceuticals & herbal medicine

→ Detoxification & Environmental Medicine
→ Bioenergetic & Nervous System Therapies
→ Longevity & Mitochondrial Health
→ Acupuncture
→ Functional Medicine

4. Gentle, Stepwise Progression — Not Overwhelm

Complex cases often worsen when too many treatments are added too quickly.
Your care plan honors:

• Your sensitivity threshold
• Your detoxification capacity
• Your nervous system state
• Your mitochondrial resilience

We rebuild your health layer by layer, in the correct clinical sequence.

5. Ongoing Monitoring, Adjustments & Support

Chronic illness is dynamic. As your biology shifts, your treatment plan adapts accordingly.
Your body’s responses guide each step in the healing process.

Common Symptoms We Help Unravel

• Brain fog, confusion, memory issues
• Neuropathy or internal vibrations
• Migrating joint or muscle pain
• Fatigue not relieved by rest
• Temperature dysregulation
• Dizziness, lightheadedness, POTS
• Chronic nausea or digestive instability
• Hypersensitivity to foods, chemicals, or light
• Sleep disturbances
• Hormonal swings
• Anxiety, irritability, overwhelm

If you’ve been told “your labs are normal” but you know something is wrong, you are not imagining your symptoms — you simply need a deeper evaluation and a different approach.

Why Patients Choose Dr. Martina Sturm

• Deep expertise in chronic, multi-system, complex illness
• Integrative training in TCM, Functional Medicine, and Longevity Medicine
• Advanced, nuanced diagnostic interpretation
• Trauma-informed, nervous-system-aware approach
• Personalized, root-cause protocols — never generic plans
• Options for in-person or telemedicine care

You do not have to navigate chronic illness alone.

Ready for Answers, Clarity, and a Plan That Finally Makes Sense?

Your symptoms are real. Your experience matters.
Your healing is possible — and begins with the right strategy.

Begin your personalized complex-case evaluation.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What qualifies as a complex or chronic case?

A complex case involves multi-system symptoms, long-standing illness, unexplained symptom patterns, or conditions that have not improved with conventional care. These often include mold illness, Lyme disease and coinfections, chronic fatigue, post-viral syndromes, autoimmune activation, mitochondrial dysfunction, and gut–immune disorders. Complex cases typically affect multiple body systems at once, which is why they require a whole-body, root-cause approach.

2. Do you work with patients who have “normal” labs but still feel unwell?

Yes. Many patients with complex illness have normal conventional labs despite severe symptoms. We use advanced functional testing to evaluate what standard labs do not measure — including mitochondrial energy production, toxin load, stealth infections, immune dysregulation, hormonal stress patterns, detox pathways, and the gut–immune axis.

3. How long does it take to see improvement?

Most patients begin noticing meaningful progress within 4–12 weeks, depending on factors such as toxicity load, infection burden, gut dysfunction, nervous system stress, mitochondrial capacity, and overall system resilience. Complex cases require stepwise progression, but improvements are measurable when the correct sequence is followed.

4. Do you offer telemedicine for complex cases?

Yes. Much of the evaluation, timeline mapping, advanced functional testing, and personalized treatment planning can be completed through secure telemedicine. Telemedicine is especially helpful for patients who are too symptomatic to travel or who live outside the greater Denver area.

5. Can complex symptoms come from mold or Lyme disease?

Absolutely. Mold toxins, Lyme disease, Bartonella, Babesia, and other coinfections are among the most common contributors to chronic, multi-system illness. They can create cascading effects across the immune system, mitochondria, hormones, detox pathways, and neurological function — leading to symptoms that appear unrelated but are deeply connected.

6. What if I’m sensitive to supplements or medications?

We specialize in working with highly sensitive patients. Your treatment plan follows a low-and-slow, nervous-system-first approach to ensure safety, stability, and tolerance. We focus on regulating the system before adding heavier therapeutic layers, allowing your body to accept treatment without overwhelm.