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

When symptoms persist for months or years—despite “normal” labs, specialist visits, or multiple treatment attempts—it is often because the body is dealing with overlapping root causes that were never evaluated together.

At Denver Sports & Holistic Medicine, Chronic Illness & Complex Case Care is designed for individuals with multi-system symptoms, high sensitivity, and layered physiology—including immune activation, nervous system dysregulation, metabolic instability, gut dysfunction, toxin burden, and mitochondrial depletion.

This is not a one-size-fits-all protocol. It is a structured, phased approach that helps stabilize the body and rebuild resilience over time.

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.

Patterns & Diagnoses Often Seen in Complex Chronic Illness

Complex illness rarely presents as a single diagnosis. Instead, patients often experience overlapping patterns across immune, neurological, metabolic, hormonal, and digestive systems.

Examples of patterns we commonly evaluate include:

Chronic Infections & Post-Infectious Illness

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

Environmental & Toxicity-Driven Illness

• Mold illness and mycotoxin exposure
• Chemical sensitivity patterns
• Heavy metal burden
• Sick building–related illness

Neuro-Immune & Autonomic Dysregulation

• Mast cell activation and histamine intolerance
• Autoimmune fatigue and inflammatory syndromes
• POTS, dysautonomia, vagus nerve dysfunction
• Neuropathy, internal vibrations, migratory pain

Hormonal, Metabolic & Mitochondrial Dysfunction

• Chronic fatigue and exercise intolerance
• Hormone instability and stress physiology disruption
• Insulin resistance and metabolic inflexibility
• Mitochondrial depletion and low cellular energy

Digestive & Gut-Immune Disorders

• IBS and SIBO patterns
• Leaky gut and food sensitivities
• Candida or fungal overgrowth
• Parasitic burden and microbiome imbalance

Complex Pain Syndromes

• Fibromyalgia and centralized pain
• Chronic joint or muscle pain
• Unexplained inflammatory pain patterns

If your symptoms are not listed here, you may still be an excellent candidate for complex case care. Chronic illness is best understood through patterns, not isolated diagnoses.

Our Complex Case Care Framework

Comprehensive Case Mapping

We begin by organizing your full clinical picture—symptom timeline, exposures, infections, stressors, and prior treatments—to identify likely drivers and determine where to start safely.

Stabilization Comes First

Before deeper protocols, we prioritize foundational stability:

• Sleep and circadian rhythm support
• Blood sugar regulation and metabolic stability
• Hydration, minerals, and daily elimination
• Nervous system regulation and vagal tone support

→ Acupuncture & Nervous System Regulation

Systems-Based Investigation

When clinically appropriate, we evaluate the systems most often involved in complex illness:

• Gut health and microbiome balance
• Hormone and stress physiology
• Immune activation and inflammation
• Detoxification capacity and drainage tolerance
• Mitochondrial resilience and oxidative stress
• Environmental exposures and biotoxin contributors

→ Advanced Functional Lab Testing

Phased, Tolerance-Based Care

Care progresses based on your physiology and sensitivity, which may include:

• Gut repair and microbiome strategies
• Immune modulation and inflammation support
• Detoxification and drainage support when tolerated
• Mitochondrial and cellular energy support
• Ongoing nervous system regulation

→ Gut Health & Digestive Restoration
→ Detoxification & Environmental Medicine
→ Longevity & Mitochondrial Health

Signs You May Benefit From Complex Case Care

Complex chronic illness often presents as multi-system symptom patterns, including:

• Chronic fatigue, low resilience, post-exertional crashes
• Brain fog, poor concentration, memory changes
• Sleep disruption, wired-tired patterns, stress intolerance
• Anxiety, mood changes, nervous system hyperreactivity
• Digestive instability, bloating, food sensitivities
• Migratory pain, joint or muscle aches, inflammatory flares
• Headaches, dizziness, internal vibrations, neuropathy symptoms
• Chemical sensitivity, fragrance intolerance, environmental reactivity
• Frequent infections or poor immune resilience
• Hormonal instability, cycle irregularities, weight resistance

What Your Personalized Plan May Include

Depending on your needs and tolerance, your care may include:

• Functional and integrative medical evaluation
• Strategic, phased nutrition and lifestyle support
• Herbal medicine and targeted nutraceutical therapy
• Nervous system regulation through acupuncture
• Gut-focused support and microbiome strategies
• Detoxification and drainage support when indicated
• Mitochondrial support and cellular energy strategies

→ Functional & Integrative Medicine
→ Herbal Medicine & Nutraceutical Therapy
→ Immune Health & Autoimmune Support

Who This Care Is For

This program is especially appropriate if you:

• Have multi-system symptoms with unclear root cause
• Feel reactive or sensitive to supplements, medications, or environments
• Have tried multiple approaches without sustained improvement
• Suspect mold, environmental illness, or chronic immune activation
• Have overlapping gut, hormone, immune, and nervous system symptoms
• Need a structured, phased plan instead of scattered recommendations

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.

Related Services

→ Functional & Integrative Medicine
→ Mold Illness & Environmental Toxicity
→ Detoxification & Environmental Medicine

Frequently Asked Questions About Chronic & Complex Cases

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.

7. Why do complex or chronic cases often fail conventional treatment?

Complex illness rarely stems from a single cause. Conventional care typically focuses on isolated symptoms or diagnoses, while chronic conditions are driven by overlapping contributors such as toxin exposure, infections, immune dysregulation, nervous system stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, and impaired detoxification. When these interconnected systems are not addressed in the correct sequence, treatment often stalls or fails.

8. Do you work with patients who have already seen many doctors?

Yes. Many patients with complex illness arrive after years of specialist visits, inconclusive testing, or partial improvement. A systems-based, root-cause approach helps identify missed drivers, organize care logically, and move treatment forward without adding unnecessary complexity.

9. What makes your approach different from standard functional medicine?

This approach prioritizes biological readiness and sequencing. Rather than layering multiple interventions at once, care focuses first on nervous system regulation, metabolic stability, and mitochondrial capacity. This allows the body to tolerate treatment and respond effectively, especially in sensitive or chronically ill patients.

10. Is this approach appropriate if I am very fatigued or easily overwhelmed?

Yes. Care is intentionally paced and adapted to individual tolerance. Highly fatigued or sensitive patients benefit from stabilization-focused strategies that reduce flares, prevent crashes, and support gradual, sustainable improvement rather than aggressive intervention.

11. Do complex cases require in-person care, or can they be managed remotely?

Many complex cases can be managed effectively through telemedicine, particularly during evaluation, testing review, and early treatment phases. In-person care may be recommended when hands-on therapies or in-office technologies provide additional clinical benefit.

12. What types of testing are typically used in complex cases?

Testing is individualized and targeted. It may include evaluation of toxin burden, stealth infections, immune activation, mitochondrial function, hormonal stress patterns, gut health, and metabolic resilience. Only testing that directly informs treatment decisions is recommended.