Do You Have Lyme Disease and Not Know It? | Dr. Bill Rawls

You don't remember being bitten by a tick.

You never saw the classic bull's-eye rash.

Maybe you've even been tested for Lyme disease and the test came back negative.

Yet you're dealing with brain fog, exhaustion, aching joints, gut problems, neurological symptoms, or simply the feeling that something isn't right.

Could there be more going on?

In this episode of the Fit Over 50 Life Podcast, Mark Patrick and Kelli Calabrese sit down with Dr. Bill Rawls, a fourth-generation physician, bestselling author, and co-founder and medical director of Vital Plan, to explore Lyme disease, stealth microbes, cellular health, and why chronic symptoms can sometimes be so difficult to understand.

For Dr. Rawls, this subject is personal.

After decades practicing medicine, his own health began deteriorating in his late 40s. He experienced cardiac symptoms, neurological issues, joint problems, gut problems, and eventually received a diagnosis of fibromyalgia.

But he kept searching.

Dr. Rawls says he eventually discovered he had Lyme disease. His experience led him to spend years researching chronic illness, cellular stress, microbes, and herbal therapies and dramatically changed the way he thought about health. (Vital Plan)

Mark, Kelli, and Dr. Rawls explore:

• Why some people with Lyme disease don't remember a tick bite or bull's-eye rash

• Why Lyme testing can be challenging, particularly outside an acute infection

• Dr. Rawls' theory about dormant or "stealth" microbes and chronic illness

• Why periods of significant stress may coincide with worsening symptoms

• The connection Dr. Rawls sees between cellular stress and chronic illness

• Lyme disease versus other tick-borne illnesses, including babesiosis

• When Dr. Rawls believes antibiotics have an important role—and why he takes a different approach to some chronic situations

• Why sleep, diet, stress, gut health, movement, and environmental exposures matter

• How Dr. Rawls incorporates adaptogenic herbs into his approach

• Why he believes restoring health requires looking beyond simply managing individual symptoms

• The three phases behind his restoration approach: calming the nervous system, supporting gut and detoxification function, and optimizing cellular health

One important point throughout the conversation: Dr. Rawls is sharing his clinical perspective and interpretation of the evidence, and some of his views on chronic Lyme disease, testing, persistent microbes, and treatment remain debated within medicine.

If you've been struggling with unexplained fatigue, brain fog, joint pain, or other chronic symptoms or you're simply fascinated by the connection between microbes, stress, and cellular health you don't want to miss this conversation.

Because sometimes the most important question isn't simply:

"What symptom do I have?"

It may be:

"What is putting my body under stress in the first place?"

Connect with Dr. Bill Rawls

Vital Plan

Instagram — @rawlsmd

Facebook — Vital Plan

YouTube — Vital Plan