Lyme disease

Medically reviewed by Dr. Tony Willcox, PhD, D.A.O.M., A.P.
Last reviewed: September 2026

Lyme disease is the most common tick-borne infection in North America. It is caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi, carried by blacklegged (“deer”) ticks. Caught early, it is typically treated with antibiotics, which resolve symptoms for most people. However, a meaningful share of patients — an estimated 10 to 20 percent — continue to struggle afterward, a pattern doctors call post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome.

Because Lyme disease can touch many systems at once, its lingering symptoms vary widely. Patients frequently report:

• Deep, persistent fatigue
• Joint and muscle pain, sometimes migrating
• Brain fog and difficulty concentrating
• Sleep disturbance
• Dizziness, palpitations, or lightheadedness on standing

Notably, a 2024 Johns Hopkins review in Frontiers in Neurology pointed to dysregulation of the autonomic nervous system as a likely driver of these persistent symptoms. That helps explain why so many complaints — sleep, energy, heart rate, digestion — cluster together.

In Chinese medicine, a chronic infection is understood to deplete the body’s defensive energy and disrupt the smooth flow of Qi and Blood. As a result, stagnation and depletion linger even after the acute illness passes. Treatment therefore focuses on rebuilding reserves and restoring balance — a whole-system view rather than a single-symptom fix.

Acupuncture does not target the bacteria that cause Lyme disease. Rather, it may support the symptoms that persist after treatment — many of which overlap with conditions acupuncture is already widely used for, such as fatigue, chronic pain, and stress. Because autonomic regulation appears central to post-treatment Lyme, and because acupuncture is understood to help modulate that system, the approach is a natural complement to ongoing medical care. For a closer, symptom-by-symptom look at how this works, see our detailed guide: Acupuncture for Lyme Disease: Supporting Recovery.

Every plan begins with a thorough consultation. Dr. Tony reviews your history, your current medical care, and the symptoms affecting you most. From there, treatment is gentle and individualized, and progress typically comes gradually over a course of sessions. Many patients find the visits themselves deeply restful.