This episode is sponsored by Lightstone DIRECT. (https://lightstonedirect.com/dpn) Lightstone DIRECT invites you to partner with a $12B AUM real estate institution as you grow your portfolio. Access the same single-asset multifamily and industrial deals Lightstone pursues with its own capital – Lightstone co-invests a minimum of 20% in each deal alongside individual investors like you. You’re an institution. Time to invest like one. – When Dr. Susan Marra graduated from naturopathic school, she expected to treat the usual mix of fatigue, hormone imbalance, and stress. Instead, she walked into a wave of patients with strange, multisystem illnesses no textbook had prepared her for. Migrating joint pain. Seven-day migraines. Brain fog. Dysbiosis. Symptoms crossing multiple organ systems. Her instinct told her something bigger was happening — and she was right. That intuition led her to Dr. Bernard Raxlen, one of the earliest clinicians to recognize chronic Lyme disease. She went on to train with world experts Dr. Richard Horowitz and Dr. Charles Ray Jones, immersing herself in complex tick-borne illness long before mainstream medicine acknowledged it. And then she got infected herself. A tick — likely carried in by her yellow lab — transmitted Lyme and Bartonella. She lost vision in her right eye for six months and required IV antibiotics, steroids, and years of recovery. That lived experience, combined with decades of clinical immersion, transformed her into one of the most respected Lyme specialists in the country. Today, after treating 9,000+ patients, Dr. Marra joins Dr. Peter Crane to dismantle the myths surrounding Lyme, the limitations of standard testing, the rise of co-infections, and why so many patients with “mystery symptoms” are actually living with chronic vector-borne illness. This is an eye-opening conversation every physician should hear. Highlights • How a wave of multisystem complaints led Dr. Marra to uncover the true prevalence of tick-borne illness. • Why nine out of ten patients she tested in Connecticut were Lyme-positive. • The difference between IDSA and ILADS—and why it affects diagnosis. • Dr. Marra’s personal battle with Lyme & Bartonella, including temporary vision loss. • The modern reality: patients rarely have “just Lyme”—co-infections are now the norm. • Why standard labs miss most infections—and which specialty labs offer reliable results. • Cutting-edge diagnostics: PCR, FISH testing, and antibody panels. • The evolving treatment landscape: antibiotics, antiparasitics, methylene blue, Dapsone, botanical protocols, and more. • The growing concern of transfusion-acquired infections and congenital Lyme. • How physicians can recognize tick-borne disease in patients with long, confusing symptom lists.Top 3 Takeaways 1. Multisystem symptoms should trigger suspicion. If a patient presents with a long list of symptoms across multiple organ systems, think vector-borne illness. 2. Standard labs miss the majority of cases. Specialized labs (e.g., IGeneX, Armin, T-Labs) dramatically increase diagnostic accuracy. 3. Co-infections—not single infections—are the new norm. The modern patient rarely presents with isolated Lyme; Babesia, Bartonella, and other pathogens are commonly intertwined. About Dr. Susan Marra Dr. Susan Marra is a naturopathic physician with 27 years of experience specializing in chronic Lyme disease and complex tick-borne illness. Trained by legendary clinicians including Dr. Richard Horowitz and Dr. Charles Ray Jones, Dr. Marra blends rigorous clinical training with lived experience as a Lyme survivor. She has treated more than 9,000 patients, serves on multiple research boards, and is known for her precision-based diagnostic approach, combining specialty testing with a deep understanding of chronic infection and epigenetics. Website: drsusanmarra.com (http://drsusanmarra.com) About the Host: Dr. Peter Crane is a board-certified physician, educator, and storyteller with a heart for service and a calling to spotlight doctors who make a difference—in their communities, in medicine, and in the lives they touch. Through Doctors Making a Difference, he brings you into intimate conversations with physicians who have overcome challenges, redefined success, and found purpose in and beyond the clinic. His goal is simple: to help more doctors stay in medicine by showing them what's possible. About the Show: Doctors Making a Difference is more than a podcast—it’s a movement to highlight the good, the gritty, and the deeply human side of medicine. In every episode, Dr. Peter Crane interviews physicians whose stories defy the script. From burnout recovery to bold career pivots, health challenges to quiet leadership, this show honors the truth that healing begins with connection—and doctors, too, deserve to be whole. Visit: (https://www.doctorsmakingadifference.com) doctorsmakingadifference.com (http://doctorsm...