118: LLMD Dr. Casey Kelley

Uninvisible Pod with Lauren Freedman

Casey Kelley, MD, ABoIM is the founder and medical director of Case Integrative Health. Dr. Kelley is relentless about getting to the root cause of chronic disease and transforming health through Functional Medicine. On faculty at Northwestern's Feinberg School of Medicine, she is Board Certified in Family Medicine and was also among the first physicians to become Board Certified in Integrative Medicine. She has studied the causes, effects, and treatments of disease extensively, and lectures nationally on this and other topics. Dr. Kelley graduated from The Ohio State University College of Medicine and completed her residency in Family Medicine at St. Joseph Hospital in Chicago. She is a ten-year member of the Institute of Functional Medicine (IFM), a Director on the board of The International Lyme and Associated Disease Society (ILADS), and is a Founding Member of the Academy of Integrative Health and Medicine (AIHM). Prior to founding Case Integrative Health, Dr. Kelley practiced medicine at WholeHealth Chicago, Michigan Avenue Immediate Care, and St. Joseph Hospital. And get this: she is not only an LLMD treating those living with chronic Lyme — but she was once also a patient herself. This ep is not to be missed!

Tune in as Dr. Kelley shares:

• that she founded Case Integrative Health 2 years ago; but has been in the integrative health field for over 8 years
• that she dealt with chronic fatigue, brain fog, and other symptoms for years until she discovered they were part of a Lyme diagnosis
• that she wanted to “create a place for people with chronic illnesses who were misunderstood by conventional medicine, and needed a different approach”
• that she is already seeing new patients living with long COVID — a “post-immune issue”, much like chronic Lyme
• that she trusts her patients to know their bodies better than she does — and so, she believes them
• why integrative practices can save the healthcare system money (in preventing chronic disease)
• that the science supporting the existence of Lyme diagnosis and treatment is REAL and readily available
• that much Lyme testing currently available is inadequate; more funds are needed for greater research and development
• how doctors are strapped by the system of private interest in healthcare
• why she has divested from the health insurance model in her practice — and wants her patients to get better, so will always find a way to work with them to make their care accessible
• that financial support is always available to patients through various Lyme advocacy groups
• that she was diagnosed with POTS during med school, but was actually living through chronic Lyme
• all the varied symptoms that can be associated with Lyme
• the importance of thorough tick checks after going outdoors
• where ticks are most likely to be found on the body
• how she treats Lyme in her practice
• that she is licensed in several states, and practices telemedicine for patients outside of the Chicaco area
• how she celebrates patients who make it through chronic Lyme treatment

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