Episode 597: Lyme, Extreme Sensitivities & Cell Membrane Repair – Dr. Vy Simeles | LIVE from ILADS

LIVE from ILADS: Tick Boot Camp sits down with Dr. Vy Simeles, ND, LAc of Restorative Health Clinic to explore one of the most difficult situations in chronic Lyme disease care:

What do you do when a patient becomes so sensitive that nearly everything intended to help seems to make them feel worse?

Dr. Simeles works with complex chronic illness patients, including people experiencing Lyme disease, mold illness, MCAS, nervous-system dysregulation, mitochondrial dysfunction, and significant environmental or treatment sensitivities.

In this short-form conference interview, she explains why her practice has been increasingly focused on cell membrane therapy and lipid replacement therapy as a foundational strategy for highly sensitive patients. The conversation explores phospholipids, omega-3s, plasmalogens, mitochondria, ATP production, the cell danger response, neuroinflammation, diet, SOT, and the relationship between cellular health and a patient's ability to tolerate treatment.

This interview was recorded live at the ILADS conference, so you may hear some of the energy and background activity of the event throughout the conversation.

When Lyme Patients React to Everything

Dr. Simeles describes a particularly challenging group of patients arriving at her practice.

They are very sick, highly sensitive, and may react negatively to interventions that would ordinarily be considered relatively gentle.

She describes patients experiencing symptoms including:

• Severe brain fog
• Numbness and tingling
• Short-term memory problems
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Irritability
• Aggression
• Neuropsychiatric symptoms
• Extreme sensitivity to supplements
• Difficulty tolerating treatment

Some even report feeling worse after taking supplements typically used for calming support, including L-theanine or holy basil.

When that happens, Dr. Simeles asks a different question:

Why is the body interpreting so many inputs as threats?

Cell Danger Response, MCAS & Nervous-System Dysregulation

There may not be one answer.

Dr. Simeles emphasizes that these are complex chronic illness patients, so multiple factors may be interacting.

She discusses possible contributors including:

• Mold and other toxic exposures
• Oxidative stress
• Mast cell activation
• Nervous-system dysregulation
• Chronic infections
• Cellular dysfunction
• What is often described as the cell danger response

Within this framework, a chronically stressed body can become increasingly defensive and reactive.

Interventions that should ordinarily be tolerated may suddenly produce unexpected responses.

Even nervous-system programs such as DNRS, Gupta, or Primal Trust may initially feel overwhelming to someone who is severely ill, cognitively impaired, or highly reactive.

That doesn't necessarily mean those tools will never be useful.

It may mean the patient first needs a more tolerable entry point.

For more on this aspect of recovery, listen to Tick Boot Camp's conversation about Primal Trust with Cathleen King.

Looking at the Cell Membrane

Dr. Simeles and Dr. Melanie Stein traveled to Atlanta for additional training in lipid replacement therapy and cell membrane therapy, building on approaches they were already using at Restorative Health Clinic.

That training helped deepen their focus on a foundational question:

Can the patient's cells properly receive, process, and communicate information?

Cell membranes aren't simply walls surrounding cells.

They are dynamic structures involved in signaling, transport, immune function, energy production, and communication.

Dr. Simeles' clinical model asks whether damage or changes to these membranes could be contributing to some patients remaining stuck despite extensive antimicrobial and supportive treatment.

The Cell Membrane as the Foundation

The previous Tick Boot Camp conversation with Dr. Stein used a simple metaphor:

Imagine the cell is a castle and the membrane surrounding it is the moat.

The moat helps regulate what gets in and out while supporting the communication necessary to recognize and respond to threats.

Dr. Simeles expands on that concept.

If the cellular environment is dysfunctional, the problem may extend beyond the presence of an infection.

The immune system itself is made of cells.

Mitochondria contain membranes.

Proteins involved in energy production and cellular communication are embedded in or associated with membranes.

From Dr. Simeles' perspective, improving membrane health may therefore help create a better foundation for the body's other systems to function.

Why Treating the Infection May Not Be Enough

Dr. Simeles makes an important distinction:

Antimicrobial therapy and cellular repair are doing different jobs.

Her practice still uses antimicrobial therapies when clinically appropriate.

But she describes seeing patients whose testing improves after infection-directed treatment while symptoms such as fatigue and brain fog remain.

In her clinical experience, integrating cell membrane support earlier — rather than waiting until antimicrobial treatment is finished — may help some patients better tolerate treatment while simultaneously addressing aspects of their lingering symptoms.

The philosophy is not necessarily:

Antimicrobials or cellular repair.

It can be:

Antimicrobials plus rebuilding the patient's underlying physiology when appropriate.

Phospholipids & Cellular Communication

A central concept throughout this conversation is phospholipids.

Phospholipids are major structural components of cellular membranes.

Dr. Simeles explains that oxidative stress associated with chronic infections, toxins, inflammation, and other physiological stressors may affect membrane lipids.

Within her model, restoring appropriate lipids can help support membrane structure and the cellular processes that depend upon it.

This becomes particularly important when discussing the immune system and mitochondria because their functions also depend on healthy cellular structures.

DHA, Omega-3s & the Brain

Dr. Simeles discusses omega-3 fatty acids, particularly DHA, in the context of neurological and neuropsychiatric symptoms.

She distinguishes DHA from EPA, noting that both are common components of fish oil but have different physiological roles.

Because DHA is an important structural lipid in the brain and nervous system, Dr. Simeles describes using DHA-focused omega-3 strategies with some of her highly sensitive neurological patients.

She also discusses carefully titrating treatment for people who react easily, including beginning with very small amounts and increasing based on tolerance.

Importantly, she cautions that high-dose fish oil can affect blood clotting and may increase bleeding risk in some people.

This is one reason high-dose supplementation should be individualized and discussed with an appropriately qualified healthcare professional rather than copied directly from another patient's protocol.

Plasmalogens & Neurological Health

Another major topic is plasmalogens, specialized lipids found in cellular membranes and present in significant concentrations within nervous-system tissues.

Dr. Simeles discusses using a specialized omega-9 plasmalogen product with some patients experiencing difficult neurological or neuropsychiatric symptoms.

Her interest is rooted in the role membrane lipids play in neural structure and cellular communication.

The product discussed in the interview, ProdromeGlia, is marketed as an omega-9 plasmalogen precursor intended to support glial cell membranes, myelin structure, and normal cellular membrane composition.

Dr. Simeles describes this as one tool within a broader cell membrane strategy — not as a standalone Lyme disease treatment.

Mitochondria: The Powerhouse Still Matters

Most people remember one thing from biology class:

The mitochondria are the powerhouse of the cell.

Dr. Simeles explains what that actually means.

Mitochondria produce ATP, the energy currency cells need to perform their functions.

When mitochondrial function becomes impaired, the consequences can potentially be felt throughout high-energy systems of the body.

Dr. Simeles connects mitochondrial dysfunction with symptoms she frequently sees in complex chronic illness, including:

• Fatigue
• Brain fog
• Memory difficulties
• Muscle weakness
• Neurological symptoms
• Reduced stamina

The brain is particularly energy-demanding, which helps explain why mitochondrial health is often part of conversations about neurological and cognitive symptoms.

Why Membranes Matter to Mitochondria

The cellular-health discussion gets even more interesting when Dr. Simeles connects cell membranes with mitochondria.

Mitochondria have their own specialized membranes, and their structure is essential to the biochemical processes involved in producing ATP.

Within Dr. Simeles' framework, membrane dysfunction can therefore influence mitochondrial function.

This creates a possible chain:

Cellular stress → membrane dysfunction → impaired mitochondrial function → reduced energy production → symptoms such as fatigue and brain fog.

That simplified model helps patients understand why her practice is interested in repairing cellular structures rather than exclusively targeting microbes.

Are Low-Fat Diets a Problem?

The conversation then moves from supplements and therapies to something much more fundamental:

Food.

Dr. Simeles doesn't recommend a single rigid diet for every patient.

She does, however, push back against diets that unnecessarily eliminate healthy fats.

Some fatty acids are considered essential because the body cannot adequately produce them on its own.

Omega-3 fatty acids are one example.

She therefore emphasizes obtaining adequate healthy fats through food while recognizing that individual dietary needs and tolerances vary.

Foods discussed in the conversation include:

• Fish and omega-3 sources
• Eggs
• Egg yolks as a source of phosphatidylcholine
• Plant-based fat sources
• Red meat in moderation

The larger takeaway isn't that every Lyme patient should follow a ketogenic or high-fat diet.

It's that healthy fats play important biological roles and shouldn't automatically be treated as the enemy.

The Goal Is to Graduate Patients from Care

One revealing moment in the interview has little to do with biochemistry.

Dr. Simeles explains that she is always trying to graduate patients from care.

The objective isn't indefinite treatment.

It is helping someone rebuild enough health and resilience that they can return to living their life.

That philosophy fits naturally with Tick Boot Camp's emphasis on recovery:

The treatment is not the destination. Life is.

SOT for Lyme & Associated Infections

Dr. Simeles also discusses Supportive Oligonucleotide Therapy (SOT), another treatment being used at Restorative Health Clinic.

She is notably measured about the results.

Some patients, she says, have experienced dramatic improvements.

Others have experienced more modest results, remain uncertain, or haven't responded.

That variability mirrors what Tick Boot Camp has heard across patient interviews.

There are people who describe SOT as transformational and others who report spending substantial money without receiving the outcome they hoped for.

Dr. Simeles emphasizes that there is no single protocol that will work for every person.

For more Tick Boot Camp conversations involving SOT, explore Dr. Hank Sloan's interviews and resources.

Can Cellular Health Improve Treatment Tolerance?

An especially interesting question raised in this episode is whether improving cellular health might make other treatments easier to tolerate.

Dr. Simeles believes it can for some of her patients.

Rather than repeatedly adding more aggressive interventions to someone who is already highly reactive, the practice is increasingly interested in strengthening the patient's foundation first or simultaneously.

The objective is to help the patient become resilient enough to tolerate whatever appropriate treatment comes next.

This closely parallels Tick Boot Camp's concept of prehabilitation:

Prepare the person for the treatment rather than simply assuming the person is ready for it.

Healing Is Individual

The SOT discussion leads to one of the most important messages in the entire interview:

There is no universal Lyme treatment protocol.

Patients are biologically different.

Their infections differ.

Their immune systems differ.

Their toxic exposures differ.

Their nervous systems differ.

Their nutritional status, genetics, microbiomes, environments, histories, and tolerances differ.

A therapy that dramatically helps one person may do very little for another.

For people who have spent years comparing themselves with someone else's recovery story, that message can be validating.

Someone else's success or failure with a particular treatment does not automatically predict yours.

The Language We Use With Ourselves

Near the end of the conversation, Dr. Simeles introduces another area she wants to explore more deeply: Neuro-Linguistic Programming, or NLP.

Her interest isn't about replacing medical treatment with positive thinking.

Instead, she recognizes that people living with years of chronic illness can develop deeply ingrained patterns around fear, identity, safety, and expectations.

She wants to develop additional tools to help patients reframe how they speak to and about themselves during recovery.

Tick Boot Camp connects that idea with a recurring principle:

Who we believe we can become can influence what we're willing and able to do next.

Belief alone isn't a Lyme disease treatment.

But hope, self-talk, nervous-system regulation, and the belief that improvement is possible can matter deeply during a long recovery journey.

About Dr. Vy Simeles

Dr. Vy Simeles, ND, LAc is a naturopathic physician and licensed acupuncturist at Restorative Health Clinic in Oregon.

Her work focuses on complex chronic illness, including Lyme disease, mold illness, MCAS, dysautonomia, and other multifactorial conditions. Her clinical approach integrates naturopathic medicine, Chinese medicine, nutrition, detoxification, somatic therapies, and Cell Membrane Therapy.

Dr. Simeles and Dr. Melanie Stein have also taught together on lipid replacement therapy and restoring membranes, mitochondria, and autonomic stability in chronic inflammation.

Key Topics in This Episode

Lyme disease, chronic Lyme disease, Dr. Vy Simeles, cell membrane therapy, lipid replacement therapy, treatment sensitivity, multiple chemical sensitivity, neuroinflammation, brain fog, anxiety, depression, neuropsychiatric Lyme disease, nervous-system dysregulation, cell danger response, MCAS, mast cell activation, phospholipids, phosphatidylcholine, DHA, EPA, omega-3 fatty acids, plasmalogens, ProdromeGlia, mitochondrial dysfunction, ATP, chronic fatigue, Lyme disease nutrition, healthy fats, SOT, Supportive Oligonucleotide Therapy, nervous-system regulation, NLP, integrative medicine, naturopathic medicine, and Lyme disease recovery.

About This LIVE from ILADS Interview

This short-form conversation was recorded in person at the 2025 International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society Annual Scientific Conference, From Terrain to Treatment: Advances in Vector-Borne Illness, held October 9–12, 2025, in San Antonio, Texas.

Because these interviews were recorded live at the conference, they have a different feel from Tick Boot Camp's traditional long-form virtual and studio conversations — shorter, focused, and surrounded by the energy and activity of ILADS.

This conversation is a natural companion to Tick Boot Camp's LIVE from ILADS interview with Dr. Melanie Stein, which explores the same emerging cellular-health model from a complementary perspective.

Explore all Tick Boot Camp LIVE from ILADS interviews.

More from Tick Boot Camp

Hear more conversations with Lyme disease doctors and healthcare professionals about complex chronic illness, treatment, nervous-system regulation, and recovery.

For more on nervous-system regulation, listen to Cathleen King's conversation about Primal Trust.

For more discussions involving SOT, visit Dr. Hank Sloan's Tick Boot Camp page.

Explore the Tick Boot Camp Podcast for patient stories and conversations with doctors, researchers, advocates, and other members of the Lyme disease and tick-borne illness community.