Episode 549: How Chronic Illness Really Works: Dr. Eric Gordon on Lyme, Mold, MCAS, and the Path Back to Health — Tick Boot Camp

In this episode of the Tick Boot Camp Podcast, Dr. Eric D. Gordon — globally recognized expert in Lyme disease, ME/CFS, mold toxicity, MCAS, mitochondrial dysfunction, and complex chronic illness — explains why chronic illness is never caused by a single factor and why recovery requires a strategic “order of operations.”

Recorded after meeting at Project Lab Coat during NYFW, this conversation dives into chronic inflammation, immune dysregulation, why some people stay sick for years, why certain treatments backfire, how metabolomics reveals dysfunction that standard tests miss, and the future of individualized chronic illness care.

Guest Bio

Medical Director, Gordon Medical Associates, and President, Gordon Medical Research Center

Dr. Gordon has 45+ years of experience treating the most complex chronic illness cases. He specializes in:

Lyme disease and tick-borne infections






ME/CFS and post-infectious illness






Mold and mycotoxin exposure






Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS)






Autoimmune disease






Environmental illness






Mitochondrial dysfunction and metabolic collapse

He co-authored the landmark 2016 PNAS metabolomics study with Dr. Robert Naviaux, which reshaped global understanding of ME/CFS and chronic inflammatory diseases.

Key Topics Covered

How Dr. Gordon became one of the world’s leading chronic illness clinicians






Why patient belief and validation are foundational to healing






Why chronic illness cases don’t fit conventional medical models






Why herbs often worsen symptoms in MCAS or inflamed patients






When pharmaceuticals help stabilize sensitive patients






How chronic inflammation blocks trace mineral absorption






The link between minerals, B vitamins, mitochondria, and NAD/NADH






When detoxification helps — and when it causes more harm






How childhood infections and environment shape lifelong immunity






The massive impact of modern microbiome disruption






Mold illness as the “great derailer” of Lyme treatment






Why genetics like MTHFR and HLA are not destiny






Why some people heal from Lyme without treatment






How metabolomics and AI will usher in precision medicine






What actually keeps people sick — accumulated compensations, not the tick bite






What intuitive patients get right (and wrong) about their symptoms

Timestamps

0:02 – Meeting Dr. Gordon at Project Labcoat

1:08 – Who he is and how he entered complex illness medicine

2:30 – Realizing conventional medicine fails chronic patients

5:45 – Why chronic illness doesn’t fit standard algorithms

8:10 – Herbs vs antibiotics: what most people misunderstand

11:28 – Inflammation and why sensitive patients react to everything

13:45 – MCAS and immune overactivation

16:25 – Why herbal formulas can trigger flares

19:30 – Pharmaceuticals that calm inflammation

20:50 – Trace minerals, mitochondrial function, and NAD pathways

23:55 – Why standard labs can’t see cellular dysfunction

26:10 – How childhood immune experiences shape resilience

28:40 – Environmental changes and microbiome decline

30:30 – Shoes, posture, fascia, lymphatics

36:35 – Structural healing and hypersensitive patients

41:20 – Founding Gordon Medical Associates

43:00 – Early discoveries with Lyme disease patients

48:30 – Detoxification, herbal protocols, and mold models

52:10 – Mold’s ability to halt all progress

55:30 – Why mold affects some family members and not others

57:20 – How food supply antibiotics disrupt immunity

59:50 – Genetics are possibilities, not fate

1:03:20 – Why some people recover after a tick bite and others don’t

1:07:00 – How AI and metabolomics will transform treatment

1:10:40 – Genes vs environment

1:13:30 – Chronic illness requires many small steps

1:16:00 – How to work with Dr. Gordon

1:18:30 – Final message of hope

Pull Quotes

“Chronic illness is not caused by one thing — and it’s never healed by one thing.”






“Herbs depend on your body’s ability to modulate inflammation. If you can’t dampen the fire, herbs feel like gasoline.”






“Genetics are not destiny. They’re possibilities.”






“Mold makes every other treatment look like it’s failing.”






“You can absolutely get well — but there is no single magic bullet.”

Call to Action

If this episode brought you clarity or hope, please share it with someone navigating chronic Lyme, mold illness, MCAS, or ME/CFS.

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