2026 Integrative Medicine Virtual CE Weekend: Integrative Approaches to Tick-Borne Diseases

Saturday, January 24^th  

Lyme Disease: Latency

Presented by: Cynthia Lankenau, DVM, CVH

Borrelia burgdorferi  can ‘hide’, becoming latent with often devastating consequences.  This lecture will focus on the various strategies Borrelia burgdorferi uses to avoid detection from the host’s immune system and then strategies the practitioner can use to enable the detection and destruction of the offending spirochete. 

Learning Objectives:

1. To understand why and how Lyme disease can be hidden
2. To understand why conventional antibiotic therapy often fails to treat this condition
3. To give some working strategies to deal with Lyme disease latency 

Chinese Medicine as a Matrix and You as the "One"

Presented by: Steve Marsden, DVM, ND, MSOM, GDVA, GDVCHM, Dipl.AC, Dipl.CH, AHGDr

The Dao De Jing is one of the seminal works of Daoism, and thus of Chinese medicine. In it, the author - Lao Tzu - states "All difficult things have their origin in that which is easy, and great things in that which is small". This lecture will discuss how small simple problems turn over time into "difficult things" in a very predictable manner. The Nei Jing builds on that idea that medicine is much more predictable than would appear by stating that "Inferior doctors cure the disease, mediocre doctors treat the impending disease, and superior doctors prevent the disease". By exploring the Roots of the pathological Branches that wave in our faces each day in our clinics, this lecture will help you unleash the superior doctor within you. We'll review in detail multiple clinical examples and their treatments, so that, to quote the Matrix, whereas once you saw an endless parade of seemingly disparate problems to solve, you now only see the "code".

Learning Objectives:

1. Understand aberrations in the movement of Yin and Yang in the body in response to the environment as underpinning all pathology
2. Understand acupuncture and herbs as the means to manipulating Yin and Yang in the body, to resolve these aberrations
3. Understand how diet relates to the genesis of the most common 'simple problems' that, if not addressed, allow them to become 'difficult things
4. Name the pathology that connects simple leaky gut and dysbiosis to cruciate ligament tears and hemangiosarcoma
5. Name the pathology that connects timidity and anxiety to chronic kennel cough and epilepsy
6. Name the pathology that connects recurrent UTIs and colitis to Cushing's

Sunday, January 25^th

Botanical War Chest for Lyme Disease and Co-infected diseases: Materia Medica

Presented by: Cynthia Lankenau, DVM, CVH

Botanical medicines can have a great effect on treating and curing Lyme disease and Co-infections.  The use of botanicals can avoid the issues of pharmaceutical resistance, deal with the different forms of Borrelia burgdorferi, other co-infections such as Anaplasmosis, Mycoplasma, Bartonella, and treat biofilm. This lecture will focus on many of the currently used botanical medicines.

Learning Objectives:

1. To become familiar with a variety of botanical medicine effective in the treatment of Lyme and Co-infections
2. To develop an herbal formulation strategy for Lyme disease cases
3. To give herbal approaches to deal with biofilm 

Tick Bites, Tick Pathogens, The Immune System, and Plant Medicine: Will Wonders Never Cease?

Presented by: Nancy L. Martin, MS, DVM, CVA

This presentation will be a review of tick bites and how they interact with the host immune system, a review of a common tick transmitted pathogen and its interaction with the immune system, and an introduction to classic TCM herb formulas and how their metabolites interact with the immune system. This presentation should illuminate the value of using herbal formulas when treating challenging pathogens in order to achieve healing and restoration of health in addition to pathogen elimination. 

Learning Objectives:

1. Understand how biting and sucking ticks and their associated pathogens are able to “go under cover” by manipulating the innate immune system to create chronic infection states
2. Why TCM herbal formulas are important adjunct (to Conventional Western Medicine) antimicrobial therapies and even best option primary preventive therapies when addressing acute tick bite associated hives, rashes, and lymphadenopathy

Integrative Management of Canine Ehrlichiosis through Traditional Chinese Medicine

Presented by: Jose Luis Gutierrez, MVZ, CVA, CCVHM, ACCHM, Dipl.

Canine ehrlichiosis remains a prevalent challenge in warm and humid regions where ticks thrive. This course explores the integrative management of the disease through Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine (TCVM). Participants will learn how acupuncture and Chinese herbal therapies can support immune balance, prevent the manifestation of clinical symptoms, and complement conventional medical approaches. Clinical cases will be discussed to illustrate treatment strategies and outcomes, emphasizing the role of TCVM in enhancing recovery and reducing the reliance on antibiotics and other conventional treatments.

Learning Objectives:

1. To demonstrate the efficacy of acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine in the treatment of canine ehrlichiosis
2. To present clinical case studies showing successful outcomes in dogs treated under different environmental conditions
3. To discuss the underlying Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) principles guiding diagnosis and therapeutic approaches in canine ehrlichiosis