About
Dr. Susan L Marra
Dr. Susan L. Marra is an adult and pediatric Lyme specialist with over 23 years of experience as a clinician, and over 30 years in the health care industry. She has trained with world-leading Lyme disease specialists (Dr. Richard Horowitz and Dr. Charles Ray Jones) on the east coast and has practiced both on the east (Connecticut) and west coasts (Seattle). She has a BS and MS in Psychology, with an emphasis in Psychobiology, and received her ND degree from Bastyr University. Prior to attending Bastyr, she worked at the National Institute of Mental Health in Bethesda, Maryland, and at the University of Pennsylvania in brain and behavior research. Dr. Marra has been an ILADS member since 2001.
She has extensive experience in treating tick-borne illness in both children and adults, and uses an integrated medicine approach to help her patients heal. She was the first Naturopathic doctor to receive an ILADS preceptorship from the Turn the Corner Foundation where she trained with Dr. Horowitz in Hyde Park, NY.
Dr. Marra believes that naturally occurring peptides will eventually replace pharmaceutical medications. Peptides are strings of less than 50 amino acids, and are an emerging therapy in medicine, and may be useful for immune modulation, increasing longevity, decreasing neuroinflammation, and enhancing cognition. They are generally made by a compounding pharmacy and can be taken orally most often or via sub-Q injections. Peptides are easily administered and can optimize an existing treatment plan for wellness. Generally, they are very safe and yield few side effects.
The new era of genomics will help identify risk factors in people who have a more difficult time healing from tick-borne illness. She shows compassion to a community of people who have been misdiagnosed and misunderstood for several decades.
Dr. Marra has been successful in overcoming her own battle with Lyme disease when she contracted it in 2001 while living and practicing in Westport Connecticut. Of note, she never found a tick bite and did not have a bullseye rash.
She is also Board Certified and a Fellow in Anti-Aging and Regenerative Medicine through the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine and is a Fellow in Metabolic Medicine through the Metabolic Medical Institute. She is also recently certified in nutritional genomics consulting through the Nutrigenetic Research Institute. Dr. Marra uses a variety of skills to help her patients heal from tick-borne illness, and believes that nutrigenomics is paving the way for a better understanding of the epigenetic environmental factors that contribute to people becoming ill with tick-borne illness. She regularly attends seminars, workshops, and conferences to advance her knowledge and remains at the forefront of this new era of medicine.
In April of 2021, Dr. Marra was asked to be a Medical Advisory Board member for Global Lyme Alliance (1 of 4). The other board members include Dr. Kenneth Liegner, Dr. Leo Galland, and Dr. Steven Bock. She is thrilled to now have the opportunity to contribute to high-level decision-making regarding future research money appropriation for tick-borne diseases. This opportunity will allow her to express a unique perspective as a Naturopathic physician to an audience that would otherwise be difficult to reach.
In July 2022, Dr. Marra was elected to the board of Dr. Richard Horowitz’s non-profit research organization, MSIDS Research Foundation. She will join 6-10 other prominent physicians and scientists to initiate and develop cutting edge research projects with the hope of finding a cure for vector borne diseases.
Dr. Marra currently uses a combination of naturally occurring peptides, herbs, vitamins, antibiotics, and German biologic medicine to address the complicated symptom picture that Lyme patients usually present. Generally, her patients do quite well and return to a productive life.
This includes the use of a sophisticated integrated systems approach to healing by utilizing an individualized combination of the following:
Hormone Balancing
Botanical Medicine
Therapeutic Nutrition
Diet Therapy
Neuroendocrine Immunology
Personalized Medicine
Amino Acid Therapy
Immune Support
Anticoagulation Therapy
Enzyme Therapy
Detox Strategies
Advanced Laboratory Testing
Antimicrobial Therapy
Antifungal Therapy
Mold Remediation
Antiviral Therapy
Genomic Analysis
Anti-aging Medicine
She is licensed to practice Naturopathic Medicine in California and Washington states and is a longstanding member in the following professional communities:
Completed: 2022
Tick-borne illness can often be devastating, however, with proper antibiotic, nutritional and herbal support, you CAN and WILL get well with a positive attitude, self-discipline, persistence, and perseverance. Tick-Borne illness does NOT have to take over your life, however, you need to work with a Lyme literate physician who is willing to keep “all doors open” to help you heal. This is an important aspect that most patients overlook.
Learn more about Tick-borne Illness and Environmental Medicine
- Bay Area Lyme Foundation – Summer 2022 Newsletter
- The Antibiotic ControversyIn the 18 years that Dr. Marra has been practicing tick-borne disease illness, there has been great controversy over the use of antibiotics in the treatment of these stealth and persistent infections. She doesn’t think the answer to this controversy is any easier today than it was 20 or 40 years ago. However, over the … Read More “The Antibiotic Controversy” »
- Anti-Aging and Preventative Medicine
Anti-Aging Medicine is designed as preventative medicine for a target population of over 50 years old. Hormone levels begin to wane with menopause and andropause, and the skin begins to change and thin. Abdominal weight gain, changes in hearing and vision, and minor cognitive changes in memory begin to occur. With proper nutrition, exercise, and … Read More “Anti-Aging and Preventative Medicine” » - Inflammation VideoInflammation – Lyme Disease Dr. Susan Marra talks the importance of understanding inflammation and Lyme Disease.
Call (206) 299-2676 to book your appointment today!