Testimonials
“How do you start a thank you to someone who saved your life, someone who brought you back from the hell Lyme disease dishes out? I was skeptical that anyone could ever help me but so happy to find someone who would listen and who would try. I knew you were one smart, no-nonsense practitioner and I put my faith and trust in you, doing as I was told and praying that it would work for me. And it did! Here I am 5 years later so full of joy and gratitude every day that I wake up feeling normal that I want to shout from the rooftops! I am no longer a prisoner in my home. I am no longer afraid to plan my days ahead. I have my life back because of you! I know the sacrifices you make every day take a toll on you and for that, I am so sorry. I hope someday that you are repaid one hundredfold for the commitment you’ve made to save the lives of people who are alone, scared, and suffering. Thank God for you and your expertise! Not only did I develop the greatest respect for you and the work you do, but I also consider you a very special friend. I looked forward to my appointments because I got to talk to a friend and learn from you as well. I personally want to thank you so much not only for what you’ve done for me, but for what you continue to do for others. There is no greater gift than the gift of health!”
“I crawled to Dr. Marra in November 2013. I took all of her suggestions (i.e. Diet and Supplements) and I feel that when I started doing it, I was truly on a path to healing. My quality of life improved while undergoing treatment for Lyme and Bartonella. My skin completely cleared (probably due to the sugar-free diet) and I am told that I look great. My body has already changed so much after only 6 months and I look forward to continuing to be under her care. One of the happiest things I experienced on her protocol was the ability to have a couple of days of good exercise which I deeply missed. My family recognizes the changes, too. Everything she says resonates with me and I am very grateful to have found her.”
“I went to countless practitioners, over years, in search of help for the physical and emotional symptoms (of Lyme disease). Dr. Marra was the first person who knew how to help me, and the change since beginning treatment 7 months ago has been amazing! Although I felt worse initially, the improvement since then has been SO terrific…I feel like I am healthier than I’ve ever been (and happy to be eating healthily!) I can exercise without tiring, I can handle emotional and physical stressors with ease I haven’t been able to in years! I’m so grateful to Dr. Marra for her care and expertise! If you are a person who can stick to a regime and have the motivation to hang in there through the changes you’ll undergo, I would highly recommend Dr. Marra. She’s the first person who has understood what’s going on with my health and had an effective way of addressing it… with amazingly positive results!”
“To say that Dr. Marra saved my life may sound cliché, or like an exaggeration, but there is no other way to explain how she has helped me with Lyme and tick-borne disease. When I came to her 3 years ago I was so ill that down deep I really thought there was nothing anyone could do for me after 30 years of this illness being allowed to progress to the point of being disabled–and disabled to the point that even getting out of the house and to her office once a month seemed insurmountable. Like many with Lyme disease, my story is long and complicated. Over the years I’d seen 40 other doctors–many “experts” in their field–who could not get to the root of my problem, nor did they want to deal with the litany of symptoms I’d accumulated along the way. Everything from depression to Fibromyalgia, to Lupus and MS (to name a few), had been tossed around but with no definitive answers or treatments. But Dr. Marra never gave up on me, and in fact, gave me hope in extremely hopeless times. Dr. Marra has the expertise to deal with this complicated illness, but more importantly, she treats the person, not just the disease. She is also always on top of the latest research; oftentimes I hear of something “new” from friends, that, thanks to Dr. Marra, I am already familiar with. I also find it tremendously valuable that with her science degree she has a deeper understanding of the research and treatments out there and knows how to tailor my protocol accordingly. She just has a wealth of knowledge, experience, and common sense, and will use everything in her arsenal to figure out the problem at hand. I cannot recommend her enough–of course for tick-borne disease, but also as a general doctor, who will actually listen to you, take you seriously, and work to find the answers to make you well again.”
“My first visit with Dr. Marra started out with her coming out to my car to tell me she had to run home and let her dog out. Was I surprised? Yes. Unconventional? Yes. But after the way, I was treated at the high profile hospitals like Swedish and the U.W. I was willing to give this a chance. So many doors had been closed in my face. So many doctors who never looked beyond their textbooks from med school and who couldn’t test for or treat Lyme Disease on a bet. When the puzzle doesn’t fit together their only recourse is, “it must be in your head.”
“I was an aerobic instructor and competitive bodybuilder for many years and took my health very seriously and made the sacrifices necessary to ensure good health, never smoked, never had a drink, never took drugs, ate right, and exercised religiously. But my health changed dramatically after a tick took up residence on my shoulder for 5 days before I realized what was making me so sick. I had it surgically removed at the ER and even asked to keep the tick just in case. But even when I’d present that info, every conventional doctor poo-pooed the idea of Lyme and wouldn’t even test me! My symptoms were neurological. I was off balance and felt like I was going to lose consciousness a lot. I could no longer exercise! I went through every neurological/balance test imaginable despite being told by a UW physician that I was “wasting his time!” But no one had any answers. But I wasn’t willing to accept defeat and knew if I could just find that doctor who knew how to treat this disabling disease and believed in my determination to get well, I knew I could regain my health. And Dr. Marra was and is that remarkably dedicated, brilliant, caring professional who is giving me my life back. Her energy is directed toward helping those of us who are suffering the devastating effects of Lyme. Her determination is unmatched by any health care professional I’ve ever met. It’s a tough damn disease that isn’t cured with 2 weeks of antibiotics and each case presents itself differently. She takes the time to listen and get to know each person individually because she treats each person individually. It’s not an easy one-size-fits-all answer. When I sit across the table from Dr. Marra I am confident that she sincerely wants me to get well as badly as I want to get well and will do whatever it takes to get me there. It’s been a long process, but I am happy to report that I am approaching that light at the end of the tunnel and my health is almost back to normal. And it’s all because of Dr. Marra’s efforts. She is a caring, dedicated professional that I am proud to call my doctor and my friend. I owe her my life.”
“Dr. Marra was doc “32 I took my daughter to. Dr. Marra has, I believe, saved my daughter’s life. She is very knowledgeable and also intuitive. In the beginning, especially we thought she was pretty eccentric because of that intuitive side! – but she has turned out to be right every time. She told us to give her 3 years … and while for a long time it didn’t seem like there was any progress, now, almost 3 years later, we can see significant progress. This kind of care is expensive and very individualized. Because there is so little research available, you have to rely on the experience of someone who has treated a lot of patients with tick-borne disease – and Dr. Marra has that experience.”
“We will be forever grateful for Dr. Marra’s guidance through chronic Lyme disease and the co-infections into “remission” for both my children now 12 and 14 years old. Both my kids live normal lives because of Dr. Marra. They enjoy home life, school, and competitive sports. As I type this, my son is prepping for regional baseball, while my daughter is training 12 hours a week in competitive dance. Both kids had successful academic years, earning all A’s and B’s. At 7 years old, my daughter was homebound with 26 body pain areas, agonizing emotional symptoms, and almost lost her to a flare-induced seizure. Over time, my daughter healed utilizing the dynamic protocols that Dr. Marra designed for her. She relearned how to ride a bike, catch up with tutors, and by 10 years she could run and do typical gym activities without triggering blinding pain. What is it like to see Dr. Marra? She interviews both mom and child and performs a thorough Lyme exam, EVERY visit. I am not kidding! I have had docs that never even turn around to look at my daughter sitting on the exam table, or look up from note-taking. She utilizes pharmaceuticals, herbs, homeopathic, nutritional supplements, and others to treat the cause(s) and effects(s) of these diseases. Every visit is different, and every visit I learn something new. I appreciate the frequent visits, as I know I am shortening our Lyme time by the personal monitoring we are getting from Dr. Marra. Lyme is an expensive disease, something that’s not the fault of these doctors, but the medical system we have in this country. We choose recovery, so am thankful for the bag of gold (supplements/test results) and knowledge I walk out with. I have never had more personal care from ANY doctor in my life. Amazingly, she KNOWS my kids! I don’t have to reiterate and do a life history each visit. She picks up where we left off, takes their cases, and tinkers sometimes in a minor way, or major way with their protocol. That is the nature of Lyme. These dynamic changes are the reason my kids are doing so well. She sees the big picture, and also the most minute detail, and factors that into my bi-monthly master plan. Both my kids open up to her and tell her things that I cannot get out of them. They adore her and find her office to be a very special sanctuary. Better yet, I appreciate the fact I am not getting a boilerplate protocol. I have two sick kids, and their protocols continue to be extremely different (other than core Nutritionals). They do have intensity and variety in common. Dr. Marra is one of the brightest people I have ever met. She embraces her calling with enthusiasm and no B.S. I can see how some people can be turned off by her direct approach. I prefer expertise and dedication over hand-holding any day. We are grateful she has chosen to care for patients that are ignored by mainstream medicine. All patients are lucky to have access to east coast, high-caliber doctor.”
“My own story is like many who have Lyme. Visits to countless Doctors only to be told I have fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, depression, MS, Lupus, and asthma. For me, I knew none of those added up. I was finally told that it was all in my head. “You have a family, you are healthy, you work full time, are you lacking attention?” That is the final question I was asked before leaving that office and firing him as my Doctor for good. It has taken a tough few years of pain and symptom flare-ups but I am thankful to have found Dr. Marra in Seattle. She has saved my life and my daughter’s life. My little girl was born with Lyme and one co-infection and had a rough start and hard first two years of her life. Multiple health issues, seizures, and pain that she was not able to express until she started talking. She turns four on July 30th and with the right treatment and long-term antibiotics the improvement in the time she has been under Dr. Marra’s care is incredible. There is also a great debate about the actual passing of Lyme through the placenta. Many say it’s impossible but my daughter is proof that it can happen and that is very scary. Her primary doctor even said it was impossible. A “1 in a million chance” we were told. To us, she is very special and we know she will do big things in her life, and overcoming Lyme is one of them. We need continued education of all medical Doctors and Nurses about the array of Lyme symptoms and its related infections in order to increase the number of health care providers who can recognize these illnesses before it’s too late to treat. The more time that passes between bite and diagnosis the harder it will be to treat. Dr. Marra takes the time to get to know you. How many doctors do you know to set aside a two-hour time slot just to get to know you? She is able to ask the right questions to understand how best to treat. She treats my daughter with respect and that is a big deal to a four-year-old. My daughter sits on her lap during her check-up while she asks her questions about how she feels. Again, how many doctors do you know that do that. Most just ask the parents and don’t even look at the child. When the AIDS epidemic came to light, activists screamed for attention to get testing and medical care. I hope Lyme patients will stand up and fight to get awareness out there. We need better testing, better treatment, and more educated health professionals like Dr. Marra.”
“Artisan blending of the intelligence of nature, the brilliance of science, the wisdom of instinct, the feeling of intuition, the art of soul, and the ethics of a responsible human being. This energetic alchemy allows for the delivery of high quality, sustainable healthcare and healing to be achieved.” SLM
