Chronic & recurring infections
When Infections Keep Coming Back, the Question Isn't Just What — It's Why
Another round of antibiotics. Another temporary clearing, or a failed one. Another recurrence weeks or months later. If you've been caught in the cycle of chronic or recurring infections — sinus infections, urinary tract infections, respiratory infections, fungal overgrowth, Epstein-Barr, chronic Lyme, long COVID, or other persistent patterns — you already know that treating the infection alone isn't enough. Something underneath keeps creating the conditions for it to return.
At The Buddha's Medicine, that's where our work begins.
How We Approach Chronic Infections
Ayurveda views recurring infections not as random events but as signals — indicators that the body's natural defenses have been compromised and that the internal environment has shifted in ways that favor microbial imbalance. The question is not simply how to clear the current infection, but how to restore the terrain so that infections stop finding fertile ground.
Dr. Matt Van Auken, MD, MPH brings this Ayurvedic perspective together with his training in modern integrative and lifestyle medicine to address chronic infections from the inside out:
Understanding why your body keeps getting stuck. Dr. Matt's comprehensive assessment takes you beyond the infection itself to examine the factors that allow it to persist or recur. These often include compromised digestive health and its downstream effects on immune function, accumulated metabolic toxicity (ama) that burdens the body's natural defenses, constitutional vulnerabilities that predispose certain individuals to specific types of infection, lifestyle factors — sleep deprivation, chronic stress, dietary patterns — that quietly erode immunity over time, and the unintended consequences of repeated antibiotic or antifungal use on the body's microbial ecology.
Rebuilding immune resilience from the ground up. Rather than simply chasing each infection as it surfaces, our approach is rooted in strengthening the body's own capacity to resist and resolve infection. This typically involves supporting digestive health and agni (digestive fire) as the foundation of strong immunity, individualized nutrition designed to reduce inflammation and support tissue integrity, herbal medicine and custom formulations with traditional Ayurvedic use for immune support and microbial balance, lifestyle modifications targeting sleep, stress management, seasonal routine, and daily practices that reinforce the body's natural rhythms.
Using conventional tools wisely, not reflexively. Dr. Matt is a licensed medical doctor. When an acute infection requires conventional intervention, he can guide that process thoughtfully. But the goal is always to reduce your reliance on repeated courses of antibiotics or antifungals by addressing the conditions that make them necessary in the first place. This isn't about rejecting conventional medicine — it's about using it strategically while doing the deeper work that conventional medicine often doesn't touch.
Seasonal and preventive care. Ayurvedic medicine places great emphasis on the relationship between seasonal transitions and susceptibility to illness. The six-season Ayurvedic model (ṛtu vijñāna) holds that immunity naturally fluctuates throughout the year, and that targeted adjustments to diet, routine, and self-care during vulnerable seasons and times of year can meaningfully reduce the frequency and severity of infections. For our patients with chronic infection patterns, this preventive dimension of care is often transformative.
CONDITIONS WE COMMONLY SUPPORT
Recurring sinus infections
Chronic urinary tract infections
Recurring respiratory infections
Fungal and yeast overgrowth
Chronic bacterial infections
Epstein-Barr
Chronic Lyme
Long COVID
Other post-viral issues with lingering symptoms
Weakened immunity and frequent illness
Infections resistant to conventional treatment
And more
"I have spent so much money with co-pays and deductibles with regular medical clinics who would take x-rays and order labs and say everything is fine. No, everything is not fine. Have been going to Dr. Matt who deals with whatever I tell him in a holistic manner. I leave his office feeling better. EVERY TIME. To me, he is like a Godsend!"
Chronic infections don't have to be your new normal. If you're ready for care that looks beyond the infection itself to address why it keeps returning, we invite you to schedule a complimentary 15-minute consultation with Dr. Matt — available in-person in Portland, Oregon and via telehealth across multiple states.