Why am I passionate about this?

Nineteen years ago, my 13-year-old daughter became wracked in severe pain for no discernible reason. She found walking, lying flat, or sitting up straight impossible. She had a host of other bizarre physical symptoms, too. The doctors we consulted not only didn’t help us, they decided she was faking it. We had to step outside the medical mainstream to discover she had chronic Lyme disease. After many difficult years, she got better, and I began working to change the system. As president of LymeDisease.org, a national Lyme advocacy and research organization, I write and speak on behalf of Lyme patients and their families.


I wrote...

Finding Resilience: A Teen's Journey Through Lyme Disease

By Dorothy Kupcha Leland, Rachel Leland,

Book cover of Finding Resilience: A Teen's Journey Through Lyme Disease

What is my book about?

Based on the journal Rachel kept during her years battling chronic Lyme disease and depression, this raw memoir details her…

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of Toxic: Heal Your Body from Mold Toxicity, Lyme Disease, Multiple Chemical Sensitivities, and Chronic Environmental Illness

Dorothy Kupcha Leland Why did I love this book?

This is one of the first books I recommend to Lyme patients who email me for advice about getting better. It’s a sad fact that most people with chronic Lyme disease don’t have “just” Lyme disease. Their condition is complicated by toxic mold exposure, environmental chemicals, other infectious bacteria and viruses, and/or a highly sensitized nervous system.

Whether they’ve been diagnosed with Lyme disease or not, I think anyone with complex health problems that they just can’t resolve could benefit from reading this book.

By Neil Nathan,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Toxic as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Millions of people are suffering from chronic illnesses that, unbeknownst to them, are the result of exposure to environmental toxins and infectious agents such as mold and Borrelia, which causes Lyme disease. Millions. Because the symptoms of these illnesses are so varied and unusual, many of these individuals have sought medical care only to be dismissed, as if what they are experiencing is “in their head.” Many (if not most) have tried to tough it out and continue to function without hope of improvement. Unfortunately, their illnesses are very real.

Toxic is a book of hope for these individuals, their…


Book cover of Recovery from Lyme Disease: The Integrative Medicine Guide to Diagnosing and Treating Tick-Borne Illness

Dorothy Kupcha Leland Why did I love this book?

Dr. Daniel Kinderlehrer was already a prominent holistic physician when he became quite sick. None of the many doctors he consulted could figure out what was ailing him or how to help him in any way.

He turned out to have persistent Lyme disease—which can be notoriously hard to diagnose—and the experience spun his life and career in a completely different direction. I like this book because he shares so much of his personal story and imparts excellent information about the immune system, healing the gut, detoxifying the body, and treating infections.

By Daniel A. Kinderlehrer,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Recovery from Lyme Disease as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

From the foreword by world-leading Lyme expert Joseph J. Burrascano, Jr., MD:

A detailed and thoughtful road map is sorely needed. And it is in this context that I am so pleased that we have this book by Dr. Kinderlehrer. I wish I'd had a book like this back in the day to guide me! It covers just about everything-the infections, diagnostic tests, treatments, and yes, the all-important terrain. It gives the reader an in-depth, but easily understandable, guide through the many subtleties of tick-borne illnesses. I am impressed with the knowledge presented and grateful for this information, which has…


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Book cover of From One Cell: A Journey into Life's Origins and the Future of Medicine

From One Cell By Ben Stanger,

Everybody knows that all animals—bats, bears, sharks, ponies, and people—start out as a single cell: the fertilized egg. But how does something no bigger than the period at the end of this sentence give rise to the remarkable complexity of each of these creatures?

FROM ONE CELL is a dive…

Book cover of Brain Inflamed: Uncovering the Hidden Causes of Anxiety, Depression, and Other Mood Disorders in Adolescents and Teens

Dorothy Kupcha Leland Why did I love this book?

Anxiety, depression, and other mood disorders are on the rise globally. And although this book's title specifies young people, I think Dr. Bock’s message can apply to just about anyone at any age. He presents case studies of children and teens who came to him after being on a laundry list of psych meds—with no improvement and often getting worse.

Many of these kids turn out to have thyroid problems, or low Vitamin D, or celiac, or yes, Lyme disease. And after he treats them for these underlying issues, often their supposed "psych" symptoms improve. If you or any member of your family struggles with mental health issues, I particularly recommend this book.

By Kenneth Bock,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Brain Inflamed as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

From renowned integrative family physician Dr Kenneth Bock, a groundbreaking approach to understanding and treating mental health among adolescents and teens.

Over the past decade, the number of 12- to 17-year-olds suffering from mental health disorders has more than doubled. While adolescents and teens are notorious for mood swings and rebellion, parents today are navigating new terrain as their children are increasingly at risk of struggling with a mental health issue. But the question remains: What is causing this epidemic of illness?

In Brain Inflamed, acclaimed integrative doctor Dr Kenneth Bock shares a revolutionary new view of adolescent and teen…


Book cover of Why Can't I Get Better?: Solving the Mystery of Lyme and Chronic Disease

Dorothy Kupcha Leland Why did I love this book?

If you had 16 nails sticking in the bottom of your foot, removing only one of them wouldn't fix your problem, would it? That's the question posed by Dr. Richard Horowitz, one of the top Lyme-treating doctors in the world.

In his “16-Point Differential Diagnostic Map” for evaluating chronically ill patients, he looks at many different factors that can prevent you from getting well. Lyme is a complex illness and you might not even realize there is a connection between different things you are experiencing. His book is a good reference manual for many symptoms and physical disorders.

By Richard I. Horowitz,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Why Can't I Get Better? as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

When Dr. Richard Horowitz moved to the Hudson Valley over a decade ago to start his own medical practice, he didn't know that he would be jumping into the centre of one of the fiercest, most heated medical disputes being waged today. The ongoing debate over Lyme disease as a chronic illness has made it difficult for sufferers to find care, as doctors are in many cases unable or unwilling to diagnose it. This is how once-treatable infections can become chronic, causing disabling conditions that may never be cured. In a field where the number of cases is growing each…


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Book cover of Free Your Joy: The Twelve Keys to Sustainable Happiness

Free Your Joy By Lisa McCourt,

We all want peace. We all want a life of joy and meaning. We want to feel blissfully comfortable in our own skin, moving through the world with grace and ease. But how many of us are actively taking the steps to create such a life? 

In Free Your Joy…

Book cover of Love, Hope, Lyme: What Family Members, Partners, and Friends Who Love a Chronic Lyme Survivor Need to Know

Dorothy Kupcha Leland Why did I love this book?

Fred Diamond has never had Lyme disease himself, but someone he loves has suffered with it for many years. When he began educating himself about the complexities of life with this illness, he realized there were no books focused on helping partners, family, and friends understand what their loved ones were going through. So, he wrote this one. He also started a popular podcast, Love, Hope, Lyme, which expands on many of the same themes in the book. 

By Fred Diamond,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Love, Hope, Lyme as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

If you love someone with Chronic Lyme disease, buy this book now!

If you have Lyme disease and want your family, partner, and friends to understand this mysterious disease, make them buy this book!

When Fred Diamond, cofounder of the prestigious Institute for Excellence in Sales, decided to learn more about the Lyme disease that afflicted someone he loved, his life changed. He read every book on Lyme, joined Facebook groups, attended webinars and podcasts and quickly realized that he knew hardly anything about what Lyme disease survivors go through on a daily basis.

So, he wrote this book.

As…


Explore my book 😀

Finding Resilience: A Teen's Journey Through Lyme Disease

By Dorothy Kupcha Leland, Rachel Leland,

Book cover of Finding Resilience: A Teen's Journey Through Lyme Disease

What is my book about?

Based on the journal Rachel kept during her years battling chronic Lyme disease and depression, this raw memoir details her journey to becoming the strong, healthy woman she is today. Interspersed with Rachel's memories are insights from her mother, Dorothy, who now advocates nationally for better medical treatment for Lyme patients. Together, they give an unflinchingly honest and inspiring account of the devastating impact Lyme can have on an entire family.

Chronic Lyme disease remains a controversial diagnosis. People who have it often find that "standard" treatments don't help them. The following books are resources Dorothy WISHES she’d had access to during those dark years—and she strongly recommends them to people who turn to her for advice. 

Book cover of Toxic: Heal Your Body from Mold Toxicity, Lyme Disease, Multiple Chemical Sensitivities, and Chronic Environmental Illness
Book cover of Recovery from Lyme Disease: The Integrative Medicine Guide to Diagnosing and Treating Tick-Borne Illness
Book cover of Brain Inflamed: Uncovering the Hidden Causes of Anxiety, Depression, and Other Mood Disorders in Adolescents and Teens

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Locked In Locked Out By Shawn Jennings,

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After Dr. Shawn Jennings, a busy family physician, suffered a brainstem stroke on May 13, 1999, he woke from a coma locked inside his body, aware and alert but unable to communicate or move. Once he regained limited movement in his left…

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