Complex Chronic Illness Care in Burlington, VT | Bendavid Clinic

Complex Chronic Illness

Complex Chronic Illness Care in Burlington, VT

For patients whose symptoms have never fit one diagnosis: in-depth evaluation and whole-person treatment for persistent, multisystem illness — from licensed naturopathic doctors in Burlington, Vermont.

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What’s Included

What Complex Chronic Illness Care Includes

Whether you arrive with a folder of normal test results or with four diagnoses that nobody has connected, care starts the same way — one full evaluation of the whole picture, in Burlington, Vermont.

Evaluation for Undiagnosed & Unexplained Symptoms

A full history, a review of the testing you’ve already had, and an evaluation aimed at the contributing factors behind persistent symptoms — rather than repeating the workup that already came back normal.

Chronic Fatigue & ME/CFS

Care for exhaustion that rest doesn’t fix, including post-exertional crashes, unrefreshing sleep, and brain fog — the pattern that gets labeled chronic fatigue syndrome or ME/CFS.

Long COVID & Post-Viral Illness

Evaluation for symptoms that started after an infection and never fully resolved. Long COVID and other post-viral syndromes commonly affect several body systems at once, which is why they get missed.

Fibromyalgia & Widespread Pain

Whole-person care for widespread pain, tenderness, and the sleep and cognitive symptoms that travel with it — with regenerative pain care available at the same clinic when a specific joint or injury is also involved.

Multisystem & Overlapping Conditions

When symptoms span the gut, the nervous system, the joints, and the immune system at once, they’re usually one picture rather than four separate problems. That includes overlap with POTS and dysautonomia and with Ehlers-Danlos and hypermobility.

Care Coordination & an Individualized Plan

Someone to pull your care together across specialists and diagnoses, and a treatment plan built for your situation that gets revisited as things change — not a protocol applied to everyone with the same label.

Our Approach

Our Approach to Complex Chronic Illness

Naturopathic doctor with a chronic illness patient during a consultation at Bendavid Clinic in Burlington, Vermont

Most people who come to us for complex chronic illness have already been told their labs look fine. We start from the opposite assumption: the symptoms are real, they usually have more than one contributing factor, and the job is to find them — an unresolved infection, an exposure, immune or hormonal dysfunction, or some combination that no single specialist was looking at. From there we build an individualized plan rather than treating each symptom on its own. This page is one part of complex and chronic illness care at Bendavid Clinic, and because we also provide primary care, the doctor managing your chronic illness can be the same one reading your bloodwork and coordinating with your other specialists. Visits are long enough to work through a complicated history rather than a single complaint.

Contributing Factors, Not Labels

A diagnosis names a pattern; it doesn’t explain what’s driving it. Our licensed naturopathic doctors look for the factors underneath the label, which is what makes a plan possible.

One Place That Coordinates It All

Complex illness usually means several specialists and no one connecting them. We coordinate across your existing care rather than adding a seventh disconnected opinion.

Vermont Rooted

Deeply connected to our local community, serving adults across the Burlington region.

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Your Path to A Clearer Picture

Getting started is simple. Here's what to expect from your first visit.

Schedule in-person or via telemedicine through our EHR platform. You'll provide basic personal and medical history during sign-up.

802-881-0424

Connect with a Physician

We match you with one of our experienced physicians and schedule your appointment at a time that works for you.

Diagnosis & Treatment

Your physician diagnoses your condition and prescribes medication or an integrative treatment plan tailored specifically to you.

Follow-Up & Ongoing Care

Check-in appointments keep your progress on track and allow your care plan to evolve as your health improves.

What Our Patients Say

“

Dr. Jackie’s greatest strengths as a primary care provider lie in her natural abilities to listen, to empathize without judgement or condescension, and to enthusiastically and collaboratively design an action plan with her patients. While none of these qualities should make Dr. Jackie so unique as a care provider, it’s the unfortunate reality that many of us, especially female-identifying folks, live in. In just two visits, she was able to diagnose and create an accessible, approachable treatment plan for a number of deficiencies that other providers failed to notice. The experience has been not only validating, but healing both literally and figuratively. Burlington is BEYOND lucky to call her one of our own.

— P.T.

“

At the first appointment I instantly felt the warmth her office and whole self brings, it’s the most comfortable space and she offers the most inviting presence to be able to open up to and receive the kind of advice that is not only extremely helpful, but shows that she truly cares about her patients. I am so grateful I have found Dr. Jackie. Thank you so much for your inviting presence and everything you have taught me thus far!

— G.T.

“

I’ve had chronic health issues for years and Dr. Jackie is everything. Never felt so heard and seen and cared for by a primary care physician as much as I do with her! Thank you for truly caring about what you do and making the world a better place.

— H.P.

Find Us

Our Location

Address 305 St. Paul St., Suite 324
Burlington, VT 05401
Corner of Kilburn St. and St. Paul

Phone / Fax 802-881-0424 · Fax 802-352-8745

Hours Mon – Fri 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM

Parking Instructions
Parking available in the lots located on Kilburn St. Street parking also available. Handicap parking in 2 spots near the clinic entrance.

Insurance & New Patients

Chronic Illness Care Cost & Coverage

Coverage varies by plan and by service. Office visits for complex chronic illness are generally billed as medical visits, while some specialty testing may not be covered. Call our Burlington, Vermont office at 802-881-0424 and we’ll help you confirm what your specific plan covers before your first visit.

We're currently accepting new patients and welcome referrals.

FAQ

We're Here to Answer All Your Questions

Have something on your mind that isn't covered here? Give us a call — we're always happy to chat.

Call Us: 802-881-0424

What is complex chronic illness?

Complex chronic illness describes persistent health problems that involve several body systems at once and don’t resolve into a single, clean diagnosis. A patient might have fatigue, digestive symptoms, pain, and cognitive changes together, each investigated separately by a different specialist. The defining feature isn’t severity — it’s that the pieces have never been evaluated as one picture.

What does it mean if all my tests keep coming back normal?

Normal results mean the specific things that were tested for were ruled out — not that nothing is wrong. Standard panels are designed to catch common single diagnoses, so a multisystem problem can pass through them intact. At Bendavid Clinic in Burlington, Vermont, a first visit for complex chronic illness starts by reviewing the testing you’ve already had, so the next step is a different question rather than the same one repeated.

What is ME/CFS, and how is it different from ordinary tiredness?

ME/CFS — myalgic encephalomyelitis, or chronic fatigue syndrome — is a chronic condition defined by disabling fatigue lasting six months or more, unrefreshing sleep, and post-exertional malaise, meaning symptoms get worse after exertion rather than better with rest. That crash after activity is what separates it from ordinary tiredness, and it’s often the detail that finally makes the pattern recognizable.

Do you treat long COVID and post-viral illness?

Yes. Bendavid Clinic evaluates patients whose symptoms began after an infection and never fully resolved, including long COVID and other post-viral syndromes. These conditions commonly affect several systems at once — energy, cognition, heart rate, and digestion — which is why they’re often missed when each symptom is assessed in isolation. If your symptoms started after an illness, bring that timeline to your first visit.

Do you treat fibromyalgia?

Yes. Fibromyalgia is one of the conditions we see in complex chronic illness care at our Burlington, Vermont clinic, and it’s evaluated alongside the fatigue, sleep, and cognitive symptoms that usually travel with the pain rather than as a pain complaint on its own. Where a specific joint or old injury is also involved, regenerative pain care is available at the same clinic.

What should I bring to my first visit for a chronic illness?

Bring your previous lab and imaging results, a list of every medication and supplement you take, and the names of any specialists you’re currently seeing. A rough timeline of when symptoms started and what changed is more useful than it sounds — with complex chronic illness, the sequence often carries more information than any single test result.

Do I need a diagnosis or a referral before being seen?

No. You don’t need a referral or an existing diagnosis to be seen at Bendavid Clinic — not having one is the most common reason patients come to us for complex chronic illness. We also welcome referrals from other providers, and we coordinate with the specialists you already see. Call our Burlington office at 802-881-0424 to schedule.

Does insurance cover care for complex chronic illness?

Coverage varies by plan and by service. Office visits for complex chronic illness are generally billed as medical visits, while some specialty testing may not be covered. Call our Burlington, Vermont office at 802-881-0424 before your first visit and we’ll help you confirm what your specific plan covers.

Ready for a Full Evaluation?

Whether you’ve been searching for months or for years, and whether or not anyone has given it a name yet, it starts with one long visit at our Burlington, Vermont clinic. We’re currently accepting new patients.

Schedule a Visit

802-881-0424 · 305 St. Paul St., Suite 324, Burlington, VT