PEAK Integrative Medicine

04/19/2026

Pennsylvania reports more Lyme disease cases than any other state in the country. About 30% of all recorded U.S. cases come from right here, and all 67 PA counties have both the blacklegged tick and documented cases of Lyme.

And tick season is back.

Here's what most people don't realize: in peer-reviewed research, the standard two-tiered Lyme blood test had only 48% sensitivity in early Lyme disease. That means it missed more than half of early-stage cases. It takes weeks for the body to develop enough antibodies to be detected, even when the classic rash is present.

Not everyone gets the bullseye rash. Some people carry Lyme for months or years before anyone connects the dots.
If you've been told your labs are "normal" but you still don't feel right (fatigue that won't quit, brain fog, joint pain, mystery symptoms no one can explain), tick-borne infection is worth investigating.

Sources:
Penn State Institutes of Energy and the Environment, "Understanding and preventing tick-borne disease in Pennsylvania": https://iee.psu.edu/news/blog/understanding-and-preventing-tick-borne-disease-pennsylvania

Branda JA, et al. "Two-tiered antibody testing for Lyme disease with use of 2 enzyme immunoassays, a whole-cell sonicate enzyme immunoassay followed by a VlsE C6 peptide enzyme immunoassay." Clinical Infectious Diseases, 2011 (PubMed): https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21865190/

03/24/2026

We've heard the whisper. Let's address it.
​
"They don't practice real medicine over there."
​
We get it. When people hear "integrative medicine," they sometimes picture crystals and essential oils. So let's clear this up once and for all.
​
Every patient who walks through our doors receives what's called standard of care. That's the baseline that every medical provider in the country is expected to follow. If your blood pressure is dangerously high, we prescribe medication. If you have an infection that needs antibiotics, we prescribe antibiotics. If something is medically urgent, we act on it. Period.
​
We have a physician, nurse practitioners, and licensed providers doing exactly what your other doctors do.
​
The difference? We don't stop there.
​
We call our approach Standard of Care Plus.
​
Standard of care is our floor, not our ceiling.
​
Once we've made sure nothing urgent is being missed, we go further. We run deeper labs. We look at what you're eating, how you're sleeping, what's driving your stress. We bring in health coaching. We build a plan that actually addresses why you got sick, not just what to do now that you are.
​
Why can we do this when most practices can't? Because we're not trying to squeeze your entire health story into a 5-minute insurance visit. Our membership model gives us the time to actually practice medicine the way it should be practiced.
​
So no, we're not anti-medication. We're not anti-conventional medicine. We use it every single day.
​
We're just not willing to stop there when we know there's more we can do for you.
​
That's not alternative medicine. That's better medicine.

Peak Integrative Medicine provides direct primary care and a wide range of health services in Central PA. We are located in Orwigsburg Pennsylvania. Learn more!

02/13/2026

What We’re Building at PEAK

People sometimes ask what makes PEAK unique, and the answer is actually pretty simple.

We are building the kind of medical practice we would want for our own families.

A place where patients feel known.

A place where care is thoughtful and personalized.

A place where decisions are made with time, attention, and partnership.

Healthcare is not one-size-fits-all, and people need different types of support at different times in their lives. Our role is to provide a deeper level of care for those who want a more proactive and comprehensive approach to their health.

At PEAK, we take the time to listen carefully, look at the full picture, and help patients understand what is happening in their bodies. Sometimes that means focusing on prevention. Sometimes it means navigating complex or chronic concerns. Sometimes it simply means having a trusted team in your corner.

We value collaboration and respect the many dedicated healthcare professionals serving our community. Our goal is not to replace anyone. It is to be a strong partner in helping people move toward better health.

Above all, we believe medicine should feel personal, intentional, and grounded in genuine relationships.

That is the standard we hold ourselves to every day.

If you are already part of the PEAK community, thank you for trusting us with your care. It is a responsibility we take seriously.

And if you have been looking for a practice that offers this kind of environment, we are here when you need us.

02/03/2026

Introducing...

The PEAK Mold and Mycotoxin Illness Guide!

If you or a loved one is suffering from a complex illness, with symptoms across multiple systems, with seemingly no answers from multiple specialists... It could be mold-related illness.

Read and/or share this with whomever you think could benefit from the information.

01/09/2026

Did you know…

A federal law change that took effect January 1 now allows HSAs to be used for Direct Primary Care memberships.

If you’ve been wanting more time, access, and proactive care — this makes it much easier to switch.

Use your HSA. Make the upgrade.

https://www.elevatedhealth.md/blog/use-your-hsa-for-direct-primary-care-in-2026/

01/02/2026

Using HBOT for post surgical healing.

https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1FzeCqpRFN/

12/30/2025

A lot of women are running into the same wall right now.
They ask their P*P or OB-GYN about hormones.

They’re told testing isn’t useful.
They’re offered reassurance, an antidepressant, or a generic HRT script.
And they’re sent on their way.

Here’s the part most people don’t realize.

Conventional medicine is not trained to optimize hormones.
It’s trained to diagnose disease and manage risk.

If labs aren’t frankly abnormal, there’s nothing to “treat” in that model.
That doesn’t mean symptoms aren’t real.
It means the system isn’t built for this phase of life.

And here’s the other piece that gets missed.

HRT by itself is rarely enough.
Hormones don’t operate in isolation.

They’re influenced by thyroid function, insulin signaling, stress physiology, inflammation, gut health, and nutrient status.

If those aren’t addressed, hormones become a band-aid instead of a solution.

Some people feel a little better.
Some feel better for a short time.
But the results plateau. Or fade.

This is why hormone care now has to be holistic.
Not “alternative.”
Integrated.

It requires a provider who understands hormones and systems.
Someone who knows when testing matters, how to interpret it in context, and how to support the body so hormones can actually work.

That’s what integrative medicine does differently.

For those who’ve been dismissed.
For those told “everything looks normal.”
For those who’ve tried hormones and still don’t feel like themselves.

This experience is not imagined.
And it’s not asking for too much.

It’s asking for medicine that matches reality.

And yes, more and more women are finding their way to us for exactly this reason.

Stop struggling with health imbalances and take the first step towards reclaiming your vitality and energy.

12/24/2025

“It’s just anxiety.”
“Your labs are normal.”
“It’s all in your head.”

We hear these words far too often from people who call us at PEAK looking for help.

They’re not exaggerating. They’re quoting what they were told... sometimes for years... while their symptoms kept getting worse.

“They put me on anxiety meds. I hated taking them… so I stopped. I knew something else was wrong.”

“They said my labs were normal, but they wouldn’t even test ferritin because insurance wouldn’t cover it.”

“I was told it was psychosomatic.”

“I’ve been bounced from specialist to specialist. Everyone treats one thing, no one looks at the whole picture.”

“Now I don’t trust the system the way I used to.”

This is the reality many people with mold-related illness and complex chronic symptoms live with:

• Symptoms dismissed
• Incomplete testing
• Narrow interpretations of “normal”
• Care fragmented across multiple specialists
• Patients left feeling anxious, unheard, and doubting themselves

And over time, something worse happens:
People stop trusting their own bodies.

At PEAK, we don’t start with “it’s anxiety.”
We start with curiosity.

We ask:

What’s driving the inflammation?

What’s overwhelming the nervous system?

What exposures, infections, or toxins have been missed?

What story do the symptoms tell when you look at the whole system—not just one lab or one organ?

Sometimes anxiety is present—but it’s often the result, not the root cause.

If you’ve been told:

“Everything looks normal” (but you don’t feel normal)

“Nothing serious is going on” (but your life feels on hold)

“It’s all in your head” (when your body says otherwise)

You’re not crazy.
You’re not weak.
And you’re not alone.

There are answers, and there is a different way to approach your health.

If this resonates, we see you. 💛
And we’re here when you’re ready to be heard.

12/17/2025

👋 Meet Ashley Fick, our Front Desk Coordinator.

Ashley is the friendly voice you’ll hear when you call PEAK, and the first to welcome you when you arrive. She helps patients get scheduled and set up for therapies with ease. Outside of work, Ashley is a proud mom of four who enjoys hiking, gardening, baking, and family time in Orwigsburg. 🌸🍞👨‍👩‍👧‍👦

➡️ At PEAK, Ashley makes the patient experience warm, organized, and stress-free.

12/10/2025

What Is MARCoNS — And Why Does It Matter in Mold Illness?

If you’ve been learning about mold or mycotoxin-related illness, you may have come across a strange acronym: MARCoNS.

It sounds complicated, but here’s the simple version ⬇️

MARCoNS = a type of staph bacteria that hides deep in the nasal passages.

For many people who’ve been dealing with mold exposure, chronic sinus issues, brain fog, fatigue, or ongoing inflammation, MARCoNS can quietly contribute to the problem.

This isn’t the kind of staph infection that causes fevers or urgent symptoms.

Instead, MARCoNS forms a sticky biofilm, a protective layer that helps it stay out of reach of the immune system. Think of it like a shield that lets these bacteria hang out long-term.

Why does this matter for mold-related illness?

Research from physicians who specialize in environmental and biotoxin-related conditions has shown that MARCoNS can:

• Produce toxins that irritate the immune system
• Contribute to sinus inflammation and congestion
• Disrupt certain regulatory hormones involved in energy, sleep, and mood
• Make it harder for the body to calm inflammation after mold exposure

For some patients, this becomes one reason they continue to feel unwell even after leaving a moldy environment.

How do people get MARCoNS?

Anyone can be exposed, but it’s more common in people who have:
• Long-standing inflammation
• Recurrent sinus issues
• Environmental or water-damaged-building exposure
• A history of chronic infections or immune dysregulation

It’s not considered a contagious infection — it’s more of a sign that the immune system has been working overtime.

How do we approach it at PEAK?

At PEAK Integrative Medicine, we include MARCoNS screening in certain cases where patients continue to struggle with sinus symptoms, fatigue, or brain fog long after the initial exposure has resolved.

Identifying and addressing MARCoNS can be an important part of helping the body rebalance and move forward.

It’s one piece of a much larger picture, but for some, it’s a meaningful one.

The big takeaway:

If you feel like you’ve done “all the right things” for mold recovery but symptoms remain, MARCoNS may be one of the hidden factors worth exploring with a trained provider.

If you’re curious whether this might apply to you, or you’re dealing with lingering sinus or inflammatory issues, we’re here to help.

PEAK Integrative Medicine
Patient-Centered • Root-Cause • Science-Driven

12/10/2025

👋Meet Stacey Matukewicz, our Patient Concierge and Office Manager.

Stacey is often the first smiling face you’ll see at PEAK, and she’s known for going above and beyond to help patients feel cared for and supported. She’s passionate about integrative medicine because it treats the whole person. When she’s not helping patients, Stacey enjoys time with her family, cheering on her son at baseball, and walking her three dogs. ⚾🐶💚

➡️ At PEAK, Stacey makes sure every patient feels like part of the family.

12/03/2025

👋 Say hello to Ronda Torres, PEAK’s health coach and fitness pro.

With 35+ years in fitness and wellness, Ronda inspires patients to embrace movement, mindset, and sustainable health habits. Whether it’s group coaching, 1:1 sessions, or a mini meditation, she reminds us: “It’s all connected.” 💃🥦🧘‍♀️

➡️ At PEAK, Ronda’s superpower is motivation—helping patients find their “aha moment” and commit fully to their health.