Treatments

North Coast Health is a naturopathic doctor servicing New Hampshire, Maine & Vermont.

Dr. Hecht’s Approach to the Patient

After a thorough and detailed history of your symptoms, timing, and patterns, I’m interested in your health before you became sick. Were you a high-energy person, did you have lots of allergies, insomnia, stomach aches, or abdominal bloating? What was your health foundation prior to your illness?
This gives us great insight into the terrain—or the soil—upon which your illness is growing and can often determine how to support you in your return to health.

Specifically, I am interested in:

  • Energy levels
  • Sleep quantity and quality
  • Nutrition
  • Exercise
  • Memory, anxiety, depression, or other mental symptoms

This information helps me understand you, your predisposing factors to illness, and how we can navigate our way forward to get you better as fast as possible.

Read Dr. Hecht’s Full Approach

Lyme Disease & Tick-Borne Infections

I have been treating individuals with Lyme disease and co-infections for the last 15–20 years. Lyme, Babesia, and Bartonella are the primary infections, though symptoms can be wide-ranging and sometimes unusual.

Common symptoms include:

  • Chronic fatigue and poor recovery after activity

  • Migratory joint pain and body aches

  • Night sweats
  • Nerve pain, numbness, tingling, or hot/cold sensations
  • Severe headaches, neck stiffness, or eye pain
  • Memory impairment, brain fog, and difficulty concentrating
  • Insomnia, anxiety, depression, and mood changes (extremely common)
  • Palpitations, chest pain, POTS, temperature instability
  • Gastrointestinal distress (gas, bloating, nausea, pain, stool changes)
  • Symptoms often wax and wane and may migrate to different body parts

Treatment options include:

  • Antibiotics (skillfully prescribed for durable improvement)

  • Plant medicines for infection, inflammation, and immune balance

  • Nutritional optimization

  • Hormone support and balancing

  • Exercise and lifestyle medicine

  • IV therapies (laser, ozone, chelation, nutrients, glutathione)

  • Immune support

  • Sleep support

  • Detoxification

  • Microbiome rehabilitation

 
“When we treat Lyme disease, we treat the whole person”
“To understand optimal treatment of Lyme disease, one has to understand optimal functioning of the whole person”

FAQs: Lyme Disease & Co-Infections

What symptoms might suggest Lyme disease or co-infections?
Common symptoms can include fatigue, severe headaches, joint pain or swelling, nerve pain, cognitive dysfunction, memory problems, sleep disturbance, palpitations, chest pain, gastrointestinal upset, anxiety, or depression. Night sweats, chills, and shortness of breath may indicate Babesia. Body pain, numbness, tingling, brain fog, and headaches may suggest Bartonella.
Why do some people recover quickly while others struggle for years?
Predisposing factors play a big role. If someone already has a tendency to inflammation—whether from diet, toxins, hormones, or other causes—recovery can be slower. Healing often requires addressing those underlying sources of inflammation, infection load, and immune support.
How do you treat tick-borne infections?
Treatments are tailored to the individual and may include antibiotics, plant medicines, hormone balancing, IV therapies, dietary modification, and lifestyle support.
What about the impact of antibiotics on gut health?
Antibiotics can disturb the gut microbiome, but in some cases they are essential in reducing the infectious load and allowing recovery. Each case is weighed carefully.
Are there alternatives to antibiotics?
In my experience, antibiotics are necessary for a full and lasting recovery. However, herbal antimicrobials, detoxification, nutrition, sleep support, and hormone balancing are often essential complements to healing.

Schedule your
free consultation

Please let me know how I can help you! We offer no-charge, 10-minute consultations to see if what ails you is within my expertise to help.

Schedule an appointment

Hormone Balance

Hormones are crucial messengers in the body. When they are deficient or out of balance, tissue repair, regeneration, immune regulation, inflammation, and energy production may slow down. Balancing hormones is a key part of restoring vitality, mental clarity, and overall health.

In Men

  • Low testosterone may cause fatigue, low motivation, depression, loss of libido, erectile dysfunction, reduced muscle mass, increased body fat, bone loss, and cognitive decline.

  • Adrenal imbalance (low or high cortisol) may contribute to low energy, poor stress response, inflammation, and sleep disturbance.

  • Thyroid dysfunction may cause fatigue, weight gain, depression, and high cholesterol.

  • Whenever possible, we support your body’s ability to regulate its own hormone production naturally. If replacement therapy is needed, we carefully prescribe topical or injectable bio-identical therapies.

In Women

  • Perimenopause and menopause may cause hot flashes, low energy, mood changes, sleep disturbance, decreased bone density, and brain fog.

  • Bio-identical hormone replacement therapy can support memory, bone health, fat metabolism, tissue healing, energy, and vitality.

  • Thyroid dysfunction and adrenal fatigue are addressed through targeted testing and individualized treatment.

 

Treatment Approach:

  • Hormone testing and personalized assessment

  • Natural stimulation of hormone production

  • Bio-identical hormone replacement therapy (topical or injectable)

  • Support for thyroid, adrenal, and reproductive health

  • Lifestyle guidance for diet, exercise, stress management, and sleep

  • Ongoing monitoring and adjustment

 

FAQs: Hormone Balance

What are the symptoms of low testosterone in men?
Loss of muscle mass, fat gain, fatigue, low motivation, depression, low libido, erectile dysfunction, osteoporosis, soreness, and cognitive decline.
What are the health risks of low testosterone?
Increased cardiovascular risk, higher risk of aggressive prostate cancer, bone fracture, diabetes, obesity, and faster decline in strength and vitality.
Do women benefit from testosterone therapy?
Yes. Women may see improved memory, bone density, fat metabolism, and overall vitality with balanced bio-identical hormone therapy.

Schedule your
free consultation

Please let me know how I can help you! We offer no charge 10-minute consultations to learn if what ails you is within my expertise to help.

Schedule an appointment

Gut Health

Your gut is central to your overall health. IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome), SIBO (Small Intestinal Overgrowth), and Leaky Gut Syndrome are some of the most common issues I see.

Symptoms may include:

  • Gas, bloating, constipation, diarrhea, and abdominal pain
  • Food sensitivities and allergies
  • Insomnia and fatigue
  • Inflammation-related pain, fatigue, and memory issues

Treatment options include:

  • Herbal or pharmaceutical antimicrobials for intestinal overgrowth
  • Restoring motility and digestive balance
  • Microbiome restoration with nutrition and supplementation
  • Lifestyle measures to reduce inflammation and improve resilience

FAQs: Gut Health

What is IBS or SIBO?
Up to 75% of folks diagnosed with IBS have SIBO—overgrowth of bacteria in the small intestine causing bloating, gas, pain, diarrhea, or constipation.
What problems can IBS/SIBO cause beyond the gut?
Leaky gut and chronic inflammation can lead to nutrient loss, insomnia, osteoporosis, body pain, and even memory decline.
Why is gut health so important for overall wellness?
The gut is central to immunity, energy, hormones, and brain function. Healing it often transforms overall health.
Can gut health affect memory and mood?
Absolutely. The gut-brain connection means intestinal inflammation can worsen anxiety, depression, and cognitive decline.
What are your approaches to gut healing?
Individualized nutrition, herbal antimicrobials, probiotics, detoxification, hormone balancing, and stress support to restore microbiome balance.

Schedule your
free consultation

Please let me know how I can help you! We offer no charge 10-minute consultations to learn if what ails you is within my expertise to help.

Schedule an appointment

Healthy Aging & Longevity

Aging well means keeping your body, brain, and systems functioning at their highest level. My goal is to help patients maintain vitality, energy, and resilience as they age.

Key Focus Areas:

  • Mitochondrial function & energy
  • Cognitive health
  • Fitness optimization
  • Diet & nutrition
  • Cardiometabolic balance
  • Immune resilience
  • Hormone balance
  • Sleep optimization

 

Treatment Approach:

  • Comprehensive assessment of energy, hormones, metabolism, cognition, and inflammation

  • Individualized lifestyle, nutrition, and exercise guidance

  • Targeted therapies including hormone support, supplements, and detoxification

  • Ongoing monitoring and adjustment

     

FAQs: Healthy Aging & Longevity

Is feeling tired or foggy just part of normal aging?
Many symptoms blamed on aging—low energy, poor sleep, memory decline—are often due to inflammation or deficiency. Addressing these can restore vitality.
What role does inflammation play in aging?
Chronic inflammation drives tissue breakdown, impacts memory, muscle, and hormone function. Reducing it restores repair and regeneration.
How do you help patients age “well” rather than just “long”?
By focusing on High-Level Health—balancing hormones, detoxing, optimizing sleep, treating infections, and supporting energy and fitness.

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