In 2013, unknowingly, Alan Grazioso was bitten by a tick near the woods of Camp David in Maryland. “This deer tick the size of a sesame seed changed my life,” he says. “I had no idea I would discover a whole new profession as a result.” Grazioso is an Emmy Award-winning filmmaker who has traveled the globe producing projects for Oxfam, PBS and the History Channel.

Grazioso remembers feeling oddly lethargic and achy with a low-grade fever. Three weeks later a bull’s-eye rash appeared on his leg. He was fortunate as fewer than half of Lyme cases show the tell-tale bull’s-eye according to the International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society (ILADS). “The bull’s-eye is a clear indicator that the Lyme bacterium known as Borrelia burgdorferi has invaded the body,” Grazioso continues. “Most clients I see today unfortunately were not as lucky as I was. Sadly thousands go undiagnosed or misdiagnosed for years. Early detection is key.”

Researchers at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimate that 300,000 diagnosed cases of Lyme disease occur annually in the United States. Data shows higher concentrations in 14 states in the Northeast and Midwest, yet Lyme has been reported in all 50 states and in 80 countries worldwide. New England remains one of the epicenters of Lyme.

Immediately upon seeing the bull’s-eye, Grazioso rushed to the ER and took the doctor-prescribed 21 days of antibiotics. “I felt better but almost a year later odd joint pain symptoms surfaced.” A trusted friend referred him to Joan Randall, a Lyme-focused alternative practitioner in Woodstock, Vermont. This was Grazioso’s first introduction to biomagnetic therapy. A dozen treatments later, to his surprise, he was free from his Lyme symptoms. Deeply impacted and intrigued, he began studying biomagnetism with Randall and became certified in biomagnetic therapy with the Goiz Institute of Biomagnetism, in Berkeley, California.

Biomagnetic therapy was developed nearly three decades ago in Mexico by medical surgeon Dr. Isaac Goiz Durán. Durán began treating HIV patients in his clinic with pairs of specially placed magnets of opposite polarities. The “Biomagnetic Pair,” as Durán referred to the modality in the early days, uses pairs of medium-strength magnets of opposing charge to equalize organisms’ pH. After promising results with HIV patients in the late 1980s, Durán discovered additional “pairs” to address symptoms and pathologies of other illnesses and began teaching internationally.

Grazioso adds, “I was fortunate to stumble upon biomagnetic therapy and be treated, trained and mentored by Joan Randall in her Lyme Magnetic Protocol (LMP) which is a very in-depth approach to addressing symptoms of acute and chronic Lyme and it’s many co-infections.” He started his biomagnetic practice in 2015 in a clinic he shares with a chiropractor, a massage therapist and an acupuncturist in Lexington, Massachusetts.

Grazioso reflects, “Nearby historic battles were fought by courageous minutemen and women that saved early America from the Brits. I feel humbled to serve clients and help them battle Lyme.”

Clients travel to Grazioso’s office from across New England. “Ironically I feel very grateful to this little tick because I found my calling as a biomagnetic practitioner and am able to make a difference.”

Grazioso Integrative Health is located in the Lexington Medical Building, 16 Clark St., #16, Lexington. To learn more, call 339-970-8375 or visit GraziosoIntegrativeHealth.com.