The Lyme disease community is mourning the sudden passing of Dr. Charles Crist, a longtime physician, healer, and advocate for patients with complex chronic illness.

His death is a profound loss for families across Missouri and throughout the United States who found answers, compassion, and hope under his care.

Dr. Crist practiced medicine for more than thirty years and was based in Ashland, Missouri, just outside of Columbia. He was widely known for his work diagnosing and treating tick-borne illnesses, including Lyme disease, borreliosis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and ehrlichiosis. Over the course of his career, he helped more than 11,000 patients with complex, often long-standing illness.

What set Dr. Crist apart was not only his clinical knowledge, but the way he practiced medicine. He was known for spending extraordinary amounts of time with his patients, often scheduling initial appointments that lasted well over two hours. He listened carefully, educated his patients, and approached healing through multiple lenses, integrating root-cause medicine, environmental health, and individualized treatment plans.

Melinda Sander of the Missouri Lyme Alliance reflected on the impact Dr. Crist had on patients who had run out of options.

“We were really fortunate to have such a brilliant physician who truly cared about people,” Sander said. “Dr. Crist once told me that by the time patients reached him, they had often already seen 20 or more doctors. Their symptoms were strange, complex, and hard to explain. He was the physician people went to when they were out of hope.”

Dr. Crist served as a former president and longtime member of the American Academy of Environmental Medicine and maintained a nationwide practice, caring for patients from nearly all fifty states. Many came to him after years of misdiagnosis, dismissal, or unresolved illness. For these patients, Dr. Crist was often the doctor who finally connected the dots.

Tributes from patients describe him not just as a physician, but as a healer. Countless individuals credit him with giving them their lives back and restoring health when few options remained. His legacy will continue through the lives he helped restore and the hope he offered to so many.

We extend our deepest condolences to Dr. Crist’s wife, children, extended family, staff, and all those whose lives were touched by his work. He will be remembered for his compassion, his dedication to patients, and the lasting impact of his care.