Meet Dr. Alan MacDonald. Okay, so he’s a little wonky when he goes into the scientific details—he’s a pathologist. But remember, those details speak to his credibility. And in this July 2013 YouTube video, he serves up some excellent big-picture explanations that we can all understand.

You might be surprised by some of the details he offers in a variety of areas, including these (keep your cursor on the bottom of the screen to keep minutes visible and zoom to these highlights):

• what we can learn from syphilis as it relates to its “cousin” Lyme (4:00)

• how Lyme infects just about any part of the human body (6:15)

• what MacDonald found when studying the brains of people who had dementia (8:19)

• how the current U.S. Lyme test is based on only one strain, although there are at least 100 known here—and more in Europe (8:28)

The ongoing work of dedicated researchers like Dr. MacDonald is critical to filling the holes in current knowledge about Lyme disease.

We need researchers hot on the trail of the facts about tick-borne infections. And we also need more doctors expert in the best science-based treatment available.

Want to lend your support? Here are some places to start:

• Lymedisease.org’s campaign to raise funds for the work of Dr. Eva Sapi at the University of New Haven, with whom Dr. MacDonald collaborates

• The International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society (ILADS), which provides physician training

• Columbia University’s Lyme and Tick-borne Diseases Research Center

Tagged: alzheimers, Borrelia burgdorferi, dementia, Dr. Alan MacDonald, Europe, Eve Sapi, ILADS, lyme basics, lyme disease, lyme in Europe, lyme research, lyme testing, lymedisease.org, video