Tag Archives: controversy

Video: Shockingly Candid Story of Lyme Disease

Uncategorized, Video July 27, 2016 Leave a comment

When I discovered this on YouTube years ago, I sobbed as a happy young boy’s health disintegrated before my eyes because of Lyme and co-infections—and no appropriate treatment.  I weep when I watch it today.

And I wonder if he ever recovered, because he’s extremely ill at the end of this video. The website for donations is gone. Did he make it?

So many thousands could tell similar stories of horrible illness, treatment hard-won, and improvements followed by crashing in an endless cycle.

Jean-Luc, I think of you often. You are my hero. Your courage has sustained me many a day.

I haven’t found the rest of your story online, but I hope the treatment you finally got has brought you to remission, and that you are out there fishing every day.

Video: Bullying of Australian Docs Creating Medical Refugees

Lyme Basics February 18, 2016 Leave a comment

 

And when are these attacks going to stop? I know of a local doctor in court right now fighting to protect herself—and going bankrupt in the process.

We must all speak up against this unspeakable problem in so many countries!

 

See One Step Closer for Physicians in VA.

 

 

10 Things I Wish I’d Known About Lyme Disease

Co-infections, Lyme and the Brain, Lyme Basics, Prevention Tips, Symptoms: How Do You Feel?, Testing, Ticks: Where It all Starts, Tips for Family and Friends January 23, 2016 Leave a comment

IV treatment. Pills. More pills. I can't believe I made it through all that. When it could have been avoided...

That’s the little portable pump for my IV drugs. Then there were the pills. More pills. Harsh meds that made me sicker so I could get better. I can’t believe I made it through all that. When it could have been avoided…

 

 

It’s 2016, and I’m finally climbing out of the Lyme hell I fell into blindly four-and-a-half years ago. If only I’d known more, sooner.

Maybe I can help someone, somewhere, by offering a few things I was shocked to learn. Frankly, it is damned hard to pick just 10 things. But here goes:  Continue reading →

O Canada

Lyme Basics January 3, 2016 Comments: 3

canadian-flag-medium

 

 

I’m always a little stunned when I track this blog and am reminded that people from all over the world visit. So many of us are on the lookout for information.

Today I’m thinking about Canadians because lots of my traffic at the moment is coming from my neighbors to the north, who’ve been checking out my post from several years ago on how Lyme was affecting my brain at the time.  Looks like some of you are sharing the link on Facebook. Thank you!

Like others around the globe, many Canadians are having a tough time getting good treatment. Health officials just don’t get it (sound familiar?).

The nonprofit Canadian Lyme Disease Foundation says:  Continue reading →

Video: Controversy Over Lyme in Australia

Co-infections, Lyme and the Brain, Lyme Basics, Video February 1, 2013 Leave a comment

It’s not just places in the U.S. where people are told, “No lyme here.”

In this video posted on YouTube from Australia’s “Today Tonight” (aired 13 February 2012), a government health official says people with lyme in Australia most likely got infected elsewhere.

Patients interviewed say otherwise.

Note: For those not familiar with lyme at its worst, I must warn you that the interviews are graphic examples of the suffering inflicted by persistent lyme disease.

See another “Today Tonight” lyme report about a 3-year-old infected with lyme here.

And here’s research on coinfections in Australia. 

For more information on lyme down under, visit the Lyme Disease Association of Australia. 

 

Video: “Under Our Skin”

Lyme Basics, Prevention Tips, Video January 27, 2013 Comments: 2

If you haven’t seen the compelling and award-winning lyme documentary “Under our Skin” by Open Eye Pictures, check out the trailer above from YouTube.  It doesn’t seem to be streaming for free any more but see below for info on how to buy it or arrange a screening in your area.

Through interviews with people living the nightmare of chronic lyme as well as the doctors and researchers deeply committed to helping them recover, you’ll learn about this hidden epidemic.

It’s all here, from the shameful treatment of many patients by some in the medical establishment who deny the very existence of persistent lyme to the inaccuracies of testing and the impacts of this insidious illness on individuals and families.

You’ll also hear success stories from people who found health again thanks to lyme literate doctors. If enough people see this film, maybe we can attain the long overdue public awareness and action this health crisis deserves.

To buy the DVD, find out about screenings in your community, or to sign up to host a screening, visit www.underourskin.com.

UPDATE: The sequel, an Academy Award runner up, is now available! PLEASE SHARE ON SOCIAL MEDIA AND EMAIL. We need this information to reach beyond those already impacted.

Video: Making a Difference

Staying Positive, Video December 21, 2012 1 Comment

On a day like today when pain and other symptoms ratchet up and I am totally lymed-out, I can’t get outside to restore my spirits with a healing dose of Nature.

I’ve found, however,  that online natural history videos can be a decent substitute.  I’ve really been missing my work in ocean conservation, so this one called “Saving Valentina” by the Great Whale Conservancy caught my attention.

I share it here not only because it is one of the most amazing wildlife videos I have ever seen, but also because it says so much about life. Sure, it conveys the stunning beauty of whales.

But this story also celebrates the individual action that can make a big difference: Action by a few people in a tiny boat with one small knife saving the life of one of the largest creatures on Earth.

It makes me think of the lyme literate doctors who act with knowledge, courage, and perseverence to help those whose lives are compromised and endangered by lyme disease at a time when the medical community is divided by controversy over this illness. 

Valentina’s boundless joy in the last three minutes of the video says it all. See for yourself.