Please help advance medical
standards in regards to the treatment of
chronic Lyme disease (and related
infections) by signing the petition linked
below. Your signature will help toward removing
bias, politics, and special interests from what
may be the most controversial medical issue in
the United States today.
Note that nowhere else in the world is the
existence of chronic Lyme disease a
subject for debate, and with so many financially
powerful entities lined up on the opposing
side. Also be aware that across this country
competent practitioners are being disciplined
with suspension and/or loss of license for
violating "guidelines", irrespective of the fact
that their patients improve when allowed to take
antibiotics over extended periods.
The desirability of extended treatment is the
main point of contention, with the IDSA
(Infectious Disease Society of America) in
strong opposition. The IDSA is the panel of
doctors who write the "guidelines" for treating
infectious diseases, including Lyme disease.
Their biases and conflicts were noted in a
complaint filed by the Attorney General of
Connecticut, yet IDSA has failed to adhere to
many specific terms of the settlement agreement,
hence this petition.
Sign the petition to urge:
The NGC to remove the guidelines as its listing
rules require.
The IDSA to revise its guidelines in a
transparent process that includes both patient
advocacy representatives and physicians who
treat chronic Lyme disease.
Many thanks to all of you who have worked hard to get UNDER
OUR SKIN onto PBS stations this summer. Just for May and
June alone, we have over 236 air dates covering almost half
of the PBS markets!
We can already tell the broadcasts are making an impact.
Every day we receive emails and phone calls from people who
are encountering the film for the first time, thanking us
for creating awareness around an urgent issue they knew
little about.
Some of you may have heard the news that the WORLD channel
(programmed through Boston's WGBH) decided to pull the film
which had been scheduled in a number of places around the
country on June 2nd and 3rd. There has been some speculation
circulating that this might have been due to IDSA influence.
We had worried this was the case ourselves at first. But
while the IDSA has actively tried to suppress the airing of
UNDER OUR SKIN, in this instance, it does not seem to be the
reason that the programmer decided to pull the film.
While we were very disappointed to hear of WORLD channel's
decision, it does by no means prevent the other 354 PBS
affiliates from programming it on their own. However, many
local stations didn't program the film on their primary
channels because they had thought it would air on the WORLD
channel on June 2nd and 3rd.
That's why we are declaring June 2nd and 3rd UNDER OUR SKIN
"DAYS OF ACTION". And asking you all to join us in calling
PBS stations around the country and urging them (in a
friendly manner, of course!) to broadcast the film. Stations
respond to the public's requests and they care about
ratings. Let them know that, if they program it, you are
willing to help spread the word to your community about the
air date.
We encourage everyone to also write or call your local
station to thank them if they have programmed the film and
to encourage them to program it again and/or during a prime
time slot.
These are the areas we could use particular support reaching
out to:
Philadelphia, PA
Atlanta, GA
Detroit, MI
Phoenix, AZ
Seattle, WA
St. Louis, MO
Charlotte, NC
Baltimore, MD
San
Diego, CA
Nashville, TN
Hartford,
CT
Cincinnati, OH
Milwaukee, WI
Greenville, SC
Asheville,
NC
San Antonio, TX
West Palm Beach, FL
Grand Rapids, IA
Birmingham, AL
Harrisburg, PA
Las Vegas, NV
Albuquerque, NM
Oklahoma City, OK
Greensboro, NC
Memphis, TN
Together we're making a
difference.
All Best Wishes,
The UNDER OUR SKIN Team
Open Eye Pictures
2656 Bridgeway, Suite 202
Sausalito, California 94965
US
ABOUT PATIENT LYME GROUPS
Time for Lyme,
www.timeforlyme.org, the national Lyme Disease
Association,
www.LymeDiseaseAssociation.org, and California Lyme
Disease Association,
www.lymedisease.org, are non-profit organizations that
were founded by individuals who had personal experience with
Lyme disease, in order to address the lack of research,
education and support services available for this emerging
infection.
Read more about this issue on the Lyme Policy Wonk blog:
