Ground Zero Lyme Disease: Check out Pollack’s AG article

On July 31, the FDA announced it would move forward with regulations to restrict cutting edge laboratory developed tests (LDTs), which have not required FDA approval before because they are not marketed to consumers. The new regulations would change that. Why should you care?

Some of you know Dr. Phil Baker, formerly of the National Institute of Health, currently of the American Lyme Disease Foundation—a group some regard as a front organization for the IDSA. (4 of the 7 ALDF directors were authors of the IDSA guidelines.) You might know that he oversaw the NIH Lyme disease trials. You might know he testified on behalf of the IDSA at the IDSA review panel—7 of the 8 panel members chosen by the IDSA were IDSA members. You might know that he characterizes the findings of that panel as “independent”, that he characterizes patients as vulnerable fools, and their treating physicians as predators. He has a certain viewpoint, it seems. But in his mind, there is no disagreement among gentlemen about science. It is odd for a man of science to refuse to read peer reviewed research to the contrary. In his mind, are there truly only heroes and villains? No real science. Well, then. Dr. Stricker and I rebutted his editorial and for once, it is available on line. I quote a snippet and then give you the link for the response and counter, counter, counter—whatever…

In the final days waiting for Governor Cuomo to sign the Lyme bill in New York that would ensure Lyme patients access to diagnosis and care, Slate magazine ran what can only be called a Lyme bashing piece designed to kill the legislation. LymeDisease.org responded with this letter to the editor.

I was reading a book today about the power of small groups. The book is called Microtrends. It is by Mark Penn. One of the things he said stuck with me: “It only takes 1% of the people making a dedicated choice—contrary to the mainstream—to create a movement that can change the world.” What he is talking about is the increasing fragmentation of America (the world, in fact) brought about by the internet and the collapse of normal distribution channels. Very small groups of people can now connect and be effective through the internet. And, the normal channels of distribution used to control information flow have collapsed. You see this in television where there are no longer three networks to choose from but over 200 channels. That’s fragmentation.