ldoadmin

CALDA, the national Lyme Disease Association and Time for Lyme have issued a joint press release regarding the IDSA Lyme review hearing, which is schedule for July 30th in Washington D.C. The release highlights the growing opposition to the IDSA guidelines, the importance of acknowledging the full spectrum of science in Lyme disease, and the importance of permitting clinical judgment and treatment options for patients. Concerns are also raised about the current process, which Attorney Lorraine Johnson points out is not impartial because IDSA controls the process and has selected both the panel members and those who may present before the panel. Of critical importance is that fact that no physicians who treat chronic Lyme disease were selected to sit on the panel. The testimony will be aired live over the internet on July 30th.

If you have not read the recent editorial by Attorney General Blumenthal published today in “The Day”—you are in for a treat. Despite the IDSA’s protests that the guideline review process is “voluntary”, Blumenthal observes that the IDSA “effectively admitted the flaws by agreeing to a review and reassessment of its 2006 guidelines by a conflicts-free panel”.

Well, as you can see, I’ve reached the cutting and pasting portion of writing my speech for the IDSA Lyme Guidelines Review Panel—a bit like making a quilt. You start off with yards of different fabrics, cut them into little squares and eventually reassemble them into the quilt, tying off the edges carefully and trying not to prick yourself with the needle on the way. As a patient advocate, I am allotted 15 minutes to make my point and leave the podium. By the way, it is a lot more difficult to write a 15 minute speech than a 45 minutes speech—size matters. It’s like Mark Twain said: “I didn't have time to write a short letter, so I wrote a long one instead.”

Terrence McNally at KPFK, a local public radio station in Los Angeles interviewed me, Andy Wilson, Mandy, and Dr. Horowitz on June 23rd about the film, Under Our Skin, and about the antitrust settlement. It is a good listen if you have not heard it. The link to the podcast is below. A close friend snapped the picture of me in the booth.