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Dan.Linehan · 10-12-2008, 09:40 AM

Nick and I developed the website for a new documentary out now about Lyme disease: Under Our Skin.

Thousands of people have chronic Lyme disease symptoms in America. Unfortunately these people are not recognized as having a "real disease" by the medical community. They are frequently refused treatment, and their symptoms can grow more and more debilitating with time. Eventually, when left untreated, patients can die from suffocation from convulsions and seizures, lose all their mobility, experience deterioration of their spine and bones, and/or get dementia or brain damage. In late stages, patients frequently get diagnosed with the wrong condition, such as early onset Alzheimer's, Parkinson's or MS and never receive the treatment they need.

The politics associated with Lyme disease are absolutely surreal. The film follows several doctors who treat the disease as it needs to be treated - these doctors get reported to medical boards by insurance companies because the treatments are so expensive. Insurance companies don't want to pay. The doctors risk losing their medical licenses, and can then can also be sued by insurance companies. All for simply keeping their patients alive with proper treatment rather than letting them die slowly.

There were 30,000 newly reported cases of Lyme disease in 2007. The number goes up every year. Most cases go unreported, so the numbers are likely to be much higher than you see on the chart. Recent climate changes seem to be making the disease more and more common as time goes on. When Lyme disease is not treated properly right away it can turn into a chronic, debilitating, life long struggle for someone who gets it. Getting proper treatment right away is absolutely crucial.

I'd highly recommend seeing the film to learn about the disease, and to see a up-close look at how our health care system treats patients who have chronic Lyme disease.

The film will hopefully be put into wide release in early 2009. Until then, you can see if there is a screening near you, or you can host one yourself.

Hope you enjoy the film and website!

10-12-2008, 09:40 AM	#1 (permalink)
Dan.Linehan Family Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: San Rafael, CA Posts: 4,896	Under Our Skin / Lyme Disease Nick and I developed the website for a new documentary out now about Lyme disease: Under Our Skin. Thousands of people have chronic Lyme disease symptoms in America. Unfortunately these people are not recognized as having a "real disease" by the medical community. They are frequently refused treatment, and their symptoms can grow more and more debilitating with time. Eventually, when left untreated, patients can die from suffocation from convulsions and seizures, lose all their mobility, experience deterioration of their spine and bones, and/or get dementia or brain damage. In late stages, patients frequently get diagnosed with the wrong condition, such as early onset Alzheimer's, Parkinson's or MS and never receive the treatment they need. The politics associated with Lyme disease are absolutely surreal. The film follows several doctors who treat the disease as it needs to be treated - these doctors get reported to medical boards by insurance companies because the treatments are so expensive. Insurance companies don't want to pay. The doctors risk losing their medical licenses, and can then can also be sued by insurance companies. All for simply keeping their patients alive with proper treatment rather than letting them die slowly. There were 30,000 newly reported cases of Lyme disease in 2007. The number goes up every year. Most cases go unreported, so the numbers are likely to be much higher than you see on the chart. Recent climate changes seem to be making the disease more and more common as time goes on. When Lyme disease is not treated properly right away it can turn into a chronic, debilitating, life long struggle for someone who gets it. Getting proper treatment right away is absolutely crucial. I'd highly recommend seeing the film to learn about the disease, and to see a up-close look at how our health care system treats patients who have chronic Lyme disease. The film will hopefully be put into wide release in early 2009. Until then, you can see if there is a screening near you, or you can host one yourself. Hope you enjoy the film and website!