Under Our Skin Movie Critique – Lyme Disease Issues

 Movie Critique- Under our Skin

“Under our Skin” is a documentary about Lyme. It usually is shown around the country with appearances by local people with Lyme sharing it with the public. Last week I was asked to come and speak on a discussion panel after the viewing.

The first time I watched the movie, I knew I had to share my knowledge with the Lyme community…not doing so wouldn’t be right.  My first feelings when I finally got over Lyme were to go back to sports quietly and basically forget that I ever had it. I wanted to move on without dwelling on the fact that I spent a number of years recovering from it.

After I saw the movie in 2008 I was kind of shocked. Since I cut myself off from the Lyme world, so I could heal (as it was too negative for me) I really had no idea things had gotten so bad and Lyme had spread like it did, not just within the United States, but throughout the entire world.

I invited a good friend of mine to go watch this movie that was showing in Columbia, South Carolina. His reaction was interesting. As a person who had Lyme Disease, it’s just too hard to explain how ill you really get. People just don’t understand because most of us look normal on the outside. So the movie was able to show him the seriousness of the disease. Since I went into hiding while recovering (nothing short of falling off the face of the earth), my friends had no idea how ill I was. Now seeing me again, words just don’t convey what hell it was. After the movie, he really couldn’t believe I had the same disease…. NOBODY CAN!  This is a testament to my full recovery.

However, the movie can make you want to go home and shoot yourself. It’s terribly depressing. It’s so depressing that it makes a profound statement of NO HOPE or VERY LITTLE HOPE. Aside from the main character coming along quite far in her recovery, still not a full recovery, and the doctor who was researching in his basement…and the few  LL MDs that were putting themselves out there to be criticized (and perhaps even losing their licenses)…I’m unable to watch this movie again.

What’s probably worse is that the girl who put on the showing actually asked me to drive down to be on the TALK BACK panel. Then when the time came she didn’t ask me to come up to speak. Instead a dentist with Lyme and an older lady who had Lyme spoke instead and it was all Doom and Gloom. It was a real “Poor Me” Fest. I wanted to get up and say “Stop all the depressing talk.”  I know it’s important to prove a point about how bad the disease is, but the movie did a good job at showing that. There were lots of people in the audience with Lyme and they needed to hear something positive…ME. I got up and walked out when I had just heard enough.

Oh, but maybe I’m just being too controversial. Maybe nobody really wants to get better? Maybe the masses just need to follow their doctors’ advice to their graves because they can’t think for themselves. It’s a free country and quite honestly I think it is everyone’s right to make up their own minds and follow the treatments they choose.

There was also a debate on long term antibiotics. Yeah, I’m against it but I believe it’s your choice to decide so I do support that bill. But they had one guy in the movie (a park ranger) who was all for it…probably because he didn’t know what else was out there. Show me ONE PERSON who has had a FULL recovery by taking long term medication.….That’s what I thought (I’m hearing crickets…).

 In order to promote the movie and Lyme awareness, I was able to snag a front page article in the Health section of one of South Carolina’s largest newspapers. While being interviewed, I, of course, told them to interview the girl in charge of the showing, as well. I’ve yet to receive a thank you from her.

 Ah, what can you do? The answer: stay focus on the SOLUTIONS and nothing else.

See The Printed Article Here:

http://www.beatlymedisease.com/Athlete-Lyme-Disease.htm

See The Online Version Here :

(If you want to leave a comment or recommend it (like posting it to your Facebook or other social media networks))

http://www.greenvilleonline.com/article/20090714/LIFE/907140314/1004/NEWS01

*By the way, I look like an Eastern European on Steroids in this picture, but in track and field, that’s actually a compliment if you’re a female (it means you’re fierce!)

Well part of my maintenance is actually not getting upset about this or anything else…so guess what? I don’t think I care about what happened at the movie. I’m not angry. I forgive everyone. Ah, that felt so good.

Let’s talk about something uplifting.

Just recently I coached a police officer who has Lyme Disease.

Very surprisingly this guy feels pretty good to have Lyme Disease and he never got on medication. (I even tried the traditional protocols at first.) I was very impressed with how much he knew about these other options and that’s why he’s doing so well. In fact, he was looking to “seal the deal” and get to that 100% level and after talking with me about what he’s missing, I think he really can.

Interestingly enough is how many doctors wanted to put him on antidepressants and how other Lymies don’t think he’s doing the right thing. His remark is, “You wanna bet?”  It’s very rare I meet someone with this level of success already and the ability to take control of their own destiny and it was a real pleasure to meet him.

What determines your success with Lyme or any autoimmune disease is your ability to implement, THINK FOR YOURSELF, and trust your own gut instinct about what you have to do to get well.  I don’t feel doom and gloom about anyone’s situation, no matter how bad it is. Your body just needs the right care and it WILL respond.

 Book Website

To get updates on the progress of the book I just wrote go to: http://www.TheTickSlayer.com

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How You Can Help The LYME Cause

Two important things here.

#1.  This just in (email from a “lymie” who gets my newsletter):

“The Infectious Diseases Society of America’s new Lyme disease guidelines review panel will hold a one day hearing on July 30. This hearing is part of the antitrust settlement that the Connecticut Attorney General negotiated. Of the 18 speakers selected to testify, two are patient advocates, including me. The testimony will be aired live on the internet on July 30 so stay tuned. STAND UP AND BE COUNTED CALDA is conducting a survey of individual Lyme experiences to give you a chance to have input. Results of the survey will be included in my testimony to the IDSA panel. “

http://www.lymepolicywonk.org/

*Thank you Mary for sending me this.

 #2.   Sign This and Pass it On…It’s important!

 http://joinpatientsfirst.com/