posted
60 minutes HAS to make a piece on Lyme... Not only to expose it to the general public such as Dr's and public officials, but can you imagine how many people will this SAVE.
Imagine sitting at home and after years of suffering you say "OMG; I got it". Now that's real television that's life changing...
Someone should tell them,
Sean.
-------------------- Ringing ears Headaches Stiff Neck Upper/Lower muscle pain Crtsyal like noise from neck/back heart palpitation Cracking joints
seekhelp
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 15067
posted
That would be wonderful. It just seems like no one important cares. All these endless letters by members here and abroad and nothing. I am so doubtful anyone will ever care. I can't believe we need to beg Dr. Oz. People are begging Michael J. Fox to look into the possibility?
Why on earth do WE have to beg them? it's so very, very wrong. There is absolutely no logic whatsoever behind it all. The only explanation is someone or some organization high, high, high above puts an iron fist down int he telecommunications industry.
Posts: 7545 | From The 5th Dimension - The Twilight Zone | Registered: Mar 2008
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Tincup
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
Member # 5829
posted
Good thinking and great ideas. But.. if I may...
Be careful what you wish for.
Faster than you can say spit.. the attempts to get media to produce a fair and balanced piece can and has flip flopped to make BIG problems for patients and doctors in the past.
The ducks can sound quite convincing when they want to and they have credentials. We don't. They use them against us regularly.
As you may know.. some media outlets are owned by big companies with ties to insurance companies and medical related entities.
Attempts to get the "wrong" people to help us have really been major nightmares.
Great to want things done... I applaude that 100 percent. We just need to be careful how we go about it.
posted
Yes, but at least if a sick person would watch it ( regardless of how "Not right" the show may be ) ... That would person will know what he has... not a moment too soon.
Sean.
-------------------- Ringing ears Headaches Stiff Neck Upper/Lower muscle pain Crtsyal like noise from neck/back heart palpitation Cracking joints
seekhelp
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 15067
posted
True, but then 99.999% of typical docs would try to mindwash the person into thinking it's not Lyme.
Posts: 7545 | From The 5th Dimension - The Twilight Zone | Registered: Mar 2008
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Tincup
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
Member # 5829
posted
Born...
You said.. "Yes, but at least if a sick person would watch it ( regardless of how "Not right" the show may be ) "
Please check out the IDSA's theories on Lyme.
Patients, doctors, etc could be shown a piece on the TV that states Lyme is easy to diagnose, easy to cure.
And it may only list 1/100th of the actual symptoms we have (they claim tick bite, rash and swollen knee is about it) and...
They could say how nuts we all are.. how our docs are cheating people out of money... and that their 2-3 week protocol cures everyone.
They could also say and have said...
If we are still sick after getting their treatment, we either didn't have Lyme to begin with.. or we have some other disease like fibromyalgia or depression that is causing the symptoms and we don't need any antibiotics.
That type of bad media pounds the bad stuff into all viewers heads.
Since we can't control what the media outlets do or which direction they go... we REALLY do need to be careful.
posted
They did have a lyme segment several years ago. Not good. Focused on a doctor in SC. Made him out to be a quack.
The experience of longtime lymies has been that the big names in media are consistently getting it wrong.
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Posts: 570 | From philadelphia, pa | Registered: Dec 2008
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Keebler
Honored Contributor (25K+ posts)
Member # 12673
posted
-
Tincup makes many excellent points.
There are also some "rules" to reporting. I used to teach journalism and I used to edit newscasts, etc. The "rule" is to take top officials when you can. IDSA doctors, sadly, are the pick of the crop for TV reporters who think they've got their experts.
In the city where I live, the university hospital is the major employer in the state. They infuse big bucks into all the media outlets with their advertising. They have a pool of doctor "experts" who are regularly called upon for TV interviews.
Some reporters here have tried to air balanced pieces about lyme but they always end with the quotes from the IDSA top doc in town. Always. That usually makes the patients look really bad.
The reporters will ALWAYS play big to the established doctors. That is what they've been taught to do. That also keeps their paychecks coming along. Management does not want controversy. Journalists really don't have much time to research stories, either. This takes a tremendous amount of time.
There is way more to this but, as TinCup says, there is much to consider and it must be approached very, very carefully and best through the LDA or a group that has worked on various projects of this kind.
As for which network has the staff and guts to do this story justice, I think PBS' Frontline would be best. Each program is usually an hour long. No other news magazine would devote that kind of time.
And Frontline has more courage in the manner they approach complex topics than any other news magazine that I've seen.
I also think that National Geographic could do a fabulous piece on tick-borne disease - and call in all sorts of scientists to explain the life cycle and forms of the spirochete. Alan MacDonald's research would fit great in such a program.
mojo
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 9309
posted
There was supposed to be a Lyme episode on Prime Time Medical Mysteries but they took the whole show off the air before they showed the episode. I think it was taped and everything. I think that was in 2006 or 2007. It never aired.
Posts: 1761 | From USA | Registered: May 2006
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TerryK
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 8552
posted
I think we should get someone at 60 minutes to read "Cure Unknown". It is well researched and written by a respected science journalist.
Makes it pretty clear that the situation of chronic lyme is grossly misrepresented. It's a tear jerker due to all the deaths caused by Dr's in denial or just plain crooked.
It is a scandal. Just exactly the type of story that 60 minutes likes.
It *could* backfire I suppose but the book speaks for itself. It's hard to dispute facts.
Terry
Posts: 6286 | From Oregon | Registered: Jan 2006
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posted
Let's hope that this will change one day. The big secrets of the tobacco industry were finally spilled on 60 Minutes. They even made a movie about it (I think 1999)called "The Insider". It starred Russell Crowe & Al Pacino. Christopher Plummer played Mike Wallace(of 60 minutes). A very true story about a chemist working for a huge tobacco company, making formulas to help make tobacco more addicting.
FABULOUS movie, it will absolutely blow you away. If the tobacco industry secrets can get blown wide then maybe someday Lyme can too. Let's all hope & pray. Maybe it could come true in our lifetimes, or our kids'.
Posts: 50 | From Midwest | Registered: Nov 2009
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Pinelady
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 18524
posted
I like Heraldo Rivera when he does things like
this. He has always been big into exposing.
-------------------- Suspected Lyme 07 Test neg One band migrating in IgG region unable to identify.Igenex Jan.09IFA titer 1:40 IND IgM neg pos 31 +++ 34 IND 39 IND 41 IND 83-93 + DX:Neuroborreliosis Posts: 5850 | From Kentucky | Registered: Dec 2008
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60 Minutes isn't going to save us. 20/20 isn't going to save us. Oprah isn't going to save us. Dr. Oz isn't going to save us. Dr. Phill isn't going to save us. Michael J. Fox isn't going to save us.
No one on TV is going to save us. No one on TV, including Oprah, is interested. No one on TV is going to be interested until the wave has crested. Then they will all hop on. Then you will not be able to fight them off.
Until then...
We are the only ones who can save ourselves. We can do this by supporting PRIVATE research. And by supporting legislation, state and national, to protect Lyme patients. And by educating as many people as possible. By supporting these measures little by little things will change, not over months but over years. It may take another generation. Maybe longer.
There is no prince on a white horse. The world rarely works like that. We need to stop wasting energy looking for a savior, and put it into bread and butter issues that will pay dividends in the future. Maybe this is not as exciting, but it is the only thing that we can count on.
Posts: 845 | From Eastern USA | Registered: Jul 2006
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Pinelady
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 18524
posted
We know nomore. I guess it's just human nature to look for that hero.
-------------------- Suspected Lyme 07 Test neg One band migrating in IgG region unable to identify.Igenex Jan.09IFA titer 1:40 IND IgM neg pos 31 +++ 34 IND 39 IND 41 IND 83-93 + DX:Neuroborreliosis Posts: 5850 | From Kentucky | Registered: Dec 2008
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posted
I wouldn't say it is looking for a hero...just looking for someone with a captive audience & name recognition to be able to help spread the(positive) word about LD. Knowledge is power.
Posts: 50 | From Midwest | Registered: Nov 2009
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posted
I enjoyed reading the various posts regarding this subject and would like to share with you some information.
Years ago, I believed in the media and would send Lyme disease information to producers of 20/20 (I knew a producers from 20/20), 60 minutes, Dateline etc.
Now I am part of the media and see what it's all about. Most of the stories are dictated by politics and financial influence.
Networks are reluctant to offend advertisers. Indeed that's how all the networks survive. We're talking about ad revenue. Billions of dollars a year.
This nation has gotten away from truth. It's all relative to those in power and those with money.
Question: Why is Rush Limbaugh in every radio market in the country? Because he says what big business wants to hear. He manipulates truth to the benefit of these companies.--- AND most importantly, his propaganda talks are funded by multi-national corporations through advertising... He's always on the side of big business: Global Warming, Oil, etc. He speaks in relative truth-- truth that is slanted in favor of big business.
Getting back to my point: The networks are owned by big business. Once in a while someone will be able to step out of line such as Oprah (she can dictate what she wants to do because of her sheer audience power) but you're not going to see it happen regularly.
Things will get better eventually and it will come in one of two ways:
1) Someone with great influence such as the President will contract a serious case of Lyme disease.
OR more likely: 2) The sheer number of those suffering with chronic cases of Lyme will force the government to admit the problem is crippling our work force.
just my opinion . joshzz
Posts: 107 | From new jersey | Registered: Dec 2009
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posted
they should read pj langhoffs book the bakers dozen that really blows the whistle on the cdc and the idsa now thats a real eye opener !
Posts: 294 | From sw chicago suburbs | Registered: Apr 2007
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I can't believe we need to beg Dr. Oz. People are begging Michael J. Fox to look into the possibility? 
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