They just announced, in the next half hour(or hour?)a story on Lyme Disease--how you can protect yourself.
Posted by alliebridge (Member # 9103) on :
Ok, I just watched the segment--the usual misinformation. It was actually the same segment that was shown last week. A doctor says that in 10% of Lyme Disease cases there is cardiac involvement but that the symptoms resolve on their own. Oh really? Mine haven't!
Then Dr. Malika Marshall says how to protect yourself, yada yada--"If you find a tick remove it"--well, duh. But HOW do you remove it PROPERLY? Nothing about THAT!
This was not informative AT ALL! It did not help people to learn how to really protect themselves from this horrid disease!
I'm not angry. Just disappointed. Posted by just don (Member # 1129) on :
Alliebridge,
Is there a place to contact them about shortcomings of their segment? IF they are really impressed and care they will have you help them design a "Much Better" segment.
Generally they are so time limited they have a hard time getting specific.
One of my pet peeves--spend a cazillion seconds promoting upcoming segment. When finnally there they say sorry out of time, cant talk about what we advertised, we are out of time NOW.
The morning tv talk shows can banter amongst the hosts non stop, seems like endless time to do it. They get to a interesting topic with an 'expert' there and they cut them off short cause they are out of time.
OR on radio they play big long intro or music intro, then say they dont have time, always against the clock
Okay, down off my soap box (for now).
Posted by DJP (Member # 5893) on :
I missed the segment and I don't find it on their site, but here is the contact information.
Here is the letter that I'm working on. Please feel free to add/edit before I send it in. Thanks!
To Whom It May Concern:
I found your segment on Lyme Disease (repeated) on August 5, 2006 incomplete and inaccurate.
When Dr. Mallika Marshall tells people to remove the tick and give it to their doctor, it makes perfect sense. But in reality, the PROPER removal of the tick is CRUCIAL, so as to not contract the disease.
If the tick's head remains embedded in the skin for example, one can still contract Lyme Disease, and/or other tick-borne diseases. It would have been great to see how to actually remove the tick properly, rather than just have a link to the CDC on your website.
I know that these segments are short. But if you are truly interested in informing/helping the public in such critical matters, then the doctor should make sure to use the short time that she has to truly inform us of the points that really matter. We are, after all, talking about a lethal disease.
After viewing that segment, people now may have a false sense of security, thinking, "Oh, I pulled off the tick and saved it so, I'm ok." But in REALITY, if not removed properly, they may still contract tick-borne illnesses.
I am nonplussed by the doctor you chose to interview, Dr. Bill Shine. When mentioning the symptoms involved with cardiac involvement of Lyme Disease, he said "Typically they resolve and many people don't know they have them." This is a COMPLETELY false statement.
Cardiac involvement caused by Lyme Disease does not go away on its own. There is a misconception in much of the medical community that the bacteria that causes Lyme Disease somehow magically disappears, rather than living and multiplying off of its host. I personally have cardiac and CNS-involved Lyme Disease, going on nine years now. And no, these symptoms have not resolved by themselves, unfortunately.
By interviewing a cardiologist for a segment about Lyme Disease, you in effect perpetuated the stereotype that Lyme Disease symptoms will disappear by themselves and that there really is no cause for alarm, when, in fact, this is the farthest thing from the truth.
On future segments addressing Lyme Disease(which I hope you have many), it would be great to see interviews with two very good, prominent Lyme Specialists in our area, Dr. D___ and Dr.P__.
Since they are specialists in this field, I believe that they can better inform the public about this life-threatening disease, which we now know is quickly becoming an epidemic in Massachusetts.
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