Topic: Letter Hartford Courant: A Victim Of Political Pressure
CaliforniaLyme
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 7136
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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
A Victim Of Political Pressure December 3, 2007
The recommendation to reprimand Dr. Charles Ray Jones and place him on probation is a travesty and is an embarrassment for the State Medical Review Board [Page 1, Nov. 30, "Probation Suggested For Lyme Doctor"].
Dr. Jones is a highly competent and caring physician. I have known him on a professional basis for at least 30 years. In the past, I have read of his work in the medical literature and subsequently sought out his consultation and advice. I have referred patients to him with unusual and serious childhood diseases who might well have died without his highly effective management and treatment.
Certainly, his views on Lyme disease are controversial and not in the current mainstream of medical opinion, but so what? There is a lot that remains unknown about this and other puzzling diseases, and who's to say he's not right?
The main point is that the board has yielded to political pressure within the medical community and has castigated Dr. Jones to soothe the ruffled feathers of those who don't like to see their medical opinions questioned -- how petty and unbecoming of a professional board in a position of authoritative review.
Connecticut is fortunate to have physicians of Dr. Jones' caliber in its ranks and, if anything, he should be commended for his professionalism rather than scapegoated for his courage to stand for what he believes to be medically proper.
David Krutchkoff
Avon
The writer is professor emeritus of oral pathology at the University of Connecticut School of Dental Medicine.
2007, The Hartford Courant
-------------------- There is no wealth but life. -John Ruskin
All truth goes through 3 stages: first it is ridiculed: then it is violently opposed: finally it is accepted as self evident. - Schopenhauer Posts: 5639 | From Aptos CA USA | Registered: Apr 2005
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-------------------- --Lymetutu-- Opinions, not medical advice! Posts: 96223 | From Texas | Registered: Feb 2001
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Cobweb
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The Courant needs to be reprimanded for reporting such bias and piecemeal information from a trial that took nearly a year to complete.
Picking and choosing what to report is akin to providing readers with misinformation and slander.
If The Courant would really like to inform it's readers of the facts-then publish the whole transcript.
The Courant has presented a jigsaw puzzle with many important pieces missing. No wonder readers are getting the wrong picture of Dr. Jones' ethics, dedication, and expertise. _________________________________________________ How's that for an editorial ?
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tdtid
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This is a well written letter. Thanks for sharing, Sarah.
Cathy
-------------------- "To Dream The Impossible Dream" Man of La Mancha Posts: 2638 | From New Hampshire | Registered: Oct 2006
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TerryK
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Yes, great letter. I wish there were many more doctors in the area who were standing up for Dr. J.
Why isn't anyone in the news focusing on the fact that these children are much improved under Dr. J's treatment and the ridiculousness of a decision to reprimand one of the few doctors who has actually done his job???
Insane that it is OK to reprimand a doctor who has greatly improved the health of these children while doing nothing to the many doctors who ignore lyme.
Terry
Posts: 6286 | From Oregon | Registered: Jan 2006
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Greatcod
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"The writer is professor emeritus of oral pathology at the University of Connecticut School of Dental Medicine".
Oral pathology is pretty much everything that the IDSA has to say about Lyme.
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bettyg
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my response early this am....
I'm a 38 year CHRONIC LYME patient misdiagnosed for 34 years by 40-50 drs/specialists!
WHY did it take 34 years to diagnose me??
WHY couldn't IDSA, infectious disease drs. caught it at the beginning?
It's because I had NO RASH, NO VISIBLE TICK BITE OR EMBEDDED TICK, and NO LYME LITERATE MD IN IOWA!! To date, we have NO FULL-TIME time lyme literate mds in our entire state! We have to travel to other states like the family in question in this story!
I was initially diagnosed with mononucleosis/EPSTEIN BARR VIRUS when I was 21 in Jan. 1970!
How did a tick get to me in the dead of winter in Iowa's SUB-ZERO temps? The tick came OFF my folk's LIVE CHRISTMAS TREE!!
How can ticks get into trees? Deer brush up against them; main carrier are birds who fly up into them, and white-footed mice, squirrels, etc. that crawl up in them. Ticks crawl off animals onto the branches and wait for their next "meal" ... us!
I think it is outragious that it took this board 2 YEARS to conduct 8+ hearings!
When the hearings started, there should have been 2 only: producing evidence, and decision made on evidence!
The State medical board caused a HUGE $$$ to have been raised by us, the CHRONIC LYME PATIENTS/PARENTS of those Dr. Jones treated over the many years he CHOSE to treat lyme children while other drs. BURIED THEIR HEADS IN HE SAND AND WOULD NOT TOUCH THESE LYME CHILDREN!
I personally resent what it's done to Dr. Jones, his staff, and all lyme children/parents:
* the almost $1 million dollars out of his/our pockets;
* the additional stress of losing many things in order to pay for these hearings, and
* the stress that we lyme patients do NOT need as we struggle daily with our lyme treatments!
Recently, Dr. Brian Fallon had a review showing that long-term antibiotics DO make a diference in lyme patience in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Did the Board take this into consideration? NO !! Hog wash!
I also disagree with someone to review EACH of his cases one by one! That EXTRA DR. could be put to use as a LYME LITERATE MD and TREAT more lyme children there!!!
We only have around 12 nationwide LLMDS that will treat children! HOW SAD! Animals are treated better than we humans!
I have NO IDEA who is on the FULL BOARD to decide Dr. Jones fate on Dec. 18, but I'm asking this ... that it be EQUAL in numbers of those who believe in LONG-TERM vs. short-term antibiotics, and most IMPORTANTLY, that HALF of the board members have a direct family member with CHRONIC LYME!
Only if YOU can walk totally in our shoes, can you understand and have an intelligent discussion with us!
Remember FOOTPRINTS IN THE SAND! That has been our LLMDS in many cases carrying us when we cold not carry ourselves!
God bless all the LLMDS in USA and internationally for taking us on when no one else would attempt to get us into REMISSION! I'd like to have a quality of life at age 58; 9 years disabled/not able to work anymore, and struggling daily!
Please to the board; REJECT the proposal stated in the article above.
MODIFY it to suit the situation here! We thank you!
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CaliforniaLyme
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 7136
posted
Forgot url!! Sorry!! So you can make comments if you want-
-------------------- There is no wealth but life. -John Ruskin
All truth goes through 3 stages: first it is ridiculed: then it is violently opposed: finally it is accepted as self evident. - Schopenhauer Posts: 5639 | From Aptos CA USA | Registered: Apr 2005
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lymeladyinNY
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 10235
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LOL, greatcod.
-------------------- I want to be free Posts: 1170 | From Endicott, NY | Registered: Sep 2006
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sizzled
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Member # 1357
posted
Up!
Posts: 4258 | From over there | Registered: Jul 2001
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Tracy9
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Member # 7521
posted
Greatcod, that is hysterical!!! How clever and witty!!!
13 years Lyme & Co.; Small Fiber Neuropathy; Myasthenia Gravis, Adrenal Insufficiency. On chemo for 2 1/2 years as experimental treatment for MG. Posts: 4480 | From Northeastern Connecticut | Registered: Jun 2005
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Cobweb
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Greatcod-I love it! You should be immortalized.
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