A disgraceful campaign of slander against the ground-breaking researchers Dr Alan Macdonald and Dr Eva Sapi has been given a platform at the highly suspect LymeNetEurope forum. (www.lymeneteurope.org)
Please show your support for them by countering the misinformation and personal abuse against them there. You may also remind the moderators that abuse and "ad hominem attacks" supposedly will not be tolerated.
At the same time I would urge caution before joining the forum - it is a front for the denialist camp, and those that run it may have access to your private data if you interact with them from your own home or work computer. There are a number of good people posting there, but they are restricted and reigned in by the many Denialist puppets, and most of the discussion is orchestrated to harm our cause.
Elena Cook
-------------------- Justice will be ours. Posts: 786 | From UK | Registered: Oct 2007
| IP: Logged |
Keebler
Honored Contributor (25K+ posts)
Member # 12673
posted
- Elena,
Thank you for the information.
Can you post a LINK so we can go right to the exact web page?
Having seen Dr. McD in the documentary "Under Our Skin" his words forever changed how I feel about myself regarding this illness.
He showed me that there are reasons, complex & intricate reasons.
I wonder if you have an update on Dr. McD. I know his health failed him a while back and I sure hope he has seen great improvement.
Still, his works stands strong, in my book. Sapi's, too. -
Posts: 48021 | From Tree House | Registered: Jul 2007
| IP: Logged |
poppy
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 5355
posted
I think this is a waste of time, and an opportunity to give these creeps a wider audience. The best thing to do with people and forums like this is to ignore them.
Not only that, exposure to poisonous people is bad for our health.
Posts: 2888 | From USA | Registered: Mar 2004
| IP: Logged |
Keebler
Honored Contributor (25K+ posts)
Member # 12673
posted
- poppy does make some good points. Some posters at LNE really trash posters here a LN quiet often.
I know every time I've been searching for something and stumble onto LNE, it's very distressing. The negativity is just cutting.
Still, it's really hard to see good people and good research trashed. Someone should shine a light on their honorable work and correct falsehoods.
But, if they trash these research pillars, few would be off limits, I suppose. -
Posts: 48021 | From Tree House | Registered: Jul 2007
| IP: Logged |
posted
I recently went on that site and was amazed at the rampant IDSA-speak going on.
I tried to register, and it wouldn't let me. Seems you need a code to activate and you can't get the code until you've registered - catch 22.
I think it's best to get the word out that LNE is to be avoided by anyone who wants the truth about Lyme Disease. It is obviously rigged and may in fact be a front for the IDSA worms.
-------------------- Sick since at least age 6, now 67. Decades of misdiagnosis. Numerous arthritic, neuro, psych, vision, cardiac symptoms. Been treating for 7 years, incl 8 mos on IV. Bart was missed so now treating that. Posts: 765 | From nw ct | Registered: Sep 2008
| IP: Logged |
posted
I think it's a waste of time. Just stay here.
Posts: 13116 | From San Francisco | Registered: May 2006
| IP: Logged |
seekhelp
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 15067
posted
I don't go there at all barely, but I'd like to know how this member called 'Camp Other' is sick with TBIs and has endless time to write 1,000 word rebuttals to every post. C'mon, really?
To me, it seems like they make being ill a funny game on that forum. Sick people don't have the time/abilities to research things in that detail. It's a slap in the face to people really struggling.
Posts: 7545 | From The 5th Dimension - The Twilight Zone | Registered: Mar 2008
| IP: Logged |
posted
I too would like to know if he has recovered. It appears that he has registered on Jan. 13 2012 at lne under the name inmacdonald and seems he is very active posting since then about very scientific things.
His profile has his picture. So is he better? That would be great.
Posts: 433 | From new york | Registered: Dec 2004
| IP: Logged |
posted
for those of you that visit the forum, any chance you can post important info?
Posts: 287 | From somewhere | Registered: Oct 2011
| IP: Logged |
posted
I found my own answer. It is him. This is a post from him in Jan. Glad he is back researching.
Hello
There is only one person with my name who has devoted a career to Lyme disease research.
I ceased my practice of pathology and research several years go due to a medical condition which limits my short term and klong term memory. My medical treatment and bimonthly visitis with my physicians have helped me to maintain a plateau in my memory difficulties.
Every day is worthwhile, but I am frustrated by the fact that mermories of details of my past practice are difficult. I maintain my interest in the Borrelia/Lyme areas and I participate as best I can. I hope that
I can offer some constructive contributions from time to time based on 30 years of experience.Thanks to medications, I can remember scattered "pieces" of what I used to access instantaneously in the years gone by. ( For instance I asked for your collective assistance in recalling the published facts concerning the results of primary isolation of Bb from Synovial fluid)
I am not without some residual memories, but in some cases I rely heavily on the memories of others.
With Kind regards and all good wishes for the privilege of participation in this forum,
Alan B. MacDonad MD inmacdonald
Posts: 433 | From new york | Registered: Dec 2004
| IP: Logged |
Some of the offensive posts can be found on LymeNet Europe under the topic titles "Structure of Biofilms of Borrelia Lecture Link" (Science section) and "Emeritus - MacDonald" (Off-topic Cafe)
The posters, who are clearly part of the Denialist front which set up the group, include individuals calling themselves "Bagge" and "Henry".
When not hurling outright abuse, some of the try to pose complicated pseudo-scientific arguments to try to "prove", for example, that the evidence of biofilms seen by Dr MacDonald is just artefact.
They provide highly technical "explanations" as to why, they say, the biofilm evidence is invalid. Their explanations, it would appear, could only be evaluated by another professional in the field, leaving most Lyme patients (amd even physicians) in the dark as to who was right.
But what is remarkable - is that while fiercely (and abusively) pushing these highly technical explanations, they make mistakes on the most basic points!
For example, the entity calling himself "henry" insisted the biofilms were just fibrin threads found in the serum.
Even a first-year student nurse knows that serum **does not contain** fibrin.
Dr Macdonald has shown a great deal of restraint in dealing with these clumsy marionettes.
Who's the puppet-master?
-------------------- Justice will be ours. Posts: 786 | From UK | Registered: Oct 2007
| IP: Logged |
I do take the point that several people here are averse to visiting that forum because of the noxious lies promoted there by those who run it - I uaually stay far away myself.
I also genuinely believe there is a risk of data-mining of your computer when you visit the wretched place.
So, a suggestion.
We could simply write in here to record our disgust at the attempt to smear Drs Macdonald and Sapi on LymeNetEurope, and express our appreciation for the work that they do.
Then, when many people have contributed, we could forward it to both of them, as well as to LymeNetEurope (which will doubtlessly censor it, but that's their choice.)
One final note - if you read Alan Macdonald's recent contributions, you will be struck by the fact that, even with memory problems, he is running rings round our enemies, even though their puny neural networks are technically (though not morally) robust.
Elena
-------------------- Justice will be ours. Posts: 786 | From UK | Registered: Oct 2007
| IP: Logged |
Tammy N.
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 26835
posted
I've never visited that site, and don't plan to. It's just a shame that it sounds like a sister-site the the real Lymenet.
Posts: 2238 | From East Coast | Registered: Jul 2010
| IP: Logged |
sparkle7
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 10397
posted
It makes sense to me that spirochetes could be in brain tissue & that fillarial worms could be a pathogen present along with Bb in tick bites - which are things, if I recall correctly, that MacDonald & Sapi have stated.
We don't have a cure or much knowledge in the causes or cures of our illness. So, anyone who says they have the answer is just playing games. We have to study everything & decide for ourselves, unfortunately.
I certainly would have rather been doing other things over the past 18 years that I have been "ill" than reading a bunch of scientific & medical literature...
In the US, freedom of speech is written into our constitution. So, I can't say that people should censor anyone. We have to read the studies & look at as much info as we can to know for ourselves what is going on. We have to give alot of time & effort to make our own decisions about "the" truth or "our" truth in this matter of illness.
It's not easy. I would have rather spent my time doing other things than trying to decode the scientific, medical, political, social, & counter intelligence issues of Lyme & related illness. It's obviously a complicated issue. If it weren't, we would all have been feeling better by now & there wouldn't have been so much controvercy.
Just the fact that there's so much contention makes me think that there's something going on other than just trying to help people to get well.
Posts: 7772 | From Northeast, again... | Registered: Oct 2006
| IP: Logged |
The Lyme Disease Network is a non-profit organization funded by individual donations. If you would like to support the Network and the LymeNet system of Web services, please send your donations to:
The
Lyme Disease Network of New Jersey 907 Pebble Creek Court,
Pennington,
NJ08534USA http://www.lymenet.org/
UBBFriend: Email this page to someone!
Printer-friendly view of this topic