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THIS IS PART I OF II - AN URGENT CALL TO ACTION TO PROTECT LYME LITERATE PHYSICIANS IN THE STATE OF VIRGINIA � WE NEED YOUR HELP NatCapLyme Members, family and friends:
For the past few years, physicians who treat Lyme disease have been scrutinized by various state licensing boards. In several cases, this scrutiny has led to investigations, censures and even the loss of medical licenses. The unfortunate and sad fact is that such investigation and scrutiny of Lyme Literate MDs (LLMDs) has come to Virginia and the National Capital area. Dr. Leila Zackrison of Fairfax, Virginia, is under investigation by the Commonwealth of Virginia Board of Medicine for her diagnosis and treatment of Lyme disease.
Many of Dr. Zackrison's patients are members of NatCapLyme and other Virginia support groups; these patients ardently refute the charges. They believe our region would suffer a great loss were Dr. Zackrison prevented from treating Lyme patients, or even worse, were her license to practice medicine revoked. Many of these patients have verified that Dr. Zackrison uses only the most stringent testing regimen and conservative drug therapy.
We cannot begin to calculate the loss were our members denied access to Dr. Zackrison. Our Association through its General Counsel Gregg Skall will support Dr. Zackrison by appearing at her hearing before the Commonwealth of Virginia Medical Board on October 4 in Richmond, Virginia.
At our request Dr. Zackrison disclosed the charges and gave us permission to release this information to you. Specifically, the Medical Board in a letter to Dr. Zackrison states:
You may have violated Section 54.1-2915.A(13) and (16) [formerly 54.1-2914.A(8) and (11)] of the Code. Specifically, you use the polymerase chain reaction ("PCR") test, which is unstandardized and infrequently used to [sic] due to its history of showing false positive results, to diagnose Lyme disease. You have misdiagnosed patients with Lyme disease, Reactive Arthritis, Lupus and other ailments and prescribed long term IV antibiotics and immunosuppressive agents.
Such charges are at the heart of the Lyme disease diagnosis and treatment debate. LLMDs and patients know that many Lyme symptoms appear similar to those of the other diseases cited by the Virginia Medical Board. The Medical Board cites 3 patient case studies to support of its allegations. Those three cases describe situations familiar to Lyme patients' multiple symptoms which disappear, reappear and mimic other diseases, all complicating diagnosis. The Medical Board in its letter does not allege negative consequences to any of Dr. Zackrison's patients.
PLEASE, prepare a letter and send it immediately and not later than September 12 to your state and local representatives with a copy to Dr. Zackrison's attorney, R. Harrison Pledger. The Virginia Board of Medicine will not read the letters unless Dr. Zackrison's attorney presents them, so it is critical that you send him a copy.
1. You can identify your state officials and their addresses at the following site:
Fill in your street address and city or county. Click "Go" and the site will bring up your Virginia state senator and state representative. Then click on their name to see their biography page with their postal address and a link to their e-mail address.
Fill in the personal information and address. Click on "Lookup" and it will return your State Representative and Senator. Click on: "Send a Message to your Delegate and Senator" and you will be provided a form to fill in and send your message.
Please contact your state officials both by email and hardcopy. To make it easy for yourself, send the state official an email, AND COPY YOURSELF ON THE EMAIL. Print out a hardcopy at home, and send a hard copy to the state officials and to Dr. Zackrison's attorney!
2. Dr. Zackrison=s Attorney is: R. Harrison Pledger, Jr., Pledger and Associates, 4530 Walney Road, No. 202, Chantilly, VA 20151. Send him a hardcopy by mail, fax him at 703 263 1799, or email him at [email protected]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ National Capital Lyme Disease Association [email protected] www.natcaplyme.org Phone & fax: 703-821-8833 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
What Follows Below Are Some Points to Consider Including in Your Letter:
1. Note that you are aware that the Commonwealth of Virginia Board of Medicine is investigating Dr. Leila Zackrison.
2. Identify yourself as a Lyme disease patient/family member/friend.
3. Say whether you are a patient of Dr. Zackrison's, or are otherwise familiar with her fine reputation by the reports of others.
4. State whether you are personally/professionally familiar with Lyme disease and its effects. Tell your/your loved one's story. Note if you have a medical background/have read up on the subject.
5. If Dr. Zackrison is your or your loved one's physician, comment on her thorough investigation of your/your loved one's condition, her extensive use of sophisticated testing, the length of time (hours?) that she took a clinical history, her extensive and hands on clinical examination of the patient, her insistence that the patient comes in to the office to review test results and to consult on a course of treatment, her insistence that every patient also maintain a relationship with a primary care physician, her requests for any past testing or clinical history, her rigorous monitoring of any patient undergoing any type of therapy, her interim assessments during therapy, and any other ways in which she was and is a conscientious, thorough and exceptional physician.
6. Note any difficult history of getting diagnosed or treated for Lyme disease or other tick borne illness, e.g. going to other doctors with a rash and initial presenting symptoms and their failure to diagnose on the clinical symptoms, etc. Note particularly if an infectious disease doctor failed you, and you turned to Dr. Zackrison, a rheumatologist, as a result due to her reputation at diagnosing tick borne illnesses. Comment on what difficulty you would face if Dr. Zackrison were not available as your physician/as a resource physician in the area.
7. Note particularly if your case was complicated by the presence of any underlying health condition or illness, such as autoimmune disease etc.
8. Comment on the patient's current health status as a result of Dr. Zackrison.
-------------------- nan Posts: 2135 | From Tick Country | Registered: Oct 2000
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-------------------- --Lymetutu-- Opinions, not medical advice! Posts: 96239 | From Texas | Registered: Feb 2001
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NP40
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 6711
posted
If they pull this doc's license, then all other doc's are in jeopardy. Amazing, prescribe long-term abx for acne and no one gives a damn. Save people's lives with it when they have lyme and you're a criminal. It boggles the mind.
Posts: 1632 | From Northern Wisconsin | Registered: Jan 2005
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posted
i've talked to lots of people "on the street" and many of them believe that there is a CONSPIRACY to keep the population chronically ill! THAT is so very evil , I want to scream. Posts: 140 | From Morristown, NJ, USA | Registered: Jan 2004
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