Re: Victims show support for LD bill

From: eugeneshapiroisapig (mockingbirdstl_at_aol.com)
Date: 03/17/05 

Date: 17 Mar 2005 12:46:46 -0800

Look it was a "treatment study" with entrance criteria which excluded
anyone with a real likelihood of having active infection--and the
treatment was anti-infective.

I can accept that it is what it is. However, what I cannot accept is
the use of these study results to justify scientific positions and
treatment policies which really cannot be justified based on these
results. These results have been cited far beyond their scope. And
unless someone reads carefully, they won't realize this.

The administration of placebo and treatment with a regimen of
parenteral ceftriaxone for 30 days, followed by oral doxycycline for 60

days, had similar effects on the patients' health-related quality of
life. This antibiotic-treatment regimen was selected because of the in
vitro and in vivo activity of both of these antibiotics against B.
burgdorferi and because they are effective for the treatment of
neuroborreliosis.1 Experience with other chronic infectious diseases
caused by persistent bacteria (e.g., syphilis, tuberculosis, and
helicobacter infection) suggests that it is unlikely that more
prolonged antibiotic therapy or a different combination of antibiotics
would result in greater improvement than was observed in this study."

Another thing worth mentioning is the oversweeping generalization about
bacteria. Is it really scientific to make a statement such as "if it
doesn't work in heliobacter or treponoma, it won't work in borrelia"
     Borrelia are bizarre bacteria, most proteins have no known
homologs in the "tree of life", in addition to the fairly unique DNA
structure. For instance, 14.5% of plasmid genes code for os
lipoproteins; in heliobacter and treponoma that percentage is far
lower, something like 2%.
     I found this statement to be especially disturbing. On any other
subject, the peer reviewers would have ripped klempner a new hole for
making a statement like this.
This is not scientific thinking; it is dogmatic robopolicy speak.
probably brought on by promise of a new position at BU (thus escaping
scientific misconduct investigation at tufts) and lots of grant $$$
from NIH officials.

     It is interesting that in the wake of this study, both steere and
klempner switched out of tufts.

I think people are armed with evidence and invective. Money is being
raised...despite the fact that many LD patients are bankrupted by their
experiences.

As far as legislators setting medical agendas, that's a valid point.
However it is impossible to have a medical system which is not under
the influence of the government. 95% of post graduate ME in this
country is funded by taxpayers. 20+ billion a year of medical research
by NIH - the taxpayers. Funding decisions are made at the governmental
level which dictate health and research policies and direction.
     I personally am in favor of sweeping reforms in the medical
community, profession, and academia. Unfortunately nobody has the balls
to do what needs to be done. there is a kind of gridlock which has
fossilized minds and encouraged the mindless pursuit of money and these
things are really fucking people up.
     For one thing, I would like to see the government either totally
stop funding medical research and medical residency, or take the whole
rotten structure over. What is especially needed is a focus on doctors
entering fields such as internal medicine which is deficient. I would
even go so far as massively increasing the number of medical school
students, with the proviso that the extras have no choice but to enter
internal medicine after they graduate and such.

     I would also mandate changes which limit the number of patients a
doctor can see on a daily basis (with emergency exceptions). No more
than two patients an hour. Of course we'd have to greatly increase
the number of physicians in this country, and they don't want to do
that because that means real competition and declining incomes as
opposed to what we have now which is everybody gets a job, and
everybody makes a lot of money. The system is rigged to ensure high
physician salaries to the detriment of patients. Just one symptom of
the diseases of avarice and vanity which plague medicine.

In addition to LB, I have an attendent endocrine problem. The wait list
to see the special endocrinologist, who is the only person in the state
qualified to treat my type of disorder, is 6 freaking months! That's
absurd and outrageous. The last time I saw this doctor, he said "well,
I shouldn't have scheduled you to come back so soon...I'll see you
again in about 6 months". Literally, less than 5 minutes.

I take medication related to this, so basically if there needs to be a
change, I have to wait 6 goddamn months before the doctor actually
makes a change.

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