Films: Under our Skin: Lyme's Disease

Life cycle of the tick

A documentary about Lyme disease looks like a film worth searching out. I doubt it will be at the local cinema.

All parasitic diseases are problematic, often difficult to diagnosis, let alone treat, and folks are often misdiagnosed. Some patients who suffer from long term symptoms are often accused of exaggeration, psychosoma and frequently scoffed at by well meaning but not necessarily well trained diagnosticians.

Some with the disease do well with an antibiotic treatment, a treatment that should be prescribed immediately at early detection while others suffer endlessly with little hope of recovering their full health status.

It's not clear why some patients recover quickly and others don't. It is most likely individual predisposition, health history and fundamental to treatment, how quickly the disease is diagnosed and treated.

Controversy is already swirling around the documentary.

However, there is no controversy in my mind about the potential prevalence of Lyme in my community. I am surrounded by deer, fearless they come right up to the side of my house and are often in the yard, front and back, on the road or at a neighbours. Hungry they have chomped on one bush near the house that now is a stalk.

One of my closest neighbours, a careful but active male, was just diagnosed and treated.

And I am not always properly dressed to avoid a tick bite.