CBC Television The Nature of Things with David Suzuki – Ticked Off: The Mystery of Lyme Disease

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Just sent this out to family and friends….. Hoping this week’s event will further the Lyme discussion in Canada.

 
Dear Family & Friends,
 
I felt that it was important to let all of you know about an upcoming special on CBC’s “The Nature of Things.” I don’t know for sure whether or not David Suzuki’s show will reflect my reality and my concerns about tick-borne infections in Canada, but I trust that he will make a good attempt to thread the needle, to be fair to all sides of a rather emotional and even controversial topic among health care professionals and patients.
 
Show: “Ticked Off: The Mystery of Lyme Disease”
Where: CBC Television
When: Thursday, October 10, 2013
8 pm EDT (or later, if you have access to CBC Manitoba, Vancouver, etc…)
 
Public awareness is important to me for a number of reasons. As you know, we have been through a lot as a family, mainly due to the scourge of lyme disease. In the United States, the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) recently updated their estimate of the number of Americans diagnosed with Lyme disease each year from 30,000 to around 300,000. Although the Public Health Agency of Canada has not officially commented (to the best of my knowledge), this revision finally acknowledges a more accurate (but still low, IMHO) view of the expanding health problem that is lyme disease. I have always called it a health care tsunami. And this is where each of you comes in. I don’t want to scaremonger…. but please watch the show, and be mindful of ticks which may be carrying lyme bacteria (borrelia) and other equally problematic co-infections. Ultimately, I hope that public pressure translates to political pressure, which then affects policy decisions around health care research and practices in our country. Many of us have been involved toward this end by doing everything we can to support an upcoming private members’ bill in the House of Commons, Bill C-442, the “National Lyme Disease Strategy Act.” One of my small contributions has been a YouTube video , an “open letter” to Federal Members of Parliament and Senators, encouraging them to support the bill. Others have been lobbying directly in Ottawa. Many have been in contact with their Members of Parliament, urging them to recognize the scope of the problem and to do something about it. We are not doing this just for ourselves, but for all Canadians who are in the path of this growing health crisis.
 
Thank you for your friendship and support.
 
David
 
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One thought on “CBC Television The Nature of Things with David Suzuki – Ticked Off: The Mystery of Lyme Disease”

  1. In spite of some of the controversy re. this show, and how forceful it was (or wasn’t) in pushing for change, I think it did a great job in laying the groundwork for viewers’ greater understanding of all aspects of lyme disease. I look forward to part 2 …

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