The Canadian medical community, including all levels of pertinent governments and educational institutions are in denial about the prevalence of Lyme in Canada. It is the fastest growing vector borne illness in the nation and thousands of lyme sufferers go undiagnosed and untreated for years before proper diagnosis is finally reached. Our medical practitioners on all levels lack the education to properly diagnose Lyme clinically. Present Canadian protocol tests are not sensitive enough to properly diagnose serologically. Treatment protocols do not benefit the cyclical nature of the bacterium, leading to devastating symptom return. Most doctors deny lyme exists, believe there is no cystic form of the bacterium, and doubt the long term therapy treatments. Canadians are having to go to the US for treatments, at huge personal expenses. Furthermore, doctors who ARE Lyme literate are being harrassed by their own Colleges and peers, defamed, ridiculed publicly, and having their licences to practice REVOKED. This has got to stop. We DEMAND that laws be put in place to stop the harrassment, defamation, illegal confiscation of patient files, and license revokings against Canadian Doctors. Our letter will be mailed to the Chief Scientist of Health Canada as well as our Prime Minister, the Right Honorable Stephen Harper, heads of all other Federal Political Parties; The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, the CDC of Canada and the US, as well as the Ministry of Health.
The Canadian medical community, including all levels of pertinent governments and educational institutions are in denial about the prevalence of Lyme in Canada. It is the fastest growing vector borne illness in the nation and thousands of lyme sufferers go undiagnosed and untreated for years before proper diagnosis is finally reached. Our medical practitioners on all levels lack the education to properly diagnose Lyme clinically. Present Canadian protocol tests are not sensitive enough to properly diagnose serologically. Treatment protocols do not benefit the cyclical nature of the bacterium, leading to devastating symptom return. Most doctors deny lyme exists, believe there is no cystic form of the bacterium, and doubt the long term therapy treatments. Canadians are having to go to the US for treatments, at huge personal expenses. Furthermore, doctors who ARE Lyme literate are being harrassed by their own Colleges and peers, defamed, ridiculed publicly, and having their licences to practice REVOKED. This has got to stop. We DEMAND that laws be put in place to stop the harrassment, defamation, illegal confiscation of patient files, and license revokings against Canadian Doctors. Our letter will be mailed to the Chief Scientist of Health Canada as well as our Prime Minister, the Right Honorable Stephen Harper, heads of all other Federal Political Parties; The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, the CDC of Canada and the US, as well as the Ministry of Health.
We the undersigned, duly express our concerns about the very real persecution, harrassment and defamation of Canadian doctors who rightfully choose to treat Lyme patients in a manner that has been proven to work. Doctors who have chosen a path in medicine and have sworn to the Hippocratic Oath, are being penalized harshly, and illegally have patient confidentiality violated simply for treating Lyme Disease and other tick-borne illnesses outside of the recommended 30 day antibiotic treatment. Lyme literate doctors have discovered that the one month of protocol antibiotic treatment simply is not sufficient to kill off the borrelia burgdorferi spirochaete, the bacterium responsible for Lyme disease, due to the proven fact that the bacterium goes into a "cystic" stage (dormant egg stage) that is inpenetrable by the antibiotics. This stage then progresses after some time to produce a new generation of bacterium which quickly re-infect the host body. By extending the treatment plan of antibiotic therapy to longer durations, the cystic "hatchlings" can be killed off as well. Without this, re-infection is imminent and happens in most cases. Long term Lyme leads to severe irreparable neurological damages. The Canadian Center for Disease Control follows the IDSA guidelines coming from the US, which, earlier in the spring of 2008, were found to be heavily biased formed by anti-lyme believers and insurance company representatives. The Board in place at the time has been replaced with new un-biased individuals and the guidelines are currently being re-drawn. Canada still abides to these guidelines, even though many Lyme literate doctors have offered their knowledge and discoveries about borrelia burgdorferi bacterium to try to make necessary changes. It has fallen on deaf ears. Instead, these doctors become harrassed by their College of Physicians and Surgeons, who begin calling them incompetent and ridiculing them among peers and professors. They are forced to take re-training courses, have their offices raided illegally by College Board members ("investigators") and Lyme patient files are being illegally confiscated. The harrassment continues through ridiculous lengths, sometimes years, often with College-directed mediation (which in itself is futile and highly biased). In all cases, the harrassed doctors are forced to resign due to undue stress, or simply have their licences revoked if they don't. This type of behaviour among the peer group that is supposed to be representative of our Medical practioners is appalling. We demand there to be changes made to existing laws, and new laws put in place to protect Canadian physicians, whether rural or urban, from harrassment and licence revokes from the Medical community supposedly standing behind them. It is the Physicians right, and the right of suffering Canadians, to have a Health Care system that works for and by the people, and for the doctors to be able to treat disease to the best of their abilities. Science evolves like everything else, and the time has come for changes to be made for the betterment of all Canadians. Please hear our plea. Be informed about the unbiased facts surrounding Lyme and put these laws in place.
We signed the "Stop the Persecution of Lyme Literate Doctors!" petition!
# 1,022:
5:43 pm PDT, Apr 4,Barb & JAKE Kinsella, Canada
# 1,021:
6:43 am PDT, Apr 4,Angelica Senecal-Bousquet, Massachusetts
# 1,020:
2:33 pm PDT, Apr 1,Name not displayed, Canada
# 1,019:
9:14 am PDT, Apr 1,Name not displayed, Canada
# 1,018:
9:08 am PDT, Mar 31,Name not displayed, Canada
# 1,017:
11:52 pm PDT, Mar 29,Jessica Collins, New Jersey
By stopping them you are killing us!!!
# 1,016:
6:34 pm PDT, Mar 29,Name not displayed, Canada
# 1,015:
8:20 am PDT, Mar 27,Eve Zimmerman, Canada
# 1,014:
8:31 pm PDT, Mar 23,Crystal S, Cayman Islands
# 1,013:
11:07 am PDT, Mar 23,Name not displayed, Canada
# 1,012:
9:33 am PDT, Mar 19,Eileen Smith, Canada
I am appalled to think that patients with Lyme Disease are unable to receive the best possible treatment, because the few doctors who know how to treat them are harrassed by their own organization.
# 1,011:
2:27 pm PDT, Mar 18,Steven Earle, Canada
# 1,010:
2:10 pm PDT, Mar 16,Shauna Bergen, Canada
Dr Murakami's treatment over six month was the only relief that I experienced. I need further treatment 5 years later, due to a relapse. It is my understanding I cannot receive this care.
Dr Murakami took my symptoms seriously. I lived in Africa and was treated for a bulls eye rash, but not enough. My brother and I both suffer from recurring infection. I have been ill for 25 years.
Dr M's testing found Rocky Mountain Fever antibodies in my blood, and treated me for Babesia. He is the only doctor who made me better. He was careful and compassionate. I only wish for more doctors of his calibre. Thank you very much for reading my story,
Shauna Bergen, Toronto Canada
# 1,009:
11:46 am PDT, Mar 16,Ann Sarmiento, California
# 1,008:
4:16 pm PDT, Mar 15,Dean Summerfield, Canada
# 1,007:
12:49 pm PDT, Mar 15,Trevor Day, Canada
It is so extremely disheartening when the blind, money-above-all mentality of the corporate world sneaks its way into the very institutions that WE BUILT to protect the health of ourselves, our families and loved ones. Here we have dedicated medical practitioners, seeing cases upon cases of debilitating suffering, using all resources available to them, and risking their reputations and financial livelihoods on helping to SAVE HUMAN LIFE. Yet we have medical boards comprised of doctors ON CORPORATE PAYROLL writing guidelines on how our humanitarian doctors should treat these terrible disorders and then persecuting those who don't follow their corrupt guidelines. If our medical institutions have become corrupt to the point where they persecute life-saving doctors, it is only up to the PEOPLE to bring back accountability to the institutions and their professionals. As the perpetrators of the current economic crisis have shown us all: blind corporate greed has its limits and the reasonable, socially-conscious citizen will rise to show a new era of responsibility.
# 1,006:
12:37 pm PDT, Mar 15,Carol Kariatsumari, Canada
Dr. Murakami is a well known and respected member in my community. The social injustice he has had to endure is unbelievable! I hope he perseveres and publishes his books so that the WHO RECOGNIZES the validity of his research and so that Physicians will become educated and be able to diagnose, and share the research that he has done. Why have they turned something positive into something negative?! It makes me wonder if they want the public to stay ignorant and wish they had made the discovery first so that they can get the proper recognition so rightly deserved and owing to Dr. Murakami. Keep strong and don't let the nay sayers get you down.
Sincerely,
Carol Kariatsumari
# 1,005:
9:25 am PDT, Mar 15,Name not displayed, Canada
Dr Murakami diagnosed me and I am geting well-- had seen 7 docs over 4 years- even some of Ontario's finest- lost balance/vision at one point- now I am on my way, but I still need medical attention to finish this difficult task. And support - not what we are getting.
Lyme is currently the most epidemic vector-borne illness in North America and is getting worse. Who will treat you when you or your loved ones suddenly show symptoms of Lyme?
# 1,004:
10:11 pm PDT, Mar 14,Name not displayed, Canada
# 1,003:
6:52 am PDT, Mar 14,Lynda Mcinnes, Canada
please really hear what people are saying my sister has just over come cancer and now they are testing for lyme please lets get smart here and wake up this is real and if my sister has to go untreated or has to suffer any more than she has already it will be a great miscarrage of human rights and well being, I am begging all who will listen we need to fix this we need to find a way to make people understand not just for my sister but to all our sisters our brothers, moms our dads our friends our neighbours any one
# 1,002:
11:26 am PDT, Mar 13,Steve Klein, Canada
# 1,001:
10:53 am PDT, Mar 13,Hugh Southee, Canada
I seem to be the only 'lucky' lyme sufferer that I have come across in that I received prompt treatment with 6 months of antibiotics as soon as I started to display severe neural degeneration. I have been appalled at the complete lack of treatment that other folks with this illness have had to contend with. I know that the medical community is concerned with mis-daignosis of this disease but I feel that it is probably better to treat an individual suffering from say MS or chronique fatigue syndrome with 6 months of antibiotics just in case that it might be lyme disease. I may have had a tick related encephalitis and not lyme disease but I know that I am glad I took antibiotics just in case it was lyme and I am certainly glad that my ability to talk and walk normally and remember what I did 5 minutes ago have returned even if I may have suffered antibiotic toxicity.
# 1,000:
8:54 pm PDT, Mar 11,Name not displayed, Canada
# 999:
8:52 pm PDT, Mar 11,Name not displayed, Canada
# 998:
8:51 pm PDT, Mar 11,Name not displayed, Canada
# 997:
8:50 pm PDT, Mar 11,Name not displayed, Canada
# 996:
8:48 pm PDT, Mar 11,Name not displayed, Canada
# 995:
8:48 pm PDT, Mar 11,Name not displayed, Canada
# 994:
8:47 pm PDT, Mar 11,Name not displayed, Canada
# 993:
8:45 pm PDT, Mar 11,Name not displayed, Canada
# 992:
7:29 pm PDT, Mar 11,Claire,Fafard Noonan, Canada
Help as soon as possible before it becomes impossible to take care of so many who have been neglected for so long as the number is multiplying daily among relatives and friends. Please do.
# 991:
5:35 pm PDT, Mar 11,Ashley Wight, Canada
Dr. Murakami is a life saver. He's only one man, and look at the difference he has made. If only the rest of Canada could open their eyes, then we wouldn't have all this suffering.
# 990:
12:29 pm PDT, Mar 11,KAREN MUIR, Canada
# 989:
10:34 am PDT, Mar 11,Carol Morrison, Canada
# 988:
7:25 pm PDT, Mar 10,Name not displayed, Canada
# 987:
5:41 pm PDT, Mar 9,Gaylene Robertson, Canada
# 986:
2:28 pm PDT, Mar 9,Name not displayed, Canada
# 985:
1:56 pm PDT, Mar 9,Teresa Smith, Washington
I recently lost a dear friend to this disease. Something must be done to wake up the world.
# 984:
12:31 pm PDT, Mar 9,Name not displayed, Canada
I have seen 15 doctors and specialists in the last 5 years to get a diagnosis and still do not have a solid one. We need a test that determines whether or not someone has Lyme disease for sure. All tests in Manitoba for lyme give false negatives.
# 983:
10:46 am PDT, Mar 9,Gil Belanger, Canada
# 982:
8:55 am PDT, Mar 9,Name not displayed, Canada
# 981:
4:32 am PDT, Mar 9,Emanuel Bernardo, Canada
# 980:
10:14 pm PDT, Mar 8,Name not displayed, Texas
# 979:
8:09 pm PDT, Mar 8,Name not displayed, Canada
# 978:
3:35 pm PDT, Mar 8,Name not displayed, Canada
# 977:
6:22 am PDT, Mar 8,Jonathan Wyman, Massachusetts
# 976:
11:24 pm PST, Mar 7,Name not displayed, Canada
# 975:
1:35 pm PST, Mar 7,Brad Wilson, Canada
# 974:
1:28 pm PST, Mar 7,Theressa Klein, Canada
# 973:
9:00 am PST, Mar 7,Lynne Philippot, Canada
# 972:
8:57 am PST, Mar 7,Shirley Rathwell, Canada
I am appalled that the Canadian medical community and the Health Care Ministers in Government are so lacking in education and information about the prevalence of the lyme tick and subsequent infections in the Cdn population.Our methods of testing and treating this dangereous illness are so ineffective that many people are needlessly suffering or spending their own money to go to the USA or Europe for treatment.How can this happen -that a country that prides itself on socialized medicine restricts the rights of it's physicians to treat based on treatment plans that have been proven effective and therefore denies it's citizens access to effective treatment.
# 971:
8:15 am PST, Mar 7,Name not displayed, Canada
Since it is accepted fact that deer ticks are being increasingly found in Canada, and that deer ticks carry lyme disease, it seems bizarre that the Canadian Medical Association is not proactively working towards testing and treating this terrible disease.
# 970:
7:16 am PST, Mar 7,Reginald Brooks, Canada
# 969:
6:44 am PST, Mar 7,Roxanne Fulton, Canada
# 968:
6:26 am PST, Mar 7,Brad Becker, Canada
# 967:
6:25 am PST, Mar 7,Darcy Fulton, Canada
# 966:
5:08 am PST, Mar 7,Linda Percy, Canada
# 965:
1:16 am PST, Mar 7,Name not displayed, Canada
# 964:
9:24 pm PST, Mar 6,Elizabeth Wood, Canada
# 963:
7:57 pm PST, Mar 6,Name not displayed, Canada
# 962:
6:52 pm PST, Mar 6,Name not displayed, Canada
# 961:
2:24 pm PST, Mar 6,Zarrina Nazokatova, Canada
# 960:
1:06 pm PST, Mar 6,Sheila Paul, Canada
The work of this wonderful Doctor must be recognized. He takes the Hypocratic Oath most serious. Wish the same could be said for others.
Awareness and education are paramount to impact this disease.
# 959:
10:55 am PST, Mar 6,Name not displayed, Canada
# 958:
8:58 am PST, Mar 6,Deborah Vigier, Canada
# 957:
8:56 pm PST, Mar 5,C Hansen, Canada
# 956:
5:58 pm PST, Mar 5,Doug Barr, Canada
I sign this petition especially in support of a friend who most definitely does have Lyme disease, and has had to jump through hoops to get any competent diagnosis or treatment. The situation doctors and patients are faced with as she has described it to me is shameful. Are we becoming a third world country in medical care?
It's those who are persecuting whose jobs should be on the line, not the doctors who want to give medical care.
Lyme is currently the most epidemic vector-borne illness in North America and is getting worse. Who will treat you when you or your loved ones suddenly show symptoms of Lyme?
# 955:
9:28 pm PST, Mar 4,Paul Glombick, Canada
# 954:
3:36 pm PST, Mar 3,Name not displayed, Canada
It seems to me that so very many people are suffering needlessly. Why does this happen? I even heard that you have to leave Canada for treatment.
# 953:
8:23 pm PST, Mar 2,Stella Corby, Canada
# 952:
12:10 pm PST, Mar 2,Dyan Smith, Canada
# 951:
8:51 pm PST, Mar 1,Peter Benneke, Canada
Thank you from the bottom of my heart Dr. M for giving me my life back. With out your treatment I know I wouldn't have been able to type these words